338. Беседа в день обретения мощей преподобного Сергия

(Spoken at the Trinity Lavra on June 5th; printed in the Works of the Holy Father, 1857, and in the collection, 1861) No one lays his hand on the forehead, and in vain turns back, he is ruled in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). If each of the many present here were asked whether he wishes to be led into the kingdom of God: without a doubt, each would answer that he does. But if we were to further ask everyone whether he finds himself truly guided into the kingdom of God, then many, I think, would find it difficult to give an answer to this; and some, more attentive, and less disposed to flatter themselves, would admit that they find themselves very far from the kingdom of God, and not quite firm on the right path. Why does this happen that sometimes there is too great a distance between the desire, which naturally should be as strong and valid as it is just and pleasing to God, and between the fulfillment that is so desired, and sometimes an abyss opens? And how could our direction towards the kingdom of God become real, true, and strengthened? - We can glean instruction about this from the parable of the Lord: “No one lays his hand on the head, and in vain turns back, he is ruled in the kingdom of God.” The mention of “ral” makes it clear that the parable is borrowed from agriculture. The farmer, “placing his hand on the plow,” that is, having undertaken to plow his field, must constantly look forward in order to drive the plow, or plow, correctly and with the proper depth, and thus prepare the earth to receive and grow the seed and bear fruit. But if he looks back and looks back, he will not notice how quickly he will go, either without the deepening necessary for the seed, or repeatedly along the same furrow without benefit, or he will deviate and leave part of the land unplowed, and thus the work will be fruitless. What does this parable mean in relation to the kingdom of God? What does it mean to “lay your hand... on the head”? What does it mean to “see backwards”? In order to explain this undoubtedly according to the mind of Christ, one must take into account the case in which the parable was told. On the way of Christ the Savior to Jerusalem, a certain man approached Him and said to Him: “I follow You, Lord; first command me to make known those who are in my house” (Luke 9:61). The answer to this was a parable in which the words: “I walk after You, Lord,” correspond to the allegorical words: “lay your hand... on the forehead,” and to the words: “command me to answer those who are in my house,” the words: “in vain to go back”: and, finally, about people marked by this last feature, the judgment is pronounced without allegory: “no one” from such “are ruled in the kingdom of God.” So, under the image of “laying on his hand... “on the surface” represents a person who wants to follow in the footsteps of Christ, to live and act according to faith in Him, according to His commandments, following His example, who undertakes the feat of cultivating the soil of his heart with the teachings of Christ, in order to sow it with good thoughts, holy prayerful desires, Divine contemplations, so that it can bear the fruits of good spiritual deeds, nutritious for eternal life. Until now this man is on the right path. He is heading towards the kingdom of God. But this same person can take on the image of “one who turns back in vain” when he biasedly turns to earthly objects that he had left behind for the sake of following Christ, when he returns from spiritual desires to carnal lusts, from obedience to faith to self-wisdom and self-will, from the commandments of God to the customs of the vain world, from the saving example of Christ and His Saints to the destructive examples of sensual and sin-loving people; and, thus, entertaining and upsetting himself, he deprives the earth of his heart of correct spiritual cultivation, and, consequently, of saving fruitfulness. Obviously, this is already the wrong path, the wrong direction towards the kingdom of God. “None” of such people “is ruled in the kingdom of God.” Now ask: why is it that for some people who want to be led into the kingdom of God, there is too great a distance, or even an abyss, between this desire and fulfillment? - Based on the word of Christ, we answer: from the fact that they, “placing their hand ... on the mountain, look”, more or less, “backwards”, they do not try to constantly and predominantly have their spiritual eye turned to the path of the kingdom of God, to spiritual objects, duties and exploits, to Christ and His teaching and example, but, sometimes looking to heaven, much more often they turn to the world, and gaze at its charm and vanity; they look at the spiritual with indifference, and at the carnal and worldly with partiality; They embark on a feat for God, and become lazy and indulge in self-indulgence. What is necessary for our direction towards the kingdom of God to become real, true, and strengthened? - Again, on the basis of the word of Christ, we answer: it is necessary that “he who has laid his hand ... on the forehead should not look back,” so that he who has looked towards God with a pious