On this Seventh Day in the Octave of All Saints and the Feast of St. Willibroard, we do well to meditate on this powerful sermon by St. John Chrysostom, which is quoted in the Anglican Breviary.
“Whosoever wondereth, with reverent love, at the merits of the Saints, or whosoever speaketh, with oft much praise, on the glories of the Just, let him imitate their holy ways and their righteousness. For whoso findeth pleasure in the worthy deeds of any Saint should find pleasure in a like obedience in the service of God.
Wherefore, if he praise, let him imitate. If he will not imitate, let him cease from praising. For whoso praiseth another ought to make himself worthy of a like praise. And whoso admireth a Saint ought also to strive for to be admirable for a like holy living. If we love the righteous and faithful because we respect their righteousness and faith, we ought for that very reason to do what they did, in order that we may become what they are.
It is not an hard saying, that we imitate their good deeds. For we now have their examples, whereas they of old times had no foregoing examples; and so without being imitators of good examples, they nonetheless have become good examples to us. Thus, if we profit by them, others will profit by us, and Christ will ever be glorified, in a succession of servants of his holy Church. Begin at the beginning of the world, and consider these holy examples: Blameless Abel was slain; Enoch walked with God, and was seen no more, for God took him; Noah was found righteous; Abraham was proved faithful; Moses was the meekest of men ; Joshua was single-minded; David was mild; Elijah was taken up; Daniel was holy; and the Three Children were conquerors.
The Apostles, being disciples of Christ, are reckoned as the teachers of believers. Taught by them, the valiant Confessors give battle; the triumphant Martyrs excel in victory; and all the hosts of Christians, if they arm themselves with God, are ever vanquishing the devil. All these are men of like valour, though dissimilar in warfare, and so obtain glorious victories. Wherefore, O Christian, thou art an effeminate kind of soldier if thou thinkest to conquer without battling, or to triumph without struggling. Put forth thy strength. Contend like a man. Fight fiercely in thy battle. Know the warfare: the oath of loyalty thou hast taken; the conditions under which thou has been accepted; and the kind of war for which thou hast enlisted.
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