Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You bring an unspoken request, and this is well, for the cry of the heart reaches God even without words. But see that you do not keep hidden things of shame buried within while asking in Jesus’ name. What is concealed from men is laid bare before His eyes, and to walk in craftiness, handling your own life deceitfully, is to shut out the very grace you seek. For if we renounced not the hidden things of shame, the light of the Gospel remains hidden from us, and we gain nothing.
The time is short, the labor of repentance small; do not, for the sake of a little reluctance now, lose the unspeakable blessings. Both prayer and your own part are needed: grace awaits, but it works together with your effort. So speak to God, if not with the tongue, then with the heart, and add a firm resolve to turn from the shadows. He is merciful and will not despise a broken and contrite spirit. The Lord sees the secret trouble, and He is faithful to lift you up.
The time is short, the labor of repentance small; do not, for the sake of a little reluctance now, lose the unspeakable blessings. Both prayer and your own part are needed: grace awaits, but it works together with your effort. So speak to God, if not with the tongue, then with the heart, and add a firm resolve to turn from the shadows. He is merciful and will not despise a broken and contrite spirit. The Lord sees the secret trouble, and He is faithful to lift you up.
