John Chrysostom, On "I remembered God"

Do magi and thieves and robbers enter here? At least bring in the righteous first, and afterwards guide the sinners.

Sometimes you bring in all these; it is clear that they repented; but why do you bring this thief before all into the kingdom above? Where did he change his mind, where did he repent? not one day in his life did he 61.697 act, nor has he ever done anything good; but he did not even have one hour for repentance. Behold, we hold his sins in writing, which he did not blot out in repentance, and you bring him into paradise as a leader of all the righteous? But the Savior says, Seek for his sin, which I blotted out before all? The record of his sins will be nullified, because his faith has blotted it out. Let the indictment of his wrongdoings be cancelled by his good confession. He did not repent before the time, but he understood at the time; before his death he was naked, without faith, but at his death his faith conquered the sea of his transgressions; in time of ease he did not know, but in time of need he acknowledged what is just. When my disciples fled from me, this man fled to me; when Peter said, I do not know the man, then this man confessed the king of heaven; when priests were putting me to death, then this man called upon the Lord of life. For me the work of repentance is fulfilled, for one who sees the intention and the zeal; for me the right of endurance is accomplished, for one who has inclined his heart to the good.

Through a rib Adam shut paradise, this man in his confession opens the gate guarded by the flaming sword. Do not seek his sin, which you will not find. For this reason David prophesied so many generations before: His sin will be sought, and it will not be found. Then the Savior ascended, having conquered every authority and power, and all the armies of angels met him, and worshipped him as Lord, and every Cherubic order and Seraphic ministry worshipped him and the Father who begot him. And all that he received from the Father, he also sat at the throne on the right hand, he who never emptied the paternal bosom. For even if he descended to earth through love for mankind, nevertheless he was by no means left from the throne; even if he became a perfect man according to the economy, he in no way underwent a departure from his own natural divinity. For Christ did not become God from the advancement of a man, may it not be so, but being God he became man, that he might save man. Wherefore we do not preach a man who was deified, but we confess God who became man; as the divine Paul said; Wherefore every principality and authority were subjected to him, as being before all creation, or rather the maker of creation, and co-ruling and co-reigning with his immaculate Father, and with the life-giving Spirit unto the ages 61.698. Amen. For he is the one who is to judge the inhabited world, and all that is under heaven, and to give to each according to what he has done. Who then will speak of the mercy of his love for mankind, or the greatness of his dominion? who will express the understanding of his goodness, or the majesty of his power? who will recount the compassions of his mercy, or trace out the worth of his excellence? that not having left the things above, for our sake he came down to earth; that having escaped the notice of the principalities and the authorities, he was contained in the immaculate womb of a Virgin; he escaped the notice of the choirs of angels and archangels, and put on the form of a servant, that he might save man, made in his image, from corruption and death; and he died in the flesh, that he might make us partakers of his immortal nature.

And what shall we render to him for all the things he has rendered to us? what thanksgivings, or supplications? Not even if all our members should take up voices, and our hairs should bring forth utterances, and our every instrument be filled with melodies, would we be able to praise worthily his condescension that was made toward us

ὧδε μάγοι καὶ λῃσταὶ καὶ ἅρπαγες εἰσέρχονται; Κἂν πρῶτον δικαίους εἰσάγαγε, καὶ κατόπιν ἁμαρτωλοὺς χειραγώγησον.

Ἔσθ' ὅτε πάντας τούτους εἰσάγεις· δῆλον ὅτι μετενόησαν· τοῦτον δὲ τὸν λῃστὴν διὰ τί πρὸ πάντων εἰσάγεις εἰς τὰ ἄνω βασίλεια; ποῦ μετέγνω, ποῦ μετενόησεν; οὐ μίαν ἡμέραν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ δι 61.697 επράξατο, οὔτε τι καλὸν πέπραχε πώποτε· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὥραν μίαν ἐχώρησεν εἰς μετάνοιαν. Ἰδοὺ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτοῦ ἐγγράφως κατέχομεν, ἃ μὲν ἐν μετανοίᾳ οὐκ ἐξήλειψε, καὶ προηγέτην αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον ἁπάντων τῶν δικαίων εἰσφέρεις; Ὁ δὲ Σωτὴρ, Ζητεῖτε αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἣν ἐγὼ πρὸ πάντων ἐξήλειψα; Ἀργήσει αὐτοῦ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸ ἔγγραφον, ὅτι ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ ἀπήλειψεν αὐτό. Λυέσθω τῶν ἀδικημάτων αὐτοῦ ἡ συγγραφὴ τῇ καλῇ ὁμολογίᾳ. Οὐ μετενόησε πρὸ καιροῦ, ἀλλὰ συνῆκεν εἰς τὸν καιρόν· πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου δίχα πίστεως ὑπῆρχε γυμνὸς, ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ τῆς θαλάσσης τῶν πλημμυρημάτων ἐνίκησεν· ἐν καιρῷ ἀνέσεως οὐκ ἔγνω, ἀλλ' ἐν καιρῷ ἀνάγκης ἐπέγνω τὸ δίκαιον. Ὅτε οἱ μαθηταί μου ἀπέφυγόν με, οὗτος προσέφυγέ μοι· ὅτε Πέτρος ἔλεγεν, Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τότε οὗτος βασιλέα οὐρανῶν ὡμολόγησεν· ὅτε ἱερεῖς ἐθανάτουν με, τότε οὗτος ζωῆς ἐκάλεσε Κύριον. Ἐμοὶ τὸ ἔργον τῆς μετανοίας τετέλεσται, τοῦ τὴν πρόθεσιν βλέποντος καὶ τὸ πρόθυμον· ἐμοὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τὸ δικαίωμα πέπρακται, τοῦ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν τὴν καρδίαν κλίναντος.

