St. John Chrysostom's Sermon for the New Year
[…] The whole year will be fortunate for you, not
if you are drunk on the new-moon [New Year’ Day], but if both on the new-moon
[January 1st], and each day, you do those things approved by God. For days come
wicked and good, not from their own nature; for a day differs nothing from
another day, but from our zeal and sluggishness. If you perform righteousness,
then the day becomes good to you; if you perform sin, then it will be evil and
full of retribution. If you contemplate these things, and are so disposed, you
will consider the whole year favorable, performing prayers and charity every
day; but if you are careless of virtue for yourself, and you entrust the
contentment of your soul to beginnings of months and numbers of days, you will
be desolate of everything good unto yourself. […]
Strong
drink does not produce delight, but spiritual prayer; not wine, but a learned
word. Wine effects a storm, but the Word [of God] effects calm; the former
transports in an uproar, the latter expels disturbance; the former darkens the
understanding, the latter lightens the darkened; the former imports
despondencies that are non-existent, the latter drives away those there were.
For nothing is so accustomed to produce contentment and delight, as the
teachings of [our] philosophy [wisdom]: [which is] to despise present affairs,
to yearn for the things to come, to consider nothing of human affairs to be
secure, and if you behold some rich man not to be bitten with envy, and if you
fall into poverty not to be downcast by that poverty. Thus you are always able
to celebrate festivals.
For the
Christian ought to hold feasts not for months, nor new moons, nor Lord’s days,
but continually through life to conduct a feast befitting him. What is the
feast that befits him? Let us listen to Paul speaking, “Therefore let us
celebrate the feast, not in the old leaven, nor by leaven of evil and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” [1
Corinthians 5,8].
If then
you have a clean conscience, you hold a feast continually, nourished with good
hopes, and reveling in the delight of the good things to come; then just as if
you conducted yourself lacking boldness, and you were liable from many sins,
and if there be ten thousand feasts and holy-days, you would be in no better
state than those grieving. For what is the benefit to me of bright days, if my
soul is darkened in its conscience? If then one wishes to gain some benefit
from the new moon, do this. When you see the year ending, thank the Lord,
because he had led you into this cycle of years. Stab the heart [‘prick the
heart’] reckon up the time of your life, say to oneself: “The days run and pass
by, the years fill-up, we have progressed much of the way; What good is there
for us to do? Will we not depart from here, empty and deserted of all
righteousness, the judgment at the doors, the rest of life leads us to our old
age.”
These
things, [from the new moon], contemplate on New Year’s Day, these from the
circuit of the years, recollect. Let us reckon the future day, no longer
something spoken to us that, which was said to the Jews by the prophet, “Their
days slipped away in vanity, and their years with haste” [Psalm 77:33 LXX].
This is the feast which I mentioned, the continual one, and the one not delayed
by the passage of years, not limited by days, both the rich and the poor will
be able to celebrate in the same manner: For here there is no want of wealth,
nor provision, but only of virtue. Do you not have wealth? But you have the
fear of God, a treasure more fruitful than all wealth, not consumed, not
changed, not spent-up. Look to heaven, and to the heaven of heavens, the earth,
the sea, the air, the kinds of the animals, the manifold plants, the whole
nature of human-beings; consider the angels, archangels, the powers above;
recall that these are all creations of your Master. It is thus not poverty to
be the slave of the providential Master, if you have him as your propitious
Lord. The observation of days is not of Christian philosophy [teaching, wisdom,
see notes], but of Hellenic error.
Into the
city above you are enrolled [i.e. as a citizen] into the polity there you are
reckoned, you will mingle with the angels; where light does not give way to
darkness, nor day fulfilled to night, but is always day, always light. To these
therefore let us look continually. “For seek”, he says, “the things above,
where Christ is seated at God’s right hand.” [Col 3:1] You have nothing in
common with the earth, where the courses of the sun are, and circuits, and
days; but if you live rightly, the night will be day for you; just as then for
those living in licentiousness and drunkenness and intemperance, their day is
turned into the darkness of night, not with the sun’s extinction, but the
darkening of their mind by inebriation.
Russians
celebrate the New Year on Red Square in Moscow, with the Kremlin in the
background, right, and St. Basil's cathedral in background left, Russia,
Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of peo
To be
passionately excited towards these days, and to receive greater pleasure in
them, and to kindle lights in the forum, and to weave wreaths, is of childish
folly. But you have been freed from this weakness, and come into adulthood, and
been enrolled in the polity of the heavens. Do not therefore kindle sensate
fire in the forum, but kindle spiritual light in your mind. “For let”, he said,
“your light shine before men, so they may see your good works, and they will
glorify our Father in the heavens.” [Mt 5:16; Chrysostom has ‘our Father’ for
‘your Father’].
This
light brings you much recompense. Do not crown the door of the house, but
display such a way of life so that you will receive the crown of righteousness
on your head from the hand of Christ. Let nothing be done rashly, nor simply;
thus Paul enjoins that all things be done for the glory of God. “For whether
you eat,” he said, “or drink, or do whatever, do all for the glory of God” [1
Cor. 10:31. This verse provides the theme for the rest of the sermon].
And what
is it, he says, to eat and drink for God’s glory? Call the poor man, make
Christ a participant of the table, and you eat and drink for God’s glory. But
not this alone does he enjoin us to do for God’s glory, but all the rest as
well, as to go into the forum, and to remain at home; let these both be done
for God’s sake [διὰ τὸν Θεὸν and so
throughout]. And how are these both to be done for God’s sake? Whenever you
come into church, whenever you partake of prayer, whenever of spiritual
teaching, the advance has occurred for God’s glory. Again, it is to remain at
home for God’s sake. And how is this? [i.e. How will one glorify God in this
action of staying at home?]
Whenever
you hear disturbances, disorderly and diabolical processions, the forum filled
with wicked and undisciplined men, remain at home, free from this disorder, and
you remain for God’s glory. Just as spending time at home and going-out is able
to be done for God’s sake, thus also of praise and censure. And what is it to
praise something for God’s glory, he says, and to accuse? You sit frequently in
workplaces, you see evil and wicked men passing by, raising the eyebrows [a
sign of haughtiness and importance], puffed up, trailing many parasites and
flatterers, wearing expensive clothes, surrounded with some mystique, seizing
all things, avaricious. If you hear someone saying, “Is he not enviable, is he
not blessed?” Rebuke [the word], accuse it, [have] silence, pity, and weep;
this is what it means to censure for God’s sake.
Censure
is teaching of philosophy to those meeting together and is so strong of virtue,
so as to no longer long [more literally, ‘gape’.] for the things of everyday
life. Say to the one saying these things: “Why is this man blessed? Because he
has a marvelous horse and a golden bridle, and possesses many servants, and
wears bright clothing, and bursts each day in drunkenness and luxury?” But for
this reason he would be wretched and cursed, and worthy of a thousand tears. I
see then that you are able to praise nothing of him, but all things external to
him, the horse, the bridle, the clothing, of which nothing is his. What then,
tell me, is more pitiable than this, when his horse, and the horse’s bridle,
and the beauty of his clothes, and the bodily vigor of his servants are marveled,
but he passes by upraised? Who then could be poorer than this man, having
nothing good of his own, nor anything that he is able to carry away from here,
but is adorned entirely by external things? For adornment and riches are
properly our own, not servants and clothing and horses, but virtue of soul, and
wealth of good deeds, and confidence towards God.
Again,
you see another man, a pauper, rejected, despised and passing his life in
poverty and virtue, considered unhappy by his companions: commend this man, and
the praise of this man as he passes by is exhortation and counsel of a useful
and good way of life [politeia]. If they say, “He is wretched and miserable,”
say that this one is the most blessed of all, having God as his friend, passing
life in virtue, possessing a wealth never failing, having a pure conscience.
For what harm is there to him from the lack of possessions, when he is going to
inherit heaven and the good things in heaven? And if you yourself philosophize
in this manner, and instruct others, you will receive a great reward from both
censure and from praises, doing both for God’s glory. And that I do not allure
you vainly saying these things, but that a certain great recompense exists with
the God of all things for those whose intellect is thus disposed, and that the
thing has been considered a certain virtue, [that is] the resolving to do such
things, hear what the prophet says concerning those so living, and how he
places things in an order of perfections, the despising of those doing wickedness,
and the glorifying of those fearing God.
For after
recounting the other virtue of the one who will be honored by God, also he
says, of what sort one must be to dwell in the holy tabernacle, that is
blameless, and performing righteousness, and wicked-less, and this he adds: For
saying, “Who did not deceive with his tongue, and did no harm to his neighbor”
[Ps 15:3 (Ps 14:3 LXX)] he adds, “The one doing evil is set at naught before
him, but those fearing the Lord he glorifies” [Ps 15:4 (Ps 14:4 LXX)] showing
that this is one of those perfections, that is to despise the wicked, and to
praise and bless the good. And again elsewhere this same thing he makes plain,
saying, “Your friends were exceedingly honorable to me, God, their beginnings
[poss. authorities] became very strong.” Whom God praises, do not censure: he
praises the one living in righteousness, even if he be poor; whom God turns
away, do not praise: he turns away the one living in wickedness, even if he be
surrounded by much wealth. But if you praise, and if you censure, do both as
God wishes. For there is even accusing unto the glory of God. How? Frequently
we are vexed with our servants. How then is there accusing for God’s sake? If
you see someone drunk, or stealing, whether servant, or friend, or some other
of those related to you, whether running into the theatre, or having no concern
for their soul, or swearing [i.e. swearing oaths], or perjuring [i.e. to swear
falsely] or lying: be angry, punish, turn them back, correct; and you did all
these things for God’s sake. And if you see someone sinning against you, and
omitting something of their service toward you, pardon them, and you are
forgiven for God’s sake. But now many do the opposite, both to their friends,
and to their servants. For when they sin against them, they become bitter and
unforgiving judges; but when they insult God, and ruin their own souls, they
produce no rationale. Again, is it necessary to make friends? Make them, for
God’s sake. Is it necessary to make enemies? Make them, for God’s sake. And by
what means does one make friends and enemies for God’s sake? If we do not
attract those friends, whence money is taken, whence sharing of a table, whence
obtaining of human patronage, but pursue and make those friends, those able
always to order our soul, counsel necessities, rebuke sinners, expose
trespassers, restore those fallen, and aiding by counsel and prayers to lead to
God. Again, it is permitted to make enemies for God’s sake. If you see someone
undisciplined, abominable, full of wickedness, replete with unclean teachings,
tripping you up and harming you, stand apart and turn away, just as also Christ
commanded, saying, “If your right eye trips you up, pluck it out and cast it
from you” [Mt 5:29] commanding those friends, those being desirable in the rank
of eyes, and necessary in the things of everyday life, to cut off, and to cast
out, if they harm you with regard to the salvation of the soul. If you share in
their meetings, and you prolong your speech, do even this for God’s sake, and
if you keep silent, keep silent for God’s sake.
And what
is it to participate in the meeting for God’s sake? If you are seated with
someone, converse nothing concerning daily affairs, nor of simple things even
vainly and nothing of those related to you, but concerning our philosophy,
concerning Hell, concerning the Kingdom of the Heavens, but not superfluities
and unprofitable things, such as, “Who entered authority? Who lost power? For what reason was so-and-so
injured [possibly with a technical or financial sense: fined, punished]? Whence
did so-and-so profit and become better off? What did so-and-so dying leave
behind to such-and-such? How did so-and-so miss out, expecting to be listed
among the foremost of the heirs?” And many other such things. Let us not then
discuss such things, nor bear others discussing [them]; but let us consider
what-doing or what-saying is to please God. Again, it is to keep silent for
God’s sake, being maltreated, abused, suffering a thousand evils, if you bear
them nobly, and emit no blasphemous word against the one doing these things to
you. Not to praise and to censure alone, nor to remain indoors and to go out,
not to utter and to keep silent, but also to weep and mourn, and to enjoy and
delight is to God’s glory.
For when
you see either a brother sinning, or yourself falling into a transgression,
[if] then you groan and mourn [these two verbs continue the protasis of the
conditional], then you gain from the grief a salvation without regret, just as
Paul says, “For grief according to God produces a salvation without regret” [2
Cor. 7:10]. If you see another person being highly esteemed, then do not
disparage him, but as for one’s own goods give thanks to God, to the one making
your brother illustrious, and you receive a great reward from this joy.
What
then, tell me, is more pitiable than the envious, when it is permitted both to
rejoice and to profit through joy, and they prefer rather to grieve upon the
advantages of others, and with the grief to yet also attract a punishment from
God, an unendurable retribution. And what need is there to speak of praise, and
of blame, and of pain, and of joy, when indeed even from the least of these
things and from the meanest [‘mean’ in the sense of cheap, frugal, vulgar]
events the greatest things are to be profited, if we do them for God’s sake? […]
“Whether
you eat, whether you drink, whether you do some other thing, do all for the
glory of God” [1 Cor. 10:31]. If we pray, if we fast, if we accuse, if we
pardon, if we praise, if we censure, if we enter, if we exit, if we sell, if we
buy, if we are silent, if we converse, if we do any thing else whatsoever, let
us do all for the glory of God, and if something be not for the glory of God,
neither let it be done, nor be spoken by us; but in place of a great staff, in
place of arms and safeguard, in place of unspeakable treasures, wherever we
might be, let us carry around this word with us, having inscribed it upon our
understanding, so that doing and speaking and trafficking all things for the
glory of God, we shall obtain the glory that is from him both in this world and
after the journey here [i.e. after this
life]. “For those that glorified me”, he says, “I will glorify” [1 Sam 2:30; (1
Reg. 2.30 LXX)]. Not therefore with words, but also through deeds let us
glorify him continually with Christ our God, because all glory befits him,
honor and worship, now and always unto the ages of ages. Amen.
An
excerpt translated
by Seumas Macdonald
Source: https://orthodoxword.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/st-john-chrysostom-a-homily-for-the-new-year/
