John Chrysostom, On the Parable of the Prodigal Son

yours, the firmament is yours, the sun your torchbearer, the moon your handmaid, the stars your lamps, the air your nourisher, and all things in the air are yours; the earth and the things in it are yours, the sea and the things in it are yours, the world is yours, the Church is yours, the altar is yours, the fatted calf is yours, the sacrifice is yours, the angels are yours, the apostles are yours, the martyrs are yours; the present things are yours, the future things are yours, the resurrection is yours, immortality is yours, incorruptibility is yours, the kingdom of heaven is yours, all things visible and intelligible are yours. Did I take what was yours, and offer it to him? Did I strip you, and clothe him? Was it not from my own possessions that I bestowed the mercy? Am I not the father of both you and him alike? And I honor you for your virtue, and I pity him for his most beautiful return; and I long for you because of your life, and him because of his change; and I love you for your conduct, and him for his repentance; and you for your longsuffering, and him 59.522 for his return to me. It was fitting for you to rejoice and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. Who, seeing a dead man rising, does not rejoice? And who, having found what he had lost, does not exult? Come you also, my son, rejoice with us, and leap for joy with the angels, and embrace with us your brother, and sing with David that spiritual song, which is fitting for the present festival: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. You have heard the divine parable, and you know its purpose, and you have seen its power; you have learned how loving-kind and long-suffering a Lord we have.

Let us therefore flee to him with a pure heart. Come, let us cry to him with a common voice: Master, Lord who loves mankind, only-begotten Son of God, we have sinned against heaven and before you, and we are not worthy to be called your sons; but we trust in your mercies; we have as pledges of your love for mankind the precious cross, which you endured for us; we have as sureties of your compassion the onetime harlot, and the onetime thief. For through these both we and all sinners are encouraged to run to your love for mankind. As you showed them to be renowned and blessed, Lord, so also have mercy on us who fall down before you; as when you were crucified you raised the dead, so also raise us, who have been deadened by sin, through your great love for mankind, that we may enjoy your resurrection with those who have been redeemed. Saying these things, let us persevere, that our Master Christ may also say to us: According to your faith be it done to you.

And you who are about to enjoy the gift of baptism, having cast off every foreign thought, and having directed your souls to the heavenly bridegroom, enjoy the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing. The redeemer stands at the doors, the physician is present for those who believe, the dispensary is opened, the medicines are set forth, the font receives all, grace is spread out, the spiritual garment is woven by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Blessed are those who are deemed worthy to wear the garment. Only you, light the lamps of faith, and lavishly pour on the oil of piety, so that at night, when there is a voice saying, "Behold, the bridegroom comes," you may go out to meet him with bright lamps, dancing and leaping for joy, and crying out, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; to him be the glory and the power, now and ever, and unto the ages. Amen.

σὸς, τὸ στερέωμα σὸν, ὁ ἥλιος δᾳδοῦχος σὸς, ἡ σελήνη θεραπαίνη σὴ, οἱ ἀστέρες λαμπτῆρες σοὶ, ὁ ἀὴρ τροφεὺς σὸς, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐναέρια σά· ἡ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ σὰ, ἡ θάλασσα καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ σὰ, ὁ κόσμος σὸς, ἡ Ἐκκλησία σὴ, τὸ θυσιαστήριον σὸν, ὁ μόσχος ὁ σιτευτὸς σὸς, ἡ θυσία σὴ, οἱ ἄγγελοι σοὶ, οἱ ἀπόστολοι σοὶ, οἱ μάρτυρες σοί· τὰ παρόντα σὰ, τὰ μέλλοντα σὰ, ἡ ἀνάστασις σὴ, ἡ ἀθανασία σὴ, ἡ ἀφθαρσία σὴ, ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σὴ, πάντα τὰ φαινόμενα καὶ τὰ νοούμενα σά. Μὴ τὰ σὰ ἀπήγαγον, κἀκείνῳ προσήγαγον; μὴ σὲ ἀπέδυσα, κἀκεῖνον ἐνέδυσα; οὐχὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐμῶν πραγμάτων ἐχαρισάμην τὸ ἔλεος; οὐχ ὅμοιός εἰμι καὶ σοῦ κἀκείνου πατήρ; Καὶ σὲ τιμῶ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν, κἀκεῖνον ἐλεῶ διὰ τὴν καλλίστην ἐπιστροφήν· καὶ σὲ ποθῶ διὰ τὴν ζωὴν, κἀκεῖνον διὰ τὴν μεταβολήν· καὶ σὲ διὰ τὴν πολιτείαν φιλῶ, κἀκεῖνον διὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν· καὶ σὲ διὰ μακροθυμίαν, κἀκεῖνον 59.522 διὰ τὴν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐπιστροφήν. Εὐφρανθῆναι δὲ καὶ χαρῆναί σε ἔδει, ὅτι οὗτος ὁ ἀδελφός σου νεκρὸς ἦν, καὶ ἀνέζησεν· ἀπολωλὼς ἦν, καὶ εὑρέθη. Τίς βλέπων νεκρὸν ἀνιστάμενον, οὐκ εὐφραίνεται; καὶ τίς εὑρὼν ἃ ἀπώλεσεν, οὐκ ἀγάλλεται; ∆εῦρο καὶ σὺ, υἱέ μου, συνευφράνθητι σὺν ἡμῖν, καὶ συσκίρτησον σὺν τοῖς ἀγγέλοις, καὶ περίπτυξον σὺν ἡμῖν τὸν σὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ σύμψαλλε τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἐκεῖνο τὸ πνευματικὸν μέλος, τὸ πρέπον τῇ παρούσῃ πανηγύρει· Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ᾧ οὐ μὴ λογίσηται Κύριος ἁμαρτίαν. Ἠκούσατε τῆς θείας παραβολῆς, καὶ τὸν ταύτης σκοπὸν ἔγνωτε, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς εἴδετε· ἐμάθετε πῶς φιλάνθρωπον ἔχομεν Κύριον, πῶς ἀνεξίκακον.

Αὐτῷ τοίνυν προσφύγωμεν μετὰ καθαρᾶς καρδίας. ∆εῦτε, κοινῇ φωνῇ βοήσωμεν πρὸς αὐτόν· ∆έσποτα, Κύριε φιλάνθρωπε, μονογενὲς Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡμάρτομεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἄξιοι κληθῆναι υἱοί σου· ἀλλὰ θαῤῥοῦμεν τοῖς σοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς· ἔχομεν ὅμηρα τῆς σῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸν τίμιον σταυρὸν, ὃν ὑπέμεινας δι' ἡμᾶς· ἔχομεν ἐγγυητὰς τῆς σῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας τήν ποτε πόρνην, καὶ τόν ποτε λῃστήν. ∆ιὰ τούτων γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ προτρεπόμεθα προστρέχειν τῇ σῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ. Ὡς ἐκείνους ἀοιδίμους καὶ μακαρίους ἀπέδειξας, Κύριε, καὶ ἡμᾶς προσπίπτοντάς σοι ἐλέησον· ὡς ἀνέστησας νεκροὺς σταυρωθεὶς, καὶ ἡμᾶς νεκρωθέντας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ διὰ τὴν πολλήν σου φιλανθρωπίαν ἀνάστησον, ἵνα ἀπολαύσωμεν μετὰ τῶν ἀπολυτρωσαμένων τῆς σῆς ἀναστάσεως. Ταῦτα λέγοντες, ἐπιμείνωμεν, ἵνα καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἴπῃ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν Χριστός· Κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν γενηθήτω ὑμῖν.

Καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ μέλλοντες ἀπολαύειν τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος δωρεᾶς, πάντα λογισμὸν ἀλλότριον ἀποῤῥίψαντες, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν οὐράνιον νυμφίον εὐθύναντες, τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάριτος ἀπολαύσατε. Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε. Ἐπὶ θύραις ὁ λυτρωτὴς ἐφέστηκεν, ὁ ἰατρὸς τοῖς πιστεύουσι πάρεστι, τὸ ἰατρεῖον ἠνέῳκται, τὰ φάρμακα πρόκεινται, ἡ κολυμβήθρα πάντας προσδέχεται, ἡ χάρις ἐξήπλωται, ἡ πνευματικὴ στολὴ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐξυφαίνεται. Μακάριοι οἱ καταξιούμενοι φορέσαι τὴν στολήν. Μόνον ὑμεῖς τῆς πίστεως τὰς λαμπάδας ἀνάψατε, καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον τῆς εὐσεβείας δαψιλῶς ἐπιβάλλετε, ἵνα νυκτὸς, ὅταν γίνηται φωνὴ λέγουσα, «Ἰδοὺ ὁ νυμφίος ἔρχεται,» ἐξέλθητε εἰς ὑπάντησιν αὐτοῦ μετὰ φαιδρῶν τῶν λαμπάδων, χορεύοντες καὶ σκιρτῶντες, καὶ βοῶντες, Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.