John Chrysostom, On Psalm 50 Homily 2

Have you sinned? Repent. Have you sinned a myriad of times? Repent a myriad of times. I continuously apply these medicines, and I subdue the inflammation. For I know how great is the dishonor of the conscience of those who have sinned; I know how great is the despair. The devil stands by, sharpening his sword, and saying these words. You have disgraced your entire youth, you have lost your whole life. Before you were a fornicator, after that you plundered, you were covetous, you committed perjury, you blasphemed. What hope of salvation is there for you? You are lost. So enjoy at least the present life. These are the words of the devil, but mine are the opposite. You are lost? But you can be saved. You fornicated? But you can be chaste. You committed adultery? But you can attain salvation. You have fallen? But you can rise up. Is your repentance small? But the Master's love for mankind is great. You murdered? But repent. You were covetous? But change your mind. You committed adultery? But abstain. You were wounded? But be healed. As long as you breathe, on the last day, upon your very bed, if you are lying at the point of death, about to depart from this theater and this life, then repent. The shortness of time does not hinder the love of God for mankind. Do not say to me, How, and in what way? I am full of sores, and I am filled with wounds; on the last day can I confess? You can, and you most certainly can. Pray, perform almsgiving, in your will leave something to the poor. You are departing thither, and your work remains. And do not introduce to me the opinion of the heretics; do not say to me: How am I saved? When God works, do not demand explanations; when He heals, do not despair. A physician stands by, cutting, and applying countless medicines, and you do not say, How do you heal? but you yield to his skill. You yield to the skill of your fellow servant, and you do not question it; and to the love of God for mankind you do not yield? Do not say, How? but marvel, but be astounded, but give glory. Since I also ask you, how was the thief saved? He spent his whole life in murders, in slaughters, in blood; he broke through walls, he seized possessions; he did not change his mind, he did not repent while on the earth. By men he was condemned, and by God he was crowned. He was not lord of life, and he became lord of the kingdom. The things here he lost, and the things there he received. How did he receive them? tell me. In a single word. For what did he say? Remember me, 55.579 Lord, in your kingdom. And the word was powerful? Not only was the word powerful, but also the love of God for mankind, mixed with repentance, made the thief a citizen of paradise. How? I do not know how. Do not ask me the way; I seek only to be saved, I do not inquire into the manner of the cure. Free me, you beseech the physician, from the sickness, and you do not dare to say, How? It is God who is saving you, and you dare to say, How? How many adulterers, effeminate men, men who lie with men, how many caught in tyranny inhabit a prison? Countless accusations, bitter enemies, great power. The king only nods, and they are released. A king, my fellow servant (for what if he is clothed in purple? He has nothing more of my substance, he is of the same race as me), nods, and they are released; and a small document, and the condemned man is set free. No magistrate speaks against it, no jailer opposes it, no authorities of laws are set against it; but the dignity of the king becomes the release of the one held captive. And God, the Master of angels and archangels, if He only nods, is He not able to save? And a king, if he releases, releases from punishment, not from sin; but my Master releases from sins. He says, I do not want the adulterer to be an adulterer, and His word became deed. He says, Let the fornicator not be a fornicator, and His word changed that man's way, and blotted out the sin.

