Слово на Воздвижение честного Креста. Святого Тихона, епископа Воронежского и Задонского

Those who are Christ's are the flesh crucified with passions and lusts (Galatians 5:24). Christ the Son of God taught us in His holy Gospel what we should do in order to be saved: and what He taught in word, He showed in deed. He taught humility, and humbled himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, death on the cross (Phil. 2:8); He showed us an image of the deepest humility when He was not ashamed to wash the feet of His holy disciples and apostles. He taught poverty: He Himself, who is rich, made us poor for our sake, so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9); He himself testifies of himself that the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He taught patience, and He Himself endured: His entire holy life, from birth even to death, was one of patience, as can be seen by those who read the Holy Gospel. He taught us to love our enemies: and He Himself loved us, His enemies, so much that He did not refuse to die for us. He taught everyone to wear their own cross: if anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me (Luke 9:23): and He Himself bore the cross throughout His entire life. So in everything else that he taught, he showed an example in himself. Therefore, whoever wants to be Christ’s and participate with Christ in His endless kingdom must certainly follow His footsteps, must humble himself, must endure: must love his enemies, do good to those who hate, bless those who curse, must bear his cross, must finally crucify the flesh with passions and lusts, must put off the old or carnal man and put on the new or spiritual man. (Eph. 4:22–24). But in order to better understand this teaching, in this short word I will suggest to you what the old or carnal man is, and the new or spiritual man, with such an intention that everyone can judge about himself what kind of person he is - a carnal or spiritual man - to whom he is conformed, whether he is the old Adam or the new, that is, Christ. I ask you to listen with diligence: an object for souls - useful and, for those who want to be saved, pleasant. In a Christian, two laws are found, as St. Paul depicted: I see another law in my heart, warring against the law of my mind (Rom. 7:23), - or, as the same Apostle says, flesh and spirit. The flesh lusts after the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh (Galatians 5:17). These two laws - the flesh and the spirit - are always at war with each other: what one wants, the other turns away from; What one commands, the other prohibits; What one creates, another destroys; What the flesh chooses, the spirit turns away from, and what the spirit wants, the flesh does not want. The flesh wants to be proud and boastful, but the spirit wants to be humble; the flesh wants to be in glory and honor, but the spirit wants to impute all this to its mind; the flesh wants to be in wealth, but the spirit wants to be in poverty; the flesh wants to rest, and the spirit wants to stay awake and work; the flesh wants to revel and have fun, but the spirit wants to abstain and lament about sins. The flesh wants to take revenge on its enemy, and the spirit wants to love enemies, do good to those who hate, bless those who curse; the flesh wants to please itself, and the spirit wants to please its neighbor for the good; the flesh wants to steal what belongs to others, and the spirit wants to give away its own; the flesh wants to follow its own will in everything, and the spirit wants to follow the will of God. So, between the flesh and the spirit there is constant warfare; and from these opposing desires arises a double wisdom or action, carnal and spiritual. Carnal wisdom is when one philosophizes or does what the flesh wants; and spiritual wisdom, when one philosophizes what the spirit wants. And whoever philosophizes about something is called a man. He who philosophizes about carnal things is called a carnal man, and so he is, and he who philosophizes about spiritual things is called spiritual; or, simply to say, whoever listens to the flesh and obeys it is a carnal man, and whoever follows the spirit and the flesh rebukes the spirit is a spiritual man. But just as the flesh and the spirit are contrary to each other, so the actions of the carnal and spiritual man are not at all similar, but opposite. The carnal man directs his whole mind only to the acquisition of the temporary; and the spiritual always strives for the eternal. A carnal man passes through his rank for his one temporary gain: but a spiritual man works to expand the glory of God and the benefit of his neighbor. The natural man, if he does anything worthy of praise, seeks reward in this age; and the spiritual expects reward for virtue from God in the next century. Although a carnal man does something praiseworthy, he does it for the sake of vanity and the acquisition of vain glory: but a spiritual man extends all his intentions to the glory of God and to the hope of eternal life. The carnal man is proud and exalted before everyone, no one is equal to him, he puts himself above everyone else, but the spiritual man humbles himself before God and people. The natural man cannot bear to be despised; but the spiritual one willingly accepts it. The natural man blasphemes the one who blasphemes, he reproaches the one who reproaches, he slanderes the one who curses, he hates the one who hates, but a spiritual person is comforted by the blasphemer, he endures persecution, he blesses the one who curses, he does good to the one who hates (Matt. 5:44; 1 Cor. 4:12–13). The carnal man does not love the sincere; but the spiritual does not withdraw his love from his enemies. A carnal man is malicious and seeks revenge even for small offenses; but the spiritual one also prays for those who eat their bellies: Lord, do not put this sin on them (Acts 7:60). The carnal man deals with everyone insidiously, flatteringly, cunningly; but a spiritual person is simple-hearted towards everyone. A carnal man kidnaps and steals what belongs to others, but a spiritual man gives what is his to those who demand it. The natural man is unapologetic; but the spiritual is at peace with those who hate the world (Ps. 119:6). The carnal man follows unclean inclinations and lusts; and the spiritual is devoted to purity and chastity. A carnal man always uses his mind either for his own gain or for the ruin of his neighbor; and the spiritual person places all his diligence on the creation of his brethren. And therefore the carnal man is harmful to society; and the spiritual is useful. The carnal man regards all sin as nothing; but the spiritual one flees from every sin, even the slightest, as from the face of a serpent. The carnal man places his hope in honor, in wealth, in his own strength; and the spiritual places its trust in the help of the Most High and the merciful providence of its Creator. The carnal man is greatly afraid of losing his honor, his wealth, and being cast out; but a spiritual person is ready for all this with willingness or generosity. The carnal man does not want to part with this light; and the spiritual one joyfully desires to be freed from bodily bonds. So, the wisdom of a carnal man is pride and arrogance, and that of a spiritual man is humility; carnal - voluptuousness, intemperance, - and spiritual sobriety, abstinence; carnal - love of money, spiritual - love of poverty; carnal - fornication, uncleanness, - spiritual - chastity, purity; carnal - murmuring and slander, spiritual - patience and silence; carnal - enmity and quarrel, spiritual - peace and silence; carnal - malice and vengeance, spiritual - meekness and unforgettable malice; carnal - laziness, spiritual - hard work; carnal - deceit, deception, - spiritual - simplicity and sincerity; carnal - theft, theft, and spiritual - generosity, alms; carnal - care for the vain, spiritual - for the eternal; the carnal sins in deed, sins in word, sins in thought, but the spiritual in deed - virtue, in word - virtue and in thought - virtue. In a word, a carnal man surpasses all cattle and beasts in natural malice: more merciless than a wolf, more proud than a peacock, more poisonous than a viper, more fierce than a bear; Whatever vices and evil morals are found in all beasts or cattle, they are found almost all in every carnal person. So the carnal man is evil, corrupt outside and inside; all his weapons are weapons of untruth: he uses the mind for deception, the body for pride and uncleanness, the tongue for blasphemy and slander, the eyes for seeing inappropriate things, the ears for hearing slander, condemnation, bad songs, and the hands for robbery. The Word of God terribly describes our corrupted nature, and presents us to ourselves, as in a mirror. No one is righteous: no one understands, and no one seeks God. All of you have deviated, and together there was indecentness: do not do goodness, not even to one. The grave was opened with their throats, their tongues with their tongues: the poison of asps is under their lips. Their lips are full of oaths and sorrow. Their feet are quick to shed blood. Contrition and bitterness are on their paths: they have not known the path of peace. There is no fear of God before their eyes (Rom. 3:10–18). Here is an image of the carnal, natural, old man: but for the spiritual, enlightened by the Spirit of God, everything is the opposite. The works of the flesh and the Apostle declares: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, adultery, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, zeal, envy, rage, incitement, strife, temptations, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, disorderly cries, and the like (Galatians 5:19–21). And the same Apostle counts the fruits of the spiritual: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control (Galatians 5:22 and 23). - Behold, listener, you see what is the action of the carnal, and what is the spiritual man: from these actions you can see that in the carnal man sin lives and reigns over him, and in the spiritual - the grace of God. And from there it follows that the carnal man is in the wrath of God: for the wisdom of the flesh, according to the word of the apostle, is enmity against God: for the law of God does not repent (Rom. 8:7), - but the spiritual is in His mercy. There is not a single condemnation, says the same Apostle, to those who are in Christ Jesus, walking not in the flesh, but in the Spirit (Rom. 8:1). – But just as the actions of a carnal and a spiritual person are different, and life is not the same, so the death is not similar, and the future state after death is not the same. For a natural man, death is cruel, but for a spiritual man it is peaceful; For a carnal man, death is sad, but for a spiritual man it is joyful; For a carnal man, death is sad, but for a spiritual man it is sweet. A carnal man, dying temporarily, dies eternally: for carnal wisdom is death, says the holy Apostle; and the spiritual through this death passes to eternal life, for spiritual wisdom is life and peace (Rom. 8:6). The carnal man moves away from labors, troubles, and sorrows to great labors, troubles, and sorrows; and the spiritual person moves from sorrow to joy, from grief to consolation, from troubles to bliss, from labor to eternal peace. The carnal home will be hell, Gehenna, and the spiritual will be heaven. The carnal one dwells with the devil and his angels in the eternal fire; and the spiritual with Christ, Whom he diligently served, to eternal joy. Both will accept according to their deeds, even what they have done with the body (2 Cor. 5:10). You see, listener, what a carnal and a spiritual man is: you see the deeds of both, and according to the deeds, the reward. From these above-mentioned and other similar actions, you can reason about yourself: who you are and what kind of person, carnal or spiritual. If you act according to the law of the spirit and practice spiritual wisdom, then you are a spiritual person. If you live according to the flesh and practice carnal wisdom, then you are a carnal man. And when you are carnal, and you want to be saved forever, then you must certainly reject this yoke and leave carnal wisdom, since carnal wisdom is death, carnal wisdom is enmity against God (Rom. 8:7), and take up spiritual wisdom, which is life and peace, as the Apostle teaches. Thus, by the grace of God you will be changed from the old to the new, from the carnal to the spiritual person. Moreover, know that the flesh with passions and lusts will always rebel against you and punish you under its yoke; but you resist her with the weapon of the spirit. So, if pride and arrogance rise against you, arm yourself with the spirit of humility, remembering that you are earth and will go back to earth; if you overcome the lust of adultery and impurity, arm yourself with the spirit of purity and chastity; if it is the lust of love of money and avarice, resist with the spirit of non-covetousness and poverty; if - the lust of sensuality, intemperance and drunkenness, resist with the spirit of abstinence and sobriety; if it is the lust of robbery and theft, resist with the spirit of generosity and mercy; if it is the lust of vengeance, resist with the spirit of meekness and kindness. So in other things, subdue the flesh to the spirit, calling for help on the One whose name you bear, Jesus Christ. This feat against the passionate flesh is offered not only to monks and desert dwellers, as people of the present century believe, but to all Christians. Presented to kings and princes, nobles and nobles, famous and non-famous people, military leaders and mayors, generals and warriors, rich and poor, husbands and wives, old and young, healthy and weak, happy and unhappy; in a word, everyone who wants to be saved must enter into this feat and, as much as he has strength, struggle with God’s help. Flesh and blood, according to the word of the Apostle, cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50). And for those sitting in a high place, even more so, this feat is needed in order to be an example for their subordinate brethren, and to strengthen and strengthen the faint-hearted and weak as an example of their patience. I admit, this feat is difficult! For conquering your nature, conquering natural anger requires a great feat. In addition, the passionate flesh is favored by the world with its charms and temptations, the enemy of our souls is the devil with his intrigues. I repeat, it is difficult to struggle against the flesh, but it is a glorious victory. Many defeated great states, numerous peoples, destroyed strong cities: but they submitted to their passionate flesh, and remained its poor captives. However, although this feat is difficult, it is nevertheless very necessary: ​​this path is narrow and regrettable, but it alone leads to the eternal belly. There is no one in heaven who does not follow this path. Through them the prophets, apostles, saints and priests, the brightest martyrs, reverend fathers and hermits reached the heavenly fatherland and eternal rest. They could strive: so can you; They won: so can you. For how the Ascetic and Leader Jesus Christ Himself helped them in this feat. Our all-merciful Intercessor, He helps you too. He helps you when He enlightens your inner eyes with His holy word. He helps you when He threatens you with unquenchable fire and never-ending worms for disobedience. He helps you when He promises you eternal blessings for your obedience, but the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor has the heart of man sighed, what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). It helps you when, through preachers and teachers, it exhorts you to conversion; helps you when he sends troubles, sorrows, poverty, illnesses upon you. You feel His help when you feel the memory of death in yourself, when it comes to your mind that you are earth and will go to earth. You feel His help when you feel the fear of Gehenna and eternal torment. You feel His help whenever the desire for heavenly blessings passes. You feel His help when inside you feel sorrow and sadness for sin, and peace and joy for virtue. You feel His help when your conscience consoles you in troubles, misfortunes inflicted unjustly. You finally feel His help when inside you hear His sweet voice, awakening you: arise, sleep, and rise from the dead (Eph. 5:14), and calling to Himself: come to Me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). So, having such a great Helper, you can strive whenever you want: but you absolutely must, if you want the eternal life acquired by the death of Christ, you must receive. Amen 25. Creations like those in St. our father Tikhon of Zadonsk. 5th edition. Moscow. 1889, vol. 1, pp. 42–47. You might be interested in: