John Chrysostom, On the Calends

he introduces, this one casts out turmoil; that one darkens the mind, this one enlightens the darkened mind; that one instills non-existent despondencies, this one drives away those that exist. For nothing is so accustomed to produce cheerfulness and gladness as the tenets of philosophy, to look down on present affairs, to be open to the future, to consider nothing of human things to be stable, not wealth, not power, not honors, not attendants. If you know how to philosophize about these things, even if you see someone who is rich, you will not be bitten by envy, and even if you fall into poverty, you will not be humbled 48.956 by your destitution; thus you can celebrate perpetually. For the Christian ought to celebrate not months, nor new moons, nor Sundays, but throughout his whole life to keep the festival that is fitting for him. And what is the festival fitting for him? Let us hear Paul saying: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. If, therefore, you have a clear conscience, you have a perpetual festival, being nourished by good hopes and delighting in the expectation of future good things; just as, therefore, if you have no confidence and are guilty of many sins, even if there are countless feasts and festivals, you will be in no better state than those who mourn. For what is the benefit to me of a bright day, when my soul is darkened by my conscience? But if you wish to reap some fruit from the new moon, do this. When you see a year completed, give thanks to the Master, because He has brought you into this cycle of years; prick your heart, recount the time of your life, say to yourself: The days run and pass by, the years are fulfilled, we have advanced far on the road; what good has been wrought by us? Shall we depart from here empty and destitute of all righteousness? The judgment seat is at the doors, our life henceforth hastens towards old age.

3. Philosophize on these things from the new moon, these things from the cycle of the years

remember; let us consider the coming day, lest someone say that to us as well, which was said to the Jews by the prophet: Their days failed in vanity, and their years with haste. This festival which I have described, the continual one, which does not wait for cycles of years, nor is defined by days, both rich and poor will be able to keep alike; for here there is no need of money, nor of wealth, but of virtue alone. Do you not have money? But you have the fear of God, a treasure more abundant than all money, not spent, not changing, not used up. Look at the heaven, and the heaven of heaven, the earth, the sea, the air, the kinds of animals, all sorts of plants, the whole nature of men; consider angels, archangels, the higher powers; remember that all these things are the possessions of your Master. It is not possible for a servant of so wealthy a Master to be poor, if he has his own Lord gracious to him. The observing of days is not of Christian philosophy, but of Hellenic error. You have been enrolled in the city above, you are counted in that commonwealth, having mingled yourself with angels; where there is no light ending in darkness, nor day finishing in night, but always day, always light.

Therefore let us look to those things always. For, he says, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. You have nothing in common with the earth, where there are the courses of the sun, and cycles, and days; but if you live rightly, the night becomes day for you; just as, therefore, for those who live in licentiousness and drunkenness and intemperance their day is transformed into the darkness of night, not because the sun is extinguished, but because their mind is darkened by drunkenness. To be fluttered by 48.957 such days, and to receive more pleasure in them, and to light lamps in the marketplace, and to weave garlands, is of childish folly. But you have been freed from this

ἐπεισάγει, οὗτος ταραχὴν ἐκβάλλει· ἐκεῖνος σκοτοῖ τὴν διάνοιαν, οὗτος ἐσκοτισμένην φωτίζει· ἐκεῖνος ἀθυμίας τὰς οὐκ οὔσας ἐμβάλλει, οὗτος τὰς οὔσας ἀπελαύνει. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως εὐθυμίαν καὶ εὐφροσύνην ποιεῖν εἴωθεν, ὡς τὰ περὶ φιλοσοφίας δόγματα, τὸ τῶν παρόντων ὑπερορᾷν πραγμάτων, τὸ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα κεχηνέναι, τὸ μηδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων βέβαιον εἶναι νομίζειν, μὴ πλοῦτον, μὴ δυναστείαν, μὴ τιμὰς, μὴ θεραπείας. Ἂν ταῦτα εἰδῇς φιλοσοφεῖν, κἂν πλουτοῦντα θεάσῃ τινὰ, οὐ δηχθήσῃ φθόνῳ, κἂν εἰς πενίαν καταπέσῃς, οὐ ταπεινωθήσῃ 48.956 τῇ πτωχείᾳ· οὕτω διαπαντὸς ἑορτάζειν δύνασαι. Τὸν γὰρ Χριστιανὸν οὐχὶ μῆνας, οὐδὲ νουμηνίας, οὐδὲ κυριακὰς ἑορτάζειν χρὴ, ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου τὴν αὐτῷ πρέπουσαν ἑορτὴν ἄγειν. Τίς δ' αὐτῷ πρέπουσα ἑορτή; Ἀκούσωμεν Παύλου λέγοντος· Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν, μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ, μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας. Ἂν τοίνυν καθαρὸν ἔχῃς τὸ συνειδὸς, ἑορτὴν ἔχεις διαπαντὸς, χρησταῖς συντρεφόμενος ἐλπίσι, καὶ ἐντρυφῶν τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν προσδοκίᾳ· ὥσπερ οὖν ἂν ἀπαῤῥησίαστον ἔχῃς, καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων πολλῶν ὑπεύθυνος ᾖς, κἂν μυρίαι ὦσιν ἑορταὶ καὶ πανηγύρεις, τῶν πενθούντων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείσῃ. Τί γὰρ ὄφελός μοι λαμπρᾶς ἡμέρας, τῆς ψυχῆς ἐσκοτισμένης μοι τῷ συνειδότι; Εἰ δὲ ἄρα τι καὶ καρπώσασθαι ἀπὸ νουμηνίας βούλει, ἐκεῖνο ποίησον. Ὅταν ἴδῃς ἐνιαυτὸν πληρωθέντα, εὐχαρίστησον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ὅτι σε εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν περίοδον ταύτην τῶν ἐνιαυτῶν· κατάνυξόν σου τὴν καρδίαν, ἀναρίθμησαί σου τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς, εἰπὲ πρὸς ἑαυτόν· Αἱ ἡμέραι τρέχουσι καὶ παρέρχονται, οἱ ἐνιαυτοὶ πληροῦνται, πολὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ προεκόψαμεν· ἆρα τί ἡμῖν εἴργασται καλόν; ἆρα μὴ κενοὶ καὶ ἔρημοι δικαιοσύνης ἁπάσης ἐντεῦθεν ἀπελευσόμεθα, τὸ δικαστήριον ἐπὶ θύραις, πρὸς γῆρας ἡμῶν ἐπείγεται λοιπὸν ἡ ζωή.

γʹ. Ταῦτα ἀπὸ νουμηνίας φιλοσόφει, ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῆς περιόδου τῶν ἐνιαυτῶν

ἀναμιμνήσκου· τῆς μελλούσης ἡμέρας ἀναλογιζώμεθα, μήποτε καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἴπῃ τις ἐκεῖνο, τὸ πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἰρημένον τῷ προφήτῃ· Ἐξέλιπον ἐν ματαιότητι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτῶν μετὰ σπουδῆς. Ταύτην τὴν ἑορτὴν ἣν εἶπον ἐγὼ, τὴν διηνεκῆ, καὶ περιόδους ἐτῶν οὐκ ἀναμένουσαν, οὐδὲ περιγραφομένην ἡμέραις, καὶ πλούσιος καὶ πένης ἄγειν δυνήσεται ὁμοίως· οὐ γὰρ χρημάτων ἐνταῦθα χρεία, οὐδ' εὐπορίας, ἀλλ' ἀρετῆς μόνης. Οὐκ ἔχεις χρήματα; ἀλλ' ἔχεις τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον, πάντων χρημάτων εὐπορώτερον θησαυρὸν, οὐκ ἀναλισκόμενον, οὐ μεταβαλλόμενον, οὐ δαπανώμενον. Ἴδε εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὴν γῆν, τὴν θάλασσαν, τὸν ἀέρα, τὰ γένη τῶν ζώων, τὰ παντοδαπὰ φυτὰ, τὴν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἅπασαν· ἐννόησον ἀγγέλους, ἀρχαγγέλους, τὰς ἀνωτέρας δυνάμεις· ἀναμνήσθητι ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα τοῦ ∆εσπότου σου ἐστὶ κτήματα. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ οὕτως εὐπόρου ∆εσπότου δοῦλον πένητα εἶναι, ἐὰν ἵλεω τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Κύριον ἔχῃ. Τὸ παρατηρεῖν ἡμέρας οὐ Χριστιανικῆς φιλοσοφίας, ἀλλ' Ἑλληνικῆς πλάνης ἐστίν. Εἰς τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ἀπεγράψω, εἰς τὴν ἐκεῖ πολιτείαν τελεῖς, ἀγγέλοις σαυτὸν ἀναμίξας· οὗ οὐκ ἔστι φῶς εἰς σκότος λῆγον, οὐθ' ἡμέρα εἰς νύκτα τελευτῶσα, ἀλλὰ διαπαντὸς ἡμέρα, διαποντὸς φῶς.

Πρὸς ἐκεῖνα τοίνυν βλέπωμεν διαπαντός. Τὰ ἄνω γὰρ, φησὶ, ζητεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος. Οὐδὲν ἔχεις κοινὸν πρὸς τὴν γῆν, ἔνθα ἡλίου δρόμοι, καὶ περίοδοι, καὶ ἡμέραι· ἀλλ' ἐὰν ὀρθῶς ζῇς, ἡ νὺξ ἡμέρα σοι γίνεται· ὥσπερ οὖν τοῖς ἐν ἀσελγείᾳ καὶ μέθῃ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ βιοῦσιν ἡ ἡμέρα αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸ τῆς νυκτὸς μεταφέρεται σκότος, οὐ τοῦ ἡλίου σβεννυμένου, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνων διανοίας τῇ μέθῃ σκοτιζομένης. Τὸ πρὸς 48.957 ἡμέρας ἐπτοῆσθαι τοιαύτας, καὶ πλείονα ἐν αὐταῖς δέχεσθαι ἡδονὴν, καὶ λύχνους ἅπτειν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, καὶ στεφανώματα πλέκειν, παιδικῆς ἀνοίας ἐστίν. Σὺ δὲ ταύτης ἀπήλλαξαι τῆς