Поучение 70 83 . На Вознесение Христа Спасителя. О том, что мы должны с чистыми помыслами причащаться Пречистых Таин.

Brothers and Fathers! Now the brightest day of the Ascension has come; and this holiday commemorates the completion of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ; for he fulfilled and accomplished all the will of the Father, and then ascended in glory into heaven, accompanied by Angels and men; and raised us up; and by our nature, in His most holy flesh, He sat down above the heavens. What and how great is the wealth of His glory, and what the majesty of His power, that He elevated our humble, despised and humiliated nature to the Royal throne, and made it worshiped by all the heavenly Angelic powers. Keeping this in our minds, brethren, we will be horrified and afraid of the greatness of God's gifts, and we will lead our lives worthy of the Head of the Master, as members of Christ, as one body with Him, as partakers and joint heirs with Him - in purity, in reason, in long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in true love, in the word of truth and in the power of God, with all obedience and humility, with all care and guarding. Let not a single indecent word be uttered between us, as those who are illuminated, and not a single inappropriate word be spoken with disobedience, even if it seems good and necessary. But he who defiles his flesh is not a member of Christ, and who is vindictive is not a member of Christ, and is unworthy of communion, and who nourishes any other passion is not a member of Christ. Therefore, everyone should examine himself so that he is not unclean and malicious. And when he is cleansed and corrected through confession, then let him partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. For whoever receives communion unworthily is subject to great condemnation, without discerning the body of the Lord. Therefore, many die when they receive communion unworthily, and those overcome by illnesses do not confess (1 Cor. 11:29-30). “Even if we reasoned with ourselves, we would not be condemned; but if we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, lest we be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:31, 32). Therefore, we must be pure and reverent, so that we may deserve to be called members of Christ and partake of the Holy Mysteries. And if through inattention we happen to be overcome by evil lust, or anger, or rage, or enmity, or rancor, or any other sin that God hates (and this is not surprising, for we are people, not angels); then we will repent immediately, and again we will enter into the previous dispensation and order; because we are sanctified if we do not remain stale in sin. And whoever remains in sin is subject to merciless judgment. Or do we not know that death comes suddenly and unknown and snatches us away? Yesterday, when we visited the sick Bishop, we found that he was in great languor, he was all burning in the heat of a fever, he was all suffering in sorrow, he turned his gaze here and there, and nowhere and from no one did he find any help, except for one conscience, right or wrong. Will it not be the same with us? But what is it? Isn’t this a dream and a shadow in comparison with future torments, in comparison with this terrible and never-quenching fire, where the worm does not die, the darkness does not pass, the bonds are not resolved, Tartarus has no limits, the gnashing of teeth does not cease, and all other torments are endless. If we, brethren, thought about this, we would not rest our bodies, and no one would be jealous, no one would insult anyone, no one would be angry, no one would argue, no one would condemn, no one would lie, and no one would do any evil. So, let us live in peace, we will shed abundant tears, we will be meek, having sincere love for each other, and we will diligently do everything that is commanded, so that we may avoid eternal torment and receive eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. See Patrolology, vol. 99, p. 518. You might be interested in: