Chrysostom
Beloved of All
When afflictions multiply and the weight of sorrow presses down, do not let your heart be troubled or give way to despair. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted; He does not despise the tears of those who cry out to Him day and night. But consider the case of righteous Job. He lost his children, his health, and his goods. He sat in ashes, his own body a torment, and even his friends accused him of hidden wickedness. Yet he did not curse God, nor did he allow bitterness to rule his spirit. He knew nothing certain about the resurrection, yet he held fast. How much more, then, should you and your mother cling to the hope of the kingdom, now that Christ has risen and made all things plain?
Do not therefore say, “Why has God allowed this?” Do not charge Him with neglect. For many things are hidden from us, and what seems a delay is often a preparation for greater mercy. You pray for your mother’s liver, for her health and long life. God is able to restore her. But while you ask, examine your own soul. Is there any root of anger, any grudge you hold against another? The ways of the revengeful lead unto death. If you remember injuries, if you speak evil of those who have wronged you, you injure yourself first. Let no bitter word against anyone proceed from your mouth, for the evil speaker defiles his own conscience before he harms another. Humble yourself, rather, and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The Pharisee spoke truth when he said he was not like the publican, yet he was condemned because he exalted himself. Do not compare your hardship with the apparent ease of the wicked; do not envy those who seem to prosper while you struggle. Their path is slippery; your affliction, borne with patience, refines you like gold.
As for your debts and the want of a monthly sum, do not lose courage. He who feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies will not abandon those who trust in Him. Yet I would have you remember that virtue gladdens the doer first. If you deal honestly with all, if you share whatever little you have, if you refuse to take what is not yours, God will send relief in His time. And do not cease from hearing the word of God and assembling with the faithful. A tree may receive ten strokes and not fall, yet by those very blows it is loosened, and the eleventh brings it down. So too, every sermon, every prayer, every reading of Scripture works upon the root of your soul, even when you perceive no fruit. Do not say, “I have prayed so long and nothing changes.” Keep knocking. Keep weeping before the Lord. He will answer when it is best.
And your father who has gone to his rest: he is in the hands of God. Do not grieve as those without hope. Instead, let his memory spur you and your mother to run with greater endurance the race that is set before you. The same God who strengthened him in his last hour will strengthen you both. Pray not only for bodily healing and financial stability, but above all for a clean heart and a good conscience. That is the health of the soul, and it makes even poverty sweet.
May you both, having been refined by these trials, obtain the eternal blessings which surpass all that we ask or think, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Do not therefore say, “Why has God allowed this?” Do not charge Him with neglect. For many things are hidden from us, and what seems a delay is often a preparation for greater mercy. You pray for your mother’s liver, for her health and long life. God is able to restore her. But while you ask, examine your own soul. Is there any root of anger, any grudge you hold against another? The ways of the revengeful lead unto death. If you remember injuries, if you speak evil of those who have wronged you, you injure yourself first. Let no bitter word against anyone proceed from your mouth, for the evil speaker defiles his own conscience before he harms another. Humble yourself, rather, and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The Pharisee spoke truth when he said he was not like the publican, yet he was condemned because he exalted himself. Do not compare your hardship with the apparent ease of the wicked; do not envy those who seem to prosper while you struggle. Their path is slippery; your affliction, borne with patience, refines you like gold.
As for your debts and the want of a monthly sum, do not lose courage. He who feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies will not abandon those who trust in Him. Yet I would have you remember that virtue gladdens the doer first. If you deal honestly with all, if you share whatever little you have, if you refuse to take what is not yours, God will send relief in His time. And do not cease from hearing the word of God and assembling with the faithful. A tree may receive ten strokes and not fall, yet by those very blows it is loosened, and the eleventh brings it down. So too, every sermon, every prayer, every reading of Scripture works upon the root of your soul, even when you perceive no fruit. Do not say, “I have prayed so long and nothing changes.” Keep knocking. Keep weeping before the Lord. He will answer when it is best.
And your father who has gone to his rest: he is in the hands of God. Do not grieve as those without hope. Instead, let his memory spur you and your mother to run with greater endurance the race that is set before you. The same God who strengthened him in his last hour will strengthen you both. Pray not only for bodily healing and financial stability, but above all for a clean heart and a good conscience. That is the health of the soul, and it makes even poverty sweet.
May you both, having been refined by these trials, obtain the eternal blessings which surpass all that we ask or think, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
