The Golden Voice of St. John Chrysostom

Excerpt from “On Living Simply”

“We who are disciples of Christ claim that our purpose on earth is to lay up treasures in heaven.  But our actions often contradict our words.  Many Christians build for themselves fine houses, lay out splendid gardens, construct bathhouses, and buy fields.  It is small wonder, then, that many non-believers refuse to believe what we say.  “If their eyes are set on mansions in heaven,” they ask, “why are they building mansions on earth?  If they put their words into practice, they would give away their riches and live in simple huts.”  So these non-believers conclude that we do not sincerely believe in the religion we profess; and as a result they refuse to take this religion seriously.  You may say that the words of Christ on these matters are too hard for you to follow; and that while your spirit is willing, your flesh is weak.  My answer is that the judgment of the non-believers about you is more accurate than your judgment of yourself.  While the non-believers accuse us of hypocrisy, many of us should plead guilty. “

 
Reflections:

This is a very challenging saying by St. John Chrysostom.  At the time that this was written (around 312 AD), Emperor Constantine had made Christianity the official religion of his empire, and the bishops and clergy suddenly found power and wealth accumulating in their hands.  After centuries of persecution and poverty, they could now count themselves among the most privileged members of society.  Many rejoiced in their new position, building themselves luxurious palaces and villas, clothing themselves with lavish robes.  It is no wonder that many of St. John Chrysostom’s sermons at this time challenged Christians to go back to the ways of simplicity.

One can look at these words, and overlook the importance of these warnings for us in this present age.  It’s hard to realize how attached to the world and material possessions we are until they are taken away from us.  It is not uncommon to hear this conversation among Christians while talking about material possessions, “But these blessings are from God, He wants us to enjoy the world that He created.” Of course this is true to a certain extent, but the true test of whether or not our possessions are controlling us is to ask what would happen if they were taken away from us. 

The rich young ruler is a prime example.  He was eager to know what he could do to inherit eternal life, but when asked to leave his possessions, he went away sad because he possessed a great deal.  It seems like something we would never do, but in reality, it is something we do all too often.  We belittle the power of material possessions in our life. We look around us and see so few people living simply, that we ourselves justify our lavish lifestyles.  Doing so is not only a great sin in the eyes of God, but it deprives us of receiving the true blessings that God intended- that is, spiritual blessings.

Having moved from America to Kenya, I was strongly convicted of my attachment to material possessions.  I quickly came to realize that my attachment to possessions, physical comfort, and a certain lifestyle were hindering me from receiving from God.  In fact, I had been so “full” with these things in my life that I didn’t realize how empty I was in God.  Coming to Kenya and having much less, I felt very empty, which was proof that I had deceived myself into thinking that I was full from God, when actuality, I was not.  We often think that the things that keep us from being intimate from God are sins such as lust, laziness, or things of that sort.  Having an abundance of material possession and physical comfort is not something we regularly think about as stunting our spiritual growth, because we have grown so used to it. 

We must ask ourselves, are we building mansions in heaven or on earth? We have to honestly examine ourselves to see where most of our energy is exerted.  Do we spend most of our time and energy working and worrying in order to keep a certain lifestyle?  Or are our thoughts and energy focused on our relationship with God and our service to others? Would non-Christians look at us and see any difference? Would they see that we are using our time to build mansions in heaven or on earth?

We shouldn’t all have to move to a third world country to come up the realization that an abundance of material possessions can hinder our spiritual growth.  But how, then, can we examine ourselves to see if the world has consumed so much of us that there is no room for God and the true blessings that He intended when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”.