О чтении и молитве

In comparison with what has been said, reading and prayer are no less, or better yet, even more beautiful, because they significantly and greatly contribute to a chaste life. As soon as the mind, with the help of the senses, becomes familiar with the images of sensory objects, having accepted through the senses the shapes, color, and size of visible things, then even during calmness it will become accustomed to restoring their ideas, forming in the memory a multitude of objects, partly useless, and partly extremely harmful, and arousing in itself an inappropriate rebellion of thoughts, so that the mind will not have the opportunity to be aroused by any useful thoughts, but it will be overwhelmed by the multitude of those that have already occupied it in advance. concepts and blocking the entrance to sedate and useful concepts. Therefore, prayer and reading are wonderful: they stop the vain wandering of thoughts, connecting the thought that is circling over something it shouldn’t, and usefully keeping it with you, not in the least distracted in this wonderful activity. And truly, what is equal or similar to this is to saturate the mind with the words of God, to delight it with contemplations that contain unalloyed pleasantness and forever remaining benefit, when the mind is guided by legends about ancient men to compete with their virtues, from them imprints on itself the saving image of a pious life, and, inspired by contemplations, soars to Divine joy, and, renounced from living in the earthly state, he raises his gaze to the Heavenly, ascends to the most blissful nature, and, as long as he can remain in this state, tastes the pleasure that the Seraphim taste, constantly surrounding the Throne. But prayer, perhaps, in relation to its benefits, has something more in itself: it prepares us for an interview with God and, through long-term practice, introduces us into fellowship with Him, because in some way it produces and maintains in us good dispositions towards God, Who accepts even insignificant people into love and is not ashamed of friendly approach with them, as long as the love abiding in them gives them boldness. For if slaves, who have ambitions of dominion and in proud arrogance plot to preserve the authority entrusted to them, are confirmed in this hope by the guarantees of favor they have previously received, then how much more in the living their boldness before God is greatly increased by their life, in accordance with the determination and will of God Himself, Who does not so much require the slavish trembling produced by fear, as loves the calm boldness inspired by love. The reading made it clear that “Murin’s eunuch” is called a “husband” (see Acts 8:27); it made him worthy to meet the Apostle, showed him the path to the knowledge of Christ and led him to the grace of Baptism. Reading is a law and an ancient precept. Moses says: study, “sit in your house, and walk in the way, and lie down and rise” (Deut. 6:7), devoting most of the time to diligent study of the word of God for the exercise of spiritual strength, leaving a small part for the extremely necessary use of the body; making it a rule to serve the mistress differently and the slave differently, extending the care of the former over a long period of time, and proportioning the occupation for the latter with the need required by the circumstances, so that in this the soul clearly has an advantage, and the body does not in the least boast of equality with the soul and does not have a plausible excuse to assign to itself rights equal to it. Reading is primarily blessed in the psalms and is called abundant irrigation of the mind for the fruition of virtue. Whoever “learns in the law” of the Lord “day and night” is blessed, he is like a tree planted “at the springing up of the waters” (cf. Ps. 1:2-3), beautifully decorated with foliage - an honorable quietness of disposition, and secretly filled with the fruits of piety, because constant teaching, like some kind of constantly consumed drink, makes him always blooming and in a natural way, along with the visible, the innermost also returns. Just as leaves serve as a cover and decoration for a plant and as a protection for the fruit, so a reverent state makes the body honorable, and conceals the hidden beauties inside the soul with modesty, keeping the fruit to the worker and guardian God and not allowing destructive beasts to touch it. For vanity is “a boar from the oak forest, and a solitary divot” (Ps. 79:14) and destroys the plant with its feet and teeth, if it is not surrounded by the fence of humility and does not protect it from the invasions of vanity. And these are the advantages of teaching in the words of God: it destroys every shameful and harmful idea, depicts sacred images in the picture, and causes the soul to keep within itself monuments worthy of God. And prayer removes the mind from all thoughts of the sensual, elevates it to God Himself above all, in