St. Cyril of Alexandria, Homily 14
English translation from:
On the departure of the soul, and about the Second Coming.
I fear death, for it is bitter to me. I fear hell, for it is unending. I fear Tartarus [lower hell - 2 Pet. 2:4], for it does not partake in warmth. I fear the darkness, for it does not partake in light. I fear the venomous worm, for it is unending. I fear the angels of judgment, for they are unmerciful. I fear, thinking of that day, the dreadful and unanswerable tribunal, the terrifying stand, the unanswerable judge. I fear the river of fire, flowing before that tribunal, and fiercely breaking with flame, the sharpened swords. I fear the sudden punishments. I fear the punishment that has no end. I fear the utter darkness. I fear the outer darkness. I fear the unbreakable bonds, the gnashing of teeth, the inconsolable weeping. I fear the irrefutable proofs; for that judge needs no accusers, nor witnesses, nor proofs, nor arguments; but whatever we have done, and spoken, and plotted, is brought forth before the eyes of those who have been wronged.
Then, no one standing by, and snatching away from punishment, not father, not mother, not son, not daughter, not any other of the relatives, not neighbor, not friend, not advocate, not the giving of money, not the abundance of wealth, not the pomp of power; but all these things have turned to dust and ashes, and one judged only from his own deeds, awaits the freeing or condemning vote. Alas! Alas! for the conscience accusing me, and the scripture crying out and teaching me; oh soul, of the defilements, and the works abominated by you! Alas, that I have corrupted the temple of the body, and grieved Your Holy Spirit! Oh God, true are Your works, and just is Your judgment, and straight are Your ways, and inscrutable are Your judgments. Through temporary sin's enjoyment, I am tormented eternally; through fleshly pleasure, I am delivered to fire. Just is the judgment of God; I was called, and I did not obey; I was taught, and I did not pay attention; they testified to me, and I laughed; reading and understanding, not disbelieving, but in negligence, and laziness, and carelessness, and in distractions, and turmoil, and in the dizziness of indulgences and squandering, rejoicing and being glad, I spent my years, and months, and days in temporary, perishable, earthly labors, and toils, and struggles; not taking into account, or considering, what fear and trembling, and struggle, and necessity the soul has to see, when it is separated from the body. For upon us come armies and powers heavenly; and of the opposing powers, the rulers of darkness, the world rulers of wickedness, the tax collectors, and accountants, and census takers of the air; and with them the man-slaying devil, the tyrant in wickedness, whose tongue is like a sharpened razor; about whom the prophet says: "The arrows of the mighty are sharpened, along with the coals of the desert; and he lurks like a lion in his den, the great dragon, the apostate, Hades, who widens his mouth, the ruler of the power of darkness, holding the might of death and in some way the judgment, possessing the soul, bringing forth and deciding upon all that has been done by me in deed and word, in knowledge and in ignorance, sins and transgressions, from my youth until the day of the end, on which I was seized, now to be thoroughly examined."
What kind of fear and trembling do you think the soul has on that day, seeing the fearful, wild, harsh, merciless, and unruly demons standing like dark Ethiopians, whose very appearance alone is more dreadful than any punishment? Seeing them, the soul is disturbed, terrified, pained, troubled, and shrinks, seeking refuge with the angels of God. The soul is then held by the holy angels, passing through the air and being lifted up, finds tollhouses guarding the ascent, holding, and preventing the souls from ascending. Each tollhouse presents its own sins: the one of slander, for all that was spoken through the mouth and tongue from lies, oaths, perjury, idle talk, and gossip, vanity and gluttony, drunkenness, unmeasured laughter, indecent and immodest kisses, and licentious songs; the holy angels guiding the soul, also present all the good things spoken through the mouth and tongue, prayers, thanksgivings, psalms, songs, hymns, and spiritual odes, readings of the Scriptures, and all the good things we have offered to God through the mouth and tongue. The second tollhouse is the sight of the eyes, and all that comes from improper viewing, curious and unrestrained looking, and deceitful signals. The third tollhouse, the hearing, and all that through such sensation, the unclean spirits accept. The fourth tollhouse, the smell of sweet ointments and pleasurable scents, which are suitable for lascivious women and companions. The fifth tollhouse, all the evils and harsh things done through the touch of the hands; and the remaining tollhouses of evil, envy and jealousy, vanity and pride, bitterness and anger, irritability and rage, fornication, adultery, effeminacy, murder and sorcery, and the rest of the god-hating and impure actions; of which it is not possible to narrate in detail at the present hour; but let it be reserved for another time; and simply thus, each passion of the soul, and every sin, has its own tollhouses and tax collectors.
So then, the soul, witnessing these and greater and more numerous things, what kind of fear, and trembling, and shaking do you think it has until the verdict comes and its freedom is granted? That is the painful, dangerous, heavily sighing, and inconsolable hour, until it sees the outcome. For the divine powers stand by, and against the faces of the unclean spirits; and these bring forth its good actions, through words, deeds, thoughts, and intentions. The soul, standing in the midst between fear and trembling, until from its actions, and deeds, and words, it is either condemned and bound, or justified and set free (for each one is strangled by the chains of their own sins); and if she is worthy, having lived a godly and pleasing life, angels receive her; and thenceforward, being carefree, she proceeds having the holy powers as companions, according to what is written: 'As all rejoice that dwell in thee.' Then is fulfilled the saying: 'Gone are the pain, sorrow, and sighing.' Then, freed from those evil, rotten, and dreadful spirits, she proceeds into that unspeakable joy. But if found in negligence and dissolute living, she hears that most dreadful voice: 'Let the ungodly be removed, that he may not see the glory of the Lord.'
Then days of wrath, and tribulation, and necessity, and distress seize her, a day of darkness and gloom; then, leaving her, the holy angels of God, those Ethiopian demons take her, and striking her mercilessly, they cast her down to the earth; and having torn her asunder, they throw her, bound in unbreakable chains, into a dark and gloomy land, into the lower parts, in the underworld prisons, and guards of Hades; where the souls of sinners, who have been asleep since ages past, are enclosed, as says Jacob; into a land dark and gloomy, into a land of eternal darkness where no light shines, nor life of mortals, but eternal torment, and endless sorrow, and ceaseless weeping, and unquenchable gnashing of teeth, and sleepless groans; there is woe forever, there, alas, alas! There they cry, and there is no one to help; they shout, and there is no one to save; it is impossible to recount that necessity; no human tongue can tell the torments of those lying there and enclosed souls all human mouths fail to reveal that fear and that terror; no human lips are strong enough to describe their plight and their weeping; they groan continually and unceasingly, but no one pities; they cry out from the depths, but no one hears; they are in torment, but no one saves; they call out, and beat themselves, but no one has compassion. Then where is the boasting of this world? Where is vanity? Where is luxury? Where is enjoyment? Where is wastefulness? Where is illusion? Where is rest? Where is the world? Where is money? Where is nobility? Where then is delight? Where is the bravery of the flesh? Where is the false and useless beauty of women? Where then is the shameless and unashamed boldness? Where then is the adornment of clothes? Where is the impure and foolish pleasure of sin? Where are those who regard the foul bed of men as a pleasure? Where are those anointing themselves with myrrh and incense? Where are those drinking wine with drums and lyres? Where then is the disdain for those living without fear? Where is greed, and the love of money, and the heartlessness that comes from them? Where then is the inhuman arrogance that is abhorred by all, and considers itself to be something? Where then is the empty and vain glory of men? Where is lasciviousness and debauchery? Where is power, and tyranny? Where then is the king? Where is the ruler? Where is the leader? Where are those in authority? Where are those boasting of the multitude of their wealth, not pitying the poor, and despising God? Where are the theaters, and the hunts? Where then are those living in high places, measuring and living carelessly? Where are the soft garments, and the soft beds, and delicacies? Where are the high buildings, and the width of the porticos? Where are those who lived without fear?
Then, seeing, they will marvel and shudder, and being astounded, they will wail; being disturbed, they will be shaken; terror will seize them, and pains like that of a woman in childbirth, they will be crushed by a violent spirit, disappearing. Where then is the wisdom of the wise? Where is the eloquence of the rhetoricians, and their vain schemes? Woe, woe! They were troubled, they were shaken as one who is drunk, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Oh brothers, consider what we must be like, giving an account for each thing we have done, whether great or small; for even to the idle word, we will give a defense to the just judge. What must we be like in that hour? But if we find favor in the sight of God, what joy will receive us, being set apart at the right hand of the King! What must we be like for that joy unspeakable, when the King of kings says to those on his right with joy: 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Then we will inherit those good things, which no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him. Then we will finally be carefree, no longer fearing any alarm. Let us reflect on these things, and on the endless punishment of sinners, when they are brought before the fearsome tribunal, how great shame will seize them before the just judge, not having a word of defense! What disgrace will seize them, being separated from the right hand of the King! What darkness will fall upon them, when He speaks to them in His anger, and in His wrath He disturbs them; when He says to them: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' Alas! alas! What tribulation, and pain, and distress, and fear, and trembling will seize their spirits, when there is a cry from all the heavenly powers, saying: 'Let the sinners be turned into hell! Woe, woe! What a lament they will raise, mourning, and grieving, and wailing, being beaten, led away to be bitterly punished into endless ages! Alas, alas! What a place it is, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, called Tartarus, which even the devil fears! Woe, woe! What is the gehenna of unquenchable fire, burning and not illuminating! Alas, alas! What is the restless and venomous worm! Woe, woe! What a terrible darkness is that outer one, and always remaining! Alas, alas! What are those angels like, merciless and uncompassionate over the punishments! For they reproach and severely rebuke. Then the tormented cry earnestly, and there is no savior; for they will have cried out to the Lord, and He will not hear them; then they will know that all their life’s endeavors were in vain; and what they thought to be good here, full of joy, will be found bitterer than gall and bitter poison. Woe to the sinners! When the righteous stand on the right hand, and they are tormented; when the sinners mourn, and the righteous rejoice; when the righteous celebrate, and the sinners lament; when the righteous are in calm, and the sinners are in storm and disaster. Woe to the sinners! When the righteous are glorified, and they are condemned; woe to the sinners! When the righteous are filled with every good thing, and the sinners lacking moan. Woe to the sinners! When the righteous are glorified, and they are reproached.
The righteous will be in sanctification, but the sinners in burning; the righteous will be praised, but the sinners tormented; the righteous will be in the dwellings of the saints, but the sinners in eternal exile; the righteous will hear, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' But the sinners will hear, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' The righteous [will go] into paradise, the sinners into the unquenchable fire; the righteous will revel, the sinners will be ground down. The righteous will dance, but the sinners will be bound. The righteous will sing, the sinners will mourn. The righteous [sing] the thrice-holy, the sinners [the thrice-wretched]. The righteous [sing] the hymn, the sinners [face] the abyss. The righteous [go] into the bosom of Abraham, the sinners into the seething of Belial. The righteous [go] into rest, the sinners into condemnation. The righteous are refreshed, the sinners are burned. The righteous rejoice, the sinners are dried up with sorrow. The righteous are exalted, but the sinners are melted. The righteous are raised up, but the sinners are brought low. The righteous are warmed, but the sinners are blackened. The righteous are filled with good things, but the sinners are shaken. The sight of God will nourish the righteous, the sight of fire will grieve the sinners. The righteous are vessels of choice, the sinners vessels of gehenna. The righteous are refined gold, and tested silver and precious stones; the sinners [are] wood, reed, grass, the remnants of fire. The righteous [are] the wheat of the kingdom, the sinners, the chaff of destruction. The righteous [are] the chosen seed, the sinners the tares of fire. The righteous [are] divine salt, the sinners rottenness and stench. The righteous [are] untainted temples of God; the sinners, defiled temples of demons. The righteous [are] in the bridal chamber, the sinners in the endless abyss. The righteous [are] in the light displays, the sinners in the gloom of the storm. The righteous [are] with angels, the sinners with demons. The righteous dance with angels, the sinners mourn with demons. The righteous [are] in the midst of light, the sinners in the midst of darkness. The righteous are comforted by the Paraclete, the sinners are punished with the demons. The righteous stand by the Sovereign throne, the sinners stand by the punitive gloom. The righteous always see the face of Christ, the sinners always stand before the face of the devil. The righteous are initiated into [the mysteries of] angels, the sinners into [the mysteries of] demons. The righteous offer supplication, the sinners [offer] ceaseless lament. The righteous [are] above, but the sinners [are] below. The righteous [are] in heaven, but the sinners [are] in the abyss. The righteous [go] into eternal life, the sinners into the death of destruction. The righteous [are] in the hand of God, the sinners in the place of the devil. The righteous [are] with God, the sinners with Satan. Woe to the sinners! When they are separated from the righteous. Woe to the sinners! When their deeds are uncovered, and the intentions of their hearts are revealed. Woe to the sinners! When the assemblies of the mind are examined, and the agreements of evil thoughts are weighed, and the mind is found wanting. Woe to the sinners! When they are hated by the holy angels, and abhorred by the holy martyrs. Woe to the sinners! When they are expelled from the bridal chamber; woe to that regret! Woe to that tribulation! Woe to that necessity! Woe to that storm! Terrible, to be separated from the saints; more grievous, to be separated from God; ignominious, to be bound hand and foot, and thrown into the fire; distressing, to be sent into outer darkness; gloomy, to gnash the teeth and to melt away; heavy, to be endlessly tormented.
Evil, to have the tongue burning; unbearable, to beg for a drop of water and not receive it. Bitter, to be in the fire, and cry out, and not to be helped. The gorge is impassable, the chasm is immeasurable, the one who is shut out is inescapable, the one who is held is irretrievable, the prison wall is insurmountable, the keepers are merciless, the dungeon is dark, the bonds are unbreakable, the chains are inextricable, fierce and unruly are the servants of that flame, heavy are those punitive helmets, the nails are solid and indestructible, the sinews are hard, the pitches are murky and hissing, the sulphur is foul-smelling, those beds are like charcoal, the fire is unquenchable, the worm is smoky and stinking; the judgment is unforgivable, the judge shows no partiality, the defense is indefensible; the faces of the rulers are branded, the rulers are destitute, the kings are poor; the wise are commoners, the orators are foolish and unacceptable; the rich are senseless, the flatteries of the forgers are unheard; the bends of the schemers are obvious, the tracks of the extortioners are glaring; the smell of the greedy is foul, the cunning of the hypocrites is apparent, the assailants are flogged; all are naked and laid bare before them. Woe to the sinners! Profane, and condemned, and unclean they are before God. How their souls are defiled! How their bodies stink from lewdness and debauchery! How they have defiled the body, and contaminated the soul, not keeping the garment of holy baptism! How shamelessly and unblushingly with gluttony and drunkenness, the storehouse of belly, the wine-skin of the stomach, not conforming to self-sufficiency and temperance, but trusting their wealth to themselves, luxuriously rolling in pleasures like pigs in the mire, they have squandered their days and years; floating in filthy thoughts, and base intentions, and idle talk, and licentious songs!
How did their hearts become hardened to insensitivity, not understanding the instruction of Christ, and the rejection of the devil!
How did they stray from the straight path, walking in the darkness of ignorance, and succumbing to the sleep of laziness, plunging themselves into the snare of hell! How were they alienated from the light of virtues, loving the darkness of sin, because they walked the broad and spacious way of vile wickedness! How did they forget the presence of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, and His many and unfathomable benefactions, cleansed through the water of divine baptism and the Holy Spirit, and adorned with the oil of gladness! For the sake of a small, hateful, and loathsome pleasure, rejecting such and such great gifts, they became enslaved to a spirit of fornication and adultery. Woe to those who have forsaken sonship, and followed the pleasures of the world! Woe to those who have pursued the fortunes of the world! Woe to those who love the darkness of sin! Woe to those who have forsaken the light of truth! Woe to those who walk in the night of sin! Woe to those who have abandoned the day of the knowledge of God! Woe to those filled with the evil habit of laughter! Woe to those who adorn themselves to devour souls into company and lascivious debauchery of impurity! Truly, it is a hook of the devil, not adornment; to those who desire, seek, and want to be saved, it is detestable. Woe to those who slander in unity! Woe to the eavesdroppers, the quarrelers, and the troublemakers! Woe to those who swear for the sake of pleasure. Woe to the perjurers! Woe to the gluttons, whose god is their belly! Woe to the drunkards!
Blessed is the one who here humbles himself, and lowers himself for God, despising and condemning himself! Such a person will be exalted by the Most High God, praised by angels, and not stand on the left in judgment. Blessed is the man who perseveres in prayers, endures in fasts, rejoices in vigils, combats and wards off sleep, bends his knees in glory to God, beats his chest, strikes his face, raises his hands to the air, lifts his eyes to heaven towards the Lord, contemplating Him who sits on the throne of glory, examining hearts and probing kidneys! For such a one enjoys eternal goods, becomes a son, brother, friend, and heir of God. His face will shine like the sun on the day of judgment, in which is the kingdom of heaven. But the one who loves the truth finds favor with God; the one who persists in lies becomes a friend of demons. The one who hates deceit is redeemed from the curse. The one enduring temptations is crowned as a confessor before the throne of Christ. The one murmuring, and begrudging in the occurring misfortunes and tribulations, careless and blaspheming, is misled and has deafened senses. The gentle, the merciful, and the humble are praised by God, blessed by angels, and lauded by people. But the bitter, the quick-tempered, and the irritable are cursed by God; their food is a cluster of demons' bitterness; their wine is the wrath of dragons, and their drink is the incurable poison of asps. The pure in heart see the glory of God; but those who have defiled their minds see the reflection of the devil
Those who commit vile acts, contemplate atrocities, and harbor evil thoughts towards their neighbor block themselves from divine communion. Those who moisten their face with rouge, rub their cheeks with powder, whiten themselves, and adorn themselves through mirrors and reflections to lure and trap souls into licentiousness, untoward desires, and satanic loves will not be found godly on the day of judgment; instead, as despisers of God's commandments, they will be punished. Those obsessed with enhancing alien beauty will be deprived of the beauty of paradise. Those who rejoice over others' downfall doom themselves. Those coveting what belongs to others betray their own and are lost. The vain, proud, and people-pleasers are condemned with the devil. Hypocrites are punished with Satan. Those over-nourishing the body starve the soul; those sinning knowingly and unnecessarily, without repentance, are punished with the unbelievers. Those saying, 'Let us sin in our youth and repent in old age,' are mocked and scoffed by demons, not deemed worthy of repentance for willfully sinning, harvested in youth by death's scythe; like Ammon, king of Israel, who angered God with his wicked thoughts and profane intentions. For those saying, 'Today we will sin, and tomorrow we will repent,' are deluded in their reasoning; their foolish heart is darkened, they lost today by corrupting and defiling the body, contaminating the soul, darkening the mind, clouding the intellect, and muddying the conscience; tomorrow is stolen from them. Those not weeping over the corpse of fornication, not mourning over the filth of adultery, not lamenting over the pollution of sodomy, and not wailing over effeminacy cannot wholeheartedly repent for past sins nor correct future ones. For those not seeking what they lost, and not acquiring what is saved, lose the capital. Those not diligently toiling and being sober in prayers are captured by shameful thoughts; those captured serve bad habits unwillingly and unwillingly. Those not vigilantly awake in psalmody are stolen. Those not watchful in hearing the divine Scriptures, but giving themselves to the sleep of laziness, will be excluded with the five foolish virgins. Those discarding the weapons of fasting are tripped by gluttony and slain by the sin of fornication and adultery; those not keeping God's commandments are gnawed by demons and condemned in the hell of fire.
Those distancing themselves from the Church and the community become enemies of God and friends of demons. Let every heresy of the godless heretics be ashamed, let the race of the unbelievers be covered, let the assembly of the Jews be destroyed, let the impure mouths of the deniers, the Hebrews, be blocked when the one who tests hearts and kidneys, sharper than any double-edged sword, reaching even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; and is a judge of the thoughts and attitudes, sits in judgment. Then, not just a few from many, but all will be uncovered to His view, and neither sheep's skin can cover the wolf nor dusting hide the inner thought; for no creation is hidden from the judge, but everything is naked and exposed to his eyes. Let us not, therefore, oppose the commands of God with carnal passions; let us humble vain thoughts, stand against the devil in battle, awaken the mind to sobriety, put to sleep the thoughts of sin; let us acquire unceasing prayer, a sober mind, an alert intellect, a clean conscience, endless self-control, sincere fasting, impartial love, unadulterated purity, unblemished temperance, guileless humility, incessant psalmody, dignified reading, humble genuflection, perpetual supplication, a pure life, true word, grumble-free hospitality, pleasant patience, unquestionable almsgiving; let us expel bitterness, banish anger, expose despondency, kill wrath, dry up sorrow, wither greed. Let us not fear the common death, the harvester of human kind, but the destroyer of men; for death, properly, is not the one separating the soul from the body, but the one separating the soul from God.
God is life; and he who is separated from life has died, having lost the boldness he once had as life. Since death, the devil, the father of death, stands as a mighty adversary, arming himself to wrestle and tear us apart during the holy days, boasting, 'I have conquered the soldiers of Christ, displaying women's beauty, and hanging them by their ears; entrenching them in vanity and gluttony, I grasped their hair of virtues, and having tripped them with desires, and tickled them with wine-drinking, I pushed and threw them into a pit of fornication.' Let us not, therefore, bring joy to the unclean demons, because our God is the salvation of all and the destroyer of demons. Since we too are entangled with bodies and are accountable to death, let us bravely strive to conquer the unclean demons. If we harbor fear in our hearts and carry the memory of death in our souls, all the demons arm themselves against us. But like those who roar like lions, they will find us as a wall, because the Lord our God is with us; for to Him belong glory, honor, and power, forever and ever. Amen.
