Welcome to Inner Light's "Thought of the Week" for July 6, 2003!
Today we will continue our readings from an absolutely wonderful
little book containing excerpts from the sermons of St. John
Chrysostom. Entitled, "On Living Simply," the book gives an
overview of St. John's many sermons written on "political"
topics of his day that bring to bear the spiritual values of
ascetic Christianity on worldly life. As such, this book can
even serve as a guide to political actors desiring a more
Christian perspective on issues of consumerism, environment,
social welfare, philanthropy, and many other areas of modern
life.
Over the next several issues, we will continue looking at
several of St. John's sermons, not as guides to public policy in
the 21st century, but rather as guides to how we as modern-day
men and women can apply the precepts of the Desert Fathers to
our public and private lives.
Before reading this book, I had no idea what a fiery preacher
St. John must have been. He earned the title, "golden mouthed"
through the beauty of his sermons and writings, but his
challenges to the political system of his day were controversial
enough to earn him exile and punishment from the authorities.
After reading some of these sermons, you will see why.
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ON WEALTH AND CHARITY -- Part III
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[NOTE: each selection below is an excerpt from a sermon and by
no means the complete sermon.]
-- The amount we give is not judged by the largeness of the
gifts but the largeness of our hearts. The poor woman who
shares her meager pot of stew with another poor woman is far
more to be praised than the rich man who throws a few gold coins
into a collection at church. But although most Christians
acknowledge the truth of this, their words and actions convey a
different message. When a rich man makes a large gift to the
church, he is heartily thanked; and although he will not feel
the lack of that money himself, he is praised for his
generosity. When a poor man makes a small gift, nothing is
said; even though that gift may cause him to go hungry, no one
praises him or thanks him. It would be better to praise no one
than to confine our praise to the rich. Better still, we should
take trouble to observe every true act of generosity, whether by
the rich or the poor, and then offer our praise. Indeed let us
be as generous with our praise as people are generous with their
money.
-- Consider how an ear of corn is produced. Most of us would
point to the labor of the farmer in tilling the soil, sowing the
seed, and harvesting the grain. But it is not as simple as
that. The farmer needs the blacksmith to make the spade,
ploughshare, sickle, and axe. He needs the carpenter to make a
frame for the plough and to make a yoke for the horse. He needs
the leather worker to make the harness. He needs the builder to
make a stable for the horse, and a barn to store the hay and
grain. He needs a baker to turn the grain into bread, otherwise
his labors are worthless. And he needs the forest worker to
provide wood for the carpenter to saw, and wood for the baker to
heat the oven. So just to produce corn many different people
are needed. Since we depend on one another for our very
survival, why do we ever try to exploit and cheat one another?
Nothing could be more stupid and irrational than to try and get
the better of someone else; people who cheat and exploit others
are cheating and exploiting themselves.
-- I often speak of the rich and the poor. I would rather not
have to speak in these terms. If everyone acted according to
the teachings of Christ, there would be no rich and poor; all
would be equal. This is because the rich would continue giving
away their wealth until everyone had the same. Since only a
minority have truly embraced the teachings of Christ, this is
not going to happen. But we can make a start; and the place to
start is the Church. Let the rich give liberally to their
church congregations. Then let each congregation use this
bounty to support widows and orphans, the sick and the crippled.
And let those whom God has called to perpetual virginity be the
primary means through which this bounty is channeled. Hospitals
and schools can be built where those in need can come, and where
those called to celibacy can serve them. The rich would take no
pride in their gifts, because those receiving the gifts would
not know their names; their gratitude could be directed only to
the Church. So let your particular church become in this way a
reflection on earth of the glory of heaven. END
Van de Weyer, Robert, Editor, "On Living Simply: The Golden
Voice of St. John Chrysostom," (Ligouri, Missouri: Ligouri
Publications, 1996), pp. 16 - 20
To order a copy of this wonderful little book online, just follow this link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764800566/innerlightproducA/
