Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostommade perfect in weakness.” ( 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9 .) By “weakness,” he here means “afflictions.” Whatthen? When he heard this he received it thankfully, and says, “Wherefore I take pleasure ininfirmities” ( 2 Cor. xii. 10 ); that is, I am pleased, I rest in my afflictions. For all things then letus give thanks, both for comfort, and for affliction. 3494 Let us not murmur: let us not be unthankful.“Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, naked also shall I depart.” ( Job i. 21 .) Thou didst notcome forth glorious, do not seek glory. Thou wast brought into life naked, not of money alone, butalso of glory, and of honorable name.Consider how great evils have oftentimes arisen from wealth. For “It is easier” (it is said) “fora camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.”( Matt. xix. 24 .) Seest thou to how many good things wealth is a hindrance, and dost thou seekto be rich? Dost thou not rejoice that the hindrance has been overthrown? So narrow is the waywhich leadeth into the Kingdom. So broad is wealth, and full of bulk and swelling out. ThereforeHe says, “Sell that thou hast” ( Matt. xix. 21 ), that that way may receive thee. Why dost thouyearn after wealth? For this cause He took it away from thee, that He might free thee from slavery.For true fathers also, when a son is corrupted by some mistress, and having given him muchexhortation they do not persuade him to part from her, send the mistress into banishment. Suchalso is abundance of wealth. Because the Lord cares for us, and delivers us from the harm [whicharises] therefrom, He takes away wealth from us.Let us not then think poverty an evil: sin is the only evil. For neither is wealth a good thing byitself: to be well-pleasing to God is the only good. Poverty then let us seek, this let us pursue: soshall we lay hold on heaven, so shall we attain to the other good things. Which may we all attainby the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together withthe Holy Ghost be glory, power, honor, now and ever and world without end. Amen.Homily XXXIV.Hebrews xiii. 17“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves. For they watch for your souls, asthey that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief, 3495 for this isunprofitable for you.”[1.] Anarchy 3496 is an evil, and the occasion of many calamities, and the source of disorder andconfusion. For as, if thou take away the leader from a chorus, the chorus will not be in tune and in3494[See above, pp. 442, 459, 460, 517. St. Chrysostom in his bitter banishment finished his last prayer “ with his usualthanksgiving, ‘ Glory to God for all things ’ and sealed it with a final Amen. ” Dr. Bright, Hist. of Church, between a.d. 313 and451 , chapter ix. end, p. 255 and Dr. Bright’s note b. on the same page.]3495“ lamenting, ” στενάζοντες3496It will be observed that St. Chrysostom uses “ rulers ” ( ἄ ρχοντες ) and the cognate words, of spiritual rulers.751