John Chrysostom, On Anna I

a time of festival, he considers it a festival; so also in spiritual matters, he who lives in righteousness and good deeds, even when there is no festival present, keeps a festival, reaping the pure pleasure that comes from his conscience; but he who is nourished in sin and wickedness, and is conscious of many evils in himself, even when a festival is present, is of all men most without a festival. So it is possible for us, if we are willing, to keep a festival every day, if we take care for virtue, and cleanse our conscience. For in what way does the past gathering have an advantage over the present one? Is it not only in the noise and disturbance, and in nothing else? For when the enjoyment of the holy mysteries, and the fellowship of other spiritual things, such as prayer, I say, and listening, and blessings, and love, and all the others, are the same today, this day will be in no way less than that one, neither for you, nor for me who am speaking. For those who heard us then, these will also hear us now; but those who are not present now, were not present then either, even if they seemed to be present in body; they are not listening now; or rather, they were not listening then either; not only were they not listening, but they were also annoying those who were listening, causing noise and disturbance. So for me the audience is the same both then and now, and the assembly of listeners is the same, and this one is in no way smaller than that one. But, if I must say something remarkable, this one has something more than that one, inasmuch as the discourse is undisturbed, and the teaching is without noise, and the hearing is with greater understanding, since no noise disturbs our hearing. 2. And I say these things, not dishonoring the crowd of those gathered then, but persuading you not to be sullen, nor downcast because of the small number of those gathered here now. For we do not wish to see a crowd of bodies in the church, but a crowd of listeners. Since, therefore, the same guests are present for us both then and now, with the same eagerness I will also today set the banquet before you, returning to the subject which the season of the festival interrupted. For just as when Pentecost was present, it was inopportune, leaving aside speaking about the good things given to us at that time, to keep to the previous sequence; so now that Pentecost has passed, we shall opportunely take up the sequence of the history, keeping to the subject of Hannah. For one must not consider if many things have been said, and over many days, but if we have come to the end of the subject. For indeed, those who find a treasure, even if they take countless riches from it, do not depart until they have exhausted the whole thing; for it is not taking much, but leaving nothing, that especially captivates them. But if those who are mad for money use such great zeal for things that perish and do not last, 54.671 by how much more ought we to do this for the divine treasures, and not to depart before we have exhausted all that is apparent. And I said "what is apparent," since it is impossible to exhaust everything. For the power of divine thoughts is a spring perpetually gushing, never failing, nor being spent. Let us not, therefore, grow weary; for our discourse is not about ordinary things, but about prayer, our hope; and of a prayer, through which the barren became a mother, and the childless had many children, and the sorrowful one was in cheerfulness; through which a maimed nature was set right, and a closed womb was opened, and all impossible things became possible. Wherefore let us investigate all things little by little, unfolding each saying, so that we may not, as far as possible, pass over even the smallest thing. For this reason indeed we have spent two whole discourses on only two sayings, both on the first that says, My heart has been strengthened in the Lord, and on the second after that, My horn is exalted in my God. It is fitting, then, today to come to the third. And what is this? My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, she says; I have rejoiced in your salvation. Pay attention to the precision of the language. She did not say: My mouth is sharpened against my enemies; for it was not prepared for insults and taunts, not for reproaches and accusation, but for

καιρὸς ἑορτῆς, ἑορτάζειν νομίζει· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν πραγμάτων, ὁ μὲν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ζῶν καὶ κατορθώμασι, κἂν μὴ παρούσης ἑορτῆς, ἑορτὴν ἄγει, τὴν καθαρὰν ἡδονὴν καρπούμενος τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος· ὁ δὲ ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ καὶ τρεφόμενος, καὶ πολλὰ κακὰ συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ, καὶ παρούσης ἑορτῆς, ἀνέορτος μάλιστα πάντων ἐστίν. Ὥστε ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν, ἂν ἐθέλωμεν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἑορτὴν ἄγειν, ἂν ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελώμεθα, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ἡμῶν ἐκκαθαίρωμεν. Τί γὰρ ἡ παρελθοῦσα σύναξις τῆς παρούσης πλεονεκτεῖ; ἢ οὐχὶ τῷ θορύβῳ καὶ τῇ ταραχῇ μόνον, ἄλλῳ δὲ οὐδενί; Ὅταν γὰρ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἁγίων μυστηρίων ἀπόλαυσις, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν πνευματικῶν κοινωνία, οἷον εὐχῆς λέγω, καὶ ἀκροάσεως, καὶ εὐλογιῶν, καὶ ἀγάπης, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ σήμερον ᾖ, οὐδὲν ἔσται ἐλάττων ἐκείνης αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, οὔτε ὑμῖν, οὔτε ἐμοὶ τῷ λέγοντι. Οἱ γὰρ τότε ἡμῶν ἀκούσαντες, οὗτοι καὶ νῦν ἀκούσονται· οἱ δὲ μὴ παρόντες νῦν, οὐδὲ τότε παρῆσαν, εἰ καὶ ἐδόκουν παρεῖναι τῷ σώματι· οὐκ ἀκούουσι νῦν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τότε ἤκουον· οὐ μόνον δὲ οὐκ ἤκουον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἠνώχλουν, θόρυβον καὶ ταραχὴν ἐμποιοῦντες. Ὥστε ἴσον ἐμοὶ τὸ θέατρον καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀκροατῶν σύλλογος, ὁ αὐτὸς, καὶ οὐδὲν οὗτος ἐλάττων ἐκείνου. Ἀλλ', εἰ δεῖ τι καὶ θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, ἔχει τι πλέον οὗτος ἐκείνου, ὅσῳ καὶ ἀτάραχος ἡ διάλεξις, καὶ ἀθόρυβος ἡ διδασκαλία, καὶ μετὰ πλείονος συνέσεως ἡ ἀκρόασις, οὐδενὸς ἡμῶν τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐνοχλοῦντος θορύβου. βʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, οὐκ ἀτιμάζων τὸ πλῆθος τῶν τότε συλλεγέντων, ἀλλὰ πείθων ὑμᾶς μὴ στυγνάζειν, μηδὲ κατηφιᾷν διὰ τὴν ὀλιγότητα τῶν νῦν συλλεγέντων ἐνταῦθα. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ σωμάτων πλῆθος βουλόμεθα ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὁρᾷν, ἀλλὰ ἀκροατῶν πλῆθος. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οἱ αὐτοὶ δαιτυμόνες καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν ἡμῖν πάρεισι, μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς προθυμίας καὶ σήμερον τὴν ἑστίασιν ὑμῖν παραθήσομαι, ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἐπανελθὼν, ἣν ὁ τῆς ἑορτῆς καιρὸς διέκοψεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς παρούσης, ἄκαιρον ἦν, ἀφέντας λέγειν περὶ τῶν δοθέντων ἡμῖν κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἀγαθῶν, τῆς ἀκολουθίας τῆς προτέρας ἔχεσθαι· οὕτω νῦν τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς παρελθούσης, εἰς καιρὸν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς ἱστορίας ἀναληψόμεθα, ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἄνναν ὑποθέσεως ἐχόμενοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ πολλὰ τὰ εἰρημένα χρὴ σκοπεῖν, καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς ἡμέραις, ἀλλ' εἰ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἤλθομεν τῆς ὑποθέσεως. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ θησαυρὸν εὑρόντες, κἂν μυρία λάβωσιν ἐκεῖθεν χρήματα, οὐ πρότερον ἀφίστανται, ἕως ἂν τὸ πᾶν ἐξαντλήσωσιν· οὐ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἀφεῖναι, τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἀνακτᾶσθαι πέφυκεν. Εἰ δὲ οἱ περὶ τὰ χρήματα μαινόμενοι τοσαύτῃ περὶ τὰ ἀπολλύμενα καὶ μὴ μένοντα κέχρηνται 54.671 τῇ σπουδῇ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τῶν θείων θησαυρῶν τοῦτο ποιεῖν χρὴ, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀφίστασθαι, ἕως ἅπαν τὸ φαινόμενον ἐξαντλήσωμεν. Τὸ φαινόμενον δὲ εἶπον, ἐπειδὴ πάντα ἐξαντλῆσαι ἀμήχανον. Πηγὴ γάρ ἐστι διηνεκῶς βλύζουσα τῶν θείων νοημάτων ἡ δύναμις, οὐδέποτε ἐπιλείπουσα, οὐδὲ δαπανωμένη. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀποκάμωμεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν τυχόντων ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ περὶ εὐχῆς, τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς ἡμετέρας· εὐχῆς δὲ, δι' ἧς ἡ στεῖρα μήτηρ ἐγένετο, καὶ πολύπαις ἡ ἄπαις, καὶ ἡ κατώδυνος ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ· δι' ἣν ἡ πεπηρωμένη διωρθοῦτο φύσις, καὶ μήτρα ἀποκεκλεισμένη ἀνεῴγνυτο, καὶ τὰ ἀδύνατα δυνατὰ πάντα ἐγίνετο. ∆ιὸ δὴ κατὰ μικρὸν διερευνώμεθα πάντα, καθ' ἑκάστην ῥῆσιν ἀναπτύξαντες, ὥστε μηδὲ τὸ μικρότατον ἡμᾶς, ὡς οἷόν τε, παραδραμεῖν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο δύο διαλέξεις ὁλοκλήρους εἰς δύο ῥήσεις ἀνηλώσαμεν μόνας, εἴς τε τὴν πρώτην τὴν λέγουσαν, Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν τὴν μετ' ἐκείνην, Ὑψώθη κέρας μου ἐν Θεῷ μου. Ἀκόλουθον δὴ σήμερον ἐπὶ τὴν τρίτην ἐλθεῖν. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Ἐπλατύνθη στόμα μου ἐπ' ἐχθρούς μου, φησίν· εὐφράνθην ἐν σωτηρίᾳ σου. Προσέχετε τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ τῆς λέξεως. Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἠκονήθη στόμα μου ἐπ' ἐχθρούς μου· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς λοιδορίας καὶ σκώμματα παρεσκεύαστο, οὐ πρὸς ὀνείδη καὶ κατηγορίαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς