De die dominica

A discourse of our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the observance of the holy Lord’s day by Christians After the dismissal of the holy church, with the most blessed bishop Eusebius seated, Alexander approached and said to him: I beseech you, my lord, why is it necessary to keep the holy Lord’s day and not to work? What profit do we gain by not working? The blessed Eusebius said: Listen, child, and I will tell you about all that happens on the holy Lord’s day, whether good or evil. And as for our keeping the holy Lord’s day and not working: when the Lord handed over the form of the mystery, he took the bread, blessed it, and, breaking it, gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat of it, all of you; this is my body, which is broken for us and for many for the remission of sins. Likewise, having mixed the cup and blessed it, he gave it, saying: This is my blood, which is poured out for us and for many for the remission of sins. Do this in remembrance of me. Therefore, this day is the remembrance of the Lord. For this reason it was also called the Lord’s day; for before the Lord’s passion it was not called the Lord’s day, but the first day, the beginning of the week, which he gave to the world. And in the remembrance of the mysteries he commanded it to be celebrated. In honor of the sacred liturgy of the mysteries and of the resurrection, we were commanded not to work from its beginning. So this day has become the beginning of all goodness: the beginning of the creation of the world, the beginning of the resurrection, the beginning of the week. This day, having three beginnings, signifies the beginning of the good Trinity.

The week has seven days. The six days God gave us for work, and the one He gave us for rest, prayer, and release from evils, so that for whatever sin you committed in worldly affairs during the six days, when the Lord’s day comes, you rise early for church, and approaching the master Christ, confess with tears, and declare your sins to Him. Repent in prayer. Remain for the offered sacrifice. Remember in the offering also those who have departed—the ages, brothers, friends, and relatives. For by doing this, you provide great rest to those who have departed. So fulfill the prayer. See the master being divided and not diminished, distributed and not consumed. And if you have the vessel of your soul clean, approach and partake of the mysteries of Christ. But if your conscience accuses you, decline communion until you correct yourself through repentance. Yet remain in prayer, and do not leave until you are dismissed. Remember Judas the traitor, and do not leave the church. For the beginning of his destruction was not remaining with all in prayer. For Judas, having taken the bread in his mouth, immediately went out, and Satan entered into him, and he hastened to the betrayal. So also now: if you leave before the dismissal, God will demand from you the same reckoning as from him. Do not, then, for a brief hour, be condemned along with Judas the traitor. Staying does not burden you. The temple of God has no fire, nor sword, nor any other instrument of punishment, but only the endurance of one hour.

For this reason, then, we ought to keep the Lord’s Day, not by refraining from work alone, but let us devote ourselves to prayer and go frequently to the martyria. For it is not only a matter of abstaining from work, but let us also make an abstention from evil work. Many look forward to the Lord’s Day with great eagerness, but not all with the same purpose. For some look forward to it fearing God, so that they may send up prayer to God and partake of the precious body and blood. But the idle look forward to it so that, refraining from work, they may devote themselves to evil deeds. I know this and I do not lie; the facts bear witness. For go out on a weekday, and you will find no one. Go out on the Lord’s Day, and you will find some playing the cithara, others clapping, others sitting and watching their neighbor, and others kissing, and others making signs with their eyes for evil, and wherever there is dancing, there they run together. The herald calls to church, and all plead laziness. But if the sound of a flute or cithara is heard, all arrive as if on wings. What do they see when they enter the church? What do they see? I tell you: they see the Lord Christ lying on the table, and the seraphim singing the thrice-holy hymn, the presence of the Holy Spirit, King David singing, the sweet teaching of the blessed apostle Paul sounding in the ears of all, the angels crying out the ceaseless alleluia, the voices of the Gospels, the teaching and exhortation of the divine and orthodox bishops and presbyters—all spiritual, all heavenly, all salvific.

The one who comes to the church hears these things. But the one who comes to the theater, what does he behold? Diabolical songs, pitiful cries, clapping, hissing, women dancing—or rather, demon-possessed women. For what does the dancer do but become demon-possessed of her own free will? And the citharode, as if a demon were fighting with the wood. These songs of the theaters are entirely demonic, entirely the practices of demons. Therefore their reward is also evil. For such was once the council of Herod. For Herodias entered and danced, and she cut off the head of John the Baptist. Therefore she inherited the nether regions of Hades. So those who love her evil-crafty dance have their portion with her. Be content, then, to be occupied in evil works for six days, and on the day of prayer cease from evil-doing. And I know many who have disputes with one another and say, "Come on the Lord's Day and we will plead the case." Wretched and miserable man, you were commanded to pray on the Lord's Day, not to plead cases, were you? On the Lord's Day comes the one who has the matter, and all night he plots against his neighbor; and as soon as dawn comes, he arms himself and comes to the church. Such is the custom, especially in the villages. For they come to the church and sit outside, and the presbyter himself is the first to do this; and they bring forward matters and lawsuits, insults and beatings; and thus after these things they enter the church. And they are like wild beasts, glaring at one another and gnashing their teeth at each other.

Woe to that presbyter who does not first offer the prayers to God at the appointed hour. For if the appointed hour in which the prayer was to be fulfilled passes, and some depart and eat from the church, their sin goes to the priest. For if he tastes food before the dismissal of the church and the fixed hour of prayer, he is liable to the great judgment. And if someone tastes and then receives communion, he has his portion with those who eat dead things. For I know many who on that very day of holy Pascha tasted and slept and received communion. And woe to them, because instead of the remission of sins on that great and holy day, they rather add to their sins by their own doing. And whether one is a communicant or not, he ought to keep the hour until the dismissal of the church. Woe to those who play the cithara on the Lord's day, or dance, or judge, or are judged, or swear, or administer oaths, for they will be condemned to the fire of Gehenna, and their portion will be with those who transgress the law. For this day was given to us for prayer and release from evils; it was given for repentance and salvation, and for the rest of hired laborers and slaves.

For this is the day which the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. But let us be glad not with drunkenness or stupefied by a hangover, but delighting in the study of the divine scriptures and exulting in the melodies of the prophet David. Observe the precision of the prophet: how the Lord mentioned only the Lord’s day. He did not say, “These are the days which the Lord made; let us rejoice,” only, but he spoke about that one and only day. Did he not make the other days? Clearly he did, but the prophet mentioned only this one. David did not mention the six, because those God gave us for working and laboring at the works of the earth, but on the seventh day rest was given to men. So when God gave the law to Moses, he commanded the Hebrews to have rest on the Sabbath day, for on that day God rested from all his works. Therefore he also commanded them to cease their works and rest. But because they angered him and did not abide by his commandments, he swore to them through the prophet, saying, “They will not enter into my rest,” for he called the Sabbath “rest.” So when the Lord came upon the earth, born of the holy virgin, he renewed the entire law, for he himself was also the maker of the law. He saw that the law was burdensome and no one could keep it; he cast out the law and brought in grace, and gave us all things new, as the apostle testifies: “If anyone is in Christ, a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Since, then, everything has become new, it was necessary that the legislation of the Sabbath be dissolved, and that another day be introduced to us. Therefore, for rest and prayer, He gave us the first day, on which He began to make the world, and named it the Lord’s Day. A hired laborer enters your house and places his shoulder under your tasks; he is broken in sweat and toil, and for six days he dares not lift his head to see where the sun goes, but is crushed in your works, and you do not allow him even to raise his eyes. And he awaits the Lord’s Day with great longing, so that he may at least shake the dust from his body and rest—and you do not allow him this. And what forgiveness will you have, tell me? For there are some who, for the sake of supposed good works, say on the day of the Lord’s Day, “Come, today let us help the poor in their labors,” and they do not know that by what they intend to do good, they rather sin. For who, by looking after others’ affairs and giving to the poor, has earned a reward? For just as deeds arising from plunder have no reward before God, so also he who looks upon the day of God and misuses it for assistance has no reward. Do you wish to help the poor? Do not steal the day of God, but from what you yourself, your slaves, and your oxen have earned today, then give your assistance to the poor. You deprive them of their rest, and you give to the poor assistance—whose toil is that? Do not transgress the commandment; do not disobey the Scripture; do not steal the day of God; do not deprive your slaves and your hired laborers of their rest.

Do not separate yourself from the church, nor from prayer. For the church is higher than heaven, brighter than the sun, and more honorable than the whole world. I know many for whom a whole week passes, and they do not go to church. And if evil befalls them, they say, "Why did God allow this to happen?" However far you distance yourself from going to church, so far will God distance himself from you. These things are sufficient for admonition and fear of God. But if these things are not sufficient, and do not persuade those who hear, neither will more than these. For a wise man, one word is enough; for a fool, even the one explaining does not persuade his heart. Do you wish that evil not come upon you? On the Lord's Day, do not separate yourself from the church. Restrain your mouth from foolish talk. For this is the day which the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad in it, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is the glory and the power, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.