John Chrysostom, On Judas's Betrayal

full, let no one have venom in his mind, lest he partake unto condemnation. For it was then, after receiving the offering, that the devil leaped upon Judas, not because he despised the Master’s body, but because he despised the shamelessness of Judas, so that you may learn that upon those who partake of the divine mysteries unworthily, upon these especially the devil leaps and continually attacks, just as he did then with Judas. For honors benefit the worthy, but cast those who enjoy them unworthily into greater punishment. And these things I say, not to frighten, but to make you secure. Let no one therefore be a Judas, let no one entering have the venom of wickedness. For the sacrifice is spiritual food; and just as bodily food, when it enters a stomach having bad humors, further intensifies the illness, not on account of its own nature, but on account of the weakness of the stomach; so indeed is it accustomed to happen also 49.381 in the case of the spiritual mysteries. For they too, when they enter a soul full of wickedness, corrupt and destroy it the more, not because of their own nature, but because of the weakness of the receiving soul. Let no one therefore have wicked thoughts within, but let us cleanse our mind; for we approach a pure sacrifice; let us make our soul holy; for it is possible for this to happen even in a single day. How and in what way? If you have anything against your enemy, cast out your anger, heal the wound, resolve the enmity, so that you may receive healing from the table; for you approach a fearful and holy sacrifice. Reverence the very foundation of the offering; Christ lies forth slain. And for whose sake was he slain, and why? So that he might make peace between the things in heaven and the things on earth, so that he might make you a friend of angels, so that he might reconcile you to the God of all, you who were an enemy and a foe, to make you a friend. He gave his life for those who hated him; but you remain hostile to your fellow servant? And how can you walk to the table of peace? And he did not even refuse to die for you; but you cannot bear to let go of your anger against your fellow servant for your own sake? And of what pardon are these things worthy? He insulted me, you say, and defrauded me of the greatest things. And what of that? The loss is certainly in money; for he has not yet wounded you, as Judas did to Christ; but nevertheless, even the very blood which he shed, he gave for the salvation of those who shed it. What can you say that is equal to this? If you do not forgive your enemy, you have not wronged him, but yourself; for you have often harmed him in the present life; but you have made yourself unpardonable for your defense on the day to come. For God hates nothing so much as a resentful person, as a swelling heart and an inflamed soul. Hear, then, what he says: When you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember, standing above at the altar, that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, be reconciled to your brother, and 49.382 then offer your gift. What do you say? Shall I leave it? Yes, he says; for it is for the sake of peace with your brother that this sacrifice has been made. If, therefore, the sacrifice was made for the sake of peace with your brother, but you do not achieve peace, you partake of the sacrifice in vain; for your achievement has become unprofitable to you. Do that first, therefore, for which the sacrifice has been offered, and then you will enjoy it rightly. For this reason the Son of God came down, that he might reconcile our nature to the Master; for this reason he came not only himself, but also that he might make us who do such things partakers of his own title. For blessed, he says, are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. For what the only-begotten Son of God did, this you also do according to human ability, becoming a promoter of peace both for yourself and for others. For this reason he also calls the peacemaker a son of God; for this reason also at the time of the sacrifice he mentioned no other commandment than that of reconciliation with the brother, showing that this is greater than all. I wished to extend the discourse, but what has been said is sufficient

γέμων, μηδεὶς ἰὸν ἔχων ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς κατάκριμα μεταλαμβάνῃ. Καὶ γὰρ τότε, μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν προσφορὰν, ἐπεπήδησε τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ὁ διάβολος, οὐ τοῦ σώματος καταφρονήσας τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν καταφρονῶν τοῦ Ἰούδα, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τοῖς ἀναξίως μετέχουσι τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, τούτοις μάλιστα ἐπιπηδᾷ καὶ ἐπιβαίνει συνεχῶς ὁ διάβολος, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ τότε. Αἱ γὰρ τιμαὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀξίους ὠφελοῦσι, τοὺς δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀπολαύοντας εἰς μείζονα τιμωρίαν ἐμβάλλουσι. Καὶ ταῦτα, οὐχ ἵνα φοβήσω, λέγω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀσφαλίσωμαι. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἔστω Ἰούδας, μηδεὶς εἰσιὼν ἰὸν ἐχέτω πονηρίας. Τροφὴ γάρ ἐστι πνευματικὴ ἡ θυσία· καὶ καθάπερ ἡ σωματικὴ τροφὴ, ὅταν εἰς γαστέρα χυμοὺς ἔχουσαν πονηροὺς ἐμπέσῃ, πλέον ἐπιτείνει τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς γαστρός· οὕτω δὴ καὶ 49.381 ἐπὶ τῶν μυστηρίων τῶν πνευματικῶν συμβαίνειν εἴωθε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὰ, ἐπειδὰν εἰς ψυχὴν ἐμπέσῃ πονηρίας γέμουσαν, μᾶλλον αὐτὴν διαφθείρει καὶ ἀπόλλυσιν, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς δεξαμένης ψυχῆς. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἐχέτω ἔνδον πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς, ἀλλὰ καθάρωμεν τὴν διάνοιαν· καὶ γὰρ καθαρᾷ προσερχόμεθα θυσίᾳ· ἁγίαν ποιήσωμεν τὴν ψυχήν· δυνατὸν γὰρ καὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦτο γενέσθαι. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἐὰν ἔχῃς τι κατὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἔξελε τὴν ὀργὴν, θεράπευσον τὴν πληγὴν, λῦσον τὴν ἔχθραν, ἵνα λάβῃς θεραπείαν ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης· θυσίᾳ γὰρ προσέρχῃ φρικτῇ καὶ ἁγίᾳ. Αἰδέσθητι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν αὐτῆς τῆς προσφορᾶς· ἐσφαγμένος πρόκειται ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐσφάγη, καὶ διὰ τί; Ἵνα εἰρηνοποιήσῃ τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα καὶ ἀγγέλων φίλον σε ποιήσῃ, ἵνα σε τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων καταλλάξῃ, ἐχθρὸν ὄντα σε καὶ πολέμιον, ἵνα ποιήσῃ φίλον. Ἐκεῖνος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν ὑπὲρ τῶν μισούντων· σὺ δὲ τὸν σύνδουλον μένεις ἐχθραίνων; καὶ πῶς δύνῃ βαδίσαι ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς εἰρήνης τράπεζαν; Κἀκεῖνος μὲν οὐδ' ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ σοῦ παρῃτήσατο· σὺ δὲ ὀργὴν ἀφεῖναι τῷ συνδούλῳ σου διὰ σαυτὸν οὐκ ἀνέχῃ; καὶ ποίας ταῦτα συγγνώμης ἄξια; Ἐπηρέασε, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐπλεονέκτησε. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Εἰς χρήματα πάντως ἡ ζημία· οὐδέπω γὰρ ἔτρωσε, καθάπερ τὸν Χριστὸν ὁ Ἰούδας· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ αἷμα, ὅπερ ἐξέχεεν, εἰς σωτηρίαν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐκχέασιν ἔδωκε. Τί τούτου ἴσον ἔχεις εἰπεῖν; Ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῇς τῷ ἐχθρῷ, οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἠδίκησας, ἀλλὰ σαυτόν· ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ πολλάκις εἰς τὸν παρόντα βίον ἔβλαψας· σαυτὸν δὲ ἀσύγγνωστον ἐποίησας πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω μισεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς μνησίκακον ἄνθρωπον, ὡς οἰδαίνουσαν καρδίαν καὶ φλεγμαίνουσαν ψυχήν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί φησιν· Ὅταν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ἄνω παρεστὼς ἐπὶ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ἄφες τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἀπελθὼν διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ 49.382 τότε πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου. Τί λέγεις, Ἀφήσω, Ναὶ, φησί· διὰ γὰρ τὴν εἰρήνην τὴν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου καὶ αὕτη ἡ θυσία γέγονεν. Εἰ τοίνυν διὰ τὴν εἰρήνην τὴν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν γέγονεν ἡ θυσία, σὺ δὲ οὐ κατορθοῖς τὴν εἰρήνην, εἰκῆ μετέχεις τῆς θυσίας· ἀνόνητον γάρ σοι τὸ κατόρθωμα γέγονε. Ποίησον τοίνυν ἐκεῖνο πρῶτον, δι' ὅπερ ἡ θυσία προσενήνεκται, καὶ τότε αὐτῆς ἀπολαύσεις καλῶς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κατῆλθεν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα καταλλάξῃ ἡμῶν τὴν φύσιν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ αὐτὸς μόνον ἦλθεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ποιοῦντας ποιήσῃ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προσηγορίας κοινωνούς. Μακάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ εἰρηνοποιοὶ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ κληθήσονται. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ποίησον κατὰ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην, εἰρήνης γενόμενος πρόξενος καὶ σεαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σε καὶ υἱὸν Θεοῦ καλεῖ τὸν εἰρηνοποιόν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς θυσίας οὐδεμιᾶς ἄλλης ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐντολῆς, ἀλλ' ἢ τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν καταλλαγῆς, δεικνὺς, ὅτι πάντων μεῖζόν ἐστι τοῦτο. Ἐβουλόμην παρεκτεῖναι τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ καὶ τὰ