Слово 37. О молчании и о тайнах

A word spoken recklessly shakes entire houses, destroys souls, and causes them irreparable harm. It is still possible to recover the loss in property; it is impossible to return the word that escapes. “You,” it is said, “have heard the word, and let it die with you” (Sir.19:10). Extinguish it within yourself, close it, don’t let it come out, don’t let it move. Put to death what was said, consign it to oblivion, so that you may become like those who did not hear it. Many people, when they reveal some secret, begin to beg the person who heard it and beg not to tell anyone else, thereby showing that they have done something worthy of condemnation. If you beg not to tell this to anyone else, then you shouldn’t have said it before. If you want the word not to pass on to another, you yourself should not speak; when you transfer the storage of the word to another, you are doing the unnecessary and stupid, asking him and adjuring him regarding the storage of what was said. But is it nice to slander? It's rather nice not to slander. The slanderer then worries, suspects and fears, repents, bites his tongue, fearing and trembling, lest the word spoken to another cause great danger; and the one who keeps it in great safety lives in great pleasure. It cannot be that a person who worries about someone else’s life will ever care about his own life. When all his activities are spent on judging others, his own affairs are necessarily done haphazardly and carelessly. Anyone who judges harshly the affairs of others will never be treated with leniency towards himself. God will pronounce His judgment by looking not only at the nature of our sins, but also at the judgment of others. To him be glory and power, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Ἐκλογαί άπό διαφόρων λόγων . Under this name are known collections of conversations compiled by various persons after the death of Chrysostom on certain topics, from those related to the topics and especially liked by the compilers of the works of the saint. The passages are given partly in a literal presentation, partly in a free retelling and are borrowed both from the original works of Chrysostom, and from works only attributed to Chrysostom, which have not only survived to this day, but have also been lost. These Eclogues (selections) were widespread and were used by both private individuals and kings. Known, for example, is the luxurious collection of Eclogues, owned by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Botaniatus (1078–1081), registered among the codices of the Koalene Library under No. LXXIX. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: