51. Пьянство

There is drunkenness from wine and strong drink, and there is drunkenness not from wine, as they say: “drunk without wine” (Is. 28:1). Wine drunkenness occurs when a person drinks too much wine. Drunkenness does not come from wine - when a person gets drunk with the love of this world, vain thoughts and lawless undertakings. One who is drunk with wine often does not know what he is saying or doing, and has neither shame nor fear, and no matter what he does, almost everything is worthy of laughter. So, drunk with the love of this world and other lawless thoughts, he does not know what he is doing. Now he grabs hold of one thing, then another, but his whole undertaking and his cause are against him. He sees that everyone is dying and no one takes anything with them. However, he cares so much about increasing wealth, about expanding the land, about creating a house and about his other whims, about acquiring honor and vain glory - so, I say, he cares as if he alone in this world will live forever. “But God said to him: “You fool! This night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared? (Luke 12:20). Truly such a person is insane, and deserves laughter, or even more so, regret! If someone were on a foreign side, and was planning to quickly return from there to the Fatherland and his home, but at the same time he was storing up a lot of immovable things there, wouldn’t he be worthy of laughter? Surely everyone, seeing his deeds and undertakings, would worthily reprimand him: “After all, you will leave all this here, why are you preparing so much?” So crazy and worthy of laughter is the one who stores up a lot in this world, but knows that he must leave all this in the world, as on a foreign side, and leave it soon. Drunkenness does this in him, not from wine and strong drink, but from love for this world, which has so darkened his mind that, poor man, he himself does not know what he is doing. Drunkenness from wine and strong drink is bad, but this is even worse. One who is drunk with wine and strong drink sobers up easily, but one who is drunk with the love of this world has great difficulty. The lust that lives in him and makes him mad, comes up with many reasons and does not allow him to sober up. For the sake of my wife, for the sake of my children, for the sake of my old age, I need a lot. But what do you need honor and glory, which you desire no less than wealth? Why do we need rich decorations on dresses, houses, meals, servants, horses, carriages, diamonds, brilliants, and other vanity? Oh, drunk not with wine and strong drink, but with the lust of the vain world! Open your eyes and look at those who were the same as you. Where is their wealth? Where is the honor and glory? Where are the whims and pride? Where is the vanity attire? Everything left them when they left the world, or, worse, the world abandoned them and those who did not want to. And what happened to them is that to those people who in a dream have a lot and drink a lot, but when they wake up they don’t see anything in their hands and feel great thirst. Thus, those who were drunk with the lust of the vain world, while they lived in the world as in a dream, had and drank a lot, but at death, and even more so after death, they saw themselves as beggars and felt a great thirst, and asked for a drop of water, but was not given to them. They hear the answer: “Child! Remember that you have already received your good things in your life” (Luke 16:25). And the useless repentance of the wicked comes true for them, but too late: “What benefit has pride brought us, and what has wealth brought us with vanity? All this passed like a shadow and like fleeting rumors. Just as after the passage of a ship moving on choppy water, it is impossible to find either a trace or the path of its passage in the waves; or like a bird flying through the air, no sign of its path remains, but it flew through the light air, striking it with its wings and cutting it with the noisy force of movement, and after that there was no sign of its passage through it; or as from an arrow fired at a target, the cut air immediately converges again, so that it is impossible to know where it passed; so we too were born and died, and cannot show any sign of virtue, but in our malice we died” (Wis. 5:8-13). Be careful that you too do not come to this late and useless repentance. Wise and blessed is he who, through the misfortunes of others, learns to avoid misfortune himself. It often happens that someone who gets drunk on wine does a lot of harm to people. Then his mind is darkened, and therefore does not have sound reasoning, and only the heat of the wine acts, and he is like a demon possessed who does not know what he is doing. Thus, one who is drunk with the evil lust of the vain world does a lot of harm to people, and much more than someone drunk on wine. From whom do the poor and helpless suffer violence and insults? From whom do widows and orphans cry and wash themselves with bloody tears, if not from the strong, intoxicated with the love of this world? Where are there more poor, wretched, half-naked and having every lack of food and living, if not among the peasants, whom the gentlemen who love this world own? In which country is there more theft, theft, violence, robbery, murder and other lawless deeds, if not the one in which the ruler is intoxicated with the harmful love of this world? All this, and even greater evil, is the insatiable drunkenness of the vain world. We see lawless drunkenness spreading everywhere, we see those intoxicated, raging in it, we see and sigh. What doesn’t come to mind when you’re drunk? What is he not planning to quench the thirst that lies in his heart? I would like to live in a rich and beautiful house, provide rich and plentiful meals, walk around in rich and beautiful attire, have servants for myself, my wife and children in appropriate attire, ride on expensive horses and carriages, have ponds, gardens and pleasure galleries, and do other things like that. But where to get it? Where can I find the money for all this? The master needs to collect it from the peasants, he needs to impose more taxes on them! The judge must collect from those who come to judgment, and instead of truth, do untruth, not care about the law of God and God, not look at right and wrong, justify the wicked and condemn the righteous! A lawless merchant must lie, deceive, flatter, and sell a bad thing for a good one, and sell a cheap one for an expensive one! So in other ranks and titles, drunkenness not from wine, but from the world does a lot of evil and harm. O man, drunk not with wine, but with the lust of this world! Think about this and see how much offense and harm you do to people - truly more than a drunk on wine! A drunken man, having sobered up, often regrets that in his violence he offended so-and-so. But he who is intoxicated with the lust of the world does not regret that he has done so much and does insults to people like himself. He does not regret it, because he has a darkened mind, like a drunken one. O evil and destructive drunkenness! Damned is he who is captivated by it! Blessed is he who is not defiled by it! O Christian, drunk not with wine, but with the lust of the vain world! Leave this soul-destroying drunkenness and sober up, so that you don’t appear with it before the Terrible Judge and your Lord! Sober up, please, and you will see for yourself how dark your mind was and how badly you did everything. And you will certainly regret and repent of your deeds! “Thus says the Lord, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel: “When you return and breathe, then you will be saved, and you will know where you have been” (Is. 30:15). “The lamp for the body is the eye. So, if your eye is clean, then your whole body will be bright; if your eye is bad, then your whole body will be dark. Therefore, if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” (Matthew 6:22–23)? “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world: whoever loves the world does not have the Father’s love in him. For everything that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world. And the world passes away, and so does its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). “Set your mind on things above, and not on earthly things (Col 3:2). Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity” (Ps. 119:37). As we see, those who drink wine learn from each other this lawless deed. The lust that lies in the human heart is stirred and kindled by sight and hearing. It is very difficult for a young person, and for anyone, not to learn to drink and become corrupted if he hangs out with a drunkard. Likewise, drunkenness is not from wine, but from the lust of the world, people learn from each other. We see this lawless jealousy everywhere. This evil is unfolding before everyone's eyes. How many changes we see in the creation of houses, in the design of clothes, in the preparation of meals, in the decoration of carriages and horses, and other vanity, beauty and splendor of this world. How many changes, I say, we see. But they are all for the worse. Godliness is always the same. As it was from the beginning of the world, so it is now, and always will be. Truth is always true, always unchangeable: and was, and is, and will be. Vanity and beauty are fickle, but always changing. Look at the fuss! One built such and such a mansion, began to wear such and such clothes, placed such and such mirrors in his house, began to ride in such and such a carriage, have so and so many chosen horses, serve such and such a meal, have the servants present in such and such attire, and so on. Someone else sees this and imitates him. Everyone sees this and does what one does. And so luxury spreads everywhere and multiplies, and from hour to hour it becomes more and more intensified. And all evil multiplies with luxury, and consumes human souls in no other way than a fire, which, starting in one house, burns the entire city or village, or like a pestilence, starting in one person, infects and kills many nearby. We see in our Fatherland this all-pernicious ulcer, which has infected not the bodies, but the souls of Christians. If you look at the luxury of people, then the vile nobility, and the merchants, who before walked and lived like ordinary people, have all become princes and nobles. They no longer want to live except in rich and beautiful houses. They want to sit only at a rich and full meal of various foods, they want to taste only selected and expensive wine, they want to walk only in silk and beautiful clothes, in fox, mustel and sable fur coats, they want to ride only in an English carriage. And so the vanity, pride and pomp of this world entered into Christians and multiplied day by day, that if our ancestors had risen from the dead, they would not have recognized their Fatherland. “Our ancestors did not know how to live in the world, they did not know how to use goodness.” Look around, friend, to whom does this word apply more - to you or your ancestors? Your ancestors lived in simplicity and humility, and therefore lived in a Christian and reasonable manner. You live in pride and pomp, and therefore you are far from the Christian life. Your ancestors had less luxury, but more piety. And there were fewer beggars and wretched people, since they took less from people and gave more to the wretched and needy. Your luxury has increased - so the poor and wretched have multiplied, crying and shedding tears of blood. You began to live in rich houses - there are so many who do not have huts where to lay their heads. You began to provide rich meals and drink expensive wines - so many do not have daily food. You began to walk around in rich attire - so we see that many are in rags, many are walking half-naked. You took it into your head and wanted to ride rich people in carriages and on horses - so many are crying and complaining that they don’t have anything to plow the land with, and so on. Judge for yourself: are you smarter or are your ancestors? Oh, Christians, not drunk with wine, but drunk with the lust of this world! Is this why Christ called us to His holy faith? He offers us not luxury, but crosses and sorrow in this world: “Enter through the narrow gate... If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me... In the world you will have sorrow” (Matthew 7:13, Matthew 16:24, John 16:33). You have the usual answer here: “Not everyone goes to monasteries and deserts.” O beloved! There were no monasteries then when these words were spoken. They are offered not only to desert and monastery residents, but to all Christians living in cities and villages, and people of every rank, rank and both sexes, who only want to be Christ’s and be saved. “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal.5:24). Consequently, those who have not crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts are not Christ’s. You see that your answer is wrong. But reign, reign here in peace whenever you want! Have fun and be comforted by your luxury! Go visit each other, feast, have feasts and dance! Somehow you will rejoice and dance there! We read in the Holy Gospel that “a certain man was rich, dressed in purple and fine linen, and feasted brilliantly every day.” But we see there that after death everything changed terribly. After his luxury he went into fiery torment, and after expensive wines he asks for a drop of water - and it is not given to him. He hears the answer: “Child! Remember that you have already received your good things in your life” (Luke 16:19-26). Beware, beloved, lest you too come to that place after your luxury! God doesn't look at his face. God gave us the blessings of this world and allowed us to use them, but for our needs, and not for luxury. He commanded us to cleave to Him alone with our hearts and love. “What is in heaven for me? and without You what can I desire on earth” * (Ps. 72:25), etc. “Save me, O Lord, for the righteous is no more, for there is little truth among the sons of men” (Ps. 11:2). O you, pious soul, who does not have this soul-destroying drunkenness and lives in peace, like Lot in Sodom! Stand, assert yourself, and be impregnable. “Do not be jealous of the wicked, do not be envious of those who practice iniquity, for like grass they will quickly wither and like green grass they will quickly fall away” (Ps. 36:1-2). Be like Daniel in Babylon, who through the open windows looked towards Jerusalem, his fatherland, and so bowed his knees and prayed (Dan 6:10). Look with faith and the eye of your soul at the heavenly Jerusalem from this world, as from Babylon, and, bowing, lift up your eyes to the Lord. “I have lifted up my eyes to You, Who dwells in heaven” (Ps. 122:1). A person drunk on wine, while drinking, does not feel how harmful drunkenness is. Likewise, one who is drunk with the lusts of this world does not know how harmful these lusts are while he remains in them. For both his and the other’s minds are darkened. Once drunk with wine, he begins to sober up and learns how harmful drunkenness is. So the one who is drunk with the lust of the world, when he begins to come to his senses, will learn how harmful the lusts of this world are. A person who sobers up from drunkenness feels considerable weakness in his body. So, from the whims of this world, those who lag behind will experience relaxation of the soul. Just as drunkenness from wine relaxes the body, so the whims of this world relax the soul. A person, having sobered up from drunkenness, regrets and is ashamed that he drank wine to excess, was insensitive and acted disorderly, and thus harmed himself and made people laugh. So a Christian, who has come to his senses, regrets and is ashamed, repents and laments that he chased after the whims of this world and abandoned true goodness, and mourns all the previous days, as if they were lost. Then he will know in what vanity and delight he lived. So Solomon, having come to his senses and knowing his vain deeds, confessed, saying: “I undertook great things: I built myself houses, planted myself vineyards, built myself gardens and groves, and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them; made himself reservoirs to irrigate groves of trees from them; I bought myself male and female slaves, and I had household members; I also had more large and small livestock than all those who were in Jerusalem before me; collected for himself silver and gold and jewelry from kings and regions; He brought in singers and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men, butlers and cupbearers. And I became great and gained wisdom more than all those who were in Jerusalem before me; and my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired, I did not refuse them, I did not forbid my heart any joy, because my heart rejoiced in all my labors, and this was my share from all my labors. And I looked back at all my works that my hands had done, and at the labor that I labored in doing them: and behold, all was vanity” (Eccl. 2:4-11). So you too, Christian, when you sober up from this soul-harmful drunkenness, you will truly understand that everything you did, thought, plotted and started is vanity and delusion. And what seemed beautiful to you is ugly in yourself; and what seemed good to you is evil inside. And you admit yourself that everything is vanity. For charm always seems as if it is something, but when you examine it, you will see that inside it is nothing, and it seems something sweet, but inside it is bitter. After drinking wine, you usually need to drink a lot of water, so that with water it is more convenient to drive out the hotness that comes from the wine. You, Christian, take the last four into consideration: talk more often about death, in which you will leave all your whims, about the Last Judgment of Christ, before which you must appear, like everyone else, about a blessed eternity, into which those who love God will go, and about an unhappy and painful one, which those who love this world and all sinners will not escape. With such reasoning, quench the drunkenness hidden in your heart like water. Truly, I tell you, all the vanity of this world will soon leave your head when you talk about those points more often! You will desire crying and tears more than cheerful days. You will be content with a piece of bread with cabbage soup and a den and a hut instead of a rich and beautiful house, and you will consider all the beauty of this world to be carrion. When people chase vanity and become furious in the whims of this world, like drunken people, they forget about eternity and its circumstances. This oblivion is produced by the enemy of human souls, Satan, so that people, not remembering eternity, do not remember and do not care about their eternal salvation, which Christ, the Son of God, achieved through His suffering and death. Remember, beloved Christian, please remember and think about eternity. And you will become sober, and you will have a healthy mind, and you will consider all the beauty and whims of this world as nothing. This is Christian wisdom! Your soul, for which Christ, the Son of God, suffered and died, is dearer than the whole world. Be careful and diligent about being saved. The image of God in which we were created is the most beautiful and magnificent beauty of the soul. Seek this beauty with true repentance and faith. If she is found here, she will remain forever. If it is not found here, it will never be found again. “And the world passes away, and so does its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: