Часть вторая. Истинно христианская жизнь в действии IV. Заповеди и правила жизни, обязательные для христианина, как христианина

Here the Christian life is depicted as it should be, and the rules that a Christian must follow in order for it to really be that way are indicated. The rules for the life of a Christian are the commandments of Christ the Lord, which he vows and undertakes to fulfill at baptism. There are two types of such rules, or commandments: some determine how a Christian should act as a Christian, in whatever position and in whatever relationship he may be; while others indicate how a Christian should live and act in various positions and relationships in which he has to be during his present life. These latter are nothing more than the application of the former to the external life of a Christian. So, this second part has two sections: commandments and rules of life, obligatory for a Christian as a Christian. It has long been customary to distribute such rules according to three relationships: to God, to neighbors and to oneself. The first to indicate with what thoughts, feelings and dispositions a Christian should turn to God and how to serve Him. The second defines the image of the mutual internal and external relations of Christians with Christians as members of the single body of the Church, who must be in a living union. The third depicts how a Christian must act on himself in order to be able to properly maintain himself in the first two respects. These three series of commandments and rules are not separated by an immutable mediastinum and, when fulfilled, immediately influence one another; for all Christians are one body under the head of Christ, through whom it is in union with the Trinitarian God. Just as in the body not a single member acts in isolation from the others, but maintains a proper relationship both to the head and to the other members, so this should be the case in the living body of Christians. Having indicated this, we, it seems, will not be in error if we do not distribute the rules and commandments according to the said headings; and, having made the first commandment as a basis, we will then set out the rules of life, how some provisions will be caused by others, and subsequent ones by the previous ones. The beginning of all commandments: “I am the Lord your God; ...let you have no gods other than Me,” says the Lord God (Ex. 20:2–3). This commandment imposes two duties on us: to know God and to honor Him, or, what is the same, faith and piety are prescribed. Faith and piety embrace all obligatory dispositions and deeds in relation to God. The word faith here means confession, or the image of knowledge of God and worship expressed in a certain way in concepts and words. a) The first duty here is to have faith, or religion, that is, to know in a certain way God and the way of His veneration, or one’s attitude towards Him, or even to contain a confession... This duty is the first directly known, not so much even prescribed as manifesting itself; for such is the nature of the human spirit that it naturally demands God, and seeks Him, and puts itself in relations with Him that it considers legitimate. Therefore, we can say that it is the seed and embryo of all duties, as well as the entire religious and moral life of a person. He who has no faith is a filthy person. He has no image where he should be in the sanctuary of the spirit; for religion is a shrine that sanctifies our entire nature, just as its absence distorts and degrades it. St. Isaac the Syrian notices three states in a person: one, natural, in which a person, by the nature of his spirit, knows God and fears Him. From this state, he, according to certain conditions, ascends to another, supernatural, or blessed state. The third state is formed from a person’s immersion in sensuality, or the flesh, during which the light of his spirit goes out and is trampled underfoot by carnal lusts. Man descends to the level of animals, “is attached to foolish beasts and becomes like them” (Ps. 48:13). You can't live with such a person. For how can he calm him down when he gets angry? Therefore, in fact, the commonly used expressions should be included here: he does not know God, he does not fear God, to mean that one cannot have any dealings with such a person. b) The obligation to have faith is not yet the definition of faith itself. Therefore, to this we must also add that a person is obliged to have not just any faith, as it were, any faith, without distinction, but precisely one, definite - the one true faith. For if God is one and unchangeable, and human nature is one, or of the same nature, then there can be only one true relationship between God and man, and therefore the expression of this relationship, or true confession, is one. This is the only thing that a person should contain. Otherwise, what will it contain? Lies, ghosts, dreams. What is the merit in this? This is the same as a poor person who has nothing, who, however, dreams in his dreams that he has countless treasures. False religion is a mockery of people. One who falsely confesses the same thing is like a madman who seethes because he sees this and that. But the trouble doesn't stop there. Here lies not a simple deception, not the kind that is resolved by laughter, but pitiful, tormenting, desperate; for in religion everyone hopes to find their final peace and their eternal happiness. In this confidence, everyone holds his faith tightly and values ​​it. But it is known that the secrecy of lies is possible only here; after death it will immediately be revealed how firmly that on which one based his hope... What a terrifying and tearing state will be the one who then sees that he has been deceived. Therefore, while there is time, while we are still on the path to a decisive and unchanging eternity. c) Everyone must test and undoubtedly be convinced whether the faith that he adheres to is true, and if it turns out to be untrue, find where that one, true one is, which truly leads to the true God and undoubtedly grants eternal salvation. This is as obligatory and compulsory as snatching oneself from fire... The Lord “left Himself untested” (Acts 14:17), as well as His only true faith; but when He allowed other faiths to exist near it on this earth and, as it were, to enter into competition with it, He thereby imposed on everyone the obligation not without meaning to hold on to His faith, but on indestructible grounds, for the sake of which everything else is rejected with complete conviction. This test honors faith and preserves the true dignity of a person, a reasonable, conscious, conscientious person. Our faith in our faith, that is, our conviction in the truth of the Orthodox Christian confession, must be reasonable. Therefore, the Lord, in order to incite people to believe in Himself and His teaching, said: “Test the Scriptures” (John 5:39), convinced by the preaching of John the Baptist and His miracles. The apostles also convinced everyone in their preaching and only by conviction alone attracted everyone to faith, and not by violence. The very firmness of one’s confession depends on this conviction, and then one’s whole life in the spirit of one’s faith. This is indicated by countless experiences, from which it is clear how strongly others are excited to activity in accordance with faith from the moment of consciousness of its only truth, and, on the contrary, how many sleep in carelessness because they have not brought this consciousness to clarity. There are so many reasons to test and become convinced of what kind of faith is true faith! How to be sure and how to test! There are two ways to do this: one is external, scientific, and the other is internal, the path of faith. The first is usually offered in a systematic presentation of theology. It is valid and essential for scientists; but, obviously, not universal, because at its core it contains knowledge that is not accessible to everyone. With all this, these scientific arguments should be presented with all their breadth, clarity, and persuasiveness and given for general use with a guarantee for the power of their immutable authority, so that everyone capable of understanding would understand the truth in this way. It is impossible, however, not to see that this path is very, very long and difficult, and, what is especially remarkable, being placed in the head, it leaves the heart to itself, to its own waywardness and freedom. The path of faith is sincere, internal, livelier, more fruitful and accessible to everyone. This is a prayer to the one true God for admonition. There is a true God. He told us His will for our salvation, with the desire that it be understood and fulfilled. Now, through human wisdom, it is hidden, or confused to the point that one or the other does not have enough strength to find the way out of this labyrinth. When, in the feeling of this vital need, with a cry, a groan, a heartache, someone turns to God, the true Father of all men, God, who wants His faith to be effective - is it possible that He would not give such a decisive indication to be convinced of its truth? He feeds screaming corvids, through prayer sends rain into the thirst of our flesh... and to man and also to his spirit, His image, yearning, seeking to know how to glorify God, as if He will not indicate a source for quenching this spiritual thirst? Such a prayer is in no way a temptation of God, although it can be turned into it when someone insincerely, out of sheer curiosity, would like such signs. Examples of conviction in faith in this way are almost everywhere. Cornelius, the centurion, asked for faith... There were many who came to the hermits to ask about faith, and instead of all the arguments they forced them to pray, and God revealed the truth to them, for example, to the Holy Great Martyr Catherine. In troubled times of heresies, God raised up people with excellent holiness, clothed them with miraculous power and placed them in the sight of everyone, like candles on a candlestick - let them shine for everyone; Since they were vessels of faith and the power of God, they served as decisive pointers of the truth for all those who doubted. Everyone expected or wanted to know how this and that holy man confessed, and adhered to his confession. It happened that they placed charters depicting a confession into the hands of incorruptible people, prayed to correct the wrong, and received it through prayer. But why bother trying too hard to prove this? The Lord said that everything can be obtained from God by praying to Him with faith, especially by praying for faith, the beginning and source of everything. What does He Himself say in His last prayer to His Father? “Sanctify them in truth” (John 17:17), these are the apostles, and in their person every believer. It is even certain that since true faith, by its very origin, is miraculous, then these miraculous testimonies must remain in it and for it continuously. They remain. One said about himself: when I look at these incorruptible remains, exuding healing Divine power, and think that the spirit that sanctified this body confessed exactly the faith that I contain, then all doubt, which is sometimes cast by the enemy of truth, disappears in me, and I cannot help but rejoice that God was pleased to give us such a decisive and at the same time such an accessible way of persuasion in the truth of the holy faith. Indeed it is. Therefore, the relics are contemporary with Christianity and are continuous and everywhere in it... In Russia we have them in all limits and in such quantities! In the west they ceased along with its separation from the east and its falling away from the truth, and there is nothing to say about the new confessions formed from the papacy. So this is where the reassuring sermon about the truth of faith is!.. But the most blessed of all is the one who, together with Jerome of Greece, can say: “The faith that I profess is true, for through it I have been vouchsafed to receive some Divine power that is tangibly working in me. And the pagans have scriptures, and temples, and sacrifices, and teachers, and books, and partly the knowledge of God, and some good deeds, and holidays, and the use of clothing, and prayers, and all-night vigils, and priests, and much more; but no one in the whole world receives this hidden grace and action of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a Christian, and only those who are correctly baptized into the Father, Son and Holy Spirit receive it by faith” (“Christ. Reader,” 1821). So this is the most direct path to the discovery of true faith, namely: faith, prayer, the continuity of miracles in the Church and especially the inner strength delivered in faith. Everyone look around you and you will see that all sincere believers believe on these grounds, and not on scientific ones... Read, if you want, the scientific bases of faith in some Orthodox Theology. But those with the heart are stronger and more accessible. What has been said must be called the duties of faith, namely: to have faith and, moreover, a single, true faith, with the undoubted conviction that it is definitely true. As soon as the true faith is recognized, another series of duties immediately begins, namely: duties to faith, or to the Orthodox Christian confession. a) The first and main duty here is complete submission to the true faith. This faith comes from God, it is His royal decree to us, subjects, open to us with the desire that we accept it and be saved by it. Therefore, whoever does not submit to it resists God and commits the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. “You stiff-necked people,” St. Stephen reproaches the Jews, “you always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). The apostles were sent to preach “the obedience of faith to all nations” (Rom. 1:5) and they said to everyone: behold, you were in error and walked in wickedness; Now God despises these times of ignorance and through us “commands ... everyone everywhere to repent, ... giving faith to everyone” (Acts 17:30-31). We have already lived enough in “abominable idolatries,” it’s time to submit to God and “the will of God while we live in the flesh for the rest of our time” (1 Peter 4:2–3). Obedience to faith requires binding the mind and obliging it to unquestioningly agree to everything that faith preaches. But the mind is most opposed to this submission. The neck of an unbeliever is cruel because of the stubbornness of his mind. I don’t see, he says, I don’t understand: how can I agree? “The Greeks,” says the Apostle Paul, “seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:22-23). Since “the world is not understood by the wisdom of God, now God saves everyone by the violence of preaching” (1 Cor. 1:21), wants everyone to go to their destination in the darkness of faith, so that the professing faith, when asked why he confesses this and that, would be more ready to say: because God commanded so, rather than to philosophize: therefore and therefore. God’s threats for rejecting wisdom can rightly be attributed to the disobedient: “I cried and did not listen, and stretched out my words, and did not heed: ... for I will laugh at your destruction” (Proverbs 1:24–31). The Right Reverend Tikhon says: “This is faith – silent submission to the speaking God” (vol. 7). Inquisitiveness is the ruin of faith. He who enters the realm of faith with a rebellious and wayward mind is a thief and a robber... Take off the weapons of your mind, as soldiers do when entering a church. And the angels stand before the throne of God, covering their faces, and you want to see everything... God revealed the most hidden wisdom; accept it gratefully and obediently, saying: I am a silent slave of this faith. b) When a firm foundation has been laid by such submission, the whole edifice of faith must be built upon it. Decisive and silent consent to everything that faith contains is pronounced; Now you should actually perceive this content in order to know your faith. Otherwise, what will happen - to have faith and not know it, not know what you believe in! This is an insult to both faith and oneself. If faith is true, why are you not zealous to be enriched by the truth? If it is your good, why do you deprive yourself of it? Isn’t it a shame to remain in such a state of sleep? And what do you say to the person asked about hope? And at the same time, faith is not faith. Faith is a set of truths and sound concepts about everything. What kind of faith does one have who does not know them? The Lord says: “This is the eternal life, that you may know one...God, and whom Jesus Christ sent” (John 17:3). “And there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which it is fitting for us to be saved,” adds the apostle (Acts 4:12). From this it is clear that the content of faith is not just the wealth of goodness, but at the same time the condition of salvation. Those who do not know it are already in danger. It is medicine in all its composition and parts; but the patient must accept healing and liken it to himself in order to become a participant in its healing power. Likewise, everything that is confessed by faith must be understood and accepted in order to heal the infirmities of the spirit. Athanasius the Great says this: whoever wants to be saved, first of all, it is fitting for him to hold the Catholic faith, even if someone does not keep it whole and blameless, except for all bewilderment, he will perish forever (see the Symbol of Athan. Vel. in the Psalter). To make everything related here clearer to you, several questions with solutions are proposed. What does it mean to know your faith! This means - to bring yourself to the state of clearly, accurately and definitely contemplating and expressing those truths that the holy Orthodox faith contains; to be able to “give an answer” to everyone, as the apostle teaches (1 Pet. 3:15). “Faith is the revelation of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). It is necessary to make sure that these invisible things actually receive in us their characteristic appearance, receive a name, and are known as the message brought. This does not mean that one must solve secrets: no, secrets will forever remain secrets, no matter how hard someone tries to reveal them. But, although the essence of the subject is unclear and the foundations are hidden, understand and contain it the way the teaching about it is contained - in precise and definite words. The word cognize does not mean wisdom, but the humble and unquestioning acceptance of the lessons of the holy faith. What you need to know! Everything that holy faith contains. When everything is said, the difference between objects, methods of knowledge, and sources of teaching is destroyed. Everything extraneous must be placed outside the mental horizon and eliminated from attention; One image of the person being confessed must remain in thought, and let it fill it throughout its entire space. Objects of faith are placed in the head, as they are placed in confession, and the contemplator touches each of them with attention, just as an observer of a rich garden will not miss a single flower without examining it. You shouldn’t speak at all, much less feel; this is of little importance, you can leave it or be indifferent to it, so regarding lighting a candle, burning incense, etc. Everything contained in faith in its entirety is a cure for our corruption. Whoever does not accept something diminishes the power of healing, and sometimes completely destroys it. If you take away one ingredient from a prescription prescribed by a doctor and then take the medicine compiled according to your own mind, and not as stated, then instead of benefit you can get harm. In our faith, a fence or fortress has been built for us, protecting us and protecting us from enemies. Everything is needed here. Reject the little things and you will make a breach in the wall, and the enemies will come one after another, destroy the entire fence and destroy you. “Beware how dangerously you walk” (Eph.5:15). Is this for everyone? All believers, otherwise why enter into the fence of faith? Everyone should feel obliged to recognize their faith in its entirety and then, on the basis of this feeling, really recognize it. Faith is not something unimportant, like an excess beyond need, but is a vital and essential need, like breathing, food, sleep and the like. Knowing it is the most necessary thing, and therefore jealousy about it should be the very first thing. Anyone who does otherwise starves the spirit or deprives it of its most essential needs. At first, knowledge is usually small, like a seed, but then it should give room for its growth and not leave it as a seed. Let it grow into a tree. The same thing happens here as in drawing, where they first make one sketch of the whole picture, and then begin to paint part by part. When the apostles preached, in the first catechumen they made, as it were, this outline, and then, during secondary visits or in epistles, they completed the whole picture of faith, or this was accomplished by the Divine Spirit. It's the same now. Many, of course, have one sketch of faith; in others, perhaps some faces and parts are shaded. But it shouldn't stop there. They need to finish this picture too. In general, no one escapes the obligation to learn everything possible, although in fact different degrees of completeness of this knowledge may be tolerable. That is why they distinguish between clarified and unclarified faith. This latter says: I contain everything that holy faith contains, although I have not yet managed to learn everything, but the first: I contain everything and know clearly. The first one also has the power to save; but whoever deliberately does not reach the last, through negligence, is in danger, for this dream is a sign of death. How to find out! There is no need to ascend to heaven or cross the seas for this. True faith is not hidden, but is revealed to everyone and is greatly confessed by many. It is not lost, so that everyone should look for it in the sources and make it clear, but it remains in reality and is publicly confessed. Go and ask how he confesses. Read the Orthodox Confession and Catechism; If you don’t know how, ask someone else; listen to the sermons, for the priest has the duty of renewing the interpretation of the Catechism; ask the shepherd, listen to the reading of the Word of God and the worship service. We have so many ways to know our faith that we must be amazed that there are those who do not know it. It seems that this knowledge itself, against the will, is ready to infiltrate. It is good to facilitate or confirm your knowledge to have an abbreviated confession of everything: extract from catechisms, depict everything in short sentences and then read it often. It will be the same as purifying the air in your chambers or refreshing yourself with the coolness of the morning or evening. There are also ready-made abbreviations of this kind: St. Gennady, Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Demetrius of Rostov and His Eminence Tikhon of Voronezh. Knowing this is so useful and exciting! Because everything is brought under one overview, it leads you into a magnificent church and fills you with tenderness and reverence. c) When true faith is found and known, faith that leads to God, who is infinitely good and pleasing, and brings endless bliss, when all this is clearly recognized and accepted with conviction of the heart, then it is impossible for a Christian to remain indifferent, so that his heart is not filled with corresponding feelings, just as one cannot remain indifferent when one comes into possession of countless treasures. Feelings, however, are as natural as they are obligatory. One should not only accept them when they are there, but also excite them with tension when they are not, regretting and grieving over the petrification of one’s heart. These feelings are sanctified by the examples of the Mother of God, the holy apostles and all the saints. They are: aa) Joyful and grateful doxology. So the Mother of God sang the first Christian song: “my soul magnifies the Lord... for... Israel is received... mercies are remembered” (Luke 1:46-54); Elizabeth cries out in joy: “Blessed are you among women!.. and where do I get this from...” (Luke 1:42–43); Zechariah glorifies: “Blessed is the Lord God... for He has visited... like a verb... to remember the covenant” (Luke 1:68–80). The Lord Himself confesses to God the Father for the sake of the faith of the apostles: “They confess, the Father... as... He revealed it as a child” (Matt. 11:25) - and in another place he pleases Peter: “Blessed are you and Simon” (Matt. 16:17). The apostles often add to their exposition of the truths of faith: Blessed is God, that “he has given us light and understanding, that we may know” Him and His Only Begotten Son (1 John 5:20). bb) Feeling calm or safe. We are perishing: the sword of wrath is above us, and below us hell is open, ready to devour. Whoever believes, all these troubles will pass and will not affect him. The one who realizes this should feel that he, as if from the cold, rain, damp and restless wind, entered into warm peace, or, like a drowned man, stood on the shore, or, as if surrounded and tormented by animals, was snatched from their midst with the confidence that they would no longer touch him. This feeling is depicted by the Apostle Paul under the guise of Sabbath (Heb. 4). A restless mind rummages around in the hope of finding something better and finds nothing; faith gives everything: all wisdom, and all methods. cc) Love for the whole faith in general, and for each of its dogmas, rules and regulations. We must accept everything with our hearts, warm everything in it, taste it, assimilate it, cherish it. What is holy, true, Divine, saving, how can you not love it? Saint David sings that even the dust of the house of God is dear to him... This is a lesson for us to lovingly kiss every truth contained in holy faith. This, in fact, means maintaining faith. Faith is in the heart, not in the head; and when in the heart, it warms him and is loved by him, for otherwise he cannot be there. Truth, until it has entered the heart, is the same as dust on a polished board: the wind will blow and blow everything away. Truth accepted by the heart is like oil passed into the bones. He who loves the truths of faith hates both the person and the thought that contradicts them, and therefore is safe from falling, and is the very pillar of faith. Therefore, this is the holiest and deepest duty: love the faith and all its rules. d) He who has come to know and love the one true faith cannot help but testify to his devotion to it. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). The actions in which this is expressed are: aa) Confession of faith, that is, an open, sincere and unafraid demonstration in deed and word that this is the holy and only true faith. Such a confession can be and is of two kinds: one is universal and everlasting, the other is special, manifested during persecution. The first is to openly, sincerely and fearlessly speak, act and live according to the rules of the holy faith in the place and in the circumstances in which one is placed, despite what they will say about us, how they will judge us and how others will act towards us. This is required by sincerity of conviction. If this is the truth, and that is not the truth, why would I change one for the sake of the other? Or why should I be ashamed to act on my beliefs? Shame and embarrassment are a sign of lack of faith and lack of conviction. This is required by the danger of damage to faith. He who is afraid to live openly according to his faith brings faith itself into suspicion. Everyone will say: it is true that the weakness or instability of their faith binds his tongue and hands. One should especially not remain silent where faith is openly humiliated by others. Here it is necessary to express the truth and calm down the impudent one as a blasphemer. The Savior's clear commandment not to be ashamed to confess Him before men applies here (Luke 9:26; Matt. 10:33). And what is there to be afraid of? Will they laugh? Let it be. This is their foolishness. The apostles rejoiced that they were deemed worthy to accept dishonor for the name of Christ. We must imitate them. Will they oppress? Even more useful. Here we can tell everyone: go for it! The martyr's crown comes down on your head. Moreover, should we be more afraid of people or of God? All such reproaches of insincerity of conviction and cowardice go only to those who, not demonstrating their faith out of fear, remain indifferent themselves, so that you cannot guess whether they believe or not. What can we say about those who, on occasion, assume the appearance of non-believers, fearing that by expressing faith they will convey an unfavorable thought about themselves? This is people-pleasing, playing with sacred things, empty hypocrisy. What does it feel like to put on the guise of being unreasonable because another unreasonable person will think it is unreasonable?! It must, however, be remembered that when such a confession is made a duty, then this in no way justifies the fulfillment of the rules of faith only for show, but rather: walk in the rules of your faith out of conviction and love, without hiding, but also without caring about what others say. That is, empty vanity, but this is true activity. And one more thing: when you see a blasphemer, rise up and denounce him, the wicked, stop his mouth so that he does not trample on holy things. A special confession of faith, the most solemn, God-like, apostolic, is a confession in persecution for faith in general or for any dogma. Persecution happened often and was possible at any time. The examples of those who preceded them were described to us and the rules on how to behave in these cases... Persecution has arisen - remain silent and remain in your rank, surrendering to the Lord who builds everything, praying for strength and help. If you feel weak and afraid, and yet you have the opportunity to take cover, take cover. Many people did this. The whole church retreated into the forests and mountains. And the Lord said: “When... they are persecuted in one city, flee to another” (Matthew 10:23). “Hide yourself a little, until the wrath of the Lord passes by,” says the prophet (Is. 26:20). Taken by force and presented for trial: do not be ashamed, be afraid, show the power of love for the Lord you confess, stand for Him to the point of blood and death. But even without the one who feels himself bound by moral force, namely by some internal compulsion to confession, he, having been blessed, with the advice of the pastor, if possible, or without that, raise the voice of confession. Do the same when you see that those to whom you should confess are weakening, or when you are among those who have not yet been appointed to this honor, but are already ready, due to weakness, to renounce the truth. Many martyrs did this and not only saved believers, but also made unbelievers believers. In general, open confession cannot in any way be superfluous when it is done out of love, drawn to the Lord, with healthy zeal, and not with violent fanaticism. Fears and restrictions are all aside... Go without fear, say the confession: The Lord is your helper. Every confessor is a strong warrior from the army of Christ. Weak? Run when you have the opportunity, and when caught, bear witness without fear. One should not allow oneself, even just for the sake of appearance, to do what is demanded as a sign of renunciation, for this is the same as renunciation. Such is the spirit of confession! It must and always be warmed within oneself; so that the time of adversity does not overtake the unprepared, one must constantly be ready to suffer and die for the name of Christ and the holy faith. This is spiritual confession or hidden martyrdom, when a Christian is crucified in heart, although alive in body. bb) Zeal for spreading the faith, or making it known. Anyone who is convinced that the holy faith is the only, true one cannot remain silent about it, especially in the sight or in the face of lies and delusion. Whoever loves his neighbor, every person sincerely and wishes him true, lasting and eternal good, can he resist not telling him the true path to salvation, revealed by holy faith? Whoever loves God and seeks His glory, can he not be jealous, so that they may know Him and “Him Jesus Christ has sent” (John 17:3), in order to glorify and honor Him, as He Himself desires and teaches everyone in His true faith. Thus, conviction in the truth, love for God and neighbors require that everyone who knows the faith and has the word should loudly proclaim to everyone the true path of salvation in the holy faith. For it is certain that those who are outside the faith perish. And praising God outside of it is goat-hailing, how can one see and tolerate this? There is no need to wait for power and rights. When the soul burns with holy, sober, loving and supplicating zeal, raise your voice. The question is, who should do this? It goes without saying that this duty primarily falls on sanctified persons, as if they were exclusively responsible for this. But how can anyone else’s mouth be stopped when he proclaims the truth of which he is convinced and which he has loved spiritually? Allowing any and all beliefs to be preached indiscriminately is disastrous; but to proclaim the truth, world-famous, revealed by God, precisely and clearly defined as an unchangeable rule for all people and at all times, is salutary both for the actor and for others. And we must not only proclaim, but also actively care about the success of the word of truth. Who should I preach to? The Lord says to both his own and strangers: you see your brother sinning, go and reason with him. If he listens, “you have gained a brother,” no, do the same together, and then “you must tell the Church” (Matthew 18:15, 18:17). How many can be found among fellow Christians who do not know the faith and, out of ignorance, adhere to absurdities? He who knows, give understanding and enlighten your brother with the truth. And it will be just as fruitful, powerful, valuable as going overseas and converting the infidels. According to the Apostle, we must take more care of those who are close to us in the faith. And we should not abandon the strangers who are among us and, as it were, despise them, but warm them with love, predispose them to attention at a favorable time. Who knows whether the truth will not enter his soul through your word? God has instruments of victory everywhere, although no one clearly knows them. How to do this? Both in word and in writing. If you see someone who is wrong-minded and know how to tell the truth, use your prudence to find access to his hearing and attention and tell him this truth. The living word requires, however, a patient worker as well as a wise one, but it is more decisive; for it directly enters into combat with the soul and, if strong, certainly captivates the mind into the obedience of Christ. Scripture is lighter and leaves both sides alone. In him the truth itself triumphs, the face is hidden, and in the one who admonishes, it presupposes more freedom and maturity of conviction. Writing also has the advantage that it has access everywhere and is durable. Scripture, which expresses the truth of faith vividly, convincingly, victoriously, is a true treasure for the Church and the human race. Whoever is able to compile such a book can become one of the world's preachers. True, however, zeal for the spread of faith must be distinguished from violent, unreasonable, fanatical. It must have the following characteristics: a firm, thorough, reasonable conviction in the truth of the holy faith with the fullness of its knowledge. The soul, having become a vessel containing such a shrine, cannot help but pour out fragrance from itself. How can she hide this treasure from others? How can one restrain the tongue, which naturally comes into motion from the fullness of the heart? Hence, anyone who has an unaccountable passion for faith, darkening the clarity of contemplation of it, who wants to express not so much the content of faith as their thoughts about it - let him restrain himself and remain calm within his limits, not touching the shrine with unclean hands. The Apostle commanded to preach “from a pure heart, a good conscience, unfeigned faith,” without which some found themselves at crossroads (1 Tim. 1:5). A feeling of submission and slavery to the truth and God. “We cannot help but say what we have seen and heard,” the apostles testify (Acts 4:20). We are slaves, they say, guarantors, workers of God. Hence - whoever seeks exaltation, distinction, dominance and dominion over the minds and souls of others - there is no truth in him. The true zealot of the faith of God reigns, and the false one reigns over himself. A pleading tone of love and conviction with self-sacrifice and humiliation... “We pray according to Christ,” say the apostles, “be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). You are dying, come, I will carry you on a ramen to a safe harbor. Look, here is the truth, clear as the sun. Hence flattery, some kind of deception, lures with benefits, threats with disadvantages are deviations from the truth in preaching the faith. Courage. In those who are weak, either in reason or in strength of speech and character, this jealousy can remain, as it were, silent. It can blaze, ignite the heart, but it can be expressed only by prayer and a jealous desire for holy faith to come into reality as much as possible and elevate the glory of God, leading to the bliss of people. Such readiness, like readiness for confession, is both a holy and a high and fruitful disposition. When everything possible has been done, God will value the power of zeal, and not just the fruits, which are in His power. On this occasion it should be remembered that true, called preachers, appointed for special purposes, are extremely raised up by God, led by Him to the goal and, under His protection, fulfill what they are called to do. Such, for example, was Saint Stephen of Perm. It is more appropriate for others to humbly remain in their circle, to warm and shine here with their specific light and warmth. e) Keeping faith - both your heartfelt, or your convictions, and professed faith. A lover by natural attraction keeps his beloved as the apple of his eye. The same applies to faith. Keeping faith means first of all rejecting the dangers that threaten it. These dangers are internal and external. The first includes thoughts of doubt that arise from time to time about faith in general or in particular about some of its members. The degrees of these thoughts also differ: some are instantaneous, like a rush of thought or a fleeting shadow from a light cloud, others touch the heart and sting it, like an arrow; some again touch objects whose hardness we know, and others something unknown. The heart itself can forge such thoughts, but, more accurately, they are from the enemy of truth and the father of lies. Be that as it may, they should not be ignored, but should be driven away immediately, bringing the heart to the point of inflaming with hatred against them; for this hatred is a true spiritual vomiting of poison, putting one out of danger. Condescension towards them and inattention is dangerous. As for those kinds of doubts that concern the weak side, then, in addition to indignation, one should hasten to counter them with true arguments or to fill in knowledge that was lacking. The second internal danger is from passions. An evil soul cannot contain truth. This vessel is thin, ready to emit whatever you put into it. Passions are deviations from the truth and, moreover, living ones; then every passionate person already stands on the path of lies, having learned from passions the lessons of lies that are contrary to the truth. From a vicious life it is a very convenient transition to unbelief, coldness and rejection of faith. Therefore, one must keep one’s soul and heart pure. This is the indestructible, safest repository of faith. The external dangers of faith are reading books that contain depraved rules or preach lies and unbelief, especially those that are written in the fascinating language of poetry and filled with subtle and cunning sophisms, which even a strong head cannot suddenly resolve. This danger will be avoided by anyone who does not read anything bad or, in general, reads only at the direction of experienced people. A community with people imbued with frivolity and contempt for the truth, and also with heretics and cunning and resourceful infidels. “Good customs are corrupted by evil conversations” (1 Cor. 15:33). “We must avoid... those who do not follow Tradition” (2 Thess. 3:6; Rom. 16:17), so that “the mind... does not become corrupted by simplicity” (2 Cor. 11:3), so as not to “be deceived by false philosophy” (Col. 2:8). To all such, of course, one should not lose love, regret, sincere desire and assistance in admonishing them; but one should not in any way incline towards acceptance and friendship with them. This arrangement binds both language and thought and, as it were, involuntarily delivers it into the hands of the enemy. Therefore, in relation to such people, take care of admonition, pray; but move away as soon as you see your danger. If, however, you feel strong, fight, with God’s help. With such a negative storage of faith, however, there must also be a positive one. Whoever preserves a tree not only removes what is harmful from it, but also supplies it with the necessary juices to strengthen and complete it. And you should also nurture faith in yourself. This is what you need for this: listen to the Word of God, sermons and teachings, and if you have the opportunity, lessons; read the Word of God, the holy fathers, theologians; seek and inquire, talk and communicate with believers, rich in faith; reflect on the foundations of faith, especially on its deeds and destiny, on its Divine promises and their fulfillment; pray and cry to God: help my unbelief; live by faith and by deeds attach to your being what you contain in your thoughts, so that shaking your faith means the same thing as disturbing your life; partake often worthily of the Holy Mysteries and you will contain the very source of truth in your heart. While maintaining faith in oneself in this way, one should not remain indifferent to the fate of the religion one professes. Here constantly pray, wish and promote her welfare, integrity and safety; you see the threatening danger from lies, delusions and false philosophy, which should be conveyed to whom; fight and resist yourself as much as you can; pity, grieve and lament that this is the case, and pray to the Lord, the King of truth, that truth may reign and the encroaching darkness may be pierced. When everything has been used on your part, surrender yourself and your holy faith into the hands of the all-ruling Lord, Who by His death laid the foundation for the triumph of His faith and will not leave it to the decisive arbitrariness of people. And if he leaves, he will leave people, but not faith, and he will leave people only for stubbornness and unrepentant resistance. Understanding this, understand all good and bad dispositions and actions regarding our holy Orthodox faith. Plant the first ones, try to eradicate the second ones, if there are any. These are bad times. Take care of your thoughts and heart. And there can be trouble from loved ones. Take heed. It is also necessary to show deviations from the truth regarding faith, so that everyone can see the pit and not fall into it. We will go alongside the calculated responsibilities and indicate possible evasions from them. Those who do not have faith, those who do not know God and their relationship to Him—the atheists—sin against the first duty—to have faith. This is not the place to show the existence of atheists; We only say that if they exist, they sin, and the greatest sin, which has no equal. However, one can and should distinguish between theoretical atheists, who, by their way of thinking, admit the non-existence of God, and practical ones, who live without thinking about God, or live as if there were no God. The first include the fatalists, who say: “We were born by chance” - as in the Wise One (Wis. 2:2). Everything that exists and happens, exists and happens. With this sin all those who, thinking about the beginning and fate of the world, about the intricate course of events of the human race and their own, are tempted and mentally sin, think in their hearts: is there really a God? Isn't that all right? This also includes pantheists, for whom this universe is God, but without a face, bound by the law of necessity, an inseparable being. They are akin to fatalists. A special type of them are evolutionists, according to whom the world is a developed God. This is a gross sin, although very refined thinkers like Fichte, Hegel and others belong to it. Practical atheists everywhere. They have one character - life in oblivion of God, in the wills of the heart, without consciousness of any higher power over themselves, without a feeling of the inevitable need to be responsible for life. The prophet says about them: “The fool says in his heart: there is no God.” And that this speech is from them is added: “they have become corrupt and disgusted in their undertakings” (Ps. 13:1). Indulging in sensuality and passions, they suppressed the best part of their being and interrupted the thread connecting them with heaven. They already, according to the Apostle, “do not receive even the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14; about them: Eph. 2; Rom. 1). They can be found in large numbers at any time and in any place, and what is especially pitiful is that sometimes they are not completely depraved, but live in the natural feelings of the heart. However, those who lead God are plunged into this stench, although temporarily, but spend days, months, and sometimes years in the vanity of the mind, as if without God (Eph. 2). Indifferentists sin against the second duty—to have one true faith—who maintain and preach that everything is the same: whatever faith you have, just have it. Anything useful will lead to its purpose - whether it is Christian or not. How gross the error is here is evident from what is said in support of the need to have one true faith. Here it should also be added that after God Himself taught people to approach Him, He Himself came, became incarnate, suffered and died, sent down the Spirit and did so many miracles to confirm the faith, moving heaven and earth - after all this, to say that it doesn’t matter whether you hold this faith or another means not only extreme madness, in which the truth is put on an equal footing with lies, but also wickedness, in which some kind of reproach is brought upon the person who loves mankind God, as if he lavished mercy unnecessarily, and in which, lying, they create a God of truth, as if the faith which He declares to be one is not one. Indifferentism is, moreover, a plague on the human race. If faith alone leads to salvation, so that all other faiths do not save, but entail destruction, then whoever holds in them does not destroy everyone he holds? When pestilence is raging and a skilled doctor invents the only cure, then everyone who assures: nothing, and this medicine is good, destroys everyone who listens to him. This is indifferentism. It relaxes and kills the spirit. He who maintains it is almost the same as an atheist, for it is clear that for him faith is an extraneous matter, that he holds it out of custom, in imitation of others, or, even worse, as if it were some kind of political means. All these reproaches fall on the one who says: it doesn’t matter, as long as there is a Christian faith, otherwise there is some kind. Where does this idea come from?! The apostles were so zealously concerned about unanimity, they so actively tried to restore it when it was somehow violated, they armed themselves so strictly against those who disagreed, that they determined excommunication for them; and now it has become a custom to say: it makes no difference, as long as it is Christian, even if it is a heresy. How did the Lord say: “If the Church disobeys, let you be like a pagan and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17)? And then how did the Church throughout its entire continuation so strongly advocated and armed itself against all those who differed in their views? Is it all like this? And that the Lord justified the one true faith with signs and wonders and continues to justify it to this day, as if this were all so? It comes close to indifferentism, or there is a type of it, that depraved way of thinking according to which they preach that religion is nothing more than a means in the hands of the government. And those who think this way about the government, and the government itself, which acts this way, are extremely wicked and godless... Well, if Mohammedanism, or Judaism, or some other wickedness is useful for the government, as if it should be introduced and favored? The purpose of society is to lead a person to a goal; Man’s goal is in God, but one can only go to God as He indicates in holy faith. Therefore, the spirit of society should be one true faith. What kind of government is that, while doing little to reassure its subjects in the temporary, for this it destroys them for all eternity! They say: there will be confusion among the people! Who allows violence? Reveal the truth so that everyone can see it. And who is more capable of this than rulers? Therefore, they are irresponsible before God if they do not preserve and instill true faith in the people. Against the third - test where the truth is - those who do not test, immersed in the sleep of carelessness, sin; negligent ones, who only differ from indifferentists in that they have no thought in their carelessness, or do not even think about faith at all, and therefore are despisers of faith; doubters who generally stopped at the unresolved question: does God exist and does He need to be worshiped? - or they suspect whether the holy Orthodox faith is true, and, however, they remain indifferent, do not seek a solution to their misunderstandings, and in such an indecisive, wavering state continue to live according to the accepted order. They are as if hanging in the air, exhausting and tormenting their spirit. The strength of their crime lies in indifference to the truth, to God and their salvation, and especially in that unnatural state of mind that they keep it in a certain order against conviction, go against conscience and kill the life in themselves. Those who have settled on a lie, all those who are mistaken in the faith: pagans, Mohammedans, Jews, especially naturalists, those who think that the natural powers of man, their own mind and initiative are sufficient to know God and their salvation. This fallacy is otherwise called rationalism. He is the most obvious stupidity and madness. To see your own mistakes and the mistakes of other thinkers, to know from history how many errors and vices have flooded the earth from a reasonable person, and also to believe in your own reason! Moreover, in the neighborhood the rationalist sees faith revealed by God, miraculously confirmed, representing and representing the experiences of the saved, and remains stubborn! Not clear. It is not without reason that some people suspect whether there are rationalists who are thoroughly convinced of the firmness of their rationalism? The majority, without a firm, clear conviction, with a dim consciousness of the correctness of their thoughts, arrogantly preach not knowing what, just to get people to talk about themselves: what an all-encompassing genius! Against the fact that one must submit humbly, silently, completely to the recognized holy Orthodox faith, rationalists also sin, only biblical ones, who recognize Revelation, but accept from it only that which is consistent with their way of thinking. These are proud minds that rise to the mind of God, do not submit to Him, do not want to listen to faith, therefore they are the same as unbelievers. For unbelief, in fact, is the failure to recognize as true what holy faith recognizes as true. In spirit, these are robbers in the fence of God, coming from elsewhere, who, having entered there, instead of remaining humble, willfully tear, scatter and distort all God's treasures. All heretics, papists, Protestants of all kinds and others are the natural fruit of unbelief and self-thinking, or waywardness of mind in the matter of faith. Universal faith is a rule of conduct and life, obligatory for everyone. Whoever philosophizes differently from her in any member, knowing that this kind of philosophizing is not approved by her and is disgusting to her, and then further does not submit to any convictions, but stubbornly stands in his philosophizing, he is a blasphemer of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. He tears apart the integrity of faith, and in this, the more criminally, the more clearly he realizes the order of belief, the more he feels hesitation in his conscience and heart against his thoughts, the more he stands for himself, and not for the truth, in his persistence for the sake of some earthly and selfish goals. Apostates, those who, either out of fear of persecution, or out of earthly hopes, or out of man-pleasing, sometimes, out of gullibility and inner whimsicality, leave the true faith and go over to the erring. Of these, even those who imagine that they are doing this out of conviction of the truth do not apologize. The truth is clear. If passion does not cloud the mind, the truth cannot be overlooked. Consequently, even in such people, apostasy is impossible except through passion and sin... That apostates are a lost people, the apostle teaches: “it is the will of those who sin... by receiving the understanding of truth, for sins a sacrifice is not found, but a terrible... expectation of judgment, and jealousy of fire” (Heb. 10:26-27). Obviously, those who move from a different faith to the true faith are not subject to this judgment. We must praise them and thank the Lord for them, who brings our brethren out of darkness into His wonderful light. Finally, against all other duties stands coldness towards faith, ossification of the spirit from immersion in the flesh, from consuming care, exorbitant pride and self-consciousness. In this state of spirit, they do not know those gratifying feelings that faith brings, such as: peace, joy, thanksgiving and praise - nor those deeds that naturally flow from the love of faith, such as confession of it, expansion and care for it - deeds that are both very valuable here and bring eternal bliss in heaven. Who hasn’t had to face all these deviations face to face? Let everyone now know where they belong. If someone takes the trouble to thoroughly confirm in his thoughts all the shown dispositions and deeds in relation to faith and, moreover, in the way they flow from one another, he will receive significant strength in the mind and heart, from which, like from a wall, any attack on faith - internal and external - will fly off. 12. Piety - living in the spirit of faith He who enters the realm of true faith calms down in it and feels as if he is in a safe haven. But this peace is only on the outside; inside, intense activity and work await him in the spirit of this accepted, recognized and beloved faith. This means that he who has accepted the faith, by its very acceptance, undertakes to conform his outer and inner life with its teachings, or to educate himself according to it and to infuse himself with its spirit. The area of ​​faith is breathing and full of life and activity; one who has entered into it and yet does not live according to it is the same as an extra part in a machine or a wayward person who violates the order of the bright, solemn procession. He does not believe who does not live by faith. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). When a drowning man does not take the hand that is extended to him with a promise to pull him out, he probably does not believe the promise. Moreover, such a person mocks faith. What if someone put on priestly clothes and began to make faces and go crazy in public in it? Isn't he a mocker? The same applies to faith. Therefore, in the Word of God great threats are suggested to those who lead and those who do not create. “They confess God, but His works are denied; they are abominations and disobedient, and unskillful in every good work” (Titus 1:16). Thus, he who has accepted faith must certainly implement it in his activities, educate himself according to it, and represent it, as it were, in his entire person in practice. Constant, sincere, complete and comprehensive walking in the spirit of the one true and holy faith is true piety. It goes without saying that, according to the diversity of the composition of faith, pious activity should appear in different forms. On this basis, there are various duties of piety. It is possible to subsume all duties in general under this one, or to derive from it alone, for they are all required by the Christian faith and flow from its spirit. Therefore, by the way, the apostle (Titus 2:12) deduces from piety a pious, righteous, chaste life, that is, in general, Christian activity, legal and holy. What does a Christian godly life mean? Life in unity with God in the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Church, or according to the economy of our salvation. That this is so, look how it happened. The Lord came to earth, suffered, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, sent down the Divine Spirit on His holy disciples and apostles, who by His power erected on earth the Promised Church, established on the foundation of the Apostle and Prophet, the cornerstone of Jesus Christ Himself - the Church, the house of faith and salvation, the body of the Lord, the ark of those who are saved from drowning in wickedness, sin and Satan's malice. But what is the Church in its spirit? Holiness is holy, offer sacrifices acceptable to God Jesus Christ. The Church is a person who serves God, who performs priesthood, who sanctifies continuously, rationally, spiritually, and this is to God Jesus Christ. Everyone who enters into it must become one spirit with it, be that in the small form that it is in the large form, just as in the body, they say, each small member has the whole body, that is, all its elements. Otherwise: every believer undertakes to offer sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, and this is the same as living in communion with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the economy of salvation. From here it is obvious that a Christian, pious life is actively expressed in ascent to God through Jesus Christ, in abiding in Him through Him, and, moreover, not otherwise than in a house built for our salvation, or the Church. Accordingly, the duties of piety have three classes, of which: 1) the first is determined by the feelings and dispositions arising from reunification with God in Jesus Christ, 2) the second - the feelings and dispositions resulting from being in communion with God, 3) the third - the feelings and dispositions resulting from communication with the house of salvation, the Church. 1) Feelings and dispositions on the path of reunification with God Let's start with those feelings and dispositions that a person encounters on the path to God when he is reunited with Him in the Lord Jesus Christ. Since returning to God is a matter of freedom, and not coercion, and, moreover, is accomplished in the spirit, and not in anything material, then it is not a matter that, having completed, could be postponed to the list of those decided, but a matter that is repeated and renewed at every moment. Therefore, although a Christian has already entered into communion with God, he is in no way relieved or freed from those acts by which this was accomplished, but must always nourish and renew them. Consequently, they all turn into a continuous debt and obligation to him. The path of ascent to God, or reunification with Him, is explained elsewhere (see about the norm of Christian life). Now all that remains is to clarify the resulting responsibilities. The seed of all these duties is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, which unites us with Him heartily. But something else must happen in us even before the birth of this faith, and another - after its birth. “No one will come to the Father except by Me,” says the Lord (John 14:6). We must first come to Jesus Christ in order to ascend from Him to God. Consequently, there are feelings and dispositions that are obligatory for us, some on the path of union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and others on the path of ascension from Jesus Christ to the Trinitarian God. a) Feelings and dispositions on the path of union with the Lord Savior Heart union with the Lord is accomplished by faith. The beginning of faith lies in the knowledge of one’s poverty and the knowledge of the riches of Jesus Christ. Faith transfers the riches of Christ onto her poverty and for this purpose unites her heart with the Lord. In order to maintain this faith in strength and to warm more and more the union of the heart with the Lord, every Christian commits himself to the following feelings and actions: aa) He must know and bear his poverty and his wretchedness in the feeling of his heart. Faith begins with knowledge and then is constantly supported. This is the same as oil for the fire in a lamp, which weakens as the oil is exhausted. Whoever does not know that the house is on fire will not run from it; so whoever does not know his own damnation will not take care of salvation. This is the first truth about yourself; every other one already has an admixture of lies, and all the more so the more it nourishes self-satisfaction. The objects of this knowledge are themselves determined by the history of man. He was created in the image of God, for the glory of God and unceasing bliss in place of the fallen and rejected spirits who founded hell in themselves and from themselves. But through the envy of the devil, he transgressed the commandment, was subjected to condemnation and oath, upset his soul and body, submitted to the deceiver and, being in misery on earth, is in danger of being in the same hell after death, which is inhabited by spirits, apostates and their prince - Satan. So, a Christian must keep in mind that he was in a state of fall, was under the oath of God, was irresponsible to Him and corrupted in himself, was subject to the power, violence and malice of Satan, was an inevitable quitter of both death and hell. All this should be clearly known and kept in mind by a Christian even after he has been delivered from all these troubles. For in himself he really is always like that. If now he stands outside this disastrous order, it is because he is held on by grace, although, as if above an abyss of flame, at every moment he is ready to fall away and fall again to what he was before. The totality of such thoughts, perceived by the heart, creates and maintains a feeling of the danger of one’s position, one’s powerlessness and helplessness, if not the Lord. This obliges the Christian to further remain in extreme self-abasement, humility and abandonment of himself below every creature, even soulless, not only animate; makes me cry out continuously: Lord, save me, I am perishing. And such feelings need to be reproduced more than once or twice, but to have them constantly affirmed and rooted in oneself, as if transformed into nature. He who loses them instantly leaves the ranks of those who are being saved, for all those who are being saved think and feel this way. Therefore, it is everyone’s duty to warm them up within themselves in every possible way. Anyone can do this as best they can. But the best and most valid science for them is Christian life itself. This is the most powerful and constant means, so that, one might say, the whole life of a true Christian is nothing more than a continuous ascent to the height of consciousness of one’s poverty and a sense of self-abasement. The more someone grows in virtue, the more he realizes and feels that he is nothing. And from this what an abundance of virtues flows! There is humility, self-reproach, non-judgment of others, lack of anger, non-questioning, undisturbed peace. But for this, from God there is a constant flow of secret spiritual consolations and an abundance of grace, and from other Christians love and living union. Whoever does not have this, everything that is contrary to him happens to him. bb) Obliged to know and grow in the knowledge of the unsearchable riches of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners. Just the knowledge of one’s wretchedness and powerlessness, with irresponsibility and fear for life and eternal fate, is joyless. It brings only sorrow and melancholy, which, if not dissolved by other consoling feelings, weaken, and do not enliven, and, not far away, it can plunge into indescribable despair. Whoever stops at this alone stops, as it were, halfway and, therefore, does nothing. And there is no truth here: for in fact, only man is not poor and perishing, but we are enriched and saved - there is such a dispensation from our Lord and God, according to which the Divine overshadowing of grace is extended over perishing man. Therefore, to know this is the indispensable duty of every Christian and, since all this is concentrated in the Lord Jesus Christ, to know Him. The objects of this knowledge are also determined by the very structure of grace-filled actions. The merciful God promised to send His Son as a Savior to the perishing, who, after the fulfillment of times, actually came, became incarnate, suffered, offered a sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the whole world, rose again and resurrected everyone, destroyed hell and bound Satan, ascended, and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where he intercedes for us and rules over everything, as the King who has assumed power in heaven and on earth. So we must know and recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ is the sacrifice for us, our life, our King, who has exhausted the power of the devil, death and hell. Hence, further, remember and keep in mind that there was such a wondrous and amazing work of God, heaven and earth were shocked; reverently reflect and delve into the entire accomplishment of salvation, especially in the terrible passions and the glory of the Lord that followed: what is this, how, for what, what power is there in this? Bring this to mind more often, especially on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, rejoice and be comforted by the fact that it is so. By such activities the knowledge of the Lord will naturally grow; but the zealous will add to it frequent reading of the Gospels and prophecies, and most of all, prayer for a grace-filled introduction into the mysteries of salvation. “Who understands the mind of the Lord?” - asks the apostle and, as if in response to this, adds: “we are the mind of Christ imams” (Rom. 11:34; 1 Cor. 2:16). True knowledge of the Lord takes place in the mystery of the spirit and, one might say, is not so much understood as felt in such a way that there are no words or images. Only it is infinitely sweet, as the apostle assures, who considered everything as nothing “for the surpassing understanding of Christ the Lord” (Phil. 3:8), who encourages everyone to ascend to such understanding and prayed for everyone so that the “depth, breadth and height” of the wisdom revealed in the dispensation of our salvation would be revealed to them (Eph. 3:18). cv) And thus kindle in yourself faith in the Lord Savior. For when in the same spirit both the knowledge of one’s wretchedness and poverty and the knowledge of the Lord Savior meet, then naturally they combine with each other and dissolve, like water with dry earth or like two related elements. The feeling of irresponsibility ascends to the Lord, who has been consumed, the feeling of relaxation and corruption accepts the Lord - our belly; the fear of death, hell and the devil is healed by the knowledge of the Lord, our King and their conqueror. Every sorrowful feeling finds its corresponding healing in the Lord. From this combination is born, like their heavenly daughter, true faith in the Lord the Savior, which is therefore not one knowledge of the Lord, not one knowledge of one’s insignificance, but both together, and not one next to the other, but one in the other. Just as in chemical affinity one element enters into another, so they co-dissolve mutually. The unrequited one resorts to the Crucified One as a sacrifice and accepts justification; the corrupted one goes to the Lord Life and is revived; the captive goes to the Lord, the King and the Victor, and is freed. Faith is an internal grace-filled action within us, by which the fullness of Christ is transferred to our insignificance and poverty and is assimilated to us. This is an omnipotent, creative act, for by it a new creation is created in us, our spirit is united with Christ and from this a new, hidden man is born in us. From this it is clear that in the composition of true faith the following dispositions are hidden, more felt than expressed, united and not divided: I, the perishing one, would have perished forever, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who took away all the evil that lies on the human race, took me, and by Him I am saved. Faith sees the Lord as the only source of its blessing, disappears in Him with its heart, embraces Him lovingly, lives by Him alone and for Him alone; for he feels that if it were not for Him, then everything would perish. To maintain and feel this way is the constant duty of a Christian. It is now clear why, in order to maintain and kindle such faith in us, it is considered necessary, on the one hand, an increasing knowledge of one’s wretchedness and poverty, and on the other, knowledge of the Savior and His works. They warm the spirit of faith, which was born from them and made up of them. But just as a drop of water is made up of parts of oxygen and hydrogen by the passage of an electric spark through them, so faith is born for the first time by a certain mysterious touch of the Lord, on a heart prepared for faith through knowledge of itself and the Lord, as He makes it clear with the words: “I will bring forth, ... I will go down, and ... I will sup” (Rev. 3:20). By knowing oneself and the Lord the heart is opened; then the Lord Himself enters and sups, that is, saturates the soul with His blessings, as a result of which He speaks in the depths of the human spirit, like Thomas upon touching the Lord: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). This is the first voice of faith and its true symbol. But just as faith was originally born by the mysterious touch of the Lord on the heart, so it can and should be supported by the same touch, which believers are granted in the communion of the Holy Mysteries and in fiery prayer, which in its true meaning and power is nothing other than the continuous repetition of the initial ascension to the Lord and His first visit. Every time a Christian emerges from it, like from a crucible, renewed. That is why in the instructions of the holy fathers, everyone in general, it is commanded to continuously repeat in your mouth the prayer to the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me... - rotate as often as often breathing, to which some adapted it. Hence, by contrast, faith fades from forgetting one’s poverty, from weakening the knowledge of the Savior and the cessation of the Jesus Prayer. This is how the union of the heart with the Lord Savior is accomplished and maintained through faith. From here begins a series of other feelings by which the spirit from Christ the Savior ascends to the infinite God and is united with Him. In conclusion, everyone is invited to read the following passage from the Apocalypse, in which everything that has been said before is combined and spoken from the person of God Himself: “You say that you are rich, and have become rich, and require nothing, and do not weigh, because you are damned, and poor, and poor, and blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold kindled with fire, so that you may become rich, and may be clothed with a white robe, and may the shame of your nakedness not appear; and may your eyes be covered with colluria, so that you may see. Even if I love them, I rebuke and punish: be jealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and understand: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne, just as I was victorious and sat with My Father on His throne. Have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:17–22). b) Feelings and dispositions on the path of ascent from the Lord Savior to the Trinitarian God When faith is formed and the heart is united with the Lord, other feelings and dispositions are immediately born from this, like rays from the sun, along which, like the steps of a ladder established on the stone - Christ, a Christian ascends to heaven to God and worships Him at the foot of His throne. These feelings and dispositions are as follows: aa) The hope of salvation is inextricably linked with self-sacrifice. The hope of salvation is so essential in life according to Christ that it is, as it were, the best definition and expression of faith in Him. The Christian feels in him that he is out of danger, beyond all the evil that lay upon him, that he has entered the realm of those who are being saved, that he is being saved by the Lord. Whoever among the drowning people grabs the rope thrown towards him, is drawn to the ship, is lifted onto it, stands on it, cannot help but have a gratifying feeling of deliverance or the passing of danger. Such is the spirit of a Christian who believes! How akin to faith this hope of salvation is evident from the words of the Apostle Peter, who considers it a distinctive sign of faith: “Blessed is God... He has begotten us to lively hope,” he cries (1 Pet. 1:3). The Apostle Paul calls this hope “the hope of your soul, sure and trustworthy” (Heb. 6:19). With this hope, despair and hopelessness are denied or expelled from the soul, but also, besides them, all doubt, ignorance of one’s salvation and lack of conviction in it. Because the hope of salvation is an obligation, so its hopelessness in all forms is sin. Self-denial, or life in it, is not just putting oneself underfoot, trampling and humiliation, but more: it is self-embitteration, or such activity, which constantly embitters and affects either the body or the soul and which combines all actions in defiance of self-indulgence, one’s will and the desires of the heart. Among the holy fathers, this is expressed in two rules: not to have your own will and not to give rest to the body - as two ways of self-harm. All asceticism is made up of them, which is the same as a life of selflessness. The Apostle speaks about this: “Whoever is Christ’s, the flesh is crucified with passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24), and the Lord: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself” (Matthew 16:24). The connection between a strict self-harming ascetic life and the hope of salvation is not so obvious; but it exists, and is so alive that the measure of self-harm is the measure of the hope of salvation. Just as the heaviness of the air raises the mercury in the barometer, so the heaviness of self-sacrifice raises the hope of salvation. The basis of this can be seen in the salvation of us through the sufferings of the Lord: salvation was accomplished through them, and every person can be saved only by assimilating them to himself. How to learn them? With your suffering. Our sufferings are the point of contact with the sufferings of Christ, or the place where they are instilled. That is why the apostles talk about some “communication of the passions of the Lord through conformity with His death” (Phil. 3:10) and praise those who managed to “participate in the passions of Christ” (1 Pet. 4:13). From the same message the natural consequence should be an increase in the hope of salvation. For if through suffering the power of Christ’s suffering, which accomplished our salvation, passes on to us, then at the same time it cannot but be infused into the soul and the consciousness of salvation from their power, which is the essence of hope. But no matter how it is, only a selfless, strictly ascetic, self-harming life is the only condition for the hope of salvation. Therefore, whoever rests himself extinguishes hope and, consequently, extinguishes the very beginning, or the first outcome of the hope of salvation. Therefore, the enemies of the cross of Christ are “destruction” (Phil. 3:19). bb) Peace with God is inextricably linked with continuous repentance. “Having been justified by faith, peace be upon God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” says the apostle (Rom. 5:1). Elsewhere it is said that “God reconciled the world to himself in Christ... and gave the apostles the word of reconciliation,” who pray to everyone: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:19–20). This peace is evidenced by the feeling of God's favor, contemplation in the spirit of the bright face of God, the consciousness of the withdrawal and change of His anger into mercy, and a cheerful view of heaven. Before, it was like a sword was over the head, and it was scary to turn to God and think about Him; and now with holy boldness they enter into the interior behind the veil. Having been counted worthy of this world, we must also take care to abide in it. But it is impossible to be at peace with God without continuous repentance. The Apostle John sets out the following condition for peace with God: “lest our hearts be blind to us” (1 John 3:21). If there is nothing on your conscience, you can have boldness and access to God in a sense of peace; and if there is, then the peace is disturbed. It happens that it is on the conscience - from the consciousness of sin. But according to the same apostle, we are never without sin, and this is so decisive that he is already a liar who thinks and feels differently (1 John 1:8). Consequently, there is no moment when someone does not have something on his conscience - voluntary or involuntary, and therefore there is no moment when his peace with God is not indignant. It follows that it is absolutely necessary to clear your conscience in order to be at peace with God. The conscience is cleansed by repentance. Therefore, one must continuously repent. For repentance washes away all filth from the soul and makes it clean. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, that he may forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This repentance does not consist only in words: forgive, Lord; have mercy, Lord; but with it, all actions that condition the remission of sins are inevitable, that is, the consciousness of a certain impurity of thought, look, word, temptation or something else; consciousness of one’s guilt and irresponsibility without self-justification; prayer for abandonment for the sake of the Lord until the spirit pacifies. As for great sins, you must immediately confess them to your spiritual father and accept permission, for you cannot calm the spirit with daily repentance alone. Thus, the duty of continuous repentance is the same as the duty to keep the conscience pure and impeccable: The holy fathers have so many rules for this! How much care has been spent to set yourself up for this and to teach others! This is how it should be: otherwise there is no peace with God. All the unconscious sin against this, justifying themselves in everything both before God and before people. c) The feeling of the Father's love from God, or sonship to God, is inextricably linked with increased activity for His sake. In the Lord Jesus Christ, true believers, born of water and the Spirit, became sons of God the Father with grace for the sake of a living union with the Lord and the imagination of Him in themselves. Such an ineffable gift, essential in the kingdom of Christ, turns God to us, like a father to his children, with paternal love. And this cannot but resonate in the very heart and leave there a consciousness or feeling of the fatherly love of God and one’s sonship to God. Because these feelings are essential in the Christian union with God, they are also obligatory for Christians. Christians are obliged to have them and nourish them, to strive to arouse them and preserve them forever. With what effort did the Apostle Paul try to revive these feelings when he saw that they were suppressed! So he says: “The little ones are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. We did not accept the spirit of work into fear, but... the spirit of sonhood, for which we cry: Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself obeys our spirit, because we are children of God” (Rom. 8:14-16). “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus: for as many as you were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26–27). The Lord has come, he teaches, “that we may receive sonship” (Gal. 4:5). “You see what kind of love the Father has given us, so that we may be called children of God” (1 John 3:1), cries St. John the Theologian. Not only to be called, but also “to be children the Lord has given us” (John 1:12). What now consists of an essential connection with this perception of Christians into the race of God, into the Divine kinship, is fully explained by the character of the son. The most important thing about a son is that he acts not as a slave, but with some freedom, as someone initiated into the secrets of his father; but he also deeply takes everything related to his father and home to his heart, as if it directly concerned him alone, he feels that, being in union with his father and home, a living union, when he acts, he acts on their behalf and for their sake, as if their well-being, and honor, and glory lay on him alone. This is precisely the character and mood that every Christian should have in the grace-filled Christian kingdom, this house of God. Feeling that he is God's - sincere, neighbor, he must act only on behalf of God, according to the orders and intentions of God for the honor and glory of His house outside, for the sake of well-being within; must stand for the Lord God and for His house to the point of blood, for the sake of His gracious kinship. A Christian is, as it were, a messenger and intercessor from God, interceding and acting on His affairs. This is the original beginning of all Christian activity! That is why he must have an uncontrollable zeal for the good of the Church and Christians, a consuming zeal that resonates painfully in the heart. Just as sonship to God arouses such activity from God and for His sake, so, on the contrary, activity of this kind kindles, elevates and supports the feeling of sonship, so that one is in necessary connection with the other. They mutually reflect each other. Therefore, on the contrary, activity of a different kind, or inactivity, extinguishes the feeling of sonship, or deprives one of sonship. This is also obvious from an ordinary example: a son who does not care about his father and home, what kind of son? And again: whoever has lost his filial feelings, how will he act in a filial way? These are the feelings and dispositions that are obligatory for us, directly resulting from reunification with God in Jesus Christ, and those that lead us to the Lord Jesus, combine us with Him and keep us in this combination, and those that lead us from the Lord to God. In general, they can be called duties to God according to the conditions of salvation, or duties regarding faith and from faith in the Lord and Savior. But here another series of feelings and dispositions towards God proper, or towards the Divine, that are obligatory for us immediately begins. May the Lord, the Most Pure Lady and all the saints of God help everyone to kindle them all in prayer. 2) Feelings and dispositions of a Christian abiding in God In the economy of salvation, God was pleased to take upon Himself a different relationship towards us, as a result of which our duties to God received a corresponding character. But when, in this way, we are restored to the first rank, then at the same time the boundless face of the Divine is revealed in all its majesty, and at the same hour the feelings and dispositions obligatory for us towards God, since He is God, are resurrected and with force come before our consciousness. In the previous discussions, the indicated series of duties introduces these secret places of the Divine, teaches us about them and together makes us capable of acting according to them. The contemplation of the Divine is unbearable for our fallen nature, if we were to raise it to Him directly, without the mediation of those dispositions. Therefore, those can be called guiding and educational rules, and these innermost, highest and subtlest feelings towards God, since He is God, are the fruit of them. These latter must, of course, first of all be consistent with the infinite properties and actions of God. But, on the other hand, since we ascend to them through feelings and dispositions of the first kind, expressing our reunion with God, then they must be in close correspondence with them. Now, since we contemplate God a) infinite in His perfections, b) Creator and Provider, and finally c) the Performer of everything, and accordingly we have three classes of feelings and dispositions obligatory in relation to Him. They are in direct correlation with the previously indicated feelings of peace with God, hope of salvation and sonship with God. a) Feelings and dispositions towards God arising from the consciousness or contemplation of His infinite perfections aa) The infinite God is incomprehensible in His being, in His perfections and actions: be amazed! - that is, restore yourself and keep yourself in such a state in which, with a living consciousness of the innermost incomprehensibility of the Great God, all movement of the spirit ceases and a kind of deep silence is established in it, as if life were dying out. When a sober thought leaves all creatures, is transported beyond the world and plunges into the contemplation of God; then he finds that just as it is certain that He exists, so it is also certain that He is not anything known in creatures: neither power, nor light, nor life, nor mind, nor word, nor thought, and in general nothing that is imagined by our mind; and then, when one glances around all these negations, he is instantly introduced into a certain Divine darkness, in which nothing can ripen except an immense infinity filled with essentials, striking deeply and imposing silence on word and thought. This is the most sublime state to which an earthly creature can reach. Man is then admired to the point of being a seraphim. This is the same as if someone entered the throne room of the greatest of kings: the first glance at the king - and everything amazes him to the point of numbness. A person can also ascend into such a state from the consciousness of the general incomprehensibility of the Divine Being and each of His properties, for each of His properties is as incomprehensible and amazing as He Himself. The Apostle Paul cries out: “O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and understanding of God...who understands the mind of the Lord!..” (Rom. 11:33–37; 1 Cor. 2:16). “If your mind is amazed at Me, strengthen yourself, I will not be able to reach it,” the prophet confesses (Ps. 139:6). It's about the mind. But every property of Him, every creation of His, and every work of His providence is also incomprehensible. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! Anyone can ascend to this amazement himself through a detached and calm deepening; Images of this property from the holy fathers can also help in this matter, such as, for example, Dionysius the Areopagite - about mysterious theology, St. John Chrysostom - words about the incomprehensible, etc. But in order to cultivate the ability for this, it is easier to begin with the contemplation of deeds, ascend to the contemplation of perfections, and finally ascend to the very top, to the consciousness of the incomprehensibility of the Divine being. As anyone can, he must do this, for here the truest and most fitting worship of the creature to the Creator and Lord is accomplished in the spirit. It goes without saying that this feeling has different degrees; but to each his own, and let each do this according to his own strength. Moses ascends to the very top of the mountain and hides in a cloud, others stand on the half-mountain, and still others at the foot. This is an image of the three states of people, rising to the comprehension and awareness of the incomprehensibility of the infinite God. This means that no one should refuse due to inability or ignorance of this matter. bb) God is infinitely great: fall in humiliation, be filled with reverent fear and awe, contemplating the greatness of God. The first thing that enters the throne room, as noted, is silent amazement, in which there is not a single idea of ​​\u200b\u200bseparateness. The one who entered had not yet had time to look around or distinguish between himself and the king with his greatness. Then the first thought after he comes to his senses is the greatness of the king and his own smallness. The same applies to God. When thought plunges into the Infinite and comes out of itself, it disappears in deep amazement. But as soon as he turns into himself, then, bringing with him the consciousness of the infinite and in this very act, as if imposing it on his insignificance, he is struck, as if by some kind of blow, by this incommensurability and falls in awe in the dust before the contemplated greatness of God, with the consciousness of his insignificance. But one must know that this fear has no torment. It is sweet to be amazed by it, like every mental thing in general, but the true touch of our spirit to God, from Whom it is, is sweet and blissful. The power of this reverent fear is great: it goes so far as to separate the soul and the spirit, the members and the brain, as if it wears out and thins out both the soul and the body through its spiritual action. He who feels it falls on his face, ready to go into the womb of the earth, through all creatures, into the abyss, where there is nothing, from the consciousness of his insignificance and the greatness of God. But for all that, it is pleasant for him to be in this state: it pours a gratifying coolness into his being, perhaps because there is a true state of the creature in relation to the Creator, or because here a true, and not mental, penetration of its being takes place through the power and action of the Divine. That is why the fruit of reverent fear is always sobering, refreshing, and cleansing of the spirit. Just as lightning, passing through the spaces of air, burns up all impurity and impurity there and makes the air clean, so the fire of the Divine, with reverent fear, eats up the impurity of the spirit and purifies it, like gold in a furnace. Therefore, everyone who has passed through the degrees of perfection recognizes this reverent fear as an essential condition for this, and at the same time as the most powerful means. And throughout the entire space of the Word of God, he is supplied with both an essential duty and, at the same time, a distinctive property of truly pious people. “Fear God, all His holy ones” (Ps. 33:10). “Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling” (Ps. 2:11). It is necessary, however, to distinguish between initial fear and perfect fear. He torments and inflicts horror and trembling from the anticipation of execution for sin. And this is essentially necessary in the initial awakening of the sinner, but as a transitional act cannot be turned into a duty and even in essence cannot be retained forever in the soul, although sometimes it is found later and is considered the most effective means for curbing ardent passions. True fear, characteristic of the perfect, touches. He is born from the taste of love and remains in an inextricable union with it, either refreshing or warming our spirit. It must be a goal. To ascend to it and root it forever in the spirit is a duty, for in it alone there is the truth of the creature’s standing before the face of the Creator. The method of arousing and nurturing it in oneself is determined by its composition. Strive to recognize your insignificance and the greatness of God at the same time in the deepest and most detached state of spirit. Do this more often, especially in the morning, in the evening, at midnight... When this action turns into a custom, the action of the fear of God, or continuous fear, will take root in the spirit. On the contrary, absent-mindedness, conceit, and forgetfulness of God are the enemies of the fear of God. From them it goes out like fire from water and a candle from a blow of wind. c) God is all-perfect: praise and glorify Him. Having entered the throne room, let us continue the comparison, after fear he again turns to what brought him, and where he had seen nothing before, now he begins to distinguish one after another: the face, and the crown, and the purple, and the throne, and all its decoration - and, finding all this perfect, he cannot resist feelings, and sometimes signs of approval. And here he is in a state of rendering reasonable glory to the king. The same thing happens in relation to God. When the spirit, which has arisen from fear and self-abasement, returns to its inner peace and humbly surrenders to the holy thought of God, then the perfections of God are opened to its inner eye and, in their measure, are comprehended, which, differing in mutual union and contact, give birth to and impress in the mind one thought, or one face of the all-perfection of God. This is the most sublime and most graceful thing that a finite and created mind can give birth to. Therefore, when this thought, or contemplation, visits the inner church of our spirit and fills it with its light and greatness, then who will explain its joy and admiration? All his bones, that is, all the smallest moving parts of his being, begin to exclaim in an internal, uncontrollable leap: how glorious is the Lord and our God! The delightful joy of the spirit, contemplating the all-perfectness of God within itself, is already a glorification that takes place within, or a state of glorification, in which the spirit, out of itself and in itself, offers a sacrifice of praise to God. The glorification of God, expressed in words, is its fruit, always, however, inferior, or not corresponding not only to God, but also to what is felt in the spirit. Not a single word will be sufficient for the singing of Your wonders, everyone who composes songs of praise to God must conclude and concludes. Praise of God in the spirit is the most gratifying state of admiration, joy, and spiritual joy, but all this is about the one God and the fact that He is such, praised and exalted. This praise can be aroused by any perfection of God, and by any of His deeds, even those relating to us, but in the very action of praise, everything else is eliminated, and one God and the perfection of His actions are seen. This is the most selfless sacrifice. We can say that in this is the true life of our spirit, or true communion of Divine life. Just as in fear God penetrates us and, as it were, kindles us with the fire of the Divine, so in this praise of God our spirit penetrates or is received into God and partakes of His all-bliss. To ascend into this state or to desire and seek to be raised into it is as natural to the spirit and fruitful for it as it is obligatory, for in this way tribute is paid to the Lord and our God. Therefore, in the Word of God in many places it is prescribed to praise the Lord and examples of this praise are given. Like them, all the saints who ascended to this state depicted the perfections of God in words and left us their songs of praise. It is necessary to read these songs with depth and tension. This is the beginning or part of fulfilling the duty of praising God. It is only through them that a person ascends to spiritual mental praise of God. They are his educators, who should not, however, be abandoned even after his inner being has been formed. To go upstairs, you need to have a ladder. But whoever has ascended once does not throw it away, because it will be needed later. As a rule, the praise should begin every time with the songs dedicated to us, and then be silent when the spirit begins to praise. The very production of praise either stops at all perfection, or at one particular perfection, or moves from one to another. But this is not a cold contemplation of the properties of God, but a living sensation of them, with joy and admiration because they are such in our God. Putting yourself in this state as often as possible is life-saving. It is impossible to better separate the spirit from every earthly admixture and from everything sensual; for in this action he is worthy to taste a sweetness with which nothing can compare. d) God is everywhere, sees everything and does everything: walk with God. When the king looks around him from the height of his throne, then each of those present behaves so carefully, as if the king was looking at him alone, as if only he and the king were there, forgetting everything else. The King of the moral world, God, not only sees everything, but also fulfills everything with His being - He is everywhere and sees not only the external, but also the internal, and moreover, more fully and more perfectly than how the one whom He sees sees himself. Every rational creature is obliged both to remember this omnipresence and omniscience of God, and to arrange its affairs, both internal and external, with the feeling of it, standing as if before the eyes of God, under His gaze, so that everything else comes out of thought and attention, and there is only him, the active one, and God, seeing him and his work; or, what is the same, to walk before God, for the mood of the spirit to act as before the eyes of God is walking before God. It is mandatory for everyone, because it exists. Whether you remember or not, God sees everything, and all your deeds are open to Him, or are performed before His face. So why hide the truth and turn it into a lie? That this thought should be accompanied by a God-befitting arrangement of affairs, this is required by the veneration of God. When a son in front of his father or a subject in front of a king acts forgetting about their dignity, they insult them. Therefore, those who love God and fear Him “will set Him before them” (Ps. 15:8), that is, they turn this into their character and, no matter what they do, they realize that the eye of God is directed towards them. To help with this, or to cultivate this feeling, they use different means: others see God at their right hand, like Saint David; others contemplate the eye of God, established above themselves; others mentally spread the light of God around themselves, as if some spiritual atmosphere, in which, as in a tabernacle, they take refuge and soar in spirit eternally, or remain as if in a safe haven. All these, however, are means. God has no form or image, therefore those who love the truth try by all means to elevate themselves to the state of seeing the Lord before them without an image, with a simple, pure thought. This is the height of perfection in walking with God. The fruits of this walk are countless; but, most importantly, from him the purity and purity of words, thoughts, desires, and deeds naturally passes into our life. “Be good before Me and be blameless,” God says to Abraham (Gen. 17:1). St. David saw the Lord before him, “let him not move,” that is, to prevent any wrong movement (Ps. 15:8). There is no need to add here: when you see God, flee from unrighteousness, for sight itself will turn away from it... Therefore, one can say, the commandment to walk before God is the same as the commandment to please God. Another fruit from this is a certain warmth of spirit. God's vision cannot be cold if it is true. As you improve in your vision of God, your warmth also increases. Afterwards they merge, and both vision and warmth turn into a single continuous action of the spirit. This mood of spirit is the best preparation for the future all-blessed vision of God. Whoever has established himself in it is already standing on the threshold of paradise, he is ripe for it. Anyone who does not know how to see God or, having thought about Him, turns away from Him, feeling that this is unpleasant and scary and obliges him to a lot, let him take care of himself; for from this one can also infer about the future. The common sin against this is forgetfulness of God, or failure to remember God; in the depraved - deliberate self-entertainment, so that the mind does not see the face of God, does not disturb their sleep and does not disperse the darkness of sin. Amazement, reverent fear, joyful praise of God and walking with God comprise primarily life in God. This is because in all of them both man himself and every creature disappear from thought, and God alone is contemplated. Here it is presented that these dispositions give birth to themselves mutually, or degenerate one from the other, like everything in the spirit in general. For others, perhaps, their arousal and development does not take place in the same way as presented here, but in the opposite way. Walking with God in the easiest and most convenient way begins first and serves as a starting point for others. He who walks before God is dedicated to the knowledge of God’s perfections and all perfection and becomes accustomed to praising God. He who has entered before enters even deeper into the Divine and acquires reverent fear. Whoever after this is exalted for everything discerned in God tastes amazement. This is a limit beyond which you can no longer go. Whoever has gone through all these degrees is in a most blissful state and, until this century, lives in it, moving from amazement to awe, and from this to praise of God, walking or moving spiritually, as if in some house, in Divine contemplation, filled with light and heavenly purity. This is life in God! The only and inevitable condition in such a life is detachment from oneself and from everything created, or dispassion. The spirit must leave this world - into the world beyond this world, and not bring anything perishable there with it. “How this one came in, not having a wedding garment” (Matthew 22:12), they will say to the one who would have entered there, if it were possible, with some kind of passion, as if in tattered rags. But it is certain that no matter what kind of attachment there is no ascent to God. True, there is flattery in the spirit when it seems to him that he lives in God. But like a tied bird it flies and falls to the ground again, although it is tied by the smallest member; like a dusty eye and opens it, but sees nothing with it; Likewise, one who has an addiction thinks that he has gone deeper into God, but in doing so he only deceives himself. In this state there are false visions, the seduction of fantasy, and together - the charm of Satan, who loves and knows how to take advantage of all our weaknesses. Many were amazed at this and died forever. However, this should not serve as a reproach to the truth or stop the zeal and desire of those who seek. One should only not forget the wise rules left by the God-wise fathers, that is, when striving towards God, one should not forget to renounce everything and more strictly begin with the latter or primarily turn to it; because the first is in some way natural to the spirit, which, having renounced the bonds of sensuality that hold it, has nowhere to enter except the Divine realm. The degrees of this renunciation are distinguished first by the painful rejection of the heart from sensory things through anger, then by lack of taste for them, and then by contemplating them from God, without taking one away from God. For renunciation from everything, as well as for life in God, it is best for those who are willing, able, and called to choose a special kind of life - monastic or hermit. Moreover, it is more convenient that both appear in all their purity and maturity. And in the order of ordinary life this is impossible, but it is associated with great difficulties and obstacles. It happens better when someone, having established himself to live in God at a distance from the world, then comes out or is called upon to work in the common life. In this case, life according to God has a special effect, he is the representative of God for people, spreading His blessing to everything... But again, they also ascend to hermitage according to certain rules, in a fatherly way, with a long and dangerous test of themselves. This is where they ascend through the Lord Jesus Christ, what they are finally worthy of and how! The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ “will grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, ... that you may be able to understand with all the saints that the breadth, and length, and depth, and height ... may be fulfilled to all the fulfillment of God” (Eph. 3:16-19)! b) Feelings and dispositions towards God - from contemplation of His creativity and providence To stand at such a height of disappearance in God constantly is very difficult, given the conditions of our present life. Attention is inevitably drawn from there into the order of temporary relations of life. But, thank the Lord, it may not be torn away from God. Here, too, we meet Him at every step, although not directly, but, so to speak, in reflections. Hence a special series of feelings and dispositions that are obligatory for us in relation to God, arising from the contemplation of His relation to the world and especially to man. We contemplate God, infinite in being and perfections, not only as the Creator and Provider, but also as the Perfector of the world. God is the All-Good, All-Powerful, All-Righteous and All-Wise Creator and Provider of the whole world, especially the human race and you. Consequently, aa) You are all His; submit to Him as the Lord of life, in a feeling of complete dependence on Him. The beginning of life and strength and their preservation are from God. He gave, He contains: “In Him we live, we move, and we are” (Acts 17:28). We must know and feel that we are in His right hand. It holds us above the abyss of insignificance, into which on our own we are constantly ready to turn. Therefore, with fear and care, we must hold on to this right hand ourselves, not tearing it away from ourselves and not tearing ourselves away from it, but, turning now to it, now to what we hang over, prayerfully kiss it, straining to bring ourselves to the feeling of It itself, as if touching us. We already know how important this feeling is in moral life. It serves as the deepest and firmest point of support for freedom in inclining it to the determination to walk in the will of God, or to abide in the law. And then at any other time it is a renewer or refresher of this determination, just as, on the contrary, its weakening is a measure of moral relaxation. Whoever sees the king in front of him is, at his wave, ready for both fire and water. In the same way, whoever feels the hand of the Lord of his life on himself, irresistibly strives to fulfill what he recognizes as coming from His mouth. The feeling of dependence on God is natural to our spirit. It is in him, only by immersion in sensuality, worries and entertainment, it is so buried that it does not emerge from under their weight, like a weak fire covered with ashes. Therefore, you only need to take away these obstacles in order to give strength to that feeling. Seclude yourself from external distractions into a distant peace or take possession of the night, and from the depredations of the mind enter the inner church; renounce worries about everything that oppresses you with a feeling of need, get rid of many things so that there is one; If we add to both and curb the flesh in deed and thought, then it is impossible that the feeling of dependence on the Lord of our life, dear to our spirit, will not come to life. But these are negative and seem to be preparatory means. Begin to understand the truths about the origin of everything from God, about your coming into the world; think about how life arises and contracts not at all according to our calculations, but according to some other rules and so on... In general, everything must be used to arouse from sleepiness and then constantly keep this feeling of dependence on God strong and alive. It is worth it, because it is all-conquering. Moral miracles only happen to him. You can rule yourself and others morally only through Him. bb) Everything is yours from Him. The abilities and properties of the soul and body, the circumstances of life, condition and title, place of birth, upbringing, service, means of maintenance, illness and health, sorrows and joys, elevation and demotion, rebirth, salvation, the promised kingdom, in general, everything that is in us and concerns us is from God and concerns us according to His will. He is the only manager of everything, no one can upset His intentions and nothing can be squeezed into His plans against His will. And this applies both in general to the entire human race, and in particular to me, you and everyone separately. Realizing this, thank God for everything. “Give thanks in everything,” teaches the apostle, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus” our Lord (1 Thess. 5:18). When he talks about everything, he excludes any distinction between joyful and joyless. This means that we should give thanks for sorrows of all kinds as much as for joys; as much for the small as for the big, for the past and the present, for the constant and the changing. Thanksgiving is a joyful feeling of the greatness of God's mercy towards us unworthy. When this joyful feeling is not suppressed by sorrows, or when sorrows are accepted as good, then the good state that is born from here is complacency. Constant complacency under continuing sorrowful circumstances is Christian patience. The last limit of godly dispositions in relation to one’s fate, arranged by God, beyond which begins not just gratitude, but an even higher feeling, this is contentment with one’s condition and with everything one has. All these changes in feelings and disposition in relation to the Providence that arranges us, while they are natural in a sound spirit, just as much need support, because they are constantly subject to the danger of attack from fussy and selfish egoism. Their maintenance is accomplished through reflection or understanding of certain truths, the consciousness of which is strong and will give rise to the feelings shown... All of them naturally follow from the properties of the dispositions themselves. So - 1) Thanksgiving is a feeling of God’s undeserved mercy. So, develop in your thoughts the abundance of God’s mercies, revealed in creation, providence and especially in redemption, bring to the consciousness that you are comprehensively embraced by these mercies: whatever movement is mercy; that you breathe less than you receive favors; that a moment is greater than the distance of mercy from mercy - or that you stand in them without origin. When later you come to the conclusion that all this is undeserved, that not only are you unworthy of any little mercy, but that, on the contrary, not mercy, but constant executions alone are worth it; then the spirit cannot remain insensitive, not be warmed by the warmth of God’s love and not respond with gratitude. In general, there is a measure of these two consciousnesses, a measure of gratitude, its increase and decrease, just as, on the contrary, ingratitude fills the heart where either they do not know goods, or consider themselves worthy of them, and lay claim to them. Someone who is ungrateful to God is a great egoist and at the same time a blind ignoramus. 2) Compassion is a joyful or grateful acceptance of sorrows and troubles of all kinds. The main thing in the production of this feeling is, in addition to a clear vision of how sorrows and troubles come from the hand of the Lord, there is also a clear vision of the benefits that flow from them, and, moreover, the benefits that are essential and flow not somehow by chance from the sorrows, but not otherwise and possible except under their condition. Such as, for example, purification of passions, affirmation of humility, remission of sins, strength of character, communion with Christ’s passions, etc. When this is well realized, then the germs of desire cannot but arise in the soul, and then the thirst for sorrows and troubles. To reinforce these emerging feelings, we must also add a clear consciousness that we are worth not only such, but also incomparably greater troubles, that life should be taken away, and not just some good. And that conviction will already significantly diminish the heart disease, that we deserve incomparably more, but less is sent to us; When we also see the benefit of sorrows, we will accept them with open arms. And this is complacency. 3) Patience is continued complacency. To endure does not only mean to bear sorrow; for when they have found it, where can you run away from them? But, in fact, it is not to carry with joy and gladness of spirit, which is why it is incessant complacency. Therefore, we must maintain it in ourselves in the same way as complacency, paying in both cases special attention to the duration of grief, bringing the heart to the conviction that the longer the grief, the better, that we should suffer not only for time, but also for eternity. For patience is especially exhausted because the one who endures does not see the outcome. When you take away in this way the possibility of relaxation of the spirit from not seeing the end of sorrows, then there will no longer be anything that shakes complacency. Whoever does not hasten to settle internally in this way soon loses patience, then falls into murmuring and even despair. 4) Contentment is the immobility of the heart in the face of sorrow or inability to see and feel deprivation... From a contented person, no matter how much you take away, everything is enough for him, and no matter how little you give him, he is satisfied with everything. This is like an external fence for all feelings and dispositions in relation to God’s providential care for us. It has a direct relation to the giving hand with the same feeling of undeserving of good and deserving of any punishment. The poor man accepts everything and is satisfied with every alms. This is the image of a satisfied... Here are indicated the sides to which one should attach one’s reflection when kindling the feelings of thanksgiving in all its forms; The imprecise beginning for the thoughts themselves in all these cases should be the Divine properties: Omnipotence, Goodness, Wisdom and Justice. Meditation on each of these properties can bring an abundance of joy and comfort. However, since not everyone is strong in mind, it is good to have and know a statement of consolations for various sorrowful cases and an outpouring of thanks, compiled by men experienced in this matter. And joys and sorrows are so everywhere! Everywhere there should be gratitude, and the ability to be complacent and endure, if not for the petrification of the heart. He who accepts everything with a purified heart only has these feelings in full force. Look for them from them! How many of them do Saint Chrysostom have, Saint Demetrius, the Wonderworker of Rostov, Saint Tikhon of Voronezh have! Others compiled entire books to console the unfortunate and mourning. cv) Everything that happens to you will come from God. He leads everything to a definite end; He also leads rational creatures, but only under the condition of their submission to His will. That God will bring about the best is certain; All that remains is for you to show complete submission to Him, the All-Distributor, to renounce your will, your plans and methods. From here follow different dispositions regarding one’s future, which are obligatory for every believer in the Divine government of the world. These are: 1) Devotion to the will of God. A devotee of God does not say this way: what will be, will be, deciding on the wrong thing, which does not promise anything (which is seen as the temptation of God); but he is clearly aware of the conformity of means with goals, or in some way sees the order of his life with all his tireless, sober, mature and reasonable activity, without arrogating to himself the knowledge of everything, how his life and deeds will end, what they will lead to - to good or evil for himself and for others; and, desiring only the good and glory of God, he prayerfully gives himself, his strength, and his deeds to God, so that He, according to His wise, good, and righteous advice, will prosper them as He wants, cutting off some things, adding others, changing others in the course and direction. Devotion to the will of God is not inactivity. She also combines intense activity, but without attachment to it, without insistence, so that it is exactly according to my will. She does not neglect her affairs, but cares about them, just not for their sake and for herself. One who is devoted to God says in everything: the will of the Lord be done, in the confidence that it will be for good. For God alone knows everything and He alone can avert evil if He pleases. 2) The closest and most natural consequence of this is peace in God. This tranquility is not an outpouring of bliss with laziness, which occurs in the flesh from the complete satisfaction of its needs, but is a peace of spirit flowing from the perfect confidence that God, to whom he has devoted his labors and deeds, will arrange everything in the best possible way for true and eternal good. This is the cutting off of the evil and consuming soul and body of over-concern, which gives no rest to a person as soon as he takes his fate into his own care, tormenting him now with doubts, now with fear and apprehension. He who is at peace in God is not so troubled, for he has cut off this evil passion by not ruling his own destiny, but by surrendering himself to God. 3) In addition to these feelings about your future, comes hope. She is the daughter of the first two. The devotee is confident that God will supply what is missing; he who rests in Him believes that this will be so. From here arises an undoubted expectation of God’s help in everything that He deems necessary for our well-being, for the manifestation of His glory and for the good of mankind. And this is hope. The one who hopes says: “God will not forsake and only God alone. My powers will change, other people will change, princes will change, God alone will not change.” Hope is a joyful feeling that heals the pain of helplessness and impotence, which is why it is warmed by this last feeling with confidence in the benevolence and benevolence of God. She is not impudent, not arbitrary, but she undoubtedly expects and actually receives not only those benefits that God has already told everyone forever that they are needed and will be given to everyone, but everything in general that she feels a vital need for. Hope grows to such a height that it seems to already have what it expects; but here again he puts the time, place and method in the will of God, that is, he waits patiently. The strongest support for her is the promise of the Lord that whatever believers ask in faith, they will receive (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24). 4) Therefore, under hope, a petition or prayer matures, that is, such an uplifting of the mind and heart to God, in which, expressing their deepest needs to God, the All-Good and Almighty, they pray to Him to send down needed help with undoubted faith, which they will receive, if it pleases God. There is hope in prayer, but not all prayer is hope. Hope completes or stands at the top, as if overshadowing prayer; prayer stands below and ascends into heaven under its shadow. Hope is primarily directed to God, prayer brings down the goodness of God to oneself and one’s vital needs. Therefore, the first condition for the success of a petition is a sincere consciousness of extreme need or a sorrowful and painful feeling of extremity, dissolved by hope. The person praying must bring himself to the point of calling out: “Lord! There is no protection or help for me anywhere. You are one helper!” Then stand in these extreme feelings and cry out until you receive it for the sake of persistence and helplessness, for God is infinitely merciful. It is as if He cannot see the sick, as long as the helpless show their faces to Him or come before Him. In prayer there is devotion, tranquility, and hope, but most importantly, this painful feeling of need... Such a feeling is a vessel equipped to receive mercy. The Lord waits for it to be born, and He Himself helps it to be born in various ways, so that the main condition for receiving help is fulfilled. At the same time, the difference between objects means little. They ask for grace-filled enlightenment just like they ask for their daily bread, and God gives. Thus, turning to the future, a pious Christian asks, hopes, and calms down in God, surrendering to Him completely. c) Feelings and dispositions - from the contemplation of God, the Perfecter of all things. God is the Almighty, Good and Righteous Finisher of all things, for which we hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. The face of heaven and earth will change, and all who live will receive judgment according to the false promise of the Lord. Then life will begin in its true form - eternal and unchanging. The present existence of the world and creatures is only initial, preparatory. The Lord, who arranges everything, leads everything to its destined end. When everything is fulfilled, then He will actually accomplish what everything leads to: He will open His glorious eternal Kingdom. We don’t know when this will happen; but we know without a doubt that there will be the end of the world, the Last Judgment, bliss for some and torment for others. So... aa) Expect the second coming of the Lord, that is, not only believe that it will happen, but also be ready to meet it every day and hour. Be, according to the word of the Lord, like servants waiting for the Lord, but not knowing when He will come. Therefore, prepare everything that is considered necessary for meeting Him, like the wise virgins, so that later you do not regret your indiscretion, and, wishing for this, pray: “Thy Kingdom come!” bb) We do not know whether the Lord will come within the limits of our life, from this hour until death, or perhaps our death will forestall His coming. Therefore, not daring to push back or postpone the appearance of the Lord beyond the present moment in which we think about this, we must equally keep in mind death, be ready for it and prepare for that event when the Lord will not come to us, but we will be called before Him to render everything according to our inheritance. This expectation, however, is not contrary to the expectation of the Lord, but in its essence is one and the same, or is, as it were, some kind of it. And it must be just as unceasing, just as sure, just as cheerful. This very minute or the next minute death will come and end everything we have. cv) The hour is unknown, but it is not unknown what will happen. Remember what will happen incessantly: death, judgment, heaven, hell. For if only one death happens, everything else will immediately follow it, and with such sharp determination that for all eternity it will be as it is supposed to be here. Maybe all this will happen now, in the blink of an eye. Write this in your thoughts and contemplate every moment, for whether you contemplate or not, it will already be like this. d) If everything can change so unexpectedly, and a type of existence can arise in which nothing that is present will receive a portion; if there is the truth of our life, and here is only the beginning, preparation, then do not stock up on much: be like a stranger... This obliges us to live on earth as on a foreign side. This does not mean not having anything, not acquiring anything, but that no matter how much one acquires, no matter how much something comes: honor, glory, wealth - not to attach one’s heart to it, but to keep it in one’s future fatherland... Let everything here be as foreign, as not one’s own. Do not reject it, do not despise it, but also accept it as someone else’s, as some kind of burden, aching in your heart that you do not live in your homeland, and sincerely wishing and praying to quickly pass to your eternal home. Thus, turning to the final end of everything, a pious Christian waits for the Lord, prepares for death, remembers the last and lives on earth as a wanderer. Here is the whole order of the pious mood of the spirit in Christianity: – A Christian ascends to God: Through the knowledge of one’s wretchedness and the knowledge of the Lord, coming to faith in Him, from this faith one accepts the hope of salvation and gives self-sacrifice, accepts peace with God and gives repentance, accepts the feeling of the Father’s love and gives zeal to act according to His will, for His glory. Having thus ascended to God and established himself in communion with Him, he walks before His face in pleasing God and fervor of spirit, laudably rejoices in Him, the Most Perfect God, reverently falls before His boundless majesty and is immersed in amazement in His incomprehensible infinity. – And remains in Divine order: Being in this way in God, he reverently honors the Divine order of being and life. Feeling that he is all God, he submits to God in the consciousness of complete dependence on Him; Realizing that everything he has is God’s, he gives thanks for it, is content, endures, and is content; believing that all the future is from God, he surrenders to God, rests in Him and, hoping, prays; confident that there will be an end to everything, he awaits it, prepares for death, remembers the last and supports himself as a wanderer on earth. Thus, three sections of feelings and dispositions are sharply designated, expressing a pious mood of the spirit and constituting Christian duties to God. It is obvious that the goal of everything is life in God, and ascent to God and staying in His order are the means, like two pillars on which that life is established. However, this relationship should not be understood this way, as if there is something necessary here, and something unnecessary. No, here everything is essential in the whole structure, and taking something away is a detriment to the whole. Everything is so connected here that a small disorder upsets everything. Just as our body, if you take away its juices, will die, and if you take away its nerves, it will also die, so here everything is needed. Therefore, without neglecting anything, we must pray fervently: “Create a pure heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.” d) Prayer is the container and arena of life in faith and piety Just as in relation to faith there are special actions in which it is expressed, so there are also actions that serve as an expression of piety. The most comprehensive of these actions is prayer. It is the container or arena of all spiritual life, or the spiritual life itself in movement and action. For what is prayer? There is an elevation of our mind and heart to God. But this exaltation takes place in all the pious feelings and dispositions shown before this, which are obligatory for a Christian. For repentance, and faith, and peace with God, and reverence, and patience, and hope for the second coming, and in general, every one of those necessary actions is related to God, lifts up to Him and is born from this elevation. Therefore, as soon as any pious feeling begins to move, prayer also moves, and, conversely, staying in prayer is staying in any of these feelings, and the transition from one feeling to another, as if the excitement of pious feelings, is the rekindling of prayer. It can be said that to pray means to set in motion pious feelings and dispositions, each separately, or all together, or one after the other, or, what is the same, to excite, enliven and kindle the life and spirit of piety. He who does not pray does not have piety, and he who does not have piety, how should he pray? If now piety is the life of our spirit, then it is understandable why only one who knows how to pray should be called having spirit. Some people define prayer as the breath of the spirit. She is the breath of the spirit... Just as in breathing the lungs expand and thereby attract the life-giving elements of the air, so in prayer the depths of our heart open up and the spirit ascends to God in order to receive the corresponding gift through communion with Him. And just as there the oxygen received in breathing through the blood then disperses throughout the whole body and revitalizes it, so here what is received from God enters our inner being and revives everything there... From here the following good consequences of prayer follow naturally. It is the revitalization of the spirit, a kind of deification of it. Whoever visits the world pot is imbued with the world; whoever ascends to God is filled with the Divine... The Divine flow in us, being in itself simple and singular, is decomposed in us according to the three forces of our spirit, as if into three streams: with one it influences the mind and enlightens it, with another - on the will and gives it strength, or sanctification and renewal of strength, with the third - on the heart and elevates life, or the fire of a grace-filled life. It is clear, therefore, that prayer is everything for us, and it is understandable why zealous prayer books quickly ascend to the heights of spiritual perfection, reveal the first fruits and fruits of the spirit, and become spiritualized. Now the conditions for the movement of true prayer reveal themselves. If it is an exalted life and activity of the spirit, and this latter develops at the expense of others who have received a portion of lives in us, then prayer is impossible without the mortification of the flesh and the destruction of the soul, or even without self-sacrifice, just as true piety is impossible without them. Prayer, with sensuality and soulfulness, is the same as smoking a stinking grave... That is why among holy hermits we find prayer in its most perfect form! Because they had a strong sense of selflessness. Both of these together soon made them spirit-bearers, and for the most part only them alone. The ordinary order of life is somehow not entirely conducive to perfection in prayer. For while in it it is necessary to renounce everything and, as it were, not to exist for the external, here everything calls out and overthrows the spirit from the height to which it will only ascend with all its efforts. d) Education through prayer Judging by this origin and meaning of prayer, it must be unceasing, for it must unceasingly have a spirit of piety and, moreover, not a dead one, but a living one. Therefore, it is prescribed: “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), “praying with all prayer and supplication at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). But such unceasing prayer, or the acceptance of the action of prayer, is not achieved suddenly, but by intermittent prayers performed at certain times, which are both the necessary means for acquiring unceasing prayer and the conditions for its preservation throughout life. The production of these prayers requires both a special external order and a special internal mood. So, for him, a special place is needed, if possible, secluded and designated for that, in front of the holy icon with the lighting of a candle or lamp without that; special times are necessary, morning and evening or at other times, in relation to the hours of church services; a special position of the body is required, standing or kneeling, with decorum and tension. He who begins this prayer must first of all return his mind from distraction and gather within himself to shake off all worries or, as much as possible, calm them down and place himself in the most vivid awareness of the presence of God, the omnipresent, omniscient and all-seeing. This is, as it were, the creation of an internal prayer “cage” into which the Lord commanded to retire (Matthew 6:6), the same as a temporarily supplied tabernacle. Having settled in this way, perform the prayer itself: quietly, reverently, intelligently read the selected and established prayers, interspersing them with bows with the sign of the cross, bows at the waist, or to the ground, or kneeling, straining in every possible way to implant what you are reading into your heart and arouse in it the corresponding feelings. When your heart warms or a feeling is aroused, stop and do not continue reading until you are nourished. If this feeling weakens, start again and stop again when the feeling is reborn. This is the whole production of prayer... It seems to others that this image of prayer contains a lot of material, elemental things; “But bodily training for a little while is profitable,” the apostle teaches (1 Tim. 4:8). And others completely want to take away everything external from prayer, remaining with only the internal. This is an ancient misconception. It was noticed and rejected by the holy fathers at the very beginning. The fruit is preceded by color, the color by the leaf, the leaf by the bud and the revitalization of the branches. Graduality is necessary in the material, and it is also necessary in the spiritual. Inner prayer is a fruit: you have to work hard until it comes into being. Three degrees of prayer can be assigned. At the first, it is predominantly external: readings, bows, vigils, and so on... They begin with this, and others work on themselves for quite a long time until the beginnings of prayer appear, or light movements of the prayerful spirit... Prayer, as the highest gift, is sent down as if little by little, in order to teach a person to value it dearly. At the second degree, the physical and the spiritual are in equal strength. Here, each word of prayer is accompanied by a corresponding feeling, or internal prayer movements, internally driven, are expressed and expressed in their own words... This is the most common prayer, common to almost everyone. It is common in those in whom the spirit of piety is alive. At the third degree, the inner or spiritual predominates in prayer, when without words, and without bows, and even without reflection, and without any image, with some silence or stillness, the action of prayer is performed in the depths of the spirit. This prayer is not limited by time, place, or anything external and can never stop. This is why it is called the action of prayer, that is, something that remains unchanged. This, in fact, is internal prayer. But in order to reach this final stage, it is necessary to go through the first ones and, therefore, to raise all the labors of bodily work for prayer, such as fasting, bowing, reading prayers, vigil, kneeling. Whoever goes through this will enter the second degree, when, as Macarius the Great says, you just bow and the spirit is already warmed up in prayer. Just as someone who does not know the alphabet should not start a warehouse, because it will be a waste of time, so here: who does not know how to swim in a shallow river, how can he be allowed into the deep sea? But even then, as someone ascends to the final stage of prayer, external prayer does not stop, but also participates in internal prayer. The only difference is that in the first case the external precedes the internal, and here the internal precedes the external. How can one take on the internal alone when one has not yet learned through labor and experience to ascend from the external to the internal! Can you see now where life in God appears in all its fullness, strength and beauty? At the highest levels of prayer. So great is the power of prayer and so high its significance!.. Prayer is everything: faith, piety, salvation. Consequently, so much can be said about it that there will be no end. It is advisable that someone compile the book as a guide to prayer from the holy fathers. This would be the same as a guide to salvation. He who knows how to pray is already saved. 3) Communication with God through communication with the Holy Church Now we need to go back a little and remember how we began to explain the feelings and dispositions that make up the pious mood of the Christian spirit. The spirit of Christian piety consists in communion with God through our Lord Jesus Christ in His Holy Church, or according to the economy of salvation. It has already been indicated what feelings and dispositions our spirit should have on the path of union with the Savior, which ones on the path of ascension from the Savior to God, and which ones to be filled with while abiding in God. What should he now feel and to what dispositions is he obliged, united with the Lord Jesus Christ and abiding in God through the Holy Church of God? Our Lord Jesus Christ, having accomplished our salvation in Himself, deigned to establish the Holy Church on earth for the application and assimilation of this salvation to everyone. The Holy Church is the only house of salvation on earth. Whoever is outside of it perishes. The Lord says: “Be like a pagan and a tax collector,” one who has separated from the Church through disobedience (Matthew 18:17). Everyone who did not enter the ark perished during the flood, and everyone who did not enter the Church will perish. Living union with the Church is the only condition of salvation. To remain in this union is an essential duty of the believer. There is a living union with the Church where everything that is in the Church is recognized and felt as close to itself, as if it were its own part. Since the Church is a vessel of grace-filled means for salvation and, at the same time, a container for the saved and being saved, it is necessary to appropriate and lively receive either the grace-filled means of salvation or the Christians who are being saved. Therefore, there are two kinds of obligatory feelings, dispositions and deeds for us to build our salvation. a) Feelings and dispositions from the attitude towards the Church as a repository of grace-filled means for salvation The Church is a house of salvation, because all our essential spiritual needs are satisfied only in it. So, we need enlightenment by knowledge of the truth - it is the enlightener; we need strength to strengthen our weak forces: she is the giver of grace; We need protection from dangers and enemies - she is our intercessor and protection. These three relations of the Church to us determine what lies upon us in relation to her. aa) From the attitude towards persons who apply means of grace to those who are being saved. But at the head of all relationships we must still place one thing, perhaps not for everyone, an obvious relationship with the persons through whom the Church, which saves us, acts on us with the means of salvation. We know that enlightenment, strength, and protection from God are given to us in the Holy Church. The question is, how? Not directly. Since we are physically spiritual, then in the Holy Church there are institutions corresponding to this, which are essential for communicating to us its saving means; such institutions, without which heavenly gifts are not sent down from heaven and are not accepted on earth. But in order for these institutions to have a beneficial effect on us, they must be applied to us, or performed on us. And in order for this last thing to be accomplished, there must be persons in the Church, especially those designated for this purpose. 1) The establishment of these persons by God. So we naturally come to the conclusion that in the Church, which combines within itself the grace-filled means of salvation, there must be certain persons who, acting according to its reason, would, by these means, deliver on its behalf to others what is necessary for salvation. They are. These are the shepherds who make up the primary bishopric and the subordinate priesthood, which is the expansion or expansion of the bishopric. The Lord said to the holy apostles: “I command you, as My Father commanded me, a kingdom” (Luke 22:29), that is, I entrust it to you to build it (1 Cor. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:10) and to guard it (Col. 4:17; 1 Pet. 5:2). The apostles then combined everything in themselves. Then they, putting others in their place, bequeathed to them to guard the kingdom in those who came to it. Thus, the Lord “gave the two apostles... the same shepherds and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the edification of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–12). Saints are made holy through shepherds. This does not mean that they possessed personal power, or that they had an imprecise source of power; but the fact that they stand in the middle, at the transition from earth to heaven, and either they raise people to God, or they bow God to people. What did John the Baptist do? He brought people to the Lord. The shepherds are now doing the same according to the will of the Lord (see Epistle of the Patriarchs, part 10). Episcopacy is the root of shepherding. It pours out grace from God through the priesthood to the whole world, especially to believers. Thus, no one comes to God and receives mercy from Him except through sanctified persons through certain institutions maintained by the Church. Therefore, in the economy of salvation, the first thing we encounter is the attitude towards the shepherds. Here in a few words is everything that lies on every Christian in this regard. 2) Obligatory feelings and dispositions for them. We must: maintain conviction in the high importance of shepherding and believe in it; be in cordial, peaceful, loving communication with him and submit yourself to him; to resort to God through him, or to actually enjoy the shepherd; to pray that God will preserve these means of grace and in every possible way adapt their activity for our salvation. This does not introduce multi-headedness, but it is arranged this way so that the one Head - Christ, through the most numerous means, may bestow blessings on many bishops and priests. bb) Regarding the use of the grace-filled means of the Holy Church. Anyone who enters the Church through shepherding becomes a participant in all its restorative powers of grace and, accordingly, accepts the obligation to nurture certain feelings and dispositions in himself as a member of the Church. Exactly: 1) to the Church-educator. The Church enlightens through the preaching of the Word of God. Both the Word of God, written and unwritten, and its preaching constantly remain in the Church. So, we must keep in mind and remember that we have a book of books containing one unalloyed truth, that is, the Holy Bible - the invaluable gift of God; reverently honor her, love and thank the Lord for her; study in it day and night and form your life according to it; For this reason, when starting to listen and read it, proceed reverently, clearing the mind of vain thoughts; while reading, listen and understand, attach your heart to it, set the intention to fulfill it and, thanking God for nourishing it, pray for the strength to carry out what you have learned. And to the unwritten Word of God, that is, everything devoted and established, one must also turn a devoted heart; to believe the messages of the Spirit of God hidden here; to submit piously; recognize and conform to that in feelings and deeds. The preaching of the Word of God is constantly heard in the Church; one must be grateful for its existence, take advantage of every opportunity to hear, try to understand and assimilate what is heard, for here the Lord Himself sows the seeds. In addition to the oral, there is a written sermon in the works of the holy fathers. With an open heart and mind, one must lean into these sources and drink heavenly wisdom from them. But one should not disdain collections of teachings and instructional books that do not belong to the holy fathers. In general, to enlighten the mind with the knowledge of truth communicated by the Holy Church, one must have the following dispositions: to believe and hold in one’s heart that the Church alone is the pillar and foundation of the truth; that her enlightenment is the only true Divine enlightenment; everything else, external, is incomparably lower than it and, as long as it disagrees with it or is contrary to it, is a lie and delusion, or demonic wisdom; therefore, here it is primarily to seek enlightenment not on one’s own, but through the teaching established by God, and under his guidance, although not without one’s own labor; and after it, and according to its spirit, accept secular enlightenment, but only what is necessary and under that condition, if it agrees with the undoubted truth, for everything will pass away, only the truth will remain. Recognizing all this with your heart, you cannot help but feel sorry and lament when the preaching of the truth and its preachers become impoverished. This is execution, “the famine...of the Word of God” ( Am. 8:11–12 ). We should also grieve if negligence and contempt for the Word of God spreads and believers are instilled with teachings contrary to it, for this is a sign of darkening and expansion of the dominion of darkness and the prince of lies (see St. Tikhon, vol. 4). 2) To the Church-sanctifier, or the giver of grace and its educator. The Divine strength we need for life and piety is exuded by the seven Divine sacraments entrusted to the Holy Church. So... We must, keeping in mind that we have inexhaustible vessels of grace, rejoice and thank the Lord for this great and ineffable gift; one must reverence them as the greatest shrine and manifestations of God and His power, and more often partake of those whom one should, believing undoubtedly in the saving power hidden in them. In particular, in relation to each sacrament, our duty is to approach them as we should and to guard with fear the grace received through them; to preserve the new life received in baptism, remembering the vows that were made, the covenant that you entered into, the benefits that you received the right to in this sacrament; guard, warm and use for the good of the Church the gift of grace received in confirmation; hasten to heal every sin in the sacrament of repentance, confessing sincerely, patiently bearing penance according to the rules; often, and at least four times a year (see Law. Spanish), to partake of the Holy Mysteries with due preparation and cleansing of conscience and to preserve the peace of the Lord received in this sacrament; prepare for the sacrament of marriage by fasting and prayer and, upon acceptance, preserve the friendly union rationally and spiritually as a gift of grace; when you are exposed to illness, do not forget to perform the sacrament of consecration of oil on yourself with faith and hope, not limiting yourself to medicines alone, for faith does not put you to shame. In general, you need to know about various spiritual needs and keep in mind that strength comes only from God, through the sacraments. Neither your own prudence, nor the advice of others - nothing will help when the power of God has not been received. There, therefore, one must turn all one’s attention, one’s heart, and one’s hope, knowing that all other means have only a conditional meaning, but these have a decisive meaning. Then, having accepted power, let no one think of acting with it without permission. One must submit to a leader, a priest appointed by God, and sometimes to a successor, and according to his guidance, cultivate the gift, warm it and use it. The higher the gift, the more dangerous it must be treated; and this is best from the advice of the one through whom it was received. A leader in the use of forces or the development of our will is essential. All means of pedagogy are inferior, less powerful and more unreliable than this. That is why those who complacently undergo obedience so quickly become strong men! Whoever wants to be content with his thoughts alone is in danger of abusing the gift or even losing it completely. In addition, one must not omit in any way the means offered by the Church for the development and strengthening of grace-filled forces. The first place after the sacraments is fasting and fasting. Their meaning is to, through abstinence, enable the Spirit of grace to influence us more strongly, to give us time to sincerely partake of the sacraments, to purify and renew zeal in the spirit. This is the most charitable institution! This is followed by festivals, abolitions from everything for the Lord's sake and, therefore, for the benefit of the spirit of grace. But, in general, all church rites are intended for sanctification and the kindling of the spirit of grace and the establishment of piety. Consequently, we must contain them all, assimilate them, and participate in them in order to be sanctified, maintain sanctification, and cultivate the appropriate spirit of life. This is where the Divine educational home is! 3) to the Church-protector and intercessor. We are surrounded by dangers from everywhere. We sin constantly and attract the wrath of God upon ourselves and others; and here there are diverse enemies around, visible and invisible, internal and external. The Church stands like a good guard on guard or like a brave warrior fully armed with the shield of the strong, and protects her children. It alone combines the most powerful and effective intercessors and helpers. In heaven, the Lord Himself intercedes for us, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, a council of angels and saints prays for us, and especially the cover of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos, the Guardian Angel and the saint of the same name overshadow each of us. And on earth she has special points for the flow of emergency heavenly help - with the holy relics of God's saints and miraculous icons. But all this is only a means of protecting it. The very protection, or her own protective shield, consists in her constant prayer for us. That is why it is called a house of prayer and in its entire structure it is primarily of a prayerful nature. The Church has one common prayer structure for all and private prayers adapted to our special needs. In order for the power of the Church’s prayerful intercession to transfer to us in both cases, we need to participate in them or place ourselves in certain relationships with them that are obligatory for us as members of the Church. The prayerful intercessory structure of the Church common to all is as follows. Usually the Church calls her children to pray in the church of God at certain times and here, through sacred rites, she brings down protective power on them. Hence lies the duty of believers to join together in prayer, or to gather for public worship. General prayer has great power according to the promise of the Lord, to be there especially “where two or three are gathered in His name” and to fulfill every request about which “two take counsel on earth” (Matthew 18:19–20). The prayer of one is only as strong as he alone is strong, and then only if he does not alienate himself from the common prayer; and if he deliberately alienates himself from her, then his lonely prayer is completely insignificant. In common prayer, everyone’s prayer is as strong as all those praying together are strong. History presents astonishing experiences of the power of common prayer in all times. The whole Church always asked for help from the Lord, drove away plagues, defeated enemies, brought down rain or closed the sky when it stood before God with the bishop, all the clergy and people. Therefore, the apostle obliges us “not to abandon the meeting,” not to shun it (Heb. 10:25) for fear of losing the help that mutual reinforcement provides. But this does not exclude the duty and power of private prayer. Outside the church, in the house, the family is a union of worshipers. And the Church wants to make everyone a man of prayer and strong in prayer. Then she laid down rules for private, solitary prayer. There is a duty to gather in churches. The church is a consecrated place in which God reveals His special presence, a place that, according to deep thought, is located both in general and in parts. Thus we must believe and rejoice in these dwellings of God; understand their inner meaning; abide in them as before God, with reverent fear and from the outside show them due respect; preserve them and contribute in every possible way to their splendor and decoration; Let sacred things and all utensils be inviolable, piously honored and used by us: candles, clothes, vessels, icons, especially the Cross and the Gospel. May holy relics, if they exist, and miraculous icons be given greater honor before everyone for the sake of the power of God that dwells in them, revealed to all and constantly revealed. But during the time of prayer, the house also becomes a church of prayer. Here are icons, and sometimes a lamp, candles, a Cross, a Gospel. In addition, there are chapels with icons and crosses among the dwellings, and crosses often appear in the fields. One can see the desire to make every place a place of prayer, to teach us to pray everywhere - at home, in the field, on the road. There is a duty to gather at a certain time, that is, at certain days and hours of the day. Sundays and holidays are designated for general prayer. We must know them and celebrate both general church holidays according to their degree, as well as private ones of our church and the most private holidays of our Angel. The holiday is not idleness, but celebration, that is, joyful rejoicing of the spirit for the sake of the consciousness of the great mercies of God. Therefore, having abandoned material labors and all worries, in a feeling of benefit from them and freedom, as if in anticipation of the freedom of the next century, this time should be spent in praise of God, thoughts of God and charity, in general - exclusively for salvation, and this from the beginning of the holiday to the end, from evening to evening. There is no better way to cultivate the aspirations of the future century. In the Church of God, the days of the week have their own meaning. One must remember and respect the significance of each of them and accordingly arrange one’s thoughts and behave, especially on Wednesday and Friday, according to the memories associated with them. The same must be said about the hours of the day. One should not neglect their meaning, but one must know and behave according to their meaning. How much this can contribute to the formation of a prayerful spirit and quickly teach reverent walking before the Lord! For here it is necessary to remember now the judgment, now the suffering of the Lord, now the grace of the Holy Spirit, now the blessings of creation. The hours of the day, according to recollections, are walking in a multi-colored and fragrant spiritual garden. Here - can you? bow; No? thoughts... This should especially not be forgotten when this or that prayer or action is performed in church, as the ringing of a bell announces this. Therefore, it is clear that out of the Church’s care for us, the entire time of our lives is allocated to prayer. Saint John Chrysostom has prayer appeals for every hour of the day and night. Thus we are covered and overshadowed by prayers according to the commandment of the Church! There is a duty to gather for certain, established sacred rites, such as: Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, Hours, Mass. Each of them has its own meaning, which is imbued with it, and each is a single whole, an integral prayer. Therefore, when participating, one must know what kind of sacred rite is being performed; participate in it spiritually because it is for us; in order to deeply listen and enter into his spirit and be filled with it; be present at it from beginning to end, anticipate the blessing of the priest and wait out the vacation. From the Church, prayer goes with the Christian into his home, and here, in addition to performing evening and morning prayers, before the table and after the table, in every case and occasion one must ascend to God with prayer and the sign of the cross. Thus, according to the instructions of the Church, every action of a Christian must be protected by prayer, or he must constantly remain under the shadow of prayer. This is the general outline of the prayer structure of the Church and these are the responsibilities that follow from this! But we still have different kinds of special needs. The Church is ready to satisfy all of them in order to protect and repose us, and has what. In any case, it is our duty to resort to her intercession. There are prayer rites that, having been performed according to the rules by sanctified persons in the Church or outside it, manifest full beneficial power over them according to the faith with which they are accepted. The main intercession of the Church is to offer a bloodless sacrifice for the sins of the entire Christian world. This sacrifice is continually consumed in the Church. Just as the Lord in heaven at the right hand of God intercedes for us, so she is here. The cross, as it were, has not disappeared from the face of the earth since its first erection. We sin and continually anger God. The sword is over the heads... There is a continuous sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ in the Church, powerful to cleanse everyone. So, hurry to participate in the offering of this bloodless sacrifice and be cleansed... that is, attend the liturgy as often as possible, donate to the proskomedia if you can, and then, during its performance, be united in a contrite spirit and tearful prayer to the offered sacrifice. When you are not in the Church, then at the hour when you hear the call to a worthy one, pray for the acceptance of the sacrifice for your own sake... This is the strongest defense of the Church, which nothing can replace... This sacrifice is also a sacrifice of thanksgiving - the Eucharist. Just as there is an obligation to give thanks, one should consider it an obligation to participate in making this sacrifice. But besides this most important intercession in bloodless sacrifice, in all other needs and needs one must resort to the Church. She has a prayer petition for every need we have. We have spiritual and physical needs and needs, we have private and general troubles and sorrows; in all this one must resort to the protection of the Church (see about this in the Trebnik). There are spiritual needs and needs: do you need to study? - bless you; the teaching is not accepted? - accept prayer; Do burdens, sorrow and melancholy torment your heart? - resort to the prescribed singing; If you are at enmity with someone, but you cannot overcome yourself, ask them to pray; Is anything freezing? - Sanctify it and calm your soul. There are bodily needs and needs: you need sleep, but sleep is fleeting? - resort to the Church; sleep well, but Satan mocks the sleepy? - drive him away with the power of church prayer; need a house? - sanctify both its foundation and itself; do you need a well? – sanctify; need a garden and vegetables? – sanctify; do you need salt? – sanctify; need fire? – sanctify; do you need bread? - consecrate both the seed, and the shoot, and the threshing floor; whether you are beginning to eat new fruit or new food, sanctify it. And in general, everything that touches a person, that goes inside, must be sanctified. There is no son, no one to be an heir, no one to support his old age? - accept him from the Church through sonship; are you going on a journey? - Go, the Church will pray for the success of your journey. There are private troubles: what kind of weakness is in the body? – get medical help from the Church; Who is raped by demons? – use church spells; does the house get cold from them? - drive them out with her own prayers; Is the field, or garden, or vegetable garden damaged by reptiles? - resort to the same weapons. There are common troubles: lack of rain and windlessness, pestilence, evil dissolution of the air, cowardice, famine, storm, thunder and lightning, invasion of enemies or some other misfortune - from all this seek protection through church prayers. Is it finally necessary to have your own church funds at home in case of emergency - and there is no refusal in this... Acquire and, having consecrated, bring into the house, as it were, a gift to the Church - the Cross of the Lord, a consecrated icon, holy water, especially baptismal water, various objects from holy relics and miraculous icons, etc. Thus, man is surrounded on all sides by the fence and protection of the Church. As soon as he comes into the light, he is greeted by the prayer of the Church and, when he departs, is accompanied by her prayer outside the tomb. Whoever does not shy away from all these prayerful, intercessory and protective actions of the Church, does not consider them superfluous and unnecessary, knowing from experience their power, does good. For Christians, all of them are obligatory because they are in the Church. A Christian must be clothed with churchliness in order to be a member of the Church. What kind of warrior is without military attire and without military science? The church is the house of the Lord. It is impossible to think that something contrary to God, not blessed by Him, displeasing to Him, would enter into it and become established? Shouldn’t anyone who refuses to fulfill the shown commandments and teachings of the Church say: friend, how did you enter into this? Moreover, the power of all that the Church intercedes with has been proven by many experiments. Based on these experiences, both the institutions themselves and the order of orders were drawn up. He who shuns them is like someone who is offered simple, proven remedies against some infection, but out of superstition he despises it and perishes. It is very bad to shun churchliness. The enemy’s slander is great against us. But it primarily acts on us through matter and through our flesh: it has some affinity with rough matter, according to the remark of St. John of Damascus. Perhaps, hiding in her, he feels some joy, which is why he clings to her. That is why, for example, demons cry out to the Lord: do not send us into the abyss, but into pigs. If so, then in the water, and in the air, and in everything, he can attack us and harm us. The Lord commanded to establish in His Church something that could be used to purify and sanctify everything, in order to drive out the unclean from everywhere and not allow him to touch the believers. So whoever deprives himself of these means has become like a fenced-in garden, through which animals prowl and destroy everything in it. The Lord speaks of the seed of good in the soul, that the devil enters and steals it. This is how everyone should protect themselves. The damned person fears nothing more than something church-related. After all, we are at war, not resting. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, and against the powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places. For this reason, accept all the weapons of God, so that you will be able to resist on the day of cruelty, and everything you have done. Therefore, gird your loins with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness, and put on your shoes for the preparation of the gospel of peace; and having taken up the shield of faith over all, in it you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one: and take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:12-17). In conclusion, a brief word outlines everything that has been said here. Those who have entered the Church are commanded to do this: being enlightened, sanctified, protected by it under the guidance of men sanctified in it by God, remain in a prayerful mood of spirit, or in unceasing prayer, and through it arouse and plant in your soul the feelings and dispositions that are obligatory for you, both those by which through the Lord Jesus Christ we ascend into communion with God, and those that flow from the order of the Divine government of the world; and then, through both, strive and awaken to the most intimate life in God, rising to silent immersion in God. May the Lord help everyone to do this! b) Feelings and dispositions from the attitude towards the Church as the receptacle of the saved and being saved The Church is both a repository of grace-filled means of salvation and a home for those who are being saved. He who enters into a living union with her takes upon himself all of her structure, and together enters into deep communication with all her members. “You are strangers and strangers,” says the apostle, but fellow saints and dreamers of God: who was built on the foundation of the Apostle and Prophet, the cornerstone of Jesus Christ Himself: in Him every creation grows into a Holy Church in the Lord” (Eph. 2:19–21). This fellowship is as close as the fellowship of members in the body, for “we are one body in Christ” (Rom. 12:4-5). Since the members of the Holy Church are divided into two degrees, some have already passed from this life, are laid to rest in the Kingdom of Heaven and constitute the triumphant Church, others are still on earth, striving only to achieve that state in the struggle and constitute the militant Church; then Christians have one communion with the members of the Church triumphant in heaven, and another with the members of the Church residing and militant on earth. aa) From the attitude towards those who have departed: That there is communion between the earthly and the heavenly, the apostle teaches about this: “Come near to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem: and to the multitude of angels, to the Solemnity, and to the Church of the firstborn in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all: and to those who are righteous in spirit, perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new Covenant” (Heb. 12:22-24). When there is such a close union, then there must be obligatory relations. But since the state of the inhabitants of heaven is completely different from that of those on earth, we must behave differently towards them than towards those with whom we live here. The concept of their condition and the way of our relationship with them determines the actions that are obligatory for us in relation to them, both general to all and specific to their different ranks. Since they have already been completed, have ascended to the most blessed measure of the age of fulfillment of Christ, have reached the highest destined deification, have appeared before God and remain before His face, like children in the house, boldly extending the word of prayer to Him, have passed from weakness, have become strong, by the grace of the Lord, in their action on creation, visible and invisible, then we must: - to give them honor not divine, but above human, and not as God, but as the fullest vessels of the Divine, exalted and glorified by God; - to resort to their intercession, as prayer books for us, vigilant and strong with God, according to His love for mankind and ineffable goodness, and with faith and hope ask for their help and protection, as strong by the grace of God. Since, further, they did not separate, but remain with us members of the one Church and, moreover, constitute a model and, as it were, a mark towards which everyone should strive, it follows from here again that we must: - to recognize their god-like properties and the works they have accomplished, and try with all our might to imitate them in feelings and deeds, honoring their life as a faithful guiding light; - to come with them, as much as possible, into the closest spiritual unity, enjoying their glory and sympathizing with their works and virtues. To accomplish all this, you must: - remember them in their days and celebrate the festivals due to them; - to honor their icons, pray before them and kiss them lovingly, light candles and serve prayer services; – read their lives or troparia and kontakion; - talk about them and their affairs with due respect and love. And, in particular, for each face of saints the obligatory actions that lie upon us are the same, with a certain shadow of change and difference according to their rank. Therefore, here the very thought of rank will teach you how to relate to them, just explain to yourself the meaning of rank. In this heavenly hierarchy, above all is the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim - the Lady Theotokos. Behind Her are the ranks of the incorporeal: nine in their order; then the saints of God: the prophets and the greatest of the prophets - the Forerunner; the apostles and the highest of them - Peter and Paul; saints, the great ones being Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, Saint Nicholas and the Russians: Peter, Alexei, Jonah, Philip; martyrs, confessors, saints, unmercenaries, fools for Christ's sake. The closest of them to every Christian are the Lady Theotokos, the common Mother and Intercessor of all Christians, the Guardian Angel, the saint of the same name, the saint of a church or country, the one whose relics exist or to whom special intercession has been shown. This special relationship is expressed in the prayers addressed to them. In their image we must remember them in every prayer, whether the prayer is performed according to rite, or only internal appeals are raised to God: Most Holy Lady Theotokos, save us! Angel of God, my holy Guardian, pray to God for me; then to confess the Mother of the Lord as the Ever-Virgin, the Mother of God, and to give Her the highest honor of all angels and archangels, as having essentially participated in the organization of the embodied economy; the Guardian Angel must listen and learn to understand his suggestions; to compete with the saint of the same name in his virtues, to know his life and to celebrate his day piously; to resort to the saint of the church with special faith, for all those baptized in that church come under his care; to go to the saint of the country, to the church, to the relics, to the icon. The entire heavenly Church should be remembered in the main prayers according to their order, as in the church prayer: Save, O God, Thy people... Or: The Lord is merciful... and in others. The main goal of these relationships is to cultivate in oneself the desire and thirst to join the community of those who triumph in heaven. Everyone is destined for this, and you need to prepare yourself: turn there more often with your thoughts and hearts, straining as much as possible, to comprehend and anticipate the sweetness of their stay there, in order to finally say: one day I will be resolved! Converse with them more often in prayer and meditation, so that when you come there, you will not be alien to them, but will join, as it were, your own society. 2) To those who have departed and remain in the hope of eternal life. In addition, however, to these glorified, perfect ones, revealed as our intercessors and defenders, there is also a class of people who have departed from us in faith and hope, whose fate, however, is unknown to us with a certain determination. And they are not separated from us and remain in the same house of the Church, and therefore our duties to them do not cease with their death, although they can no longer be the same as they were before. Thus, it is necessary to help bury every brother in Christ who has died, if there is a need, and to pay his last debt to him; offer prayers, sacrifices and alms for everyone; either not to talk about them at all, or to say only good things, but not to slander or condemn; fulfill their last good will; remember with gratitude their goodness and try to imitate and support their edifying customs. And regarding relatives, besides all this, one must not grieve, like those who have no hope, although one cannot be indifferent; always remember them by name, especially on the 3rd, 9th, 40th days of the year, on church days of remembrance and in all prayers. There is only one consolation for the dead - fervent, hopeful, strong prayer. Alms can also do a lot; but the main thing is a bloodless sacrifice. bb) Feelings and dispositions towards the brothers in Christ who live with us on earth and make up the body of the earthly Church. Another kind of obligatory relationship connects us with those Christians with whom we live on earth. These relationships flow from the concept of Christians as a single body of the Church (Eph. 4:16; 1 Cor. 12:12, 12:27) and are of two kinds: some to the entire body of the Church, others to each member of it, since he is a member. The first are indicated by the distinctive properties of a living body. The distinctive properties of a living organized body are harmony, or harmonious agreement of all parts in one whole, living union, or sympathy and compassion, and the distribution of labor between all parts in favor of one whole, bypassing itself. According to these three properties of the living body, Christians, in relation to the whole body of the Church, have obligatory feelings and dispositions, which everyone must inevitably consciously cultivate in themselves. Exactly: 1a) To be in agreement, or similar disposition, in spirit with the entire Church. The members of the body agree because they are all imbued with the same life. And every Christian must drink in the same spirit with which the whole Church is filled. If this does not exist, it is not from the Church: “It came out from us, but was not from us,” it is said about similar ones (1 John 2:19). Although there will be no visible material detachment, it will itself take place within the soul, and not dreamily, but truly. This unity of spirit is expressed in the unity of mental and moral principles, or in unanimity and unity of will. Unity of thought is so convincingly prescribed by the holy apostles almost incessantly! The Apostle Peter, after other duties, concludes: “Now it is the end; ye shall all be of the same wisdom” (1 Pet. 3:8). The Apostle Paul bequeaths: “to meditate on one another” (Rom. 12:16), and then to pray to God: “that he may give to all to philosophize to one another in Christ Jesus: that with one accord and one mouth they may glorify God” (Rom. 15:5–6), then he implores the Christians themselves: “I pray ye, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye may all say the same thing, that there be no strife among you; be established in the same understanding and in the same thought” (1 Cor. 1:10). “Fulfill my joy, that you may be wise, having the same love, of one accord, of the same wisdom” (Phil. 2:2). This obliges a Christian not to be indifferent to the way of thinking that he harbors, and not to think that no matter how he understands other things, he must take every care to unite as sincerely and internally as possible in mind and thought with everyone - therefore, not only not to honor the peculiarity and individuality of the view, but to grieve for the fact that it exists, especially if it has become so deeply rooted that it requires struggle. From this point of view, all philosophizing and independent views in the field of revealed truths are crimes. Our fathers did not act this way. The first thing they cared about about any subject was to find out how the fathers judged... And this is a constant practice in the Church - to be of one mind with everyone. One-will, or life according to the will of God, otherwise purity... This obliges a Christian to be pure like everyone else, and not to defile the holy body of the Church with his uncleanness... And in the Old Testament it was repeatedly commanded: “remove what is evil from yourselves” (Deut. 17:7), because it does not belong in the general, pure composition of all, it discredits and endangers him all, as it happened, that for the sin of one everyone suffered. Likewise, the Apostle Paul reproaches the Corinthians, why do they tolerate the unclean, for just as “leaven leavens the whole mixture,” so he made their entire Church unclean (1 Cor. 5:6). Thus, uncleanness is an encroachment on the good of the entire Church, therefore the requirement of purity is of great importance. But, on the other hand, uncleanness in a vessel filled with water either floats to the top or settles to the bottom, that is, it is outside the body of water. Likewise, every unclean person, in fact, is outside the body of the Church, whether he is formally separated or not. So, are you a member of the Church? Be pure, knowing that if you are not pure, then you are no longer a member. 1b) The members of a living body are in a living union, according to which what happens in the whole body is reflected in each member, and, conversely, the state of each member is reflected in the whole composition. This property is otherwise compassion. The corresponding duty can also properly be called sympathy, or compassion, by which we must vividly feel what is happening to everyone and in all our brothers, or in the Christian world. The Apostle Paul makes it so great and prescribes to such an extent that when “one member suffers,” all suffer, and when one rejoices, all would rejoice (1 Cor. 12:26), of which he himself set an example, assuring: “if anyone faints, I will not faint” (2 Cor. 11:29). This means that the state of the Christian world should not be alien to every Christian, coldly, known and imagined by them without participation, but it should be vividly felt by them. This union of all hearts in the Word of God is expressed by unanimity... All, it is said about the first Christians, had “one soul and one heart...” (Acts 4:32), or, as the Apostle Paul commands, let all Christians live, “diligently guarding the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). According to this duty, a Christian expands with his heart throughout the entire space of Christians and lives with them not as a stranger, but as one of his own, like a member of the family, who, no matter where he is, is always with his own in his heart... The absence of such a feeling clearly exposes the loss of union, cutting off from the body; and if in any place all those who call themselves Christians reach the point of mutual alienation, then it is clear that they have ceased to be members of the living body of the Church, they are branches that have been broken off. 1c) Labor for the whole is distributed among the members of a living body in such a way that each member belongs to the whole, and not to itself, and does not work for itself, but for everyone. Likewise, every Christian must act in such a way that this activity is a sacrifice to the whole, he must forget himself, but have one good thing in common in his mind, feel and recognize himself not as an initial person, but as an instrument in the composition of the whole body of the Church. So, let everyone realize how he can and should act for the good of everyone, and let him act in this way with a consciousness of duty, that is, according to the apostle, he who has the gift to serve - “serve”, to teach - “teach”, to console - “comfort”, to serve - “give” (Rom. 12:7, 12:8). In general, everyone has been given the gift of the “Spirit for good” (1 Cor. 12:7), by which everyone must “serve one another” (1 Pet. 4:10). This imparts to all the actions of a Christian a character of detachment, where personal benefits completely disappear from attention, and what is meant is the spiritual good of Christians, whatever it may be. If all actors were in such a mood, how quickly the mental and moral perfection of Christians would rise! Here is the blessing of God - hence the perfection or maturity of every undertaking, into which nothing will be allowed to enter that could be unhelpful. How much evil comes from forgetting this simple rule! So, sacrifice both soul and body for the good of all Christians - extend caring views to everyone. 1d) These three dispositions express the essence and spirit of Christian love. He who has this love, having brought himself into unanimity and like-will with everyone, and then, having dissolved and, as it were, spread throughout all his feelings and hearts, sacrifices himself, all the strength of body and spirit, to the good of the whole body of the Church, dedicating himself to it with self-forgetfulness and self-sacrifice. Here are workers of truth, men of prayer, guardians of welfare. Not everyone, of course, can fulfill this requirement with action; but everyone can and should fulfill it in feeling, in desire, in prayer, just as we pray for the well-being of God’s Churches and for the unity of all. This mood in all the activities of a Christian imparts a certain independence and freedom, not bound by the narrow limits of the state of one’s own person or those close to him, often even by the circumstances of the time. Love gives him the opportunity to rise above everything, in order from there to contemplate where everything is going, how and with what to ward off evil, protect and increase good. She is characterized by maternal care, providing, warning. Therefore, often in her activities one can, due to lack of understanding, see something incomprehensible and as if exposing shortsightedness, but the consequences always justify it. And it is right that this love should be called spirit-bearing, both because it undoubtedly bears the Spirit, and because it itself is carried by the Spirit. After reading the life of such a figure, you will involuntarily exclaim: this is what true Christian love means! Everyone understands this feeling. Let us pray that the God of love warms him more and more in our hearts! 2) To every person who is in visible connection with us. So, truly Christian love, renouncing all restrictions, extends to the entire Christian world. She also strives widely to spread the influence of her deeds, in which she often succeeds with the help of God, but she is primarily carried out, or attached to the deed, in her close circle, before and on those with whom she lives. That general, deepest, most fundamental mood of a loving heart inspires and gives a distinctive character to Christian activity, or the private action of a person, a Christian, in his place, time and circumstances. Let, when answering the question: how a Christian should act in relation to each upcoming person, different responsibilities towards others be determined; but they will all be nothing more than an expression of the spirit of love, united in different applications. The question is: in what disposition should one behave and how should one act in relation to the Christian who is before us? The answer is: position yourself as the spirit of Christian love requires, and act as the person ahead demands, in accordance with the same spirit of love. Thus, we have obligatory dispositions towards Christians, and we also have obligatory actions towards them. 2a) What kind of dispositions should we have towards each other? 1. There is no difference: “all are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28), says the apostle, as living members of one body, as native members of one family. Receive everyone with a feeling of kinship, as your own, as a brother. Brotherly love is the true disposition that prevails among Christians! Having met a brother by blood, we forget everything and feel mainly that he is a brother. We should have such a mood towards every Christian. The Apostle commands us to “be kind to one another with brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10). From this feeling should flow all the activity of a Christian in relation to others and all other dispositions towards them that are obligatory for him. But it itself is more often expressed in the following properties: – In favor, or the feeling of pleasure in the presence, treatment and communication of another. If a brother, then the blood must speak. This feeling indicates a heartfelt union. He is the faithful and most subtle witness and a sign of true, complete, mature love. Those who find it unpleasant to be with someone have no love in them: they are separated. Indifference is already an unkind state, and it should not exist in a Christian. It is the first step in the fading of love and the deviation of the heart from the truth in relation to others. Indifference, even unpleasantness from meeting another can be excused, if they are involuntary - and then only with active and intense effort to arouse disposition towards him. Since the heart does not suddenly tune in as it should, then what a person earnestly seeks is imputed to him for the sake of seeking, although it has not yet been obtained. In this case, it will be like a physical imperfection, and not a moral one. - In good will. He who likes another wishes him all the best. Benevolence is the natural fruit of goodwill. It is expressed by participation in everything that concerns another, sympathy for him, taking him to heart, considering him in his condition, finding out what is needed where, whether it is good or bad, with corresponding joy or pain and impulses for help and assistance. Benevolence embraces all movements of a kind heart for others. It is joyful even in times of sorrow, gives peace, expands the heart and cleanses it of selfish passions, just as fire cleanses metal. The opposite of it is ill will - the fruit of indifference and coldness. Here there is either a lack of goodwill, or a desire for the opposite, that is, evil desire. With them in an inextricable partnership are gloating and envy, two tormentors that torment the poor heart of a person who has lost love. - In good health. True benevolence delights in the good of another and strives to help and assist someone in need, which is why it gives rise to active and caring concern for the good of another. This is so inevitable that it is stopped only by the inability to assist. In any other case, its absence exposes the weakness of goodwill and lack of love! “We do not love in word..., but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). “Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal.6:2), the apostles command. At the same time, we must remember that caring in action may not come from a good heart; it is equally true that good benevolence can be the fruit of an indiscriminate sympathetic natural disposition. The whole point is how the mind or inner person who controls them relates to these aspects. Contribute even without disposition in order for it to come; and do not give in to good wishes indiscriminately, so that evil does not grow out of good, for the heart is blind. In general, you need to tune in in such a way that assistance comes not from pleasing yourself, not from pleasing others, but from one - internal, true love that sees and directs everything towards it. Lasting, firm and sober welfare is formed in this way. Then the Christian desires only what he should care about, and cares about what he should wish for another. And this is a healthy state of love for one’s neighbors, without which and even before which benevolence and concern can go separately, interfering with each other and even contradicting. However, its main principle is real care under the control of the highest active principle, and not benevolence alone, which can be both fruitless and wrong. The distinctive properties of welfare include immediate, immediate, all-powerful assistance, which is considered necessary based on the goal. It is not restless in the bustle, but moves smoothly, sedately, but it is not afflicted by delays and delays. He has a law: take advantage of every opportunity, for it will not happen again; treasure and get rich. Opposite to it is a fruitless desire, turning into an empty thought about the possibilities of helping; but mainly what is born from ill will, that is, not only neglect and non-cooperation, but even opposition, or obstacles to success, and outright atrocity. Both are the fruit of selfish passions, which are always irritated and strengthened by mutual troubles. These three: goodwill, benevolence and concern determine the true property of brotherly love. When there is no one of these movements of the heart, and not only in general, but towards everyone in particular, there is no direct love, or it has not matured, but is still only in the embryo, growing. Its growth is necessary, essentially. A heart in a fallen state does not feel right. The right spirit must be renewed in him. The main thing is that it is partial, loves its own people only and patronizes them... There is no evil here, but there can be if it is left like that. A Christian must bring all Christians into his kinship and live with everyone as with relatives, must bring himself to the point of embracing everyone with equal love - only distinguish between activity or assistance, and then not by feeling, but by the disinterested and detached measure of sound reasoning. 2. The Apostle Paul expresses his way of acting on others this way: “with brotherly love we are kind to one another: doing one another great honor” (Rom. 12:10), that is, brotherly love for others cannot but be combined with respect for them. This same disposition is directly born from a feeling of kinship. Whoever has this last thing also has respect. Among our relatives, we look with respect even at a child who has not yet achieved self-awareness. In Christianity, this spiritual kinship, it is even more natural for one who is deeply aware of the significance of a Christian. A Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling place of the Father and the Son. Therefore, he is a vessel of the Divine. Receive him, as he brought God within himself to you, with blessings, like the ancient ark, and, moreover, everyone, whether great or small, poor or rich, smart or not. In a feeling of Christian respect, everything external should be eliminated as something alien and alien that does not belong to the Christian himself, but one thing that should be kept in mind is the dignity of the person. The external is necessarily varied, but respect must be more or less equally for everyone. Its source is the internal meaning of a Christian, with which the external may not be consistent. Almost the one whom God honored. The quality or tone of respect was defined by the Apostle Paul with the words: doing greater honor to yourself (Phil. 2:3). In the feeling of the heart one must place everyone else above oneself, oneself below him, and not only show it with signs, but feel it inside. The signs may be different, as, for example, among those in command, but respect is one thing. There is no more difficult virtue than this, for it stands directly against the self. It is especially difficult for someone who has differences and in relation to someone who humiliates himself in some way. But the law is not repealed because of the difficulty of implementation. Is it difficult? - use force. The main thing in this matter is to eliminate the external state of a Christian from attention and to perceive only its internal meaning. The latter, since it is highly, being vividly realized, will give rise to respect. The feeling that is contrary to respect is contempt. On the contrary, it puts everyone below itself and, even more, puts everyone into nothing. It is the fruit of pride, conceit, forgetfulness of oneself and one’s brother. 3. He who respects another considers everything that belongs to him to be sacred and gives him credit in everything. The disposition to give everyone their due out of respect and love is justice. Where there is respect, there is justice, and vice versa... For respect itself is the first justice, from which the entire realm of truth flows and is supported. Truth is usually considered the outermost fence of moral life in the sense that whoever goes beyond its limits destroys the foundations of the moral kingdom, and nothing more can be expected from him. But it is not true that truth can be limited to only one negative side, that is, only not doing something that violates the right of another, or doing only what can be legally required. This is not Christian truth, but worldly, external, judicial truth. The Christian one also embraces the positive side, does everything that should be done for others, not out of external fear, but out of inner disposition. The truth is cold, legal only and external - non-Christian... This latter comes from conscience with the participation of the heart... However, it is different from love, although it is animated by it. It is contrary to her to trample on the rights of another; injustice is the fruit of contempt for one’s brother. When a person is imputed to nothing, how to respect rights? Thus, meet every Christian as a dear brother, forgetting everything external, be with him and with him with pleasure, warm your heart towards him with good wishes, both of his well-being, as much as you have the means and strength, while maintaining full respect for his face, which he began to wear in Christ Jesus, and straining to reveal all the truth in relation to him and avoid all untruth. All these feelings should simultaneously arise in relation to every Christian. Care must be taken that they are all strong and do not lag behind each other, so that there is harmony in the spirit of a Christian. But it is obvious that the latter, as it were, external limits, visible to everyone, here are assistance and justice. Other feelings are hidden inside and ripen under their cover, like fruits under leaves, and sometimes precede them, sometimes follow them, so, however, that if they are not there, then there is no truth in these latter ones. This is a well-polished vessel intended for storing fragrant ointments, but it is empty. Thus, it is primarily necessary to have the fullness of love in the heart, so that the neighbor does not fit tightly into it, but so that the heart expands towards him, like Pavlov. 2b) What actions are required? When there are true dispositions, there will also be actions, for the power of dispositions is irreducible and inconceivable. However, these actions are not carried out without caution and conditions, but just as in general every action is determined by the object, so they change according to the properties of the person to whom they are addressed. The person before us in the Christian is a person consisting of soul and body, with a certain measure of external well-being. Each of these aspects of our brother evokes in our love only its own kind of action, which turns into our duty. From here it is self-evident that the actions obligatory for us towards our brothers, Christians, are of three kinds: some relate to their soul, others to their body, and others to their external well-being. The main thing here is a) the salvation of a brother’s soul or face in general, for when there is no salvation, everything else is insignificant. No good is comparable to this eternal good. Therefore, everything and constant attention must be paid to the salvation of the soul of our brother. So, pray earnestly, both in general for the salvation of everyone, and in particular for the salvation of those whom you know best and who, in your understanding, have a special need; pray, desiring for your brothers a certain gift of understanding, or zeal, or prayer, etc. and asking oneself for strength and ability to act to save them or, better yet, betraying oneself into Divine instruments for this work; especially prayerfully ask for non-seductive actions in front of others and through prayer cleanse yourself from former unintentional and accidental cases that can be seducers. Do not be tempted by the thoughts and speeches of others, as if such prayer is of no value; for besides the fact that one who has sanctified himself with it is always more capable, more tuned in to a saving action on others, there is a secret communication of souls, according to which one, incomprehensibly how, can inseminate the other or predispose her to insemination through herself or through others. An example is the mother of Augustine, a martyr. If we all mutually turn our spirits in prayer to others, then as many warming rays will come to everyone as there are faces. Consequently, everyone would be warmed with a measure of warmth equal to the whole of Christianity. Then no force could defeat a single Christian. It goes without saying that for this everyone must be open in faith to accept prayerful help, and without this the power of God will not produce anything in him. But when we talk about Christianity, we talk about believers. That is why the apostles themselves asked for prayers, for mutual prayer is power for salvation. Imagine yourself as a living example of faith and piety. When you go outside and appear among Christians, let everyone see living Christianity in you; sees that you understand it, and honor it, and implement it. This is the same as building up your brother with everything: with your word, your gaze, your movements, and your deeds, and not to upset him or tempt him with any of this. In the example, both the good and the bad have a very strong effect, why while one is obligatory, the other is condemnable. If no one showed his wickedness externally, there would not be a need for many instructions, for for the most part we do not know what we should do, but how to do what. But the trouble with the present order of things is that evil is exposed, and good is hidden, which is why in all the cases that we encounter, we see many examples of lawless ones, but we see almost no legal ones. Since deeds are stronger than thoughts and words, then all our teaching is non-teaching. All libertines should be imprisoned in invisible places or they themselves should be forced to hide as much as possible. Here is a case when one should consider it commendable to deliberately keep oneself outwardly in a way that is inconsistent with one’s inner feelings, namely, so as not to lure someone into sin and not to corrupt another. A libertine who acts openly in word and deed should be considered a murderer. He is like a blind man who waves a deadly weapon indiscriminately in all directions... But this is not enough - one must also desire, and carefully strive to assist, and by the very deed contribute to the salvation of others, for what is the use of only saying: warm yourself, and not giving what is needed? He who truly loves will do everything for his beloved. Love does not look at inconveniences and does not see them. But even if they are, I am ready to lay down my life for my friends; sacrifice everything, even life, to save them. Coldness in this exposes coldness both about one’s salvation and about God’s glory, as well as lack of conviction in faith, self-love, and decisive carelessness. Therefore, we must carefully monitor all cases in relation to our brothers and seek among them whether there is one to whom, according to our own strength, we can put something into the soul that will save him in salvation. The matters to which this relates are: to awaken the one who has fallen asleep, to enlighten the one who is ready to go wrong, to strengthen the weak. The method of execution can be either word or deed. You just need to remember that you cannot go into the realm of another spirit without permission. Everyone is closed in on himself. Therefore, one must either predispose it or expect a predisposition. In any case, it is better to help others act on their own, and not to authoritatively determine him, for he is a living and free spirit. Here, for example, in a simple conversation they portray good and evil, one with praise, the other with condemnation; portrayed in others like this; however, so that the one to whom it is spoken does not guess what is being said about him, but at the same time receives sufficient admonition. Love is inventive. But experience is also needed, because otherwise you can do more harm than contribute to salvation. b) In particular, in caring for the soul of another, his mind and will should be built. In the first, to instill solid, clear and sound concepts and principles about everything, starting with faith, and following its guidance, extending into the area of ​​all other knowledge, developing them in relation to it and, where possible, from it, so that the entire sum of knowledge represents something whole, not separate. Those who do great evil are those who allow themselves to indiscriminately divulge every intricacy of their mind in the confidence that it is not from the realm of faith, although it clearly represents thoughts and parties that disagree with it. What is not from faith, what is not a conclusion from it, what is not covered by it, cannot stand decently in its area, all that is a despicable lie that must be trampled and eradicated. Hence, all theories in all sciences, especially in physics and history, must be strictly tested and, after testing, already proposed to the Christian world. However, in general, everything that has been tested and found to be sound: whether it is some kind of theoretical knowledge or a discovery in the field of the arts, in the community, etc. - must be made public to everyone; for why did God give it, if not so that everyone would benefit from it. With the Lord, all people are one family. What He gives to one, He gives to all. Mental stinginess should be as much more criminal than monetary stinginess as spirit is more valuable than substance. While disseminating positive truths, one must also pay attention to untruths, false concepts or misconceptions and prejudices. They will thin out by themselves as the light of truth expands, but you can act on them directly. He, however, is more virtuous who arms himself against the prejudices of the heart than he who goes against the prejudices of the mind, especially if these latter not only do not pervert the heart, but also, although indirectly, create. The prejudices of the heart are those by which a person is held in sin, or which constitute sinful blindness. They say, for example: nature demands - to justify lust; or: a living living person tells fortunes - to justify being too busy, etc. He who reveals, points out and removes such prejudices does eternal good for another. In relation to the second. Our poor will! She needs rules, which she often does not know; impulses are needed, which often fall out of thought; he needs guidance, because he often doesn’t know how to start a business. And so enlighten, strengthen, point out. We are all interconnected to mutually teach each other. This is why life is called, by the way, science. What evil is indifference to the way of life of another! Many limit themselves only to internal disapproval, or gossip and condemnation in the corner. Others do even worse: they show signs of approval of the bad deeds of another, although feigned, and thereby make him bolder and more daring in evil and, therefore, more unhappy, or more dangerous for him. No! Having noticed that something in another is especially dangerous for him, do your best to calm him down and bring him to his senses as best you can. Act directly yourself: find people who can act on him, watch for an opportunity, enter into close relations and predispose him to yourself, and so on. But under no circumstances should you show a sign of complacency or consent to those deeds, either in word or in deed... If everyone around the faulty one showed him signs of disfavor, then, it seems, he would now have to come to his senses, because where would he go then? One of the best ways of admonition is to guide another to reason: let him find it himself, you just arrange things so that he finds it. The body is the organ of our earthly life and at the same time the condition for our formation into citizens of the future world. It has such an essential connection with the soul that its good or bad state resonates in the soul and then disposes it towards good, or at least does not hinder it and obediently serves it in that which draws it towards evil. That is why this part requires special care. Help your brother in this matter and make it easier for him to build a good body - his faithful servant and at the same time an always ready enemy. This duty requires: a) to contribute in every possible way to the well-being, integrity and health of one’s brother’s body, both in deed, if necessary, and more in word; that is, provide him with a way to content, give him advice about what is useful, indicate what is harmful and prevent it himself; contribute in every possible way to the goals of the body, so that it is an adapted instrument of the soul, and not an obstacle to it. Everyone nourishes and warms his flesh, but some too much, and others too little. To bring sense to an unreasonable worker, and especially to calm down a drunkard, a libertine, a glutton, a sensualist, is a great blessing. For, as from hell, the soul is then extracted from the tyranny of the flesh in the latter, but also in the former it will see the light, like Jonathan, having tasted honey. In this regard, the one who, when giving advice to please the body, forgets about the soul, acts badly. Therefore, one must be careful in advice to nourish and rest the body, and pay more attention to its concern; b) prevent dangers to life in all possible ways, especially not to do anything to your brother that could lead to health problems or danger to life. This most often happens from excessive tension of the soul and body: there - the excitement of passions, even worse, instantaneous: anger, fear, joy, sadness; here - by requiring or forcing work, inappropriate advice without knowing the matter, inciting fights, fist fights, games that could be dangerous, etc.; but c) the main thing is not to encroach on the life of another, neither by deed, nor by assistance, nor by consent, neither openly nor secretly. The murderer rebels against God, who determines the measure of life, destroys himself and makes the condition of the murdered man doubtful, for God alone knows the just judgment. We must mature here. Whoever ends life at the wrong time sends an immature person into this age. There is no need to dwell on this much, for things of this kind naturally terrify and disgust oneself. Take heed of everything that is prescribed and more that relates to the salvation of the souls of our brethren and do what you can, by word and writing or by disseminating good writings. 3) In relation to well-being and happiness. Caring for the soul and body of a neighbor is caring for the perfection of his face. But by the will of God he still has a certain measure of happiness or well-being on earth. Turning to this latter, we receive special responsibilities corresponding to it. We are used to calling something external happiness, namely, a favorable course of circumstances for us. But it is not in the outside, but in us, in a state of spirit that is gratifying, joyful, well-dissolved, which is rarely coordinated with the external, but is sung according to its own laws independently. That is why primary attention should be paid here. The main thing here is that you should not disturb your brother’s inner peace in any way, but on the contrary, in every possible way contribute to his strengthening and elevation. Anyone who does otherwise is the same as a robber who enters someone else’s garden and indiscriminately destroys all the greenery and flowers there. God gave my brother peace, you are stealing it. Only one concern is permissible, namely: concern for a sinner and, moreover, as a sinner through his awakening from sleep; shake him in all his foundations, crush his bones, let him grieve to the point of despair and find no rest day and night. An example of this was set by the Apostle Paul, who plunged the sinners of Corinth into grief, for, he says, “sorrow, like God, brings unrepentant repentance to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10). If you see someone disturbed by anything, go and console the sad person, apply a plaster to the wounds of his heart, pour out joy in word and deed. Here participation alone makes it easier, even more so – the ability to calm. You just need to remember that the main peace is in God. There we must take the sad one and make him glad in the Lord, bring him to the point where he is glad about the very thing for which he grieves. Whoever does this will make a person happy for life, for all occasions, and will do everything at once. External reassurance is good for the weak, but it is half the battle and should be used only as a means. Otherwise, it will not be in the plan of Providence, for with every sorrow God calls to Himself. If you distract rather than lead to God, you will not act according to faith. External happiness consists of a good name, prosperity and a favorable course of affairs. The loss or lack of any of these deprives us of peace. The person feels unhappy. aa) A good name gives a person weight in his circle, serves as the basis for trust in him and has a positive attitude; therefore, it makes a way for unhindered action, just as, on the contrary, the loss of it binds hands and feet. Therefore, he who loves his brother in all ways, let him guard his good name, and for this, first, let him sanctify this name in his heart or, what is the same, let him fulfill the duty of respect, with his feelings always putting others above himself. Such a disposition will itself teach you how to guard the honor of your neighbor both from yourself and from others. It will bind and loosen the tongue. When such a feeling exists, it already does its job; you just have to preserve it, or reject everything that can weaken it, namely: do not allow yourself to humiliate your brother for the sake of any natural shortcomings of the soul and body or for the sake of an external dark state. This is blasphemy against God and injustice to one's brother. But even at the sight of moral shortcomings, one must turn all displeasure towards sin and its instigator, the devil; in a brother, to see the nobility of nature and grace diminished and the treasures of God plundered, to see him free - in chains, healthy - consumed by illness and to regret him, to lament for his sake before the Lord, and not to humiliate him. It is best to turn your observant eye less to the actions of others, and to listen more to yourself. He acts badly who, through the deceit of his eye, sees one bad thing in every action of another. This is suspicion, suspiciousness, internal slander. Moreover, on this occasion one should not immediately pronounce a decisive judgment about the other, saying that he is this and that. There is already condemnation that offends God and attracts His wrath. If you happen to hear something bad about someone else, close your ears, cast out the slanderer of your sincere secret or run away from him. To accept all speeches and rumors indiscriminately is great imprudence: one’s own soul will immediately be defiled and the face of one’s brother will be darkened in it. When, in this way, the name of another is kept, like a shrine, inviolable in one’s heart, then it will not cost much effort to guard it outside. Then the rule will be: either not to talk about your brother, or to say only good things, but to remain silent about bad things in every possible way, without hinting at him either in jest or even as if out of regret. Having heard that the brother’s name is suffering, we must take every possible care to restore it - to protect, justify, drive away this superficial darkness; but under no circumstances should we praise empty gossip, jokes, barbs, witticisms, much less slander and slander, and even more public slander. Sanctifying the good name of your neighbor in yourself and others requires a lot of work. Internal condemnation and external gossip are the first products of pride, which by its nature humiliates every brother. That’s why they are constantly spinning – some in thought, others in the tongue. You must guard against this and fight against it constantly. There is no sin more common than condemnation, but there is no more dangerous. One had to fast and pray for several years for one brief mental condemnation, and this was according to God’s special determination. Therefore, the saints of God decisively say: he who does not condemn is saved. Others were saved even without heroic deeds by this alone. On the contrary, condemnation alone is destructive, for it presupposes forgetfulness of God, deceit, and demonic deceit. What evils do you avoid, non-judgmental one! bb) Prosperity consists of property, belongings, what satisfies our inevitable natural needs, food, clothing, shelter and a house in general, or a set of things that are called everyday. A person received care for this along with his stomach, and therefore he cares because he loves life, and when he cares, he puts his stomach on it. Everything is acquired by the sweat of the brow, a waste of strength and blood. But contentment calms the spirit, pours joy into the heart, and gives freedom to life. With abundance as in a safe fence. So, if you love your brother, let all his property be inviolable for you, everything that he can say is mine. For him, this is both a gift from God and the price of his blood: do not touch. If you find something that is not yours, find the owner and return it to him; If you don’t find it, give it to the poor or to the church of God, for this is God’s property. Others, having lost, say to the Lord: let this be part of the poor. So we must be executors of the will of our brothers and together with the One who heard it. All the more, one should not damage a brother’s property in any way: either by theft, or by an unjust trial, or by deception during sales, barter, and other cases - but, on the contrary, one should in every possible way contribute to increasing his wealth with advice and active help. It is joyful to look at a contented person: joy is on his forehead. The sight of one who is burdened by shortcomings is sad: he is as if killed, his head and eyes are drooping. In the Word of God, the most severe judgments are laid down for insults of this kind, especially those inflicted on those from whom to take even a little means to take almost everything, like from orphans, widows, and mercenaries. That is why these kind of criminals are judged by God as murderers (Sir.34:21-22). cc) Favorable progress of affairs. The man is active. Everyone has his own affairs, or occupations and labors, to which God assigned him by birth and among which he whiles out his life. Together with a good name and a part of wealth, they constitute a person’s lot, therefore they are not ignored by him, but are established in such a way that they flow well, so that little work is rewarded with good success, so that there are no great hindrances and strength is not exhausted without fruit, so that there are no unnecessary and annoying stops, in general, so that everything goes on for him as in a well-tuned machine. Whoever has this goes about his business with joy and returns to himself with joy and enjoys peace and security, not expecting evil. The flow of affairs includes work, and relationships with others, even the ordinary order of all everyday activities with their times and places, where, as can be seen, everything alternates and develops. In relation to him, there is a duty to favor him in every possible way, not to put barriers, to restore the upset, and not only not to upset him. Upsetting the affairs of another is a great crime, disturbing the body and soul of both the one whose affairs are and those around him. From this, such a person is likened in common language to the primordial enemy. He who does good to another is a benefactor, a joy to the soul. This is the messenger of God, His vicegerent, spreading joy around him and, like the sun, warming everyone. Everyone's eyes are on him. And everyone should set the goal of making them happy. You can benefit another by advice, action and help, or by providing him with strength that he lacks. Give the needy what he needs. Advice, helpfulness and lending, or loans, constitute sociability - the most necessary and at the same time amiable virtue. No one can have everything he needs, always in due measure: one abounds in one thing, another in another. Therefore, mutual sociability is needed, as if pouring from vessel to vessel, so that one drink is formed, called happiness. Hence, be ready to do everything you can for another. Whoever is ready himself, others are ready for him, and God is his enabler. Having noticed where help is needed, do not wait for a request, help yourself as much as you can and with what you can. A helpful person is the right hand for everyone in his circle. They ask for a loan - give what you can, without ruining yourself, hoping for nothing, and if you have enough faith and strength of spirit, not distinguishing between the one who asks, and what he asks... You are God's steward. All such deeds constitute a field for exercising the virtues of unselfishness and pliability. If even so we must assist our brother in every possible way, then even more so when he wants to enter into certain conditions with us, according to which, wanting to receive certain things from us, he himself wants to do the same for us. This is where all sorts of transactions begin. They are based on a promise. This promise must be sincere; know what you promise, and what you cannot fulfill, do not promise, because you must be faithful to a promise: having given your word, keep it. This is where trust is built and the virtue of honesty is revealed. Our degrees of happiness are defined by the words: rich and noble, contented, poor, beggar. In general, our brothers in all matters of well-being are either higher than us or equal to us. These degrees are either constant, as if unchangeable, once established forever and constitute a certain state of the brother, or impermanent, but, like the ebb and flow of the tides, they rise and fall, depending on happy or unhappy occasions. In the first case, regarding the highest of you, that is, the rich and noble: rejoice in him and thank the Lord that he does not deprive such people; almost his decent honor for the fact that he is a visible vessel of God’s mercies, but do not flatter when he humiliates himself with deeds, but either remain silent and evade, or speak the truth on occasion, only without obstinacy, as if begging; when he calls, do not refuse to work for him, because he must have a wide circle of action, for which methods are needed - and may you be his strength. The good that comes from there will also be due to you. Regarding the inferior: do not despise him, but honor him with brotherly respect, according to the commandment; always be favorable to him and warm him with this favor, so that he feels that he is, as if under some kind of wing, under your attention; help him in every possible way and help to increase his well-being in all parts. Here a special class is made up of the poor - the poor. Anyone who has wealth should be a foot, a hand, an eye for such people, like Job... for to each of them it is said: “The poor is left for you to eat: be a helper to the orphan” (Ps. 9:35). So, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, serve the sick, give rest to the strange, bury the dead, be merciful, give alms generously. They are most likened to God and the Lord through almsgiving, which cleanses sins. The Lord descends to those who give alms to such an extent that He Himself accepts what they give, and this is infinitely high... In the second case. Happiness does not cost, but it constantly rises and falls. That’s why we see people around us either rejoicing from happiness or grieving from misfortune, whatever it may be. In this regard, the law is to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn. Such sympathy is natural to the human heart, but the passions that came through the fall distort it, from which, instead of joy about the happiness of another, there is sorrow for him, or envy; Instead of sadness about misfortune, there is joy about it, or gloating. These demonic dispositions appear in different shades, which cannot be described. Feelings of joy and condolences should be expressed, that is, it is necessary to express joy to one, and condolences to the other - with consolation and readiness to assist. No one should think that this is all external work! No, not only external, but also internal together. It comes or should come from a sincerely loving heart, that is, from a good inner disposition, and, turning to the outside of the other, warms his inside. The breath of brotherly love is invigorating, like the warmth of spring. 2c) The field of discovering these dispositions and actions is mutual circulation. These are the obligatory dispositions and deeds for a Christian towards his brothers. All of them, for their implementation, require direct intercourse with others, without which, as in a seed, they remain undeveloped and unmanifested. Therefore, mutual circulation is an obligation, although additional, but in terms of the breadth of its application, comprehensive. It is the same in relation to duties towards one's neighbors as prayer is in relation to duties towards God. So: 1. Every Christian is obliged to mutual conversion. Be willing to enter into relationships with others, and also conduct yourself in such a way that everyone can approach you without timidity and with an open heart. The one who is alienated from everyone acts contrary to this. Alienation is ugliness of the heart. But it is not like blessed seclusion or hermitage. The hermit, separated from others by body, remains with them in spirit, and this alienator is separated from everyone in spirit, although he lives among them. The alienated person grows cold, becomes poorer, and loses heart. On the contrary, the one who communicates with everyone opens up, grows rich, becomes plump, and is formed, so that only one incessant contact with God and the angels is higher than this. It is also a school of self-knowledge. On his own, a person easily becomes conceited, but when he looks at others, he learns humility... 2. The duty of mutual exchange is simple, but comprehensive... It provides a way to fulfill all other duties towards our neighbors, and therefore reveals many virtues, which, although they are nothing more than the application of our general, already explained dispositions towards our brothers, however, here they receive special names and special properties... So, here: a) One must have sincere cordiality, that is, accept everyone from the heart, feel satisfied, truly happy about visiting or meeting another, and rejoice at it from the heart. Anyone who is bored or annoyed does something bad. b) Courtesy, that is, we must make the other person feel good with us, so that he finds pleasure in us, comes to life, is in a good mood and never leaves sad. For this you need compliance, friendliness, affection and simplicity with decency. A person who is contrary to this is a heavy person... He himself is burdened, and he is a burden to others. c) Modesty. We must hide our advantages and, on the contrary, elevate others above ourselves. The opposite of this is pedantry, arrogance, conceit. d) Meek peacefulness. Do not be offended yourself, nor do you insult others, but know how to keep your heart always in union with others. Peacefulness itself makes peace with others, and makes peace with others, like peacemaking, or even does not notice insults, like meekness. Abhorrent to this are offensiveness, hot temper, anger, exactingness, and intransigence. e) Yielding quietness. Mind meets mind, will meets will. When everyone wants to have their own way, disputes and disagreements arise. It is not that the quiet one does not love the truth, but having discovered it, he modestly evades stubborn insistence where the truth is not entirely loved, for the sake of not disturbing the peace, in anticipation of the most favorable opportunity for admonition. Abhorrent to this are quarrelsomeness, intransigence, argumentativeness, and quarrelsomeness. f) Love of truth. Frankly and truly present things as they are and as you believe. Crafty lies, deceit, and cunning are purely demonic deeds. g) A prudent word. The purpose of mutual circulation is not just pleasure, but, mainly, mutual creation for the good. Therefore, we must not allow the word to rot from our lips; we must be able to speak and be able to remain silent. This is disgusting with idle idle talk, only jokes and witticisms. h) Keeping secrets. During mutual meetings, there is a continuous change of thoughts and information. To preserve peace, what is learned from one, do not transfer to another unnecessarily, especially when this could be harmful. Act like you haven't heard anything. Whoever is told that a secret is being entrusted to him with the condition of remaining silent, when he conveys it to someone, he is not only unreasonable, but is also an unscrupulous traitor. 3. These are the good qualities needed in mutual exchange! The main method of mutual circulation is mutual visitation. It must be established and maintained out of love, out of need, for the sake of joyful rest. With whom and when to do this, circumstances will indicate; only in this case, all the virtues of mutual communication must be observed in every possible way, otherwise it is evil... A special type of mutual communication, open and wide, consists of meetings and suppers. They are useful because they set in motion the development of love, which is slowed down by disuse, and therefore elevate and strengthen the inner union of all. The same thing happens here as in the Voltaic Column. But it goes without saying that they must be established not to please the flesh and the enemy, but in favor of the spirit and salvation. His models are the ancient suppers of love. Above these worldly feasts are the feasts of Christ, or dinners for the poor. The Lord Himself prescribed rules for them (Luke 14:12–14). They are now becoming less common due to the drying up of love, although they still hold on in their places. Most of all, they now appear in the form of hospitality, which is a great virtue, rich in promises, for even a glass of water given in need is not fruitful, the greater the complete peace. 4. Mutual conversion has the goal of realizing and together forming truly Christian love. In its true form, it produces this, but in its false form, instead of unification, it separates, instead of love, it instills enmity. This is where passions act instead of virtues. Thus, from mutual circulation we receive benefactors, friends and enemies. We are deeply attached to friends and benefactors. This is unnecessary to teach and oblige. It is only necessary to warn that this attachment does not become exclusive, does not exclude others and does not alienate them from them. We should be grateful to them. Gratitude is a kind and attractive quality... He who is grateful to people also thanks God. Gratitude is a sign of a humble spirit and devoted to God... It, too, is almost a natural feeling. It should only not stop at people alone, but through them always lead to God, for everything comes from Him. In addition to special benefits, living with others, we constantly receive favors. Every favor should be appreciated. Keep and protect whatever friend and benefactor you have as the apple of your eye, and do not bring yourself to lose him through your mistakes, for the old is better than the new. The gap here is as sad as it is dangerous both for life and for morality; for such, due to a break, rarely converge. Of course, if the change is not on our part, what to do! One should strive to repay the benefactor in any way possible: by helpfulness, fulfillment of desire, offer of work, etc. As friends are dear persons, one must be very careful in choosing them. What should we do with our enemies? A Christian should not be an enemy to anyone and, as much as he can, “be at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18; Heb. 12:14). If in some way the enemy becomes hostile, do not deprive him of love, but try in every possible way to make peace with him with all concessions; the more be ready for peace when it is offered. Even if he doesn’t put up with it, be his brother and do everything you do to your loved one, and even more: do him special good, remembering that love for enemies is the surest test of Christian love. There should be no revenge under any circumstances. This is a satanic thing. This ends the review of how a Christian should behave as a member of the body of Christ in union with all the constituents of this body, whether they are in heaven or on earth. We must always remember that concern for this union should not be for its sake, but for the sake of the main goal of Christian activity - communion with God in the Lord Jesus Christ; because the Holy Church itself, both as a house of salvation and as a society of those being saved, exists for the sake of this one thing and is true to the extent that it realizes this one thing. Just as in a living body, all members, being in a living union with each other, remain united with the head - and even live in union because they are united with the head; Thus, in the body of Christ, all Christians are firmly united with each other only when they are sincerely united with the Lord. The Lord also prayed about this: “that they may all be one: as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). Christian love is the direct daughter of Christian piety and has no other origin. It is in vain that those who base it on the love of charity alone flatter themselves with the hope of salvation. It is not works alone that save, but the spirit that sets all works in motion... The Christian Spirit comes from God through the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Church. Everything that is now seen in Christianity is intertwined with each other, like links in one chain. c) How should a Christian maintain and educate himself in order to be in living union with the Church, and through it with God? From the concept of a living union of Christians among themselves, similar to that which exists between members of the body, one can come to the idea that the one who has entered into this union has nothing more to worry about. For just as in the body each member, acting for the others, is itself created by the (educational) power of the whole body, so a Christian, acting entirely for the body of the Church, can himself be sustained and formed by the whole body. But, on the other hand, since this union is free, that is, based on freedom and supported by freedom, then even after a Christian has entered into the body of the Church, he remains there not against his will, as if out of some necessity, and not otherwise than by holding himself. Hence it is natural to ask: how should a Christian keep himself within the body of the Church so as not to fall away from the union with her? We must also take into account that every Christian forms himself, although with the essential help of Divine grace received in the Holy Church. The question arises: how should a Christian educate himself in order to have the right and be able to stand in a living union with such and such members? The answers to these questions will determine the image of how a Christian should treat himself. It is all the more necessary to define this image because the main weakness of each of us is so close to us and so strong - the self, which tries to draw everything into itself or turn it into tools for its own species. The more difficult it is to keep true self-love within proper limits, the more necessary is guidance for it, or indication of the necessary rules. The main tone of Christian activity in relation to oneself is self-denial, but if in order to be fruitful, it must be with the mind, and not indiscriminately, then it should be indicated in what parts and how the self attracts to itself and how then a Christian must deny himself in order to stand in the truth! This is the meaning of the obligatory course of action for a Christian in relation to himself! It determines how, among feats of self-sacrifice, he must maintain and educate himself in order to be a true member of the Church, not in name, but in spirit, and always be in a true, living union with her, and through her with God. It can be seen from here that there are two points to which the Christian’s gaze should turn: this is the spirit of faith and the Church and he himself, in all his composition and condition. From there he borrows the spirit of acting on himself and, as it were, an ideal; here he sees what exactly he should do with himself and from himself, based on those principles. Consequently, it is subject to determination in this regard how a Christian should understand and feel under the terms of his union with the Church under the head of Christ and what he should do with this or that part of his being, or with his condition as a result of this union. aa) The feelings and dispositions of a Christian under the conditions of entering into an alliance with the Church. Everything related to the first point revolves around the thought of a Christian entering into union with the Church as a society of believers and those who are being saved. Various questions, naturally presented at the same time, lead to the corresponding feelings and dispositions with which a Christian tends to be addressed to himself. Exactly, I already joined the Church: where did that come from? How? For what? a) Where did you join from? From the abyss of destruction. He was in the hands of Satan, sold into sin, subject to death and hell. Now all this is over. Remember where you came from, turn your thoughts more often into that darkness of the abyss, so as not to return there again in action; pour out your gratitude to God the Savior, crying out to Him: Glory to Thee God, my Savior! - so that the saving hand does not shrink and you do not fall there again, descending in thought to that state and realizing how great the evil man has brought upon himself and how great a price he extracted from God for deliverance, cry and lament that this happened, that is, cry about the fall. Thus, the crushing memory of the abyss of the fall, with lamentation for it and tender thanksgiving to God the Savior, are the obligatory dispositions for a Christian when he turns back to what he was. They are obligatory because their subject matter concerned the living history of man, and traces of it still remain both within us and outside of us. A Christian does not directly appear before God, but reveals himself as alive from the dead, as a prisoner before the King. Let him always recognize and feel himself the same way. The benefits of this are great: here is the science of humility and arousing invigorated attention. The Church leads to this, appointing a special day for remembering and lamenting the fall, and gives the word for this. Many holy fathers indulged in this lament for a long time and left this lament for us in songs. The nature of this crying is grief, melancholy and annoyance that this is the case and it is our fault. It is the fruit of love for God and for oneself, or for one’s nature; It’s a pity how man impoverished himself and what he forced God to do. b) How did you join? Through the baptismal covenant. God delivers man from all evils for the sake of his vow to always work for Him alone in Christ Jesus, trampling underfoot Satan and all his works. So... 1) Remember the vows you made in baptism; I did not give it to men, but to God, who received them from you and for their sake has already been generous and promises to be even more generous. 2) Be faithful to them: in the hour of violation of fidelity, everything given is taken away and what was promised is erased. 3) Reverently honor the advantages given to you here, do not humiliate the name and power of Christianity by deviating from the conditions. 4) Remain in this rank until death. All truths will not be remembered in the hour of falling away. The end is crowning. Only those who are constantly faithful and unchanging until death are crowned. Be faithful until death and you will be given the crown of life. 5) Fight under the banner of Christ. Conscious of yourself as a warrior, be on guard, ready to defeat your enemies. Be alert, be awake, be on your toes. So, remembering the vows of baptism and highly appreciating the benefits received in it, be faithful to them until death, fighting under the banner of Christ. Violation of a vow is dishonorable among people, much less before God... But here there is extreme misfortune. For the one who violates is plunged into the same trouble, from which, perhaps, he will not find a deliverer. c) Why did you join? For the sake of salvation, only looking for it and, undoubtedly, hoping to get it here. This is the meaning of preaching the Gospel of Christ!... You are perishing. Come here! This is the house of salvation! The believer confesses this and says: I, who am perishing, approach for salvation, not hoping to receive it anywhere else than here. The community of believers is the home of those who are being saved, but not yet saved. The power of salvation will be revealed in the next century. Now it is only being acquired, and its power acts secretly, invisibly. This means that they join not only to reap the fruits, but also to sow with hope. On the pediment of the church there is an inscription: seek, strive, covet. A Christian accepts a commitment to this when he or she enters the Church or then enters it... The question arises: why is this so? Here is the answer: the forces have been accepted, we must now conduct them throughout our entire being, just as oxygen, inhaled into the lungs in the air, is carried through the entire body through the blood. Also: evil is deep, it is necessary to reject it, release natural forces from it and dissolve with them the received forces of grace. How to do it! Developing natural and grace-filled forces, sanctifying the former with the latter and conducting them through them or allowing them to penetrate them. The striving characteristic of Christians is an internal transformation of themselves. What to look for! Honors of the highest calling, transformation from glory to glory, from strength to strength; achieving the measure of the age of fulfillment of Christ, otherwise, to seek the highest degrees of perfection in Christ Jesus, this is to set oneself as a goal. Since the model of perfection for Christians is Jesus Christ and the measure of this perfection is the most perfect likeness to Him, then the obligation to strive for perfection is the same as the obligation to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ, to imagine Him in oneself, to imprint His perfections on oneself. Since, further, the model of perfection is infinite, we are limitless, despite the obligation to imitate Him, we can never and should not say that we have already achieved what we are looking for, but must, “forgetting those things that are behind, but stretched out to those that are before, all with the zeal of a mother-in-law and a mother-in-law” (Phil. 3:13). It is extremely dangerous to feel that you have already achieved. The inevitable consequence of this is stagnation of strength and life. So, seeking salvation, revealing the grace-filled and natural forces, strive for perfection, the reflection of Christ the Lord in yourself, never saying: enough, but always reaching out to the highest or always just beginning. These are the fundamental feelings and dispositions with which a Christian tends to address himself. No one should be surprised that respect for one’s nature is not put in first place here. This worthy nature has been distorted by our fall. Therefore, we must lament about this and sigh together with all creation that sighs about it. It is also clear to everyone why, instead of fidelity to the principles of humanity, fidelity to the vows of baptism is made obligatory, and instead of progress, striving towards an indefinite distance, the desire for the honor of the highest calling in Christ Jesus. That is the language of a pagan moralist, unknown in the Church of Christ. Living in the world, one should distinguish between languages ​​and not take every ringing word as truth. There are a lot of lies and flattery going around the world. Listen to everyone the Word of God. It alone is a faithful lamp in the darkness of this life. aa) How should he behave as a result? 1) The main law is reign over oneself with self-devouration to God. The main attention should be paid to what happened to the Christian when he became a Christian? He is called a new creation, born again; What did this new birth produce in him? To determine this, one must turn to the original meaning of a person and his subsequent state. At the very beginning, God, giving man freedom, gave him to himself: let him do whatever his soul chooses; but meanwhile, in the property of freedom and in the essence of the human spirit, he concluded a secret decree to surrender himself freely to God in order to enjoy true freedom. This is not fulfilled because it is not understood or reinterpreted. Man did not submit to God and fell into slavery to sin and the devil and serves them as a slave. In this state, he is incapable of doing things worthy of man and God. It is necessary to restore his freedom, make him reign over himself and give him the strength to subdue his tyrant, the devil, under his feet. This is produced by the action of the new birth given to the Christian from above. A person here reigns over himself and accepts the courage and strength to trample on the devil. But again, so that the same bitter incident does not repeat itself, this king, reigning over himself, must submit himself to the one God, must fulfill the initial condition of surrendering freedom to God, or freely sacrifice himself all to God. The Apostle commands those who have come to the Lord as “a living stone,” and to themselves “be built into a spiritual church, a holy sanctuary, to offer sacrifices... acceptable to God, Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). So, here is the first law for a Christian! Having been enthroned and favored, have dominion over all that you have, but offer yourself as a sacrifice to God in Jesus Christ. This sacrifice is not death, but true life. Just as bringing color into the sun warms and revitalizes it, so a Christian who lifts himself and all of his things to God communes with God, is filled and revived by Him. So in this self-eating is the true life and true perfection of a Christian in all parts, or in everything that he eats for God. Take control of your inner and outer and, as your own, give it over to God. This self-control and self-sacrifice of a Christian extends to all of him and to all of him. Just as nothing in him or outside him should be such that it bypasses his power, is outside it, much less against it, so in the area of ​​freedom there should be nothing that is not devoured and not devoted to God, such that it would be finally appropriated to itself and affirmed for itself. A Christian is a constant donor and a complete sacrifice to God. 2) Sides of self-destruction. Since in everyone there are apparently two different sides: his own face and his condition, then these two sides must also be touched by the obligatory sacrifices for a Christian. A person's face consists of body and soul. Hence the sacrifices, mental and physical. “Glorify God in all your bodies, and in your souls, which are God” (1 Cor. 6:20). Take control of the soul and lift it up to God; take possession of the body and devour it to the same God (Rom. 12:1). As for the soul, here is the law: destroy your soul and save it; if you don’t destroy it, you will destroy it; so the Savior commanded. This destruction is already accomplished in the work of the new birth; for where the whole is, there is also a part. However, every time a Christian inclines towards the soul, he must keep in mind that it must be destroyed both as a whole and in parts. This is the interpretation of self-sacrifice. Throw yourself under your feet and trample underfoot without pity. He who does not have and does not maintain this disposition cannot control himself in any way. He may be exhausted in labor, but he will not see the fruit. He who does not destroy his soul destroys all his goods and makes all his work in vain. This is the main thing. Now in parts. Everything in oneself must be sacrificed and raised to God as a sacrifice for sanctification, or the perception of true life. So: 1. Devour your mind to God in order to become wise. “Let it be whoever wants to be wise,” says the apostle (1 Cor. 3:18). A mind devoted to God is filled with true wisdom from Him. So, take away your mind from your mind, master it and give it over to God. Hence, it is obligatory for a Christian not to have his own mind, or, as the holy ascetics say, not to have his own mind. This duty is fulfilled when a Christian, recognizing what is true, recognizes it not because he finds it so according to his own consideration, but because it is written and handed down by God; when, accepting a commandment and dogma, one does not inquire why! – doesn’t ask in bewilderment: isn’t it? – and doesn’t suggest in a superstitious way: isn’t it better this way? - and childishly believes in what he is experiencing and rests in it. When, in this way, the mind is subdued and made an unquestioning recipient, it should be filled with the holy truths handed down to us. This is the duty to have the mind of Christ, or to acquire true wisdom, which descends from God and embraces everything. What is all that exists, where does it come from, what is the fate of everything that man is, what he was, what he has become, what awaits him, what is the path to eternal bliss? - in general, the entire composition of faith must fit into the mind, dissolve with it and be consciously maintained by it. It is clear that a Christian by purpose is a true philosopher, taught from above. Since, further, Christian wisdom is not idle, but active, and activity requires the ability to act, then wisdom is always connected with it, knowledge of how to organize one’s affairs and how to balance means with ends, otherwise Christian prudence, to which the Savior obliges when he says: “Be wise as a serpent” (Matthew 10:16), and the Apostle: “In wisdom walk among those who are outside” ( Col.4:5). The holy fathers call it either good consideration, or simply reasoning, and the rule of all human affairs is generally given to his hands: both internal and external. This is both the gift of advice and acquisition through attention and work. However, even without having a high power of prudence in yourself, you can be prudent if, without trusting yourself, you always seek advice from people known for their wisdom. When prudence is prescribed, it is not necessarily commanded to be a man of advice, but that our actions should be with advice, even if it is not our own. The question is, how should a Christian behave in relation to external wisdom, or to scientific education? From the objects of this wisdom, choose what is most necessary for your condition, especially what you feel attached to, as well as what is most needed by your brothers, Christians. And in the form of research, try to sanctify the beginnings of each science you study with the light of heavenly wisdom, or even bring them there from this area; other principles that are hostile to her should not only not be accepted, but they must be driven out and pursued. In general, it is not at all objectionable to expand the circle of your knowledge about things according to observations and considerations of the mind... It should only be done when true wisdom is already possessed. For this one, as eternal, heavenly and Divine, should be in charge, and that one, as good only for a time, should be subordinate. For the same reason, one should never, by word or thought, attach some unconditional significance to the latter, not put it at the top, but present it as a reptile to the valley, as it is, and not allow one to be proud of either it or oneself for its sake. One more note about the measure of ability. The measure of ability is from God. Therefore, accept it with gratitude and contentment, but do not be tormented in any way if it is not too high. Everyone can know what is necessary and essential. Special scientific knowledge is not for everyone. This is why special people are born, to whom they are entrusted by God and from whom their well-being and kindness are demanded. However, God Himself often yields to the faith and quest of those who love Him and opens with blessing what He closed at birth. Hence, work, for through labor one’s strength is elevated, and most importantly, seek and pray. Who believed and was ashamed? But at the same time, still surrender to God, for He knows best what is saving for us. If it turns out that the weakness of knowledge and strength depends on us, on our negligence and depravity, then we must lament that, and after contrition, take care in every possible way to restore what has been upset. 2. Consume the will of God in order to be sanctified and have power. When a person renounces his will, the Lord comes and brings her holiness and strength, that is, holy rules and principles of activity and the power to walk in them and keep them. So, it is common for a Christian to not have his own will. Whatever you do, do it not because you want to, but because you have to, because it is there and the will of God requires it, no matter how this will comes. In the Word of God there is not the slightest condescension towards those who walk in their own wills, and the Holy Fathers command not only not to do according to their own will, but, on the contrary, to always act contrary to it. Therefore, he must imbue his will with the rules and principles of God’s will, he must not only know what God’s will is, but imprint it on his will, so that God’s will will be a force that excites and moves the human will. It's from the inside. From the outside, it is again necessary, in relation to the inner spirit, to comprehensively protect oneself with rules, although conditional at first, but unconditional in meaning and choice. In addition to this, we must also make sure that our will is mobile and quick to fulfill the will of God, constant in this and sedate, strong and unshakable. Since this is acquired through labor, this duty is the same as the duty to asceticism, so poorly recognized and even by very few. 3. Devour your heart to God in order to be blessed. The heart cannot help but possess something. But it suffers from hunger and melancholy when it possesses creatures. It is necessary to pluck him from these bonds of addiction and give him to God. The measure of this sacrifice is the measure of bliss. This duty is directly commanded in the words: “Son, give me a heart” (Prov. 23:26), and hidden - in the instructions to “rejoice without ceasing” (Phil. 4:10; 1 Thess. 5:16), “have peace” (2 Cor. 13:11; Heb. 12:14). Hence, it is common for a Christian not to have his own heart for himself, or not to indulge his feelings and inclinations, not to enjoy what we like, but what God has declared to be good, joyful, and blessed. This is the same as detaching your heart from everything. Where this is not observed, there is a quality of waywardness of heartfelt feelings, tyrant, similar to the waywardness of the mind and will. Then it is necessary to cultivate sympathy with all that is holy and Divine through the actual imprinting of holy religious feelings on the heart... All this together will constitute the virgin purity of the heart, exuding continuous peace and sweet warmth, which to keep in oneself either as a gift of God, or as the good fruit of labor is a great, although not easy, duty of a Christian. This also directly defines the rule regarding feelings inspired from outside, even the most innocent ones, aroused by aesthetic objects. Delight in the latter can only be permissible if their content is taken from the world of God or if they are representatives of that world and in such a form that the true spirit of piety can tolerate it. 4. Also, the lower abilities must first be subordinated, or handed over to the service of the higher ones, and through them raised to God as a sacrifice and sanctified in Him. This includes imagination with memory and passions with wishes. When a person fell and lost power over himself, then in himself self-will was most of all reflected in the lower forces, so that until he emerges from the state of fall, he is a slave of the imagination with passions and desires. Although, by reigning in himself through self-devotion to God, he is freed from their tyranny, but, as still wild, they even after that demand curbing, because they often become indignant and rebel. Hence the duties: to watch over oneself, especially over the imagination and movements of the passions; conquer and subdue your lower part, or fight it; to direct it towards one’s goals for the benefit of one’s inner life, that is, to completely suppress other things in it, and if others are allowed to act, then force them to act only at their own discretion. This task of transforming the lower part is difficult and lengthy, but inevitable. The Apostle Paul commands to continue it until self-mortification. “Death,” he says, “your uds that are on the earth” (Col. 3:5). Here we mean the body and the lower abilities closest to the body, which are all directed towards the earth and earthly things. It is, of course, impossible to destroy them, but it is possible and must destroy self-will, unkind objects, and vicious directions in them. When there is confusion in them, it is necessary to calm it down; when the deviation from the real to the empty and dreamy is to tie them to the real. Let them act according to the instructions of higher powers. Do you need, for example, assistance to the mind? Give me an image, remember. Thus they will be dead to dead works and will always be awakened by the mania of the spirit. Should we, for example, be angry at sin? - get angry. Since the fussiness of these forces is most excited by external vanity, the only remedy against it, and therefore an important duty, is not to have fun, not to be distracted, to retire, to become accustomed to sedateness. Absent-mindedness is both a path to extinguishing the spirit and a decisive sign of it. In addition to external entertainment, cured by solitude and sedateness, other sources and, together, stimuli of internal confusion are external feelings and language. Hence the duty to guard the senses and curb the tongue. Feelings can bring impurity into the soul, the tongue can drain the goodness of the soul and hide it. We must, however, remember that under language lies loquaciousness, under feelings - a thirst for impressions and effects, under entertainment - absent-mindedness. Therefore, curbing one external thing should not be limited, but should extend to inclinations and eradicate them. Now about how a Christian should treat his body. The body is a vessel of the soul and spirit, an organ of communication with everything external, a tool for fulfilling an earthly purpose and a means of educating oneself for eternity; therefore it is worthy of all attention, care and observation. But, having such a meaning, the body cannot rule by itself, but everything must be given over to the power of the spirit. Hence the main property of acting on the body is its sovereign disposal as a self-needing organ. He who submits to the body destroys both body and soul. We must take care of the body, but detachedly, dispassionately, without extending care of it to “lusts” (Rom. 13:14). Having no independence in our person and a goal in ourselves, it cannot and should not develop by itself. Its upbringing and adaptation to the goal belongs to the person himself. Hence: 1. One must preserve the life of the body, its integrity and health by legal means until any of this is required as a sacrifice for the final and highest goals of a Christian. Although longevity lies in the hands of God, yet, according to the will of God, it does not escape the hands of man. If possible, you should find out and implement the remedies invented by sound medicine. We live to gather fruit for eternity; One must value life, for it is a condition. Don't waste your life in vain. Do every minute in your life and don’t waste time in vain. We have been given a measure of strength to do. This measure of strength must be maintained and increased, distributing it over the entire period of life. Excessive expenditure of effort will bring less fruit, and those fruits are not durable. Life and strength are depleted by ill health. No one is completely healthy; Everyone is sick in some way, but they just don’t feel it; at least, everyone is ready to be sick to the point of helplessness at any moment. One should maintain health, prevent cases of illness, and, when there is already an illness, heal it with beneficial and natural means. With all this, the limit of life is not in our control; therefore, using everything on our part, we must resolutely surrender ourselves to the will of God and constantly await His determination or proclamation from this life, and therefore, constantly prepare for this. 2. One must educate one’s body and make it an adapted instrument for fulfilling its earthly purpose. In general, it needs to be done so that it is alive, strong, and light. The body is inactive, weak, heavy - what kind of weapon? Therefore, as many means as there are in human hands, these shortcomings must be averted and the perfections shown in it must be preserved. It goes without saying that this should not be achieved at the expense of morality and purity of heart. Gymnastic exercises are prescribed for this subject. That teacher is evil, who kills the soul for the sake of strength and vitality of the body. On the contrary, if someone can suffer mental harm from possessing these perfections of the body, or if someone cannot get them without this harm, then it is better not to have them. For what is a means that removes one from the goal? In particular, one must adapt one’s body to one’s rank and condition, or acquire the ability to act with it in one’s own way. Where an eye is needed, train an eye, where a hand - an arm, where a foot - a leg, and so on. 3. The constant subject of attention during the storage and formation of the body should be its maintenance, or its management, in accordance with the spirit and the requirement of Christian perfection. This includes: a) its constant tension, or holding it in the same position as those on guard. Relaxation and laziness of the body weaken a person’s moral strength and bring him closer to a fall, b) his constant anxiety. You need to run to calm your body, in any way. This applies to food and drink, sleep and rest, skin irritation, temperature, etc. There is not only voluptuousness, gluttony, drowsiness, bliss, etc. they are vices and sins, but also any activity in which the goal is to calm the body, or, as they say, to pamper yourself, cool down, lie down, etc.; for all this means a relaxed spirit and in turn produces relaxation. Each individual deed has such an influence, all the more if someone constantly keeps his body in weakness, in pity and bliss. Relaxation may be permissible, but very rare, vigilant towards moral goals. It is true that every satisfaction of the body's needs gives it peace; but at the same time there is always the possibility of being distracted from it internally, which is what one should do. Let the body get its due and rest, but don’t rest in it, but look at it as a resting working animal. 4. Finally, there is a matter in which the duties of body and soul are combined, and the violation of which is a violation of both. This is chastity. The source of vitality of the body is the nerves, and they also contain the basis and strength of the muscles. Each body is assigned its own supply of these nerves and together with nervous matter. Compliance with it to its extent is a condition for health and freshness of the body. Whoever depletes it kills himself or brings himself closer to death. It is preserved by chastity, but depleted by unchastity. Unchastity weakens and exposes even a living body to decay, for it takes away the life-giving principle. The unchaste person is criminal because the human personality suffers in him. And this is both in mental and physical unchastity. In the latter, a person descends and darkens to an animal, shameless, loses his sense of humanity. In the first, that is, in passionate love for one person, he goes out of himself and lives in another, which sometimes extends to the perception and face of him, or to the consciousness of himself by him. Passionate love is a disease of the soul, depleting and consuming it. Acts of unchastity, to which it leads, exhaust the body... Taken together, they constitute a great plague on the human race. Chastity requires a lot. It preserves the eye, hearing, touch, and most importantly, the sobriety of internal feelings to the point of indifference and alienation to everything. The unchaste one immediately sticks and gives away his soul; both his eyes and ears are free. At the heart of this kind of life is the character of falling in love, painful and murderous. This misfortune threatens mainly young men, but men and elders are also unsafe from it. By acting in this way regarding his body and soul, a Christian will truly glorify God in soul and body and do everything for the glory of God. How built is he who treats himself as the spirit of life in Christ Jesus requires! The Lord be a helper to everyone in this! 2c) Sacrifice from what is outside of it, although it exists. And everything that is outside the Christian, but which he possesses, he must sacrifice to God. Just as he receives everything from the hand of the Lord, so he must offer it up or dedicate it to Him. Here: 1. The first thing he encounters, retreating from his face, are the objects of the body’s needs, or everything of everyday life: shelter, food, clothing, in general: belongings, maintenance, property. The first is their duty in the outer life of a Christian. It consists in acquiring, storing and using everything as it should be. Saint Dorotheus calls this conscience in relation to things. This is absolutely necessary. Who should take care of us if not ourselves? Labor for this purpose is a humbling and intelligible means, appointed initially, immediately after the fall. Only in this case one must use honest and God-determined means, of which the main thing is work and careful action, mainly according to one’s rank; using your labors and troubles, expect everything from one God, therefore pray for blessings and accept successes as from the hand of God. There is no obligation for everyone to seek wealth; but if someone has the means at hand, as if indicated by God, he sees a special blessing, and wealth flows; then, without attaching your heart to it, you must accept it, multiply and preserve it, and use everything for the glory of God and the benefit of the brethren, recognizing yourself and feeling like a steward in the house of God. If either there are no funds, or they do not bring in sufficient income, therefore, poverty is felt, endure complacently, in the confidence that God, who arranges everything, sees better than us what is best for us. The one who suffers the loss should feel the same way. He who is addicted to them behaves illegally with worldly goods, tormenting himself with overzealousness in acquisition, stinginess in storage, and wastefulness in use. The greatest feat in this regard is arbitrary poverty. 2. Leaving his home and appearing in the community of others - this is, as it were, another step from his own person - a Christian should have honor, weight, trust in himself inscribed on his forehead, or have a name. Without this, he cannot do anything or expect success in anything. The name belongs to everyone by nature, and everyone has it, however, nevertheless, there are also duties to it. A Christian must act in this regard honestly, conscientiously, according to his faith and his duty, without caring what others will say or think about him, and without being at all embarrassed by their judgment. True honor is a righteous and virtuous life. When someone honors him for something and expresses it in a word or sign, he can accept it, always, however, keeping in his mind that this is a transitory external embellishment, valuable only when there is internal beauty. Honor brings with it positions. Based on the trust that is inseparable from the name, they can be obliged to accept a position and with the benefits that accrue to it. You must accept it, for God calls; but accept it not as a promotion, but as a yoke of service to the brethren, and begin not to self-exaltation, but to labor - so that you will be a slave and servant to everyone. As soon as you notice that this service is beyond your strength or it entails a disorder of your inner self, you can always humbly refuse, not self-willedly, not for the sake of laziness, but with strict advice and consideration. Moreover, the higher one is, the more one must humble himself and, always accepting all honor and dignity from God, dedicate and betray it to Him. As for cases of insult to honor, you can find out that you are right without anger and discord, you can demand the legal restoration of your name, without offending others and without violating peace and love; but it is better to endure, surrendering to the Lord oneself, one’s fate and those who offend. Those who sin against this are those whose goal is either human opinion, such as the vain and glory-loving, or honor and dignity, such as the ambitious and power-hungry. The greatest feat in this regard is holy foolishness. 3. In order for all this to be accomplished more conveniently, one must take care of the favorable course of one’s affairs, or the organization of one’s external life. Find a place for yourself, if you don't get a place for it by your parents. Don't wander around idly. Take a job that you see yourself capable of. Anyone who has established himself must work tirelessly in his circle, without fear of illness from work and worries, without being stopped by failure, without fear of obstacles. But everything is in order. A person must introduce regularity into his entire life, into his activities and relationships. This is the structure of life, or the course of affairs, where everything has its measure and weight. Measure in food and drink, measure in clothing, in decorating the house, in work and rest, in acquaintances and relationships. The lazy, the idle, the disorderly, the drunkards, the dandies, the pompous, the revelers sin against this. This ends the commandments and rules obligatory for a Christian as a Christian. It was meant to penetrate with one thought all the deeds, feelings and dispositions that are obligatory for us and to enthron our Lord and Savior everywhere, so that He would not depart from the eye of our mind and from the feelings of the heart, no matter what we do. If something like this is imprinted on the soul of the reader after reading everything, let us thank the Lord. The Lord must work in every possible way, and this work will teach us everything better than any theories. Bless, Lord! You might be interested in: