John Chrysostom, On Psalm 50 Homily 2

and God does. Give me confession and tears and repentance, and the rest I grant to you from my love for mankind. 5. David also exhorts this, to wash these things away. What then did David do? what did David offer? Have mercy on me; and, Wash me more and more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. [For already, he says, you have given remission through Nathan the prophet, and you have brought all kinds of misfortunes upon me, like certain cauteries and cuttings; but I still need cleansers, having received the great stench of sin. Therefore, wash me again, Master, that you may scrape away all the filth of sin.] What then did David do? and what did he offer? He committed murder, then, and adultery; but he offered tears and confession, and says: For I know my iniquity. It is an exchange. God gives, the one being saved gives. God gave mercy, the one being saved gave confession. What do you give, O David, that you may be saved, that I may mix the medicine? For I know my iniquity. You give this? And is there a man who does not know his sin? Yes. How many are there who sin, and are bold? how many plunder, and do not even know that they plunder? how many are covetous, and do not even perceive it? how many strip widows, and meddle with others? how many afflict orphans, and do not mourn, nor weep, nor confess? How then can they be saved, not even knowing that they sin? Did you see the prophet crying out and saying, For I know my iniquity? [For not even after the remission which came from you did I receive forgetfulness of the sin, but I continually see the images of my evil deeds and the transgressions that were dared, and at night I dream of them, and by day I imagine them,] For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. O nobility of soul! He did not surrender the memory of his sin to forgetfulness, but wrote it down even after it was forgiven. As in a picture, in his conscience each day he saw the adulteress, each day he saw the decay. And my sin is ever before me. I see it, may you not see it; I write it down, you blot it out. For see what happens. If you remember it, God will not remember it; if you forget it, God will remember it. [For I am he, he himself says through the prophet, who blots out your sins, and I will remember them no more; but you, remember.] Why should I remember? So that you may be grateful, so that you may know what I have forgiven you. For if you are always mindful of the weight of the sin, you will also always be mindful of the greatness of the good deed. I have forgiven you, he says, but do not forget the grace, and I will not remember the sin, but you, remember. Such were the saints; they would forget their good deeds, and remembered their sins; not like the people of today who forget their sins, but if they do something good, they bring it forth into the open. Did you do good? Hide it, so that your Master may speak of it. Did you 55.581 do evil? Remember it, so that your Master may forget it. Yield to your Master. For you do not speak of your good deeds in the same way your Master speaks of them, do you? If you speak of them, you diminish them; if your Master speaks of them, he magnifies them. How, I say; You give to a poor man; and if you speak of it, being asked there, how do you speak? I saw a poor man hungry, and I fed him. How does he speak? He does not speak of them in this way; but how? You saw me hungry and you fed me. Leave it to the one who is able to speak greatly; leave it to the one who speaks and extols to say them; but you speak of your sins, so that you may blot them out. But you are ashamed

ποιεῖ καὶ ὁ Θεός. Ἐξομολόγησίν μοι δὸς καὶ δάκρυα καὶ μετάνοιαν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς φιλανθρωπίας δωροῦμαί σοι. εʹ. Τοῦτο παρακαλεῖ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, τοῦ ἀποπλῦναι ταῦτα. Τί οὖν ἐποίησεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; τί παρέσχεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; Ἐλέησόν με· καὶ, Ἐπὶ πλεῖον πλῦνόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας μου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου καθάρισόν με. [Ἤδη γὰρ, φησὶ, διὰ Νάθαν τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἄφεσιν δέδω κας, καὶ συμφορὰς δὲ παντοδαπὰς, οἷόν τινας καυτῆρας καὶ τομὰς, προσενήνοχάς μοι· ἀλλ' ἔτι δέομαι ῥυμμά των, πολλὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰσδεξάμενος τὴν δυσοσμίαν. Καὶ αὖθίς με τοίνυν ἀπόνιψον, ∆έσποτα, ἵνα πάντα τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀποξύσῃς τὸν ῥύπον.] Τί οὖν ἐποίησεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; τί δὲ παρέσχεν; Ἐποίησε μὲν οὖν φόνον, καὶ μοιχείαν· παρέσχε δὲ δάκρυα καὶ ἐξομολόγησιν, καὶ λέγει· Ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω. Συν άλλαγμά ἐστι. ∆ίδωσιν ὁ Θεὸς, δίδωσιν ὁ σωζόμενος. Ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεος, ἔδωκεν ὁ σωζόμενος ἐξομολόγη σιν. Τί δίδως, ὦ ∆αυῒδ, ἵνα σωθῇς, ἵνα κεράσω τὸ φάρ μακον; Ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω. Τοῦτο δίδως; Καὶ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν αὐτοῦ; Ναί. Πόσοι εἰσὶν ἁμαρτάνοντες, καὶ παῤ ῥησιαζόμενοι; πόσοι ἁρπάζουσι, καὶ οὐδὲ οἴδασιν ὅτι ἁρπάζουσι; πόσοι πλεονεκτοῦσι, καὶ οὐδὲ αἰσθάνονται; πόσοι γυμνοῦσι χήρας, καὶ ἄλλας περιεργάζονται; πόσοι θλίβουσιν ὀρφανοὺς, καὶ οὐδὲ πενθοῦσιν, οὐδὲ δακρύου σιν, οὐδὲ ἐξομολογοῦνται; Πῶς οὖν δύνανται σωθῆναι, μηδὲ εἰδότες ὅτι ἁμαρτάνουσιν; Εἶδες τὸν προφήτην βοῶντα καὶ λέγοντα, Ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω; [Οὐδὲ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ σοῦ γενομένην ἄφεσιν λήθην ἐδεξάμην τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς ὁρῶ τῶν ἐμῶν κακῶν τὰς εἰκόνας καὶ τὰς τολμηθείσας παρανομίας, καὶ νύκτωρ ὀνειροπολῶ, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν φαντάζομαι,] Ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία μου ἐνώπιόν μου ἐστὶ διὰ παντός. Ὢ εὐγένεια ψυχῆς! Οὐ παρέδωκε τῇ λήθῃ τὴν μνήμην τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγχωρηθεῖσαν αὐτὴν ἔγραψε. Καθάπερ ἐν εἰκόνι, τῷ συνειδότι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἔβλεπε τὴν μοιχευθεῖσαν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἔβλεπε τὴν σηπεδόνα. Καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία μου ἐνώπιόν μου ἐστὶ διὰ παντός. Ἐγὼ αὐτὴν βλέπω, σὺ αὐτὴν μὴ ἴδῃς· ἐγὼ γράφω, σὺ αὐτὴν ἐξάλειψον. Βλέπε γάρ τι γίνεται. Ἐὰν σὺ αὐτῆς μνημονεύσῃς, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῆς οὐ μνημονεύσει· ἐὰν σὺ αὐτῆς ἐπιλάθῃ, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῆς μνημονεύσει. [Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι, αὐτός φησι διὰ τοῦ προ φήτου, ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι· σὺ δὲ μνήσθητι.] ∆ιὰ τί ἐγὼ μνησθῶ; Ἵνα εὐγνώμων γένῃ, ἵνα ἐπίστασαι τί σοι συνεχώρησα. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀεὶ μεμνημένος ᾖς τοῦ ὄγκου τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀεὶ καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς εὐεργεσίας μεμνημένος ἔσῃ. Συνεχώρησά σοι, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῆς χάριτος, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, σὺ δὲ μνήσθητι. Τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν οἱ ἅγιοι· τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἐπελανθά νοντο, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐμέμνηντο· οὐχ ὡς οἱ νῦν ἄνθρωποι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιλανθάνονται, ἐὰν δέ τι πράξωσι χρηστὸν, εἰς μέσον φέρουσιν αὐτό. Ἐποίησας ἀγαθόν; Λάθε, ἵνα ὁ ∆εσπότης σου αὐτὸ εἴπῃ. Ἐποίη 55.581 σας κακόν; Μνήσθητι, ἵνα ὁ ∆εσπότης σου αὐτὸ ἐπιλά θηται. Παραχώρησον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ σου. Μὴ γὰρ οὕτω λέγεις σὺ τὰ κατορθώματα, ὡς λέγει αὐτὰ ὁ ∆εσπότης σου; Σὺ ἐὰν εἴπῃς, ἐλαττοῖς αὐτά· ὁ ∆εσπότης σου ἐὰν εἴπῃ, αὔξει αὐτά. Πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω· ∆ίδως πτωχῷ· καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃς, ἐκεῖ ἐρωτώμενος, πῶς λέγεις; Εἶδον πτωχὸν πεινῶντα, καὶ ἔθρεψα αὐτόν. Αὐτὸς πῶς λέγει; Οὐ λέγει αὐτὰ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ πῶς; Πεινῶντά με εἴδετε καὶ ἐθρέψατε. Ἄφες ἐκείνῳ τῷ δυναμένῳ εἰπεῖν με γάλως· ἄφες εἰπεῖν αὐτὰ τῷ λέγοντι καὶ ἐξογκοῦντι· τὰ δὲ ἁμαρτήματά σου σὺ λέγε, ἵνα ἐξαλείψῃς αὐτά. Ἀλλ' αἰσχύνῃ