John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

The Lord conversed with the Samaritan woman, and spent countless words; and not because she was a Samaritan was she despised, but because she had a soul, she was taken seriously; not because she was a harlot was she overlooked, but because she was going to be saved, and showed faith, she often enjoyed His care. I will not cease to speak, even if there is no one who listens; I am a physician, I apply the medicines; I am a teacher, I was commanded to exhort; for He says: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Do I correct no one? And what of that? but I have my reward. And I said this as an exaggeration; for it is impossible that in such a multitude no one is corrected. But these very excuses and pretexts are those of lazy listeners. I hear, he says, every day, and I do not do. Listen, even if you do not do; for from hearing also comes doing; even if you do not do, you are ashamed of your sin; even if you do not do, you change your mind; even if you do not do, you condemn yourself, because you do not do. But this accusing of yourself, from where does it come? The fruit of my words. When you say: Woe is me, 48.1030 I have heard, and I do not do; this "woe is me" is the prelude to a change for the better. You have sinned; have you mourned? You have absolved the sin. For confess your sins first, that you may be justified. Even if you become gloomy, or dejected, dejection has a certain salvation, not through the nature of dejection, but through the loving-kindness of the Master. For one who has sins, it is no small comfort to grieve oneself. For I saw, He says, that he was grieved and became gloomy, and I healed his pains. O ineffable loving-kindness, and goodness that cannot be explained! He was grieved, and I healed him. And what is so great, that he was grieved? It is not great indeed; but I took the opportunity to heal his pains. Do you see how in a brief moment of time He gathered all things together? Therefore, constantly reflect within yourselves on that evening of the earthquake. For all the others were afraid because of the earthquake, but I was afraid because of the cause of the earthquake. Do you understand what I said? They were afraid that the city might fall, and they might die; but I am afraid that the Master is angry with us; for it is not a terrible thing to die, but it is a terrible thing to provoke the Master. Therefore, I was not afraid because of the earthquake, but because of the cause of the earthquake; for the cause of the earthquake is the wrath of God, and the cause of the wrath is our sins. Never fear punishment, but sin, the mother of punishment. Is the city shaken? And what of that? but let not your mind be shaken; since even in the case of diseases and wounds we do not lament those who are being healed, but those who are incurably sick. What disease and wound is, that also is sin; what incision and medicine is, that also is punishment. 3. Do you understand what I say? Pay attention; for I wish to teach you a philosophical argument. Why do we lament those who are punished, but not those who are sinning? For punishment is not so terrible as sin is terrible; for the foundation of punishment is sin. If, therefore, you see someone having gangrene, with worms and discharge coming down from his body, and neglecting the ulcer and the gangrene, and another suffering the same things enjoying the hands of physicians, being cauterized, and cut, and drinking bitter medicines, whom will you lament? tell me; the one who is sick, and not being healed, or the one who is sick, and being healed? It is clear that it is the one who is sick, and not being healed. Thus, let there be two sinners, one being punished, the other not being punished. Do not say, this man is blessed, because he is rich, he strips orphans, he does violence to widows. And yet he is not sick, but by plundering he prospers, he enjoys honor and power, he endures none of human ills, not a fever, not an affliction, not any other disease; a chorus of children is around him, a prosperous old age; but lament this man most of all, because he is both sick, and is not being healed; how, I say. If you see someone afflicted with dropsy, and his body swelling with a most severe disease of the spleen, and not running to the physician, but giving himself to drinking cold water, having a Sybaritic table, getting drunk every day, attended by a bodyguard, and aggravating the dis48.1031 ease, tell me, do you call this man blessed, or do you pity him? But if

Σαμαρείτιδι διελέγετο ὁ Κύριος, καὶ μυρίους ἠνάλωσε λόγους; καὶ οὐκ ἐπειδὴ Σαμαρεῖτις ἦν, κατεφρονεῖτο, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ψυχὴν εἶχεν, ἐσπουδάζετο· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πόρνη ἦν, ὑπερεωρᾶτο, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλε σώζεσθαι, καὶ πίστιν ἐπεδείξατο, πολλάκις ἀπήλαυσε τῆς ἐπιμελείας. Οὐ παύσομαι λέγειν ἐγὼ, κἂν μηδεὶς ᾖ ὁ ἀκούων· ἰατρός εἰμι, ἐπιτίθημι τὰ φάρμακα· διδάσκαλός εἰμι, παραινεῖν ἐκελεύσθην· λέγει γάρ· Σκοπὸν δέδωκά σε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ. Οὐδένα διορθοῦμαι; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τὸν μισθὸν ἔχω. Καὶ τοῦτο καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἶπον· ἀμήχανον γὰρ ἐν πλήθει τοσούτῳ μὴ διορθωθῆναί τινα. Ἀλλ' αὐταὶ αἱ σκήψεις καὶ αἱ προφάσεις εἰσὶ τῶν ῥᾳθύμων ἀκροατῶν. Ἀκούω, φησὶ, καθ' ἡμέραν, καὶ οὐ ποιῶ. Ἄκουε, κἂν μὴ ποιῇς· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ ἀκούειν καὶ τὸ πράττειν περιγίνεται· κἂν μὴ ποιῇς, αἰσχύνῃ ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· κἂν μὴ ποιῇς, μεταβάλλῃ τὴν γνώμην· κἂν μὴ ποιῇς, καταδικάζεις σεαυτὸν, ὅτι οὐ ποιεῖς. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ κατηγορεῖν σεαυτοῦ, πόθεν; Ὁ καρπὸς τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων. Ὅταν εἴπῃς· Οἴμοι, 48.1030 ἤκουσα, καὶ οὐ ποιῶ· τὸ οἴμοι προοίμιόν ἐστι τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μεταβολῆς. Ἥμαρτες· ἐθρήνησας; ἔλυσας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Λέγε γὰρ σὺ πρῶτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Κἂν στυγνάσῃς, ἢ κατηφὴς γένῃ, ἔχει τινὰ σωτηρίαν ἡ κατήφεια, οὐ διὰ τὴν φύσιν τῆς κατηφείας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Τῷ ἔχοντι ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ὀλίγη παραμυθία τὸ λυπεῖν ἑαυτόν. Εἶδον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐλυπήθη καὶ ἐστύγνασε, καὶ ἰασάμην αὐτοῦ τὰς ὀδύνας. Ὢ φιλανθρωπίας ἀφάτου, καὶ ἀγαθότητος ἑρμηνευθῆναι μὴ δυναμένης! Ἐλυπήθη, καὶ ἰασάμην αὐτόν. Καὶ τί μέγα, ὅτι ἐλυπήθη; Οὐ μέγα μέν· ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἀφορμὴν ἔλαβον τοῦ ἰᾶσθαι τὰς ὀδύνας αὐτοῦ. Εἴδετε πῶς ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ πάντα συνήγαγε; ∆ιηνεκῶς τοίνυν τὴν ἑσπέραν ἐκείνην τοῦ σεισμοῦ λογίζεσθε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι πάντες διὰ τὸν σεισμὸν ἐδεδοίκεσαν, ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ σεισμοῦ. Συνήκατε τί εἶπον; Οἱ μὲν ἐφοβοῦντο, μὴ πέσῃ ἡ πόλις, καὶ ἀποθάνωσιν· ἐγὼ δὲ δέδοικα, ὅτι ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῖν ὀργίζεται· οὐ γὰρ χαλεπὸν τὸ ἀποθανεῖν, ἀλλὰ χαλεπὸν τὸ παροξῦναι τὸν ∆εσπότην. Ὥστε οὐ διὰ τὸν σεισμὸν ἐφοβούμην, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ σεισμοῦ· ἡ γὰρ αἰτία τοῦ σεισμοῦ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς δὲ ὀργῆς αἴτιον αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἡμῶν. Μηδέποτε φοβοῦ κόλασιν, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίαν τὴν μητέρα τῆς κολάσεως. Σείεται ἡ πόλις; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; ἀλλὰ σοῦ μὴ σαλευθήτω ἡ διάνοια· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν νοσημάτων καὶ τῶν τραυμάτων οὐκ ἐκείνους θρηνοῦμεν τοὺς θεραπευομένους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τὰ ἀνίατα νοσοῦντας. Ὅπερ ἐστὶ νόσος καὶ τραῦμα, τοῦτό ἐστι καὶ ἁμαρτία· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τομὴ καὶ φάρμακον, τοῦτό ἐστι καὶ τιμωρία. γʹ. Συνήκατε τί λέγω; Προσέχετε· φιλόσοφον γὰρ ὑμᾶς βούλομαι παιδεῦσαι λόγον. ∆ιὰ τί τοὺς κολαζομένους θρηνοῦμεν, ἀλλ' οὐ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας; Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω χαλεπὸν κόλασις, ὡς χαλεπὸν ἡ ἁμαρτία· τῆς γὰρ κολάσεως ὑπόθεσις ἡ ἁμαρτία. Ἐὰν τοίνυν ἴδῃς τινὰ σηπεδόνα ἔχοντα, καὶ σκώληκας καὶ ἰχῶρας ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος κατερχομένους, καὶ ἀμελοῦντα τοῦ ἕλκους καὶ τῆς σηπεδόνος, ἕτερον δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχοντα ἰατρικῶν ἀπολαύοντα χειρῶν, καιόμενον, καὶ τεμνόμενον, καὶ πικρὰ πίνοντα φάρμακα, τίνα θρηνήσεις; εἰπέ μοι· τὸν νοσοῦντα, καὶ μὴ θεραπευόμενον, ἢ τὸν νοσοῦντα, καὶ θεραπευόμενον; ∆ῆλον ὅτι τὸν νοσοῦντα, καὶ μὴ θεραπευόμενον. Οὕτως ἔστωσαν δύο ἁμαρτωλοὶ, ὁ μὲν κολαζόμενος, ὁ δὲ μὴ κολαζόμενος. Μὴ λέγε, μακάριος οὗτος, ὅτι πλουτεῖ, ὀρφανοὺς ἀποδύει, χήρας βιάζεται. Καίτοι οὐ νοσεῖ, ἀλλ' ἁρπάζων εὐδοκιμεῖ, τιμῆς ἀπολαύει καὶ δυναστείας, οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ὑπομένει, οὐ πυρετὸν, οὐ κάκωσιν, οὐκ ἄλλην τινὰ νόσον· παίδων χορὸς περὶ αὐτὸν, γῆρας λιπαρόν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτον μάλιστα θρήνει, ὅτι καὶ νοσεῖ, καὶ οὐ θεραπεύεται· πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ἐὰν ἴδῃς τινὰ ὑδέρῳ κατεχόμενον, καὶ σπληνὶ χαλεπωτάτῳ τὸ σῶμα ἐξογκούμενον, καὶ μὴ τρέχοντα πρὸς τὸν ἰατρὸν, ἀλλὰ ψυχροποσίᾳ προσέχοντα, τράπεζαν ἔχοντα Συβαριτικὴν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μεθύοντα, δορυφορούμενον, καὶ ἐπιτείνοντα τὴν νό48.1031 σον, εἰπέ μοι, μακαρίζεις τοῦτον, ἢ ταλανίζεις; Ἐὰν δὲ