Homily 30 Friday of Third Week of Great Lent THE RICH AND THE POOR St John Chrysostom

Описание: And if we build splendid houses upon the earth and are glorified here, yet do not perform righteousness and virtue, can that glory help us in any way?

How long, brothers, shall we crawl upon the earth like a serpent and never be able to rise like an eagle toward heaven, where life and the Kingdom are prepared for us, as the Apostle Paul says?

Therefore I say to you: guard yourselves, for we are mortal. Whoever becomes drunk and seeks glory fattens the body but destroys the soul. For this reason the saints counted this life as nothing, so that we might imitate them and not cling to this life, lest we become enemies of God.

For the saints endured countless sufferings and afflictions for God’s sake, but those who serve the belly accept many reproaches and insults merely to satisfy the stomach. Such people destroy both their possessions and their souls.

But we, the faithful, must not surrender ourselves to this life. Rather, let us endure a little here so that there we may obtain glory and honor and receive eternal life, as the Apostle teaches us: from where we also await our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Truly we are worthy of tears, for we willingly deprive ourselves of such promises. For it has been promised that our flesh will become like the flesh of our Lord. Yet we willingly make it resemble demons through unrighteous deeds.

Now I will make this clear to you through two men.