John Chrysostom, Sermon on Patience 2

of misfortunes, I know what kind of flower will appear; For no one is crowned unless he competes according to the rules; and again the blessed David, Waiting I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me. Did you see the patience of an athlete, did you see endurance, did you see an unslavish mind, did you see an undefeated combatant, did you see a victor of chastity, did you see the vessel of purity, did you see the rudder of the young, did you see the bridle of the flourishing, did you see the pilot of pleasures, did you see his contest, did you see his struggle? 60.735 As many of you, therefore, who are young, undertake this reasoning; for nothing is stronger than patience. For patience is the root of all good things, the mother of piety, a branch of gladness, an unfading fruit, an unconquerable tower, a stormless harbor. Do you see what a good delicacy patience is?

Let us turn now, if you please, to the blessed Susanna; she also struggled with patience; and let us see in her, in a woman's body, a manly soul, and the chastity of a woman, whose memory remains immortal with victory. For this blessed Susanna also competed in the public theater, where God and angels and principalities and powers watched her struggle. For I wish to present her patience in this discourse. This blessed Susanna, therefore, entered the garden as was her custom to walk; but the two lawless elders were hidden in the garden. And she was like a lamb left alone and walking in the garden; and the two elders like wolves were deliberating how they might make her a prey for wild beasts. And they found her all alone, and they ran at her; but she was not afraid, nor did their assault terrify her, but she stood unswerving in her chastity; and they said to her: We are in desire of you, yield to us; we are the elders of the 60.736 people who seem to govern the people, while we ourselves are drowning ourselves; the law is subject to us—or rather, the law has condemned you, saying, You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; but if you do not yield to us, we will accuse you, that a young man was with you. But she, hearing their words, groaned, saying: I am in a strait on every side. Death is more preferable to me for the sake of chastity, than a disorderly union. And they, having failed in their hunt, accused her before the people; but she was silent, seeing the benefit of patience. They condemned her for the sake of chastity, they laid their hands on her, she went away to die.

The people saw the condemnation; but God, the foreknower of all things, stirred up the Holy Spirit upon Daniel, and exposed the hidden thoughts, the licentiousness of the elders, and the chastity of Susanna. These were put to shame, and she was glorified; these in dishonor, and she in glory. You know what a delicacy patience is. As many of you, therefore, who have the image of patience, emulate this desire; For he who endures to the end, he will be saved in Christ Jesus our Lord; to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

συμφορῶν, οἶδα οἷον ἀναφανήσεται ἄνθος· Οὐδεὶς γὰρ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ· καὶ πάλιν ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ, Ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ προσέσχε μοι. Εἶδες ὑπομονὴν ἀθλητοῦ, εἶδες καρτερίαν, εἶδες φρόνημα ἀδούλωτον, εἶδες ἄπτωτον ἀγωνιστὴν, εἶδες στεφανίτην σωφροσύνης, εἶδες τὸ πλοῖον τῆς ἁγνείας, εἶδες τὸ πηδάλιον τῶν νέων, εἶδες τὸν χαλινὸν τῶν ἀκμαζόντων, εἶδες τὸν κυβερνήτην τῶν ἡδονῶν, εἶδες αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀγῶνα, εἶδες αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄθλησιν; 60.735 Ὅσοι τούτων τοίνυν νέοι, τὸν λογισμὸν ἀναδέξασθε· ὑπομονῆς γὰρ οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον. Ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονὴ, μήτηρ εὐσεβείας, κλάδος εὐφροσύνης, καρπὸς ἀμάραντος, πύργος ἀκαταμάχητος, λιμὴν ἀχείμαστος. Εἴδετε οἷον ὀψώνιον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονή;

Μεταβῶμεν δὲ, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν μακαρίαν Σωσάνναν· καὶ αὐτὴ ἠγωνίσατο τῇ ὑπομονῇ· καὶ ἴδωμεν καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν ἐν γυναικείῳ σώματι ἀνδρείαν ψυχῆς, καὶ γυναικὸς σωφροσύνην, ἧς μνήμη μένει ἀθάνατος μετὰ νίκης. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὕτη ἡ μακαρία Σωσάννα ἠγωνίζετο ἐν τῷ πανδήμῳ θεάτρῳ, ὅπου καὶ Θεὸς καὶ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι ἐθεώρουν αὐτῆς τὴν ἄθλησιν. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτῆς τὴν ὑπομονὴν βούλομαι παραστῆσαι τῷ λόγῳ. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ μακαρία Σωσάννα εἰσῆλθεν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ κατὰ τὸ ἔθος περιπατῆσαι· οἱ δὲ δύο παράνομοι πρεσβύτεροι ἦσαν κεκρυμμένοι ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ἦν δὲ αὐτὴ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἀπολελειμμένη καὶ περιπατοῦσα ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ· καὶ οἱ δύο πρεσβύτεροι ὡς λύκοι περιβεβλημένοι πῶς ταύτην ποιήσωσι θηριάλωτον. Εὗρον δὲ αὐτὴν καταμόνας, καὶ ἐπέδραμον αὐτῇ· ἡ δὲ οὐκ ἐδειλίασεν, οὐδὲ ἐπτόησεν αὐτὴν ἡ τούτων ἔφοδος, ἀλλ' εἱστήκει ἄτρεπτος τῇ σωφροσύνῃ· οἱ δὲ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτήν· Ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ σού ἐσμεν, πείσθητι ἡμῖν· ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ 60.736 λαοῦ οἱ δοκοῦντες κυβερνᾷν τὸν λαὸν, αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὑποβρυχίους ποιοῦντες· ἡμῖν ὑπόκειται ὁ νόμος μᾶλλον δὲ ὑμᾶς κατεδίκασεν ὁ νόμος λέγων, Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ πεισθῇς ἡμῖν, κατηγορήσομέν σου, ὅτι ἦν μετὰ σοῦ νεανίσκος. Ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα τὸν λόγον ἐστέναξε λέγουσα· Στενά μοι πάντοθεν. Αἱρετός μοι θάνατος ὑπὲρ σωφροσύνης, ἢ γάμος ἄτακτος. Οἱ δὲ ἐκπεσόντες τοῦ θηράματος, κατηγόρουν αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ· αὕτη δὲ ἐσιώπα ἰδοῦσα τῆς ὑπομονῆς τὸ κέρδος. Κατεδίκασαν ταύτην ὑπὲρ σωφροσύνης, ἐπέθηκαν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας, ἐπορεύετο τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν.

Εἶδεν ὁ λαὸς τὴν καταδίκην· ὁ δὲ προγνώστης τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐξήγειρε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπὶ ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ ἤλεγξε κεκρυμμένας γνώμας, τῶν μὲν πρεσβυτέρων τὴν ἀκολασίαν, τῆς δὲ Σωσάννης τὴν σωφροσύνην. Οὗτοι κατῃσχύνοντο, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐδοξάζετο· οὗτοι ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐν δόξῃ. Οἴδατε οἷον ὀψώνιόν ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονή. Ὅσοι τοίνυν τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἔχετε, τοῦτον τὸν πόθον ζηλώσατε· Ὁ γὰρ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.