Homily 34. #

On the Fourth Monday of Lent. On the Nature of God, by Saint John Chrysostom

God, in His infinite Wisdom, created all things and brought them out of non-existence into being through the Word—meaning, the Father by the Son. For to Him He said, “Sit thou at My right hand.” By Him were all things made—both visible and invisible: heaven and earth and everything upon it.

The first thought of God was rational, immaterial, and intelligent—namely, the angelic powers. As the prophet says: “Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire.” Upon them He rests, and through them He is always glorified in the Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The second thought of God was the creation of the world by action. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void.” And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. The firmament He called Heaven. Upon it He placed the upper waters, from which we receive rains and heavenly dew.

So on the first day, God created light. On the second day, the firmament—that is, heaven. On the third day, God commanded the waters to gather together in one place and for the dry land to appear. He called the dry land Earth, and the gatherings of the waters He called Seas. God also commanded the earth to bring forth seed-bearing plants to serve as food for living creatures, and He caused the trees of the garden to be of many kinds.

On the fourth day, God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven,”—the sun, the moon, and the stars—“to give light upon the earth.”

On the fifth day, He commanded the waters to bring forth living creatures: birds to fly through the air, and creatures that crawl upon the ground, to provide both beauty and nourishment to mankind.

On the sixth day, God commanded the earth to bring forth four-footed creatures, reptiles, wild animals, and livestock. And God saw that His creation, completed by His command, was beautiful—but there was no man to delight in it.

So God said, “Let us make man,”—that is, the Father spoke to the Son—“Let us make man in our image.” And let him rule over all that was brought forth from the earth. God gave him free will and honored him, saying: “The sun, the moon, and the stars shall serve thee, and all the variety of fruits, and the animals from the land and sea and air. Heaven and earth and the sea, and everything in them, shall be subject to thee.”

Thus, on the sixth day, God completed all His works. And on the seventh day, He rested from all His labors. God planted the Garden of Eden and placed man there. He commanded him to eat from every tree, but from the one tree—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—He forbade him to eat or even to touch, saying, “In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.”

But we chose the tree of death through disobedience, instead of keeping the tree of life through self-restraint. For this reason, God cast us out of paradise, and death entered into us—separating the body from the soul, and drawing humanity toward repentance, so that by fearing death we might turn away from evil deeds.

Therefore, God has hidden from us the hour of our death, so that we might always be ready to repent. For the Lord said, teaching us: “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.” That is, the hour of death.

Not everyone dies slowly—many perish suddenly. A drop of water falling from the head may lead to death. Another person may die before swallowing a bite. One falls from a horse and dies. Another dies from choking on water or wine. Yet another is choked by a piece of food. Some die after just one day—or two, or ten—without even knowing life. Others die from overeating. All of these deaths are sorrowful, and full of grief.

So, since death awaits us all, let us remember this and set aside anger. Let us leave behind the works of the devil: envy, slander, theft, fornication, and drunkenness—because the cup of death waits for us. And if someone dies without repentance, what was the point of being born? It would have been better not to be born at all.

For in Hades, no one can repent. No one can show mercy to the poor, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, visit the imprisoned, or care for the sick. All of that must be done here and now.

So then, beloved children, having heard this and knowing that the hour is coming, let us hasten with our feet to the church. Let us remember and repent—for now is the time for repentance and for many tears. If we do not repent now, what can we do after death?

All things remain here—gold, silver, property. Everything will be left behind, while we depart with our many sins. Our children will remain here, and our loved ones, and our possessions will be divided. And what of those who say to themselves, “My children will remain and they will remember me”? Perhaps so—but that is not the same reward as what you give with your own hands.

Even then, the cup of death still awaits. And if your children turn out to be drunkards, thieves, robbers, or adulterers, they will waste your wealth. And if you obtained that wealth through evil means—by theft, oppression, or slander—your end will be worse.

Even if you acquired it justly—by labor and sweat—still, it is not truly yours but a gift from God, and it should not be hoarded or made into something private. It should be distributed to the poor.

If we do not free our possessions, they will become our torment. But if we give them away, we gain a double reward: others benefit from our charity, and we ourselves are spared the dread of eternal torment.

When you see a child dying, you are filled with sorrow, thinking: “This was the heir of my estate, the support of my old age, the branch from my root. Like a flower he blossomed, held in his mother’s arms, and now he has withered suddenly.” You may say: “Should I not weep for him? Should I not mourn? I cannot bear to see this shoot, planted by God, suddenly cut off from its natural root. Even if you try to comfort me with many sayings, telling me not to weep for the dying, you cannot reach my heart in its natural grief.”

But, dear friend, I am not telling you not to weep at all—but only to refrain from endless, hopeless weeping. I too was conceived in sin, and I have seen a mother’s sorrow and a father’s grief, the tears of brothers and sisters, the sobs and laments of all who mourn. But first and foremost, we should weep for our own souls, as we look upon the body being carried to the grave. For afterward, we will see it no more. Let us therefore send it off with psalms and hymns.

Let us move from the grave to the resurrection, and think of this life as if we are sleeping. For we shall rise again, and we will give an answer for all our deeds—done by day or night, for all our unrestrained desires, for idle words, and for mingling with evil. Yet you spend your days in slumber, and ask, “So many have died—will they rise again?”

You speak foolishly, O man without understanding. If you cannot grasp this mystery, at least understand it by observing nature: when you plant wheat or any seed in the ground, unless it decays, it brings forth no fruit. But if it does decay in the earth, it yields an abundant harvest. If this is true of seeds, how much more should you believe in the resurrection of human bodies, enlightened by heavenly wisdom?

“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory.” What glory is there in a body that rots and stinks as dust? Yet it will rise again in glory and honor.

For it is written: “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” The first Adam is of the earth, earthy; the second Adam is the Lord from heaven. Await His coming, O man, and do not cling to the things of this earth. For the Son of God will come in the glory of His divinity with His holy angels. Then He will send them to the four corners of the earth to awaken all who have slept through the ages—both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Immediately He will reassemble their bodies from the dust, just as it was taken. Even if someone was torn apart by wild animals, or scattered by birds, or consumed by fish, not a single hair from their head will be lost. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” we shall all rise, and we will be questioned for all our sins—both voluntary and involuntary.

First, we will be asked about the true faith: whether we preserved and kept it. The true Christian faith is this: we must believe in the Holy Trinity—in one Lordship, one Kingdom, one authority, one worship, one light in Three Persons. We do not divide the one Godhead into three gods, but just as we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, so we were created by Them, and so we will be judged by Them.

Then we will be asked about the purity of soul and body—for from this comes brotherly love, hospitality, love for the poor, fasting, self-restraint, and repentance, which means turning away from all evil, washing away sins with tears, bearing no grudges, not despising the poor but clothing them, not seizing what belongs to others, and helping those who are wronged.

Whoever does these things will hear the righteous voice saying: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

But those who are wicked and merciless, inhospitable, envious, slanderous, quarrelsome, greedy, thieving, adulterous, murderous, sorcerers, and all who commit such things—will hear the Judge say: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, ye who hated your brethren and loved not Christ; I will not show you mercy. I was an hungred, and ye gave Me no meat; I was naked, and ye clothed Me not; I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; I was sick and in prison, and ye visited Me not.”

Then those wicked ones, who lost their salvation through laziness, will answer: “Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?” Then the Lord shall reply: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it not to Me. Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Hearing these condemnations and the reward for our evil, let us fear God. There, a father cannot help his son, nor a son his father, nor a mother her daughter, nor a brother his brother, nor a servant his master—each will reap what he has sown.

Therefore I beg you, children, let us turn away from evil so that we may enter into the everlasting Kingdom. Let us stop envying, slandering, and wasting time with empty laughter—so that we may not weep forever. Let us reject fleshly pleasures that do not benefit us, lest we suffer eternal torment—for that torment is long and unending.

So I beg you, children, and I continually plead with your love: let us rise and strive; let us run to the mercy of God, so that He may say to us: “According to your faith be it unto you. Come, ye blessed, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you.”

Let us awaken from our deep sleep. Look how the prophet cries out: “Woe is me, woe is me, for the day of the Lord is near, great and dreadful.” If the prophet trembled at that day, how can we—who are covered in sins—remember it without fear?

Let us entreat the Judge now, and wipe away our sins with repentance. Let us fear the dreadful voice that says: “Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” Not by words alone is one denied, but by evil deeds that belong to the devil.

Let us reflect, brothers, on the Judge of the whole world sitting upon His throne, with angels standing before Him, archangels serving Him, cherubim giving glory, the highest heavenly powers and all the armies of heaven singing His praise. The patriarchs, prophets, apostles, bishops, and martyrs stand before Him with boldness. And before all of them, the judges and rulers of this world, the powerful, the rich and the poor, the simple and the wise—all are brought to judgment, and all their deeds are exposed before that great assembly.

And the Judge shall say: “Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.”

Imagine the Lord saying: “Father, these men have denied My faith. These have driven out My apostles. These have persecuted My Church. These have trampled upon and rejected My and Thy words. These were indifferent to My true teaching and cast aside My commandments. These tormented My apostles and martyrs.”

Think on these words, spoken by the King. Consider how the angels will stand in awe, how they will be filled with dread, and how a single glance will be enough to destroy the sinner. Think of the angels burning with righteous anger, the archangels stirred, the heavenly powers filled with wrath against sinners, casting them out with great fury—not only away from salvation, but into everlasting torment. For it is terrifying not only to be excluded from salvation and the Kingdom, but to be delivered into unquenchable fire forever.

Yet again the Lord says: “Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father.”

Consider, O man, what great glory and honor, what reward and crowns await those to whom the Judge will say: “These have kept My word and preserved My faith. These have preached and upheld My word. These did not despise the poor. These rejected greed and honored justice. These scorned the world as passing away and loved the world to come. Therefore, they shall never be separated from My Kingdom. These have honored My word, and My Father shall honor them.”

All of this shall be for the salvation of those who confess Him—and for the condemnation of the unbelieving.

But what is more fearful than all is this: when you consider Michael and Gabriel, and all the heavenly hosts of angels standing with reverence, while the sons of Zebedee, James and John, and Peter and Paul—mere men—are seated with the other apostles. How can we not exclaim with awe: “O how great is the multitude of Thy goodness, O Lord Almighty!”

What a wonder! Peter and Paul and the other apostles sit, while Michael, the great Archangel and commander of the heavenly hosts, stands. We are not naming strangers here—we follow what is written in the Scriptures. We know not the names of the angels except what has been revealed in Scripture, and in that we believe. There is no envy there, no earthly pride. The angels do not begrudge the apostles their place, though they stand while the apostles are seated, for they share in the same holiness.

Listen to the Lord, who says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Let us then love the glory of the Lord, and reject the passing glory of this world, which is like a shadow. The prophet called the glory of this world a shadow, and the wealth of the wicked he likened to a dream. What is this present life, if not an illusion?

He who was healthy yesterday is sick today. He who ruled yesterday is humbled today. Yesterday he was rich and exalted—today he is brought low. However long life may last, all of it passes away, all is fleeting—but the word of God shall not pass away.

Therefore, blessed are those Christians who, though in positions of honor, remain humble. Have you humbled yourself in office? Then humility will never harm you. Rather, by doing so, you show yourself to be a good soldier of Christ. If you humble yourself in advance and prepare your mind, you ready yourself for the battle.

Let us flee, then, brothers, from pride and self-exaltation. Let us love Christ, and for Christ’s sake, the poor—so that we may become rich. By showing mercy to the poor and to all people, one enriches the soul with treasures.

The apostles had the Gospel Shepherd, Christ, who said: “Though I am absent in the body, yet am I with you in the spirit, rejoicing and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.”

To Him be glory, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.