John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Philippians

They shine by night, they appear in darkness, and their own beauty is not at all harmed, but they even appear brighter; but when there is light, they do not appear so. So too you, when you are among the crooked and yet remain straight, you shine all the more; this is the wonderful thing, to become blameless. For that they might not say this, he anticipated and stated this. What is, Holding fast the word of life? That is, being about to live, being of those who are saved. See how he immediately sets forth the prizes; The luminaries, he says, hold forth the word of light; you, the word of life. What is, Word of life? Having the seed of life, that is, having the pledge of life, possessing life itself, that is, having the seed of life in you; this is what he means by, Word of life. Therefore, then, all the others are dead; for by saying this he showed it thus; for otherwise the others too would have held the word of life. To my glory, he says. What is this? I too share, he says, in your good things. So great is your virtue, as not only to save yourselves, but also to make me glorious. What glory, O blessed Paul? You are scourged, driven about, insulted for our sake; for this reason he says, In the day of Christ, that not in vain, he says, I ran, nor in vain I labored; but I can always boast, he says, that I did not run in vain. But even if I am poured out as a drink offering. He did not say, But even if I die, just as when writing to Timothy he did not either; for there too he uses the same word, saying, For I am already being poured out; both comforting them for his own death, and teaching them to bear death for Christ's sake gladly. Like a drink offering and a sacrifice, he says, I am becoming. O blessed soul! he calls their offering a sacrifice. It is therefore much better to offer a soul than to offer an ox. If then to this offering I also add myself, he says, like a drink offering, I rejoice, he says, in my death; for this he intimates by saying; Upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with you all; and in the same way you also rejoice and rejoice with me. Why do you rejoice with them? Do you see how he shows that they ought to rejoice? I rejoice then, he says, that I am becoming a drink offering; and I rejoice with you, because you have brought a sacrifice. And in the same way you also rejoice and rejoice with me, that I have been offered. Rejoice with me, 62.245 he says, as I rejoice at my own death. The death of the just, therefore, is not worthy of tears, but of joy. If they themselves rejoice, we must rejoice with them; for it is absurd for us to weep when they are rejoicing. But we long for their company, he says. This is an excuse, a pretext. See then what he enjoins on the Philippians, Rejoice with me and rejoice; and you long for their company? If you were going to remain here yourself, you would speak reasonably; but if a little later you are to overtake the one who has departed, what company do you seek? For one longs for company when one is separated for ever; but if he will travel the same road as you, what company do you long for? Why do we not weep for those who are on a journey abroad? Do we not, after weeping a little, cease straightway after the first or second day? If you long for their company, weep only so much as to show your nature; but after this, rejoice, as Paul says, I suffer nothing terrible, but I even rejoice in departing to Christ; You too rejoice, 62.246 rejoice with me, he says. Let us therefore also rejoice, when we see a just man dying, and even more when one of those despaired of. For the one departs to receive the reward of his labors, while the other has cut short some of his sins. But perhaps, he says, he would have changed had he lived. But God would not have taken him, if indeed he was going to change. For He who orders all things for our salvation, for what reason did He not let him remain, who was about to please Him? if He leaves those who do not change, much more those who do change. From every side, therefore, let lamentation be cut off from us, from every side let wailing be done away; let us give thanks to God for all things, let us do all things without murmurings; let us be glad, let us be well-pleasing to Him in all things, that we may also obtain the things to come

νυκτὶ λάμπουσιν, ἐν σκότῳ φαίνουσι, καὶ οὐδὲν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον παραβλάπτονται κάλλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαμπρότεροι φαίνονται· ὅταν δὲ φῶς ᾖ, οὐχ οὕτω φαίνονται. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ, ὅταν μετὰ σκολιῶν ὢν, εὐθὺς μένῃς, μᾶλλον ἀπολάμπεις· τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ ἀμέμπτους γενέσθαι. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο λέγωσι, προλαβὼν αὐτὸς τοῦτο τέθεικε. Τί ἐστι, Λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες; Τουτέστι, μέλλοντες ζήσεσθαι, τῶν σωζομένων ὄντες. Ὅρα πῶς εὐθέως τίθησι τὰ ἔπαθλα· Οἱ φωστῆρες, φησὶ, λόγον φωτὸς ἐπέχουσιν· ὑμεῖς λόγον ζωῆς. Τί ἐστι, Λόγον ζωῆς; Σπέρμα ζωῆς ἔχοντες, τουτέστιν, ἐνέχυρα ζωῆς ἔχοντες, αὐτὴν κατέχοντες τὴν ζωὴν, τουτέστι, σπέρμα ζωῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἔχοντες· τοῦτο λέγει, Λόγον ζωῆς. Ἄρα οὖν οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες νεκροί· τοῦτο γὰρ εἰπὼν οὕτως ἐδήλωσεν· ἢ γὰρ ἂν καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι λόγον ζωῆς ἐπεῖχον. Εἰς καύχημα ἐμοὶ, φησί. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Καὶ ἐγὼ κοινωνῶ, φησὶ, τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀγαθῶν. Τοσαύτη ὑμῶν ἡ ἀρετὴ, ὡς μὴ ὑμᾶς σώζειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμὲ λαμπρὸν ποιεῖν. Ποῖον καύχημα, ὦ μακάριε Παῦλε; Μαστίζῃ, ἐλαύνῃ, ὑβρίζῃ δι' ἡμᾶς· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ εἰς κενὸν, φησὶν, ἔδραμον, οὐδὲ εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασα· ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἔχω καυχᾶσθαι, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐ μάτην ἔδραμον. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ σπένδομαι. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἀποθνήσκω, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ Τιμοθέῳ γράφων· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖ τῷ αὐτῷ κέχρηται λόγῳ, λέγων, Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι· καὶ παραμυθούμενος αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ τελευτῇ, καὶ παιδεύων ἀσμένως φέρειν τὸν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ θάνατον. Ὥσπερ σπονδὴ καὶ θυσία, φησὶ, γίνομαι. Ὢ μακαρίας ψυχῆς! θυσίαν καλεῖ τὴν προσαγωγὴν αὐτῶν. Ἄρα πολλῷ βέλτιον τοῦ βοῦς προσενεγκεῖν τὸ ψυχὴν προσενεγκεῖν. Ἂν τοίνυν πρὸς τῇ προσφορᾷ ταύτῃ καὶ ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιδῶ, φησὶν, ὥσπερ σπονδὴν, χαίρω, φησὶ, τῷ θανάτῳ τῷ ἐμῷ· τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττεται λέγων· Ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ καὶ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως χαίρω, καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν· τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. Τί συγχαίρεις; Ὁρᾷς πῶς δείκνυσιν ὅτι δεῖ χαίρειν αὐτούς; Χαίρω μὲν οὖν, φησὶν, ὅτι σπονδὴ γίνομαι· συγχαίρω δὲ, ὅτι θυσίαν προσενεγκών. Τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετε, ὅτι προσηνέχθην. Συγχάρητέ 62.245 μοι, φησὶ, χαίροντι ἐπὶ τῷ ἐμῷ θανάτῳ. Οὐκ ἄρα δακρύων ἀξία ἡ τελευτὴ τῶν δικαίων, ἀλλὰ χαρᾶς. Εἰ αὐτοὶ χαίρουσιν, συγχαίρειν αὐτοῖς δεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον, ἐκείνων χαιρόντων, κλαίειν ἡμᾶς. Ἀλλὰ τὴν συνήθειαν ἐπιζητοῦμεν, φησί. Σκῆψις ταῦτα, πρόφασις. Ὅρα γοῦν τί παραγγέλλει Φιλιππησίοις, Συγχαίρετέ μοι καὶ χαίρετε· καὶ σὺ συνήθειαν ἐπιζητεῖς; Εἰ μὲν ἔμελλες αὐτὸς ἐνταῦθα μένειν, εἰκότως λέγεις· εἰ δὲ μικρὸν ὕστερον καταλήψῃ τὸν ἀπελθόντα, ποίαν συνήθειαν ζητεῖς; Συνήθειαν γὰρ ἐπιζητεῖ τις, ὅταν διαπαντὸς ᾖ τις διεσπασμένος· εἰ δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν σοὶ πορεύσεται, ποίαν συνήθειαν ἐπιζητεῖς; Τοὺς ἐν ἀποδημίαις ὄντας διὰ τί μὴ δακρύομεν; οὐχὶ μικρὸν δακρύσαντες, εὐθέως μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ἢ δευτέραν παυόμεθα; Εἰ συνήθειαν ἐπιζητεῖς, τοσοῦτον κλαῦσον μόνον, ὅσον ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν φύσιν· τὸ δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο χαῖρε, καθάπερ λέγων ὁ Παῦλος, Οὐδὲν πάσχω δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαίρω πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀπερχόμενος· Καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε, 62.246 συγχάρητέ μοι, φησί. Χαίρωμεν τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν ἴδωμεν δίκαιον τελευτῶντα, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὅταν τινὰ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἄπεισι μισθὸν ἀποληψόμενος τῶν πόνων, ὁ δὲ ἐνέκοψέ τι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἂν, φησὶ, μετεβάλετο ζῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἔλαβεν ὁ Θεὸς, εἴ γε μεταβαλέσθαι ἔμελλεν. Ὁ γὰρ πάντα ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας ἡμῶν οἰκονομῶν, τίνος ἕνεκεν αὐτὸν οὐκ εἴασε μέλλοντα εὐαρεστεῖν; εἰ τοὺς μὴ μεταβαλλομένους ἀφίησι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς μεταβαλλομένους. Πάντοθεν οὖν ἡμῖν ὁ κοπετὸς ἐκκεκόφθω, πάντοθεν ὁ θρῆνος λυέσθω· ἐπὶ πᾶσιν εὐχαριστῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ, χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν πάντα πράττωμεν· εὐφραινώμεθα, εὐάρεστοι ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτῷ γινώμεθα, ἵνα καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν