So it was with the Jews. They did not reject the Son of God out of ignorance, but in order to receive honor from the people. "They believed," it is said, "in Him, but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess, so as not to be excommunicated from the synagogue... " (John 12:42), and for the sake of pleasing others they sacrificed their own salvation. And it is impossible, it is impossible for one who is so subservient to temporal glory to receive glory from God. That is why Christ rebuked the Jews, saying: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the One God?" (John 5:44)? This is some kind of strong ecstasy; Embraced by this passion, a person becomes incorrigible. Tearing away the soul of its captives from heaven, it nails it to the earth, does not allow it to look up to the true light, and induces it to constantly turn in the mud, assigning to them rulers so strong that they possess them without even commanding anything.

He who suffers from this disease, even if no one orders him, voluntarily does everything he thinks to please his masters. For them, he dresses himself in elegant clothes, and adorns his face, taking care not of himself, but of pleasing others, and takes his escorts with him to the square, in order to deserve the surprise of others, and everything he does, he undertakes solely to please others.

And so, is there a spiritual illness more painful than this? A person often throws himself into the abyss so that only others are surprised at him. The quoted words of Christ sufficiently show all the tormenting power of this passion; but it is also possible to know it from the following. If you want to ask any of the citizens who make great expenditures, why they spend so much gold, and what such expenses mean, you will hear nothing else from them, but about pleasing the crowd. But if you ask them again, What is a crowd? - they will answer: it is something noisy, rebellious, for the most part stupid, rushing aimlessly to and fro, like the waves of the sea, often composed of various and opposite opinions. Whoever has such a ruler, will he not be more miserable than any other?

However, when worldly people cling to it, it is not yet so dangerous, although it is really dangerous. But when those who say that they have renounced the world suffer from the same or even more serious illness, then this is extremely dangerous. Worldly people only waste money, but here the danger concerns the soul. When the right faith is exchanged for glory, and in order to be glorified by themselves, God is despised, tell me, is this not the highest degree of senselessness and madness?

Other passions, although they contain great harm, at least bring some pleasure, albeit temporary and short. Thus, the greedy, the lover of wine, the lover of womanhood, have a certain pleasure, albeit a short one; but those possessed by the passion of vanity always live a bitter life, devoid of any pleasure. They do not attain that which they love so much, I mean, the glory of the people; and although they apparently use it, they do not really enjoy it, because it is not glory at all. That is why "this passion itself is not called glory, but vanity. And rightly all the ancients called it vanity. It is vain and has nothing brilliant or glorious in it. Just as the faces [of statues] seem (outwardly) bright and pleasant, but inwardly empty, therefore, although they appear to be more beautiful than corporeal (natural) faces, yet they have never yet aroused love for themselves in anyone, in the same way, or even more, fame among the crowd covers this incurable and painful passion. It has only a bright appearance on the outside, but on the inside it is not only empty, but also full of dishonor and cruel torment.

Where, you say, does this insane and unpleasurable passion come from? Nowhere else, but from a low and insignificant soul. A man who is carried away by glory is incapable of conceiving anything great and noble; it necessarily becomes shameful, base, dishonest, insignificant. Whoever does nothing for virtue, but has only one thing in mind, that in order to please people who are not worthy of any attention, in any case, follows a sinful, wandering opinion, can he be worth anything? Notice, then, if anyone had asked him, How do you think of the crowd? "No doubt he would have said that he thought the crowd ignorant and idle. What then? Would you like to become like this crowd? If someone were to ask him about this again, I do not think that he would wish to become the same. Is it not exceedingly ridiculous, then, to seek glory from those whom he himself would never wish to become like him?

6. But if you say that there are many people in the crowd, and that they are one, then it is especially necessary to despise it. If everyone in the crowd is in himself worthy of contempt, then when there are many of them, they deserve even more contempt. The folly of each of them, when they are gathered together, becomes even greater, increasing in number. Therefore, each of them separately could certainly be corrected, if someone took upon himself this task, but it would not be easy to correct all of them together, because in this case their madness increases; they are led by the customs of animals, at any rate following one another in opinions. Tell me, then, in such a crowd will you seek glory? No, I beg and pray. This passion perverted everything; it gave rise to covetousness, envy, slander, and slander. It arms and embitters people who have not suffered any offense against those who have done no offense.

A person subject to this disease does not know friendship, does not remember affection, does not want to respect anyone at all; on the contrary, having expelled all that is good from the soul, the fickle, incapable of love, arms himself against all. The power of anger, although it is painful and unbearable, does not constantly disturb the spirit, but only at the time when it is irritated by others. On the contrary, the passion of vanity is always, and the thread, so to speak, of the time in which it could have left, because reason does not hinder it or tame it; it always remains, and not only does it incite us to sin, but if we manage to do something good, it snatches the good from our hands. And it happens that she does not allow you to start a good deed. And if Paul calls covetousness idolatry (Ephesians 5:5), then how can we justly call its mother (covetousness), the root and source, that is, vanity? It is impossible to find a name worthy of this evil!

Therefore, let us arise, beloved, let us lay aside this vicious garment, let us tear and cut it, let us one day become free with true freedom, and assimilate to ourselves the sense of dignity given to us by God. Let us despise the glory of the crowd. There is nothing so ridiculous and humiliating as this passion; nothing is so full of shame and disgrace. Everyone can see that the desire for glory is in many respects dishonor, and that true glory consists in despising glory, considering it as nothing, and doing and saying everything only to please God. In this way we can also receive a reward from Him Who sees all our deeds exactly, if only we are satisfied with this one spectator of them. And what need do we have of other eyes, when it is He who will judge our deeds who sees our works?

May it not be, I beseech you! But from whom we receive rewards, we will recognize Him both as a spectator and as a glorifier of our deeds. Let us not rely on human eyes for anything.

And if we wanted to attain glory among men, we would receive it when we seek the only glory from God. It is said: "... I will glorify those who glorify Me..." (1 Samuel 2:30). And just as we are especially abundant in riches when we despise them and seek riches only from God (for it is said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" - Matthew 6:33), so also in relation to glory. When both wealth and glory are safe for us, then God gives us them in abundance. But this gift is safe when it does not take possession of us, does not subdue us, does not possess us as slaves, but remains in our power as masters and freemen. That is why God does not allow us to love riches and glory, so that they do not take possession of us. And when we have attained such perfection, He gives them to us with great generosity. Who, tell me, is more glorious than Paul, who says: "... We do not seek human glory either from you or from others..." (1 Thess. 2:6)? Who is happier than he who has nothing and owns everything? When, as I said above, we do not submit to their dominion (wealth and glory), then we will possess them, then we will receive them. Therefore, if we desire to receive glory, let us run away from glory. Thus, having fulfilled the laws of God, we will be able to receive both the blessings here and the promised ones, by the grace of Christ, with whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

[1] St. Chrysostom means the Arians, who recognized the Son of God as a venerable being, only not co-eternal and not consubstantial with the Father.

CONVERSATION 4

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God" (John 1:1).