order to converse with Him and boldly ask Him for anything; and thus makes a person spend his life in purity, as if he were already in communion with God and soon afterwards again preparing for this communion. Therefore, Paul teaches to remain “in prayer” (Rom. 12:12), strengthening the skill in oneself by long stay; and also commands that “prayers... be made in every place” (1 Tim. 2:8), so that no one who is careless about prayer can excuse himself by saying that he lives far from the prayer church. Every place is suitable for prayer, because the purity of the sanctuary did not bring the slightest benefit to the Jews, who approached prayer with defiled hands and desecrated the clean church with vile deeds. How God turns away from those who pray in this way, although they pray in the very sanctuary of the church, carefully embracing the purification and intertwining their hands with the wings of the Cherubim, abhorring them as wicked and saying: “When you stretch out [your] hands to Me, I will turn away My eyes from you: and if you increase your prayer, I will not hear you: for your hands are full of blood” ( Isa. 1:15), this is how God accepts those who call on Him with a pure heart and righteous deeds and listens to their prayer in every possible way, looking at the location, even if the place where they call on Him, in our opinion, is no different. Thus, to Cornelius, who was praying in a pagan house, when the temple had not yet lost its venerability, the Angel came and said: “Your prayers and your alms have risen up as a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4), - “he ascended”, not taking advantage of the undoubted holiness of the temple for this ascent, but on the wings of good intention soaring straight to the One who received them with favor and mercy. So the prayer of Jonah, rushing from the depths to Heaven on full sails, reached God's ear and was not overwhelmed by the great turbulence of the waters, while the prayer of the Pharisee was wrecked in the church and mired in the waters, drowned with all its cargo, because it could not stay on the waves and swim comfortably, overflowing with water, it was not able to rise from the waters from the weight of proud wisdom, when the bow of the boat sank in the rising waves of arrogance and arrogance, and the stern was flooded with them. The prayer accompanying the three youths in the cave causes the flame to take flight and, outside the cave, to look for those who intended evil against the youths. For the fire, having given up its place in the cave to prayer and leaving the coals devoid of burning power, opened up a vast pasture for itself and burned the Chaldeans who were near the cave; Inside the cave, he retained his effectiveness out of respect for bodies clothed with prayer, and outside of it he showed his activity on bodies, as on a fragile and dry substance. Prayer made the lions who were starving in the den sober. Their belly complained about the seven-day deprivation of food, but prayer convinced them, at the offer of ready-made food, to remain in wise patience; The lions chose to endure the torment of hunger rather than to offend Saint Daniel, who was given to them, who was condemned to such a death by the lawless barbarians - these people who turned out to be the most ferocious of animals, the most implacable in comparison with the bloodthirsty, and at the same time, who found their untruth exposed in the truthfulness of the lions, who, by natural justice, saved Daniel, who was condemned by them to a disastrous and most pitiful death. The prayer honored Elijah with godlikeness, not only in the fact that he was taken up to Heaven, lifted up by four horses on a fiery chariot, since the earth became unworthy of his stay on it and justice demanded that he dwell in the ether and in Heaven itself, but also in the fact that with his word he brought into obedience those elements that were brought into existence by the word of the Creator: once he brought down Heavenly fire on the victims designated for burnt offerings, and another time he struck with the lightning of the military commanders of Ahaziah, and at another time, with an imperious word, he closed the sky, deprived the earth of fruiting for three years and six months, and forbade the usual growth of all grass, which, after a certain time, was carried out by God's command, which naturally flowed from the original command. And the elements were not restrained from immediate obedience by the slightest sign of God’s indignation, by which one could see that the Prophet, through foolishness and self-forgetfulness, was daring to do something beyond his own dignity; on the contrary, with all diligence they served the Prophet, as a friend of the Creator, who gives commands to the servants of a friend, as if they were their own - they served, rightly convinced that they were equally obliged to obsequiously render every service to both God and the friend of God; because, according to the proverb, friends have everything in common, and they have the same power over what belongs to both, because of love, which equalizes advantages when there are differences in merit and legitimizes equality. The prayer of Moses divided the sea, caused the sky to sprout manna, brought forth streams of water from a dry stone, and with the lifting of hands, put an entire people, who had entered into battle, to flight. Eliseev’s prayer blinded the whole army and took those who came to destroy the Prophet as captives; Not only were they unable to commit the evil they had planned, but they could not even help themselves, because along with the vision that helped the body, both weapons and hands were rendered inactive. The weakest of all is blindness: it is not able to cause offense to someone it does not see, and it suffers offense without restraint because it also does not see the attacker and cannot take revenge on him. Therefore, the custom of those deprived of eyes was rightly called wretched, because they cannot use their bodily members for whatever they please, although in strength and strength they surpass even those who practiced bodily feats with all diligence. Petrov’s prayer resolved the bonds, opened the doors of the prison, and opened the iron gates at night. And when Paul and Silas prayed “at midnight” (Acts 16:25), the prison shook, in an instant everyone’s bonds fell off, a sudden light shone in the building and made the prison guard a petitioner to the guard, forced him to fall at his feet and beg for salvation, convinced him, putting aside the insane passion for self-interest, to take care of the benefit of the soul, after a great skill in tormenting, he suddenly brought him into great meekness. The guard stopped torturing his daily income with scourges, taxing the pitiful prisoners, collecting alms - this is a bitter consolation - calling it his tithe and adding new, unavoidable disasters to the poor, he stopped putting chains on his neck, chains on his legs, tying his hands, imprisoning him in impenetrable darkness, thereby increasing his damned income, which every poor man agreed to give him, preferring better to starve, rather than endure misery in chains and darkness. The prison guard suddenly learned all this: he immediately showed compassion for the prisoners; the fear of a miraculous earthquake made him completely different. For as soon as the foundations of the prison shook during the prayer of the Apostles, the light shone in the building, “the bonds of all were weakened, and all the doors were opened”; the prison guard, who alone was carefree sleeping, when all the prisoners were awake from the heavy worries of each, “get excited... and... asking for a candle, jumped up, and was trembling, falling” at the feet of the Apostles, saying: “Lord, what is it fitting for me to do, that I may be saved?” (cf. Acts 16:26–30). He called and called “lords” those whom before the miracle he undoubtedly frightened with a stern look and a rude voice, calling them criminals, condemned, worthy of execution; fell at the feet, which were “locked up in treasure” (Acts 16:24); with great honors he bowed to the mercy of those whom he “threw... into the inner prison” (Acts 16:24), and imprisoned them in darkness; and he honored them because prayer in an extraordinary way fully revealed the dignity of those offended by imprisonment on suspicion of evil deeds. In a word, the power of prayer is great! But for the sake of those who are bored and reluctant to listen to long stories, although they are useful, I will keep silent about many things. The Lord's man himself, the Lord of all, had a need for prayer when he was expecting the invasion of the Jews and the Cross, or was in a feat, because he was truly a man, since he bore many other human infirmities, thereby assuring him of His economy, or teaching people to pray diligently at all times. For not only now, when the time of suffering has approached, does he pray out of necessity, but he does this many times during times of safety, praying alone on the mountain, so that we learn, both before sorrows and in the sorrows themselves, to remain in prayers that can destroy the difficulty of presenting dangers and before temptations, fully please the One who, in need, turns away from those who indulge in careless absent-mindedness, as if they will never need help. That is why the Lord said to the Apostles: “Pray, so that you will not fall into misfortune” (Luke 22:40), knowing that voluntary prayer, before temptation, inclines God’s helper in times of need to quickly fulfill the requests of a petitioner who has been pleading for a long time, and who has long acquired the right to receive what he asks. For if the unjust judge, who neither feared God nor was disgraced by people, was forced by the persistent insistence of the widow to provide her with justice in accordance with justice (see Luke 18:3) and if a sleeping friend, when the door was already closed and he refused to give bread out of usual sleeping laziness, persistence and persistence forced her to satisfy her needs (see Luke 11:5-8), then Will not unceasing prayer force the man-loving God to graciously concede to every request? For it is impossible to remain silent about the fact that God is more ready than people to do good deeds. And the Lord says in one place: “What man is there of you, whose son, if he asks for bread, will give him a stone for food? Or if he asks for fish, will he give him food for a snake?” (Matthew 7:9–10). And, comparatively showing the superiority of God’s goodness, he adds, saying: “If you, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11). And in another place the Savior Himself, with the intention of confirming this and wanting to assure those who doubt, whether God’s mercy is not superior to natural commitment or whether human compassion is not superior to it, says: “The woman will forget her food, if she does not have mercy on the offspring of her womb?” (Isa. 49:15). And, having spoken about this distinctive property of nature, how it teaches voluntary care and diligence, so that the very example, as often happens with others, does not lead to doubt about the reliability of what is said about Providence and does not damage the very dignity of the truth with a weak similarity, after this he says: “Even if the woman forgets these, I will not forget you, says the Lord” (Is. 49:15). He will not allow the lack of nature to extend to Him, because passion does not touch the nature of God, as happens with mortal people, when unreasonable or, perhaps, hatred that has any basis extinguished the naturally dominant disposition in them, producing in parents oblivion about those born by them and alienation from them, as if there were not even signs of kinship between them. But among people, these great and wonderful examples of good deeds, in comparison with their other deeds, turn out to be small and extremely insignificant, because they extend to one person, who himself does the same, and is close to them, and not to all or to many; Meanwhile, a person should be a social and friendly being, and not lonely and unsociable, to provide benefits to others than only in his power, to prove his compassion with possible care, imitating the bodily members in their mutual contribution to the common benefit. In the body, each member does not separately care for itself, but shares a common activity in caring for each other, according to the law of nature, serves one another and each serves everyone; and the hand serves the body, and the legs, moving from place to place, carry the body with them, and the eye, when indicating the path of the light, leads it without stumbling, bringing convenience in any work. Some members contribute to sitting, others to bending the body, by their labor facilitating the labor of other members; others, like some millers and bakers, provide careful and caring service. The jaw crushes food, the larynx serves as a conductor for it, the womb serves as a receiver, the stomach transforms it into juice, the liver turns it into blood and through the blood veins irrigates the entire bodily composition. Apparently, each member works for others, but in reality he does this for his own benefit, from the common labor collecting food suitable for himself, and transforms what he borrowed into one of the same quality as himself, producing what is called by learned doctors extraction, that is, the transformation of various foods into blood, from blood into flesh and then into one of the same quality with each member, while the quality entering each member is decomposed by the power of nutrition, modification and vegetative, is made one in one and the other in another member. What enters the eye becomes like an eye, what is added to the bones and hair takes on the same type of color, what is absorbed by the flesh is modified into flesh, and what passes into the bones becomes white to the hardness of bones, what enters the insides is mixed with them - in a word, everything (and being transformed into everything), by the art of nature, from one substance of food, transformed into a multiform variety, changes into what it is. learned and which always retains the same image of the human frame, like a stream, daily changes the composition of the whole mixture, so that what we see is both the same and not the same. Thus, each of us is not sufficient in anything on our own, but needs others in everything. And this was wisely arranged by the One who is in charge of our lives, so that at least the necessity of what is needed would bring into harmony the unbridledness of those possessed by madness, when the very family ties did not in the least prompt them to a mutual union. For an arrogant man, inflamed by arrogant self-conceit, because of his wealth, always busy with harsh treatment to preserve respect and trust in others in him, would he ever voluntarily condescend to talk with a craftsman, humiliated by poverty, if the need did not force him to enter into a conversation with him and not value his tongue in front of him, however, without leaving great arrogance in the thought that causes a grave insult to the greatness of his rank, condescending to equality with an unknown and ignoble person? And now need equalizes the unequal, elevates the humiliated to the one rushing upward, and reduces the sublime to the reptile on the ground, with long-term skill producing a dissolution of morals and an equalization in the way of thinking. Therefore, both the carpenter, and the farmer, and the servant on the ship, and the merchant, and everyone involved in handicrafts appear to have reached the highest merits and speak to them boldly, being necessary for them, not because of the unity of the clan, but according to their art; and those who were not bound by the law of nature were brought together by necessity. And if art and cunning introduce the worker to the rich, then why does the compassion of the truth that pronounces judgment not introduce the beggar to him and does not bring the needy to him, so that he is sometimes called upon to share with him the surplus or, at least, to receive some consolation in satisfying a necessary need. For many consider it shameful and offensive to live together with those and, out of arrogance inspired by wealth, are ashamed to admit to their feasts those about whom the Lord Jesus proclaims that He will put them in His place at the Judgment, saying: “Whatever you did to them, you did to Me” (see Matt. 25:40). But we will not pay any attention to the hungry, melting from hunger, we will pass by the naked, numb from the cold, and the dead, like some unclean animal, we will leave abandoned, without paying the body the debt of nature, without covering, according to custom, with earth the general dishonor - the bodies given over to decay and rotting, oozing pus from themselves. We are immeasurably pampering ourselves, trying beyond necessity to please us, decorating the earthly idol, taking care of this folded feather, so that we can shine in the marketplace, shining with the colors of our clothes, and fatten ourselves with the delicious preparations of the cooks, deriving every kind of pleasure from everything. Once “clothed” “in purple and fine linen” (Luke 16:19) and the nameless rich man mentioned in the Gospel, he was filled to excess at a sybaritic meal, and past Lazarus, lying at the gate and wanting grains, he passed without compassion, no doubt, and the gaze of his eyes, if he ever leaned towards him, carefully turning away in the other direction, so that the memory of his scabs did not arouse disgust during the feast, producing nausea and vomiting by the presentation of what he saw. The rich man, however, did not drive Lazarus away from the door according to God’s providence, who arranged for Lazarus, lying at the entrance, to constantly present a pitiful sight, and the rich man eventually softened and took pity or no longer had a plausible excuse to justify the inhumanity of allegedly not having seen. He did not spare the one who was lying, thereby revealing the cruelty and ferocity of his heart, and made it clear that he was no more compassionate than dogs, because of his evil disposition he renounced natural meekness and despised the one who was served by animals who were not involved in humane thoughts, and recognizing, perhaps, that Lazarus was related to them as the one who coveted those grains, which they too are sometimes rewarded with, and sometimes are deprived. But when for the rich man and for Lazarus - for one in joyful, for the other in sorrowful ideas - a sleepy vision of this life passed and they put aside the masks of this spectacle, then the state of real things changed into a contrary and extremely different state for them. One, through short-term pleasure, received the fiery, as usual, tormenting furnace, and the other, after a short sorrow, found eternal joy, and again there was inequality between them, but not the same as before, but the opposite of what they had been in until then, because Lazarus, or, better to say, Abraham, in whose bosom he was, crying out earnestly, the rich man begged; and perhaps he was ashamed to ask Lazarus because of his previous neglect, which is why, leaving him, he begged the patriarch, saying: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, as I suffer in this flame” (Luke 16:24). Oh, how great is the suffering! How much the need to endure torment has made the arrogant humble and the arrogant shameless! How was he not ashamed to ask that someone whom he did not feel sorry for, tormented by hunger and suffering from scabs, be sent to relieve his torment? How did you dare to look with an unflinching eye at someone at whom in your life you had never deigned to turn an indirect glance? How did he dare to say that he needed a finger that he had previously abhorred as one that exuded pus? How shameful it was not to ask for a drop of water for him, who, when he was in need, did not deign to give a grain of water to a beggar! But with such a shameless voice he cried out from the flame: “Send Lazarus” (Luke 16:24), as if Lazarus was obliged to reward him for the benefits that he himself often enjoyed. Such is the necessity; it forces you to shamelessly dare anything, managing to find relief from trouble anywhere. And why didn’t the great patriarch, in his love of truth, tell him: “Now, unfortunate one, you have learned the benefits of mercy, when burning flames have engulfed you from everywhere! Now do you admit that compassion is good when you yourself need it? Why were you hard-hearted towards those who suffer? Now you will recognize Lazarus, but when he lay on the ground, you did not know him, both going in and going out! The blindness of arrogance has passed, and you clearly see the truth; The dark, foggy night of life has passed, and in the daylight you see what things are like in their nature; You have left your sleepy dreams underground and see the very reality of your situation. Then you should have thought about mercy when you had the means suitable for charity - wealth, when you had the opportunity to give a piece to the needy, when you were able to cover the naked, who, not having a rotten board under you, was numb from the cold, when it was in your will to take care of the sick, when the abundance of wealth provided ways for charity. The mercy shown here is the good fruit of sowing there. And now you strive to reap what you did not sow, to gather what you did not squander, and to take what you did not lay down (Luke 19:21), asking for mercy, which you did not show to the needy, and pity, which you did not give to your neighbor, and a compassionate heart, which you concluded for your neighbor. There was a doctor at the door who would have healed you of hardness of heart - you were not healed when the disease, not yet old, could have subsided with the benefits provided. Now time does not allow us to put our hands on the desperately ill, because the illness has become stubborn, no longer requiring poultices that do not produce pain, but painful sections and strong cauterizations. You say: “Send Lazarus” (Luke 16:24). Tell me: will I send him to you at such a distance? You never leaned towards him, although you were always close to him. Shall I tell him, as you said, to dip his finger in water and cool your burning tongue? But you didn’t console him, the hungry one, even with grains. When you say that you are suffering, do you really think to convince him and receive mercy? But he too was in suffering, and you did not take pity on him; now you suffer in the furnace of fire, but he suffered in the furnace of poverty; Poverty gnaws no less than fire, it torments the inside with lack just as much as fire scorches the surface of the body. If you had taken pity then on the one who was melting away from hunger, then even now, burning in the fire, you would have had mercy. If you had then shown compassion for the one suffering from hunger and plagues, then even now, tormented in the flames, you would have found mercy for yourself, or better yet, you would not have seen the place of your present torment, but would have remained with Lazarus in my bosom in the same peace as he.” For such is the power of doing good to those in need that it not only takes them out of sorrow, but also places them in bright places for those who are having fun. Now endure the torment in silence, because, after pronouncing the Divine sentence, the pleas of the condemned do not help at all. That was the time of mercy and forgiveness, and this is the time of incorruptible and righteous judgment; that was the time of indulgence, and this is the time of retribution for what was done, good or bad. There was a field, feats, a lists - here is a reward for labor: the one who wins there receives crowns here; the defeated person does not enter into the struggle again to make up for his failures in real life, because the feat is over, the correction of errors has ceased. There, repentance atoned for sins, prayers and tears convinced the Judge to show favor. Now there is no place for mercy, but strict and merciless judgment mercilessly plunges the hard-hearted into torment, because, according to the word of God, “judgment is for without mercy he who has not shown mercy” (James 2:13). The righteous man did not say anything like that to the petitioner, recognizing that a verbal reminder was unnecessary when the deeds themselves convince; He said one thing, and explained everything to him, namely, he said: “Remember that you received your good in your belly, and Lazarus also your evil” (Luke 16:25). “Porphyry and fine linen,” says Abraham, “seemed beautiful to you for splendor, you considered daily merry feasts as blessings, you consoled yourself with the pleasures of life, indulging in the satiety of desires. Why do you now consider it opportune to desire