How will the bride contribute?

“What have I to contribute? What? Do you say? Your will and your faith. Hearken O daughter and behold. And what will you have me do? Forget your own people. What kind of people? The devils, the idols, the sacrificial smoke, and steam, and blood. Forget your own people, and your father's house. Leave your father and come after me. I left my Father, and came to you, and will you not leave your father? But when the word leave is used in reference to the Son do not understand by it an actual leaving. What He means is I condescended, I accommodated myself to you, I assumed human flesh. This is the duty of the bridegroom, and of the bride…

“The king shall desire your beauty. You have the Lord for your lover. If you have Him for your lover, you have also the things which are His … Let us turn inwards to the soul: Look upon that beauty, or rather listen to it: for you cannot see it since it is invisible — Listen to that beauty. What then is the beauty of the soul? Temperance, mildness, almsgiving, love, brotherly kindness, tender affection, obedience to God, the fulfillment of the law, righteousness, contrition of heart. These things are the beauty of the soul. These things then are not the results of nature and he who does not possess these things is able to receive them,

1018 St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Eutropius (NPNF I/9:261).

1019 St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Eutropius (NPNF I/9:262).

1020 St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Eutropius (NPNF I/9:263).

and he who has them, if he becomes careless, loses them … For what was more graceless than the soul of Paul when he was a blasphemer and insulter: what more full of grace when he said I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7). What was more graceless than the soul of the robber? What more full of grace when he heard the words Verily I say unto you today shall you be with me in paradise? (Luke 23:43). What was more graceless than the publican when he practiced extortion? But what more full of grace when he declared his resolution (Luke 19:8). Do you see that you cannot alter the grace of the body, for it is the result not of moral disposition, but of nature. But the grace of soul is supplied out of our own moral choice. You have now received the definition. Of what kind are they? That the beauty of the soul proceeds from obedience to God. For if the graceless soul obeys God it puts off its ungracefulness, and becomes full of grace.”¹⁰²¹

1021 St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Eutropius (NPNF I/9:264).