Letter 182: Chrysostom urges Venerius of Milan to keep using bold zeal for the troubled churches.

Everyone already knew your courage, your boldness, and your free speech on behalf of the truth. The present crisis has shown still more clearly your brotherly love, your reverence, your compassion, and your care for the churches. A storm at sea reveals the pilot; severe illness reveals the best physician; difficult times reveal the person whose reverence and courage are real. As far as your part is concerned, nothing has been left undone. But those who caused these disturbances have reached such madness that they are not ashamed of what they did and even defend it. I therefore urge you all to keep up the strongest possible zeal. Do not end such great diligence; add to it, even if ten thousand obstacles arise. The harder the labor, the greater the reward. As blessed Paul says, each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

ΡΠΒʹ. Βενερίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Μεδιολάνων. Τὴν ἀνδρείαν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὴν παῤῥησίαν, καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλευθεροστομίαν καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἅπαντες ᾔδεσαν· ἔδειξε δὲ ἀκριβέστερον ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς τὴν φιλαδελφίαν, τὴν ἀγάπην, τὴν εὐλάβειαν, τὴν πολλὴν συμπάθειαν ὑμῶν, τὴν κηδεμονίαν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ κυβερνήτην ὁ χειμὼν μάλιστα δείκνυσι τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἰατρὸν ἄριστον τὰ χαλεπὰ τῶν σωμάτων νοσήματα· οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ ζῇν ἐσπουδακότα, καὶ πολλὴν ἔχοντα ἀνδρείαν, ἡ τῶν καιρῶν δυσκολία. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐφ' ὑμῶν γέγονε, καὶ τό γε ὑμέτερον μέρος, ἅπαντα διώρθωται, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐλλέλειπται. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἱ τὰς ταραχὰς καὶ τεκόντες καὶ τίκτοντες εἰς τοῦτο ἦλθον παρανοίας, ὡς μὴ μόνον μὴ ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι τοῖς προτέροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαγωνίζεσθαι ἐκείνοις, παρακαλῶ κοινῇ πάντας ὑμῶν ἐῤῥωμενεστάτῃ χρήσασθαι τῇ προθυμίᾳ, καὶ μὴ καταλῦσαι τὴν τοσαύτην σπουδὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προστιθέναι μειζόνως, κἂν μυρίαι δυσκολίαι παρεμπίπτωσιν. Οἱ γὰρ μετὰ πλειόνων ἱδρώτων καὶ πόνων μέγα τι καὶ γενναῖον κατορθοῦντες, τῶν ῥᾳδίως καὶ μετ' εὐκολίας τοῦτο ποιούντων πλείονα λήψονται τὸν μισθόν. Ἕκαστος γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήψεται, κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον. Μὴ τοίνυν τὸ πολλὰ κεκμηκέναι ποιείτω ὑμᾶς ἀπαγορεύειν· ἀλλ' αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο μᾶλλον διεγειρέτω. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν προσθήκην λάβῃ τὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὔξεται τὰ τῶν στεφάνων, καὶ πλεονάζει τὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν καλῶν τούτων ὑμῖν ἀγώνων ἀποκείμενα βραβεῖα.