John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

it will be needed. For this reason it often shrinks back, and retreats to the depths below, and is afraid and trembles, when it is about to fly away from the flesh. For the conscience of our sins always pricks us, but especially at that hour, when we are about to be led away from here to the reckoning there and the fearful judgment-seat. Then, whether one has stolen, or been greedy, or insulted someone, or become someone's enemy unjustly, or has done any other terrible thing, the whole swarm of sins is renewed and stands 48.985 before the eyes, and pricks the mind. And just as those who dwell in prison are always in dejection and pain, but especially on that day, on which they are about to be led out, and led to the very doors of the judge, and standing before the bars, and hearing the voice of the judge from within, they are paralyzed with fear, and are in no better state than the dead; so also the soul is in pain and distress especially at the very time of the sin, but much more when, torn away from here, it is about to be led away. c. Are you silent hearing these things? I am more grateful to you for this silence than for applause; for applause and praises make me more illustrious, but this silence makes you more sober-minded. I know that what is said is painful, but it has great and unspeakable profit. That rich man, if he had someone giving him such advice, and not flatterers advising all things for the sake of favor and drawing him into luxury, would not have gone to that Gehenna, would not have endured those unbearable torments, would not have repented inconsolably after these things; but since they all spoke for the sake of favor, they delivered him to the fire. Would that it were possible to always and continually philosophize on these things, and to speak about Gehenna. For in all your words, it says, remember your end, and you will never sin. And again: Prepare your works for the departure, and make ready for the journey. If you have seized anything from anyone, give it back, and say according to Zacchaeus: I give fourfold what was seized; if you have falsely accused anyone of anything, if you have become someone's enemy, be reconciled before the judgment-seat. Settle all things here, so that you may see that tribunal without troubles. As long as we are here, we have good hopes; but when we depart there, we are no longer masters of repentance, nor of washing away our sins. Therefore one must continually prepare for the departure from here. For what if it seems good to the Master to call us in the evening? what if tomorrow? For the future is uncertain, so that we may be ever in conflict, and ready for that journey, just as this Lazarus was always in patience and endurance; for which reason he was also led away with such great honor. And the rich man also died, and was buried, as though his soul was entombed in his body as in a grave, and carrying his flesh about as a tomb. For just as if fettered by some chain, by drunkenness and gluttony, so he made it inactive and dead. Do not simply pass over, beloved, the words, he was buried; but consider here for me the silver-plated tables, the couches, the carpets, the coverings, all the other things in the house, the perfumes, the spices, the great quantity of unmixed wine, the varieties of foods, the seasonings, the cooks, the flatterers, the bodyguards, the servants, all the other pageantry extinguished and withered. All is embers, all is ash and dust, lamentations and wailings, with no one able to help any longer, nor to bring back the departed soul. Then the power of gold was exposed, and of great wealth. For from so much 48.986 attendance he was led away naked and alone, able to carry nothing away from here out of so much abundance, but he was led away desolate, unprotected; none of his attendants, none who could help was present to deliver him from the torment and the punishment, but torn away from all those things, he was left alone to endure the unbearable punishments. Truly, All flesh is as grass, and

αὐτὴν δεήσεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλάκις ἀναδύεται, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βάθος κάτω χωρεῖ, καὶ δέδοικε καὶ φρίττει, μέλλουσα τῆς σαρκὸς ἀφίπτασθαι. Ἀεὶ μὲν γὰρ ἡμᾶς κεντεῖ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸ συνειδὸς, μάλιστα δὲ κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ὥραν, ὅταν μέλλωμεν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπάγεσθαι πρὸς τὰς εὐθύνας τὰς ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν δικαστήριον. Τότε, εἴτε ἥρπασέ τις, εἴτε ἐπλεονέκτησεν, εἴτε τινὰ ἐπηρέασεν, εἴτε τινὸς γέγονεν ἐχθρὸς ἀδίκως, εἴτε ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν δεινὸν εἰργάσατο, ἅπας ὁ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐσμὸς ἀνανεοῦται καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν 48.985 ἵσταται, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν κεντεῖ. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντες, ἀεὶ μὲν ἐν κατηφείᾳ καὶ ὀδύναις εἰσὶ, μάλιστα δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καθ' ἣν ἂν μέλλωσιν ἐξάγεσθαι, καὶ παρ' αὐτὰς τὰς τοῦ δικάζοντος ἄγεσθαι θύρας, καὶ πρὸ τῶν κιγκλίδων ἑστῶτες, καὶ τῆς τοῦ κρίνοντος φωνῆς ἔνδοθεν ἀκούοντες, ἀποπήγνυνται τῷ φόβῳ, καὶ τῶν νεκρῶν οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διάκεινται· οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ μάλιστα μὲν καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὀδυνᾶται καὶ στενοχωρεῖται, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ὅταν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποσπασθεῖσα ἀπάγεσθαι μέλλῃ. γʹ. Σιγᾶτε ταῦτα ἀκούοντες; Πολλὴν ὑμῖν ἔχω χάριν τῆς σιγῆς ταύτης μᾶλλον, ἢ τῶν κρότων· οἱ μὲν γὰρ κρότοι καὶ οἱ ἔπαινοι λαμπρότερον ἐμὲ ποιοῦσιν, ἡ σιγὴ δὲ αὕτη σωφρονεστέρους ὑμᾶς ἐργάζεται. Οἶδα ὅτι λυπεῖ τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ πολὺ κέρδος ἔχει καὶ ἄφατον. Ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος, εἴ τινα εἶχε τοιαῦτα αὐτῷ παραινοῦντα, ἀλλὰ μὴ κόλακας τοὺς πρὸς χάριν ἅπαντα συμβουλεύοντας, καὶ εἰς τρυφὴν ἕλκοντας, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τὴν γέενναν ἦλθεν ἐκείνην, οὐκ ἂν τὰς βασάνους ὑπέμεινε τὰς ἀφορήτους, οὐκ ἂν ἀπαρηγόρητα μετὰ ταῦτα μετενόησεν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὰ πρὸς χάριν ἅπαντες διελέγοντο, παρέδωκαν αὐτὸν τῷ πυρί. Εἶθε ἦν ἀεὶ καὶ διηνεκῶς ταῦτα φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ περὶ γεέννης φθέγγεσθαι. Ἐν πᾶσι γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς λόγοις σου μιμνήσκου τὰ ἔσχατά σου, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ ἁμάρτῃς. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἑτοίμαζε εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ παρασκευάζου πρὸς τὴν ὁδόν. Εἴ τινος ἥρπασάς τι, ἀπόδος, καὶ εἰπὲ κατὰ τὸν Ζακχαῖον· ∆ίδωμι τετραπλασίονα τὰ ἁρπαγέντα· εἴ τινός τι ἐσυκοφάντησας, εἴ τινος γέγονας ἐχθρὸς, καταλλάγηθι πρὸ τοῦ δικαστηρίου. Πάντα ἐνταῦθα διάλυσαι, ἵνα χωρὶς πραγμάτων τὸ βῆμα ἴδῃς ἐκεῖνο. Ἕως ἂν ἐνταῦθα ὦμεν, ἐλπίδας ἔχομεν χρηστάς· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀπέλθωμεν ἐκεῖ, κύριοι λοιπὸν μετανοίας οὐκ ἐσμὲν, οὐδὲ τοῦ τὰ ἡμαρτημένα ἡμῖν ἀπονίψασθαι. ∆ιὸ χρὴ παρασκευάζεσθαι συνεχῶς πρὸς τὴν ἐνθένδε ἔξοδον. Τί γὰρ ἐὰν ἑσπέρας δόξῃ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ καλέσαι ἡμᾶς; τί δὲ ἐὰν αὔριον; Ἄδηλον γὰρ τὸ μέλλον, ἵνα ἐναγώνιοι διηνεκῶς ὦμεν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀποδημίαν εὐτρεπεῖς ἐκείνην, καθάπερ οὖν οὗτος ὁ Λάζαρος διαπαντὸς ἦν ἐν ὑπομονῇ καὶ καρτερίᾳ· διὸ καὶ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀπήγετο τιμῆς. Ἀπέθανε δὲ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος, καὶ ἐτάφη, καθάπερ ἐν μνήματι τῷ σώματι τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ κατορωρυγμένης, καὶ τάφον περιφερούσης τὴν σάρκα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἁλύσει τινὶ, τῇ μέθῃ καὶ τῇ γαστριμαργίᾳ πεπεδημένος, οὕτως ἄπρακτον αὐτὴν καὶ νεκρὰν εἰργάσατο. Μὴ ἁπλῶς παραδράμῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, τὸ, ἐτάφη· ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθά μοι νόει τὰς τραπέζας τὰς περιηργυρωμένας, τὰς κλίνας, τοὺς τάπητας, τὰ ἐπιβλήματα, τὰ ἄλλα τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἅπαντα, τὰ μύρα, τὰ ἀρώματα, τὸν πολὺν ἄκρατον, τῶν ἐδεσμάτων τὰς ποικιλίας, τὰ καρυκεύματα, τοὺς μαγείρους, τοὺς κόλακας, τοὺς δορυφόρους, τοὺς οἰκέτας, τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν φαντασίαν κατεσβεσμένην καὶ καταμαρανθεῖσαν. Πάντα σποδὸς, πάντα τέφρα καὶ κόνις, θρῆνοι καὶ ὀδυρμοὶ, οὐδενὸς δυναμένου βοηθῆσαι λοιπὸν, οὐδ' ἀπελθοῦσαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν τὴν ψυχήν. Τότε ἡ δύναμις ἠλέγχετο τοῦ χρυσίου, καὶ τῆς πολλῆς περιουσίας. Ἐκ γὰρ τοσαύ48.986 της θεραπείας γυμνὸς καὶ μόνος ἀπήγετο, οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς τοσαύτης εὐπορίας ἀπενεγκεῖν ἐντεῦθεν δυνάμενος, ἀλλ' ἔρημος, ἀπροστάτευτος ἀπήγετο· οὐδεὶς τῶν θεραπευσάντων, οὐδεὶς τῶν βοηθησόντων παρῆν ἐξαιρησόμενος τῆς κολάσεως καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἐκείνων ἀποσπασθεὶς, μόνον ἀπελαμβάνετο τὰς ἀφορήτους ὑπομένειν τιμωρίας. Ὄντως Πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος, καὶ