Отделение пятое

Confession of God-manhood in Christ Jesus the Lord He who is from God, God the Word, from the Father the Only Begotten Son, Consubstantial with the Father, Who is from Being, born of the Father without a mother before all ages ineffable, This same one in the last days is born of a daughter of man, from the Virgin Mary without a father, God incarnate is born, bearing on Himself the flesh borrowed from Her, becoming a man, which He was not, and remaining God, Who was, so that save the world. And He is Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, the only begotten of the mother. I confess the same One as perfect God and perfect Man - in two natures, hypostatically or personally, united, cognizable inseparably, unmerged, unchangeably - God, clothed in flesh, animated by the verbal and rational soul, and made like us in everything except sin. One and the same is earthly and heavenly, temporary and eternal, subordinate and beginningless, flightless and subject to time, created and uncreated, passive and impassive, God and Man, perfect in both. One in two natures and in two One. Death is about to happen. Sober up, soul! The time of my life is spent in vanity and shameful thoughts. Grant me, O Lord, medicine, so that I may be completely healed from my hidden wounds, and strengthen me to work diligently for at least one hour in Your vineyard. For the time of my vain life is already at the eleventh hour. Rule the boat with my purchase by Your commandments, and grant me, an insignificant merchant, the prudence to sell my purchase while there is still time. The time of voyage has come to an end, and it’s as if the voice of the Judge is already heard to me, absent-minded: “Show me now, lazy one, I will buy what you had during your life.” The hour of death frightens me, poor one. For I look at my deeds, and my soul trembles, I see my negligence and laziness, and my bones become numb. The hour of separation appeared before my eyes, and I fell into tremendous fear, thinking about it. Instead of rejoicing, I became even more afraid, because with grace I did not do deeds worthy of God. Alas, my soul! Why are you neglecting your life? Why do you spend her few days absent-minded? Don’t you know that they are about to call you? What will you do there, living carelessly here? What will you answer in your justification, presenting yourself to the throne of the terrible Judge? The enemy deceives you and plunders your property day after day, but you don’t even understand it. Sober up, come to your senses and pray to God with tears, crying out to Him with heartfelt sorrow: “Grant me, Lord, to love You with all my strength and diligently serve You by fulfilling Your holy commandments, so that when the hour of separation comes, You will find me ready and with great joy awaiting Your meeting and bring me into Your eternal Kingdom, into rejoicing with all the saints, You well-pleasing!” Give me the memory of eternal life in order to adequately prepare for it. Save me, long-suffering Lord! Save me, Son of God, sinless Christ! And grant me the thought of eternal life, so that, having nothing in my heart except this thought, I may always fulfill Your will with Your grace assisting me, a sinner, and willingly walk in Your commandments, making good use of the money 4 that You Yourself, the Heavenly King, gave to me, and having made a good purchase on it, to be worthy of praise from You, Master, and when You come, Lord, to say with boldness from a pure heart: “Blessed am I that You have come, Master!” For Thy marriage, O Lord, clothe me in a worthy robe, which may Thy grace prepare for me here still. Vouchsafe me then to light the lamp that Your generosity will bestow upon me. So I will joyfully go out to meet You, glorifying and blessing You, in the hope of being a partaker of the righteous and saints who have pleased You from the ages. Are you looking for mercy? Be merciful yourself Debts are left to those who ask for mercy. But be careful not to hate your brothers when you ask for forgiveness of debts. Behind the doors remain those prayers that, ascending to God, do not have love with them, because love alone opens the doors to prayer. If your brother is angry with you, then the Lord is angry with you. And if you are reconciled with your brother in grief, then you are reconciled with the Lord in grief. If you accept your brother, you will also accept your Lord. So, make peace with the Lord in the face of the offended, make Him glad in the face of the saddened, visit Him in the face of the sick, feed Him in the face of the hungry. In the person of the weary traveler, prepare a soft bed for Him, wash His feet, seat Him in the first place at your table, break your bread and give it to Him, give Him your