Поучение 55 64 . В неделю третью поста. О христианах, замученных от Болгар за то, что не хотели вкусить мяса во Св. Четыредесятницу.

Brothers and Fathers! In this teaching, I want to arouse your love for virtue with one soulful story. The narration is as follows: in Bulgaria, as we have reliably learned from many, a decree was issued from the ruler of the country and an evil command regarding our captive Christian brothers, that if they agree to eat meat on the Holy Pentecost, then leave them alive, and if they do not want to, then kill them all with the sword. This wicked man insistently demanded that his command be fulfilled. Then many captives with their wives and children gathered in one place, and great weeping and sobbing occurred between them: on the one hand, they thought that by eating meat they would break the Christian law, and therefore they grieved and cried; and on the other hand they were afraid of death. In conclusion, alas, they were defeated and obeyed the command of the tyrant. However, fourteen families 65 separated from among them, saying: “We will not fulfill the command of the wicked, and we will not eat meat on the Holy Pentecost. “What happened next? Other Christians begged them not to expose themselves to death for such a sin in this extreme situation, but rather to cleanse it later through confession and repentance. But they completely rejected this, hoping in God and that they would enjoy eternal blessings. What did this tyrant ruler think of, seeing their unshakable intention? Kill one of them, and divide his wife and children as captives to the Tatars, believing in his mind that the others will be afraid and fulfill his will. His command was immediately carried out. But the others were not at all afraid of this, but became even more strengthened, and said: we are Christians, and we have the same will as our brother who suffered. For this good confession they were beheaded and died in the Lord. You see, brethren, that even now the Gospel of the kingdom of God is being fulfilled; for the Lord says: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me... And whoever does not accept his cross and comes after Me is not worthy of Me.” And he also says: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; Fear God rather, who is able to destroy both soul and body in fiery hell” (Matthew 10:37, 38). These too obeyed the Gospel commands, fulfilled God’s commandment and commandment, and, blessed ones, received the crown of martyrdom. They were jealous of the holy Maccabees, honoring their number, because those were seven, and these were fourteen. And those suffered because, adhering to the Law of Moses, they did not eat pork, and these because they did not eat meat on the Holy Pentecost, which has an advantage over the Holy Maccabees, because then the law forbade the Jews to eat pork, and these, in extreme cases, could eat a little and not be condemned for this, as Basil the Great says about this. But since these infidels did this with the goal of humiliating the Christian law, they did not want to despise the law of Christ out of love for Him. Oh, wonderful purchase of blessed men! In a short time they acquired the kingdom of heaven. What will those who communicate with the iconoclast heretics say to this and say that their Orthodox faith is not harmed by this? Where else are those who say that if someone dies for the icon of Christ, this will not be counted against him as martyrdom? For if those who did not eat meat on the Holy Pentecost were honored to be martyrs, then here, those who give themselves up to death for not renouncing the icon of Christ and our God will be honored with the brightest crowns. However, like darkened ones, they want, just as they themselves have stumbled, to plunge others into the depths of destruction. But we, brothers, will glorify our God, who glorifies those who glorify Him, who even now, in our time, reveals martyrs. Let us also think that if people were simple in appearance and little learned, who had wives and children, they despised everything for the sake of the love of Christ; then all the more should we, who live in virginity, struggle and leave the world and what is in the world, when time demands, be imitators, zealots and followers of the holy martyrs. But this happens one day when Christ calls us. And now let us patiently and courageously continue in the everlasting martyrdom of our will. Let us not worship Baal, that is, the iconoclasts, like the ancient Jews did to the idol Baal. Let us not go back, struggling with thoughts; on the contrary, we will extinguish the fiery arrows that the devil throws at us day and night with tears, repentance, prayers and other sufferings of our body, so that the Apostle and I can say: “I am dying all the days: such is your praise... even I am imam in Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Cor. 15:31); and with St. David: “For Your sake, O Lord, we are put to death all the day long, counted as sheep of the slaughter” (Ps. 43:23). With these saints, may we also be considered worthy to be 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 unto ages of ages. Amen. See Patrol. volume. 99th, p. 591. In Greek δεκατὲσσαρες φαμελίαις - In glory. hands fourteen houses. You might be interested in: