Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Troubles and despondency, when borne with patience, are not a sign of God’s abandonment but rather the very means by which He perfects salvation. The grace that brings salvation has appeared, teaching us to deny worldly lusts and to live godly in this present age. When a man is without work and sunk in gloom, the soul is thrown back upon God. That emptiness can become the good ground where the seed of the word takes root, provided there is careful hearing, fortitude, and a true contempt of worldly things. Yet the same grace warns that hearing alone is not sufficient; there must be deliverance from all that chokes the word, from the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, which are the hidden roots of every vice and addiction. That is the inner healing you seek: not merely a lifting of mood, but the uprooting of disordered affections that bind the heart.
As for those who do not speak to you, this trial can work the very salvation of all three, if you endure it patiently. Affliction is given for comfort and salvation, both for those who suffer and for those who witness steadfast hope. Be careful then: do not pray against these persons, for an unlawful prayer against another adds grievous enhancement to our other sins and dims our own hope of salvation. Instead, weep for them as for those who are sick and know not their best friends, for it is a mark of those who are perishing not to recognize the things that lead to salvation. God, who is rich in mercy, hears the prayers of His people and often delivers through affliction, drawing souls to Himself. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings; if the eternal Word, who was with God and is God, entered into our sorrows, shall He not also heal the brokenhearted and reconcile hearts estranged?
Therefore, I will pray that these three may hear the Bridegroom’s voice with great joy, that the grace of God may appear to them, pardoning all former sins and giving them power to deny ungodliness and every worldly lust. Let their deliverance from addiction be no half-turn but a true conversion of the will. And you, stand firm, not confounded by their silence or your own heaviness, but looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity and purify a people zealous of good works.
As for those who do not speak to you, this trial can work the very salvation of all three, if you endure it patiently. Affliction is given for comfort and salvation, both for those who suffer and for those who witness steadfast hope. Be careful then: do not pray against these persons, for an unlawful prayer against another adds grievous enhancement to our other sins and dims our own hope of salvation. Instead, weep for them as for those who are sick and know not their best friends, for it is a mark of those who are perishing not to recognize the things that lead to salvation. God, who is rich in mercy, hears the prayers of His people and often delivers through affliction, drawing souls to Himself. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings; if the eternal Word, who was with God and is God, entered into our sorrows, shall He not also heal the brokenhearted and reconcile hearts estranged?
Therefore, I will pray that these three may hear the Bridegroom’s voice with great joy, that the grace of God may appear to them, pardoning all former sins and giving them power to deny ungodliness and every worldly lust. Let their deliverance from addiction be no half-turn but a true conversion of the will. And you, stand firm, not confounded by their silence or your own heaviness, but looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity and purify a people zealous of good works.
