John Chrysostom, On Anna I

we will pass through the present life with security, and we will attain the kingdom of heaven; of which may it be that we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be the glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

54.669 SERMON V. To those who assemble only on feasts, and what a feast is; and to those who complain against the providence of God, because there are rich and poor in life; and that poverty is most useful and that it has everywhere more pleasure and security than wealth; and concerning

Anna. 1. In vain, as it seems, those who were present with us at the previous gathering

we exhorted, persuading them to remain in the father's house, and not to appear with us only on feast days and then depart again; or rather, not in vain. For even if none of them was persuaded by what was said, yet our reward has been made complete, and the things for our defense before God have been fulfilled. Therefore he who speaks, whether anyone listens or does not listen, must cast the seed, and deposit the money, so that the accounting with God is no longer with him, but with the bankers. This is indeed what we did, reproving, rebuking, exhorting, admonishing. For we reminded them of the son who had devoured his substance and returned to his father’s house, and we added all the suffering, and the famine, and the shame, and the reproaches and the other things, all that he endured in a foreign land, wishing to make them more sober-minded by this example and not even here did we stop our speech, but we also demonstrated the father’s tender affection for them, not demanding from them an account of their sloth, but receiving them with open arms, and granting forgiveness for their sins, and opening the house, and setting the table, and clothing them with the robe of teaching, and providing them all other care. But they did not imitate that son, nor did they condemn their former departure, nor did they remain in the father’s house, but they leaped away again. It would be your task, then, you who are always with us, to bring them back, and to persuade them to share with us in the feast of each gathering. For even if Pentecost has passed, yet the feast has not passed; for every assembly is a feast. From where is this clear? From the very words of Christ, through which he says: ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ But when Christ is in the midst of those who are assembled, what other proof of a feast greater than this do you seek? Where there is teaching and prayers, where there are blessings of fathers and the hearing of divine laws, where there is an assembly of brothers and the bond of genuine love, where there is conversation with God, and God’s discourse with men, how could it not be a feast and a festal gathering? For it is not the multitude, but the virtue of those gathered that is accustomed to make the feasts; not the expense of garments, but the adornment of piety; not the abundance of the table, but the care of the soul. For the greatest feast is a good conscience. And just as in the case of worldly festivities, the one who has neither a splendid garment to put on, nor a sumptuous table to enjoy, but lives in poverty and hunger and the utmost evils, does not 54.670 feel the festive season, even if he sees the whole city celebrating, but is all the more grieved and stung, inasmuch as he sees others in enjoyment, but himself in want; but the one who is rich and living in luxury, and is able to change his robes daily, and enjoys much prosperity, even if there is not present

παρόντα μετὰ ἀσφαλείας διανύσομεν βίον, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτευξόμεθα· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

54.669 ΛΟΓΟΣ Εʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς ἐν ἑορταῖς μόνον συναγομένους, καὶ τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἑορτή· καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκαλοῦντας τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίᾳ, διὰ τὸ πλουσίους εἶναι καὶ πένητας ἐν τῷ βίῳ· καὶ ὅτι χρησιμώτατον ἡ πενία καὶ ὅτι πλούτου πλείονα ἡδονὴν ἔχει πανταχοῦ καὶ ἀσφάλειαν· καὶ εἰς

τὴν Ἄνναν. αʹ. Μάτην, ὡς ἔοικε, τοὺς τῇ προτέρᾳ συνάξει παραγενομένους ἡμῖν

παρεκαλέσαμεν, πείθοντες μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας τῆς πατρῴας, καὶ μὴ μετὰ τῶν ἐν ἑορτῇ μόνον ἡμῖν φαινομένων ἐφίστασθαι καὶ ἀφίστασθαι πάλιν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ μάτην. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μηδεὶς τούτων ἐπείσθη τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν ὁ μισθὸς ἀπήρτισται, καὶ τὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπολογίας πεπλήρωται. ∆ιόπερ τὸν λέγοντα, κἂν προσέχῃ τις, κἂν μὴ προσέχῃ, τὰ σπέρματα χρὴ καταβάλλειν, καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον κατατιθέναι, ἵνα μηκέτι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς τραπεζίτας ὁ λόγος ᾖ τῷ Θεῷ. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐποιήσαμεν, ἐλέγξαντες, ἐπιτιμήσαντες, παρακαλέσαντες, νουθετήσαντες. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν κατεδηδοκότος υἱοῦ, καὶ πρὸς τὴν πατρικὴν οἰκίαν ἐπανελθόντος ἀνεμνήσαμεν, καὶ τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν ἅπασαν, καὶ τὸν λιμὸν, καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην, καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ὅσα ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας ὑπέμεινε, προσεθήκαμεν, τῷ παραδείγματι τούτῳ σωφρονεστέρους ποιῆσαι βουλόμενοι καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον ἐστήσαμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς φιλοστοργίαν περὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπεδειξάμεθα, οὐκ ἀπαιτήσαντες αὐτοὺς τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας εὐθύνας, ἀλλ' ὑπτίαις τούτους δεξάμενοι ταῖς χερσὶ, καὶ συγγνώμην δόντες ὑπὲρ τῶν πεπλημμελημένων, καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνοίξαντες, καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν παραθέντες, καὶ στολὴν αὐτοὺς περιβαλόντες τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν παρασχόντες αὐτοῖς θεραπείαν. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἐμιμήσαντο, οὐδὲ κατέγνωσαν τῆς ἔμπροσθεν ἀναχωρήσεως, οὐδὲ ἔμειναν ἐπὶ τῆς πατρῴας οἰκίας, ἀλλ' ἀπεπήδησαν πάλιν. Ὑμέτερον μὲν οὖν εἴη, ὑμῶν τῶν ἀεὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν ὄντων, ἐπαναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς, καὶ πεῖσαι κοινωνεῖν ἡμῖν τῆς καθ' ἑκάστην σύναξιν ἑορτῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ Πεντηκοστὴ παρῆλθεν, ἀλλ' ἡ ἑορτὴ οὐ παρῆλθε· πᾶσα γὰρ σύνοδος ἑορτή. Πόθεν δῆλον τοῦτο; Ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ῥημάτων, δι' ὧν φησιν· Ὅπου ἂν ὦσι δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ὅταν δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν μέσῳ ᾖ τῶν συνειλεγμένων, ποίαν ἑτέραν ζητεῖς ἀπόδειξιν ἑορτῆς ταύτης μείζονα; Ὅπου διδασκαλία καὶ εὐχαὶ, ὅπου πατέρων εὐλογίαι καὶ θείων νόμων ἀκρόασις, ὅπου σύνοδος ἀδελφῶν καὶ γνησίας ἀγάπης σύνδεσμος, ὅπου πρὸς Θεὸν ὁμιλία, καὶ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους διάλεξις, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἑορτὴ καὶ πανήγυρις; Τὰς γὰρ ἑορτὰς οὐ τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀρετὴ τῶν συλλεγομένων ποιεῖν εἴωθεν· οὐχ ἡ πολυτέλεια τῶν ἱματίων, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς εὐλαβείας καλλωπισμός· οὐχ ἡ δαψίλεια τῆς τραπέζης, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς πρόνοια. Ἑορτὴ γὰρ μεγίστη, συνειδὸς ἀγαθόν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν πανηγύρεων, ὁ μὲν μήτε ἱμάτιον ἔχων περιβαλέσθαι λαμπρὸν, μήτε δαψιλεστέρας ἀπολαῦσαι τραπέζης, ἀλλ' ἐν πενίᾳ καὶ λιμῷ ζῶν καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις κακοῖς, οὐκ 54.670 αἰσθάνεται τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἑορτῆς, κἂν πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἴδῃ χορεύουσαν, ἀλλὰ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὀδυνᾶται καὶ δάκνεται, ὅσῳ καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ὁρᾷ ἐν ἀπολαύσει, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ· ὁ δὲ πλουτῶν καὶ τρυφῶν, καὶ στολὰς καθ' ἑκάστην ἀμείβειν ἔχων, καὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαύων εὐημερίας, κἂν μὴ παρῇ