50. Сеть

In this world we see how fishermen throw their nets into the water and spread them out to catch fish. So the devil with his demons everywhere has spread various networks on us, O Christian. Spread it in the house, spread it along the way, spread it in cities and villages, spread it in the desert, spread it on the land and in the sea. He hid the nets in food, in drink, in voluptuousness. Hid the nets in honor and wealth. Hid the networks in conversations and silence. He hid the nets in sight and hearing - he hid them to catch us to his destruction. How many are his destructive networks, so many intrigues and tricks against us. How many cunnings and intrigues are his - so many dangers, troubles and misfortunes of ours. Oh, who can find out these hidden networks and get rid of them? Many networks, various networks, networks everywhere, hidden and invisible networks, networks for our disaster and destruction! Who can see them and avoid them, if You, Lord, do not show them and with Your all-powerful right hand do not preserve them from them? “Be sober and watchful, for your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). “He who lives in the help of the Most High will dwell in the shelter of the Heavenly God. The Lord says: “Thou art my intercessor and my refuge, my God, and I trust in Him! Yako Toy will deliver you from the snare of the trap” (Ps. 91:1–3). “To Thee, O Lord, O Lord, are my eyes; I trust in You, do not take away my soul! Keep me from the snares that they have made and from the temptation of those who practice iniquity” (Ps. 140:8-9). “On this path along which I walked, they hid a snare for me. I looked to the right and saw: and there was no one who knew me, there was no place for me to run, and no one cared about my soul. I cried out to You, Lord, and said: “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living. Heed my prayer, for I am greatly humbled; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I” (Ps. 141:4-6). “Save me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner, deliver me from the unrighteous people who are planning to hinder my steps. The proud ones hid the net for me, they made a snare for my feet from ropes, they set traps for me along the way. I said to the Lord: “You are my God; Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayer! Lord, Lord, the power of my salvation! You covered my head on the day of battle. Do not hand me over, Lord, to a sinner, removing me from my desire; they have plotted against me, do not forsake me, lest they become arrogant” * (Ps. 139:4-9). “Do not give over to the beasts the soul that confesses to You” (Ps. 73:19), - so that I will sing a song of thanksgiving to You: “Blessed is the Lord, who did not give us as prey to their teeth! Our soul has escaped, like a bird, from the net of the fishermen: the net is broken, and we are delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who created heaven and earth” (Ps. 123:6-8). Any fish that does not escape the fisherman's net gets caught and gets stuck in the net. So, whoever does not avoid the devil’s snare gets stuck in it. The fornicator and the adulterer are caught in his snare, the slanderer and slanderer are caught in his snare, the drunkard is caught in his snare. The shepherd, not caring about the salvation of his own and Christ’s flock, got stuck in his net. The ruler, seeking not the common good, but his own nasty self-interest, got stuck in his network. The judge, corrupted by bribes and gifts, got stuck in his net. The master who torments or burdens his peasants with excessive rents is stuck in his net. In a word, every sinner who does not repent and does not care about his salvation is stuck in its net. All of them are “taken into his will” (2 Timothy 2:26). The fisherman drags the fish stuck in his net towards him. So the devil drags a sinner, caught in his destructive net, into the destruction in which he himself finds himself. Oh! It attracts and will attract you if you don’t get out of its network. O poor sinner! Moan and cry from the depths of your heart to Jesus, the Liberator of our souls. Call out from this destruction, like Jonah from the belly of the whale, or like Manasseh from the middle of the bonds, to the Almighty Jesus - may he send you His help, yes, strengthened by Her, you will get out of the destructive net. Take care, beloved, about this in advance, before he has yet drawn you into destruction. Just make a good start and cry out to Him with all zeal. He, the Merciful and Humane, will extend His all-powerful right hand to you, and will unravel you from this network of the enemy, and you will be free from it. O Jesus, Lover of Mankind! Spare the creation of Your hands, for for his sake You came into the world and suffered. Let our enemy not rejoice over our destruction. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). And when you receive this mercy from Him, then with a joyful spirit you will sing to Him: “You have broken my bonds. I will offer you a sacrifice of praise” (Ps. 116:7–8). And again: “I will confess to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever, for Your mercy is great toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the grave of hell” (Ps. 85:12-13). Having received such mercy from Him, henceforth act carefully and beware of the snares of the enemy, calling on the Lord for help. “Be the protector of my soul, O God, as I walk in the midst of many snares; deliver me from them, and save me, O Blessed One, as a Lover of Mankind.” Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: