John Chrysostom, On Fasting

De jejunio

On fasting. 62.757 He who has prayer and fasting and almsgiving, then is exceedingly rich in Christ, and a worker of piety. For what is the benefit, brothers, to fast in body, and to murder in deeds? what is the benefit to abstain from food, and be defiled by fornication? You do not eat meat, but you devour the flesh of your brother. What gain is there in not being gladdened by wine, and being intoxicated by money? what benefit is there in not eating bread, and being drunk with anger? what gain is there in being wasted by fasting, and reviling your neighbor? what is the advantage of abstaining from food, and seizing the things of others? what is the need to dry up the body, and not feed the hungry? what is the advantage of afflicting the body, and not having mercy on widows and orphans? If you wish to fast, hate the love of money; the great evil is the love of money. Do you fast? Flee adultery, flee fornication, flee slander, falsehood, reviling, enmity, blasphemy, and all meddling. Do you fast? Flee greed, robbery, strife, and soul-destroying envy. Do you fast? Flee gluttony, the begetter of all evil, which separates us even from God himself, and brings us down to the abysses of destruction. If you fast for God, flee every thing which God hates, 62.758 and he accepts your repentance, as merciful and loving-kindness; let us run, brothers, to repentance, let us run; a time for confession and mourning and groaning has been given to us, but not for carelessness and sloth. For repentance is the bringer of the kingdom of heaven, and the entrance to paradise, and the enjoyment of eternal delight. If you fast, beloved, do not overlook the poor man, clothe the naked, behold the widow's tears, behold the groaning orphans. If you have, have mercy; but if you do not have, at least do not seize what belongs to others. Do you fast? Cease your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit; it is enough for you for salvation. If you fast, see that you do not lend your silver at interest. Do you fast? Have mercy on whom you have wronged, never envy a brother, nor again ever hate anyone. Do you fast? Do not be vainglorious. Do you fast? Flee fornication, which separates us from God and from the saints, which is the bringer of eternal and unquenchable fire. Do you fast? Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, do not forget those in prison, have mercy on the weary, take care of the afflicted and lamenting; become compassionate, meek, good, gentle, long-suffering, merciful, unmindful of evil, reverent, peaceable, true, 62.759 God-fearing; so that God may both accept your fast, and grant you the gain of repentance with much increase. If you fast, beloved, fast in this way as Christ commanded, so that you may not both endure the labor, and lose the reward. These things I ask, brothers, that we may keep them securely, and receive a reward from God, and hear that blessed voice saying, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." For nothing, brothers, is able to help us on that fearful day of judgment, and to bring about this voice, as repentance and almsgiving. As bread is more necessary than all foods, so is the thought of death than all works. May the memory of eternal fire go to sleep with you every evening, and rise up with you, and never will sloth in time

De jejunio

Περὶ νηστείας. 62.757 Ὁ ἔχων προσευχὴν καὶ νηστείαν καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην, τότε ἐστὶ καταπλούσιος ἐν Χριστῷ, καὶ εὐσεβείας ἐργάτης. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ἀδελφοὶ, νηστεύειν τῷ σώματι, καὶ φονεύειν τοῖς ἔργοις; τί τὸ ὄφελος βρώματος ἀπέχεσθαι, καὶ πορνείᾳ μιαίνεσθαι; κρέας οὐκ ἐσθίεις, ἀλλὰ κατατρώγεις τὰς σάρκας τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Ποῖον κέρδος οἴνῳ μὴ εὐφραίνεσθαι, καὶ μεθύσκεσθαι χρήμασι; τί ὄφελος ἄρτον μὴ ἐσθίειν, καὶ μεθύειν θυμῷ; ποῖον κέρδος νηστείᾳ τήκεσθαι, καὶ λοιδορεῖν τὸν πλησίον; τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια ἐγκρατεύεσθαι βρωμάτων, καὶ ἁρπάζειν τὰ ἀλλότρια; τίς ἡ ἀνάγκη τὸ σῶμα ξηραίνειν, καὶ πεινῶντα μὴ τρέφειν; τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τὸ σῶμα συντρίβειν, καὶ χήρας μὴ ἐλεεῖν καὶ ὀρφανούς; Ἐὰν βούλῃ νηστεύειν, μίσησον φιλαργυρίαν· τὸ μέγα κακόν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία. Νηστεύεις; φύγε μοιχείαν, φύγε πορνείαν, φύγε καταλαλιὰν, ψεῦδος, λοιδορίαν, ἔχθραν, βλασφημίαν, καὶ πᾶσαν περιεργίαν. Νηστεύεις; φύγε πλεονεξίαν, ἁρπαγὴν, ἔριν, καὶ τὸν ψυχώλεθρον φθόνον. Νηστεύεις; φύγε γαστριμαργίαν, τὴν γεννήτριαν πάσης κακίας, τὴν χωρίζουσαν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ κατάγουσαν ἡμᾶς ἕως τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς ἀπωλείας. Ἐὰν νηστεύῃς διὰ τὸν Θεὸν, φύγε πᾶν πρᾶγμα ὃ μισεῖ ὁ 62.758 Θεὸς, καὶ δέχεταί σου τὴν μετάνοιαν, ὡς ἐλεήμων καὶ φιλάνθρωπος· δράμωμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, πρὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν, δράμωμεν· ἐδόθη ἡμῖν καιρὸς ἐξομολογήσεως καὶ πένθους καὶ στεναγμῶν, οὐχὶ δὲ ἀμελείας καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας. Μετάνοια γάρ ἐστι πρόξενος βασιλείας οὐρανοῦ, καὶ εἴσοδος παραδείσου, καὶ τρυφῆς αἰωνίου ἀπόλαυσις. Ἐὰν νηστεύῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, πένητα μὴ περιίδῃς, γυμνὸν περίβαλε, βλέπε τῆς χήρας τὰ δάκρυα, βλέπε ὀρφανοὺς στενάζοντας. Ἐὰν ἔχῃς, ἐλέησον· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχεις, κἂν μὴ ἁρπάζῃς τὰ ἀλλότρια. Νηστεύεις; παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ χείλη σου τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον· ἀρκεῖ σοι πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Ἐὰν νηστεύῃς, βλέπε μὴ δανείσῃς τὸ ἀργύριόν σου ἐπὶ τόκῳ. Νηστεύεις; ἐλέησον ὃν ἠδίκησας, μὴ φθονήσῃς ποτὲ ἀδελφὸν, μήτε πάλιν μισήσῃς τινά ποτε. Νηστεύεις; μὴ κενοδοξήσῃς. Νηστεύεις; φύγε πορνείαν, τὴν χωρίζουσαν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων, τὴν πρόξενον τοῦ αἰωνίου καὶ ἀσβέστου πυρός. Νηστεύεις; θρέψον πεινῶντας, πότισον διψῶντας, ἀσθενοῦντας ἐπίσκεψαι, τῶν ἐν φυλακῇ μὴ ἐπιλάθου, καταπονουμένους ἐλέησον, θλιβομένων καὶ ὀδυρομένων ἐπιμελήθητι· γενοῦ εὔσπλαγχνος, πρᾶος, ἀγαθὸς, ἥμερος, μακρόθυμος, ἐλεήμων, ἀμνησίκακος, εὐλαβὴς, ἄμαχος, ἀληθι62.759 νὸς, θεοσεβής· ἵνα ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τὴν νηστείαν σου ἀποδέξηται, καὶ τῆς μετανοίας τὸ κέρδος μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προσθήκης παράσχῃ σοι. Ἐὰν νηστεύῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, οὕτω νήστευσον ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκέλευσεν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τὸν κόπον ὑπομένῃς, καὶ τὸν μισθὸν ἀπολέσῃς. Ταῦτα παρακαλῶ, ἀδελφοὶ, ἵνα ἀσφαλῶς τηρήσωμεν, καὶ μισθὸν κομισώμεθα παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀκούσωμεν τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης φωνῆς τῆς λεγούσης, ∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου· κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, ἀδελφοὶ, δύναται βοηθῆσαι ἡμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ φοβερᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, καὶ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης προξενούσης, ὡς μετάνοια καὶ ἐλεημοσύνη. Ὡς πασῶν τροφῶν ὁ ἄρτος ἀναγκαιότερος, οὕτω πασῶν ἐργασιῶν ἡ τοῦ θανάτου ἔννοια. Πυρὸς αἰωνίου μνήμη καθ' ἑσπέραν συγκοιμηθήτω σοι, καὶ συναναστήτω σοι, καὶ οὐ μή σου ῥᾳθυμία ἐν καιρῷ