Слово 46

(1) Through regeneration in divine Baptism, the souls of believers are again quickened and, having received the Holy Spirit as the soul of the soul, they bear the fruits of the Spirit of life. Those who bear fruit of evil are condemned along with the unbaptized. 1. He who is baptized by divine Baptism is called enlightened, and the one who, although he has believed in Christ the Lord and in the mystery of His incarnate economy, is still in the rank of catechumens, the disciples and teachers of the Gospel of Christ call him unenlightened and make general prayers for him, asking the Lord to announce him with the word of truth of faith in Christ and to reveal to him the Gospel of righteousness; for what reason does the deacon proclaim in church to the faithful: faithfulness, let us pray for the catechumens, and so on. For although the catechumen had already believed in Christ the Lord, he had not yet become faithful. The one who is entrusted with Divine grace and who accepts it is actually called faithful; he becomes faithful when he is enlightened, and enlightened happens when he receives divine Baptism. For what he heard when he was announced, he was enlightened more than words, receiving the threefold immersion of the Holy Spirit and being completely filled with divine light. Moreover, by becoming a partaker of the death of Christ the Lord in this sacrament, he becomes a partaker of His Resurrection, as the divine Paul says. And just as Christ, having risen, no longer dies, death no longer possesses Him, so the one who came out of the font of the birth of God, that is, holy Baptism (which gives life, or, better to say, idolizes the one who has been baptized), no longer dies a spiritual death, sin no longer possesses him. He who is baptized with the Holy Spirit is already immortal from his mother’s womb, that is, the holy font, because his soul has received true life, that is, the grace of the Holy Spirit, and he can no longer sin, as one born of God. The Holy Apostle Paul speaks about it this way: He was circumcised by the circumcision made without hands, having put off the body of sinful flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, having been buried by Him through baptism (Col. 2:11). This is knowing, that our old man will be crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be abolished, that sin will not work for us... For even if I die, I die to sin alone; and the hedgehog lives, God lives. In the same way, ye also think of yourselves as dead because sin should be, but as alive as God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:6, 10-11). Because we were baptized into Christ, we were baptized into His death (Rom. 6:3). Thus, what for Christ the Lord there was a cross and a tomb, for us there is Baptism; and just as Christ died in the flesh and rose again, so we die to sin and are raised to virtue by the power of God: just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so may we also walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). So, although it is possible that, after rebirth in Baptism, the faithful also sin, but if the faithful ever sin, then he (no longer remains faithful) is expelled from the Church and is excommunicated from communion with Christians; and (if he wishes to enter it again) he is subjected to church punishment, that is, confession of sin, with shame, dishonor, tears and sighs, not only because he has sinned, but moreover because, having sinned, he has removed from himself Divine grace, which again will not return to him as easily as it was granted in holy Baptism. There are two luminaries that shine for us: God is the intelligent Sun, Who gives light to the intelligent eyes of the soul, so that they can mentally see the invisible creature, and the sensual sun, which gives light to the sensual eyes, so that they can see the sensual creature. Just as no one sees which places are level and which are uneven, which paths are clean and which are clogged, unless the sensual sun rises and shines, so no one sees where the ditches of sin are and where the smooth paths of truth are, unless the intelligent Sun shines for him. So, if there is a Christian who walks in the paths of sin, either in all or in some, then such a one is not a Christian, for a Christian is and is called enlightened; but everyone who walks in the light sees ditches and rapids (and does not allow himself to fall into them). If he does not see them and falls, it means he does not have light, and therefore how can he be a Christian? If he says that he sees, but sins, being deceived by the devil, then he is lying. He does not see what is good, but he sees as the unenlightened, that is, the unfaithful, see. For they too see and distinguish between good and evil, and, however, do not shy away from evil, because they do not clearly see what is mainly good and what is mainly evil. So, a Christian who does not see evil purely, with uncluttered eyes, is not yet a Christian, and he must strive, through sighs and tears, through fasting and prayers, to enter into that true and perfect light that enlightens every person coming into the world. Christ the Lord then came into the world to grant cleansing and deliverance from sins to those who believe in Him. He grants cleansing of sins through holy Baptism, and He grants deliverance from sin through holy communion of His most pure Body and His most pure Blood. For He Himself says: He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him (John 6:56). Whoever abides with Christ produces the fruits of virtues, and not the fruits of sin and lawlessness. Why, whoever, after Baptism and communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, does not bear good fruits, is cut down like a barren tree and thrown into the fire. Not only is he who unworthily, with uncleanness of flesh and spirit, partakes of the Body and Blood of the Lord (for he is made guilty of the body and blood of the Lord for this), but also he who partakes without fruit and benefit is worthily condemned and punished. For two reasons, he is condemned for his sterility: the first is that he shows this sacrament, so saving and beneficial, to be sterile and useless in himself, without doing anything good (as if as a reproach to him); the second is that which receives communion ungratefully, since after that it does not show any gratitude to God through the fulfillment of His commandments. If Christ the Lord did not leave unpunished those who utter an idle word, will He not much more condemn the one who reveals such a great sacrament to be fruitless (αργον - idle) in himself? Whoever partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ in remembrance of Christ the Lord, that He died and rose again for our salvation, must not only be clean from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, so as not to eat the Body and drink the Blood of the Lord to condemn himself, but must also show by deed that he really remembers Christ the Lord, who died and rose again for us, precisely in order to show himself dead to sin, to the world and to himself, and to the living God, in Christ. Jesus our Lord. But whoever, after communion, does not bear good fruits, but, on the contrary, commits sins and untruths, his place is with the unfaithful, the wicked and the unbaptized, as can be seen from the words of Blessed Paul: as much as the worst one will be rewarded with torment, having trampled upon the Son of God and having taken the blood of the covenant, he has been sanctified by it (Heb. 10:29). Do you see what sanctification is? He who is sanctified bears the fruits of the Holy Spirit. But whoever believes in Christ and, however, still possesses sinful passions, let him hasten to come to his senses and, with all jealousy, free himself from the tyranny of these passions, so that he can then begin to bear the fruits of virtue. For first it is necessary to clear the field of the soul from all thorns and then sow good seed on it, so that the pure and good earth will receive it and bear abundant fruit. If he does not do this, but leaves the thorns to grow as before and choke the fruit, then what other time will he wait to do this? Hurry to do this while there is still a day to live; the night of death will come when no one can do anything anymore. May the Lord grant us to be cleansed from all filthiness of soul and body and to bear worthy fruits of the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory forever. Amen. You might be interested in: