Homilies on 2 Thessalonians 1.3–1.4

What then? Is the requital equal? By no means; but see through what follows how he shows that it is more severe, and the relief much greater. See, here is another encouragement too: he says that those who were partners in the afflictions have them as partners in the requital also (for this is “with us”), joining them in the crowns with those who had accomplished ten thousand greater things. Then he adds the time too, and through the description lifts up their minds, all but opening the heavens with his word already and setting him before their eyes, and he surrounds him with the angelic army, making the picture broader both from the place and from those with him, so that they might breathe again a little. “And relief to you who are afflicted, with us,” he says, “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power, in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If those who do not obey the gospel pay a penalty, what will those not suffer who, besides not obeying, afflict you? And see the wisdom: he did not say here “those who afflict you,” but “those who do not obey.” So that, even if not for your sake, he must, he says, punish them for his own sake. This, then, is said for full assurance, that they must certainly be punished; but the former, for their own honour. Full assurance about the punishment makes them believe; but their being pleased comes from the fact that they suffer these things for what was done to them. These things were said to them, but they fit us too. When then we are in afflictions, let us consider these things. Let us not rejoice in others’ punishment as being avenged, but as being ourselves delivered from such punishment and penalty. For what profit is it to us when others are punished? Let us not have such souls, I beg you; let us be urged to virtue by the kingdom. For the very virtuous man is led on neither by fear nor by the kingdom, but for Christ’s own sake, as Paul did. But let us think of the good things in the kingdom, the evils in Gehenna, and even so let us order and train ourselves, so let us lead ourselves to what must be done. When you see anything good and great in the present life, think of the kingdom, and you will think it nothing; when anything fearful, think of Gehenna, and you will laugh at it; when you are held by bodily desire, consider the fire, consider too the pleasure of the sin itself, that it is worth nothing, that it does not even have pleasure. For if the fear of the laws laid down here has such force as even to lead us away from wicked deeds, much more the memory of the things to come, the immortal punishment, the everlasting chastisement; if the fear of the king on earth leads us away from so many evils, how much more that of the eternal king? How then can we have the fear continually? If we continually listen to the Scriptures. For if a dead man merely seen so humbles our mind, how much more Gehenna and the unquenchable fire? How much more the undying worm? If we always consider Gehenna, we shall not quickly fall into it. For this reason God threatened punishment; since if thinking about it had no great gain, God would not have threatened it at all; but since the memory of it has power to accomplish great things, therefore he has implanted the threat of it in our souls like a saving medicine. Let us not then overlook the great gain born from it, but let us turn it over continually, at breakfasts, at dinners. For conversation about pleasant things profits the soul nothing, but makes it more slack; but conversation about grievous and gloomy things cuts away all its looseness and dissipation, and turns it back and braces it when it is relaxed. The one who talks about theatres and mimes has profited it nothing, but has inflamed it more and made it more reckless; the one who busies himself and is curious about others’ affairs has often brought dangers upon it from this curiosity. But the one who talks about Gehenna will have no danger, and makes it more self-controlled. But do you fear the burdensomeness of the words? If you keep silent, have you quenched Gehenna? If you speak, have you kindled it? Whether you speak or do not speak, the fire will boil up. Let it be spoken of continually, so that you may never fall into it. It is not possible for a soul anxious about Gehenna to sin quickly; for hear the excellent advice: “Remember,” it says, “your last things, and you will never sin.” It is not possible for a soul that fears the accounting not to be hesitant about offences; for fear flourishing in the mind lets nothing worldly be in it. For if a word raised about it so humbles and braces, will not a thought dwelling continually in our souls purify the soul more than any fire? Let us not remember the kingdom as much as Gehenna; for fear is stronger than promise; and I know that many would have despised ten thousand good things if they were released from punishment; since even now it is enough for me not to be punished, not to be chastised. None of those who have Gehenna before their eyes will fall into Gehenna; none of those who despise Gehenna will escape Gehenna. For just as among us those who fear the law courts are not the ones who most fall into them, so too there. If the Ninevites had not feared the overthrow, they would have been overthrown; but since they feared, they were not overthrown. If those in Noah’s time had feared the flood, they would not have been flooded; and the Sodomites, if they had feared, would not have been burnt up. It is a great evil to despise a threat; the one who despises a threat will quickly feel its experience in deeds. Nothing is so useful as to talk about Gehenna; it makes our souls purer than any silver. For hear the prophet saying, “Your judgments are before me always.” And Christ too continually speaks about it. For even if it grieves the hearer, it profits him greatly.

For such are all things that profit; and do not wonder; for medicines and foods too first grieve the sick man, and then bring benefit. And if we do not bear the heaviness of words, it is plain that we will not bear the affliction of deeds; if no one bears words about Gehenna, it is plain that, if persecution came upon us, no one would ever stand against fire, against iron. Let us train our hearing not to be soft; for from this we shall come to enduring fearful deeds too; but if we are so dissolute as not even to bear words, when shall we stand against deeds? Do you see how the blessed Paul despises all things here, and successive dangers? Why? Because he had practised despising even Gehenna for the sake of what pleases God. He thought even the experience of Gehenna nothing because of his longing for Christ; we do not bear even words about it for our own advantage. Now you go away having heard a little; but I ask you, if there is any love in you, to turn over the words about these things continually. They will be able to do no harm, even if they do not profit; but they will certainly profit too; for the soul too takes the form of its conversations. “Bad company,” it says, “corrupts good morals.” So good conversations profit; so fearful conversations bring us to our senses. For the soul is like a kind of wax: if you mould it to whatever you wish, [you will stamp on it] the royal image. [Let us then stop up] our ears to idle conversations; the evil is not small; from this come all evils. If our mind had practised attending to the divine words, it would not have attended to others; and not attending to others, it would not have pursued wicked deeds either. For speech is a road to deeds: first we think, then we speak, then we act. Many, often even self-controlled people, have come from shameful words to shameful deeds. For our soul is neither good nor bad by nature, but becomes the one or the other by choice. Just as the sail carries the ship wherever the wind blows, or rather as the rudder steers the ship if the wind is favourable, so too the reasoning: if good words are borne on it favourably, it will sail without danger; but if contrary ones, they will often even sink the reasoning. For what winds are to ships, words are to souls: wherever you will, you lead it and turn it. Therefore someone advises, “Let all your conversation be in the law of the Most High.” Therefore I beg you, taking children from the nurse, let us not accustom them to old wives’ tales, but from their earliest age let them learn that there is a judgment, that there is punishment; let it be fixed in their mind; this fear, rooted in, works great good things. For a soul that has learned from its earliest age to be shaken by this expectation will not quickly shake off this dread; but [it will think] and say useful things, and neither youth, nor wealth, nor orphanhood, nor anything else will be able to harm it, having its reasoning so firm and able to hold out against everything. With these words let us order ourselves, and wives and slaves and children and friends, and if possible enemies too. For with these words we can cut away most of our sins; and it is better to dwell among grievous things than pleasant ones; and this is plain from the following. Tell me, if you go into a house where a wedding is being celebrated, for the moment you are pleased by the sight, but afterwards, going away, you waste yourself with grief that you do not have as much. But if you go into a house of mourners, even if they are very rich, going away you will be more at rest; for you took no envy from there, but encouragement and comfort for your poverty. You have seen through the facts that wealth is nothing good, poverty nothing evil, but they are indifferent things. So now too, if you talk about luxury, you rather wound the soul that perhaps cannot live in luxury; but when you speak against luxury, and throw in the words about Gehenna, the thing gladdens you and will bring forth great pleasure. For when you consider that luxury will be able to protect us in nothing against that fire, you will not seek it; and if you reckon that it is rather accustomed to kindle it, not only will you not seek it, but you will turn away and repel it. Let us not then flee the words about Gehenna, so that we may flee Gehenna; let us not flee the memory of punishment, so that we may not be punished. If that rich man had thought of that fire, he would not have sinned; but since he never remembered it, therefore he fell into it. Tell me, man, when you are to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, do you speak of everything rather than this? And when you have a matter before a judge, often only about words, you speak of nothing else, not by night, not by day, not at any season, not at any hour, but always about that matter; but when you are to give account of your whole life and render an accounting, do you not bear even others reminding you about the trial? Therefore everything is lost and ruined, because, when we are to stand before a human judgment seat about worldly matters, we move everything, ask everyone, are continually anxious about it, do everything for it; but when we are to come before the judgment seat of Christ in a little while, we do nothing either ourselves or through others, we do not entreat the judge. And yet he gives us a long term, and does not snatch us away in the midst of our sins, but lets us strip them off, and that goodness and loving-kindness leaves out nothing that is his to do. But nothing more comes of it; therefore the punishment is greater. But may it not come to that. Therefore, I beg you, let us at least now come to our senses, let us have Gehenna before our eyes, let us think of those inexorable accounts; so that, considering these things, we may both flee wickedness and choose virtue, and may be able to obtain the good things promised to those who love him, by the grace and loving-kindness …