John Chrysostom, On Repentance

I can give it to you; for we and the children have gone to bed. But he, having heard this, kept knocking, and did not leave, until the master of the house said, Get up, give it to him and let him go. It teaches you, therefore, to pray always, and not to grow weary always, but even if you do not receive, to persist until you do receive. And you will find many other ways of repentance in Scripture. This repentance was preached even before the coming of Christ through Jeremiah, who says: Does not the one who falls get up, or the one who turns away not turn back? and again, After these things I said to her, After you have fornicated, come, return to me. And for this reason he has given us many and other different ways, that he might cut off every excuse of ours for laziness. For if we had only one way, we would not have been able to enter by it. The devil always flees this sword. Have you sinned? Enter into the church, and wipe away your sin. As many times as you fall in the marketplace, so many times you get up; so as many times as you sin, repent for the sin; do not despair of yourself; even if you sin a second time, repent a second time, lest through laziness you fall completely from the hope of the good things set before you; even if you are in extreme old age and you sin, enter, repent; for here is a place of healing, not a court of justice, not demanding an account of sins, but granting forgiveness of sin49.298s. Tell your sin to God alone: Against you only have I sinned, and done evil in your sight; and your sin is forgiven. You also have another way of repentance, not a difficult one, but a very easy one indeed. And what is this? Weep for your sin, and learn this from the divine Gospels that Peter, the chief of the apostles, the first in the Church, the friend of Christ, the one who received the revelation not from men, but from the Father, as the Lord testifies to him saying: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven; this is Peter; and when I say Peter, I mean the unbreakable rock, the unshakable foundation, the great apostle, the first of the disciples, the first to be called, and the first to obey; he did not do some small thing, but a very great one, in that he denied the Lord; I say this not to accuse the just man, but to give you a reason for repentance, he denied the very Lord of the world, the guardian, the Savior of all. And that we may tell the story from the beginning, at the betrayal the Savior saw some departing, and says to Peter: Do you also wish to go away? But Peter said, Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you. What are you saying, Peter? It is God who has declared, and you contradict? But nevertheless his will showed its own resolve, but the weakness of his nature was exposed. And when was this? On the night in which Christ was betrayed; then, it says, Peter was standing by the charcoal fire warming himself, and a certain girl came up, and says to him: Yesterday you also were with this man. But he: I do not know this man. Then also a second and a third time; and the declaration was fulfilled. Then Christ looked at Peter, sending forth a voice through his gaze; for he did not speak to him with his mouth, lest he should rebuke him in front of the Jews, and put his own disciple to shame, but he sent the voice through his gaze; that is, Peter, what I said has happened. In any case, Peter, realizing it then, began to weep, but he did not simply weep, but bitterly, making a second baptism with the tears from his eyes. But having wept so bitterly, he wiped away the sin; and after this the keys of the heavens are entrusted to him. And if Peter's weeping wiped away so great a sin, if you weep, how would you not wipe away your sin? For it was not a small crime to deny one's own Lord, but a great and strong one; but nevertheless the

δύναμαί σοι δοῦναι· ἀνεπέσομεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ τὰ παιδία. Ὁ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐπέμενε κρούων, καὶ μὴ ἀναχωρῶν, ἕως οὗ εἶπεν ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης, Ἀνάστητε, δότε αὐτῷ καὶ ἄφετε ἀπελθεῖν. ∆ιδάσκει σε οὖν εὔχεσθαι ἀεὶ, καὶ μὴ ἀκηδιᾷν ἀεὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν μὴ λάβῃς, παραμένειν ἕως ἂν λάβῃς. Καὶ πολλὰς ἄλλας ὁδοὺς μετανοίας εὑρήσεις ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ. Αὕτη ἡ μετάνοια καὶ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἐκηρύττετο διὰ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου λέγοντος· Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται, ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει; καὶ πάλιν, Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶπον αὐτῇ, Μετὰ τὸ πορνεῦσαι δεῦρο ἀνάστρεψον πρὸς μέ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλὰς καὶ ἄλλας ὁδοὺς διαφόρους ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν, ἵνα ἐκκόψῃ πᾶσαν ἡμῶν πρόφασιν ῥᾳθυμίας. Εἰ γὰρ μίαν ὁδὸν εἴχομεν μόνην, διὰ ταύτης εἰσελθεῖν οὐκ ἂν ἠδυνήθημεν. Ταύτην τὴν μάχαιραν ἀεὶ φεύγει ὁ διάβολος. Ἥμαρτες; εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἐξάλειψόν σου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ὁσάκις ἂν πέσῃς εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν, τοσαυτάκις ἐγείρῃ· οὕτως ὁσάκις ἂν ἁμαρτήσῃς, μετανόησον ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· μὴ σαυτοῦ ἀπογνῷς· κἂν δεύτερον ἁμάρτῃς, δεύτερον μετανόησον, μὴ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν τέλεον ἐκπέσῃς τῆς τῶν προκειμένων ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδος· κἂν ἐν ἐσχάτῃ πολιᾷ ᾖς καὶ ἁμάρτῃς, εἴσελθε, μετανόησον· ἰατρεῖον γάρ ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα, οὐ δικαστήριον, οὐκ εὐθύνας ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαιτοῦν, ἀλλὰ συγχώρησιν ἁμαρ49.298 τημάτων παρέχον. Θεῷ μόνῳ εἰπὲ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν σου· Σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα· καὶ συγχωρεῖταί σου ἡ ἁμαρτία. Ἔχεις δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ὁδὸν μετανοίας, οὐ δύσκολον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ εὐχερεστάτην. Ποίαν δὲ ταύτην; Κλαῦσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ σου, καὶ διδάχθητι ἐκ τῶν θείων Εὐαγγελίων τοῦτο Πέτρος ἐκεῖνος, ἡ κορυφὴ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὁ πρῶτος ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, ὁ φίλος Χριστοῦ, ὁ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων μὴ δεξάμενος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, καθὼς αὐτῷ μαρτυρεῖ ὁ ∆εσπότης λέγων· Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων Βαριωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοί, ἀλλ' ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος· οὗτος ὁ Πέτρος· Πέτρον δὲ ὅταν εἴπω, τὴν πέτραν λέγω τὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ, τὴν κρηπῖδα τὴν ἀσάλευτον, τὸν ἀπόστολον τὸν μέγαν, τὸν πρῶτον τῶν μαθητῶν, τὸν πρῶτον κληθέντα, καὶ πρῶτον ὑπακούσαντα· ἐκεῖνος οὐ μικρόν τι πρᾶγμα ἔδρασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μέγα, ὡς αὐτὸν ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν ∆εσπότην· τοῦτο λέγω οὐ κατηγορῶν τοῦ δικαίου, ἀλλὰ σοὶ ὑπόθεσιν διδοὺς τῆς μετανοίας, αὐτὸν τὸν ∆εσπότην τῆς οἰκουμένης, τὸν κηδεμόνα, τὸν Σωτῆρα τῶν ἁπάντων ἠρνήσατο. Ἵνα δὲ ἄνωθεν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν εἴπωμεν, ἐν τῇ παραδόσει εἶδεν ὁ Σωτήρ τινας ἀναχωρήσαντας, καὶ λέγει τῷ Πέτρῳ· Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἀναχωρῆσαι θέλεις; Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἶπε, Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθανεῖν, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι. Τί λέγεις, Πέτρε; Θεὸς ὁ ἀποφηνάμενος, καὶ ἀντιμάχῃ; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ προαίρεσις τὸ ἴδιον ἔδειξε, τῆς δὲ φύσεως ἡ ἀσθένεια ἠλέγχετο. Ταῦτα δὲ πότε; Ἐν νυκτὶ, ἐν ᾗ παρεδόθη ὁ Χριστός· τότε οὖν, φησὶν, εἱστήκει ὁ Πέτρος παρὰ τὴν ἀνθρακιὰν θερμαινόμενος, καὶ κόρη τις προσῆλθε, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Χθὲς καὶ σὺ μετὰ τούτου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἦς. Ὁ δέ· Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον. Εἶτα καὶ δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον· καὶ ἐπληρώθη ἡ ἀπόφασις. Εἶτα ὁ Χριστὸς ἐνέβλεψε τῷ Πέτρῳ, φωνὴν διὰ τοῦ βλέμματος ἀφιείς· οὐ γὰρ διὰ στόματος αὐτῷ ἐλάλησεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐλέγξῃ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ τὸν ἴδιον καταισχύνῃ μαθητὴν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ βλέμματος τὴν φωνὴν ἀφῆκε· τουτέστι, Πέτρε, ὃ ἔλεγον, γέγονεν. Ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ὁ Πέτρος αἰσθανόμενος τότε ἤρξατο κλαίειν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἔκλαυσεν, ἀλλὰ πικρῶς, δεύτερον βάπτισμα διὰ τῶν δακρύων ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ποιήσας. Ἀλλὰ κλαύσας οὕτω πικρῶς, ἐξήλειψε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ πιστεύεται τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἰ δὲ Πέτρου κλαυθμὸς τηλικαύτην ἐξήλειψεν ἁμαρτίαν, σὺ ἐὰν κλαύσῃς, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἀπαλείψεις τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; Οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν ἦν ἔγκλημα τὸ ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν ἴδιον ∆εσπότην, ἀλλὰ μέγα καὶ ἰσχυρόν· ἀλλ' ὅμως τὰ