Поучение на Преображение Господне. Святого Климента, епископа Величского 156

Listen, brothers, and I will tell you about the power and greatness of this honorable day, and how great blessings appeared on it. On this day our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to His disciples the glory of His Divinity and showed that He possesses the living and the dead. For the stony-hearted Jewish race did not believe many of the miracles that came from Him; why did some say that it was Elijah, others that it was Moses, others that it was Jeremiah, or one of the ancients rebelled. “If,” they said, “this man had been the Son of God, he would not have destroyed and trampled upon the law of Moses, which we received from God; but He resists the law.” Therefore, His disciples were troubled in their minds, knowing that Elijah had ascended into heaven, and Moses the lawgiver had first fallen asleep, and they doubted whether He really came down and took on our image; and they had a quarrel with the Jews. So, it was necessary to show the disciples the glory of His Divinity, so that they would not be embarrassed, thinking about vain things. And taking Peter and James and John with Him, the Lord made it clear that He was the Son of God. And He led them up to a high mountain, and He was transformed before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His robe was white like light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, speaking with Him. I declared His exodus, who wanted to suffer in Jerusalem: one - proclaiming His passion, and the other revealing that He is the Lawgiver and executor of the law - He from Whom the law was received of old on Mount Sinai, written on tablets of stone with the finger of the Father, that is, the Holy Spirit. For both before the incarnation and after the incarnation, He is the same One whom the lawless Jews, who transgress the law, condemn to die unrighteously: for He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17)... But let us turn to the Gospel story. When the Apostles saw His Divine glory, they fell on their faces, not being able to see the unbearable dawn of the light of His face. And a voice came from heaven, saying: This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased: Hear Him. The disciples remained silent and did not tell anyone in those days what they had seen. The Lord did not show them everything perfectly, but as much as they could comprehend with their bodily eyes, having mercy and sparing them, and thereby revealing the resurrection (which is why He presented Moses from the dead, and Elijah from the living), revealing that He is the Judge of the living and the dead, and that He will resurrect everyone. For, it is said, those who have done good will go forth into the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil will come forth into the resurrection of judgment (John 5:29): and if the dead do not rise, neither does Christ arise; if Christ does not rise, our faith is vain, and our preaching is vain (1 Cor. 15:14, 16-17). Hearing this, brethren, let us rise, as if from sleep, from the tomb of laziness and try to keep the commandments of God and please Him with good deeds: repentance and prayers, tears and alms, love and humility: for through alms and faith sins are cleansed; and love and humility - one constantly raises and leads us to God, and the other - strengthens and perfects. Let us love one another, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us and for our salvation. Naked He was nailed to the cross in order to clothe us with the robe of incorruptibility; He was hungry and thirsty, in order to satisfy us with eternal food and give us to drink the water of immortality. So let us also do: we will feed the hungry, we will give drink to the thirsty, we will clothe the naked: since it is said, “You have created one of these, you have created for Me” (Matthew 25:40); and, since the time is short, let us try to be ready before the day of death, so that it does not suddenly find us in malice and without repentance, and capture our souls like a lion. In hell there is no repentance, no confession, and you cannot give alms when the marketplace is gone and our lamps go out, as if without oil. It is said: take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened (Luke 21:34); and again: watch, for you do not know the day, not the hour (Matthew 25:13); and again: blessed is that servant; when his master comes he will find him doing such things (Matthew 24:46). If the evil servant of that one says in his heart: My master will hinder his coming (Matthew 24:48). Therefore, before the day of death, we strive to become ready and receive parts of the merciful and saved, and the Lord also speaks to us: good and faithful servant, you have been faithful for a little, I will make you ruler over many: enter into the joy of your Lord (Matthew 25:21), to whom be glory now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen 157. See this teaching, published on the parchment Prologue of the 14th century, belonging to the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery and placed in the “Wanderer,” for 1897, No. 8, August, pp. 459–460; compare Prologue. Moscow. 1877, under August 6th, l.l. 14–15. You might be interested in: