Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Seventh Sunday of Easter

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. … “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:1–6, 12–20)

The good laborer receives the bread of his labor with confidence; the lazy and careless one does not look his employer in the face. We must, therefore, be zealous in doing good; for all things are from Him. He warns us: Behold the Lord comes, and his reward is before his face, to pay each man according to his work. He therefore urges us who believe in Him with all our heart not to be lazy or careless in any good work. Let our glorying and our confidence be in Him; let us be subject to His will. Let us consider the whole multitude of angels, how they stand and minister to His will. For the Scripture says: Ten thousand times ten thousand stood by him, and thousands of thousands ministered to him, and they cried, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts the whole creation is full of His glory.”  We, therefore, gathering together in concord in our conscience, also should cry out earnestly as with one voice to Him, that we may become participants in His great and glorious promises. For He says: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what great things the Lord has prepared for those who wait for him.

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 34

He says, I am the root and the offspring of David, but it would seem to have been more appropriate to say, “I am the branch which has sprung up from the root of David.” But, on the contrary, He has now called Himself the root of David, and not only the root but also the offspring, as was said earlier. A root is also the origin of everything, including David, so that He is, and is considered to be, God; but He is also the offspring of David, sprung from Him according to the flesh, insofar as He is, and is considered to be, a human being. This is who He is. “To say the same things more than once is not irksome to me, but is safe” for those who read, as the divine apostle says somewhere of his words. So therefore He is “Emmanuel” in His divinity and in His humanity, each of the two natures being complete according to their respective qualities, without confusion, without change, immutable, unimaginable. We believe that after the inexpressible union there is one person, one hypostasis, and one activity, “even if the difference of the natures, from which we say that the ineffable union has been effected, may not be overlooked,” as well as the peculiar quality of each nature, according to the words of our blessed father Cyril [of Alexandria]. …

He says, The Spirit, that is, the prophetic spirit, and the bride—the whole church in every place—say, “Come!” We are enjoined to seek the second coming of the Lord, but also to put it into prayer. For the one who says, “Your kingdom come,” to God is asking for the kingdom of Christ, which is also the kingdom of the Father and of the Spirit. He says, And let him who hears say, “Come”: He means, “let everyone who hears the present words, including you, John, utter a prayer for the kingdom of the coming of Christ.” In saying this He is urging everyone to follow the works and practice of righteousness. For no one who is not himself conversant with righteousness could pray for the coming of Christ, since he will then be required to give an account of what he has done in his life.

Oecumenius, Commentary on the Apocalypse 22.15-19