Pardon and Enemies

Εἰ τοῖς μέχρι φόνου καὶ σφαγῆς χωρήσασιν οὐδὲν εἶπεν ἐκεῖνος ἐπαχθὲς, τίνος ἂν εἴημεν ἡμεῖς συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, ἐν λοιδορίᾳ καὶ ὕβρεσιν ἐκθηριούμενοι, μιαροὺς καὶ παμμιάρους ἀποκαλοῦντες τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοὺς ἡμετέρους; τίνα δὲ ἀπολογίαν ἕξομεν ἐχθροὺς ὅλως ἔχοντες; Οὐκ ἀκούεις, ὅτι ὁ τιμῶν, ἑαυτὸν τιμᾷ; Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ὑβρίζομεν. Ἐγκαλεῖς, ὅτι ὑβρίσθης· τί οὖν περιπίπτεις τῷ ἐγκλήματι; τί σαυτὸν πληγῇ περιβάλλεις; Μεῖνον ἀπαθὴς, μεῖνον ἄτρωτος· μὴ, βουλόμενος ἕτερον πλῆξαι, σαυτὸν περιβάλῃς τῷ κακῷ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν ὁ ἕτερος θόρυβος τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ μηδενὸς κινοῦντος κινούμενος· οἷον, αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι αἱ ἄτοποι, αἱ λῦπαι καὶ αἱ ἀθυμίαι καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας ἐπισωρεύομεν.  Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὑπόμηνμα Ἐις Τας Πρᾶξις Των Ἀπόλστολων, Ὁμῖλία Νʹ

If he said nothing injurious to those who went even to the length of murder and slaughter, what sympathy shall we merit who by abuse and insult are infuriated, denouncing our enemies as foul and utterly detestable? And what pardon shall we have for having enemies at all? Do you not hear that to honor is to honor one's self? But we abuse ourselves. You cry out that you have been abused; then why do you strike yourself with the same accusation? Why do you inflict a blow on yourself? Be free from passion, be unwounded. Do not by wishing to strike, inflict evil on yourself. Does the tumult of the soul not suffice, that which is stirred up by none but its own absurd desires, its pains, its despondency, and so on, that we must heap up others? Saint John Chrystostom, On The Acts of the Apostles, Homily 50