desire does not fix his biased gaze on creatures, so that he who has entered into a feat for his salvation does not betray him through corruption and inconstancy. If, however, a damaged nature, a not completely defeated bad habit, a temptation, seem to involuntarily deviate his thoughts towards what is not pleasing to God: he must strictly and firmly pull himself from the worst to the better, threatening himself with the judgment of Christ, that “he who sees backward will not be led... into the kingdom of God.” Let us think, brethren, each of us about ourselves, whether we are not in the position of this person, whom Christ the Savior exposed as being in contradiction with himself, and recognized as not being guided into the kingdom of God. You sadly felt your sinful state, and the burden of it for your conscience; and resorted to repentance, as a result of which you can say with consolation to God in the words of the Psalmist: “I have known my iniquity, and have not covered my sin; reh: let me confess my iniquity to the Lord, and you have forsaken the wickedness of my heart” (Ps. 31:5). Through this you have entered the good path. You “laid your hand... on the forehead”: you approached God and began to please Him. But what then? Are you still going to the hallway? Do you carefully preserve the acquired purity of your soul? Are you carelessly and carelessly returning to attitudes and deeds that you condemned and rejected in repentance? If so, then beware and fear. You are “looking back”; and, consequently, now you are not “ruled... in the kingdom of God.” You have understood the insignificance of earthly goods, the unsatisfactoriness of worldly consolations, the advantage of a life removed from the world, the dignity of chastity, the need for self-sacrifice, the freedom of non-covetousness: and you dissolve, or have already dissolved, your union with the world, in order to use all your time and labor for the well-being of your soul and for the good pleasure of God, in a society of similar people, under the guidance of those knowledgeable and experienced in this wisdom. Wonderful. You lay or “laid your hand ... on the head” with such complete determination and strength that it seems almost inappropriate to fear that you might decide to turn your gaze back. However, experience reveals that there is room for this fear here too. Worldly thoughts follow those who flee from the world, and sometimes involuntarily turn their gaze back, as happened with Blessed Jerome, who, fleeing from the vain world, retired from Rome to the Holy Land, but who admitted that from there the gaze of his untamed imagination returned to the vain and passionate sights of Rome. So, he who withdraws from the world and “lays on his hand... “at the beginning” of spiritual ascetic activity, with intense attention and caution, one must guard one’s eye, in order to diligently raise it to God, to direct it into the future – to further exercise and improvement in piety and virtue, and not to give it the freedom to turn “backwards” - to the views of the flesh and the world, apparently easily occupied, but imperceptibly seducing and captivating. What if you look at Sodom? – You can turn into a pillar of the Slan. What if you think about returning to Egypt? – you can die in the desert without reaching the promised land. Lack of faith and laziness can make us despondent wondering whether it is possible to look so steadily to God and to the path of His kingdom, so as not to look back. What can I say to this? - Reverend Father Sergius! Reprove our lack of faith and laziness, excite us, enlighten us, encourage us, strengthen us with your example and grace. Even in infancy, 817 you laid your “hand” on the front of ascetic work, holding back from mother’s milk for fasting, and until old age you did not weaken your exploits. If you, having expressed, did not immediately fulfill the desire to live in the desert, this did not mean turning back; because you looked at the commandment of God: “honor your father and mother” ( Matthew 15:4) Having entered into the wilderness, you did not turn to the world not only to achieve some relief and consolation, but also to acquire the necessary things. During the scarcity of bread in your monastery, you expected it not from people, but from God. In the poverty of bread for yourself, you were pleased that through your work you acquired rotten bread from one of your brethren. You accepted the leadership only because you could not evade it without violating obedience 818, without harm to many souls: and when you were in charge of the monastery, which had already received fame, your work, your thin clothes, your humble word represented you as the lowest of the brethren. This is how you led the “ralo” of spiritual achievement, so you sowed with tears so that spiritual and visible fruits, which we feed on to this day, would be born, grow and ripen. To God, who is wondrous in His Saints, but also to all who diligently seek His kingdom, who is wondrous in mercy and salvation, glory and thanksgiving 819 forever. Amen. In the author's manuscript it was previously written: “infant”. At first these words were not in the author's manuscript. You might be interested in: