John Chrysostom, On Matthew

therefore do not stand aloof from them when they are cast in; but when the devil commands to cast those who did not worship the gold into the furnace of poverty, be not of those who cast in, but of those who are cast in, that you may be of those who are saved, and not of those who are burned. For the greatest dew is not to be held by the desire for wealth, to associate with the poor. These are richer than all, those who have trampled on the desire for wealth. Since they also, having then despised the king, became more glorious than the king. And you therefore, if you look down upon the things in the world, will be more honorable than the whole world, according to those saints, of whom the world was not worthy. In order, therefore, to be worthy of the heavenly things, laugh at the present things. For so you will be more glorious both here, and you will enjoy the good things to come by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

57.55 HOMILY V. But all this has taken place, that what was spoken might be fulfilled

by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.”

1. I hear many saying, that while we are present and enjoying the hearing, we are chastened; but when we have gone out, we become different people again, extinguishing the fire of our zeal. What then may be done, that this may not happen? Let us consider whence it comes. Whence then does such a great change come to us? From spending time in what is not fitting, and from the company of evil men. For it was not right, when departing from the assembly, to cast ourselves into matters not befitting the assembly; but immediately upon coming home to take up the book, and to call one's wife and children to the fellowship of recalling what has been said, and then to attend to the affairs of life. For if from the bath you would not choose to plunge into the marketplace, so as not to spoil the relaxation from there with the business in the marketplace; much more ought one to do this after the assembly. But now we do the opposite; for this very reason we also lose everything. For before the benefit of what was said has been well fixed, the great rush of external things falling upon it has swept everything away. In order therefore that this may not happen, when you depart from the assembly, consider nothing more necessary than the recalling of what was said. For it would be of the utmost ingratitude, to allot five and six days to worldly things, and to the spiritual not even one day, or rather not even a small part of the day. Do you not see our children, that the lessons which they receive, they practice them throughout the whole day? Let us then do this also; since there will be no advantage for us from our coming here, drawing water into a pierced jar every day, and not even providing as much diligence in the keeping of what was said, as we show concerning gold and silver. For a person having received a few denarii, both puts them away into a purse, and sets a seal upon it; but we, receiving oracles more precious than gold and costly stones, and receiving the treasures of the Spirit, do not put them away into the storehouses of the soul, but simply and carelessly allow them to flow out of our mind. Who then will pity us hereafter, plotting against ourselves, and casting ourselves into so great a poverty? In order therefore that this may not happen, let us write for ourselves an unmovable law, and for our wives and our children, to dedicate this one whole day of the week to hearing and to the recalling of what has been heard. For thus we shall come more ready to learn for what is going to be said, and for us the labor will be less, and for you the gain will be greater, when bringing what has been said before

τοίνυν ἀποστῇς αὐτῶν ἐμβληθέντων· ἀλλ' ὅταν ὁ διάβολος κελεύῃ τοὺς μὴ προσκυνήσαντας τῷ χρυσῷ βαλεῖν εἰς τὴν κάμινον τῆς πενίας, μὴ τῶν ἐμβαλλόντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐμβαλλομένων γίνου, ἵνα γένῃ τῶν σωζομένων, καὶ μὴ τῶν καιομένων. Καὶ γὰρ μεγίστη δρόσος, τὸ μὴ κατέχεσθαι ἐπιθυμίᾳ πλούτου, τὸ πένησιν ὁμιλεῖν. Οὗτοι πάντων εἰσὶν εὐπορώτεροι, οἱ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ πλούτου καταπατήσαντες. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι καταφρονήσαντες τότε τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐγένοντο τοῦ βασιλέως λαμπρότεροι. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ἂν ὑπερίδῃς τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πραγμάτων, τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς ἔσῃ τιμιώτερος, κατὰ τοὺς ἁγίους ἐκείνους, Ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος. Ἵν' οὖν ἄξιος γένῃ τῶν οὐρανίων, καταγέλασον τῶν παρόντων. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἔσῃ λαμπρότερος, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀπολαύσεις ἀγαθῶν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.55 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν

ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει, καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ.»

αʹ. Πολλῶν ἀκούω λεγόντων, ὅτι παρόντες μὲν καὶ τῆς ἀκροάσεως

ἀπολαύοντες, συστελλόμεθα· ἐξελθόντες δὲ, ἕτεροι πάλιν ἀνθ' ἑτέρων γινόμεθα, τὸ πῦρ τῆς προθυμίας σβεννύντες. Τί οὖν ἂν γένοιτο, ὅπως τοῦτο μὴ γίνηται; Σκοπήσωμεν ὅθεν γίνεται. Πόθεν οὖν γίνεται ἡμῖν ἡ τοσαύτη μεταβολή; Ἀπὸ τῆς διατριβῆς τῆς μὴ προσηκούσης, καὶ τῆς τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων συνουσίας. Οὐ γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἀπὸ τῆς συνάξεως ἀναχωροῦντας, εἰς τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα τῇ συνάξει ἐμβάλλειν ἑαυτοὺς πράγματα· ἀλλ' εὐθέως οἴκαδε ἐλθόντας τὸ βιβλίον μεταχειρίζεσθαι, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ παιδία πρὸς τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς τῶν εἰρημένων καλεῖν συλλογῆς, καὶ τότε τῶν βιωτικῶν ἅπτεσθαι πραγμάτων. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ βαλανείου οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιο εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλλειν, ὥστε μὴ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἄνεσιν λυμήνασθαι τοῖς ἐν ἀγορᾷ πράγμασι· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀπὸ συνάξεως τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐχρῆν. Νῦν δὲ τοὐναντίον ποιοῦμεν· διὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ πάντα ἀπόλλυμεν. Οὔπω γὰρ τῆς ὠφελείας τῶν λεχθέντων παγείσης καλῶς, ἡ πολλὴ ῥύμη τῶν ἔξωθεν προσπιπτόντων πάντα παρασύρασα οἴχεται. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γίνηται, ἀπὸ συνάξεως ἀναχωρῶν, μηδὲν ποιοῦ τῆς τῶν εἰρημένων συλλογῆς ἀναγκαιότερον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀγνωμοσύνης ἂν εἴη, πέντε καὶ ἓξ ἡμέρας τοῖς βιωτικοῖς ἀπονέμοντας, τοῖς πνευματικοῖς μηδὲ μίαν ἡμέραν, μᾶλλον δὲ μηδὲ μικρὸν τῆς ἡμέρας μέρος διδόναι. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὰ παιδία τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὅτι τὰ μαθήματα, ἅπερ ἂν δέξωνται, ταῦτα δι' ὅλης μελετῶσι τῆς ἡμέρας; Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐργασώμεθα· ἐπεὶ πλέον οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ἔσται τῆς ἐνταῦθα ἀφίξεως, εἰς πίθον τετρημένον ἀντλοῦσι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ μηδὲ τοσαύτην παρεχομένοις σπουδὴν τῇ τῶν εἰρημένων φυλακῇ, ὅσην περὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον ἐπιδεικνύμεθα. ∆ηνάρια μὲν γάρ τις ὀλίγα λαβὼν, καὶ εἰς βαλάντιον ἀποτίθεται, καὶ σφραγῖδα ἐπιτίθησιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ χρυσίου καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν τιμιώτερα δεχόμενοι λόγια, καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Πνεύματος ὑποδεχόμενοι θησαυροὺς, οὐκ εἰς τὰ ταμιεῖα τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποτιθέμεθα, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐῶμεν τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ἐκρεῖν. Τίς οὖν ἡμᾶς ἐλεήσει λοιπὸν, ἐπιβουλεύοντας ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ εἰς τοσαύτην ἐμβάλλοντας πενίαν; Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γίνηται, γράψωμεν ἑαυτοῖς νόμον ἀκίνητον, καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶ καὶ τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις, μίαν τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἡμέραν ταύτην ὅλην ἀνατιθέναι τῇ ἀκροάσει καὶ τῶν ἀκουσθέντων τῇ συλλογῇ. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ εὐμαθέστεροι πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ῥηθήσεσθαι ἀπαντήσομεν, καὶ ἡμῖν ἐλάττων ὁ πόνος ἔσται, καὶ ὑμῖν τὸ κέρδος πλέον, ὅταν τὰ πρώην εἰρημένα φέροντες