Поучение 43 48 . В неделю мясопустную. О великом и светлом дне второго пришествия Господа нашего Иисуса Христа.

Brothers and Fathers! According to the generally accepted rule, the laity now abandons the consumption of meat; and anyone would see how much they care about meat-eating and wine-drinking, and about various games, and ugly and disorderly spectacles, about which he speaks indecently and with great disgrace, as the Apostle testifies to this. They should spend this day with great reverence and decorum, glorifying and thanking God for the gifts sent down from Him, preparing for the celebration of the Holy Pentecost; and yet, at the instigation of the devil, they do something completely disgusting and obscene. They are subjected to this because they do not heed the Word of God and the admonitions of the church, and especially those that are read and sung these days. Why did we remember this? So that we, monks who have left the world, have even more care and attentiveness to not allow our minds to dwell in worldly lusts, which no one should desire, but should more abhor them, destroy them, grieve and cry for those who indulge in them. Therefore, with great attention and fear, let us consider and understand the meaning of the Divine and Sacred Gospel now being read, from which the content of the Triodion canon now being sung is borrowed; and let us imagine in our minds that great, terrible and glorious day of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when He will sit with great glory on His terrible throne. What will be the fear and trembling then, when the very ranks of the Angels will tremble and move, as the Gospel says, that “the powers of heaven will also move” (Luke 21:26). And then not only our deeds will be tested, but also the words that we speak here, whether they are good or evil, and even the very thoughts and thoughts of our hearts. And the Terrible Judge will place the righteous at His right hand and the sinners at His left. And to those who will be on His right hand, He will utter the sweetest, meek and blessed words: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34), that is, I have a place prepared for you even before the foundation of the world. And to those who will stand on the left side, he will utter these terrible words with anger and rage: “Depart from Me, the curse, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angel” (Matthew 25:41), This is what we, monks and lay people, should always think about and fall before God with repentance and tears, so that He may forgive us our sins before the end befalls us, and so that He will deliver us from these terrible executions of torment. But if such delusion and blindness reign in the world, at least we will listen with attention to the words of the Gospel, I beg you, and prepare ourselves to serve before the Lord with fear and trembling, driving away and sweeping away from our souls every evil sinful deed and every evil thought; and let us receive into ourselves every good deed and every virtue, and acquire a merciful disposition 49 and a compassionate heart towards our brethren. Let us be merciful, sweet-spoken with each other, without hypocrisy and guile, humble, generous and patient. Let us not only practice spiritual deeds and pay attention to this, but also monastic obediences, so that we can go through them without grumbling, realizing that the obedience and service that we perform is not human, but divine. Therefore, I wish that we have great attention, and through negligence and pride do not spoil any matter in our hands, so that we do not suffer mental harm. So, while we have time, let us now try to acquire all this and every other good and pleasing to God deed, so that, having lived according to the commandments of the Gospel of Christ, we may become heirs of the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen. See Patrology Greek, Minya edition. Volume 99. Paris. 1860, p. 577. In Slav. the mind is merciful; in Greek γνωμην ἐλεὴμονα. You might be interested in: