Letter 186: Chrysostom tells Alypius that writing first is a sign of love, not forwardness.

You were afraid that, if you rushed to write us first, you might be blamed for forwardness. I will use your own words. But I am so far from blaming you for that that I blame you instead for delay, and I would have praised you more loudly if you had written sooner. I say this using your own judgment as proof, because you said that greeting someone even in silence is a great sign of affection. Since your fear of being too bold has now been removed, and since writing first has been shown to be a still greater sign of love, send us showers of letters from now on. You know how we have felt, and still feel, toward your Grace. Even if we are carried off to this most desolate place, even to the edges of the world, we cannot forget sincere and guileless love. We picture you every day, renewing in memory the virtues of your soul.

ΡΠʹ. Ἀλυπίῳ. Αὐτὸς μὲν ἔδεισας μὴ τῷ πρότερον ἐπιπηδῆσαι τοῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς γράμμασι προπετείας μέμψει περιπέσῃς· αὐτοῖς γάρ σου χρήσομαι τοῖς ῥήμασιν· ἐγὼ δέ σε τοσοῦτον ἀπέχω τούτου γράψασθαι, ὅτι καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐγκαλῶ τῆς βραδυτῆτος ἕνεκεν, καὶ μειζόνως ἀνεκήρυξα πρότερον ἐπεσταλκότα. Καὶ τοῦτο λέγω, αὐτῇ πάλιν σου τῇ ψήφῳ εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τούτου κεχρημένος. Ἔφης γὰρ, τοῦτο μάλιστα φιλοστοργίας εἶναι, τὸ καὶ σιωπῶντας προσειπεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τό τε δέος σοι τῆς προπετείας ἀνῄρηται, ὅπερ οὐ δεόντως ἐδεδοίκεις, τοῦτό τε μείζονος ἀποδέδεικται σημεῖον ἀγάπης, πέμπε λοιπὸν ἡμῖν νιφάδας γραμμάτων. Οἶσθα γὰρ ὅπως καὶ διετέθημεν καὶ διακείμεθα περὶ τὴν σὴν ἐμμέλειαν. Κἂν γὰρ εἰς ἐρημότατον τοῦτο χωρίον ἀπενεχθῶμεν, κἂν εἰς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα, τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς ἀγάπης καὶ δόλον οὐκ ἐχούσης οὐδέποτε ἐπιλαθέσθαι δυνάμεθα, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑκάστην σε τὴν ἡμέραν φανταζόμενοι διατελοῦμεν, τὰς ἀρετάς σου τῆς ψυχῆς διὰ τῆς μνήμης ἀναπλάττοντες. Καὶ ἐβουλόμεθα μὲν συνεχέστερον ἐπιστέλλειν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο ἐργῶδες ἡμῖν ἐστι, τοσοῦτον ὑμῶν ἀπῳκισμένοις, ὑμῖν δὲ ῥᾴδιον, παρακαλοῦμεν συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς καὶ παντὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ οἵκου. Οὕτω γὰρ, καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν.