Paul commands: 'Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the Traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter.' From this it is clear that they did not hand down everything by letter, but there is much also that was not written. Like that which was written, the unwritten too is worthy of belief. So let us regard the Tradition of the Church also as worthy of belief. Is it a Tradition? Seek no further.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of traditions, both written and unwritten, in the context of faith and belief.
In this quote, Saint John Chrysostom speaks to the significance of holding onto the traditions of the Church, indicating that not everything that guides belief is found in written texts. He asserts that both written scriptures and oral traditions are essential for a complete understanding of faith, and encourages believers to see these traditions as equally worthy of respect and belief.
In practice
In a sermon discussing the foundations of faith, this quote could serve to highlight the importance of both written and unwritten traditions.
No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbour a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.
It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.
When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their follow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them.
Abba Moses asked Abba Sylvanus, Can a person lay a new foundation every day? The old man replied, If you work hard, you can lay a new foundation every moment. Abba Pimen said, To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul. The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.
I hear no one boast, that he hath a knowledge of the Scriptures, but that he owneth a Bible written in golden characters. And tell me then, what profiteth this? The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts.
Prayer should be the means by which I, at all times, receive all that I need, and, for this reason, be my daily refuge, my daily consolation, my daily joy, my source of rich and inexhaustible joy in life.
Reality offers us such wealth that we must cut some of it out on the spot, simplify. The question is, do we always cut out what we should?
There were no formerly heroic times, and there was no formerly pure generation. There is no one here but us chickens, and so it has always been.
He that seeks here any other thing but simply God and the salvation of his soul, will find nothing but trouble and sorrow.
Anger, depression, guilt, and shame are the product of the thinking that is at the base of violence on our planet.
Do not mistake the rule of force for true power. Men are not shaped by force.
My mother would write letters when I was away at camp and say, 'There's an Ann-shaped space around the house. Nobody fills an Ann-shaped space except an Ann.' I'm convinced we all have a God-shaped space in us, and until we fill that space with God, we'll never know what it is to be whole.
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