104. Азбука

What the alphabet or alphabet is for beginners to learn book reading, humility is for Christians who want to learn the Christian life. Book readers need to first learn the alphabet. Likewise, Christians, if they want to successfully learn a virtuous life, must first of all learn humility. The ABC is the beginning and foundation of all book teaching. So humility is the beginning and foundation of Christian virtues. Without this, all spiritual creation is disrupted and falls. True virtue cannot exist without humility, and even if it appears, it will be ruined again. A person without God cannot begin or do anything, according to what has been said: Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). And according to the testimony of the apostle, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Learn, Christian, this Christian alphabet and you will successfully learn Christian philosophy. And in order to successfully learn humility, you must learn to know yourself and your poverty. Humility will certainly follow from knowing yourself and your poverty. Who, seeing his poverty, will not humble himself? A man is truly poor, but not everyone recognizes his poverty. A person is born to troubles and, as if anticipating them, cries, for every baby is born crying. Lives and is brought up in troubles. The longer he lives, the more his troubles multiply. He dies with fear, and if he dies not for the Lord, then even greater troubles await him. A man is poor on the outside, but he is also poor on the inside. He is depressed and tormented by various infirmities and illnesses. The flesh with passions and lusts rises up against him and wants to possess him and put him to eternal death. Man constantly feels this rebellion and torment. And the more he resists her, the more she rebels against him. And this inner misfortune and evil, this poison with which a person is infected, does not kill him temporarily, but eternally. Outside, the devil constantly lays nets for him and tries to catch him to his destruction. Various temptations of the world, like thorns, torment him and want to kill his soul. Every person lives in such a disaster. But the poorer he is if he does not see this. Why should a man exalt himself and boast? Is it perhaps poverty, corruption and sins? What kind of praise is this? This is not praise, but blasphemy, not glory, but disgrace, not honor, but dishonor. What can you boast about, man? Is it because you have wealth, glory, honor and the wisdom of this age? What kind of praise is there in this? It is not external, but internal well-being that makes a person commendable and blessed. For all external well-being is nothing. We call a good tree not one that is beautiful on the outside and has many branches and leaves, but one that is good on the inside and produces good fruits. It happens that a person is rich on the outside, but poor and wretched on the inside; externally he is glorious and honest, but internally he is inglorious and dishonest; wise in appearance, but mad inwardly; outwardly prosperous, but inside the most wretched of all. And that's what happens for the most part. People please those who shine so much, but God’s word pleases those whom the Lord is their God. Blessed is the people whose Lord is their God (Ps. 143:15). So, do not look at what a person is like on the outside (outwardly all people are the same), but what he is like on the inside, not what he is like in front of people, but what he is like in the eyes of God. Often and for the most part it happens that a person is wise before people, but foolish before God; Glorious before people, but inglorious before God; rich before men, but very poor before God; He is great before people, but nothing before God. And this flower of prosperity, which only appears and shines before people, soon withers. As soon as the storm finds adversity, it dries up and falls, and death takes it away from everyone. A prince and a nobleman are only a prince and a nobleman to the grave, a glorious man is only glorious to his grave, a rich man is only rich to his grave, a wise man is only wise to his grave. So all the treasure of this world only serves a person until the grave. Then everything retreats from him. Then everyone will recognize themselves as beggars, wretched, poor and damned, just as they were. Then princes, nobles and masters become like their basest slaves. Then the rich will recognize their poverty and become poorer than the poor. Exalt yourself and boast about this treasure, man, if you want. I tell you the truth that you are truly poor, no matter how famous you are in the world. Look at the dead in their coffins and you will be convinced. Where are the princes, nobles and masters, and where their slaves lie, it is impossible to find out! Where the rich and the poor, where the wise and the simple, where the noble and the noble, where the glorious and the dishonest lie, you truly will not know! There everyone became equal and turned to earth, just as they were earth. Looking at this decay, boast about the happiness that you have, list your names and titles, exalt yourself in wealth and wisdom. You see here that everyone is equal. Just as everyone is born equal, so they die equal, except that one is saved and goes to eternal life, while the other perishes and is given over to eternal death. Blessed are those who die in the Lord (Rev. 14:13). Remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom! (Luke 23:42). The man was truly blessed, but he lost his bliss. He was like God, created in the image of God and in the likeness, but he became equal to the foolish beasts and became like them (Ps. 49:21). He was incorruptible, but became corruptible; was immortal, but became mortal: for the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). He was wise, but he became mad. He was rich, but became poor. He was beautiful, but he became ugly. He was holy and pure, but became filthy and unclean. It was the church and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, but became the dwelling place of unclean spirits. He was master and owner, but became a slave and captive. He was a resident of a sweet paradise, like the king of a beautiful palace, but was banished to this world as if into exile. Man has lost such bliss and suffered such misfortune! All of us, his sons, suffered as well. You, Lord, have righteousness, but we have shame on our faces (Dan. 9:7). We have sinned with our fathers, committed iniquity, committed unrighteousness (Ps. 106:6). What can a person in such a calamity think and say but one thing: Lord, have mercy on me, as I have sinned (Ps. 40:5)? Just as the beginning of health is the knowledge and recognition of weakness, so the beginning of Christian bliss is the knowledge and recognition of one’s poverty and wretchedness. And this happens not from the knowledge and recognition itself, but from the fact that God, as a merciful and loving man, looks mercifully at such knowledge and recognition and sends down His grace to him, as it is written: God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). God wants one thing from us - for us to know and acknowledge our poverty and humble ourselves before Him, and walk and live in humility. And then He Himself will lead us to our bliss. The apostle wrote about this: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6–7). Our God is Almighty God, who makes everything out of nothing (2Mac 7:28). We see what glorious deeds He created - the heavens and the earth, and everything in them (Ps. 145:6). Thus, whoever recognizes and recognizes himself as nothing makes something out of it, and something good, that is, a wise, pious, virtuous and holy person. God does only good, since He Himself is good. But the greatest poverty and wretchedness of man lies in the fact that he dreams highly of himself, although in reality he is nothing. He thinks he knows everything, but he knows nothing. He thinks he is intelligent, but in reality he is stupid and insane. He thinks that he is blessed, but is truly wretched and poor. He thinks that he is rich, but he is truly poor and wretched. He thinks he is kind, but he is truly evil. He thinks that he is holy and righteous, but he is truly sinful and defiled. He thinks he is Something, but he is truly Nothing. What should God Almighty, Who makes everything out of nothing, do with such a substance? He leaves him in his imaginary bliss and does His work on the one who destroys himself, and makes him blessed, who recognizes and recognizes himself as poor and damned. Therefore, the Lord says to the Heavenly Father: You hid this (knowledge of the mystery of the Gospel) from the wise and prudent and revealed it to babes (Matthew 11:25). The scribes, Pharisees and teachers of the law thought of themselves that they were wise and intelligent: Are we also blind? (John 9:40). Therefore, the light and wisdom of God was hidden from them. The apostles, like babies, were simple and humble, but they were enlightened and made wise by God Himself. Christian! Pride is great blindness and madness. She does not allow one to recognize and admit his wretchedness, and so the person remains and remains in his poverty and wretchedness. Humility is a great enlightenment and wisdom that comes from the knowledge of one’s poverty and wretchedness. A humble person will certainly receive Christian bliss. Because God, who loves humble hearts, will not abandon him. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). This is where human humility leads! For everyone who is humble is poor in spirit. Know yourself and your poverty, Christian, and you will be humble. And if you are humble, you will be blessed. Recognize and admit your poverty before God - and you will be rich. Recognize and admit your blindness before God - and the eyes of your heart will be opened. Recognize and admit your madness before God - and you will be wise. Recognize and admit your sins before God - and you will be justified by Him. Recognize and admit your uncleanness before God - and you will be pure and holy. Recognize and admit your fault before God - and you will improve. Recognize and admit your weakness before God - and you will become healthy. Recognize and admit your error before God - and you will be punished. I have gone astray, like a lost sheep: seek Thy servant (Ps. 119:176). Finally, recognize and admit that you are poor and wretched, and you will be blessed. Everything in you will be corrected by the grace of God, which will be with you if you are humble. Here, Christian, is the ABC of Christian teaching. Learn it and you will successfully learn Christian philosophy. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14). You might be interested in: