Hagiographical and Homiletic Texts from "Mamata scavlani"

The saying of Saint John Chrysostom concerning the fear of God and repentance. The true teaching teaches us, David the prophet, and says: "Come, children, hear me, and the fear of the Lord to you." And because the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, it is fitting for us that before all else we learn the fear of God, for it prepares us for eternal life and drives away sin and death. And not only does the fear of God bring us life, but also glory and praise. Now, since the fear of God is such a bringer of good things to us, it is fitting, beloved brothers, that we serve the Lord with fear, with true service, not only in word but in deed. And let us make the foundation of our acquisition humility, that we may resemble the humility and love of our Savior. See, brothers, that you do not by the will of this world despise the commandments of your Lord. Know that the corruptible flesh you have, and you do not know if you are alive tomorrow, for your days are numbered. Why then do you boast of useless things, which are of the works of this world, for eternity, that we might preserve that, brothers, which was born and did not die.

Who has not changed his youthfulness in old age, or who that was young has not grown old? Surely no one has ever taken this earth as a permanent dwelling—no, not at all. Now, therefore, understand such matters and cast away from yourself laziness, and know that man is like vanity, and his days pass away like shadows. When you behold the meadow of the earth, liken to it the nature of man, for just as the meadow of the earth is ever changing, so too are all the works of the sons of men. Your Lord has promised you an imperishable life, and you have loved a perishable life. Despise the belly and master the desire of the flesh, and do not be idle in these few days, lest they lead you into those eternal, unquenchable torments. For it is better for you to take upon yourself a little labor here and escape those eternal torments, rather than to pass away burdened with sin and become food for that unquenchable fire. For this reason I beseech you, beloved, not to neglect your soul, and to hasten to that unending kingdom and that ineffable joy with the angels, and to the life of heaven and the divine abodes, for we are temporal, so that we may labor a little and rejoice eternally.

Now, therefore, let us not be bold concerning the patience of Christ, our God, toward us, for here he is patient and long-suffering toward us, but there he will demand an account of our deeds. Guard the door of your mouth, which is your tongue, for most sins are contrived by the tongue; do not say that we speak but a small word. Behold, brother, how many trials attend a word. Fear, then, to stand before that terrible judge, where all your deeds will be openly known, for all our sins are written there. Whatever we do or say, at that same hour it is recorded there. Now, therefore, fear, O wretched one, lest all your evil deeds be recorded against you, but only those that are already written. Strive to remove them, for it is needful for you to weep greatly, to pray, to repent, and to confess your sins, and to practice many other manifold virtues, so that by such means you may blot out your transgressions and escape from those torments and from that eternal shame; for there, accumulations of wealth are of no use, but only good deeds. Now, therefore, let us not be concerned with accumulations, but let us weep before that immortal judge.

And if you have possessions, distribute them to the poor, for you are able to effect the salvation of your soul while you are still in this world. If you wish, behold and let not fornicators and adulterers overtake you into the kingdom. Say to your soul here, so that there you may be joyful, and with this transient weeping, do away with that eternal weeping. Sow here labor, so that there you may reap joy. Bow your head and say to your soul, and shed your tears fervently. Behold then, that harlot who is written of in the Gospel, by her weeping Christ forgave all her sins. How much more you, when you weep with fasting and purity, are you worthy of mercy beyond her! If you have no good works, cry out like the Canaanite woman: "Have mercy on me, O Lord." If you have no boldness from good works, take refuge in the many and unspeakable mercies of the Savior, and hasten to the reading of divinely inspired books.

For just as those who in the time of heat sit near the outflow of waters and are cooled by the chill of the air from the intense heat, so too whoever flees to the holy books shall deliver his own soul from all passions, as one who is delivered from the burning of fire, for the words of the books are consolations of God. Who then is able to trouble him who has God as his comforter! Therefore, acquire the reading of books without weariness, even if you have but little leisure, yet your heart shall be enlightened, if you strive with true faith, with prayer, with vigil, and with patience. In prayer, do not ever say, "I have prayed once and twice, or many times, and I have not obtained my request." Do not abandon prayer until you obtain your desire. And when you worship, let not your mouth pray while your mind wanders, for God desires not only words, but the deeds of those who beseech him. Do not become of little faith in his mercies. Who then trusted in God and was put to shame? Or who abode in his fear and he disregarded him? Or who asked with faith and he did not hear him?

For God is good and merciful; He will forgive the sins and save His own in the time of distress. Meditate constantly, beloved, on your departure from this world and on that terrible day. And how it will be at that hour, when your soul is separated from your body, you lying prostrate on your bed, brother, and unable to help yourself at all. Implant in your mind always: say, your household and your friends are sitting around you, mourning with grief and weeping with lamentation for the taking away of your soul, and not one of them is able to plead with those angels who hasten to bring your soul out of the body. Now then, recall all your deeds and compare the good ones with the evil ones; and if you find the evil ones more numerous than the good, bury them now with virtue. Your eyes are always watching that insatiable worm and that unquenchable fire and that dark thunder and that unceasing torment. Quench that fire of your passions, not with water, but with tears; cleanse the defilement of your soul with weeping, for weeping not only quenches that eternal fire, but also washes away the stinginess of sins.

As David the prophet says, who had experienced and knew the power of tears: "I washed my body every night." He did not say "I sprinkled" but "I washed," so that you might know that the power of tears of repentance is like that of baptism. Now, since we know that divine sorrow drives away the sorrow of sin, grieve here for your sins, so that you may not grieve there, from torments, to no avail. Show your wound to the physician and reveal to him the sin of your soul, for he is the physician of souls and the giver of comfort. Fear the judge and that terrible day and the dreadful judge, where there is trembling, and weeping of eyes, and darkness of perdition. Where there is unceasing sighing and unending woe. Remember, O wretched one, these present things and do not hate your soul. And know that nothing benefits a man's soul as much as the constant remembrance of his own sins. Now, be swift in prayer, so that you may persuade your Lord, and give cause to the merciful God to forgive your sins with repentance, lest His goodness be rendered idle by your negligence.

Even if you are sunk into the abyss of hell by sin, He is able to raise you up from there. Do not, however, grow weary of praying to Him with heartfelt supplication and tears. And if you lack boldness toward Him, pray that He may grant you boldness. Do not think of Him as a man whom you have angered and before whom you would be ashamed to appear again. He is merciful, and He desires your deliverance from sins more than you yourself do. And you do not care for your soul as He cares for you, in order to save you. Therefore, if you lack boldness to ask of Him, may He grant you boldness. And this is boldness: when you think within yourself that you lack boldness to pray to Him. Be patient always in praying to God, beloved, for what great labor does He have? You perform a labor that is without toil, and know that a crown is not won by sleep, for the vigilant, the industrious, and the prayerful become crown-bearers, and no man attains the good without labor. Kindle heartfelt supplication by reading the divine books and by remembrance of the coming judgment.

Awaken your soul by the remembrance of the hells; flee from the temptations of the world; give your soul a little rest, that it may become a lover of the Saviour. You cannot serve two lords. Weep here, that you may rejoice there, for woe to that man who rejoices here, while his latter end shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let weeping and night be your nourishment here, that you may receive eternal joy in exchange for it. Do not deceive yourself, for you are worthy of the toil of struggling against the satiety of the belly and the mortification of the flesh, of subduing and obeying—to break the will and to rest. And let every deed of yours be done with purity for the sake of your God, for great fear and sorrow befall those who neglect the work of God and do so with slackness. Behold, O wretched one, and do not become idle, lest you be cast into the burning of its fire, for it burns not only the flesh but also the soul eternally and forever. Now, therefore, always bear in mind those eternal torments and unending punishments, and let not that unquenchable fire become for you a jest and a fetter, but bring humility to your soul as a means of salvation.

If you make humility the covering of your building, you will be able to build upon it whatever edifice of virtues you desire. And if you do not first lay this foundation, every good thing you do will not abide nor be confirmed. Neither fasting, nor purity, nor almsgiving, nor any other good work can be perfected without it. Embrace humility and flee from pride, that evil passion, with the fear of God. Crush it and be humble with true humility. Let not your appearance and countenance be lowly and despised, and the color of your face sorrowful, while your mind is haughty and proud, for just as water weakens the strength of wine, so humility weakens the haughty soul. Humble your soul that you may exalt it. Just as pride is the root of all evil, so humility is the head of all good. So exalted is humility, for God humbled Himself for our sake, that we might be made like unto Him. For He says: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." I have shown you many paths of repentance, that you may be saved and ascend to heaven. If I had shown you only one path, you might have made excuses and said: I am unable to walk this path.

For this reason, I have shown you many ways of the many-colored virtues for your perfection, for you to walk on the path of peace. If you have many sins, say only: "I have sinned," and all your sins will be wiped away, for thus did the prophet David and he wiped away his sins. This is the first way, which is the forgiver of sins, and that is humility. And the second way is to mourn for your sins. Neither the abundance of possessions, nor great labor, nor walking a long and difficult path is necessary. And a witness to this is Ahab, when he mourned sorrowfully, God also repented of the cloud that had been sent out from him for vengeance, like those who mourn over the dead; no passion from any affliction overcomes them, nor even thoughts at the time of mourning, for their entire mind is in mourning. Likewise you, if you truly mourn for your sins, no love of this world will overcome you. Now if you desire consolation, mourn, for from whence God is your consoler, O beloved. Even if sorrows press upon you from every side, they cannot overcome you, for the consolation of God is superior to all sorrows.

And I have shown you a third way, so that you may be delivered from anger and gain peace, so that blessedness may be given to you, which makes the peaceful crowned with a wreath. And beware, lest you destroy patience, endurance, and peace, and especially over something small and insignificant, as when your servant has broken some vessel, or spilled oil, or destroyed something, and you become angry because of it and thereby destroy that blessedness of the peaceful and the humble. But when you are stirred to anger against someone, remember that humility of God in your mind and thereby quench that flame of your anger and endure, so that you may receive the crown of the martyrs, and be counted before men as a martyr, an imitator of the Lord of humility and patience. Look at the holy Peter, how he wished to know the limit of forgiveness and of patient endurance. He asked the Lord and said: "If my brother sins against me, how many times shall I forgive him?" And this blessed one thought that patience and forgiveness had a limit, until he said: "Seven times shall I forgive?" Then our merciful Lord revealed to him how great mercy is among men and before God. He answered and said to him: "I do not tell you seven times, but seventy times seven times forgive.

Understand the mercy of God, which is ineffable, and keep the commandments, and accept the teaching which He spoke, namely: "He who exalts his own head, let him be humbled." And walk on the path of the peaceful, and abandon every wrath of the heart and the arrow of envy. For envy is the root of death, and many sorrows attend it, for it is a consuming sword of the heart, for the pain of consumption does not penetrate the heart as the pain of envy penetrates, in which that one is steeped. Neither sickness nor heaviness changes the color and form of the face as envy changes the beauty of the soul. Now then, flee from evil envy and serve the Lord with true service, and always meditate in prayer, not with a deceitful tongue, but with glory and love. And keep your mouth from swearing, even if you swear justly, for the deception of the tongue acts swiftly, and few are preserved from it.

Be swift to guard yourself from the seed of the enemy, for he is altogether swift to destroy this wretched soul, and especially through the tongue and the mouth, for there is nothing among us that is a greater accomplice to our deception and destruction than our unbridled tongue and open mouth, and the greatest and most abundant deception of our fall is wrought by these. Therefore the speaker has said: "It is better for you that your feet stumble and you fall to the ground than that your tongue should stumble." For he who falls to the ground inflicts a wound upon the body, but he whose tongue stumbles destroys the souls together with the flesh forever. Behold, we see that everyone who prays and mourns beseeches that he be preserved from the tongue. Now, since death and life come from the tongue, let us restrain it with humility and flee from oaths and every deception, and let us walk on the path of peace. And again, let us flee from flattery of men and from hypocrisy, for hypocrisy is a grievous affliction and it is the first work of the devil, for by it he cast down Adam. And every evil begins with hypocrisy, just as every good is wrought by sincerity and truth, which has no guile.

But slander is a persistent thing in every respect, a seeker of pretexts, swift to cast down a man who is not on his guard; for even if his malice is hidden from men, nothing is hidden from God. See to it that this disease is not in you, and that you do not blame your brother for it. For a good man, when he sees his brother stumbling and falling, does not mock him, but takes care lest he himself fall likewise. Remove falsehood from yourself, and slander will not approach you, for falsehood is the work of the devil. And a sword cannot cut as the tongue cuts, for a sword cuts only flesh, but the tongue destroys souls and bodies. Therefore cast out from yourself the pleasing of men, and acquire sincerity and virtue, and keep your mind below that of all men, and do nothing by which God may be angered. And when you do some good deed, do not boast of it, for our enemy also fights us with many-colored evil battles through this as well. See, wretched one, and do not dishonor God by your created nature from Him, for just as God is glorified by the righteous, so is He dishonored by sinners.

If you have taken up the service of God by your own will and are separated from human affairs, and have made the nourishment of heaven your own sustenance, and are trusting in God, and have hope of those eternal goods and of endless life, and desire that unchangeable glory, then flee from earthly glory, which destroys the souls of men. And do not be exalted by the praises of men, nor let their censure weigh heavily upon you. And separate yourself from human disturbances and flee to those who say, "Our knees have grown weak from fasting," and imitate them, for they are divine pillars, for by the smallness of their sustenance and the greatness of their labors they obtained the grace of God and became dwellers of that heavenly city. Acquire also their disposition and cast out from yourself the passion of pride, for it is the devil who first of all fell into the depth of pride and destroyed all his own good. Be humble not in word, but in deed, and know that God crushes the proud, but to the humble He gives this grace: a wise disposition, when a man does good and does not become arrogant. Now then, strive to please God and not men, so that you may receive praise from God and not from men.

See and do not reveal your virtues to men, lest you lose the grace of God, for the glory of this world is transitory, like a shadow and like a meadow that withers. For this reason, those who have acquired true virtue were spoken of by men and fled to the mountains and deserts, so that they might be separated from the glory of men. And they received honor from God. Listen, beloved brother! Crush your harsh mind and awaken your soul from its sloth, which is with you, as if one awakens from a heavy sleep. And offer to God the fragrant incense of pure prayer, and let not your prayer be counted as sin, nor let your incense be in vain. Awaken tirelessly, for God loves wakefulness with joy. And everything that is done with joy is fruitful; and everything that is done with weariness and gloom has no grace, but rather punishment. Now, since you have recognized the benefit of your soul from someone and wish to be counted among that firstborn assembly, remove from yourself worldly affairs and the company of men. Flee from love of silver, which is the root of all evil, and let your possessions be few, for this is the fullness of virtues.

If you desire wealth, strive to be enriched by good works, for the wealth of this world is swiftly passing, whereas that spiritual wealth is salvific for the soul from death, as it is said: "Treasures are of no benefit to sinners, but righteousness delivers from death." Now, since we have recognized that passion for silver, flee from it; but if you have possessions, then share with friends from that Mammon of price, which is false, for it was not without benefit. For the Lord said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be pitied." Cast away gold, as those Magi cast it away, who offered it as a gift to the Lord; they offered three gold pieces; you give a small loaf of bread to the poor; they journeyed from afar, you cannot even take one step to visit the sick? They saw a star and rejoiced, whereas you see Christ needy, hungry, and a stranger, and you do not pity him at all; and can you not take even one step to see Christ in weakness, not to mention your journey far into the land? Behold, you see him every day at the doors of the church, he beseeches and says to you: "Pity me.

And you do not see him, but you turn your face away from him, as one who turns his face away from a stone idol. And when you enter into the church, you pray to him and say: "Have mercy on me." Now then, when you know that what was done for one of the poor was done for Christ, you should have mercy on the poor, if you wish to serve God. Do not desire the love of possessions, for it seeks from you good faith, not the abundance or scarcity of things given. Abhor the love of silver and the work of evil sin, if you love God, as the Scripture says: "Those who love the Lord, abhor wickedness." Now since you know that mercy is the chief of virtues, which opens the gates of heaven to men, acquire it as an intercessor and helper. And if you have many sins, do not fear, for no one from among the heavenly ones will oppose it, but it will enter before the judge and in its hands will have the book in which is written that word which said: "What you have done for one of the least, you have done for me." Know that God seeks from all the work of faith, and faith is truly the work of righteousness.

Win faith by deed as well, and preserve your soul from passions, so that the enemy may not find with you a dwelling place. And pray to God that he may help you and guide you, as is fitting for your separation from evil thoughts. You have heard what Christ said: "He who wishes to come to me, let him empty himself." How then can a man empty himself, unless he abandon his own will and become patient for the sake of God's love, and separate himself from avaricious thoughts and evil deeds and all iniquities? Behold, I show you fully the deeds of the good and the deeds of the evil. Know these, and examine your mind, and preserve your soul, like a wise and skillful physician who cuts away the rotten and putrefied flesh and applies medicine afterward. Now heal also your soul and your body with complete healing, so that you may attain that honor and eternal resting place without end. This is the teaching of heaven, which leads to the heavenly path and makes a man so that he does not fall from eternal glory, and leads him to our Lord Jesus Christ, whose is the kingdom and glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto ages of ages, amen.

John speaks of fear, therefore he speaks, therefore he prepares us with words for his own benefit. And whoever reaped, depart, heavy burden, therefore for the sake of the inheritances of patience, leave off, I speak, we speak, let them write for the sake of the acquisitions of shame. It was, he destroyed, he reaped his own with trembling, I speak, I bowed down, he brought, shameful, for the sake of departure, for the sake of his removal, I thought, not if of the eternal, he speaks, always night, always day, for your sake, where it may be, he remembered his own for your sake, for you, therefore, with his own, he roars, he brings, the tremblers, roaring, he poured out, he made tremble, for the sake of the name, he attached, they placed, full of smoke, all, of wine, with humility, for us, he speaks, peace, therefore, for the sake of calming, of peace, for your sake, crown, of mourning, for your sake, before, he poured out, he brought, peace, of the peaceful, roaring, peace, for his sake, of the peaceful, roar, of the peaceful way, I tell you, of the peaceful way, of the seventy-seven ways, they preserved his own, in the peaceful, sweet, leave off, therefore.

He made the body of the Lord to be consumed, he caused to be poured out, of the peace of the dove, and of concealment, for his own sake, his own, the martyr, the martyr, for this reason, he gained, of glory, of the Lord, of affliction, the heir, his own. He spoke, with a word, and he made difficult, for this reason also, they obtained, he revealed, he reveals, of the creation, I was revealing, revelation, with trembling, I struggled, I made known, of the explanation, I recognized, the tree, of falsehood, the Lord, he made, I say, of the church, I tell you, of his conversion, his own, I entered, I tell him, I loved, love, I gained, truly, I gained, I preserved, the inheritance, his own, his own, for the sake of love, and then I preserved, I approach, the Lord, Ps. 33:12, Lk. 7:37-48, Mt. 15:22, Ps. 6:5, Mt. 6:24, Mt. 8:12, Mt. 11:29, cf. Ps. 50:2; 50:9, III Reg. 21:17-29, Mt. 18:21-22, Mt. 23:12, Sir. 20:18, Sap. 10:2, Mt. 5:7, cf. Mt. 2:1-11, Ps. 96:10, Mt. 25:40, Mt. 16:24; Lk. 9:23.