John Chrysostom, On Repentance

Homily 8. 1. Although I was absent from you yesterday, it was not willingly, but by compulsion; I was absent in body, not in spirit; I was absent by the absence of the flesh, not by the disposition of the mind. For I embraced, as far as I was able, all of you, and carried you in my mind. Again, brethren, putting aside this temporary illness, I hastened all the more to see your face; for still having the remnants of the illness, I ran to your love. For those who are sick seek baths and bathing-houses after their illness; but I thought it worthy to behold your longed-for faces, and to fulfill the owed desire of hearing, this great sea that has no salt, this ocean free from waves. I came to see your cleansed field. For what harbor is like 49.336 the Church? what paradise is like your assembly? Here there is no serpent plotting, but Christ initiating into the mysteries; there is no Eve tripping up, but the Church setting aright; here there are no leaves of trees, but the fruit of the spirit; here there is no hedge of thorns, but a flourishing vine. And if I find a thorn, I transfer it into an olive tree; for things here are honored not by a poverty of nature, but by the freedom of choice; and if I find a wolf, I make it a sheep, not by changing its nature, but by transferring its choice. For this reason, one would not err in calling the Church greater than the ark. For the ark received the animals, and kept them as animals, but the Church receives the animals and changes them. What I mean is this: A hawk entered there, and a hawk came out; a wolf entered, and a wolf came out; a hawk enters here, and comes out a dove; a wolf enters, and comes out a sheep; 49.337 a serpent enters, and comes out a lamb, not with its nature being changed, but with its wickedness being driven out. For this reason I continually stir up the discourse on repentance. For repentance, though dire and fearful to the sinner, is a medicine for offenses, an expense for transgressions, a consumption of tears, boldness toward God, a weapon against the devil, a sword cutting off his head, a hope of salvation, a destruction of despair; this opens heaven, this leads into paradise, this overcomes the devil; for this reason I continually stir up the discourse about it, just as being too confident causes one to be tripped up. Are you a sinner? Do not despair; I do not cease continually applying these medicines; for I know how great a weapon it is against the devil for you not to despair. If you have sins, do not despair; I do not cease saying these things continually; even if you sin daily, repent daily; and just as we do with old houses, when they become dilapidated, we remove the rotten parts and repair them with new, and we never forget continual maintenance; let us do this also in ourselves. If today you have grown old from sin, renew yourself by repentance. And is it possible, he says, for one who has repented to be saved? It is certainly possible. I have spent my whole life in sins, and if I repent, will I be saved? Certainly. How is this clear? From the loving-kindness of your Master. For am I to trust in your repentance? For is your repentance able to wipe away so many evils? If repentance were alone, you would rightly be afraid; but since the loving-kindness of God is mixed with repentance, be of good courage; for there is no measure to the loving-kindness of God, nor can His goodness be explained in words. For your wickedness has a measure, but the medicine has no measure; whatever your wickedness may be, it is human wickedness, but the loving-kindness of God is ineffable; and be of good courage, for it overcomes your wickedness. Consider a spark that has fallen into the sea; can it stand or be seen? As a spark is to the sea, so is wickedness to the of God

Ὁμιλία ηʹ. αʹ. Εἰ καὶ χθὲς ὑμῶν ἀπελείφθην, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἑκὼν, ἀλλ' ἀναγκασθείς· ἀπελείφθην δὲ σώματι, οὐ γνώμῃ· ἀπελείφθην ἀπουσίᾳ σαρκὸς, οὐ διαθέσει διανοίας. Καὶ γὰρ περιεπλεκόμην, πρὸς ὃ ἐδυνάμην, ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας ἔφερον. Πάλιν, ἀδελφοὶ, τὴν πρόσκαιρον ταύτην νόσον παρέντες, περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν· ἔτι γὰρ τὰ λείψανα τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἔχων ἔδραμον πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀῤῥωστοῦντες λουτρὰ καὶ βαλανεῖα μετὰ τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν ζητοῦσιν· ἐγὼ δὲ τὰ ποθούμενα ὑμῶν πρόσωπα ἄξιον ἡγησάμην θεάσασθαι, καὶ τὴν ὀφειλομένην ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἀποπληρῶσαι, τὸ πέλαγος τοῦτο τὸ μέγα, καὶ ἅλμην οὐκ ἔχον, τὴν θάλατταν ταύτην τὴν κυμάτων ἀπηλλαγμένην. Ἦλθον ὑμῶν τὴν ἄρουραν τὴν κεκαθαρμένην ἰδεῖν. Τίς γὰρ τοιοῦτος λι49.336 μὴν, οἷος ἡ Ἐκκλησία; τίς τοιοῦτος παράδεισος, ὡς ἡ σύνοδος ἡ ὑμετέρα; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα ὄφις ἐπιβουλεύων, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς μυσταγωγῶν· οὐκ ἔστιν Εὖα ὑποσκελίζουσα, ἀλλ' ἡ Ἐκκλησία ὀρθοῦσα· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα φύλλα δένδρων, ἀλλ' ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα φραγμὸς ἀκανθῶν, ἀλλ' ἄμπελος εὐθηνοῦσα. Ἐὰν δὲ ἄκανθαν εὕρω, εἰς ἐλαίαν μεταφέρω· οὐ γὰρ ἀπορίᾳ φύσεως τὰ ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλ' ἐλευθερίᾳ προαιρέσεως τετίμηται· ἐὰν δὲ λύκον εὕρω, πρόβατον ποιῶ, οὐ τὴν φύσιν μεταβάλλων, ἀλλὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν μεταφέρων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι τις τῆς κιβωτοῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν μείζονα προσειπών. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ κιβωτὸς παρελάμβανε τὰ ζῶα, καὶ ἐφύλαττε ζῶα, ἡ δὲ Ἐκκλησία παραλαμβάνει τὰ ζῶα καὶ μεταβάλλει. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Εἰσῆλθεν ἐκεῖ ἱέραξ, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἱέραξ· εἰσῆλθε λύκος, καὶ ἐξῆλθε λύκος· εἰσῆλθέ τις ἱέραξ ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἐξέρχεται περιστερά· εἰσέρχεται λύκος, καὶ ἐξέρχεται πρό49.337 βατον· εἰσέρχεται ὄφις, καὶ ἐξέρχεται ἀρνίον, οὐ τῆς φύσεως μεταβαλλομένης, ἀλλὰ τῆς κακίας ἐλαυνομένης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς τὸν περὶ μετανοίας κινῶ λόγον. Ἡ γὰρ μετάνοια, δεινὴ καὶ φοβερὰ τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, φάρμακον τῶν πλημμελημάτων, δαπάνημα τῶν παρανομιῶν, ἀνάλωμα τῶν δακρύων, παῤῥησία πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὅπλον κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, μάχαιρα ἀποτέμνουσα αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν, σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς, ἀπογνώσεως ἀναίρεσις· αὕτη τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνοίγει, αὕτη εἰς τὸν παράδεισον εἰσάγει, αὕτη τοῦ διαβόλου περιγίνεται διὰ δὴ τοῦτο συνεχῶς τὸν περὶ τούτου κινῶ λόγον, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ θαῤῥεῖν ποιεῖ ὑποσκελίζεσθαι. Ἁμαρτωλὸς εἶ; μὴ ἀπογνῷς· οὐ παύομαι συνεχῶς ταῦτα ἐπαλείφων τὰ φάρμακα· καὶ γὰρ οἶδα ἡλίκον ὅπλον ἐστὶ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ μὴ ἀπογινώσκειν ὑμᾶς. Ἂν ἔχῃς ἁμαρτήματα, μὴ ἀπογνῷς· οὐ παύομαι ταῦτα συνεχῶς λέγων· κἂν καθ' ἡμέραν ἁμαρτάνῃς, καθ' ἡμέραν μετανόει· καὶ ὅπερ ἐν ταῖς παλαιαῖς ποιοῦμεν οἰκίαις, ὅταν σαθρωθῶσιν, ὑπεξαιρούμεθα τὰ σεσαθρωμένα, καὶ καινὰ ἐπισκευάζομεν, καὶ οὐδέποτε συνεχοῦς ἐπιμελείας ἐπιλανθανόμεθα· τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ποιῶμεν. Εἰ ἐπαλαιώθης σήμερον ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀνακαίνισον σεαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς μετανοίας. Καὶ ἔνι, φησὶ, μετανοήσαντα σωθῆναι; Καὶ πάνυ ἔνι. Πάντα τὸν βίον ἐν ἁμαρτίαις διέτριψα, καὶ ἐὰν μετανοήσω, σώζομαι; Πάνυ. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου σου φιλανθρωπίας. Μὴ γὰρ τῇ μετανοίᾳ σου θαῤῥῶ; μὴ γὰρ ἡ μετάνοιά σου ἰσχύει τοσαῦτα κακὰ ἀποσμήξασθαι; Εἰ ἡ μετάνοια μόνη ἦν, εἰκότως ἐφοβοῦ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῇ μετανοίᾳ κεράννυται Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία, θάῤῥει· Θεοῦ γὰρ φιλανθρωπίας μέτρον οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ λόγῳ ἑρμηνευθῆναι δύναται αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀγαθότης. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ σὴ κακία μέτρον ἔχει, τὸ δὲ φάρμακον μέτρον οὐκ ἔχει· ἡ σὴ κακία οἵα ἐὰν ᾖ, ἀνθρωπίνη ἐστὶ κακία, ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία ἄφατος· καὶ θάῤῥει, ὅτι περιγίνεταί σου τῆς κακίας. Ἐννόησον σπινθῆρα εἰς πέλαγος ἐμπεσόντα· μὴ δύναται στῆναι ἢ φανῆναι; Ὅσον σπινθὴρ πρὸς πέλαγος, τοσοῦτον κακία πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