On Christmas Day · §10 · John Chrysostom

Approach the Eucharist with fear and purity

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Chrysostom is concluding his homily by exhorting the congregation to honor God for the Incarnation and to approach the Eucharist with reverence, not disorder.

So let us keep all these things in mind, and remember the voice that says: “I will dwell in them and walk among them” (2 Corinthians 6:16), and again: “You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Let us speak these words against them, and stop up the shameless mouths of the ungodly. Let us rejoice in our own blessings, and glorify the incarnate God for such great condescension. And let us, as far as we are able, give back to Him the honor and the recompense that is worthy of Him. Yet no recompense from us could ever reach God except our salvation and the salvation of our souls, and our diligence in virtue.

Let us not, then, be ungrateful toward our Benefactor. Let us all bring everything we can: faith, hope, love, self-control, almsgiving, hospitality. And what I urged you before, I urge now as well, and I will never stop urging. What is it? When you are about to approach this awesome and divine table and this sacred mystery, do it with fear and trembling, with a pure conscience, with fasting and prayer—not making a commotion, not kicking, not shoving your neighbors. For this is of extreme madness and no ordinary contempt. That is why it brings great punishment and retribution on those who do such things.

Consider, O man, what sacrifice you are about to touch, what table you are about to approach. Remember that you are earth and ashes, and you are partaking of the body and blood of Christ. If a king invited you to a feast, you would recline with fear, and you would take the food set before you with reverence and quiet. But when God invites you to His own table and sets before you His own Son, when the angelic powers stand by with fear and trembling, when the cherubim cover their faces and the seraphim cry out with trembling, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord” (Isaiah 6:3)—tell me, do you shout and make a commotion at this spiritual banquet? Do you not know that your soul must be full of calm at that moment? There is need of great peace and quiet, not of commotion and anger and disturbance. For these things make the soul that approaches unclean.

What pardon could there be for us, if after so many sins we do not even keep the time of our approach pure from those irrational passions? What is more necessary than what is set before us? What disturbs us so much that we rush off, leaving this behind, to run after that? No—I beg and entreat you—let us not stir up the wrath of God against ourselves. What is set before us is a saving medicine for our wounds; it is unfailing wealth; it procures the kingdom of heaven. Let us tremble as we approach, let us give thanks, let us fall down, confessing our offenses. Let us weep, mourning our own evils. Let us offer fervent prayers to God. And so, having cleansed ourselves quietly and with proper order, let us approach as those who come before the King of heaven. And when we have received the blameless and holy sacrifice, let us kiss it, let us embrace it with our eyes, let us warm our understanding—so that we do not come together for judgment or condemnation, but for sobriety of soul, for love, for virtue, for reconciliation with God, for firm peace, and for the foundation of countless blessings, so that we may both sanctify ourselves and build up our neighbors.

Greek

Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοοῦντες, καὶ μνημονεύοντες τῆς φωνῆς τῆς λεγούσης· Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω· καὶ πάλιν, Ὑμεῖς ναὸς Θεοῦ ἐστε, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνοικεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸς ἐκείνους λέγωμεν, καὶ τὰ ἀναίσχυντα τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀποφράττωμεν στόματα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἀγαθοῖς εὐφραινώμεθα, καὶ τὸν σαρκωθέντα Θεὸν δοξάζωμεν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοσαύτης συγκαταβάσεως, καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἀξίαν ἀποδῶμεν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν ἀμοιβήν· Θεῷ δὲ ἀμοιβὴ οὐδεμία παρ' ἡμῶν γένοιτ' ἂν, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον ἡ σωτηρία ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, καὶ ἡ περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιμέλεια. ζʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν γενώμεθα ἀγνώμονες περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην, ἀλλὰ τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ἅπαντες ἅπαντα εἰσενέγκωμεν, πίστιν, ἐλπίδα, ἀγάπην, σωφροσύνην, ἐλεημοσύνην, φιλοξενίαν. Καὶ ὃ πρώην ὑμᾶς παρεκάλεσα, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν, καὶ ἀεὶ παρακαλῶν οὐ παύσομαι. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστι; Μέλλοντες προσιέναι τῇ φρικτῇ καὶ θείᾳ ταύτῃ τραπέζῃ καὶ ἱερᾷ μυσταγωγίᾳ, μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου τοῦτο ποιεῖτε, μετὰ καθαροῦ συνειδότος, μετὰ νηστείας καὶ προσευχῆς, μὴ θορυβοῦντες, μηδὲ λακτίζοντες, μηδὲ ὠθοῦντες τοὺς πλησίον· ἐσχάτης γὰρ τοῦτο παρανοίας, καὶ καταφρονήσεως οὐ τῆς τυχούσης. Διὸ καὶ πολλὴν ἐπάγει τοῖς ταῦτα ποιοῦσι τὴν κόλασιν καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν. Ἐννόησον, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, ποίας μέλλεις ἅπτεσθαι θυσίας, ποίᾳ προσέρχεσθαι τραπέζῃ· ἐνθυμήθητι καὶ ὅτι γῆ ὢν καὶ σποδὸς, αἷμα καὶ σῶμα Χριστοῦ μεταλαμβάνεις. Καὶ βασιλέως μὲν εἰς εὐωχίαν καλοῦντος ὑμᾶς, μετὰ φόβου ἀνακλίνεσθε, καὶ τῶν προκειμένων μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ ἡσυχίας μεταλαμβάνετε ἐδεσμάτων· τοῦ Θεοῦ δὲ καλοῦντος ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τράπεζαν, καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ προτιθέντος Υἱὸν, ἀγγελικῶν δυνάμεων παρισταμένων μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου, καὶ τῶν Χερουβὶμ κατακαλυπτόντων τὰ πρόσωπα, τῶν Σεραφὶμ κραζόντων τρόμῳ, Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος· σὺ κράζεις, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ θορυβῇ πρὸς τὴν πνευματικὴν ταύτην ἐστίασιν; Οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι γαλήνης δεῖ γέμειν τὴν ψυχὴν κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν; Εἰρήνης πολλῆς καὶ ἡσυχίας χρεία, οὐχὶ θορύβου καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ταραχῆς· ταῦτα γὰρ ἀκάθαρτον ποιεῖ τὴν προσιοῦσαν ψυχήν. Τίς οὖν ἂν γένοιτο ἡμῖν συγγνώμη, εἰ μετὰ τοσαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα μηδὲ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς προσελεύσεως καθαρεύομεν τῶν ἀλόγων παθῶν ἐκείνων; Τί δὲ ὅλως ἀναγκαιότερον τῶν προκειμένων; ἢ τί ἡμᾶς θορυβεῖ, ἵνα σπουδάσωμεν, τοῦτο καταλιπόντες, ἐκεῖ τρέχειν; Μὴ, δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ, μὴ κινήσωμεν τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καθ' ἑαυτῶν. Φάρμακόν ἐστι σωτήριον τῶν ἡμετέρων τραυμάτων τὸ προκείμενον, πλοῦτός ἐστιν ἀνελλιπὴς, βασιλείας οὐρανῶν πρόξενος. Φρίξωμεν τοίνυν προσιόντες, εὐχαριστήσωμεν, προσπέσωμεν, ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰ πταίσματα ἡμῶν, δακρύσωμεν τὰ οἰκεῖα πενθοῦντες κακὰ, ἐκτενεῖς εὐχὰς ἀποδῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ οὕτω διακαθάραντες ἑαυτοὺς ἠρέμα, καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης εὐταξίας, ὡς τῷ βασιλεῖ προσιόντες τῶν οὐρανῶν, οὕτω προσέλθωμεν· καὶ δεξάμενοι τὴν ἄμωμον καὶ ἁγίαν θυσίαν καταφιλήσω μεν, τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς περιπτυξώμεθα, διαθερμάνωμεν ἑαυτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς κρῖμα ἢ εἰς κατάκριμα συνερχώμεθα, ἀλλ' εἰς σωφροσύνην ψυχῆς, εἰς ἀγάπην, εἰς ἀρετὴν, καὶ καταλλαγὴν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, εἰς εἰρήνην βεβαίαν, καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν ὑπόθεσιν, ἵνα καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἁγιάσωμεν, καὶ τοὺς πλησίον οἰκοδομήσωμεν.

About this text

Chrysostom defends Antioch's new December feast of Christ's birth and prepares his hearers to receive Communion worthily.

John Chrysostom (c. 349–407) preached this homily to the congregation in Antioch on the feast of Christ's Nativity. The feast had only recently been introduced at Antioch, and a large crowd had gathered. Chrysostom defends the December date of the celebration and prepares the people for worthy reception of Communion.

Chrysostom argues that the feast is rightly celebrated in the present month. He reasons from the rapid spread of the feast, from the Gospel census under Augustus, and from the timing of Zechariah's service in the Holy of Holies that Christ was conceived when Elizabeth was in her sixth month and born nine months later. He then answers pagan and Manichaean mockery of the Incarnation by showing that God is not defiled by dwelling in pure flesh, any more than the sun is defiled when its rays touch filth. Finally, he exhorts the congregation to approach the Eucharist with fear, purity, and orderly reverence.

A reader will meet Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel, Augustus, Quirinius, Herod, Paul, Moses, Aaron, Gamaliel, Nathanael, Philip, and Nicodemus. Chrysostom quotes Paul, Moses, the Evangelist, and Gabriel, and he paraphrases objections from pagan and Manichaean opponents and from an unnamed interlocutor.

No published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Migne PG text (Aegean University Digital Patrology, via (Greek)
Also checked Migne PG 49, archive.org scan patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_049 (Greek machine-read text) (Greek · check (same print; machine-read text compared word by word))

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