113. Дева, обрученная мужу

We see in the world that virgins get engaged to be brides to their husbands. Thus, Christian souls by faith at baptism are betrothed to the Heavenly Bridegroom - Christ, like pure virgins to a bride, as the Apostle says to Christians: I am jealous for you with the zeal of God; because I have betrothed you to one husband, in order to present you to Christ as a pure virgin (2 Cor. 11:2). The mystery is great. This sacrament is great and incomprehensible to the mind, and the honor and glory and dignity are such, greater than which there cannot be, for the human soul is betrothed to the bride of the Heavenly King and the most beautiful in kindness above all the sons of men, the Son of God (Ps. 45:3). Who can understand and explore God’s love for mankind? Who can express the nobility, honor, glory and dignity of the Christian soul, betrothed to the Heavenly Bridegroom? Listen to this, my soul. Remember, Christian, that your soul is betrothed to this glorious Bridegroom. As we see, the bride loves one groom and pleases only one. Thus, the Christian soul must love Christ alone, its Bridegroom, and please Him alone. The groom does not like a bride who turns to other lovers with love, and he turns away from such a woman. This is how Christ turns away from the Christian soul, which turns to sin and the world with its love and pleases it. Oh, how grievously such a soul sins before Christ! How ungrateful and shameless he acts! How great is her misfortune if she turns away from the sweet and most amiable Heavenly Bridegroom and turns to the unclean and vile love of sin and the world! Christian! Please look around, look around: have you not also turned to the world and sin from Christ your Savior? Do you not love anything equally, or, what is worse, more than Him? You must love him more than your father and mother, more than your wife and children, more than your brothers and friends, and more than yourself (Matthew 10:37-39). He demands this from you, since He Himself loved you so much that He gave Himself up as a sacrifice for you. Do you see how beautiful the sky, sun, moon and stars and other creations are? But He was so pleased with nothing as with your soul. You see how He honored you, what honor and glory He honored your soul with. Praise the Lord, my soul! (Ps. 146:1). Hear, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father’s house. And the King will desire your beauty; for He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him (Ps. 44:11–12). Listen too, my soul, listen to the voice of your Heavenly Bridegroom, and desire His beautiful and most holy kindness. What is heaven to me? and besides You, I want nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart fail: God is the strength of my heart and my heritage forever. For behold, those who remove themselves from You will perish; You destroy everyone who turns away from You. And it is good for me to draw closer to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God (Ps. 72:25–28). Let the love of vile sin and peace and unruly self-love be vile to you, my soul. Love the one who loves you, Jesus; desire Him alone, who desires you; strive and draw closer to Him alone, who seeks you. And be diligent with the One diligent about you, with the Pure one caring for you, with the Pure pure, with the Holy Saint, with the Loving One loving, with the Meek meek, with the Humble humble, with the Long-suffering patient, with the Merciful merciful and merciful. Beware of being separated from Him here, so that in the next century you will be inseparable from Him. And it is good for me to draw closer to God! You might be interested in: