Поучение 66 76 . В неделю ваий. О том, что мы не должны унывать, но быть мужественными в деле, к которому призвал нас Бог.

Brothers and Fathers! The Divine Apostle Paul, wanting to rouse us from laziness to diligence and zeal, says: “brothers... rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice” (Phil. 4: 1, 4). Have, he says, always spiritual joy, which is not forbidden or destroyed by worldly worries. Therefore, he says: “in the Lord,” - that is, living and striving according to God, acquire the grace 77 of God. “May your meekness and humbleness of mind be reasonable for everyone... The Lord is near. Worry about nothing” (Phil.4:5, 6); that is, the Lord is close to you, he says, to free you from every need and temptation, and therefore do not be afraid, “but in all things, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made to God” (Phil. 4:6). For He is ready to help those who pray to Him. So, let us not be careless in Divine exploits; on the contrary, let us strengthen ourselves and with zeal do the work to which God called us from the world and brought us into the monastic, or better yet, into the angelic rank. He has clothed us in this robe of salvation and in the tunic of incorruption and joy. He redeemed us from the legal oath, becoming an oath for us. In freedom, “whereby Christ hath set us free, stand ye” (Gal. 5:1); and we will not again be slaves of sin. Let us not be captives of carnal passions. For anyone who was a slave of some wicked and evildoer, and received freedom, will he again, of his own free will, want to be a slave to that barbarian? On the contrary, will he not run away from it as much as possible, rejoicing that he has freed himself from the burden of slavery? However, if someone becomes a slave of a person, this is not yet a great evil, for the Apostle says: if you were a slave, do not think that slavery serves as an obstacle to you to piety and to the salvation of your soul. But if you can be free, it is better to endure in obedience, so that through you the name of God may be glorified. For whoever is a slave to man, and at the same time faithful and reverent before God, is free; and again, whoever is free is the servant of Christ; much more so are we, whom Christ freed from sin and slavery of the devil (1 Cor. 7:21, 22). Therefore, we must continue to run away from sin as much as possible. Or don’t you know how much harm sin has caused us? Didn't he introduce death into the world, while we were immortal? Didn’t he cast us down from heaven and plunge us into this sorrowful earthly life? Is it not from sin that all evil has come and comes from? Let us run away from him as if he were truly evil, and, as befits us, we will hate him; Let us love, on the contrary, virtue, which encourages Angels to love men and make them equal to themselves, and not only angels, but also gods, as in the psalm it is said: “I said: you are gods, and all are sons of the Most High” (Ps. 81:6). What is the power of virtue? In distance from the world and in love for God; for no one can work for two masters. “You cannot,” says the Lord, “work for God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24), that is, for the love of money and virtue. We cannot be different from virtue and sin: “What fellowship has light with darkness?” or Christ with the devil? (2 Cor. 6:14). It is impossible for a person to both love carnal lust and do deeds of virtue. And if we have reached the measure of perfect virtue, then glory to the Holy God, from whom every good gift comes and every gift is perfect. Let us remain firm, unshakable and protected in the fear of God. If we have not reached the measure of perfection, then we sweat while we have time to work, confirmed by faith, inspired by hope, bound by love, enlightened by obedience, illuminated by confession and adorned with other virtues, like true monks, like true sons of obedience and obedience, as wise in Christ and as servants of the Lord; so that we may lead our present life virtuously and peacefully, and achieve future blessings, 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. Vol. 99. Page 614. In Slav. handwritten on the field: negli joy. In Greek χάριν, probably instead of χαρὰν. You might be interested in: