John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

gives back to you the statue immortal; for the earth having received the body perishable and mortal, gives back the same thing incorruptible and undefiled. Therefore do not see him with eyes closed, lying speechless, but the one rising again, receiving glory unspeakable and awesome and wondrous, and from the present sight transfer your thoughts to the future hope. But do you seek companionship, and for this reason you wail and lament? And how is it not absurd, if you should give your little daughter to a bridegroom, and then he, taking her, should depart to a far country, and continue to do well, to consider nothing terrible what has happened, to be consoled for the despondency of the departure by the report of prosperity; but here, when not a man, nor some fellow-servant, but the Master himself has taken his own, to grieve and wail? And how is it possible, he says, being human, not to grieve? I do not say this; nor do I take away despondency, but the excess of despondency; for to be despondent is of nature, but to do this beyond measure is of madness and folly and a womanish soul. Grieve, weep, but do not despair, do not be discontent, do not be indignant; give thanks to the one who takes, that you may adorn the one who has departed, and send with him these splendid funeral honors. For if you are discontent, you have both insulted him, and provoked the one who took him, and have harmed yourself; but if you give thanks, you have both adorned him, and glorified the one who took him, and benefited yourself. Weep as your Master wept for Lazarus, setting for us measures and rules and limits of despondency, which one must not transgress. Thus also Paul said: But concerning them which are asleep, he says, I would not have you to be ignorant, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. Grieve, he says, but not as a Greek who gives up on resurrection, who despairs of the life to come. 48.1020 I am ashamed, believe me, and I blush, seeing through the marketplace bands of women behaving unseemly, tearing their hair, cutting their arms, gashing their cheeks, these things happening under the eyes of the Greeks. For what will they not say? And what will they not utter concerning us? Are these the ones who philosophize about the resurrection? Indeed. For what is happening does not agree with their doctrines; in words they philosophize about the resurrection, but in deeds they do the things of those who have despaired; if these were confident that there is a resurrection, they would not have done these things; if they had persuaded themselves that this one has departed to a better end, they would not have lamented. These things and more than these the unbelievers say when they hear those lamentations. Let us be ashamed therefore, and be sober, and not cause so much harm both to ourselves and to those who see us. For on what account, tell me, do you weep so for the departed? Because he was wicked? Then for this reason you ought to give thanks, that the course of his wickedness has been cut short. But was he good and gentle? And for this reason you ought to rejoice, that he was swiftly snatched away, before he should exchange his understanding for wickedness, and departed to a place where he now stands in safety, and there is no suspicion of any change. But was he young? And for this reason glorify the one who took him, because he quickly called him to the better end. But was he old? And for this reason give thanks, and again glorify the one who took him. Be ashamed of the manner of the funeral procession; psalmody, and prayers, and a gathering of fathers, and so great a multitude of brethren, not that you may weep and wail and despair, but that you may give thanks to the one who took him. For just as many send off with acclamations those who are called to office, so also all send off the saints who are departing, since they have been called to a greater honor, with much acclamation. Death is a rest, a release from the toils and cares of life. Therefore when you see one of your own departed from here, be not discontent, but be pricked to the heart, return to yourself, examine your conscience, consider that this end awaits you too a little later. Become more sober and receive fear from another's death, and cut off all indolence, consider what you have done,

ἀθάνατον ἀποδίδωσί σοι τὸν ἀνδριάντα· φθαρτὸν γὰρ ἡ γῆ δεξαμένη τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἐπίκηρον, ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀκήρατον ἀποδίδωσι τὸ αὐτό. Μὴ τοίνυν ἴδῃς ἐκεῖνον τὸν μεμυκότα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, τὸν ἄφωνον κείμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀνιστάμενον, τὸν ἀπολαμβάνοντα δόξαν ἄῤῥητον καὶ φρικώδη καὶ θαυμαστὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς παρούσης ὄψεως πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐλπίδα μετάγαγε τοὺς λογισμούς. Ἀλλὰ συνήθειαν ἐπιζητεῖς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὀδύρῃ καὶ θρηνεῖς; Καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον, εἰ μὲν νυμφίῳ τὸ θυγάτριον δοίης, εἶτα λαβὼν εἰς μακρὰν ἐκεῖνος ἀπέλθοι χώραν, καὶ καλῶς πράττων διατελοίη, μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι δεινὸν τὸ γεγενημένον, τῇ τῆς εὐπραγίας φήμῃ παραμυθεῖσθαι τῆς ἀποδημίας τὴν ἀθυμίαν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου, οὐδὲ συνδούλου τινὸς, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆εσπότου λαβόντος τὸν προσήκοντα, ἀλγεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι; Καὶ πῶς οἷόν τε, φησὶ, μὴ ἀλγεῖν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα; Οὐδὲ ἐγὼ τοῦτο λέγω· οὐδὲ τὴν ἀθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπίτασιν τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀναιρῶ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀθυμεῖν τῆς φύσεως, τὸ δὲ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου τοῦτο ποιεῖν μανίας καὶ παραφροσύνης καὶ γυναικώδους ψυχῆς. Ἄλγησον, δάκρυσον, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀποδυσπετήσῃς, μὴ δυσχεράνῃς, μὴ ἀγανακτήσῃς· εὐχαρίστησον τῷ λαμβάνοντι, ἵνα κοσμήσῃς τὸν ἀπελθόντα, καὶ λαμπρὰ ταῦτα αὐτῷ συμπέμψῃ ἐντάφια. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ δυσχεράνῃς, κἀκεῖνον καθύβρισας, καὶ τὸν λαβόντα παρώξυνας, καὶ σαυτὸν κατέβλαψας· ἂν δὲ εὐχαριστήσῃς, κἀκεῖνον ἐκόσμησας, καὶ τὸν λαβόντα ἐδόξασας, καὶ σαυτὸν ὠφέλησας. ∆άκρυσον ὡς ὁ ∆εσπότης σου ἐδάκρυσε τὸν Λάζαρον, μέτρα τιθεὶς ἡμῖν καὶ κανόνας καὶ ὅρους ἀθυμίας, οὓς ὑπερβαίνειν οὐ δεῖ. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος εἶπε· Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων, φησὶν, οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Λυποῦ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὡς Ἕλλην ὁ ἀπογινώσκων ἀναστάσεως, ὁ ἀπελπίζων τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωήν. 48.1020 Αἰσχύνομαι, πιστεύσατε, καὶ ἐρυθριῶ, διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς χοροὺς γυναικῶν ὁρῶν ἀσχημονοῦντας, τρίχας τιλλομένας, βραχίονας τεμνομένας, παρειὰς σπαραττομένας, ὑπὸ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ταῦτα γινόμενα. Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι; τί δὲ οὐ φθέγξονται περὶ ἡμῶν; Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ περὶ ἀναστάσεως φιλοσοφοῦντες; Πάνυ γε. Οὐ γὰρ συμβαίνει τοῖς δόγμασι τὰ γινόμενα· ἐν ῥήμασι τὰ περὶ ἀναστάσεως φιλοσοφοῦσι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι τὰ τῶν ἀπεγνωκότων ποιοῦσιν· εἰ ἐθάῤῥουν οὗτοι, ὅτι ἀνάστασίς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἂν ταῦτα ἐποίησαν· εἰ πεπεικότες ἦσαν ἑαυτοὺς, ὅτι πρὸς βελτίονα λῆξιν ἀπῆλθεν οὗτος, οὐκ ἂν ἐθρήνησαν. Ταῦτα καὶ πλείονα τούτων λέγουσιν οἱ ἄπιστοι τῶν θρήνων ἐκείνων ἀκούοντες. Αἰσχυνώμεθα τοίνυν, καὶ σοφρωνῶμεν, καὶ μὴ τοσαύτην καὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὁρῶσι προξενῶμεν τὴν βλάβην. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, δακρύεις οὕτω τὸν ἀπελθόντα; ὅτι πονηρὸς ἦν; Οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο εὐχαριστεῖν δεῖ, ὅτι ἐνεκόπη τὰ τῆς κακίας αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικής; Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χαίρειν δεῖ, ὅτι ταχέως ἡρπάγη, πρὶν ἢ τῇ κακίᾳ ἀλλάξῃ σύνεσιν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς χωρίον ἔνθα ἐπ' ἀσφαλείας λοιπὸν ἕστηκε, καὶ μεταβολὴν οὐκ ἔστιν ὑποπτεῦσαί τινα. Ἀλλὰ νέος ἦν; Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δόξασον τὸν λαβόντα, ὅτι ταχέως αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν βελτίονα λῆξιν ἐκάλεσεν. Ἀλλὰ γεγηρακώς; Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐχαρίστησον, καὶ τὸν λαβόντα δόξασον πάλιν. Αἰσχύνθητι τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἐκφορᾶς· ψαλμῳδίαι, καὶ εὐχαὶ, καὶ πατέρων σύλλογος, καὶ πλῆθος ἀδελφῶν τοσοῦτον, οὐχ ἵνα κλαίῃς καὶ ὀδύρῃ καὶ ἀποδυσπετῇς, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐχαριστῇς τῷ λαβόντι. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοὺς ἐπ' ἀρχὴν καλουμένους πολλοὶ προπέμπουσι ταῖς εὐφημίαις, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἁγίων τοὺς ἀπιόντας, ἅτε ἐπὶ μείζονα κληθέντας τιμὴν, μετὰ πολλῆς ἅπαντες προπέμπουσι τῆς εὐφημίας. Ἀνάπαυσίς ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος, ἱδρώτων καὶ φροντίδων βιοτικῶν ἀπαλλαγή. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ τῶν προσηκόντων ἀπελθόντα ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ δυσχεράνῃς, ἀλλὰ κατανύγηθι, πρὸς σεαυτὸν ἐπάνελθε, τὸ συνειδὸς ἐξέτασον, σκόπησον ὅτι καὶ σὲ μικρὸν ὕστερον τοῦτο μένει τὸ τέλος. Γενοῦ σωφρονέστερος καὶ δέξαι φόβον ἀπὸ τῆς ἑτέρου τελευτῆς, καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν περίκοψον ἅπασαν, ἀναλόγισαι τὰ πεπραγμένα,