102. Иди за мною

It happens that one person says to another on various occasions: “Follow me.” Christian! So Christ the Lord says to everyone from us: “Follow Me.” Read the Holy Gospel and listen to it, and you will hear His sweetest voice: “Follow Me.” I am your Creator, you are My creation: “Follow Me.” I am your Lord, you are My servant: “Follow Me.” I am your King, you are My subject: “Follow Me.” I am your God, clothed in flesh subservient to you: “Follow Me.” I came into the world for your sake: “follow Me,” Who came to you and for your sake. I, the Invisible One, appeared on earth for the sake of you and everyone: “Follow Me.” I, unapproachable to the Cherubim and Seraphim, have become accessible to sinners and to you: “Follow Me.” I, the Heavenly King, lived on earth for your sake: “Follow Me.” I, the All-Powerful and Almighty, have become weak for your sake: “Follow Me.” I, who am rich, have become poor for your sake, so that through My poverty you may become rich (2 Cor. 8:9): “Follow Me.” I, the Lord of glory, was mocked and dishonored for your sake: “Follow Me.” I, eternal and everlasting Life, tasted death for your sake, the death of the cross: “Follow Me.” I, who sit on the throne of glory, and am worshiped by the angels, and praised, and glorified, was blasphemed by sinners for your sake: “Follow me.” I, who alone have immortality and live in the unapproachable light, was numbered among the dead and laid in a dark tomb for your sake: “Follow Me.” I am your Redeemer, your Deliverer, your Savior, Who redeemed you not with silver and gold, but with His Blood from the devil, death and hell: “Follow Me.” You see My love for you, show your love to the one who loves you, and with love “follow Me.” Your love benefits you, and not Me, just as dislike harms you, and not Me: “follow Me.” God! What is man, that You have revealed yourself to him, and the son of man, that You think about him? Man is like vanity (Ps. 143:3–4). I sing to You, for “by hearing, O Lord, I heard and was horrified.” For You came to me, looking for me, lost. So, I glorify Your many condescensions to me, O Great Merciful One. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready (Ps. 56:8). Help me, O Lord my God, and save me according to Your mercy. What, Christian, do you want to renounce your Lord and Benefactor, Who calls you to follow Him, and not follow Him? Scary and shameless! It is terrible to provoke Him to righteous anger, and to fall under His righteous judgment, and thus perish. Shamelessly, since He, who loved you, is your Highest Benefactor. Tell me, please: if the king of the earth called you to follow him, would you not rush after him, joyfully abandoning everything for the sake of small and temporary honor and self-interest? The King of kings and Lord of lords, the Heavenly King calls you to follow Him: “Follow Me; and calls not to temporary honor and glory and self-interest, but to eternal life, kingdom, honor and glory. “Follow Me, follow Me,” and I will lead you into My eternal kingdom, to My Eternal and Heavenly Father: no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Fornicator, adulterer and lover of uncleanness! Hear the voice of the Lord: “Repent and follow Me.” Evil avenger and killer! Hear the voice of the Lord: “Repent and follow Me.” Thief, predator, robber and covetous man! Hear the voice of the Lord: “Repent and follow Me.” A reproacher, a scolder, a slanderer and every slanderer! Hear the voice of the Lord: “Repent and follow Me.” Lying, deceiver, charmer and hypocrite! Hear the voice of the Lord: “Repent and follow Me.” Every sinner who lives in unrepentance! Hear the voice of the Lord: “Repent and follow Me.” Hear the voice of the Lord calling you. Hear the voice of the One who loved you so much and showed such a merciful, humane and wonderful Providence for you. Hear His voice: “Repent and follow Me.” Man, my beloved creation! I came down from heaven, that I may bring you up to heaven: “follow me.” I have lived on earth, so I will make you a resident of heaven: “follow Me.” I had no place to lay my head, so that I may bring you to the house of My Heavenly Father: “Follow Me.” I have labored so that I may lead you into eternal rest: “follow Me.” I have become poor, that I may make you rich: “Follow Me.” I cried, was sick, grieved and grieved, so I will give you true consolation, joy and joy: “follow Me.” I have been blasphemed, mocked and dishonored, but I will glorify you, my dishonored creation: “follow me.” I was bound, may I free you from the bonds of sin: “follow me.” I, the Judge of the living and the dead, have been judged and condemned, so that I may deliver you from eternal judgment: “follow Me.” I was imputed with the wicked, that I might justify you: “Follow Me.” I have tasted death, the death of the cross, so that I may revive you, My creation, killed by the poison of the serpent: “follow Me.” I have risen from the dead, so that you too will rise, soul and body: “follow me.” I ascended into heaven, so you too may ascend: “follow me.” I sat down on the right side of God and the Father, so that you too may be glorified: “follow me.” I have become like you in everything, except for sin, so that you too may be like Me: “follow Me.” I have taken on your image, so that you too may be like Me: “follow Me.” I have come to you, so that I may draw you to Me, you, my dear fallen creature: “follow me.” You see, man, what love I have shown for you; You also see My Providence for you. For this I do not demand anything from you except that you be grateful to Me and follow Me, and thus receive salvation with eternal glory. This is what I want from you, so may your desire be. "Follow Me." Who hungers and thirsts for your salvation - and I will give you My salvation. Love My poverty and you will be truly rich. Love My humility - and you will be truly glorified and great. Возлюби Мою кротость и терпение – и будешь истинно тих, покоен и мирен. Leave the earth and you will have heaven. Leave the world and you will have God within you. Deny yourself - and you will truly possess yourself. Leave the joy of the flesh and the world - and you will have true consolation. Leave perishable wealth and you will have incorruptible wealth. Оставь честь и славу земную – и будешь иметь небесную. “Follow Me” - and you will have everything that your soul desires, but the true, incomparably best of all that you leave behind. Listen and heed, sinful soul, the voice of your Redeemer Jesus, who loved you, and follow Him, that you may attain. Hurry, hurry, beloved, while he calls and the doors are open. The sky is open, and publicans, adulterers and all kinds of repentant sinners enter there. Hurry, poor sinner, too, so that you too may receive the kingdom of heaven. The apostles, martyrs, saints, saints and all the saints of God entered there and are now installed in the abodes of the Heavenly Father. Many people go there even now, and they come, but only those who follow their sweet Jesus, and by His grace are infused with eternal peace. My soul, hear the voice of the Lord, and join this holy squad, and with them follow Jesus, the faithful leader. And may you hear His voice at the hour of your departure: “You who have walked the narrow path of sorrow, who have taken up the cross like a yoke in your life, and who have followed Me by faith, come and enjoy the honors and heavenly crowns that are in store for you.” Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we would follow in His footsteps. He committed no sin, and no flattery was in His mouth. Being slandered, He did not slander each other; while suffering, he did not threaten, but handed it over to the Righteous Judge (1 Peter 2:21–23). Whoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant also be (John 12:26). And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me is unworthy of Me (Matthew 10:38). I am the Light of the world; Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life, says the Lord (John 8:12). It happens that one calls a person, saying: “follow me”; but the other one says to him, calling him back to himself: “Follow Me.” So Christ the Lord says to every Christian: “Follow Me,” as stated above, but Satan, the enemy of the human race, whispers in the ears of man and calls him back to himself, saying: “Follow Me.” A person hears his evil whispers as many times as he feels evil and ungodly thoughts rising in his heart. This is all his vile whispering. O Man! Who should you listen to? Is it Christ, your Lord, Who has shown such a wonderful Providence about you, and wants to save you, and bring you into His eternal kingdom, as you saw above; or the evil whisperer of the devil, who wants to take you away from Christ your Savior and plunge you into eternal destruction? Christ is Light; the devil is darkness. Christ is the Life; the devil is death. Christ is the Truth; the devil is lies and the father of lies. Christ loved you; the devil is your enemy. Christ is your benefactor; the devil does evil to you. Christ is the true and highest Good; the devil is extreme evil. Christ is your Savior; the devil is your destroyer. Christ wants to save you forever, and came into the world for your sake; the devil wants to destroy you forever. Christ wants to give you eternal life; the devil wants to kill you forever. Христос хочет в вечное Свое царство ввести тебя; the devil wants to lead you into eternal torment with him. Christ wants to enrich you forever; the devil wants to make you a beggar forever. Christ wants to glorify you forever; the devil wants to shame you. Christ wants to honor you forever; the devil wants to dishonor you forever. You see that Christ is, and that the devil is, and for the sake of which he whispers to you and calls you away from Christ, your Lord, to follow you. He wants to destroy you forever, just as he himself is in ruin. This is his cunning, this is his evil intent against us. Renounce, renounce, beloved, from that evil whisperer, and spit on him, as you did in holy Baptism, and, turning away from this charmer, turn to Christ, your Lord, and follow Him with faith and truth, as you promised Him in Baptism. He is your God, your Lord, who loved you. Your benefactor, your eternal life, your ever-present light, your true and eternal bliss, without which we cannot be blessed either in this century or in the future. Draw near to the Lord your God: it is good for me to draw near to God (Ps. 73:28). But despite the fact that the devil is a destroyer, many listen to him and follow him in great crowds. Fornicators, adulterers, and all lovers of uncleanness are coming. The vindictive, the misanthropic, the murderers and those who shed human blood are coming. Those who oppose their parents come, slandering them and not honoring them. Thieves, predators, robbers, bribe-taking judges are coming, withholding the wages of mercenaries, and stealing other people's goods with all kinds of untruth and flattery. There come slanderers, scolders, and everyone who strikes and wounds their neighbor with their tongues, like a sword. Drunkards and sensualists are coming. There come the cunning, the crafty, the seductive, and all those who deceive their neighbors. All sorts of lawless people are coming, opposing the word of God with their corrupt lives. Finally, there come those who love this age, who think about earthly things and not about things above, who love to live in the pride and pomp of this world. In a word, everyone who does not care about the word of God and God, unites their hearts with earthly things, and does not care about their eternal salvation, acquired by the Blood of Christ - all such people follow Satan. The apostolic word befits all such: Some have already turned aside after Satan (1 Tim. 5:15). All such are ashamed of the words of Christ and Christ Himself, are horrified at Him who is humble, humiliated and dishonored, and move away from Him; however, they want to be glorified with Him. They don’t want to be with Him here in this world and follow Him, but they want to be His participants in the kingdom, which is impossible. With whom one is in this world, one will be with one in the next century. O man who bears the name of Christ, but who follows Satan! Remember what denials and vows you made at Baptism, how you denied Satan and all his works and his pride, how you spat on him, how you left him, how you attached yourself to Christ, how you promised and swore to serve Him with faith and truth, to follow Him with humility and love, as a bride should to a groom. Where are your denials now, where are your vows, where is your oath, where is your service to Christ, where is your following of Him? You lied to God, not to man. You have abandoned God, not man; you have left the light and loved the darkness; You left life and loved death. Remember this, and turn to Christ, your Savior. Flee from the deceiver as Israel did from Pharaoh; and although he will chase after you, since he has lost his prey, nevertheless, be bold, and from the depths of your heart sigh to the Almighty Jesus, so that he will not remember your iniquities and help you. He who died for you awaits you with joy, and will embrace you with merciful arms like the prodigal son (Luke 15:20). And when you are freed from the heavy slavery of that tormentor, then you will joyfully sing a victorious song to your Helper: Helper and Patron was my salvation. He is my God, and I will glorify Him; God of my father, and I will exalt Him (Ex. 15:2). The angels in heaven will also rejoice over you. There is joy among the Angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). You might be interested in: