Chrysostom
Beloved Warrior
The loss of a car is a small matter when set beside the soul's peace. Let your son not fix his heart on what thieves can steal, but on the treasure laid up in heaven, where neither rust nor moth corrupts. The true comfort is not the return of that vehicle, but the grace of Christ which upholds us in every trial. Tell him to give attendance to reading the divine writings, and there he will find words that heal the wounded spirit.
As for the one who stole, pray not simply for the car's recovery but for that person's conversion. Many who were tares have become wheat, Paul the persecutor, the thief on the cross, because God's long-suffering grants an appointed day of repentance. The delay of vengeance is a comfort if we use it for amendment. So let your son offer alms, even from his loss, and intercede for the thief, that he may taste the heavenly gift of forgiveness and turn from his wickedness.
A car returned without a changed heart is a small gain; a sinner brought to repentance is a victory for the whole Church. The righteous judgment of God will set all things right, whether in this life or the world to come. Therefore, let your son's heart be comforted not by what is seen, but by the good word of God and the powers of that age, for we are called to glory in Christ, who makes even thefts a path to greater grace.
As for the one who stole, pray not simply for the car's recovery but for that person's conversion. Many who were tares have become wheat, Paul the persecutor, the thief on the cross, because God's long-suffering grants an appointed day of repentance. The delay of vengeance is a comfort if we use it for amendment. So let your son offer alms, even from his loss, and intercede for the thief, that he may taste the heavenly gift of forgiveness and turn from his wickedness.
A car returned without a changed heart is a small gain; a sinner brought to repentance is a victory for the whole Church. The righteous judgment of God will set all things right, whether in this life or the world to come. Therefore, let your son's heart be comforted not by what is seen, but by the good word of God and the powers of that age, for we are called to glory in Christ, who makes even thefts a path to greater grace.
