John Chrysostom, On Consubstantiality

sinks into its own dens, only if we pray with precision, if with a roused soul and a sober mind. Then even if the devil is present, he is put to flight, and even if a demon, he departs. For if a master is speaking to a servant, none of the fellow-servants, nor any of those who have familiarity, would dare to approach and disturb, how much more these, being of those who have offended and have no familiarity, would not be able to disturb us while we are speaking with God with the 48.768 proper earnestness. Prayer is a harbor for the storm-tossed, an anchor for the tempest-tossed, a staff for the staggering, a treasure for the poor, a security for the rich, a destruction of diseases, a protection of health; prayer also preserves for us our good things unshaken, and quickly changes evils; and if a temptation comes, it is easily repulsed, and if a loss of money, or anything else of the things that grieve our soul, it quickly drives them all away; prayer is a refuge from all sorrow, a foundation of cheerfulness, a source of perpetual pleasure, the mother of philosophy. He who is able to pray with precision, even if he be poorer than all, is richer than all; just as he who is deprived of prayer, on the other hand, even if he sits on the royal throne itself, is poorer than all. Was not Ahab a king, and had unspeakable gold and silver? but since he did not have prayer, he went about seeking Elijah, a man who had not even a lodging, nor a cloak, but only a sheepskin. What is this? tell me; you who have so many storehouses, do you seek him who has nothing? Yes, he says. For what benefit are the treasuries to me, when this man has shut up heaven, and rendered everything useless? Did you see how this one was wealthier than that one? For until this one spoke, the king was in great poverty along with his entire army. O the wonder, he did not even have a cloak, and he shut up heaven. For this very reason, then, he shut up heaven, because he did not have a cloak; because he possessed nothing here, for this reason he showed great power; for by only opening his lips, he caused countless treasures of good things to be brought down from above. O mouth that has springs of rain! O tongue that sends forth flakes of showers! O voice that pours forth countless good things! Always looking, then, to this man, poor and rich, who was rich for this reason, because he was poor, let us despise present things, let us desire the things to come. For thus we will attain all good things, both of the things here and of the things there; of which may it be that we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages, Amen.

τοὺς οἰκείους καταδύεται φωλεοὺς, μόνον ἂν μετὰ ἀκριβείας εὐχώμεθα, ἂν μετὰ ψυχῆς διεγηγερμένης καὶ διανοίας νηφούσης. Τότε κἂν διάβολος παρῇ φυγαδεύεται, κἂν δαίμων, ἀναχωρεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ οἰκέτῃ δεσπότου διαλεγομένου, οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν συνδούλων, οὔτε τις τῶν παῤῥησίαν ἐχόντων προσελθεῖν τολμήσειε καὶ διενοχλῆσαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὗτοι, τῶν προσκεκρουκότων ὄντες καὶ ἀπαῤῥησιάστων, οὐκ ἂν δυνηθεῖεν ἡμῖν ἐνοχλῆσαι τῷ Θεῷ διαλεγομένοις μετὰ τῆς 48.768 προσηκούσης σπουδῆς. Εὐχὴ χειμαζομένων λιμὴν, κλυδωνιζομένων ἄγκυρα, σαλευομένων βακτηρία, πενήτων θησαυρὸς, πλουτούντων ἀσφάλεια, νοσημάτων ἀναίρεσις, ὑγιείας φυλακή· εὐχὴ καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἡμῖν ἀκίνητα διατηρεῖ, καὶ τὰ κακὰ μεταβάλλει ταχέως· κἂν πειρασμὸς ἐπέλθῃ, ῥᾳδίως ἀποκρούεται, κἂν ζημία χρημάτων, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον τῶν λυπουμένων ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν, ἅπαντα ἀπελαύνει ταχέως· εὐχὴ λύπης ἁπάσης φυγαδευτήριον, εὐθυμίας ὑπόθεσις, διηνεκοῦς ἡδονῆς ἀφορμὴ, φιλοσοφίας μήτηρ. Ὁ δυνάμενος εὔχεσθαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, κἂν ἁπάντων πενέστερος ᾖ, πάντων ἐστὶ πλουσιώτερος· ὥσπερ ὁ τῆς εὐχῆς πάλιν ἐστερημένος, κἂν ἐν αὐτῷ καθέζηται τῷ θρόνῳ τῷ βασιλικῷ, πάντων ἐστὶ πενέστερος. Οὐχ ὁ Ἀχαὰβ βασιλεὺς ἦν, καὶ χρυσίον εἶχεν ἄφατον καὶ ἀργύριον; ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εὐχὴν οὐκ εἶχε, περιῄει Ἡλίαν ζητῶν, ἄνθρωπον οὐδὲ καταγώγιον ἔχοντα, οὐδὲ ἱμάτιον, ἀλλ' ἢ μηλωτὴν μόνην. Τί τοῦτο; εἰπέ μοι· ὁ τοσαύτας ἔχων ἀποθήκας τὸν οὐδὲν ἔχοντα ζητεῖς; Ναὶ, φησί. Τί γάρ μοι τῶν ταμείων ὄφελος, τούτου τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀποκλείσαντος, καὶ πάντα ἄχρηστα ἐργασαμένου; Εἶδες πῶς οὗτος εὐπορώτερος ἦν ἐκείνου; Ἕως γὰρ οὗτος ἐφθέγξατο, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἦν ἐν πενίᾳ πολλῇ μετὰ τοῦ στρατοπέδου παντός. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος, οὐδὲ ἱμάτιον εἶχε, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀπέκλεισε. ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ἀπέκλεισε τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἐπειδὴ ἱμάτιον, οὐκ εἶχεν· ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα ἐκέκτητο, διὰ τοῦτο πολλὴν τὴν δύναμιν ἐπεδείξατο· ἀνοίξας γὰρ τὰ χείλη μόνον, μυρίους ἐποίησεν ἄνωθεν κατενεχθῆναι θησαυροὺς ἀγαθῶν. Ὢ στόματος πηγὰς ὄμβρων ἔχοντος· ὢ γλώσσης νιφάδας ὑετῶν ἀφιείσης· ὢ φωνῆς μυρία ἀγαθὰ βρυούσης. Πρὸς δὴ τοῦτον ἀεὶ βλέποντες τὸν πένητα καὶ πλούσιον, τὸν διὰ τοῦτο πλούσιον, ἐπειδὴ πένης ἦν, ὑπερορῶμεν τῶν παρόντων, ἐπιθυμῶμεν τῶν μελλόντων. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ πάντων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, Ἀμήν.