Homilies on Genesis 18–45

Homily 19

HOMILY 19 "And Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Come now, let us go out into the open country. ' "I NCURABLE [158] WOUNDS RESPOND neither to the harshest of remedies nor to those with benign properties .2 Just so with the soul: once it falls into bondage and surrenders itself to any sin whatever, it has no interest in recognizing what is for its own good. Even if someone makes a fuss about it over and over again, it is all to no avail; instead, as though with deaf ears it gains no benefit from correctionnot because it lacks the ability but because it lacks the will. Not that things are exactly the same in the case of the will as you can observe in the case of bodily wounds; with bodily ailments the natural condition is often stationary, whereas it is not like this at all with the will. Instead, in many cases a villain changes if he wants to and becomes good, and a good person who falls victim to indifference lapses into evil. So the God of all has endowed our nature with free will; he gives evidence of every effort on his part in fidelity to his own loving kindness, and in his knowledge of all the unspoken intentions in the [159] depth of our mind he exhorts and advises us and checks our evil plans ahead of time. To be sure, he does not impose necessity upon us, but in applying the appropriate remedies he allows everything to rest in the intention of the patient. 1. Gen 4.8. 2. An unusually direct opening for Chrysostom: in place of the usual exhortation involving a range of figures for Sacred Scripture and its benefits, there is immediate reference to the body of the previous homily Uust as that homily closed with an unusual variation to the otherwise invariable trinitarian doxology). Some particular circumstance may underly the relationship of Homilies 18 and 19. 21 22 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (2) Accordingly, this is just what happened in the present instance with Cain: see what depths of folly he has fallen into despite such care. You see, he should now have been engrossed in the correction of his sin, once he became aware of it; like a man intoxicated, however, he adds a further wound to his previous suffering and injured condition and refuses the healing applied to him with such care. He hastens the process of bringing his own destruction into effect, beginning with cunning and trickery and by deceiving his brother with beguiling words. Such is the condition of a human being turned animal who goes downhill into wickedness; just as this rational creature enjoys a wonderful status, especially when it makes rapid progress in the practice of virtue, so when it goes downhill into wickedness, it takes on the character of wild beasts. In fact, when it takes on the ferocity of those creatures, this mild and rational creature outstrips their savagery by a large measure. (3) So let us see here too what happens. "Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Come now, let us go out into the open country .'" The words are those of a brother, but the intention is that of a murderer. 0 Cain, what are you doing? Don't you know to whom you're talking? Don't you understand that this conversation is taking place with your brother? Don't you realize that he was born of the same mother as you? Have you no notion of the foulness of your scheme? Have you no fear of the judge who is proof against deception? Don't you shudder at the realization of your temerity? Why is it, after all, that you are enticing your brother out into the open country and leading him out of his father's paternal arms? Why are you depriving him of his father's assistance? What is this fresh development, that now you are enticing your brother into the open country and scheming to do something you have not done previously, and on the pretext of friendship feigning brotherly concern, while intending to unleash a warlike assault upon him? What is this madness? What is this fury? Even supposing that you are deranged in mind and make no account of brotherly regard nor recognize the demands of nature itself, still why make an attack in this way HOMILY 19 23 on the person...