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Office Of Readings | Week 34, Thursday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Homilies Of Saint Chrysostom On Saint Matthew’s Gospel | If We Are Sheep, We Conquer; If Wolves, We Are Overcome
‘If we are sheep, we conquer; if wolves, we are overcome.’
Saint John Chrysostom’s homily places before us a paradox central to Christian discipleship: strength is found not in aggression but in meekness; victory is won not by becoming like the wolves, but by remaining steadfastly sheep under the protection of the Shepherd. Throughout this reflection, Chrysostom exposes the spiritual logic of the Gospel: when we embrace weakness for the sake of Christ, divine power is revealed in us.
The reading opens with a startling claim: the sheep prevail over wolves—but only so long as they remain sheep. The moment they imitate the wolves’ ferocity, they lose the Shepherd’s aid. For the Lord does not shepherd wolves; he feeds and guards those who rely on him with childlike trust. This is an inversion of worldly reasoning. In worldly terms, strength means self-assertion, retaliation, and dominance. But Chrysostom insists that the moment we adopt those patterns, we sever ourselves from the very protection that ensures our triumph. It is Christ’s strength, not ours, that grants victory.
The Lord’s sending of the disciples ‘as sheep among wolves’ is therefore not a mark of neglect but a revelation of divine wisdom. He could have made them invincible in worldly terms—fiercer than lions—but he chooses instead to glorify his power through their endurance. This echoes the word to Saint Paul: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. The Lord wants the same for all his disciples: that their meekness might reveal his might, their endurance manifest his grace.
Nevertheless, Chrysostom observes, the Lord asks for human cooperation. Grace does not remove responsibility but elevates it. Therefore Christ commands: Be as clever as serpents and as innocent as doves. The pairing is deliberate. Cleverness without innocence becomes manipulation; innocence without cleverness becomes naivety. Virtue requires both: a shrewdness that discerns danger without falling into deceit, and a purity that refuses retaliation even when wronged.
Chrysostom’s explanation of serpent-like cleverness is especially striking. The serpent, when threatened, yields everything except its head. This becomes a parable of Christian detachment. We are to surrender possessions, honours, even bodily life if necessary—everything except the ‘head’, which is our faith in Christ. Retain that, and all else will be restored in due time. Thus faith becomes the root and source of all resilience.
Innocence is equally necessary. Without it, even justified prudence becomes corrupted by vengeance. The disciple must avoid harm without returning it, must guard the faith without abandoning the charity that is its very expression. In this, Chrysostom reminds the listener that Christ knows the true nature of reality far better than we do. He understands that moderation, patience, and meekness disarm persecution more effectively than force. The Gospel’s way of gentleness is not weakness but divine strategy.
A Reading From The Homilies Of Saint Chrysostom On Saint Matthew’s Gospel | If We Are Sheep, We Conquer; If Wolves, We Are Overcome
As long as we are sheep, we overcome and, though surrounded by countless wolves, we emerge victorious; but if we turn into wolves, we are overcome, for we lose the shepherd’s help. He, after all, feeds the sheep, not wolves, and will abandon you if you do not let him show his power in you.
What he says is this: ‘Do not be upset that, as I send you out among the wolves, I bid you be as sheep and doves. I could have managed things quite differently and sent you, not to suffer evil nor to yield like sheep to the wolves, but to be fiercer than lions. But the way I have chosen is right. It will bring you greater praise and at the same time manifest my power.’ That is what he told Paul: My grace is enough for you, for in weakness my power is made perfect. ’I intend,’ he says, ‘to deal in the same way with you.’ For, when he says, I am sending you out like sheep, he implies: ‘But do not therefore lose heart, for I know and am certain that no one will be able to overcome you.’
The Lord, however, does want them to contribute something, lest everything seem to be the work of grace, and they seem to win their reward without deserving it. Therefore he adds: You must be clever as snakes and innocent as doves. But, they may object, what good is our cleverness amid so many dangers? How can we be clever when tossed about by so many waves? However great the cleverness of the sheep as he stands among the wolves – so many wolves! – what can it accomplish? However great the innocence of the dove, what good does it do him, with so many hawks swooping upon him? To all this I say: cleverness and innocence admittedly do these irrational creatures no good, but they can help you greatly.
What cleverness is the Lord requiring here? The cleverness of a snake. A snake will surrender everything and will put up no great resistance even if its body is being cut in pieces, provided it can save its head. So you, the Lord is saying, must surrender everything but your faith: money, body, even life itself. For faith is the head and the root; keep that, and though you lose all else, you will get it back in abundance. The Lord therefore counselled the disciples to be not simply clever or innocent; rather he joined the two qualities so that they become a genuine virtue. He insisted on the cleverness of the snake so that deadly wounds might be avoided, and he insisted on the innocence of the dove so that revenge might not be taken on those who injure or lay traps for you. Cleverness is useless without innocence.
Do not believe that this precept is beyond your power. More than anyone else, the Lord knows the true natures of created things; he knows that moderation, not a fierce defence, beats back a fierce attack.
Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus, our true Shepherd,
you send us as sheep among wolves
and call us to trust your strength, not our own.
Grant us the cleverness of the serpent,
that we may guard the treasure of our faith;
give us the innocence of the dove,
that we may return no harm for harm.
Keep us near to you,
lest we wander into the ways of the wolves
and lose the help that only you can give.
Strengthen us in meekness,
make perfect your power in our weakness,
and lead us at last to the victory
that comes from following you alone,
who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Sheep and Wolves
Biblical imagery describing the disciples (sheep) and their persecutors or adversaries (wolves). Symbolises vulnerability met with divine protection.
Grace
God’s free and undeserved help, enabling us to live as his children. Chrysostom stresses that divine power is perfected in human weakness.
Virtue
A stable disposition to do good. Here, virtue is shown by combining shrewdness with purity.
Clever as Serpents
Not cunning for harm, but prudent, discerning, and willing to sacrifice lesser goods to preserve what is essential.
Innocent as Doves
A posture of purity, gentleness, and freedom from vengeance, especially when wronged.
Faith as the Head
A metaphor indicating that faith in Christ is the most essential possession; everything else is secondary.
Moderation
Self-restraint and measured response, which Chrysostom says is stronger than fierce retaliation.
Divine Power in Weakness
The Christian belief, taught especially by Paul, that God’s strength is revealed when we embrace humble dependence on him.
Martyr-like Detachment
Willingness to surrender possessions, status, or even life rather than renounce Christ.
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