John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

gained anything more. So great an evil is untimeliness, and to betray the time of life given to us by the loving-kindness of God for the sake of our salvation. For what adamant would these words not have broken down and brought to pity and compassion? But nevertheless, not even so does the patriarch assent to the request, but he deems him worthy of a response, and teaches him that he himself was the cause of these evils for himself. For the patriarch says to him: ‘Child, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus likewise the evil things; but now he is comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ The things spoken are fearful, and sufficient to touch those who have a mind. For to teach him that he himself shows his own compassion towards him, and is bent to pity, seeing the intensity of his punishment, but is able to bring him no further consolation, as if apologizing to him he says, "I wished to extend a hand to you, and to lighten your pains, and to diminish the vehemence of the torments, but you, by your previous actions, deprived yourself of this consolation"; for this reason he says: ‘Child, remember.’ See the patriarch’s goodness; he calls him ‘child’. But this can show his gentleness, yet it provides him no help because he was betrayed by himself. ‘Child,’ he says, ‘remember that you received your good things in your life.’ Come to the thought of things past, do not forget how much luxury 48.1052 you enjoyed, how much ease, how much pomp, how you spent your whole life in gluttony and drunkenness, thinking that all eternity was in those things, and defining those things as the good things. From his own judgment he made the response to him. For he, imagining nothing lofty, nor having before his eyes the evils that were to succeed him, thought those things were good. 5. For this is also the custom now for the many who are crazed about luxury and gluttony to say, “We have had many good things,” when they wish to recall the intensity of their great luxury. Do not simply call these things good, O man, considering that these things were given by the Master so that, by enjoying them in moderation, we might have the sustenance of life, and maintain the weakness of the body; but other things are what are truly good. For none of these things is good, not luxury, not wealth, not expensive clothing, but it has only a name. But why do I say it has only a name? These things often even become causes of ruin for us, whenever we do not use them as we ought. For wealth would then be good for the one possessing it, when he does not spend it on luxury alone, nor on drunkenness and harmful pleasures, but when, enjoying luxury in moderation, he distributes the rest to the bellies of the poor, then wealth is a good thing. But if someone is about to give himself over to luxury and other debauchery, it not only does not benefit him at all, but also leads him down to a deep precipice; which indeed this rich man also suffered. Therefore the patriarch says to him: ‘Child, remember that you received your good things in your life.’ Those things which you thought were truly good, these you received, and Lazarus likewise the evil things, not because Lazarus thought them evil, may it not be so; but he added this from the judgment of the rich man. For he, having ratified this judgment within himself, thought wealth and luxury and licentiousness and other folly to be good things, but suspected poverty and hunger and grievous sickness to be evil things. As, therefore, you supposed it to be, and had that false judgment, remember that according to your vote you also received those good things, having traveled the broad and spacious way, and Lazarus likewise the evil things according to your word, having walked the narrow gate and the afflicted way. Since, therefore, you saw only the beginnings of the way, but he also looked toward the end, nothing from the

ἐκέρδανέ τι πλέον. Τοσοῦτον κακόν ἐστιν ἡ ἀκαιρία, καὶ τὸ τὸν δεδομένον ἡμῖν τῆς ζωῆς καιρὸν παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας εἰς τὴν τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας ὑπόθεσιν προδιδόναι. Ποῖον γὰρ ἀδάμαντα οὐκ ἂν κατέκαμψε ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ εἰς οἶκτον καὶ συμπάθειαν ἤγαγεν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως ὁ πατριάρχης ἐπινεύει τῇ αἰτήσει, ἀλλ' ἀποκρίσεως μὲν αὐτὸν ἀξιοῖ, διδάσκει δὲ αὐτὸν ὅτι αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ αἴτιος τούτων ἐγένετο τῶν κακῶν, Φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ πατριάρχης· Τέκνον, μνήσθητι ὅτι ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου, καὶ Λάζαρος ὁμοίως τὰ κακά· νῦν δὲ ὁ μὲν παρακαλεῖται, σὺ δὲ ὀδυνᾶσαι. Καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις μεταξὺ ὑμῶν καὶ ἡμῶν χάσμα μέγα ἐστήρικται, ὅπως οἱ θέλοντες διαβῆναι ἔνθεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς μὴ δύνωνται, μηδὲ οἱ ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαπερῶσι. Φοβερὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ ἱκανὰ καθικέσθαι τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων. Ἵνα γὰρ διδάξῃ αὐτὸν, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν τὴν οἰκείαν εὐσπλαγχνίαν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιδείκνυσι, καὶ εἰς οἶκτον ἐπικάμπτεται, ὁρῶν αὐτοῦ τῆς κολάσεως τὴν ἐπίτασιν, οὐδὲν δὲ πλέον αὐτῷ εἰς παραμυθίαν ἐνεγκεῖν δύναται, μονονουχὶ ἀπολογούμενος αὐτῷ φησιν, ὅτι Ἐβουλόμην χεῖρά σοι ὀρέξαι, καὶ ἐπικουφίσαι σου τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, καὶ τῶν τιμωριῶν ὑποτέμνεσθαι τὸ σφοδρὸν, ἀλλὰ προλαβὼν αὐτὸς ταύτης ἀπεστέρησας ἑαυτὸν τῆς παραμυθίας· διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Τέκνον, μνήσθητι. Ὅρα τοῦ πατριάρχου τὴν ἀγαθότητα· τέκνον αὐτὸν καλεί, Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν τὴν ἡμερότητα τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐμφῆναι δύναται, οὐδεμίαν δὲ αὐτῷ βοήθειαν παρέχει διὰ τὸ ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ αὐτὸν προδίδοσθαι. Τέκνον, φησὶ, μνήσθητι ὅτι ἀπέλαβες σὺ τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου· εἰς ἔννοιαν ἐλθὲ τῶν παρελθόντων, μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ πόσης τρυφῆς 48.1052 ἀπήλαυσας, πόσης ἀνέσεως, πόσης φαντασίας, πῶς ἐν γαστριμαργίᾳ καὶ μέθῃ πάντα τὸν βίον διετέλεσας, ἐν ἐκείνοις νομίζων εἶναι πάντα τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἐκεῖνα ὁριζόμενος εἶναι τὰ ἀγαθά. Ἀπὸ τῆς ψήφου τῆς αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπόκρισιν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐποιήσατο. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὑψηλὸν φανταζόμενος, οὐδὲ τὰ μέλλοντα αὐτὸν διαδέχεσθαι κακὰ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχων, ἐκεῖνα ἀγαθὰ εἶναι ἐνόμιζε. εʹ. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἔθος λέγειν τοῖς πολλοῖς τοῖς περὶ τρυφὴν καὶ τὴν ἀδηφαγίαν ἐπτοημένοις, ὅτι Πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐσχήκαμεν, ὅταν βούλωνται ἀνάξαι τῆς πολλῆς τρυφῆς τὴν ἐπίτασιν. Μὴ κάλει ταῦτα ἁπλῶς ἀγαθὰ, ἄνθρωπε, ἐννοῶν ὅτι ταῦτα μὲν ἐδόθη παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου, ἵνα τῆς συμμετρίας ἀπολαύοντες, τὴν σύστασιν ἔχωμεν τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν διακρατῶμεν τοῦ σώματος· ἕτερα δέ ἐστι τὰ ὄντως ἀγαθά. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τούτων ἀγαθὸν, οὐ τρυφὴ, οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐκ ἐσθῆτος πολυτέλεια, ἀλλ' ὄνομα μόνον ἔχει. Τί δὲ λέγω ὄνομα μόνον ἔχει; ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πολλάκις καὶ ὀλέθρου ἡμῖν αἴτια γίνεται, ἐπειδὰν μὴ δεόντως αὐτοῖς χρησώμεθα. Ὁ γὰρ πλοῦτος τότε ἂν γένοιτο ἀγαθὸς τῷ κεκτημένῳ, ὅταν μὴ εἰς τρυφὴν μόνον αὐτὸν ἀναλίσκῃ, μηδὲ εἰς μέθην καὶ τὰς ἐπιβλαβεῖς ἡδονὰς, ἀλλ' ὅταν τῆς τρυφῆς συμμέτρως ἀπολαύων, τὰ λοιπὰ εἰς τὰς τῶν πενήτων διανέμῃ γαστέρας, τότε ἀγαθὸν ὁ πλοῦτος. Εἰ δὲ μέλλοι τις τρυφῇ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδιδόναι καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ ἀσωτίᾳ, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ὀνίνησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς βαθὺν κρημνὸν κατάγει· ὃ δὴ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος οὗτος πέπονθε. ∆ιό φησιν αὐτῷ ὁ πατριάρχης· Τέκνον, μνήσθητι ὅτι ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου. Ἐκεῖνα ἃ ἐνόμιζες εἶναι ὄντως ἀγαθὰ, ταῦτα ἀπέλαβες, καὶ Λάζαρος ὁμοίως τὰ κακὰ, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ Λάζαρος αὐτὰ κακὰ ἐνόμιζε, μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ψήφου τοῦ πλουσίου καὶ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ταύτην παρ' ἑαυτῷ κυρώσας τὴν ψῆφον, τὸν μὲν πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν τρυφὴν καὶ τὴν ἀκολασίαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην βλακείαν ἀγαθὰ ἐνόμιζε, τὴν δὲ πενίαν καὶ τὸν λιμὸν καὶ τὴν χαλεπὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν κακὰ ὑπώπτευεν. Ὡς οὖν αὐτὸν ὑπελάμβανες, καὶ τὴν ἐψευσμένην κρίσιν ἐκείνην εἶχες, μνήσθητι ὅτι κατὰ τὴν σὴν ψῆφον καὶ σὺ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐκεῖνα ἀπέλαβες, τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδεύσας ὁδὸν, καὶ Λάζαρος ὁμοίως τὰ κακὰ κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον, τὴν στενὴν πύλην καὶ τὴν τεθλιμμένην βαδίσας ὁδόν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν σὺ μὲν τὰ προοίμια μόνον εἶδες τῆς ὁδοῦ, οὗτος δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἑώρα, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