Поучение 56 66 . На память святых сорока мучеников. О подражании страстям Христовым.

Brothers and Fathers! We received great benefit from leaving our first monastery. Why and for what reason, even if we did not receive any harm, should we seduce others? Why, instead of benefiting ourselves or using others, do we also harm ourselves? But we did what depended on us and what the time required. And since now, according to the demands of the time, they did not want to be persecuted for Christ, like some others, then we needed to obey the words of the prophet: “Come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord” (Is. 52:11). If others act differently, they will give an account of this to God on the day of judgment; for, in my opinion, to communicate with them also means the same as if someone entered into communication with heretics. You see that this removal separates us from the world, and exposes us to sorrow, cramped conditions, hunger and thirst, persecution, prison, death; “But of these we overcome all for the sake of those we love” (Rom. 8:37) of God, who, when he sees a soul thirsting and loving Him, strengthens and confirms it so that it can endure suffering for Him. The holy forty martyrs, whose memory we now celebrate, testify to this with other saints. We cannot say that they were not of the same nature as us; but since they loved God from a sincere heart, He strengthened them, and they defeated the invisible enemy the devil in the weakness of their flesh, and accomplished such a bright and glorious feat that they became famous throughout the world, and all Christian lips magnify and praise them. Blessed is the one who, at least in part, is worthy to be a partaker of the passion of Christ: the one who will be persecuted, for He too was persecuted; who will be bound, for He was also bound; whoever will be slain, for He was also slain; the one who will be reproached, for He was also reproached and spat upon; the one who will be thrown into prison, for He was also thrown into prison. Do you want to know what honor and reward will be for these sorrows? Listen to the Divine Paul, the great trumpet of heaven, which says: “If we die for Christ’s sake, we will live with Him forever: If we endure Him for the sake of sorrow, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us. Even if we do not believe, He remains faithful: for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:11-13). You see what and how great are the promises of gifts and the threats of torment and executions. Therefore, brethren, let us try and be forced, so that we do not destroy the deeds that we previously accomplished by the grace of Christ, that is, exile, prison, beating and other sorrows that we endured for the sake of the love of Christ. Although not all of us were thrown into prison and subjected to other sorrowful sufferings; but since we have community life, the enduring of sorrows applies equally to everyone in general, just as the Apostle says: “If one body suffers, all the bodies suffer with it; If... one ud is revered and glorified, all uds rejoice with him” (1 Cor. 12:26). Oh, that we, brethren, may have even more love and like-mindedness, being as it were “one spirit, even as we were called in one hope of our calling” (Eph. 4:4), having our Lord Jesus Christ as our head, in order to please God and receive the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen. See Patrol. volume. 99th, p. 590. You might be interested in: