54. Стыд

We see that subjects before their monarch, subjects before their ruler, slaves before their master, children before their father are ashamed to do what is indecent. They are ashamed and afraid. Christians! God is in every place and is present everywhere, and He looks at us and at our deeds. What we do, think and begin is seen and what we say is heard. Holy Scripture testifies to this in many places (See Ps. 32:13–15; Ps. 139:1–16; Sir 23:27–29; Jer 32:17, 19, 27; etc.). The wise Augustine says to God about this: “I confess, Lord, that whatever I do and whatever work I do, I do it before You. And you see everything that I do better than I do, which I do. Whatever I do, You are always present, as always seeing all my thoughts, intentions, pleasures and deeds” (Conversation with myself, 14, 41). What Augustine admits about himself, everyone should admit about himself. We must, - we, I say, who recognize and confess God, and in prayer call and sing, and hope and expect mercy from Him, - must be ashamed to do what is indecent, and disgusting to His Majesty, and harmful to us. We should be ashamed, and even afraid, because “Our God is a fire that consumes the ungodly” (Heb. 12:29). Man! Before man you are ashamed to do bad things. Moreover, before God you should be ashamed! You do not see Him and cannot see, but He sees you, and He looks at your work, undertaking and thought and hears every word of yours. “Does not he who put the ear hear? And he who created the eye does not see?” * (Ps.93:9, etc.). The king is offended when his subject behaves outrageously before him; and the master, when his slave does something indecent in front of him; and a father when his children act dishonestly before him. We all see this. Christian! Think and remember that God is thus offended when, before His most holy eyes, people, and especially Christians who know and profess His name, commit lawlessness. His truth is through your unrighteousness, His truth through your lies, His holiness through your uncleanness, His goodness through your anger, His meekness and long-suffering through your anger and malice, His love is insulted by your hatred. Oh, how hard it is to offend the Great, Good and Humane God! To whom? You and I, little worms, earth and dust, should insult our Creator, our Redeemer, our Guardian, our Nourisher, in a word, the Highest Benefactor, whose blessings we are surrounded by, and we accept them every day, and without them we cannot live even a minute. It’s hard to insult Him, and scary! Since the one who offends will recognize His righteous judgment if he does not feel it and repent. God is good, long-suffering and abundantly merciful, awaiting the sinner’s repentance, and therefore is patient with him. And if he does not repent, then he will already recognize His righteous wrath. You are ashamed and afraid before your King, before your master, before your father, not only to commit fornication and do other lawless deeds, but also to speak an idle word and laugh. But before God, the All-Seeing and the Terrible King, you are not ashamed and are not afraid not only to talk idle and laugh, but to do grave iniquity: commit fornication, commit adultery, kidnap, rob, steal, lie, slander, condemn, slander, curse and do other shameless things! O Christian! Hide your eyes if you do this. Be ashamed, since you confess the Omnipresent, True, Almighty, Righteous God, who cares about you and your salvation, and rewards everyone according to their deeds. Blind and poor is that Christian who is ashamed to show outrage in front of people like himself, although high and respectable, but before God, the Omnipresent and All-Seeing One, is not ashamed and is not afraid to commit lawlessness. ABOUT! If a person saw even a little of the terrible glory of God, he would fall dead and reflect on how badly and shamelessly he is doing, how he insults the One from Whom he has his life and all his goods, and would weep and weep inconsolably. It is written about the wicked: “they have not set God before them” (Ps. 53:5), and therefore are not ashamed to commit iniquity before Him. Christian! Imagine God in your mind before You, and believe and remember that wherever you are, and whatever you do, and whatever you say, God is present with you. And always look at Him with an intelligent eye, as the prophet says about himself: “I always saw the Lord before me” (Ps. 15:8). So, seeing Him and looking at Him, fall before Him with humility, repent and regret your past sins, shameless deeds and words, and ask for forgiveness, repeating often: I have sinned, Lord, have mercy on me! And henceforth, be ashamed and afraid to commit outrages before Him and break His holy law - so that even here you will not recognize His vengeful hand on yourself, and you will not be ashamed in the world’s disgrace. “Look, hear me, O Lord my God! Enlighten my eyes, lest I fall asleep into death; Yes, not when my enemy says: “He has strengthened himself” (Ps. 12:4-5). “Open my eyes, that I may understand the wonders of Your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. With love my soul desires Your judgments at all times” (Ps. 119:18-20). "God! You tested me and recognized me. You learned when I sit down and stand up; You understood my thoughts from afar. You have searched my path and my way, and You have foreseen all my ways” (Ps. 139:1-3). Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: