Chrysostom
Good and Faithful Servant
Your thanksgiving for grace is a sweet aroma rising to the Father, for by His grace alone are we delivered from the war of sin and granted peace. Yet while you ask for silent prayers, take heed lest you fall into the snare of thinking that the intercession of others suffices while you yourself remain idle. If we are awake and fighting the good fight, we shall not need the help of others; but if we slumber in sin, even the prayers of the saints will profit us nothing. Even the most righteous, like Paul, did not say, “What need have I of prayer?” For we need both our own part and God’s part if we are to be saved.
Your Heavenly Father knows your needs before you ask, and as a loving Father He will not overlook His children in extremity. But He desires that you also be diligent, plucking out the thorns of earthly passions and casting in the heavenly seed of virtue. Prayer is a mighty weapon, a tower unshaken, yet it must be joined with works; otherwise the boat of the soul strikes the rocks and sinks. Go forth early each morning and make God propitious by your own prayers, so that when the tempests of the marketplace rage, you will have favorable winds. Then the silent petitions of the church will be a wall about you, but you yourself must first stand watch. So give thanks, and press on toward the heavenly prize, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Your Heavenly Father knows your needs before you ask, and as a loving Father He will not overlook His children in extremity. But He desires that you also be diligent, plucking out the thorns of earthly passions and casting in the heavenly seed of virtue. Prayer is a mighty weapon, a tower unshaken, yet it must be joined with works; otherwise the boat of the soul strikes the rocks and sinks. Go forth early each morning and make God propitious by your own prayers, so that when the tempests of the marketplace rage, you will have favorable winds. Then the silent petitions of the church will be a wall about you, but you yourself must first stand watch. So give thanks, and press on toward the heavenly prize, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
