44. Слово на введение во храм Пресвятой Богородицы (Пред самым явлением Христа прекратились пророчества. Родившаяся и введенная во храм Пречистая Отроковица возвещает Христа. Что такое свет Христов и кто входит в него?

We now celebrate the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the Church calls the favor of God, the transfiguration, and the preaching of human salvation. Just as the lightning that precedes the sun, by its appearance indicates the imminent appearance of the sun, so the Most Holy Virgin, God’s chosen Youth, by her entry into the church of Christ foretells to everyone, with this action she loudly cries out to everyone: behold, behold, the promised and longed for Savior of all is coming - the Sun of Truth, Christ, our God! This favorable dispensation of God was preceded by night, and people sat in darkness and canopy. Only in one nation of Israel did prophetic promises little by little dispel this darkness, appearing from time to time on their spiritual horizon, like stars illuminating the darkness of the night. Even in paradise, immediately after the fall, these promises began and from that time they were repeated more and more often, more and more defined the power of the expected deliverance of God and more clearly indicated the coming King, Prophet, Priest according to the order of Melchizedek with all the circumstances of his appearance, miracles, teaching, death, Resurrection and ascension into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. It was like the Milky Way in the night of the Old Testament. Just before the appearance of the Lord, the prophecies ceased, just as the stars disappear before dawn. And just as here, finally, only the lightning remains, shining and foreshadowing the imminent appearance of the sun, so there the Most Pure Young Lady, born and brought into the church, shone, foretelling Christ. Then the Sun of Truth itself appeared, dispersed the darkness and enlightened everyone. Now Christ the Lord Himself illuminates the Christian world with full light and enlightens every person coming into the world. Glory to You, who showed us the light! The holy prophet Isaiah foresaw this blessedness of ours and, comforting Israel, prophesied: “For in the last days the mountain of the Lord will be revealed, and the house of God will be on the top of the mountains, and will be exalted above the hills; and all the nations will come to her. And many nations will go and say: Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will tell us his way, and we will walk in it. For he will take away the law from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Is. 2:2-3). This mountain is the Church of Christ. All languages ​​have gathered into it, and are still gathering. They were and are attracted by the thirst for spiritual light. By entering the Church, they satisfy this thirst, finding in the Christian law everything that the soul can seek and desire. Among others, we – the Russians – came, accepted the law of Christ and followed it. Now we too walk in the light of God’s face and rejoice in His name! Glory to you, Lord! As you know, the faith of Christ, which is the light of Christ, dominates among us. Everywhere there are churches of God, everywhere holy worship goes on freely and the preaching of the word of God is heard. The light is shining. But has each of us in particular perceived this light and been enlightened by it? And in the middle of the day, some people see nothing, when they either close their eyes and spoil it, or go into a dark place. So, in the midst of the bright day of Christ, shining above us, it may happen that one or the other of us remains in darkness and walks in darkness. Let us beware, brethren, that we do not fall into the number of such! The Holy Apostle Peter wrote to the Jews: “Imams, the most famous word of prophecy, heeding it like a shining light in the darkness, do good, until the day will light up and the morning star will shine in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19). He speaks of the prophetic light and assures that for the Jews in his time it was sometimes a luminary in the darkness, sometimes a dawn or sunrise, sometimes a full day. But what is the prophetic light for the Jews, is the light of Christ, or the teaching of Christ, for us. Likewise, for us he is either a lamp in the dark, or the sunrise, or the full light of day. These are inevitable signs when entering the light of Christ! And whoever has not experienced them on his way has not yet seen the light of Christ. For the Apostle Peter, the starting point of movement towards the light is the vision of light: “heeding it.” Anyone surrounded by darkness will notice the light, follow his instructions and come first to a light that can be compared to dawn or sunrise, and then to one that is likened to full daylight. Let's explain this comparison. In darkness, in a dark place, the sinner dwells, working for passions and not caring about salvation. But whether he hears a word, or reads something, or sees something, or the circumstances of his life arrange themselves in such a way that he comes to his senses, comes to his senses, and begins to worry about the danger of his situation and the need to improve. Then this thought lights up in his soul, like a lamp in a dark place. The more he listens to him, the more his light shines and the more compulsorily the need, need and desire to improve flares up in him. If some kind of entertainment does not occur, this matter of attention to the light of grace that has shone in the heart, calling for correction, ends with a firm determination to leave the sin of passion, negligence and all bad deeds and begin to live properly according to the law of Christ. This time - from the first thought of correction to the final determination to improve - is a period of repentance, the first step into the realm of the light of Christ, very similar to how someone follows a light seen in the dark. Then the repentant begins to live regularly, as he wanted, decided and made a vow in the spirit. But he wants to do some good, and his old habits, inclinations and passions rebel and try to distract him from good. Not wanting to submit to them, he fights with them, and it is only through this struggle that he manages to do good. This is so inevitable that no matter what good deed anyone conceives, he immediately encounters resistance either within himself or outside, and must certainly fight in order to remain in goodness. It’s hard of course; but it is comforting that the more someone stands in the struggle and fights more decisively, the easier this struggle becomes. Passions weaken, and good dispositions take over. Finally, the latter intensify so much that the former are almost unnoticeable. Holy feelings and dispositions are so deeply rooted in the heart that they constitute its natural state, and then a person acts in virtue as freely as he breathes. This period from repentance to purification of the heart, the period of struggle with passions and lusts, is what the Apostle calls dawn, or sunrise: “until the day will illuminate and the day will shine.” Passions are like fogs. Just as in nature, the longer the sun stands on the horizon, the thinner the fog becomes, and finally the sun appears in all its beauty, so with us, the more through the struggle with passions we hold ourselves before the Sun - Christ, the more the fog of passions thins, finally and completely disappears and Christ the Lord - the full and pure Sun - shines in the soul. From this time begins the state of blissful purity, in which God is contemplated, as the Lord says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). God shines in a pure heart, like the sun in clear water or in a clean mirror; since this heart is rational, it contemplates God sanctified in it, and since God is bliss, it is blissful in it. He who has been vouchsafed such a state, says Saint John of the Climacus, while still in the flesh, in all words, deeds and thoughts, always has as ruler the God who dwells in him (Ladder, v. 29, 11, 12); for no longer does he himself live, but Christ lives in him (See Gal. 2:20). So, repentance, struggle with passions and acquisition of purity of heart - these are the three turns in the movement towards the light of Christ! Now everyone look at yourself and determine where you are? If you are on this path, thank God, but if not, you need to think about yourself and be afraid for yourself. You have not yet seen the light of Christ, you are still walking in darkness, you are wandering on the paths of destruction and hastening to the bottom of hell. Lord save you all from this! And if someone is really somehow entangled in passion and overcome by carelessness, force yourself to emerge from the devil’s snares, in which you are caught alive from him and in which he strenuously holds your mind and your heart, not allowing the light of the glory of Christ to shine there (2 Cor. 4:4). May God, who makes light shine out of darkness, draw us all out of the darkness of sin into His wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9). And let the light of the understanding of the glory of God about the face of Jesus Christ shine in our hearts! And the Day of the Sun - the Immaculate Virgin, who foreshadowed Christ by introducing her light into the church at dawn, may she enlighten us who faithfully confess Her to the Mother of God! Amen. You might be interested in: