John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Colossians

is composed of these things; neither time, nor length of a journey, nor suffering evil, nor hearing evil, not anger, not insult, nor anything else enters in, nor can dissolve it. And that you may learn, Moses was being stoned, and he prayed for them. What father would have done this for the one stoning him, and not stoned him back? Let us then pursue these friendships that are from the spirit; for they are strong and hard to dissolve; not those from banquets; for there we are forbidden to introduce these. For hear Christ saying in the Gospel: Do not call your friends, nor your neighbors, if you make 62.304 a feast, but the lame, the maimed; for this is reasonable, for great is the reward for these. But you cannot, nor can you bear to feast with the lame and blind, but you consider this grievous and burdensome, and you refuse it? Indeed you ought not, but there is no necessity; even if you do not seat them with you, send them the food from the table. For indeed he who invites friends has done nothing great; for he has received his reward here; but he who invites the maimed and the poor has God as a debtor. Let us not then be vexed when we do not receive here, but when we do receive here; for there we shall no longer receive. Likewise, if a man repays, God does not repay; if this one does not repay, then God will repay. Let us not then seek to do good to those who are able to repay us, nor do good to them with such hopes; this thought is cold. If you invite a friend, the favor lasts until the evening; for this reason friendship is spent more quickly than investments or seasons; but if you invite the poor and the maimed, the favor will never be lost; for you have God, who always remembers and never forgets, as your debtor. And of how much stupidity, tell me, is it not to be able to sit down with the poor? What do you say? He is unclean, he says, and filthy. Then wash him, and bring him up to your table. But he has filthy garments? Then change them, and give him a clean robe. 4. Do you not see how great the gain is? Christ comes through him, and you haggle over this? Inviting the king to your table, are you afraid about these things? Let two tables be set, and let one be filled with these, and let it have the blind, the lame, those with withered hands, those maimed in the leg, the unshod, wearing one little tunic, and this one worn out; and let the other have potentates, generals, toparchs, great rulers, dressed in expensive garments and fine linens, girded with golden belts. Again, here at the table of the poor let there be neither silver, nor much wine, but what is sufficient and able to gladden; and let the drinking cups and the other vessels be made of glass only; but there at the table of the rich let all the vessels be of silver and gold, and let not one person carry the semicircular couch, but let two young men move it with difficulty; and let there be also a gilded bowl weighing half a talent, so that two young men can move it with difficulty, and let the amphorae be set in order, gleaming with gold much better than silver; and let the semicircular couch be spread all over with soft bedding. Again, here let there be many servants, no less adorned in their garments than those reclining, and dressed splendidly, and having trousers, beautiful to see, in the very flower of their age, vigorous and well-built; but there let there be only two servants, having trampled on all this pride; and let the food for the one group be costly, but for the other group, enough to quench hunger and fill with gladness. 62.305 Have I spoken sufficiently? and are both tables prepared with precision? is anything lacking? I for my part do not think so; for I have gone through the guests who have been called, and the luxury both of the vessels and of the coverings and of the foods.

τούτων συνέστη· οὔτε χρόνος, οὔτε μῆκος ὁδοῦ, οὔτε τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν, οὔτε τὸ κακῶς ἀκοῦσαι, οὐ θυμὸς, οὐχ ὕβρις, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐπεισέρχεται, οὐδὲ δύναται αὐτὴν διαλῦσαι. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ἐλιθάζετο ὁ Μωϋσῆς, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἠξίου. Τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἰργάσατο πατὴρ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λιθάσαντος, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ αὐτὸν ἂν κατέλευσε; Ταύτας δὴ μεταδιώκωμεν τὰς φιλίας τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος· ἰσχυραὶ γάρ εἰσι καὶ δυσδιάλυτοι· μὴ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν τραπεζῶν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ καὶ κωλυόμεθα ταύτας εἰσάγειν. Ἄκουσον γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· Μὴ καλέσῃς τοὺς φίλους σου, μηδὲ τοὺς γείτονάς σου, ἐὰν ποιή 62.304 σῃς δοχὴν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς χωλοὺς, τοὺς ἀναπήρους· εἰκότως· πολὺς γὰρ ὁ ὑπὲρ τούτων μισθός. Ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασαι, οὐδὲ ἀνέχῃ μετὰ χωλῶν καὶ τυφλῶν ἑστιᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ βαρὺ καὶ φορτικὸν ἡγῇ τοῦτο, καὶ παραιτῇ; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔδει, πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνάγκη· κἂν μὴ συγκαθίσῃς αὐτοὺς μετὰ σοῦ, τὰ ἐδέσματα αὐτοῖς ἀπόστειλον τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ φίλους καλῶν, οὐδὲν μέγα ἐποίησεν· ἀπέλαβε γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸν μισθόν· ὁ δὲ ἀνάπηρον καλῶν καὶ πένητα, ἔχει τὸν Θεὸν ὀφειλέτην. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀσχάλλωμεν, ὅταν μὴ ἐνταῦθα ἀπολάβωμεν, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐνταῦθα ἀπολάβωμεν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ οὐκέτι ἀποληψόμεθα. Ὁμοίως, ἂν ἄνθρωπος ἀποδῷ, Θεὸς οὐκ ἀποδίδωσιν· ἂν οὗτος μὴ ἀποδῷ, τότε ἀποδώσει Θεός. Μὴ τοίνυν ἐκείνους ζητῶμεν εὐεργετεῖν τοὺς ἀνταποδοῦναι ἡμῖν δυναμένους, μηδὲ ἐπὶ τοιαύταις αὐτοὺς ἐλπίσιν εὐεργετῶμεν· ψυχρὰ αὕτη ἡ διάνοια. Τὸν φίλον ἂν καλέσῃς, μέχρι τῆς ἑσπέρας ἡ χάρις· διὰ τοῦτο τῶν καταβαλλομένων ταχύτερον ἢ τῶν καιρῶν δαπανᾶται φιλία· τὸν μέντοι πένητα καὶ ἀνάπηρον ἂν καλέσῃς, οὐδέποτε ἀπολεῖται ἡ χάρις· τὸν γὰρ πάντοτε μνημονεύοντα Θεὸν, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἐπιλανθανόμενον, ἔχεις αὐτὸν ὀφειλέτην. Πόσης δὲ καὶ βλακείας, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι πένησι συγκαθέζεσθαι; Τί λέγεις; Ἀκάθαρτός ἐστι, φησὶ, καὶ ῥυπαρός. Καὶ λοῦσον αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀνάγαγε ἐπὶ τράπεζαν τὴν σήν. Ἀλλ' ἱμάτια ἔχει ἐῤῥυπωμένα; Καὶ ἄμειψον, καὶ δὸς καθαρὰν στολήν. δʹ. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὸ κέρδος ὅσον; ὁ Χριστὸς δι' αὐτοῦ παραγίνεται, καὶ σὺ ὑπὲρ τούτου μικρολογῇ; τὸν βασιλέα καλῶν ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν, ὑπὲρ τούτων δέδοικας; Ὑποκείσθωσαν τράπεζαι δύο, καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐκ τούτων πεπληρώσθω, καὶ ἐχέτω τυφλοὺς, χωλοὺς, κυλλοὺς τὴν χεῖρα, τὸ σκέλος πεπηρωμένους, ἀνυποδέτους, ἕνα περικειμένους χιτωνίσκον, καὶ τοῦτον ἐκτετριμμένον· ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα ἐχέτω δυνάστας, στρατηγοὺς, τοπάρχας, ἄρχοντας μεγάλους, ἐνδεδυμένους ἱμάτια πολυτελῆ καὶ ὀθόνας λεπτὰς, ἐζωσμένους χρυσᾶς ζώνας. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῇ τῶν πενήτων τραπέζῃ μήτε ἄργυρος ἔστω, μήτε οἶνος πολὺς, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀρκῶν καὶ εὐφρᾶναι δυνάμενος· τὰ δὲ ἐκπώματα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ σκεύη ἀπὸ ὑέλου κατεσκευάσθω μόνης· ἐκεῖ δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν πλουσίων τραπέζῃ ἔστω μὲν σκεύη τὰ πάντα ἐξ ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ, καὶ μηδὲ εἷς φερέτω τὸ ἡμικύκλιον, ἀλλὰ δύο νεανίαι μόλις αὐτὸ κινείτωσαν· ἔστω δὲ καὶ φιάλη ὑπόχρυσος σταθμὸν ἡμιτάλαντον ἕλκουσα, ὡς δύο νεανίας μόλις αὐτὴν κινεῖν, καὶ οἱ ἀμφορεῖς κείσθωσαν ἐφεξῆς πολλῷ ἄμεινον τοῦ ἀργύρου ἀπολάμποντες τῷ χρυσῷ· ἔστω δὲ καὶ τὸ ἡμικύκλιον ἁπαλῇ στρωμνῇ πάντοθεν ἐστορεσμένον. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἔστωσαν διάκονοι πολλοὶ, τῶν ἀνακειμένων οὐχ ἧττον κεκοσμημένοι τοῖς ἱματίοις, καὶ ἐνδεδυμένοι λαμπρῶς, καὶ ἀναξυρίδας ἔχοντες, καλοὶ μὲν ἰδεῖν, αὐτὸ ἄγοντες τῆς ἡλικίας τὸ ἄνθος, σφριγῶντες καὶ εὐσωματοῦντες· ἐκεῖ δὲ δύο μόνοι ἔστωσαν διάκονοι, πάντα τὸν τῦφον τοῦτον πεπατηκότες· καὶ ἔστω τοῖς μὲν τὰ ἐδέσματα πολυτελῆ, τοῖς δὲ τοσαῦτα ὅσα σβέσαι τὸν λιμὸν, καὶ εὐφροσύνης ἐμπλῆ 62.305 σαι. Ἆρα εἶπον ἀρκούντως; καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας κατεσκευασμέναι ἀμφότεραί εἰσιν αἱ τράπεζαι; μή τι ἐνδεῖ; Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶμαι· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς κεκλημένους ἐπῆλθον, καὶ τὴν πολυτέλειαν καὶ τῶν σκευῶν καὶ τῶν στρωμάτων καὶ τῶν ἐδεσμάτων.