John Chrysostom, Letter to the Abbot

his soul. Likewise also entrust the ministries to each according to his conscience; for those who have ministered well will receive their reward from the Lord. Do all these things with the memory of the Lord and beseech the Lord God, that he himself may become your guide in what you do; for where Christ is called and where Christ dwells, all things there are holy, all things are blessed. There Christ rejoices, and blessed are those who hunger for him and those who thirst for him and those who eat him and those who drink him and those who love him. For what will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation or distress or persecution or danger or sword or death? For the sweetness of Christ and his divine love-charm overcome all things together with the memory of Christ. Just as the holy martyrs despised death for the love and sweetness of Christ, that they might gain him alone, as holy Paul also preaches: if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema, maranatha, and maranatha is in Hebrew: I saw the Lord. And immediately the Lord appeared to him and says to him: Since you love me, Paul, see where I am. From joy, therefore, Paul says maranatha, I saw the Lord, behold the Lord has come, behold where he is. I beseech you, therefore, hate the adornment of clothes and love humility and poverty and all tribulation instead of joy, that Christ may love you. Flee meetings with women, whether worldly or consecrated; for it is difficult even for nuns to meet with one another. The Lord of glory will deliver us from such love. I beseech you, therefore, children, in this my last and final chapter, that each of you have before his eyes the departure of his soul each day and night and hour; for this part knows how to discipline the soul toward security and to guide it toward salvation, that it not be anxious for the things of tomorrow and imagine them—for sufficient for the day is its own trouble—, so that, when the Lord comes for our soul at an hour we do not know, he may find us ready for that eternal and endless road. These things I have written, my child and brother, in great pain of my heart, not from thought or study—Christ is my witness. But, if he himself dictated anything through my wicked heart, this I have also written; I have no matter of my own. For he it is who even in irrational animals at an opportune time granted a human voice, as also in Rome to the dog in the time of Peter the apostle, not because of the holiness of the dog, but because of the faith of those listening. The Lord of glory who teaches man knowledge will guide you to his will. The Lord of glory will establish your souls in his faith until the end. The Lord of glory will grant you his peace and his love always. The Lord of glory will guard your souls. The Lord of glory will be with you. He who reigns before the ages, both now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ τὰς διακονίας ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν συνείδησιν ἐγχείριζε· οἱ γὰρ καλῶς διακονήσαντες παρὰ Κυρίου τὸν μισθὸν λήψονται. Ταῦτα πάντα μετὰ τῆς μνήμης ποίει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ παρακάλει Κύριον τὸν Θεόν, ἵνα αὐτός σου γένηται ὁδηγός, ἐφ' οἷς ἂν πράττεις· ὅπου γὰρ Χριστὸς καλεῖται καὶ ὅπου Χριστὸς παροικήσει πάντα ἅγια ἐκεῖ, πάντα εὐλογημένα. Ἐκεῖ Χριστὸς εὐφραίνεται καὶ μακάριοι οἱ αὐτὸν πεινῶντες καὶ οἱ αὐτὸν διψῶντες καὶ οἱ αὐτὸν τρώγοντες καὶ οἱ αὐτὸν πίνοντες καὶ οἱ αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶντες. Τίς γὰρ ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Θλῖψις ἢ στενοχωρία ἢ διωγμὸς ἢ κίνδυνος ἢ μάχαιρα ἢ θάνατος; Ἡ γὰρ γλυκύτης τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τὸ θεϊκὸν αὐτοῦ φίλτρον πάντων ὁμοῦ περιγίνεται μετὰ τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι μάρτυρες κατεφρόνησαν θανάτου διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν γλυκύτητα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα αὐτὸν μόνον κερδήσωσιν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος κηρύσσει· εἴ τις οὐκ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, ἤτω ἀνάθεμα, μαραναθά, τὸ δὲ μαραναθὰ ἑβραϊστί ἐστιν· εἶδον τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ εὐθέως ὤφθη αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· ἐπειδὴ ἀγαπᾷς με, Παῦλε, ἰδὲ ποῦ εἰμι. Ἀπὸ χαρᾶς οὖν λέγει ὁ Παῦλος τὸ μαραναθά, εἶδον τὸν Κύριον, ἰδὲ ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος, ἰδὲ ποῦ ἐστιν. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς μισήσατε τὸν καλλωπισμὸν τῶν ἱματίων καὶ ἀγαπήσατε ταπεινοφροσύνην καὶ πτωχείαν καὶ πᾶσαν θλῖψιν ἀντὶ χαρᾶς, ἵνα ἀγαπήσῃ ὑμᾶς ὁ Χριστός. Φεύγετε τὰς συντυχίας τῶν γυναικῶν εἴτε κοσμικῶν εἴτε κανονικῶν· χαλεπὸν γὰρ καὶ ταῖς μοναζούσαις ἀλλήλαις συντυγχάνειν. Ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης ἐξελεῖται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀγάπης. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, τέκνα, ἐν τῷ ἐσχάτῳ μου τούτῳ καὶ τελευταίῳ κεφαλαίῳ, ἵνα ἕκαστος ὑμῶν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχῃ τὴν ἔξοδον αὑτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα καὶ ὥραν· οἶδε γὰρ τὸ μέρος τοῦτο παιδεῦσαι τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν καὶ ὁδηγῆσαι πρὸς σωτηρίαν, ἵνα μὴ τὰ τῆς αὔριον μεριμνᾷ καὶ φαντάζηται-ἀρκετὸν γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς-, ἵνα, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἑτοίμους ἡμᾶς εὕρῃ πρὸς τὴν αἰώνιον ἐκείνην καὶ ἀπέραντον ὁδόν. Ταῦτα ἔγραψα, τέκνον μου καὶ ἀδελφέ, ἐν πολλῇ ὀδύνῃ τῆς καρδίας μου, οὐκ ἀπὸ σκέψεως δὲ ἢ μελέτης-μαρτυρεῖ μοι ὁ Χριστός. Ἀλλ', εἴ τι αὐτὸς ὑπηγόρευσε διὰ τῆς πονηρᾶς μου καρδίας, τοῦτο καὶ ἔγραψα· πρᾶγμα οὐκ ἔχω. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν, ὁ καὶ ἐν ἀλόγοις ζῴοις ἐν καιρῷ εὐθέτῳ ἀνθρωπίνην φωνὴν χαρισάμενος, ὡς καὶ ἐν Ῥώμῃ τῷ κυνὶ ἐπὶ Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἁγιότητα τοῦ κυνός, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν πίστιν τῶν ἀκουόντων. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τῆς δόξης ὁ διδάσκων ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸ αὑτοῦ θέλημα. Ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης στηρίξει τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ πίστει αὑτοῦ ἕως τέλους. Ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης τὴν αὑτοῦ εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ ἀγάπην χαρίσεται ὑμῖν διὰ παντός. Ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης φυλάξει τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν. Ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης ἔσται μεθ' ὑμῶν. Ὁ βασιλεύων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.