John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

that he who wishes to remain ever unwounded must take up; for it is necessary to do one of two things: either to fall and perish when stripped bare, or to be ever armed, standing and watchful. For he too stands ever ready with his battle line, watching for our indolence, and bringing more zeal to our destruction than we do to our own salvation. And the fact that he is not seen by us and that he attacks suddenly, which are the chief causes of countless evils for those who are not always watchful, shows this war to be far more difficult than that one. Was it in this arena, then, that you wanted us to be generals for the soldiers of Christ? But this was to be a general for the devil; for when he who ought to command and marshal the rest is the weakest and most inexperienced of all, having through his inexperience betrayed those entrusted to him, he has acted as a general for the devil rather than for Christ. But why do you groan? Why do you weep? For my situation now is not worthy of laments, but of gladness and joy. {BASIL} But not mine, he says, but these things are worthy of countless lamentations; for now I have with difficulty been able to perceive into what evils you have led me. For I came to you, asking to learn what defense I should ever make for you to your accusers; but you send me away having placed one care upon me in place of another. For I no longer care what I shall say to them on your behalf, but what defense I shall make to God for myself and my own evils. But I beg you and beseech you, if you have any care for my affairs, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from love, if any affection and mercy—for you know that you yourself, above all others, led me into this danger—stretch out your hand, both speaking and doing those things that are able to set us right, and do not endure to leave us, even for the briefest moment, but now more than before to share our time together. And I, smiling: {JOHN} And what can I contribute, I said, or how will I be able to help you with such a great weight of affairs? But since this pleases you, be of good cheer, O dear friend; for at whatever time you are able to take a breath from the cares of that place, I will be present and I will encourage you and I will fail in nothing that is within my power. At this, he wept even more and stood up; and I, embracing him and kissing his head, sent him on his way, urging him to bear what had happened nobly. For I believe, I said, in Christ who called you and set you over His own sheep, that from this ministry you will acquire such boldness that on that day you will receive even us, who are in peril, into your eternal tent.

ἄρασθαι τὸν βουλόμενον ἄτρωτον μένειν διαπαντός· ἀνάγκη γὰρ δυοῖν θάτερον ἢ πεσεῖν καὶ ἀπολέσθαι γυμνωθέντα ἢ διαπαντὸς καθωπλισμένον ἑστῶτα καὶ ἐγρηγορότα εἶναι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος διαπαντὸς ἕστηκε μετὰ τῆς αὑτοῦ παρατάξεως, τὰς ἡμετέρας ῥαθυμίας παρατηρῶν, πλείονά τε εἰσφέρων σπουδὴν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀπώλειαν ἢ εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν ἡμεῖς τὴν ἑαυτῶν. Καὶ τὸ μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι δὲ αὐτὸν ὑφ' ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ ἐξαπίνης ἐπιτίθεσθαι, ἃ μάλιστα τῶν μυρίων ἐστὶν αἴτια κακῶν τοῖς οὐκ ἐγρηγορόσι διαπαντός, πολὺ τοῦτον ἀπορώτερον ἐκείνου δείκνυσι τὸν πόλεμον. Ἐνταῦθα οὖν ἡμᾶς ἤθελες στρατηγεῖν τοῖς στρατιώταις τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Ἀλλὰ τῷ διαβόλῳ τοῦτο ἦν στρατηγεῖν· ὅταν γὰρ ὁ διατάττειν καὶ διακοσμεῖν τοὺς λοιποὺς ὀφείλων πάντων ἀσθενέστατος καὶ ἀπειρότατος ᾖ, προδοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπειρίας τοὺς πιστευθέντας, τῷ διαβόλῳ μᾶλλον ἐστρατήγησεν ἢ τῷ Χριστῷ. Ἀλλὰ τί στένεις; τί δακρύεις; Οὐ γὰρ θρήνων ἄξια τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ νῦν, ἀλλ' εὐφροσύνης καὶ χαρᾶς. {ΒΑΣ.} Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἐμά, φησίν, ἀλλὰ μυρίων ἄξια ταῦτα κοπετῶν· νῦν γὰρ μόλις ἠδυνήθην συνιδεῖν οἷ τῶν κακῶν με ἤγαγες. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ εἰσῆλθον πρὸς σέ, ὅ τι ποτὲ ὑπὲρ σοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ἐγκαλοῦντας ἀπολογήσομαι δεόμενος μαθεῖν· σὺ δέ με ἐκπέμπεις ἑτέραν ἀνθ' ἑτέρας φροντίδα ἐνθείς. Οὐ γὰρ ἔτι μοι μέλει τί πρὸς ἐκείνους ὑπὲρ σοῦ, ἀλλὰ τί πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν ἀπολογήσομαι κακῶν. Ἀλλά σου δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ, εἴ τί σοι μέλει τῶν ἐμῶν, εἴ τις παράκλησις ἐν Χριστῷ, εἴ τι παραμύθιον ἀγάπης, εἴ τινα σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί-καὶ γὰρ οἶδας ὅτι με μάλιστα πάντων αὐτὸς εἰς τοῦτον τὸν κίνδυνον ἤγαγες-, χεῖρα ὄρεξον καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων τὰ δυνάμενα ἡμᾶς ἀνορθοῦν, μηδὲ ἀνάσχῃ πρὸς γοῦν τὸ βραχύτατον ἡμᾶς ἀπολιπεῖν, ἀλλὰ νῦν μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον κοινὰς ποιεῖσθαι τὰς διατριβάς. Ἐγὼ δὲ μειδιάσας· {ΙΩ.} Καὶ τί συμβαλέσθαι, ἔφην, τί δέ σε ὀνῆσαι δυνήσομαι πρὸς τοσοῦτον πραγμάτων ὄγκον; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή σοι τοῦτο ἡδύ, θάρρει, ὦ φίλη κεφαλή· τὸν καιρὸν γὰρ καθ' ὃν ἂν ἐξῇ σοι τῶν ἐκεῖθεν φροντίδων ἀναπνεῖν, καὶ παρέσομαι καὶ παρακαλέσω καὶ τῶν εἰς δύναμιν τὴν ἐμὴν ἐλλείψω οὐδέν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις πλέον ἐκεῖνος δακρύσας ἀνίσταται· ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτῷ περιχυθεὶς καὶ καταφιλήσας τὴν κεφαλήν, προὔπεμπον, παρακαλῶν γενναίως φέρειν τὸ συμβεβηκός. Πιστεύω γάρ, ἔφην, τῷ καλέσαντί σε Χριστῷ καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐπιστήσαντι προβάτοις ὅτι τοσαύτην ἐκ τῆς διακονίας ταύτης κτήσῃ παρρησίαν ὡς καὶ ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην κινδυνεύοντας εἰς τὴν αἰώνιόν σου δέξασθαι σκηνήν.