Chrysostom was a gifted writer with a lively and authoritative
style. He had the temperament of an orator, and this is the secret of his power
of persuasion. He loved to preach: "I have commanded my soul to undertake the
duties of a preacher and to fulfill the commandments for as long as I continue
to have breath and God sees fit to extend my life, whether there is anyone to
listen to me or not." Chrysostom understood pastoral work primarily as a service
of teaching and persuading. A pastor is an authority, but his jurisdiction is
realized through words which attempt to convince, and this is the basic
difference between spiritual power and secular power. "The emperor forces; the
priest convinces. One acts by command; the other by persuasion."
The Importance of Spiritual Freedom.
A pastor must focus his attention on the free will of the
individual. "We have been commanded to bring salvation to people by the strength
of the word, by gentleness, and by persuasion," Chrysostom said. He saw the
greatest meaning of the life of a Christian in freedom, which expresses itself
in good works and ascetic discipline. The individual's freedom and
self-motivation are constant themes in his homilies, for it is in free will that
he sees man's "nobility" and the image of God which he has been given.
Chrysostom was a consistent voluntarist and considered morality a matter of
will. He identified the source of sin as the movement of the will, which was
also the source of virtue. It was his opinion that Christ "came not to destroy
nature, but to correct our wills." Each action of God's grace in man takes place
"in such a way that it brings no harm to our power over our selves." In other
words, God Himself acts not through compulsion, but through persuasion. "He
comforts, advises, and warns us away from possible evil but does not force us to
do anything." A pastor should follow the Divine example.
thanks to:
No comments:
Post a Comment