Homilies on the Statues, Homily 6

1. We have spent many days speaking words of comfort to your loving hearts. Still, we will not set the subject aside for that reason. As long as the wound of discouragement remains, we will apply the medicine of consolation. When treating bodily wounds, doctors do not stop applying warm compresses until they see that the pain has subsided. We should be even less willing to stop when treating the soul. Discouragement is a wound of the soul, so we must continually soothe it with comforting words. Warm water does not naturally soften a hard swelling in the flesh as effectively as comforting words calm the swollen passions of the soul. Here we need no sponge, as a doctor does; instead, we use the tongue. We need no fire to heat the water; instead of fire, we use the grace of the Spirit. Allow us to do this today, then. If we did not comfort you, where else could you find consolation? The judges frighten you; the priests must therefore console you! The rulers threaten you; the Church must therefore comfort you! The same thing happens with little children. Their teachers frighten them and send them home crying to their mothers. But their mothers take them back to their breasts, hold them there, embrace and kiss them, wipe away their tears, and ease their sorrow, explaining that it is good for them to fear their teachers. So, since the rulers also frighten you and make you anxious, the Church, the common mother of us all, opens her arms, cradles us, and comforts us daily. She tells us that fear of the rulers is beneficial, and so is the consolation we receive from her. Fear of the rulers keeps us from slipping into careless idleness, while the Church’s consolation keeps us from sinking under the weight of sorrow. Through both, God provides for our safety. He Himself has armed magistrates with power to strike terror into the lawless, and He has appointed His priests to comfort those who grieve. 2. Both Scripture and our actual experience of recent events teach us these things. Even with magistrates in office and soldiers under arms, the madness of a few individuals, a motley crew of adventurers, has kindled such a fire among us in so short a time, raised such a storm, and left us all fearing shipwreck. Suppose, then, that fear of the magistrates were completely removed! How far would these people’s madness have gone? Would they not have torn the city down to its foundations, turned everything upside down, and taken our very lives? If you abolished the public courts, you would abolish all order from our lives. Just as taking the pilot away from a ship sinks the vessel, or removing the general from an army delivers its soldiers bound into enemy hands, so depriving a city of its rulers would force us to live less rationally than wild animals, biting and devouring one another: the rich devouring the poor, the strong the weak, and the bold the gentle. But now, by God’s grace, none of these things happen. Those who live godly lives need no correction from the magistrates, for, as one says, “The law is not made for a righteous man.” But the greater number are inclined toward wickedness. If they had no fear of the magistrates hanging over them, they would fill the cities with countless evils. Paul knew this and observed, “There is no authority except from God; the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” Rulers are to cities what tie beams are to houses. If you removed those beams, the disconnected walls would collapse into one another on their own. In the same way, if you deprived the world of magistrates and the fear they inspire, households, cities, and nations would immediately fall upon one another in unchecked confusion, with no one to restrain them, repel them, or persuade them to live peacefully through fear of punishment! 3. So, beloved, let us not grieve over our fear of the rulers. Let us thank God for removing our carelessness and making us more diligent. Tell me, what harm has come from this concern and anxiety? Is the harm that we have become more serious and gentle, more diligent and attentive? That we see no one drunk and singing obscene songs? Or that there are continual appeals, prayers, and tears? That ill-timed laughter, filthy language, and every kind of debauchery have been banished, and the city now resembles in every respect a modest and virtuous woman? Is any of this, I ask, a reason for you to grieve? Surely these are reasons to rejoice and thank God, because through a few days of terror He has put an end to such senselessness! “Very true,” someone says. “If our danger went no further than fear, we would have benefited enough. But now we dread that the trouble may go much further and put us all in the greatest danger.” Still, I say, do not be afraid. Paul comforts you by saying, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.” Indeed, He Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” If He had decided to punish us by making us actually suffer the blow, He would not have left us in terror for so many days. When He does not intend to punish, He frightens us. If He intended to punish, fear and threats would be unnecessary. As it is, we have endured a life more painful than countless deaths, spending so many days in fear and trembling, afraid even of our own shadows, suffering Cain’s punishment, and starting up in our sleep because of our constant mental anguish. So, if we have kindled God’s anger, we have appeased Him by enduring such punishment. Even if we have not paid the full penalty our sins deserve, it has still been enough to satisfy God’s mercy. 4. But we should have not only this reason for confidence, but many others. God has already given us quite a few assurances that we can hope for a favorable outcome. First of all, those who left here with the evil news, flying as though on wings, are still delayed halfway through their journey, although we would have expected them to reach the imperial court long before now. So many obstacles and difficulties have arisen that they have left their horses and are now traveling in vehicles, which must necessarily delay their arrival. Since God moved our priest and common father here to action and persuaded him to undertake this diplomatic mission, He detained the messengers for a while halfway along their road. He did this so that they would not arrive ahead of him, kindle the fire, and make our teacher’s efforts to set things right useless once the emperor’s ears had been inflamed. We can see that this obstacle on the road came through God’s intervention from the following fact. Men who had been familiar with such journeys all their lives, whose regular work was riding on horseback, now broke down from the exhaustion of that very riding. What has happened now is therefore the reverse of what happened to Jonah. God hurried him on his mission when he was unwilling to go; but these men, who were eager to go, He held back. What a strange and wonderful event! Jonah did not want to preach destruction, and God forced him to go against his will. These men hurried off to carry a message of destruction, and again He has held them back against their will! Why do you think He did this? Because in this case haste was harmful, while in the other it was beneficial. That is why He hurried Jonah forward by means of the whale and detained these men by means of their horses. Do you see God’s wisdom? The very means by which each party hoped to achieve its purpose became an obstacle to it. Jonah expected to escape by ship, and the ship became his chain. These couriers expected their horses to bring them to the emperor more quickly, and the horses became their obstacles. Or rather, it was neither the horses in the one case nor the ship in the other, but God’s Providence directing everything everywhere according to its own wisdom! 5. Consider also His care for us, and how He both frightened and comforted us. He allowed them to set out on the very day when all these outrages were committed, as though they would report everything that had happened to the emperor, and so He alarmed us all by their sudden departure. But after they had gone and two or three days had passed, we thought our Priest’s journey would now be useless because he would arrive too late. Then He delivered us from this fear and comforted us by detaining them halfway, as I said, and by arranging for people coming from there along the same road to tell us about all the difficulties the messengers had encountered on their journey. This allowed us to catch our breath a little, as indeed we did, and relieved much of our anxiety. When we heard this, we worshiped God who had done it. Even now He has arranged everything for us more tenderly than any father, delaying those messengers of evil by some invisible power, all but saying to them, “Why are you hurrying? Why are you pressing on, when you are going to overwhelm so great a city? Are you carrying good news to the emperor? Wait there until I have prepared my servant, like an excellent doctor, to catch up with you and get ahead of you on your way.” But if there was so much providential care when this wound of wickedness first opened, we will surely gain still greater freedom from anxiety after our conversion, our repentance, so much fear, and our tears and prayers. Jonah was rightly forced along so that he might be compelled to repent. But you have already given striking evidence of repentance and conversion. You therefore need to receive consolation instead of a threatening messenger. This is also why He has sent our common father from here, despite the many obstacles. If He had not cared tenderly for our safety, He would not have persuaded him to do this. He would have held him back, however willing he might have been to undertake the journey. 6. There is a third reason that may persuade you to be confident: the present sacred season, which almost everyone respects, even unbelievers. Our emperor, favored by God, has shown such reverence and honor for it that he has surpassed all the religious emperors who reigned before him. As proof, he sent a letter during these days in honor of the feast and released nearly everyone held in prison. When our Priest arrives, he will read this letter to him, remind him of his own laws, and say, “Encourage yourself, and remember your own deeds! You have an example of humanity in your own actions! You chose to refrain from a justifiable slaughter; will you now bring yourself to commit an unjust one? Out of reverence for the feast, you released people who had been convicted and condemned. Will you now, I ask, condemn innocent people who have committed no violence, and do so during this sacred season? May you never do such a thing, Emperor! In this letter you spoke to all the cities and said, ‘If only it were possible for me to raise even the dead.’ We now need this humanity and these words. Conquering enemies does not bring kings as much glory as conquering fury and anger. In the first case, success belongs to weapons and soldiers; here the trophy is yours alone, and you have no one with whom to share the glory of your moral wisdom. You have overcome war with the barbarians; overcome imperial anger as well! Let all unbelievers learn that the fear of Christ can bridle every kind of authority. Glorify your Lord by forgiving your fellow servants’ offenses, so that He may glorify you still more, and on the Day of Judgment look on you with a merciful and peaceful Eye, remembering this lovingkindness of yours!” He will say this and much more, and will surely rescue us from the emperor’s anger. This fast will greatly help us not only by influencing the emperor in our favor, but also by helping us endure whatever happens with courage. We draw considerable consolation from this season. Simply meeting together every day as we do, benefiting from hearing the divine Scriptures, seeing one another, weeping together, praying, receiving Blessings, and then going home takes away most of our distress. 7. So let us not become discouraged or give up because of our distress. Let us wait in expectation of a favorable outcome and pay attention to what I am about to say. Today I intend to speak to you again about contempt for death. Yesterday I told you that we fear death not because he is truly terrifying, but because love for the kingdom has not set us on fire, fear of hell has not taken hold of us, and, besides all this, we do not have a good conscience. Would you like me to give a fourth reason for this misplaced distress, one no less important and truer than the others? We do not live with the austerity appropriate to Christians. Instead, we love to pursue this life of sensual pleasure, indulgence, and laziness. So it is only natural that we cling to present things. If we spent this life fasting, keeping vigils, and eating a meager diet; cutting off all our extravagant desires; restraining our pleasures; undertaking the hard work of virtue; disciplining the body like Paul and bringing it into subjection; not “making provision for the lusts of the flesh”; and following the constricted and narrow way, we would soon long earnestly for future things and be eager for release from our present labors. To prove that what I say is true, climb to the mountaintops and observe the monks there: some in sackcloth, some in chains, some fasting, and some shut away in darkness. You will see that they all long earnestly for death and call it rest. Just as a boxer is eager to leave the stadium to be free from wounds, and a wrestler longs for the gathering in the arena to break up so that his exertions can end, so someone who, with virtue’s help, leads a life of austerity and self-denial longs earnestly for death. He wants to be freed from his present labors and to have complete assurance about the crowns stored up for him, by arriving in the quiet harbor and moving to the place where there is no further fear of shipwreck. This is also why God has provided us with a life that is naturally full of work and trouble: so that, pressed here by suffering, we may develop an eager longing for future blessings. Even now, surrounded on every side by so many sorrows, dangers, fears, and anxieties, we cling to the present life like this. When would we ever long for the life to come if our present existence were entirely free from grief and misery? 8. God also acted this way toward the Jews. He wanted to instill in them a desire to return (to Canaan) and persuade them to hate Egypt. So He allowed them to suffer through working in clay and making bricks, so that, oppressed by that weight of labor and affliction, they would cry out to God about their return. Even after these things had happened and they had left, they remembered Egypt and their harsh slavery, and urgently wanted to return to that former tyranny. What if they had never received such treatment from these barbarians? When would they ever have wanted to leave that foreign land? God has therefore filled our lives here with labor so that we will not become too attached to the earth, make ourselves miserable by yearning after present things, and forget the future. So let us not love the present life more than necessary. What does it gain us? What advantage is there in clinging so tightly to the desire for our present condition? Do you want to learn what makes this life beneficial? It is beneficial because it is the foundation and starting point of the life to come, the wrestling school and arena where we compete for crowns of victory in the life to come! If it does not secure these for us, it is worse than a thousand deaths. If we do not want to live in a way that pleases God, it is better to die. What do we gain? What more do we have? Do we not see the same sun and moon every day, the same winter and summer, the same course of events? “What has been will be, and what has been done is what will be done.” So let us not immediately call the living happy and mourn the dead. Let us weep for those who are in their sins, whether dead or alive. And, on the other hand, let us call those who live in righteousness happy, whatever their condition. You fear and mourn “one” death, while Paul, who died daily, was so far from shedding a tear over it that he rejoiced and exulted! 9. “If only I were facing this danger for God,” someone says, “then I would have no anxiety!” But even now, do not sink into discouragement. It is not only the person who suffers for God’s cause who wins approval. Someone who suffers any injustice, bears it nobly, and thanks God who permits it is no less worthy than someone who endures these trials for God’s sake. The blessed Job proves this. Through the devil’s pointless, futile, and unprovoked plotting against him, he received so many unbearable wounds. Yet because he bore them courageously and thanked God who permitted them, he was awarded a full crown. So do not be sad about death, because dying is natural. Grieve over sin, because it is a fault of the will. But if you grieve for the dead, mourn also for those born into the world, since the one is just as natural as the other. If someone threatens you with death, tell him, “Christ has taught me not to ‘fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.’” Or if he threatens to confiscate your possessions, tell him, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out.” “Even if you do not take me, death will come and take me. Even if you do not kill me, the law of nature will soon intervene and bring the end.” We should therefore fear none of the things that the order of nature brings upon us, but those produced by our own evil will, because these bring about our punishment. Let us continually remember that grieving will not improve the things that happen to us unexpectedly, and then we will stop grieving. 10. We should also reflect on this: if we suffer any evil unjustly in the present life, we pay off a multitude of sins. It is therefore a great advantage to undergo the punishment for our sins here rather than there. The rich man suffered no evil here, and so he was scorched in the flames there. To prove that this was why he received no consolation, listen to what Abraham says: “Son, you have received your good things; therefore you are tormented.” And learn from the patriarch’s words that not only Lazarus’s virtue but also the countless evils he suffered here contributed to the good things given to him. After telling the rich man, “You have received your good things,” he continues, “and Lazarus evil things, and for this reason he is comforted.” Just as those who live virtuously and suffer receive a double reward from God, so someone who lives wickedly and feasts lavishly will receive a double punishment. Again, I say this not to accuse those who have fled, for it is said, “Do not add more trouble to a distressed heart.” Nor do I say it because I want to rebuke them (for a sick person needs consolation), but because I am trying to help them change for the better. Let us not entrust our safety to flight, but flee from sins and leave our evil way. If we escape these things, even if we stand among ten thousand soldiers, not one of them will be able to strike us. But if we do not flee from them, even if we climb to the highest mountaintop, we will find countless enemies there! Let us again remember those three children who were in the furnace yet suffered no harm, and those who threw them in: all those sitting around it were consumed. What could be more wonderful than this? The fire freed those it held and violently seized those it did not hold, to teach you that safety or punishment comes from the way we live, rather than the place where we live. Those inside the furnace escaped, while those outside were consumed. Both groups had the same kind of bodies, but different dispositions. That is why the effects on them were also different. Hay quickly catches fire even when it lies outside the flame, while gold becomes more brilliant even when it remains within it! 11. Where now are those who said, “Let the emperor take everything and leave our bodies free”? Let them go and learn what a free body is. Freedom from punishment does not make the body free; perseverance in a righteous life does. The bodies of these youths, for example, were free even though they were handed over to the furnace, because they had already cast off slavery to sin. This alone is freedom, rather than immunity from punishment or from suffering anything terrible. But when you hear about the furnace, remember the “rivers of fire” that will be there on that fearful day. Just as the fire seized some people on that occasion but showed reverence for others, so it will be with those rivers. If anyone then has hay, wood, or stubble, he feeds the fire; but if he has gold and silver, he becomes brighter. So let us gather this kind of material and bear our present circumstances nobly. We know that this suffering will both deliver us from that punishment, if we understand how to practice true wisdom, and make us better here. And if we remain watchful, it will often improve not only us but also those who bring trouble upon us. This spiritual wisdom is so powerful that it improved even the tyrant on that occasion. When he learned that they had suffered no harm, listen to how he changed his language: “You servants of the most high God, come out and come here.” Did you not say a little earlier, “Who is that God who will deliver you from my hands?” What has happened? What brought this change? You saw those outside destroyed, and now you call to those inside? How have you become wise about such things? You see what a great change took place in the king! Before he had exercised his power over them, he blasphemed; but as soon as he had thrown them into the fire, he began to show moral wisdom. This is also why God allowed everything the tyrant wanted to happen: to make it clear that no one can harm those He protects. He did here what He had done with Job. On that occasion too, He allowed the devil to display all his power. Only after the devil had exhausted all his arrows and had no further way to plot against Job was the combatant led out of the field, so that his victory would be brilliant and beyond doubt. Here too He did exactly the same thing. The tyrant wanted to overthrow their city, and God did not stop him. He wanted to carry them away captive, and He did not hinder him. He wanted to bind them, and He permitted it; to throw them into the furnace, and He allowed it; to heat the flame beyond its normal intensity, and He permitted that too. When the tyrant had nothing left to do and had exhausted all his strength, then God revealed His own power and the youths’ endurance. Do you see how God allowed these trials to run their full course, so that He might show the attackers both the spiritual wisdom of those they attacked and His own providence? That man then recognized both these things and cried out, “You servants of the most high God, come out and come here.” 12. But consider with me the nobility of the youths. They did not leap out before they were called, so that no one would suppose they feared the fire. Nor did they remain inside when called, so that no one would think they were seeking glory or picking a fight. “As soon as you have learned whose servants we are,” they say, “as soon as you have acknowledged our Lord, we come out to proclaim God’s power to everyone here.” Or rather, not only they themselves but even their enemy, with his own voice—indeed, both aloud and by letter—proclaimed to everyone the steadfastness of the combatants and the strength of Him who presided over the contest. When heralds announce the victorious combatants’ names in the middle of the arena, they also mention the cities they come from: “So-and-so, from such-and-such a city!” In the same way, instead of their city, he proclaimed their Lord, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the most high God, come out and come here.” What has happened that you call them God’s servants? Were they not your servants? “Yes,” he says, “but they have overthrown my sovereignty and trampled my pride underfoot. They have shown by their deeds that He is their true Lord. If they were servants of men, the fire would not have feared them, nor would the flame have made way for them. Creation knows nothing of revering or honoring servants of men.” So again he says, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” 13. Consider with me also how he first proclaims the Judge of the contest: “Blessed be God, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants.” This speaks of God’s power. He also speaks of the combatants’ virtue: “Because they trusted in Him, and have overturned the king’s word, and have surrendered their bodies rather than worship any god except their own God.” Could anything equal such virtue? Earlier, when they said, “We will not serve your gods,” he burned with anger more fiercely than the furnace itself. But now, after they had taught him this by their deeds, he was so far from being angry that he praised and admired them for disobeying him! Virtue is so good that it makes even its enemies applaud and admire it! They had fought and conquered, but the defeated party gave thanks that the sight of the fire had not terrified them and that hope in their Lord had comforted them. And he names the God of the whole world after the three youths, without in any way limiting His sovereignty, but because these three youths were equal in worth to the whole world. That is why he applauds those who had defied him and passes over so many governors, kings, and princes who had obeyed him, to stand in admiration of the three captives and slaves who laughed at his tyranny! They did these things not out of contentiousness but out of love for wisdom; not out of defiance but out of devotion; not because they were swollen with pride but because they were fired with zeal. Hope in God is indeed a great blessing. The barbarian learned this then as well, and made it clear that this was how they had escaped the danger hanging over them when he cried aloud, “Because they trusted in Him!” 14. I say all this now, and choose all these accounts of trials, suffering, kings’ anger, and their evil plans, so that we may fear nothing except offending God. A furnace was burning then too, yet they laughed at it and feared sin. They knew that if they were consumed in the fire, they would suffer nothing truly dreadful, but if they were guilty of impiety, they would undergo the utmost misery. Committing sin is the greatest punishment, even if we go unpunished; and, on the other hand, living virtuously is the greatest honor and rest, even if we are punished. Sins separate us from God, as He Himself says: “Have not your sins separated you from Me?” But punishments lead us back to God. As one says, “Give peace, for You have repaid us for everything.” Suppose someone has a wound. Which is more frightening: gangrene or the surgeon’s knife? The steel or the ulcer’s devouring spread? Sin is gangrene; punishment is the surgeon’s knife. Someone who has gangrene must endure the disease even if he is not cut, and his condition is worse when he is not cut. In the same way, a sinner is the most miserable of people even if he is not punished, and he is especially miserable when he receives no punishment and suffers no distress. People with a diseased spleen or edema are in an especially pitiable condition when they enjoy an abundant table, cool drinks, and a variety of delicacies and seasonings, because they worsen their disease through indulgence. But if they strictly subjected themselves to hunger and thirst according to medical rules, they might have some hope of recovery. In the same way, those who live in wickedness may have good hopes if they are punished. But if they enjoy security and luxury along with their wickedness, they become more miserable than people who stuff their bellies while suffering from edema—and all the more so because the soul is better than the body. So if you see people guilty of the same sins, some continually struggling with hunger and a thousand troubles, while others drink their fill, live lavishly, and gorge themselves, consider those who suffer better off. These misfortunes not only cut off the flame of sensual pleasure, but also bring them considerable relief as they approach the future Judgment and that dreadful tribunal. They leave this world having paid here, through the evils they have suffered, the penalty for most of their sins. 15. But enough consolation. It is finally time to move on to the exhortation about avoiding oaths and to remove the apparent excuse offered for those who swear, an excuse that is futile and useless. When we accuse them, they point to others who do exactly the same thing and say, “Such-and-such people swear.” Let us answer them, “Even so, this person does not swear, and God will judge you by those who do good works.” Sinners gain no help from other sinners by sharing in their transgressions; instead, those who do what is right condemn sinners. Many people gave Christ neither food nor drink, but they gave one another no help. The same was true of the five virgins, who found no pardon in one another’s company. They were condemned by comparison with those who had acted wisely, and both they and the former group were punished alike. 16. So let us dismiss this feeble, self-deceiving argument and look at those who conduct themselves rightly, rather than those who fall. Let us try to carry a reminder of the present fast with us after it is over. Often, when we have bought a garment, a slave, or a valuable vase, we remember when we did so and say to one another, “I bought that slave at such-and-such a festival; I bought that garment at such-and-such a time.” In the same way, if we now put this law into practice, we will say, “I changed my habit of swearing during that Lent. Until then I swore oaths, but simply by hearing an admonition, I gave up the sin.” But someone may object, “The habit is hard to change.” I know it is, and that is why I am eager to bring you into another habit, one that is good and beneficial. When you say, “It is difficult for me to stop doing what I am used to,” I say that this is the very reason you should hurry to stop. You can be certain that once you have established a different habit of not swearing, you will need no effort afterward. Which is harder: not swearing, or going the whole day without food and withering away on water and a meager diet? Clearly the latter is harder than the former. Yet habit has made it so possible and easy that when the fast comes around, even if someone urges a man a thousand times, or just as often pressures and compels him to drink wine or taste any of the other things forbidden during fasts, he would rather suffer anything than touch the forbidden food. This is not because we have no appetite for food; nevertheless, we bear it all courageously because of the habit formed in our conscience. It will be the same with oaths. Just as you would now remain unmoved, holding fast to your habit, however much pressure someone put on you, so in that case, even if someone urged you ten thousand times, you would not abandon your custom. 18. So when you go home, discuss all these things with the people in your house. People often return from a meadow with a rose, a violet, or some similar flower they have picked, twirling it between their fingers. Others leave gardens for home carrying branches of trees with fruit still on them. Still others bring leftovers from lavish feasts to their dependents. In the same way, when you leave here, take an exhortation home to your wife, your children, and your whole household. This admonition is more beneficial than the meadow, the garden, or the banquet table. These roses never wither; these fruits never fall off; these delicacies never spoil. The former give temporary pleasure, but the latter bring lasting benefit, not only after the change has taken place, but during the very process of changing. Think what a good practice it would be to put aside all other public or private matters and continually discuss only the divine laws, at the table, in the marketplace, and in your other gatherings. If we paid attention to these things, we would say nothing dangerous or harmful, nor would we sin without realizing it. By spending our free time discussing these things, we could draw our souls away even from the discouragement hanging over us, instead of waiting so anxiously as we do and saying to one another, “Has the emperor heard what happened? Is he furious? What sentence has he passed? Has anyone petitioned him? What? Will the emperor himself be willing to destroy such a large and populous city completely?” Let us cast these and all such cares upon God and concern ourselves only with what He has commanded! In this way we will rid ourselves of all these sorrows. Even if only ten among us succeed, the ten will quickly become twenty; the twenty, fifty; the fifty, a hundred; the hundred, a thousand; and the thousand, the whole city. Just as lighting ten lamps can easily fill the whole house with light, so it is with right actions. If only ten people act rightly, we will kindle a flame throughout the city, to shine out and secure our safety. Fire falling on a forest does not naturally ignite the neighboring trees one after another as powerfully as the desire to rival others in virtue, once it takes hold of a few minds, spreads through the entire community. 19. Give me reason, then, to rejoice over you both in the present life and on that future Day when those entrusted with talents will be called to account! Your good reputation is enough to reward my labors. If I see you living godly lives, I have everything I want. So do what I recommended yesterday, what I will repeat today and will never stop saying. Set a penalty for those who swear, a penalty that brings gain rather than loss, and from now on prepare yourselves to give us proof of success. After this assembly is dismissed, I will try to have a long conversation with each of you, so that as we continue talking I can discover who has been acting rightly and who has not. If I find anyone still swearing, I will point him out to all those who have changed, so that by reproving, rebuking, and correcting him, we may quickly free him from this evil habit. It is better for him to change through being reproached here than to be put to shame and punished before the whole assembled universe on that Day when our sins will be revealed to everyone’s eyes! But God forbid that anyone in this noble assembly should appear there suffering such things! Instead, through the prayers of the holy fathers, may we correct all our offenses, produce abundant fruit of virtue, and leave this world with great confidence, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom, and with whom, may glory be given to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.