John Chrysostom, On Matthew

Abandon only evil habit, and remaining at home with your own people you will be able to be saved easily. But now if we have a bodily ailment, we do everything and take pains, so as to be freed from what pains us; 57.221 but when our soul is in a bad state, we delay and shrink back, Because of this we are not freed even from those; since for us the necessary things become secondary, and the secondary things necessary; and having abandoned the spring of evils, we wish to cleanse the streams. For that the wickedness of the soul is the cause of the evils in the body, both the one paralyzed for thirty-eight years, and the one let down through the roof, and before these, Cain, has shown; and from many other places one might perceive this. Let us then remove the spring of evils, and all the flows of diseases will stop. For not only is being paralyzed a disease, but also sinning; and this more than that, inasmuch as the soul is also better than the body. Let us then approach Him now also, let us beseech that He may strengthen our paralyzed soul, and having abandoned all worldly things let us take account only of spiritual things. But if you cling to these too, take thought for them after those. Do not be contemptuous because you feel no pain when sinning, but for this very reason indeed groan most of all, because you do not perceive the pain of your transgressions. For this does not happen because sin does not bite, but because of the insensibility of the sinning soul. Consider, at least, those who are sensible of their own sins, how they cry out more bitterly than those being cut and burned, how many things they do, how many things they suffer, how much they mourn and lament, so as to be freed from an evil conscience; which they would not have done, if they did not feel extreme pain in their soul. 4. The best thing, then, is not to sin at all; and the next best, when sinning to perceive it and be corrected. But if we do not have this, how shall we pray to God, and ask for forgiveness of sins, we who take no account of them? For when you yourself who have transgressed are not willing to know even this very thing, that you have sinned, for what transgressions will you beseech God? For those which you do not know? And how will you know the greatness of the benefit? Declare then your transgressions specifically, so that you may learn for which you receive forgiveness, so that you may thus become grateful to the benefactor. But you, when you provoke a man, entreat friends and neighbors and doorkeepers, and spend money, and use up many days approaching and begging, and even if once, or twice, or ten thousand times the one provoked rejects you, you do not give up, but rather becoming more earnest, you make your supplication greater; but when the God of all is provoked, we yawn, and give up, and live luxuriously, and get drunk, and do all things according to habit. And when will we be able to make Him propitious? And how do we not by this very thing provoke Him more greatly? For not feeling pain when we sin makes Him more indignant and angry than the sinning itself. Therefore it is fitting finally to sink into the earth itself, and not even to see this sun, nor to breathe at all, because having such an easily-reconciled Master, we both provoke Him, and while provoking Him do not even repent? And yet He, not even when He is angry, does this by hating and turning away from us, but so that even in this way He may draw us to Himself. For if, being continually insulted, He did good, you would have been more contemptuous. So that, then, 57.222 this may not happen, He turns away for a little while, so that He may have you always with Himself. Let us then take courage in His love for mankind, and let us show a diligent repentance, before the day comes that does not allow us to profit from this. For now indeed the whole matter lies with us; but then the judge alone is master of the verdict. Let us therefore come before His face in confession, let us weep, let us lament. For if we are able to persuade the judge before the appointed day to forgive us our sins, there is then no need even of an entrance; just as, then, if this does not happen, publicly of the

συνήθειαν ἄφες πονηρὰν μόνον, καὶ μένων οἴκοι μετὰ τῶν σεαυτοῦ δυνήσῃ σωθῆναι ῥᾳδίως. Νῦν δὲ ἂν μὲν σωματικὸν ἔχωμεν πάθος, πάντα ποιοῦμεν καὶ πραγματευόμεθα, ὥστε ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ λυποῦντος ἡμᾶς· τῆς 57.221 δὲ ψυχῆς ἡμῶν κακῶς διακειμένης, μέλλομεν καὶ ἀναδυόμεθα, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἐκείνων ἀπαλλασσόμεθα· ἐπειδὴ τὰ μὲν ἀναγκαῖα ἡμῖν πάρεργα γίνεται, τὰ δὲ πάρεργα ἀναγκαῖα· καὶ τὴν πηγὴν τῶν κακῶν ἀφέντες, τοὺς ῥύακας ἐκκαθαίρειν ἐθέλομεν. Ὅτι γὰρ τῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι κακῶν ἡ πονηρία τῆς ψυχῆς αἰτία, καὶ ὁ παραλελυμένος τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη, καὶ ὁ διὰ τοῦ στέγους χαλασθεὶς, καὶ πρὸ τούτων δὲ ὁ Κάϊν ἐδήλωσε· καὶ πολλαχόθεν δὲ ἑτέρωθεν τοῦτο ἄν τις κατίδοι. Ἀνέλωμεν τοίνυν τῶν κακῶν τὴν πηγὴν, καὶ πάντα στήσεται τῶν νοσημάτων τὰ ῥεύματα. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ παραλελύσθαι μόνον νόσημα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν· καὶ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκεῖνο, ὅσῳ καὶ ψυχὴ σώματος ἀμείνων. Προσέλθωμεν τοίνυν αὐτῷ καὶ νῦν, παρακαλέσωμεν ἵνα σφίγξῃ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν παραλελυμένην, καὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ ἀφέντες πάντα τῶν πνευματικῶν μόνον ποιώμεθα λόγον. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτων ἀντέχῃ, μετ' ἐκεῖνα αὐτῶν φρόντιζε. Μηδ' ὅτι οὐκ ἀλγεῖς ἁμαρτάνων καταφρόνει, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστα στέναξον, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ τῆς ὀδύνης τῶν πλημμελημάτων. Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ μὴ δάκνειν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦτο γίνεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ ἀναίσθητον εἶναι τὴν πλημμελοῦσαν ψυχήν. Ἐννόησον γοῦν τοὺς αἰσθανομένους τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, πῶς τῶν τεμνομένων καὶ καιομένων πικρότερον ὀλολύζουσι, πόσα πράττουσι, πόσα πάσχουσι, πόσα πενθοῦσι καὶ ὀδύρονται, ὥστε ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ πονηροῦ συνειδότος· ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησαν, εἰ μὴ σφόδρα ἤλγουν κατὰ ψυχήν. δʹ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἄμεινον, τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως ἁμαρτάνειν· τὸ δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνο, τὸ ἁμαρτάνοντας αἰσθάνεσθαι καὶ διορθοῦσθαι. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ἔχοιμεν, πῶς δεησόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἄφεσιν αἰτησόμεθα ἁμαρτημάτων, οἱ τούτων μηδένα ποιούμενοι λόγον; Ὅταν γὰρ σὺ αὐτὸς ὁ πεπλημμεληκὼς μηδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἥμαρτες, εἰδέναι ἐθέλῃς, ὑπὲρ ποίων παρακαλέσεις τὸν Θεὸν πλημμελημάτων; ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ οἶδας; καὶ πῶς εἴσῃ τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὸ μέγεθος; Εἰπὲ τοίνυν σου τὰ πλημμελήματα κατ' εἶδος, ἵνα μάθῃς τίνων λαμβάνεις συγχώρησιν, ἵν' οὕτως εὐγνώμων γένῃ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην. Σὺ δὲ ἄνθρωπον μὲν παροξύνων, καὶ φίλους καὶ γείτονας καὶ θυρωροὺς παρακαλεῖς, καὶ χρήματα δαπανᾷς, καὶ πολλὰς ἀναλίσκεις ἡμέρας προσιὼν καὶ δεόμενος, κἂν ἅπαξ, κἂν δὶς, κἂν μυριάκις σε διακρούσηται ὁ παροξυνθεὶς, οὐκ ἀναπίπτεις, ἀλλ' ἐναγώνιος μᾶλλον γενόμενος, πλείονα τὴν ἱκετηρίαν τίθης· τοῦ δὲ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ παροξυνομένου, χασμώμεθα, καὶ ἀναπίπτομεν, καὶ τρυφῶμεν, καὶ μεθύομεν, καὶ τὰ κατὰ συνήθειαν πάντα πράττομεν. Καὶ πότε αὐτὸν δυνησόμεθα ἵλεων ποιῆσαι; πῶς δὲ οὐκ αὐτῷ τούτῳ μειζόνως παροξυνοῦμεν; Τοῦ γὰρ ἁμαρτάνειν τὸ μηδὲ ἀλγεῖν ἁμαρτάνοντας μᾶλλον ἀγανακτεῖν αὐτὸν ποιεῖ καὶ ὀργίζεσθαι. ∆ιόπερ εἰς αὐτὴν λοιπὸν ἄξιον καταδῦναι τὴν γῆν, καὶ μηδὲ τὸν ἥλιον ὁρᾷν τοῦτον, μηδὲ ἀναπνεῖν ὅλως, ὅτι οὕτως εὐκατάλλακτον ∆εσπότην ἔχοντες, παροξύνομέν τε αὐτὸν, καὶ παροξύνοντες οὐδὲ μετανοοῦμεν; καίτοιγε αὐτὸς, οὐδὲ ὅταν ὀργίζηται, μισῶν καὶ ἀποστρεφόμενος ἡμᾶς τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλ' ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἐπισπάσηται πρὸς ἑαυτόν. Εἰ γὰρ ὑβριζόμενος διηνεκῶς εὐηργέτει, μᾶλλον ἂν κατεφρόνησας. Ἵν' οὖν 57.222 μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, ἀποστρέφεται πρὸς ὀλίγον, ἵνα διαπαντός σε ἔχῃ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ. Θαῤῥήσωμεν τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ μετάνοιαν ἐπιδειξώμεθα μεμεριμνημένην, πρὶν ἢ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπιστῆναι τὴν οὐκ ἐῶσαν ἡμᾶς κερδᾶναι ἐκ τούτου. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἐφ' ἡμῖν τὸ πᾶν κεῖται· τότε δὲ ὁ δικάζων μόνος τῆς ψήφου γίνεται κύριος. Προφθάσωμεν τοίνυν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, κλαύσωμεν, θρηνήσωμεν. Ἂν γὰρ δυνηθῶμεν παρακαλέσαι τὸν δικαστὴν πρὸ τῆς κυρίας ἀφεῖναι ἡμῖν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὐδὲ εἰσόδου χρεία λοιπόν· ὥσπερ οὖν ἐὰν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, δημοσίᾳ τῆς