something that you did not desire then even in a dream? He perceived “and Lazarus... is evil” (Luke 16:25), he did not consider it evil, because, enduring in silence, he loved as good; but you recognized the evil in it. And he who recognizes one as good must consider the other as evil, showing by preferring what pleases that the opposite is useless and bad. If you had taken part then in the sufferer you despised, then now you would have had the opportunity to participate with him in his peace. If he had eased his poverty then, then now you would not have needed these words, because even if you had remained silent, he would have rewarded you for your compassion. And this is the real truth: you call me father, giving me honor with this name alone, and immediately you hear: “Child,” receiving in this abundant reward corresponding to the name with which you honored me. If you had paid respect to Lazarus by your very deed, you would certainly have actually received a reward, accepting a due reward for timely mercy. But perhaps a special happiness overwhelmed you, and in the greatness of your vain glory you dreamed that, after such fame, you would not be subject to punishment. The present does not know the dignity there, does not greet those who come from there with glory, accepts everyone equally honestly at the trial, and recognizes dignity not by general opinion, but by what actually came from virtue. Therefore, it is said about you that you are fiercer than animals, because dogs are animals, but tame and domestic, and you thought that you would never need anything at all. The dogs used the same medical art that they borrowed from nature, having learned to heal their wounds with their tongue, on the helpless, licking the growing uncleanness so that the scab, freed from the accumulating pus, became clean. And you had to provide possible consolation to your fellow tribesman and make up for his shortcomings with the necessary alms, so that you, although on an equal basis with the dogs, would be given the honor of taking equal care with them for Lazarus, because, it seems, motivating you to piety, the dogs often came to this beggar. Since they could not teach you in words what to do, they cried out in action: “Since we have diligently applied the healing that we have learned, it means that we would be ready for other things if we had the opportunity to supply them with what is necessary. But since we are not able to provide food, and while we ourselves remain hungry for a long time and sometimes eat out of need what people are not allowed to eat, we provide the consolation that we can, show compassion and, through small acts of service, reveal our readiness to serve everyone, if only we had the opportunity.” If it is carefully carried out, which is still possible to the best of one’s ability, then this proves the readiness for other things and makes it clear that even in the consideration of what is not taken care of, the reason for inactivity is not in the location, but in the lack of funds. But this hard-hearted inhuman asks out of mercy for a drop, when he did not give even a grain out of mercy, asks not because a drop would be enough to cool this flame (and a poured river will not extinguish the fire prepared for punishment), but so that we can clearly see that the uncompassionate here, asking for this little thing, will not receive it in the Future Life, and so that, having learned the severity and severity of the judgment, by the benefits of those in need, they will now acquire for themselves as a reward, the promised blessings, with benefit, they brought into the local treasury what was decaying here, demanding from the Judge as a duty what was given as a pledge to the poor, and not being content with accepting alms - mere liberation from torment. For if, according to what is said in Solomon’s parable, “the merciful poor gives back to God” (Proverbs 19:17), then the one who lends, having a grateful Repayer of debts, let him give everything that he has, so that he will multiply everything there many times over, leaving nothing behind to vanity that would lead to repentance, as what was left is bad. For everything that is not given for charity is indeed in vain and useless, does not accompany us there, does not precede us there. If someone names his closest relatives, sons and brothers, and those connected by other ties of kinship, then, without a doubt, unless he is completely poor, he will find them ready to inherit the estate. Why should everyone, having said goodbye to numerous relatives and friends, become his own relatives and friends, taking everything with him or sending everything there, where he himself is moving, so that, when called to emigrate, he should go there willingly, seeing that there he has collected for himself a great store of incorruptible property, and not stop in the transition, pityingly leaving material wealth, to which he was in vain addicted in this life. You might be interested in: