St. John Chrysostom's Easter Sermon

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Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#1
Christ has risen!

We celebrate Easter this night, I can hear the choir and the priests from my apartment. Unfortunately, I couldn't go because of health problems in the family. I want to share with you the sermon of St. John Chrysostom which is normally read on the night of the Resurrection.

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor rejoice together!
Sober and slothful celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!

Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.

Hell took a body and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Christ is Risen and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#3
Well, if you truly believed that 'to each his own', you would have abstained from linking Saint John Chrysostom to Roman-Catholicism in an attempt to diminish and question his sermon and person.
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#4
I don't feel like starting an argument over what you said. We both know you didn't read neither the sermon, nor the link you provided, which makes your comment shallow and biased.
 

Platosgal

Active member
Mar 17, 2020
282
179
43
#5
Christ has risen!

We celebrate Easter this night, I can hear the choir and the priests from my apartment. Unfortunately, I couldn't go because of health problems in the family. I want to share with you the sermon of St. John Chrysostom which is normally read on the night of the Resurrection.

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor rejoice together!
Sober and slothful celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!

Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.

Hell took a body and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Christ is Risen and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!
Thank you for sharing this
I am not Catholic but several times
I went to the services and found a deep reverence and love for God that was
Lovely

Be blessed this day !
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#6
Thank you for sharing this
I am not Catholic but several times
I went to the services and found a deep reverence and love for God that was
Lovely

Be blessed this day !
Thank you, Platosgal! God bless you too!

I am not Catholic either. Catholics already celebrated Easter the 4th of April.

When I first heard this sermon my eyes filled with tears.
 
B

Blackpowderduelist

Guest
#7
Thank you for taking time to type that message out.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#8
I don't feel like starting an argument over what you said. We both know you didn't read neither the sermon, nor the link you provided, which makes your comment shallow and biased.
Well the great pity is that John Chrysostom was anti- Semitic. So it's rather hard to see the goodness in his sermons when he had such hate in his heart for God's chosen people. Sorry.
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#9
Well the great pity is that John Chrysostom was anti- Semitic. So it's rather hard to see the goodness in his sermons when he had such hate in his heart for God's chosen people. Sorry.
I was expecting your comment, kayla.
His homilies against Jews and Judaizing Christians are very strong, indeed, but I am very responsible when I say that he didn't have hate in his heart, nor was he anti-semitic.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#10
I was expecting your comment, kayla.
His homilies against Jews and Judaizing Christians are very strong, indeed, but I am very responsible when I say that he didn't have hate in his heart, nor was he anti-semitic.

I'm glad you were expecting my comment, it means I'm consistent in my views. I'm not going to try and derail your thread, but if I posted his words here I think you'd find it hard to defend them and say he didn't have hate in his heart. Anti-Semitism is hate, is it not? I will always speak up for the Jewish people.
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#11
In the liturgical books of the Eastern Orthodox Church, there are many chants which scold the Jews for having rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
This is certainly not politically correct, but it's not anti-Semitic, either.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#12
In the liturgical books of the Eastern Orthodox Church, there are many chants which scold the Jews for having rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
This is certainly not politically correct, but it's not anti-Semitic, either.
Again, I believe if his words were posted here, you'd have a hard time defending that position.
 
Jan 12, 2019
7,497
1,399
113
#13
Again, I believe if his words were posted here, you'd have a hard time defending that position.
Out of curiosity, what are some of the statements he made regarding this?
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#14
but if I posted his words here I think you'd find it hard to defend them and say he didn't have hate in his heart.
You could start a thread on his homily against Jewish faith and Judaizing Christians of his time and I will defend him there.

Anti-Semitism is hate, is it not? I will always speak up for the Jewish people.
Yes, anti-Semitism, which means preaching and proceeding to the extermination of the Jews, is hatred.
Now, please, come up with evidence that St. John Chrysostom ever touched one hair of a Jew or organized a 'squad' to kill them and did that.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#15
You could start a thread on his homily against Jewish faith and Judaizing Christians of his time and I will defend him there.



Yes, anti-Semitism, which means preaching and proceeding to the extermination of the Jews, is hatred.
Now, please, come up with evidence that St. John Chrysostom ever touched one hair of a Jew or organized a 'squad' to kill them and did that.

1 John 3:15, KJV: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#16
Out of curiosity, what are some of the statements he made regarding this?
I don't wish to derail the thread, but his hatred for the Jewish people was evident. I believe that needed to be pointed out.
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#17
1 John 3:15, KJV: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
St. John Chrysostom had no relation with the Jews, didn't even engaged with them, let alone harm them.

He took attitude against them in a certain context and that context was the following: his flock started to participate in Jewish festivals, keep the Sabbath; this tendency of Christians to want to imitate the Jews in their religiosity is nothing new under the sun. It started with the Galatians and continues until our days (they are called Judaizers).
He asks Christians to stop this nonsense (keeping Jewish festivals) and the relations with the Jews, and the way He does it is very radical, unpleasant and considered 'hateful speech' by postmodernists.

He believes fellowship with Jews could jeopardies the salvation of the Christians. Is a Christian man entitled to believe that? Is that hatred?
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#18
It is not the people he hates, is their religion.
 

Simona1988

Active member
Mar 15, 2021
196
138
43
#19
Also, his homilies were not heard by the Jews. This was something for those 'inside the house to hear', not for the Jews.

It's like a parent who teaches his kids that homosexuals are demon possessed, but this teaching is supposed to stay in the house. It's more like a warning for his children, not hate speech against homosexuals.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#20
St. John Chrysostom had no relation with the Jews, didn't even engaged with them, let alone harm them.

He took attitude against them in a certain context and that context was the following: his flock started to participate in Jewish festivals, keep the Sabbath; this tendency of Christians to want to imitate the Jews in their religiosity is nothing new under the sun. It started with the Galatians and continues until our days (they are called Judaizers).
He asks Christians to stop this nonsense (keeping Jewish festivals) and the relations with the Jews, and the way He does it is very radical, unpleasant and considered 'hateful speech' by postmodernists.

He believes fellowship with Jews could jeopardies the salvation of the Christians. Is a Christian man entitled to believe that? Is that hatred?

His sermons were hate filled, there is no way around it, no way to defend his words. He believed the Church replaced the Jewish people. That is a false theology.