cup. He has already shown you great love, broken His body for you and gave you His blood to drink. Forgiveness of sins for forgiveness of offenses The Lord seems to say this to every soul: “Forgive your brother’s sins, and I will forgive you your sins. You will forgive small mistakes, maybe a few oxen or three denarii, but I give you thousands of talents. And you only forgive without giving anything as a gift, but I forgive you your sins and give you healing and the Kingdom. And then I will accept your gift when you are reconciled with those who are hostile to you. When you have no enmity, when the sun does not set on your anger, when you have peace and love with everyone, then your prayer is favorable, and your offering is acceptable, and your house is blessed, and you yourself are blessed. And if you are not reconciled with your brother, then how can you ask Me for forgiveness? I, your Lord, command you, and you do not heed; But you, servant, how dare you offer Me prayer, or sacrifice, or firstfruits, having enmity against someone? As you turn away your face from your brother, so will I turn away my eyes from your prayer and from your gift.” Give me tears to wash myself and free me from the bonds of passion! O Lover of mankind, Jesus Christ, our God, firmly trusting in Your bounty, I beg You: do not put me on Your side with the goats who have upset You, and do not tell me: “Amen, amen, I tell you, I do not know you,” but in Your goodness give me unceasing tears, give contrition and humility to my heart and cleanse it with fear Yours, may it become a church of Your grace. Although I am a great sinner and unworthy, yet I constantly knock on Your door, although I am careless and lazy and careless about my salvation, I nevertheless desire to follow Your path. Save me for the sake of Your mercy, because You, O Lord, are good in all things and Your compassion is in all Your deeds. Help me, Lord of all, protect my spiritual weakness, so that I can get rid of sinful corruption and become free from the bonds of passions, so that malice does not torment me and let no hostile demon possess me as a captive, but may the Kingdom of Your Divine and Worshipful Spirit come upon me, so that the bad passions that now prevail and reign in me will be removed from me. For You are the God of mercy, love of mankind and generosity. To the Mother of God about cleansing from passions and inner well-being Most Holy Lady Theotokos, the only Pure One in soul and body, look upon me, vile, unclean, who has blackened my soul and body with the filth of my passionate and voluptuous life, cleanse my passionate mind, make immaculate and well-ordered my wandering and blind thoughts, put my feelings in order and guide them, free me from the evil and tormenting me. vile habit of unclean prejudices and passions, stop every sin operating in me, grant to my darkened and damned mind sobriety and prudence to correct my attempts and falls, so that, freed from sinful darkness, I will be honored with boldness to glorify and sing songs of You, the only true Mother of true Light - Christ our God, because that you are blessed and glorified by every invisible and visible creature with Him and in Him. Blessed is the one who is always filled with spiritual joy and bears the good yoke of the Lord without laziness, because he will be crowned in glory. Blessed is he who has cleansed himself from all sinful filth, so that he may boldly receive into his house the King of glory, our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is he who, with fear and trembling, reverently approaches the Most Pure Mysteries of the Savior, realizing that he is receiving indestructible life into himself. Blessed is he who constantly thinks about death and has brought into inaction the shameful passions that nest in the hearts of the careless, because such a one will be comforted at the hour of his death. Blessed is the one who constantly remembers the torment of Gehenna and hastens with tears and sighs to sincerely repent to the Lord, because he will be delivered from all sorrow. Blessed is he who always voluntarily humbles himself, because he will be crowned by Him who voluntarily humbled Himself for us. Blessed is he who, like Mary, abides with all reverence at the feet of the Lord (by prayer) and, like Martha, hastens to receive the Lord and Savior (by charity). Blessed is the one who, fueled by the fear of God, always has within himself the warmth of the Holy Spirit and has burned up the thorns and thistles of evil thoughts. Blessed is he who, with spiritual prudence, loves meekness and does not allow himself to be deceived by the evil serpent, placing his hope in the good and merciful Lord. Mina (see: Luke 19:11–27). – Note. ed. You might be interested in: