The renunciation as the weapon against jewelry
Chrysostom is still addressing the women among the catechumens, arguing that their jewelry is useless and dangerous, and he now turns to the baptismal renunciation of Satan as the remedy.
For if a man's wisdom makes his face shine, how much more does a woman's virtue make her appearance shine. But if you think this world is something great, tell me: what good will those pearls do you on that day? And why speak of that day, when it is possible to prove all this from the present as well? When those who were thought to have insulted the king were dragged into court and were in danger of losing everything, then their mothers and wives laid aside their necklaces and gold and pearls and all their adornment and their golden garments, took plain and cheap clothing, sprinkled themselves with ashes, and rolled before the doors of the courtroom, and in this way they bent the judges. Now if in the courts here gold and pearls and embroidered clothing would be a plot and a betrayal, while gentleness and meekness and ashes and tears and cheap garments draw the judge to one's side, how much more will this be so at that incorruptible and fearful verdict. For what argument will you have to make, tell me, what defense, when the Master accuses you about these pearls and brings into the midst the poor who were destroyed by famine? This is why Paul said: not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or expensive clothing (1 Timothy 2:9). For from these a plot could arise; and even if we enjoyed them continually, we will certainly be separated from them by death. But from virtue comes all security, and no change or fall; it makes us safer here, and it crosses over with us there. Do you want to acquire pearls, and never to lay aside this wealth? Strip off all your adornment and deposit it into the hands of Christ through the poor. He will guard all your wealth for you, when he raises your body with great splendor; then he will put on you better wealth and greater adornment, since this present one is cheap and ridiculous. Consider, then, whom you want to please, and for whose sake you wear this adornment: so that the rope maker, the bronze smith, and the market man may see you and marvel. And are you not ashamed, do you not blush, displaying yourself for them—doing everything for people you do not even consider worthy of your greeting? How, then, will you laugh at this delusion? If you remember that voice which you uttered when you were being initiated: I renounce you, Satan, and your pageantry and your worship. For the madness over pearl adornment is Satan's pageantry. You received gold not so that you might bind up your body, but so that you might release the poor and feed them. Say, then, continually: I renounce you, Satan. No voice is safer than this, if we demonstrate it through our deeds.
This voice I ask you also to learn, you who are about to be initiated. For this voice is a covenant with the Master. And just as we, when we buy servants, first ask those who are being sold whether they want to serve us, so Christ also does. Since he is about to take you into his service, he first asks whether you want to abandon that cruel and savage tyrant, and he receives a covenant from you. For his lordship is not forced.
Greek
