A Better Love

Ἐδιψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, καὶ ἐπαγαγὼν, Τὸν ζῶντα· μονονουχὶ παραινῶν καὶ ἐμβοῶν πᾶσι τοῖς πρὸς τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα κεχηνόσι· Τί περὶ σώματα μαίνεσθε; τί δόξης ἐπιθυμεῖτε; τιί τρυφῆς ἐφίρσθε; Οὐδὲν τούτων μένει καὶ ζῇ διηνεκῶς, ἀλλὰ διαῥῥεῖ καὶ παρρχεται, καὶ σκιᾶς εἰσιν οὐδαμινώτερα, καὶ ὀνείρων ἀπατηλότερα, καὶ τῶν ἐαρινῶν ἀνθῶν εὐφθαρτότερα, τὰ μὲν μετὰ τῆς παρούσης καταλιμπάνοντα ζωῆς, τὰ δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καταλυόμενα. Ἄπιστος αὐτῶν ἡ κτῆσις, ἀβέναιος ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, ὀξύῥῥοπος ἡ μεταβολή· ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ζῇ καὶ μένει διηνεκῶς ἐκεῖνος, οὖτε ἀλλοίωσιν, οὔτε τροπήν τινα δεχόμενος. Ἀφέντες τοίνυν τὰ πρόσκαιρα καὶ ἐφήμερα, τὸν αἰώνιον καὶ διηνεκῆ φιλῶμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐκεῖνον φιλοῦντα καταισχυνθῆναι ποτε· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκπεσεῖν· οὐκ ἔστιν ἔρημον γενέσθαι τοῦ φιλουμένου. Χρήματα μὲν ὁ φιλων, ἤ τελευτῆς ἐπελθούσης, ἢ καὶ πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς γυμνοῦται τῶν ποθουμένων· καὶ δόξης τις ἐρων τῆς παρούσης τὸ αυτὸ πάσχει· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὸ τῶν σωμάτων κάλλος πολὺ τῶν εἰρημένων κατασβέννυται θᾶττον, καὶ πάντα ἀπλῶς τὰ βιωτικὰ, πρόκαιρα καὶ ἐφήμερα, καὶ πρὶν ἢ παραγενέσθαι καὶ φαντῆναι, εὐθέως ἀποπηδῇ. Ὁ δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἔρως τούναντίον ἄπαν, ἀκμάζει διηνεκῶς καὶ ἀνθεῖ, καὶ γῆρας οὐκ οἴδεν, οὐδὲ παλαιότητα δέχεται, οὐδὲ μεταβολῇ τινι καὶ τροπῇ καὶ ἀδηλίᾳ τοῦ μέλλοντός ἐστιν ὑπεύθυνος· ἀλλά καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς κεκτημένους ὠφελεῖ, καὶ περιβάλλει πάντοθεν, καὶ ἀπελθόντας ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ ἀφίησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συναποδημεῖ καὶ συμμεθίσταται τούτοις, καὶ τῶν φωστήρων αὐτῶν λαμπροτέρους αὐτοὺς ἀποφαίνει κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην. Εἰς Τον ΜΑ' Ψαλμον, Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος

'My soul thirsts for God', and he adds, 'The living,' 1 exhorting and crying out to all those who cleave to the things of this world. Why are you mad over corporeal things. Why desire worldly glory? Why pant over pleasure? Nothing of these remains and lives forever but they decline and pass away. They are an empty shadow and a deceitful dream and as swiftly as blooming flowers they wither and perish, and so it is with all the remaining things of life, which even before the things mentioned may be destroyed. The possession of them is uncertain, unstable their enjoyment, quickly comes change, but in God there is nothing of this, for He lives and reigns perpetually, suffering no change, no alteration. Be done then with things perishable and ephemeral and love that which is eternal and permanent. For one will never be ashamed of this love, it does not reject, it does not abandon the one who loves. He who loves wealth either in death or before it will be stripped of what delights him. To him also who loves present glory the same often occurs, and even the beauty of the body it is foretold must quickly pass away, and everything of this life, all perishable and ephemeral, they but become and appear and they suddenly pass away. Spiritual love is opposed to all this, permanently it is in vigour and flowers and it does not know old age, nor does it suffer wearing, nor any change or alteration, nor is there anything unclear in its future, but it benefits those who possess it and it surrounds them everywhere, and it never departs from those who go from here, but it travels with them and goes off with them, and brighter they shine with the light of it on that day.  Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 41, Saint John Chrysostom 1 Ps 41.3