22. Слово в Великий пяток, пред Плащаницею (размышления)

What is this, Lord? A man red with kindness above all others, he appears breathless and sightless. There is no kindness to You, no kindness. There are wounds on Your shoulders, and on Your cheeks you can see traces of being strangled. Your hand and nose are dug, Your ribs are pierced, and Your head is torn with a crown of thorns! You are all sore and embittered. What is this, Lord? The eyelids were created by You, You carry everything with the word of Your power, and everything about You will take place. - What exactly is this? I had a dispute, a lawsuit and a struggle because of you, My people, the Lord answers. I did not fight with your enemy: he cannot endure one wave of My. And it was not with human malice that he entered into litigation: for one moment it was allowed to triumph, and that was only because it was written so, it was fitting. I had a dispute and struggle with the boundless Truth of God. As a Son, albeit without beginning, I asked the fallen sons of men for mercy from the infinite mercy of God. But Eternal Truth appeared before the throne of God and said: have mercy, but righteously. An insult to boundless greatness must be satisfied with a commensurate sacrifice. The Triune God confirmed this sentence, and I, the only one of the Holy Trinity, said then: Behold, I come to do Thy will, O God. I descended to earth, took upon myself human nature, assimilated all its actions and through this imparted to them Divine power. Everything is now in this body of Mine: My wounds, My blood, My death. And here is the death of a person with an infinite price. For this is the death of God - My death. Thus the required sacrifice has been made. Rejoice, sons of humanity! I won; and what you see now in Me is a sign of this victory! Come to Me now, everyone! My wounds are for you storehouses of God’s mercies, and My death is the source of life. Draw and be satisfied! He who believes, bearing My sign on himself like a son, freely enters the courts of God and Truth itself opens to him from now on all the treasures of heaven. Hearing this, brethren, “let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace; help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). He Himself repeatedly said: “Whatever you ask from the Father in My name, He will give it to you... Ask and receive, that your joy may be filled.” (John 16:23–24). With His sacrifice He entered “into heaven itself, that He may appear to the face of God about us” (Heb. 9:24). And there, “sitting at the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12), he intercedes for us. Come now, brothers, let us lay down at these feet all our needs and all the illnesses of our hearts, and we will be heard. Just don’t forget to fulfill the conditions. The Lord promises to grant everything, whatever we ask - only when? - When we are strict executors of His will. For this is what He says: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Again: “If you have My commandments and keep them... you will be loved by My Father; and I will love Him and will manifest myself to him” - And again: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him” (John 14:21, 23). Behold, the code of His laws is on the Lord’s feet. Delve into it, apply it to yourself, execute it. Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect. “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16), says the Lord. And these are the feelings with which I invite you now to fall before the image of Christ the Savior who suffered for us! Licking your wounds, arise to boundless hope, saying to yourself: if the Son of God did not spare himself for our sake, how is it that with Him all things are not given to us? If God is for us, who is for us? Kissing the Holy Gospel, say to yourself: everything that the Lord has spoken here, we will do and listen to. For otherwise your very hope is in vain. Amen. You might be interested in: