HOMILY 3 #

On Meatfare Saturday: A Homily of John Chrysostom, That One Should Not Mourn for the Dead

Always, brethren, keep the day of death in your memory. Many who were with us yesterday are now no longer among us: some have departed to God, while others are ill and hastening toward death. Yet there is much distress and weeping among us for those who have died.

Many times have I pleaded with you on this matter, and I plead again: receive the passing of your children and loved ones with praise and patience. Do not think of those departing to God as though they are perishing, but rather, let us have care for ourselves, who still live in sin.

For if we do not correct ourselves now, then when shall we turn back? If the death of a brother does not teach wisdom, what then will turn you to it? And if, seeing a corpse lying before you, you do not lament your own life, when shall you have the time to beseech God? Or when will you have the chance to live righteously and save your soul?

Therefore, I implore you: do not be senseless or careless, nor exalt yourselves as though you were immortal. For there is but one path of death, one cup for all, one bitter hour, and one final judgment—the sword of God.

Death fears neither king nor prince, it does not honor bishops, nor does it have mercy on the aged or spare the young. It does not consider the beauty of youth, nor does it fear the persecutor. It is not persuaded by cunning words, nor is it bought with wealth, but comes equally to all.

Today someone is with us, but tomorrow they are gone. Today they love us, but tomorrow they are sorrowfully carried away. Today they live, but tomorrow they are in the grave. Today they anoint themselves with fragrant oils, but tomorrow they stink of decay. Today they eat and are comforted, but tomorrow they weep.

Many times do we search for those who have departed, and not knowing of their death, we ask: Where is that prince? Or that cruel judge? Or that wicked king? And we hear that they have already passed away.

Where have they gone? There, where the Judge is Judge over all judges, the Eternal and Righteous King, the One Lord over all, the Immortal One who renders to each according to his deeds.

There, where fear and trembling will fall upon all, and where the judgment will be sincere and righteous. There, where all shall stand equally—both the noble and the lowly, kings and princes, the rich and the poor, slaves and free men.

For there will be no majesty for kings, no power for princes, no hypocrisy for judges. He who was cruel here shall not receive mercy there; he who was unmerciful here shall be cruelly tormented there; he who was drunk here shall thirst there and long for a single drop of water; he who was ready to oppress others here shall be consumed by the unquenchable fire there.

Here, he wore splendid garments, but there, he shall stand naked. Here, he awaited our conversion, but there, he shall be delivered to the fire.

O what a wonder! The cup of death is terrible for all, yet it is beloved by those in misery. The life of this world is precious to all, yet to some, it becomes detestable.

Blessed is the Lord God, who does all things for the benefit of all! Death is not evil but rather a release from this life. For the righteous Job said: “Death is rest for a man” (Job 3:17).

The one who dies leaves behind all the evils of this life, and he is freed from sin, and he no longer adds to wrongdoing, nor does he provoke God any further.

Hear these words with understanding, and take heed wisely: Death is rest for the righteous, comfort for children, repose for slaves, peace for the weary, freedom for the debtor, and relief for the prisoner. All these things are granted in preparation for the life to come.

If there were no death, men would destroy themselves like wild beasts. If there were no righteous judgment of God, no reward, and no eternal torment, then no one would hope for salvation. If there were no fear of punishment, we would never turn away from sin, nor would we do righteousness, and we would trample upon faith like disobedient servants.

Do you see the grace and loving-kindness of Christ our God? He has made all things for our benefit. If a righteous man dies, he goes forth rejoicing, hoping to receive his reward. And if a sinner dies, do not grieve for him, for he has obtained that which he desired by working unrighteousness.

If we were immortal here, then truly we would weep for the dead. But since we all must pass from this life, let each of us weep for himself and repent of his own sins.

Do you not see how we accompany the dead with songs and hymns, with incense and candles, showing that they have escaped the darkness of this life and have departed into the true light?

And we bury them facing the east, as a sign to the dead of the coming resurrection.

Therefore, do not grieve, brethren, for the departed as the unbelievers do, for they have no hope of resurrection. Those who truly mourn for the dead are those who believe they have perished without faith.

But let us listen to Christ and believe that the hour will come when the dead shall rise again, and they shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live. And the heavens and the earth shall be renewed.

Therefore, believe, for the dead shall rise again! Let us not, as the faithful, imitate the unbelievers. Let us not tear our garments in mourning, but rather let us humble our souls, for the same cup awaits us all.

And let us not beat our breasts, lest we resemble the pagans. Let us not tear the hair from our heads, lest we bring shame upon our Head—Christ. Let us not weep for many days, lest we begin to disbelieve in the resurrection. Let us not speak blasphemy with our tongues, nor bring harm upon ourselves or the dead.

If the Lord has taken your son, bow before Him, who has chosen him and received the uncorrupted fruit of the womb, as Job said. Bow before your Creator, praise Him, and offer Him a pure sacrifice, just as Abraham of old did with Isaac. Do not grumble, for the Creator has taken him; do not blaspheme in any way, but be as Abraham.

Have you buried a brother? Bow before Christ, who has taken him, for He Himself became man for your sake and tasted death.

Have you given up an infant? Bow before Christ, who became an infant for your sake.

Have you given up a servant? Bow before Christ, who took upon Himself the form of a servant for your sake.

Have you buried your only son? Bow before Christ and remember that for your sake God gave His Only-Begotten Son unto death.

Have you given up a virgin who was betrothed? Praise God, lest the Lord be angered with you and take another from you.

Has a mother been led by her children to the grave? Glorify God, be strengthened, and do not grieve over this, for soon you too shall go there.

What are you doing, O man? Why do you torment yourself with senseless sorrow? Do you not see how wretched is the passage from this life that awaits us all, and how heavy is the path of death? But we all must walk it.

O man, cease your weeping for the dead, and rather prepare yourself for your own departure. For it has been said: “A brother shall not redeem a brother, nor shall a father redeem his son, nor a son his father” (cf. Psalm 48:7).

Who is the man that shall live and not see death? Or who shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell?

Blessed is the Lord God, who works wonders and most glorious miracles.

What is man? He is seen by all for a little while, and then suddenly he is gone, departing alone on the eternal journey, the same journey we all must take.

Therefore, cease from your weeping, fear, and prepare yourself.

Kings and princes, do not exalt yourselves! Behold the one who was once feared by all and who was mighty—now he is condemned as one of the poor. He, whom many feared yesterday, now trembles himself, is afraid, and, seeing the dreadful angelic powers, is struck with terror.

He sees before him a fearful and mighty judgment, and he trembles, marveling and thinking: Where is the kingly majesty and the power of princes? Behold, it has all become as nothing! Here is true authority! Here are fearsome images! Here are the immortal hosts!

O brethren, we are in great need of prayers, of correction, of good deeds, and of many helpers and intercessors for our passage through the air.

For if we must travel to another city, we seek guides; how then can we hope to pass through the dominions of power, the tax-collecting spirits of the air, and the cruel demons who exact tribute from souls?

A good guide is with us—humility and obedience, love, peace, almsgiving, purity, tears, repentance—these can lead us safely to the heavenly gates and preserve us unto that place.

Therefore, brethren, let us prepare ourselves beforehand, lest we cast ourselves into torment.

For our life is brief, and the end is near, yet the age to come is endless. There is great fear, and none to deliver.

O beloved, while we are still in the body, let us go out to the graves and see where our dwelling shall be, and what remains of us in a short time. Let us not deceive ourselves.

Do you see how our body decays, consumed by worms, and the bones lie bare? Seeing this, let us correct ourselves and take care of our souls, considering what remains in the grave.

Rulers and judges, examine this and fear God! O you who lack mercy, who are hard-hearted, who are proud and greedy, come and see how we decay! Look into the tombs, and see how once-mighty kings and princes now lie as bones.

Look upon the terrifying remains of the fleshly body and recognize: Which one was a king? Which a prince? Which a warrior? Which a general? Which a pauper? Which a rich man? Which a youth? Which an old man? Which a Jew? Which an Ethiopian? Can you distinguish them by their bones?

Are they not all but dust and ashes? Once beloved, now they are loathsome and putrid.

Great is this mystery concerning us: he who was once loved by us, now we gaze upon in horror.

We weep for him as for a kinsman, yet we are repulsed by his decay and worms, and we shun him as we would a rotting animal.

For his once-fair face has blackened, and his bright eyes have melted away. His hair has fallen out, his neck is broken, his once-eloquent tongue is silent, the beauty of his hands has perished, the grandeur of his body has dissolved, his fragrance has turned to stench, his youth and majesty have passed away.

Understanding this, brethren, believe in the resurrection of the dead!

For all the dead shall rise again, and they shall answer for their deeds and receive their due reward according to their labors.

Let us therefore take thought for that day when God shall come to judge the living and the dead.

Reflect, O man, and be wise, for after death there is no repentance. “For in hell who shall confess Thee?” (Psalm 6:5). No one.

And even though we shall weep greatly then, yet there will be no one to deliver us.

For this reason, we bless more those who die as infants.

Therefore, brethren, do not weep and grieve over your children, but rather take care for yourselves. For to us, death is grievous, but to infants, it is rest and salvation.

For what answer shall they give, having received no trial of sin? O blessed infants, blessed is your repose! O death, which spares the incorrupt! O blessed end, which brings forth endless joy!

What do the vain ones say? “My only son, noble in birth, and beautiful in countenance—he was the heir of his father’s house, the staff of old age, beloved by his own and by strangers, and now he has been taken suddenly, like a bird from my hand. Once seen by all, now he is seen no more. He has left the one who begot him and has departed to his Creator. He has left his mother’s womb and descended into the grave of the earth, the mother of all.”

How shall I not weep for him? How shall I not lament? Tell me!

I do not say, O man, that you should not weep at all, nor do I forbid mourning over children. Even if I did say it, I would speak out of human frailty. For I, too, am a man, born of a mother, and of the same nature as you. I have seen the cries of fathers and mothers, I have seen the storm of sorrow upon the sea of grief.

O what a wonder! Life flows away, and all its words are as a lie.

Remember, O man, the patience of Job, how when his children and servants, his camels, and all his possessions perished, Job was neither disturbed nor grieved. He did not blaspheme God, as other men do, but strengthened himself, and falling to the ground, worshiped the Lord, saying:

“Naked came I forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. As it pleased the Lord, so it hath come to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever” (Job 1:21).

I am a servant of Him who created me—I obey Him and do not resist Him. My children have died, but they have not perished.

What master does not have power over his own flock? Behold, the Good Shepherd has chosen His sheep. Soon, we too shall be there.

O faithful ones, let us imitate Job! Let us weep only a little, as Christ wept for Lazarus, for He Himself has set a measure for mourning. The Creator of all things, the Lord of all, shed tears over Lazarus, though He was about to raise him from the dead, teaching us thereby.

In such words, the infants answer their parents:

“Do not weep for us, O fathers, for Christ our God has separated us from you. As from darkness, we have passed into light. Now we dwell in the land of joy, where there is peace, where all is bright and pleasing to God, where the light never fades, where joy is beyond words, where there is no toil, no tears, no sorrow, nor sighing.”

Therefore, O parents, having heard of such an honor, do not weep for us, for we have passed from distress into joy.

And instead of a perishable place, we have received an incorruptible one. Together with the angels, we glorify God, and we pray to the Lord for you who remain in sin.

We are numbered with the infants slain by Herod, and with the sons of Job.

Therefore, do not grieve for us, but rather weep for your own death and prepare yourselves for judgment. As for us, speak as Job spoke:

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. As it pleased the Lord, so it hath come to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.”

To our God be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.