John Chrysostom, On Canaan

De Chananaea

ON THE EXPLANATION OF THE CANAANITE WOMAN. And it was spoken after he returned from exile.

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αʹ. The winter is great, but it did not hinder the zeal of those who came; the temptations are many, but they have not extinguished your desire. The Church does not cease from being warred against and conquering, being plotted against and prevailing. The more others plot against it, the more it grows; and the waves are broken, but the rock stands unmoved. By day, teaching; by night, vigils; the day vies with the night; there are assemblies, and here are assemblies. The night makes the marketplace a church; and zeal is fiercer than fire. You do not need exhortation, and you demonstrate your diligence. Who would not be amazed? Who would not marvel? Not only were those who were present not left behind, but also those who were not present were added. Such is the gain of temptations; for just as rain coming down upon the earth awakens the seeds, so also temptation entering the soul awakens zeal. It is the word of God; the Church is unshakable; The gates of hades shall not prevail against it. He who wars against it destroys himself, but shows the Church to be stronger; he who wars against it throws down his own strength, but works for us a more glorious trophy. Job was good even before this; but after these things he appeared better. He was not so beautiful when his body was unharmed, as he was beautiful when crowned with the pus of his wounds.

Never fear temptation, if you have a prepared soul. Tribulation does not harm, but it works patience. For just as the furnace does not harm gold, so also tribulation does not destroy the noble soul. What does the furnace do to the gold? It makes it pure. What does tribulation work in the one who bears it? Patience. It makes one higher, cuts away indolence, gathers the soul, makes the reasoning more temperate. They brought on temptation, so that they might drive away the sheep, and the opposite happened; for it brought in a shepherd. In what does our part lie? In good repute. In what does 52.450 their part lie? In shame. Where are their things? They are not even visible. I walk around the marketplace, and I see no one. It was leaves, and when the wind blew, it fell away; it was chaff, and it was winnowed, and the wheat appeared ripe; it was lead, and it was melted, and the gold remained pure. Who drives them? No one; but they have conscience as an enemy dwelling with them after the sin. They know what they have done. For even Cain wanted to slay his brother; but when he wanted to slay him, the desire was flourishing; but when he had committed the sin, groaning and trembling he wandered over the whole inhabited world. But these, though they did not slay in deed, yet they slew in intent. The slaughter proceeded as far as their wickedness was concerned; but life was permitted through the loving-kindness of God. I say these things, anointing your zeal, so that you may never fear temptation. Are you a rock? Do not fear the waves; For on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it, he says. Sometimes the wars are from without, sometimes from within; but no one sinks the ship.

βʹ. But lest we spend all our time on their accusations,

having delivered themselves to the fear of conscience, and having left the executioner to torment their mind and the reasoning of their ill-timed desires, having left them to be fugitives, with no one pursuing, having left them to be dishonored, with no one warring against them;

De Chananaea

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΕΠΙΛΥΣΙΝ ΤΗΣ ΧΑΝΑΝΑΙΑΣ Ἐῤῥήθη δὲ μετὰ τὸ ὑποστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐξορίας.

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αʹ. Πολὺς ὁ χειμὼν, ἀλλὰ τὴν προθυμίαν τῶν παραγενομένων οὐ διεκώλυσε· πολλοὶ οἱ πειρασμοὶ, ἀλλὰ τὸν πόθον ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐξέλυσαν. Οὐ παύεται ἡ Ἐκκλησία πολεμουμένη καὶ νικῶσα, ἐπιβουλευομένη καὶ περιγινομένη. Ὅσον ἄλλοι ἐπιβουλεύουσι, τοσοῦτον αὕτη αὔξεται· καὶ τὰ μὲν κύματα διαλύεται, ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἕστηκεν ἀκίνητος. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διδασκαλία, ἐν νυκτὶ παννυχίδες· ἡ ἡμέρα πρὸς τὴν νύκτα ἁμιλλᾶται· ἐκεῖ συνάξεις, καὶ ἐνταῦθα συνάξεις. Ἡ νὺξ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐκκλησίαν ἐργάζεται· ἡ δὲ προθυμία πυρὸς σφοδροτέρα. Οὐ δεῖσθε παραινέσεως, καὶ ἐπιδείκνυσθε τὴν σπουδήν. Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη; τίς οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσειεν; Οὐ μόνον οἱ ὄντες οὐκ ἀπελείφθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μὴ ὄντες προσεγένοντο. Τοιοῦτον τῶν πειρασμῶν τὸ κέρδος· καθάπερ γὰρ ὑετὸς εἰς τὴν γῆν κατιὼν διεγείρει τὰ σπέρματα, οὕτω καὶ ὁ πειρασμὸς εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν εἰσιὼν διεγείρει τὴν προθυμίαν. Λόγος ἐστὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀκίνητος ἡ Ἐκκλησία· Πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Ὁ πολεμῶν ἑαυτὸν καταλύει, τὴν δὲ Ἐκκλησίαν ἰσχυροτέραν δείκνυσιν· ὁ πολεμῶν τὴν ἰσχὺν ἑαυτοῦ καταβάλλει, ἡμῶν δὲ λαμπρότερον ἐργάζεται τὸ τρόπαιον. Ὁ Ἰὼβ ἦν καλὸς καὶ πρὸ τούτου· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βελτίων ἐφάνη. Οὐχ οὕτω καλὸς ἦν, ὅτε ἀσινὴς ἦν τὸ σῶμα, ὡς καλὸς ἦν ὅτε τῷ ἰχῶρι τῶν τραυμάτων ἐστεφανοῦντο.

Μηδέποτε φοβηθῇς πειρασμὸν, ἐὰν ψυχὴν παρεσκευασμένην ἔχῃς. Οὐ βλάπτει ἡ θλίψις, ἀλλ' ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ χρυσίον οὐ βλάπτει ἡ κάμινος, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸν γενναῖον διαφθείρει ἡ θλίψις. Τί ποιεῖ ἡ κάμινος τῷ χρυσίῳ; Καθαρὸν ἀποτελεῖ. Τί ἐργάζεται ἡ θλίψις τῷ φέροντι; Τὴν ὑπομονήν. Ὑψηλότερον κατασκευάζει, ῥᾳθυμίαν περικόπτει, συνάγει τὴν ψυχὴν, σωφρονέστερον ποιεῖ τὸν λογισμόν. Ἐπήγαγον πειρασμὸν, ἵνα τὰ πρόβατα ἀπελάσωσι, καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον ἐξέβη· εἰσήγαγε γὰρ ποιμένα. Ἐν τίσι τὰ ἡμέτερα; Ἐν εὐδοκιμήσει. Ἐν τίσι 52.450 τὰ ἐκείνων; Ἐν αἰσχύνῃ. Ποῦ εἰσι τὰ ἐκείνων; Οὐδὲ φαίνονται. Τὴν ἀγορὰν περιέρχομαι, καὶ οὐδένα βλέπω. Φύλλα ἦν, καὶ ἀνέμου φυσήσαντος ἐξέπεσεν· ἄχυρα ἦν, καὶ ἀνεῤῥιπίσθη, καὶ ὁ σῖτος ἐφάνη ὥριμος· μόλυβδος ἦν, καὶ ἐτάκη, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον διέμεινε καθαρόν. Τίς αὐτοὺς ἐλαύνει; Οὐδείς· ἀλλὰ τὸ συνειδὸς πολέμιον ἔχουσι συνοικοῦντα μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἴσασι τί ἔπραξαν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Κάϊν ἐβούλετο σφάξαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἐβούλετο σφάξαι, ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἤνθει· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εἰργάσατο, στένων καὶ τρέμων πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης περιήρχετο. Οὗτοι δὲ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἔσφαξαν τῇ πείρᾳ, ἀλλὰ ἔσφαξαν τῇ γνώμῃ. Ἡ σφαγὴ προεχώρησεν ὅσον κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων πονηρίαν· ἡ δὲ ζωὴ συνεχωρήθη διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Ταῦτα λέγω, τὴν προθυμίαν τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐπαλείφων, ἵνα μηδέποτε φοβηθῆτε πειρασμόν. Πέτρα εἶ; Μὴ φοβοῦ τὰ κύματα· Ἐπὶ γὰρ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς, φησί. Ποτὲ ἔξωθεν οἱ πόλεμοι, ποτὲ ἔνδοθεν· ἀλλὰ οὐδεὶς καταποντίζει τὸ σκάφος.

βʹ. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἅπαντα καιρὸν εἰς τὰ ἐκείνων ἐγκλήματα ἀναλώσωμεν,

παραδόντες ἑαυτοὺς τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ συνειδότος, καὶ τὸν δήμιον ἀφέντες ταλανίζειν αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν τῶν ἀκαίρων ἐπιθυμιῶν, ἀφέντες εἶναι φυγάδας, μηδενὸς ἐλαύνοντος, ἀφέντες εἶναι ἀτίμους, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς πολεμοῦντος·