To my Lady, the most reverend and divinely favored Deaconess Olympias, I
John, Bishop, send greeting in the Lord: Come now, let me relieve the
wound of thy despondency, and disperse the thoughts which gather this
cloud of care around thee. For what is it which upsets thy mind, and why
art thou sorrowful and dejected? Is it because of the fierce black storm
which has overtaken the Church, enveloping all things in darkness as of
a night without a moon, and is growing to a head every day, travailing
to bring forth disastrous shipwrecks, and increasing the ruin of the
world? I know all this as well as you; none shall gainsay it, and if you
like I will form an image of the things now taking place so as to
present the tragedy yet more distinctly to thee. We behold a sea
upheaved from the very lowest depths, some sailors floating dead upon
the waves, others engulfed by them, the planks of the ships breaking up,
the sails torn to tatters, the masts sprung, the oars dashed out of the
sailors' hands, the pilots seated on the deck, clasping their knees with
their hands instead of grasping the rudder, bewailing the hopelessness
of their situation with sharp cries and bitter lamentations, neither sky
nor sea clearly visible, but all one deep and impenetrable darkness, so
that no one can see his neighbor; whilst mighty is the roaring of the
billows, and monsters of the sea attack the crews on every side.
But how much further shall I pursue the unattainable? for whatever image
of our present evils I may seek, speech shrinks baffled from the
attempt. Nevertheless, even when I look at these calamities I do not
abandon the hope of better things, considering as I do who the Pilot is
in all this--not one who gets the better of the storm by his art, but
calms the raging waters by his rod. But if he does not effect this at
the outset and speedily, such is his custom--he does not at the
beginning put down these terrible evils; but when they have increased
and come to extremities, and most persons are reduced to despair, then
he works wondrously and beyond all expectation, thus manifesting his own
power and training the patience of those who undergo these calamities.
Do not therefore be cast down. For there is only one thing, Olympias,
which is really terrible, only one real trial, and that is sin; and I
have never ceased continually harping upon this theme: but as for all
other things, plots, enmities, frauds, calumnies, insults, accusations,
confiscation, exile, the keen sword of the enemy, the peril of the deep,
warfare of the whole world, or anything else you like to name, they are
but idle tales. For whatever the nature of these things may be, they are
transitory and perishable, and operate in a mortal body without doing
any injury to the vigilant soul. Therefore the blessed Paul, desiring to
prove the insignificance both of the pleasures and sorrows relating to
this life, declared the whole truth in one sentence when he said, "For
the things which are seen are temporal." Why then dost thou fear
temporal things which pass away like the stream of a river? For such is
the nature of present things, whether they be pleasant or painful. And
another prophet compared all human prosperity not to grass, but to
another material even more flimsy, describing the whole of it "as the
flower of grass." For he did not single out any one part of it, as
wealth alone, or luxury alone, or power, or honor; but having comprised
all the things which are esteemed splendid amongst men under the one
designation of glory, he said, "All the glory of man is as the flower of
grass."
Nevertheless, you will say, adversity is a terrible thing and grievous
to be borne. Yet look at it again compared with another image, and then
also learn to despise it. For the railing, and insults, and reproaches,
and gibes, inflicted by enemies and their plots, are compared to a
worn-out garment and moth-eaten wool, when God says, "Fear ye not the
reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings, for they shall
wax old as doth a garment, and like moth-eaten wool so shall they be
consumed." Therefore let none of these things which are happening
trouble thee; but ceasing to invoke the aid of this or that person, and
to run after shadows (for such are human alliances), do thou
persistently call upon Jesus whom thou servest, merely to bow his head
and in a moment of time all these evils will be dissolved. But if thou
hast already called upon him, and yet they have not been dissolved, such
is the manner of God's dealing (for I will resume my former argument);
he does not put down evils at the outset, but when they have grown to a
head, when scarcely any form of the enemy's malice remains ungratified,
then he suddenly converts all things to a state of tranquillity and
conducts them to an unexpected settlement. For he is not only able to
turn as many things as we expect and hope, to good, but many more, yea
infinitely more. Wherefore also Paul saith, "Now to Him who is able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Could he not,
for example, have prevented the Three Children at the outset from
falling into trial? But he did not choose to do this, thereby conferring
great pain upon them. Therefore he suffered them to be delivered into
the hands of barbarians, and the furnace to be heated to an immeasurable
height and the wrath of the king to blaze even more fiercely than the
furnace, and hands and feet to be bound with great severity, and they
themselves to be cast into the fire; and then, when all they who beheld
despaired of their rescue, suddenly and beyond all hope the
wonder-working power of God, the supreme artificer, was displayed, and
shone forth with exceeding splendor. For the fire was bound and the
bondmen were released; and the furnace became a temple of prayer, a
place of fountains and dew, of higher dignity than a royal court, and
the very hairs of their head prevailed over that all-devouring element
which gets the better even of iron and stone, and masters every kind of
substance. And a solemn song of universal praise was instituted there by
these holy men, inviting every kind of created thing to join in the
wondrous melody: and they uttered hymns of thanksgiving to God for that
they had been bound, and also burnt, as far at least as the malice of
their enemies had power; that they had been exiles from their country,
captives deprived of their liberty, wandering outcasts from city and
home, sojourners in a strange and barbarous land: for all this was the
outpouring of a grateful heart. And when the malicious devices of their
enemies were perfected (for what further could they attempt after their
death?) and the labors of the heroes were completed, and the garland of
victory was woven, and their rewards were prepared, and nothing more was
wanting for their renown, then at last their calamities were brought to
an end, and he who caused the furnace to be kindled, and delivered them
over to that great punishment, became himself the panegyrist of those
holy heroes and the herald of God's marvelous deed, and everywhere
throughout the world issued letters full of reverent praise, recording
what had taken place, and becoming the faithful herald of the miracles
wrought by the wonder-working God. For inasmuch as he had been an enemy
and adversary, what he wrote was above suspicion even in the opinion of
enemies.
Dost thou see the abundance of resource belonging to God? his
extraordinary power, his loving-kindness and care? Be not therefore
dismayed or troubled, but continue to give thanks to God for all things,
praising and invoking him; beseeching and supplicating; even if
countless tumults and troubles come upon thee, even if tempests are
stirred up before thine eyes, let none of these things disturb thee. For
our Master is not baffled by the difficulty, even if all things are
reduced to the extremity of ruin. For it is possible for him to raise
those who have fallen, to convert those who are in error, to set
straight those who have been ensnared, to release those who have been
laden with countless sins, and make them righteous, to quicken those who
are dead, to restore lustre to decayed things, and freshness to those
who have waxen old. For if he makes things which are not to come into
being, and bestows existence on things which are nowhere by any means
manifest, how much more will he rectify things which already exist!
Copyrighted by the Christian Literature Company, New York.