Ἥμαρτες; Μετανόησον. Μυ ριάκις ἥμαρτες; Μυριάκις μετανόησον. Ταῦτα συνεχῶς ἐπαλείφω τὰ φάρμακα, καὶ τὴν φλεγμονὴν καταστέλλω. Οἶδα γὰρ ὅση τοῦ συνειδότος ἡ ἀτιμία τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων· οἶδα ὅση ἡ ἀπόγνωσις. Ἐφέστηκεν ὁ διάβολος ξίφος ἀκονῶν, καὶ λέγων ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα. Ὅλην τὴν νεότητά σου κατῄσχυνας, τὸν βίον σου ὅλον ἀπώλεσας. Πρότερον ἦς πόρνος, μετὰ ταῦτα ἥρπασας, ἐπλεονέκτησας, ἐπιώρ κησας, ἐβλασφήμησας. Ποία σοι ἐλπὶς σωτηρίας; Ἀπ ώλου. Λοιπὸν ἀπόλαυε κἂν τοῦ παρόντος βίου. Ταῦτα τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐμὰ ἐναντία. Ἀπώλου; Ἀλλὰ δύνασαι σωθῆναι. Ἐπόρνευσας; Ἀλλὰ δύνασαισωφρονῆσαι. Ἐμοίχευσας; Ἀλλὰ δύνασαι σωτηρίας τυχεῖν. Ἔπεσες; Ἀλλὰ δύνασαι ἀναστῆναι. Μικρὰ ἡ μετάνοιά σου; Ἀλλὰ μεγάλη ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπία. Ἐφόνευσας; Ἀλλὰ μετανόησον. Ἐπλεονέκτησας; Ἀλλαμετάγνωθι. Ἐμοίχευσας; Ἀλλὰ ἀπόστηθι. Ἐτραυματίσθης; Ἀλλὰ θεραπεύθητι. Ἕως ὅτε ἐμπνέεις, ἐν ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς κλίνης, ἐὰν ᾖς κείμενος ψυχοῤῥαγῶν, μέλλων ἐξιέναι τοῦ θεάτρου τούτου καὶ τοῦ βίου, τότε μετανόησον. Τοῦ καιροῦ ἡ στενοχωρία οὐ κωλύει τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Μή μοι λέγε, Πῶς, καὶ ποίῳ τρόπῳ; Ἑλκῶν γέμω, καὶ τραυμάτων ἐμπέπλησμαι· ἐν ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ δύναμαι ἐξομολογήσα σθαι; ∆ύνασαι, καὶ σφόδρα δύνασαι. Εὖξαι, ἐλεημοσύνην ἔργασαι, ἐν διαθήκῃ κατάλιπε πτωχοῖς. Σὺ ἐκεῖ ἀπέρχῃ, καὶ τὸ ἔργον σου μένει. Καὶ μή μοι τῶν αἱρετικῶν τὴν γνώμην εἴσαγε· μή μοι λέγε· Πῶς σώζομαι; Ὅταν ἐργάζηται Θεὸς, εὐθύνας μὴ ἀπαίτει· ἐπειδὰν ἐκεῖνος θεραπεύῃ, μὴ ἀπογίνωσκε. Ἕστηκεν ἰατρὸς τέμνων, καὶ μυρία ἐπάγων φάρμακα, καὶ οὐ λέγεις, Πῶς θεραπεύεις; ἀλλὰ παραχωρεῖς τῇ τέχνῃ. Τοῦ συνδούλου τῇ τέχνῃ πα ραχωρεῖς, καὶ οὐ περιεργάζῃ· καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρω πίᾳ οὐ παραχωρεῖς; Μὴ λέγε, Πῶς; ἀλλὰ θαύμαζε, ἀλλ' ἐκπλήττου, ἀλλὰ δόξαζε. Ἐπεὶ ἐρωτῶ σε κἀγὼ, πῶς ὁ λῃ στὴς ἐσώθη; Πάντα τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ἐν φόνοις, ἐν σφαγαῖς, ἐν αἵμασιν ἐτέλεσε, τοίχους διώρυξεν, οὐσίας διήρπασεν· οὐ μετέγνω, οὐ μετενόησεν ἐν τῇ γῇ ὤν. Παρὰ ἀνθρώ ποις κατεδικάσθη, καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐστεφανώθη. Ζωῆς οὐκ ἦν κύριος, καὶ βασιλείας ἐγένετο κύριος. Τὰ ἐν ταῦθα ἀπώλεσε, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ ἔλαβε. Πῶς ἔλαβεν; εἰπέ μοι. Ἑνὶ ῥήματι. Τί γὰρ εἶπε; Μνήσθητί μου, 55.579 Κύριε, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα ἴσχυσεν; Οὐ τὸ ῥῆμα ἴσχυσε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρω πία κερασθεῖσα τῇ μετανοίᾳ τὸν λῃστὴν ἐποίησε παρα δείσου πολίτην. Πῶς; Οὐκ οἶδα πῶς. Μή με ἀπαίτει τὸν τρόπον· σωθῆναι ζητῶ μόνον, οὐ περιεργάζομαι τὸν τρόπον τῆς ὑγείας. Ἀπάλλαξόν με, παρακαλεῖς τῷ ἰα τρῷ, τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ οὐ τολμᾷς εἰπεῖν, Πῶς; Θεός ἐστιν ὁ σώζων σε, καὶ τολμᾷς εἰπεῖν, Πῶς; Πόσοι μοιχοὶ, μαλακοὶ, ἀρσενοκοῖται, πόσοι ἐπὶ τυραννίδι ἁλισκόμενοι δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦσι; Μυρίαι κατηγορίαι, πικροὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ, δυναστεία μεγάλη. Νεύει ὁ βασιλεὺς μόνον, καὶ ἀφίενται. Βασιλεὺς, ὁ σύνδουλός μου (τί γὰρ εἰ πορφυ ρίδα περιβέβληται; Οὐδὲν πλέον ἔχει τῆς οὐσίας μου, τὸ αὐτό μοι φῦλόν ἐστι), νεύει, καὶ ἀφίενται· καὶ μικρὰ γραμματεῖα, καὶ ἀπολύεται ὁ κατάδικος. Οὐκ ἄρχων ἀντιλέγει, οὐ δεσμοφύλαξ ἀντιπίπτει, οὐ νόμων αὐθεν τίαι ἀντίκεινται· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀξίωμα γὰρ βασιλέως γίνεται ἀπαλλαγὴ τοῦ κατεχομένου. Καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων ∆εσπότης, ἐὰν νεύσῃ μόνον, σῶσαι οὐ δύναται; Καὶ βασιλεὺς μὲν, ἂν ἀφῇ, κολάσεως ἀφίησιν, οὐχ ἁμαρτίας· ὁ δὲ ∆εσπότης μου ἁμαρτίας ἀφίησι. Λέγει, Οὐ θέλω τὸν μοιχὸν εἶναι μοιχὸν, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐ τοῦ ἔργον ἐγένετο. Λέγει, Ὁ πόρνος μὴ ἔστω πόρνος, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ μετέβαλεν ἐκείνου τὸν τρόπον, καὶ ἤμβλυνε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν.