source: Ante and Post Nicene Fathers Series (www.newadvent.org/fathers)

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Why God allows some to become rich but not others

Why does God allow wicked men to prosper, some of whom became rich by theft, some by inheritance, and some by violence? We answer: Because God does not reward according to our merits now, but in the future.

How does this happen? Well, someone says, “Give me my reward now, and I won’t look for it later”. Here is why you don’t receive it even though you seek it: If the earthly enjoyments you try to obtain so eagerly in this present life are unattainable (and you would even prefer to enjoy them now than in the future), tell me, what would you do if you had nothing but pleasures all the time? Thus, by keeping them out of your reach, God is showing you that these worldly things are not important, that they are neutral, because if they were important, He wouldn’t let such men obtain them. 

You will agree that it doesn’t matter whether one is tall or short, or dark or light complected, nor if one is rich or poor. Tell me, aren’t the essentials bestowed equally on everyone? For example, the capacity to acquire virtues and the distribution of spiritual gifts? If you correctly understood God’s charity, you wouldn’t complain about not having the worldly things, because you would be enjoying the best gifts [the spiritual] equally with His fellow servants; and since you would know that the spiritual gifts are distributed equally, you wouldn’t desire to have the most worldly ones.

It’s like there is a servant somewhere enjoying more than enough of his master’s food and clothing and lodging and all the other necessities, which all the servants have an equal share of, and he prides himself in having longer fingernails or more hair on his head; this is what it’s like when a Christian is elated to have those worldly things, things he will enjoy for but a short time. This is why God puts those things far away from us, so that we might extinguish this burning desire for them and transfer our attachment from them to heaven.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Do you rejoice when you hear someone say ‘I believe’? Not so fast.

Peter says: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Mt. 16:16; Mk. 8:29; Lk. 9:21); and the demons also say, “We know who you are, the Son of God, the Holy One of God” (cf. Mk. 1:24; Lk. 4:34). Peter said the one and the demons the other; the words are the same but the intention is not. And how is it clear that Peter said this with love? Because a Christian’s confession of faith is with love. The demon confesses faith without love. How without love? Peter said it to embrace Christ; the demons said it for Christ to go away, for at other times they had also said: “We know who you are, the Son of God,” (Mk. 1:25) and “What do You want with us? Have you come here to torment us before the time [of our eternal punishment]?” (Mt. 8:29; cf. Mk. 5:7; Lk. 8:28) So then, it is one thing to confess Christ in order to embrace Him and another thing to confess Christ to drive Him away. So you see, then, in what sense the Lord says, Whoever believes; it is one’s own personal belief, and not a belief held in common by all. So then, brethren, don’t let them get away with saying to you, “We also believe.” This is why I gave you the instance with the demons, so that you don’t rejoice if you hear someone say, “I believe”, but to examine the man and his actions.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Let’s pay attention to our own faults

Say to him [to the one who slanders]: Let’s pay attention to our own faults, and how we’ll have to give an account of our own transgressions; and let’s turn this sort of curiosity and meddlesome behavior upon our own life. What excuse will we find or what pardon could we possibly receive if we never look at our own faults [to try and correct them], but instead [waste all of our time] inquisitively pry[ing] into those of others? And just as it is dishonorable and very shameful to peer inside someone else’s home to see what is inside while one is passing by, it is the lowest of low to look for faults in someone else’s life. But what is even more ridiculous is that those who do this regularly (while completely neglecting to look at how they themselves live), after they have discovered some secret faults and tell someone, they beg him and insist that he not tell anyone else, thus making it quite clear that they have done something deserving of a rebuke. For if you have to beg him not to tell anyone, how much more improper was it for you to tell him these things in the first place. While only you knew, no harm was done; but now, after spilling the beans, you become nervous that it will become known to others. If you don’t want everyone to know, don’t tell anyone; but if you have spilled the beans, you are wasting your time making him swear not to tell anyone.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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No one is on my side

Indeed, when I look around, I seem to have no one on my side. I can only pray that I might be found in the number of those seven-thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kg 19:18; Rom. 11:4). I know that those who are persecuting all of us right now seek my life; but this will not lessen the zeal which I owe to the churches of God one bit.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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A man will listen to a friend

…When you see your friend doing countless evil things, do you prefer his favor over his well-being? Do not, I beg you. No evidence proves true friendship more than when we never overlook the sins of our friends. Did you see them doing something wrong? Try to correct them. For example, are they guilty of covetousness? Call them out. Did you see them being wronged? Stand up and defend them. It is not they who are benefited most, but you. This is why we are friends, that we might be of use to each other. A man will be more open to hear what a friend has to say than someone on the street. He might be suspicious of others, even a teacher, but not a friend.

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