∆ιὰ τῆς πλευρᾶς Ἀδὰμ τὸν παράδεισον ἀπέκλεισεν, οὗτος ἐν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἀνοίγει τὸν ὑπὸ τῆς φλογίνης ῥομφαίας πυλῶνα φρουρούμενον. Μὴ ζητήσατε αὐτοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἣν οὐχ εὑρήσετε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ∆αυῒδ πρὸ τοσούτων γενεῶν προεφήτευσε· Ζητηθήσεται ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ. Λοιπὸν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀνῆλθε, νικήσας πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ στρατιαὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀπήντησαν, καὶ ὡς ∆εσπότῃ προσεκύνησαν, καὶ πᾶσα Χερουβικὴ τάξις καὶ Σεραφικὴ λειτουργίᾳ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ τῷ γεννήσαντι. Καὶ ὅσα τε Πατρὶ προσελάβετο καὶ τῆς ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδρας ἐκάθισεν ὁ μήποτε γυμνώσας τοὺς πατρικοὺς κόλπους. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ κατῆλθεν ἐπὶ γῆς διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἀλλ' οὖν τοῦ θρόνου οὐδαμῶς κατελείφθη· εἰ καὶ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος τέλειος οἰκονομικῶς, οὐδαμῶς ἔκστασιν ὑπέμεινε τῆς οἰκείας φυσικῆς θεότητος. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκ προκοπῆς ἀνθρώπου γέγονε Θεὸς ὁ Χριστὸς, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ Θεὸς ὢν γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα τὸν ἄνθρωπον σώσῃ. ∆ιὸ οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀποθεωθέντα κηρύττομεν, ἀλλὰ Θεὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα ὁμολογοῦμεν· καθὼς ὁ θεσπέσιος ἔφησε Παῦλος· ∆ιὸ πᾶσα ἀρχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία ὑπετάγησαν αὐτῷ, ὡς ὄντι πρὸ πάσης κτίσεως, μᾶλλον δὲ ποιητὴν τῆς κτίσεως, καὶ συνδεσπόζοντα καὶ συμβασιλεύοντα τῷ ἀχράντῳ αὐτοῦ Πατρὶ, καὶ τῷ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶ 61.698 νας. Ἀμήν. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων κρῖναι τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν πᾶσαν, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ καθ' ἃ ἔπραξε. Τίς οὖν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας λαλήσει τὸν ἔλεον, ἢ τῆς δυναστείας αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγεθος; τίς αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἐκφράσει τὴν σύνεσιν, ἢ τῆς δυνάμεως τὴν μεγαλειότητα; τίς τῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας αὐτοῦ τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς διηγήσεται, ἢ ἐξιχνιάσει τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τὸ ἀξίωμα; ὅτι μὴ καταλιπὼν τὰ ἄνω, δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ γῆς κατῆλθεν· ὅτι τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας λαθὼν, εἰς ἄχραντον Παρθένου μήτραν ἐχώρησεν· ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων ἔλαθε χοροὺς, καὶ δούλου μορφὴν ἐνεδύσατο, ἵνα σώσῃ τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα ἄνθρωπον φθορᾶς καὶ θανάτου· καὶ ἀπέθανε τῇ σαρκὶ, ἵνα ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀθανάτου φύσεως αὐτοῦ κοινωνοὺς ἀπεργάσηται.

Καὶ τί ἀνταποδώσομεν αὐτῷ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἀνταπέδωκεν ἡμῖν; ποίας εὐχαριστίας, ἢ ἱκεσίας; Οὐδ' ἂν πάντα ἡμῶν τὰ μέλη φωνὰς ἀναλάβωσι, καὶ αἱ τρίχες ἡμῶν λαλιὰς ἐξάγωσι, καὶ πᾶν τὸ ὄργανον ἡμῶν μελῳδίας πληρωθῇ, ἐπαξίως ἀνυμνῆσαι δυνηθῶμεν τὴν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς γενομένην συγκαταβάσεως