Trials And Glory

Ἓν γὰρ ἐστίν, Ὀλυμπιάς, φοβερόν, εἷς πειρασμός, ἁμαρτία μόνον· καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐπᾴδων σοι τὸ ῥῆμα οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα μῦθος, κἂν ἐπιβουλὰς εἴπῃς, κἂν ἀπεχθείας, κἂν δόλους, κἂν συκοφαντίας, κἂν λοιδορίας, κἂν κατηγορίας, κἂν δημεύσεις, κἂν ἐξορίας, κἂν ξίφη ἠκονημένα, κἂν πέλαγος, κἂν τὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης πόλεμον. Οἷα γὰρ ἂν ᾖ ταῦτα, πρόσκαιρά τέ ἐστι καὶ ἐπίκηρα καὶ ἐν θνητῷ γενόμενα σώματι καὶ τὴν νήφουσαν οὐδὲν παραβλάπτοντα ψυχήν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τῶν χρηστῶν καὶ τῶν λυπηρῶν τῶν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τὸ εὐτελὲς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος δεῖξαι βουλόμενος μιᾷ λέξει τὸ πᾶν ἐνέφηνεν εἰπών· Τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα. Τί τοίνυν τὰ πρόσκαιρα δέδοικας, τὰ ποταμίων ῥευμάτων δίκην παραρρέοντα; Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ παρόντα, κἂν χρηστὰ ᾖ, κἂν λυπηρά. Προφήτης δὲ ἕτερος ἅπασαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην εὐημερίαν οὐδὲ χόρτῳ, ἀλλ' ἑτέρᾳ ὕλῃ εὐτελεστέρᾳ παρέβαλεν ἄνθος αὐτὴν ὀνομάσας χόρτου πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μέρος αὐτῆς ἔθηκεν, οἷον πλοῦτον μόνον, ἢ τρυφὴν μόνον, ἢ δυναστείαν μόνον, ἢ τιμὰς μόνον, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις δοκοῦντα εἶναι λαμπρὰ μιᾷ προσηγορίᾳ τῇ τῆς δόξης περιλαβὼν οὕτως ἐπήγαγε τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χόρτου εἰπών, Πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομο, Ἐπιστολὴ Α' Ὀλυμπιάδι Source:Migne PG 52 549-550

For there is one thing, Olympias, that is fearful, one trial, only sin; and I have never ceased continually to sing this line; for all other things are fables, even plots, hate, deceptions, slander, insults, accusations, confiscation of property, exile, the keen sword, the depths of the sea, the war of the whole world. For whatever these things may be, they are transitory and perish, and they work in a mortal body without doing any injury to the soul that is vigilant. Therefore wishing to show the insignificance both of the pleasures and sorrows relating to the present life, the blessed Paul declared everything in one sentence, saying, 'For things seen are transient.' 1 Why then do you fear transient things which pass away like the flowing by of a river? For such is the nature of present things whether they are pleasant or painful. And another Prophet compared all human prosperity not to grass, but to another material more flimsy, naming the whole of it 'as the flower of grass.' For he did not select one part of it, such as wealth alone, or luxury alone, or power alone, or honour alone, but having encompassed all the things which are esteemed splendid among men under the one designation of glory, he set forth the image of grass, saying, 'All the glory of man is as the flower of grass.' 2 Saint John Chrysostom, from the First Letter to Olympias 1 2 Cor 4.18 2 Isaiah 40.6