48. Слово на Рождество Христово (Радость или не радость в нынешний день есть пробный камень наших должных или недолжных отношений к рожденному Господу. Кто вступил в общение с Господом, не может не радоваться)

Now is not the time for teaching, but for doxology, not for instruction, but for thanksgiving, not for offering lessons, but for expressions of joy. Let us gratefully glorify the Lord and rejoice in His Holy Name. Glory to Your ineffable mercy, O Lord, who did not abandon us in our bitter fall! Glory to Your infinite wisdom, which has arranged for us such a wondrous image of our salvation! Glory to Your providential care for us, who has called us to participate in Your redemptive grace. Come, let us magnify the Lord, who has looked upon the lowliness of His servants. The angels praise – and not for themselves. In the middle of heaven and earth, having established their feet, they either turn to heaven or touch the earth; Seeing glory in heaven and peace and blessing on earth, they cannot contain the songs of praise that involuntarily burst forth. Will we be able to resist when in the Nativity of Christ everything is for us! Behold, a sacrifice of propitiation is being prepared - the Lamb of God, roaring to be slain for our salvation! Behold, the living bread comes down from heaven, having to give life to the world! Behold, the Lord, as a shepherd, Himself ascended the heights and, leaving ninety-nine sheep - a host of Angels, descended, looking for one - lost humanity, so that, taking it on His shoulder, He would bring the saved to His Father! So, there is no rest for You, Lord! You come to me, looking for the lost one. On the seventh day You rested from the works of creation, but You do not rest from the works of salvation, but from the beginning until now You and Your Father have been working. Then, looking for the fallen Adam in paradise, he called him, saying: Adam, where are you? Adam hid in the thicket - in love for his fall. Now You are descending into the very depths of this fall to call out to those who love this darkness. Oh, Lord, call us too! But grant us not to hide, but to open our hearts, and having gone to Meet You with a readiness to respond to everything: here we are! Here we are - weak and weakened; take it, heal and heal. This is our mind - this iron neck and copper forehead; take him, grind him into dust before Thy face, and instill in him the habit of humbly submitting to Thy Divine word and Thy truth. Here is a lustful heart, this bleeding woman, constantly exuding currents of impure desires; bring us into touch with You, that this blood may flow. Here is a soul that has forgotten about heaven and feeds only on earthly tastes; let us return to Your arms, feeling their sweetness and rejoice at Your table, so as to forget about all these faces that do not nourish, but only irritate the taste and languish with never satisfied thirst. Then we will bring to You, the Born One, the gold of pure, unalloyed knowledge of Your Truths, myrrh - mortification to lusts and passions, and frankincense - aspiration to the heavenly and pleasure only in heaven. Oh, when would it be like this! Then who would restrain our song of praise, gratitude and joy? How can a being who is joyful not rejoice when he carries a source of joy in his heart! The angel does not say to the shepherds: rejoice, but only says: I bring you good news of the joy that will come. What should we say: “rejoice” to someone who has not yet tasted the joyful blessings? And having seen the Lord, they returned, glorifying and praising God, and not rejoicing. They could not rejoice, having not yet tasted the benefits brought to the Born; but is it possible, is it excusable not to rejoice at any of us? We are accustomed to expressions of goodwill on this holiday. But they may conceal a bitter reproach and reproof for us. Joy or not joy in this day is the touchstone of our proper or improper relationship to the born Lord! We have already been called, come to Him and are accepted by Him. We are His and He is ours, and now everything His is ours. What is His certainly brings peace and joy. Joy therefore should be the usual state of our spirit. And this always happens, especially on days like this! That's how many of us are here now. Let us enter into our conscience and with it we will answer the following questions for ourselves: Who among us is as happy as a prisoner who has received freedom after a long languor in a dark and stuffy dungeon? – And so we should all rejoice in Christ Jesus, for in Him freedom is obtained from the unbearable prison (prison) of lies, sin and earthly tastes. If there are no feelings of such joy, then look, is it because we are still in bonds and prison? Who among us is as happy as the heir who is given back his hopelessly lost inheritance and given full control? – And so we should all rejoice in Christ Jesus, for in Him we were called to an inheritance incorruptible, unfading, kept in heaven for our sake! If there is no feeling of such joy, then see if it is because we have not yet been worthy to receive this inheritance. Joy is not a free feeling. Whoever, having entered into communion with the Lord, has tasted all His blessings cannot help but rejoice, and whoever, alienated from the Lord, has not tasted these blessings, no matter how much you invite him to joy, you will not make him rejoice. It will be the same as telling a blind person - look, a deaf person - listen, a legless person - walk. What should those of us do who are included in this number? And not be happy? And we will have a holiday on no holiday!! - No, we will force ourselves to rejoice, along with others. Let us rejoice for our race that such blessings are destined for it. Let us rejoice for our other brothers, who have already been honored to become partakers of them. Let us force ourselves to rejoice for ourselves, because we too are left with the hope of receiving them. And then we will try to arouse our jealousy, which has been lulled and frozen. Here everyone is at the Lord's feast - rejoicing and having fun! Are we our own enemies for not going there? Or is the entrance there closed to us? Or will they not accept us?.. Or will they hurt us in some way? – No... the Lord offers everything to everyone. Just come as instructed, and you will receive everything, and you will experience such strong joy that no one will be able to take it away from you. Amen. You might be interested in: