Chrysostom
Humble Servant of All
You desire a peaceful life, free from conflict and torment. This is a noble wish, yet too often we seek peace in outward circumstances while the root of every quarrel lies within. I tell you, cut out the root and there will be no fruit. Every strife among men springs from covetousness, envy, or vainglory. Has someone taken your money? He has not harmed you, unless he steals the treasure above. Has he hindered your honor? That is only a name, a shame. When you learn to despise earthly things, you find there is no conflict in spiritual matters. Peace comes when you cease to cling to what others can snatch away.
But peace with men must begin with peace toward God. The Apostle says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.” Do not merely avoid fights; pursue holiness. For a soul at war with itself through passion cannot be at peace with others. Wrath, even when just, ruins bold speech; anger makes the eye unsightly and the mind distraught. When you speak, let it be without harshness, imitating the Master who, suffering evil, prayed, “Lay not this sin to their charge.” If you remember no evil, God will remember no charge against you. With the haters of peace be peaceful; your reward grows the more your brother wars against you.
You ask for success. True success is not in wealth or rank but in a table full of countless blessings, most sweet, without cost, delivered from care. There is a rest where pain, sorrow, and sighing flee away, where no darkness falls, and we persevere in desire for good things without weariness. That is the peace Christ gives, not as the world gives. He leaves you an inner peace that makes you stronger, so that if you are at peace with Him and with one another, the trouble of the world cannot harm you.
Therefore, make war to cease, against God and neighbor. Be at peace with all, considering that God saves you as a peacemaker, calling you His son. This is no small virtue; it sets you free from sins and draws you near to God. Do not merely wish for external calm; become calm within. Cut away envy, vainglory, and the love of things that perish. Then, even in a storm, you will stand in the haven of a quiet soul, and you will find the peace and success that no one can take away.
But peace with men must begin with peace toward God. The Apostle says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.” Do not merely avoid fights; pursue holiness. For a soul at war with itself through passion cannot be at peace with others. Wrath, even when just, ruins bold speech; anger makes the eye unsightly and the mind distraught. When you speak, let it be without harshness, imitating the Master who, suffering evil, prayed, “Lay not this sin to their charge.” If you remember no evil, God will remember no charge against you. With the haters of peace be peaceful; your reward grows the more your brother wars against you.
You ask for success. True success is not in wealth or rank but in a table full of countless blessings, most sweet, without cost, delivered from care. There is a rest where pain, sorrow, and sighing flee away, where no darkness falls, and we persevere in desire for good things without weariness. That is the peace Christ gives, not as the world gives. He leaves you an inner peace that makes you stronger, so that if you are at peace with Him and with one another, the trouble of the world cannot harm you.
Therefore, make war to cease, against God and neighbor. Be at peace with all, considering that God saves you as a peacemaker, calling you His son. This is no small virtue; it sets you free from sins and draws you near to God. Do not merely wish for external calm; become calm within. Cut away envy, vainglory, and the love of things that perish. Then, even in a storm, you will stand in the haven of a quiet soul, and you will find the peace and success that no one can take away.
