125. Познание беды или неблагополучия убеждает искать избавления

A person consists of two parts: soul and body. The body has its own troubles and troubles, and so does the soul. The body is visible, and its trouble is visible; the soul is invisible, and its trouble is invisible. The body is perishable and mortal, and its troubles will end; the soul is incorruptible and immortal, and its misfortune has no end, but remains with it forever, unless it is freed from it. The soul, being rational, immortal and created in the image of God, is much more expensive than the body, and therefore its trouble is much more dangerous and evil than the trouble of the body. The trouble of the body with a dying body dies and ceases; but spiritual trouble with an immortal soul never dies unless one gets rid of that trouble here. Therefore, O Christian, pay attention to the following: 1) It is hard for a person to be in physical poverty, but it is much harder to be in mental poverty. It is hard for a person to have a weak and weakened body. It is hard for a person to serve his body to some evil tormentor, but it is much harder to serve his soul to sin and sin to the devil. Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34). It is hard for a person to be bound by iron bonds, but it is much harder to be bound by sinful bonds: iron bonds are the body, but sinful bonds torment the soul. It is hard for a person to endure the wrath of the king, but it is much harder to endure the wrath of God. It is hard for a person to be captured in body by some enemy, but it is much harder to be captured in soul by the devil. It is hard for a person to be removed from the Fatherland and his home, from his relatives and friends, but it is much harder for a soul to be removed from the heavenly Fatherland and the house of God, from God Himself and His holy chosen ones. It is hard for a person to sit in prison, and see little of the light, and endure bondage, sorrow and insults, but it is much harder for the soul to be in the prison of hell, and to endure this disaster forever. It is hard for a person to die with his body, but it is much harder to die with his soul. The body dies, and its burden will end; the soul never dies, and its death and its burden never die. To the extent that the soul is more valuable than the body, its ill-being is more evil and worse than that of the body. Therefore, we need to seek more relief from mental ill-being than from physical ill-being. Physical ill-being, no matter what it is, and no matter how long it lasts, will all end, but mental ill-being will never end. 2) The misfortune itself leads to the knowledge of misfortune, and the knowledge of misfortune convinces a person to seek deliverance. People see bodily trouble and feel its sorrow, therefore they avoid it and seek in every possible way how to get rid of it. They do not see spiritual trouble, which is much worse than physical trouble, and do not feel its sorrow, and therefore few people diligently desire and seek to free themselves from it, unless they are those who know it, and the more they know it, the more diligently they seek how to get rid of it. The Word of God presents to our spiritual eyes spiritual trouble, and leads us to the knowledge of it, and presents to us the image of deliverance - Christ. If the Son sets you free, you will be truly free (John 8:36). Glory to the Humane-loving God! The idolaters recognized their deception and delusion, and from this their all-destructive misfortune; They learned from the word of God and His glorious miracles, and turned to Christ, and He freed them from all-destructive misfortune, and received eternal spiritual bliss. Many who lived in ancient times recognized their misfortune, and made caves, deserts and earthly abysses their dwellings. The martyrs knew that it was better to die and endure the most severe torment than to renounce Christ, since to renounce Christ is to renounce all spiritual bliss and eternal life and fall into spiritual destruction and eternal death. Many robbers, murderers, fornicators and harlots, and other grave sinners experienced spiritual distress - and they diligently sought deliverance, and found it. Even now many people know it and, having known it, are horrified and seek deliverance, so that they do not care about physical troubles, just to get rid of spiritual troubles. The fear of spiritual trouble surpasses and invalidates the fear of bodily trouble, just as a great noise destroys a small and quiet voice. Thus, a perceived misfortune prompts a person to seek salvation. Know, Christian, that you too are in spiritual distress and trouble, and you will certainly not worry about anything more than getting rid of this disaster. It’s as if fear and horror will overwhelm you, knowing the misfortune of your soul, and you will more want to cry and weep than to have fun. Blessed, truly blessed, is the man who knows in advance the misfortune of his soul. The knowledge of misfortune is the beginning of bliss, just as the knowledge of illness is the beginning of health. Know yourself this way, Christian, and you will be blessed. 3) Physical troubles are temporary, such as: illness, infirmity, poverty, persecution, ridicule, destruction, reproach, slander, exile, captivity, prison, bonds, deprivation of wealth and honor, beatings, wounds - and death itself does not harm our soul in any way, and moreover, all things work together for good to those who love God (Rom. 8:28). And blessed, as the word of God teaches, are those who endure all this for the sake of Christ (See Matt. 5:11; 10:22). Телесные и временные беды не только не отнимают у душ наших блаженства, но и умножают. If our outer man is decaying, then our inner man is being renewed day by day. Ибо кратковременное легкое страдание наше производит в безмерном преизбытке вечную славу, когда мы смотрим не на видимое, но на невидимое: ибо видимое временно, а невидимое вечно ( 2Кор. 4:16–18 ). Написано и вот что: Будучи же судимы, наказываемся от Господа, чтобы не быть осужденными с миром ( 1Кор. 11:32 ). And one more thing: the Lord punishes whomever he loves; He beats every son whom he receives (Heb. 12:6). Not only church history, but also sacred history testifies to how many were moved to true repentance by physical and temporary troubles. We see this even now. This is why the Humane-loving God sends troubles to us - so that we may move towards true repentance and live in the fear of God. Both troubles and misfortunes testify to us of the goodness and love of God. Both in troubles and in misfortunes we must thank the Humane God, for everything comes from Him to our good end. He cares for us. The prodigal son, when he squandered his father's property and came to such poverty and poverty that he began to die of hunger, then he came to his senses and said: How many of my father's hired servants have an abundance of bread, and I am dying of hunger; I will get up, go to my father and say to him: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you” (Luke 15:17–18). Likewise, misfortune prompts a sinner to return to Heavenly Father and true repentance. The sinner, oppressed by troubles and misfortunes, reasons thus: “I do not have bodily and temporary blessings. My poverty, poverty and wretchedness exhorts me to seek spiritual wealth; I will seek it from Christ, who, being rich, for my sake became poor (2 Cor. 8:9). My bodily weakness teaches me to seek spiritual health from Christ: He is the Physician of our souls and bodies. I endure dishonor and ridicule from people - I will seek glory and praise from God. Says the Lord: Only those who glorify Me will I glorify (1 Samuel 2:30). If I endure the wrath of the king or my master, I will seek mercy from God. He who trusts in the Lord will be surrounded by mercy (Ps. 31:10). I serve with my body such and such a person, I do not have freedom and nobility of the body - I will look for freedom and nobility of the soul. All people despise and abandon me - I will resort to God and draw closer to Him, and He will not abandon His creation and will not despise: He does not abandon or despise anyone. Forsake me not, O Lord my God! Do not retreat from Mene; come to my help, O Lord of my salvation! The hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are in the sea is far away (Ps. 37:22–23; 64:6). I am removed from my Fatherland and from home and excommunicated from my relatives and friends - I will try more diligently to seek the heavenly Fatherland, and to have eternal friendship with the Angels and Saints of God. This prison in which I am sitting, and these bonds with which I am bound, convince me through repentance to get rid of the prison of hell and from the bonds of sin and hell, and so on. Glory to God, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). He sends me sorrow, but with it He converts me, and cuts off the path to destruction, and returns me to Himself. Встав, иду к Отцу моему. Thus, physical and temporary troubles not only do not harm souls, but are also very useful to them. These troubles lead us to repentance and to God Himself, and, as it were, convince us to enter the kingdom of God. Glory to the Humane-loving God, glory to His wondrous Providence for us! Through our troubles and misfortunes He seeks our true bliss. Thus, all our misfortune and wretchedness turns into our bliss. But bodily and temporary well-being often and for the most part corrupts and destroys a person. We see this in the example of the gospel rich man, who did not know how to manage his wealth and temporary prosperity, and descended into destruction (See Luke 16:23). So even today many do not know how to own wealth, and not according to the will of God, but according to their own whims, they squander it and are corrupted. Many do not know how to control the health of their body, and they become corrupted, and they all dare to do evil. Well-being, physical and temporary, although good, is for the corrupted human heart like a sword for a madman with which he kills himself. The prodigal son, while his father's property was still in his hands, did not think of returning to his father. But when he had already lost him and began to endure hardships and hunger, then he already thought of returning to his father, as said above. That is why it is written to us as a precaution: If wealth flows in, do not put your heart on it (Ps. 61:11). Just as physical and temporary misfortune is the cause of repentance and mental correction, so bodily and temporary well-being is often the cause of corruption, misfortune, and spiritual destruction, and even more so when a young person has well-being. It is very difficult for such a person not to become corrupted in his well-being. And this is one of the reasons why God allows troubles and misfortunes for His servants, that is, so that they do not turn away from the good path and thus do not lose eternal bliss. In prosperity, a person, being weak, is conveniently seduced and corrupted. So, bitter medicine is temporary and bodily sorrow, but beneficial for the soul. 4) Mental trouble is always harmful and destructive, it is always a fierce and great evil, contrary to God and His holy will. Mental trouble - pride, pride, arrogance, love of glory, lust of authority, self-conceit, arrogance, contempt and destruction of one's neighbor, darkness and delusion of the mind, ignorance of God and truth and righteousness, unbelief and superstition, envy, anger, malice and rancor, love of money and desire for wealth, lust, hypocrisy and deceit, cunning and прочее зло. This is the disaster of our souls. This destructive poison lurks in our hearts, and consumes and kills our soul, and only leads the poor person to eternal death. Know, Christian, the misfortune of your soul - so that you can diligently seek deliverance from it. Known misfortune convinces one to look for a way to get rid of it, and to desire the opposite of it, and to seek bliss. Humane Jesus! You are a refuge from the sorrow that has come over me. Радость моя! Deliver me from those who surround me (Ps. 31:7). Sinful and poor, but created in the image of God, my soul groans and cries out to You, its Savior. 5) Every misfortune comes most of all from the temptation itself. Those who are sick experience illness most of all. How severely toothache torments a person, only he knows who suffers from it. Understand the same about other physical and temporary troubles. Likewise, spiritual distress, hidden within the heart, is recognized most of all in temptation. And the more a person is in temptation, the better he recognizes his poverty and spiritual wretchedness. Temptation reveals everything that lies inside the heart, just as an emetic reveals what is contained in the stomach. And the more a person recognizes his spiritual distress and damnation, the more he humbles himself. The knowledge of misfortune humbles a person. The more one humbles oneself, the more one receives grace from God. God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Many people dream about themselves that they do not have arrogance, pride, envy, anger, malice, etc. But the temptation that comes shows that this evil is hidden in their hearts, and so they are deceived. Fornication lust is hidden for some time and is not recognized, but on occasion, like a poisonous serpent, it shows its head from a secret place and wants to wound the soul with its sting. Envy, hidden in our hearts, touches and shows the well-being of our neighbor; then it comes from the heart and rises when it sees its neighbor in happiness. Anger and malice are recognized in the offense inflicted on one’s neighbors. Cruelty and unmercifulness are shown by the misfortune and suffering of one’s neighbor, which is despised by man. The love of money first of all shows itself in the loss of wealth and property, the love of fame in dishonor and dishonor, the love of power in the deprivation of honor and dignity. We see how much a person is sick and grieving, how much he laments, cries and sobs, having lost either wealth, or dignity and honor, or the glory of this world. Many, unable to endure the illness and sorrow hidden within their hearts, kill themselves. Oh, blindness! Oh, insensibility! O poverty! To destroy yourself for the sake of something that in itself is almost nothing, like a shadow. He who loves something regrets it when he loses it; and the more he loves, the more he regrets what he lost. Likewise, other spiritual calamities are most commonly known through temptation. Temptation opens our hearts and makes the secrets of our hearts apparent. God tests the entire depth and abyss of our heart and sees what is hidden in it. Therefore, God allows us temptation, and thereby shows us what is hidden in our hearts. Let us recognize, Christians, our spiritual misfortune and evil - and so let us diligently seek deliverance. 6) No one can deliver us from this spiritual calamity, no one except Jesus Christ. He is our Deliverer. He knows our poverty better than we ourselves. For this reason, He came into the world, and lived in peace, and suffered, and died, in order to save our souls from this calamity and evil, and to return our first bliss, and nobility, and freedom, that is, this beautiful beauty - the image of God - to us. In Him lies all our bliss and glory. Let us acknowledge our poverty and, having humbled ourselves, seek deliverance from Him. A poor wife suffering from bleeding, not finding healing for her illness anywhere, came to Jesus with faith and, only by touching His holy clothes, received healing (See Mark 5:25–29). This woman exhorts us to come to Jesus and ask Him for help and deliverance for souls. For He is able, since He is Omnipotent, and He wants, since He loves mankind, to deliver us, and He is invisibly with us. May we also approach with faith and may we spiritually touch His holy garments, and day by day we will feel that our misfortune diminishes and the freedom of the soul returns. But it is always true that the knowledge of trouble convinces one to seek deliverance from trouble. Experience trouble and you will seek deliverance. This is where all the strength lies, to know yourself and your spiritual distress. You might be interested in: