Remaining in Service

Εἰ ἐπελαθόμεθα τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, καὶ εἰ διεπετάασαμεν τὰς χρεῖας ἡμῶν πρὸς Θεὸν ἀλλότριον, οὐχὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκζητήσει ταῦτα; Αὐτὸς γὰρ γινώσκει τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας.  Τοῦτο οἰκετῶν εὐγνωμόνων, τὸ κακῶς πάσχοντος μένειν τὸν δεσπότην θεραπεύοντας· ταῦτα φιλοσοφίας διδάγματα. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας παιδεύουσι, μὴ ὑποκρίνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεύειν. Οἰδε γὰρ, φησὶ τὰ ἀποῥῥητα τῆς διανοίας. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγουσι φοβοῦντες αὐτοὺς, ὥστε μηδὲν λογίσασθαι ἀναξιον Θεοῦ. Ὅρα καὶ τὴν ἐπίδοσιν ἀρετῆς πολλήν· ἐπάγει γὰρ λέγων· Ὅτι ἔνεκεν σοῦ Θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Μέγα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ μένειν θεραπεύοντας τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἕτερον ἀποπηδῆσαι· το δὲ πολλῷ μεῖζον, τὸ συνεχῶν θανάτων καὶ καθημερινῶν κινδύνων ἐπικειμένων διατηρεῖν τὴν τοιαύτην ἀγάπην. Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΜΓ' , Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος

'If we have forgotten the name of our God and if we have stretched out my hands to another God, does not God see this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.'  This is about servants who suffer evil to remain in the service of their Lord, this is a philosophical teaching. Here indeed hearers are taught not to pretend but to adore God with the whole heart. He knows, it says, the secrets of the heart. These things are said to those fearful that thus they might not think unworthily of God. Then see the great increase of virtue, for it is later added, 'On account of you we die all day, we judged like sheep for the slaughter.' Great indeed it is to remain in the service of God and not to pass over to another, but even greater it is when death presses down on one and dangers threaten every day, to maintain such love.   Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 43, Saint John Chrysostom