Εἰ γὰρ σοφία ἀνθρώπου φωτίζει τὸ πρόσωπον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀρετὴ γυναικὸς φωτίζει τὴν ὄψιν. Εἰ δὲ μέγαν νομίζεις εἶναι τοῦτον τὸν κόσμον, εἰπέ μοι, τί σοι τὸ ὄφελος ἀπὸ τῶν μαργαριτῶν τούτων ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ γενήσεται; Καὶ τί χρὴ λέγειν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, ἐξὸν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων ταῦτα ἀποδεῖξαι πάντα; Ὅτε γοῦν οἱ δόξαντες εἰς τὸν βασιλέα ὑβρικέναι, εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον εἵλκοντο καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἐκινδύνευον, τότε αἱ μητέρες καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τὰ περιδέῤῥαια καὶ τὰ χρυσία καὶ τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἀποθέμεναι καὶ τὸν κόσμον ἅπαντα καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τὰ χρυσᾶ, λιτὴν καὶ εὐτελῆ λαβοῦσαι ἐσθῆτα, καὶ σποδὸν καταπασάμεναι, καὶ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ δικαστηρίου κυλινδούμεναι, οὕτω τοὺς δικάζοντας ἐπέκαμπτον. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα δικαστηρίων τὰ μὲν χρυσία καὶ οἱ μαργαρῖται καὶ ἡ ποικίλη ἐσθὴς ἐπιβουλὴ καὶ προδοσία γένοιτ' ἂν, ἡ δὲ ἐπιείκεια καὶ ἡ πραότης καὶ ἡ τέφρα καὶ τὰ δάκρυα καὶ τὰ εὐτελῆ ἱμάτια μᾶλλον ἐπισπᾶται τὸν δικαστὴν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀδεκάστου ψήφου καὶ φοβερᾶς ἐκείνης γένοιτ' ἂν τοῦτο. Τίνα γὰρ ἕξεις, εἰπέ μοι, λόγον εἰπεῖν, ποίαν ἀπολογίαν, ὅταν ὁ Δεσπότης ἐγκαλῇ σοι περὶ τῶν μαργαριτῶν τούτων, καὶ τοὺς πένητας εἰς μέσον ἀγάγῃ τῷ λιμῷ διαφθαρέντας; Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν, ἢ χρυσίῳ, ἢ μαργαρίταις, ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ. Ἐντεῦθεν μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἐπιβουλὴ γένοιτ' ἄν· εἰ δὲ καὶ διηνεκῶς αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσαιμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ θανάτῳ πάντως ἀποστησόμεθα. Ἀπὸ δὲ ἀρετῆς ἀσφάλεια πᾶσα, καὶ μεταβολὴ καὶ μετάπτωσις οὐδεμία, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡμᾶς ἀσφαλεστέρους ποιεῖ, καὶ ἐκεῖ συμμεθίσταται. Βούλει κτήσασθαι μαργαρίτας, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον τοῦτον μηδέποτε ἀποθέσθαι; περιελομένη τὸν κόσμον ἅπαντα εἰς τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ χεῖρας ἀπόθου διὰ τῶν πενήτων· ἐκεῖνός σοι φυλάξει τὸν πλοῦτον ἅπαντα, ἐπειδὰν ἀναστήσῃ σου τὸ σῶμα μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς λαμπρότητος· τότε σοι βελτίονα περιθήσει πλοῦτον καὶ κόσμον μείζονα, ὡς ὅ γε παρὼν οὗτος εὐτελὴς καὶ καταγέλαστος. Ἐννόησον οὖν τίσιν ἀρέσκειν βούλει, καὶ διὰ τίνας περίκεισαι τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, ἵνα ὁ σχοινοστρόφος, καὶ ὁ χαλκοτύπος. καὶ ὁ ἀγοραῖος ἰδόντες θαυμάσωσιν· εἶτα οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ οὐδὲ ἐρυθριᾷς ἐκείνοις ἐπιδεικνυμένη, καὶ οὓς οὐδὲ ἀξίους εἶναι νομίζεις τῆς σῆς προσρήσεως, διὰ τούτους ἅπαντα ποιοῦσα, Πῶς οὖν καταγελάσεις τῆς φαντασίας ταύτης; Ἂν ἀναμνησθῇς τῆς φωνῆς ἐκείνης, ἣν ἀφῆκας μυσταγωγουμένη· Ἀποτάσσομαί σοι, Σατανᾶ, καὶ τῇ πομπῇ σου καὶ τῇ λατρείᾳ σου· ἡ γὰρ περὶ τὸν κόσμον τῶν μαργαριτῶν μανία πομπὴ σατανική ἐστι. Χρυσίον γὰρ ἔλαβες, οὐχ ἵνα τὸ σῶμα καταδήσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς πένητας λύσῃς καὶ διαθρέψῃς. Λέγε τοίνυν συνεχῶς· Ἀποτάσσομαί σοι, Σατανᾶ· οὐδὲν ταύτης ἀσφαλέστερον τῆς φωνῆς, εἰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτὴν ἐπιδειξόμεθα. εʹ. Ταύτην καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς μυσταγωγεῖσθαι μέλλοντας μαθεῖν ἀξιῶ· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ φωνὴ συνθήκη πρὸς τὸν Δεσπότην ἐστί. Καὶ καθάπερ ἡμεῖς οἰκέτας ἀγοράζοντες, αὐτοὺς τοὺς πωλουμένους πρότερον ἐρωτῶμεν, εἰ βούλονται ἡμῖν δουλεῦσαι, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ποιεῖ· ἐπειδὴ μέλλει σε εἰς δουλείαν λαμβάνειν, πρότερον ἐρωτᾷ, εἰ βούλει τὸν τύραννον ἐκεῖνον ἀφεῖναι τὸν ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπηνῆ, καὶ συνθήκας δέχεται παρὰ σοῦ· οὐ γὰρ κατηναγκασμένη αὐτοῦ ἡ δεσποτεία ἐστί.