61. Беседа о небесной награде 331

(Printed in the collections of 1844 and 1848) Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: behold, your reward is great in heaven. Luke 6:23. The Lord Jesus commands us to rejoice and leap; promises 332 a reward, a great reward, a heavenly reward. Will any of us receive this reward, which is undoubtedly perfect; because the Judge who determines it is righteous in order to determine a worthy reward, and good in order to determine a generous reward, and omnipotent in order to fulfill His determination with all his power? Will any of us enter into this joy, without a doubt, blissful; because He who calls to her is the Source of bliss. "Rejoice in that day". What day is this meant for joy? Will he come to us too? Will we live to see it? Let us read in greater fullness the words of Christ destined for this day, so that we may recognize it. “Blessed will you be,” He says, “when men hate you, and when they separate you and revile you, and call your name evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy” (Luke 6:22–23). So, the day on which Christians should rejoice and leap is the time when, for the name of Christ, they are hated, separated, and dishonored. Now do you want to live to this day and enjoy this joy? Or, without seeing him yet, do you want him to pass by you, and no longer want to taste the joy that you don’t know? It is impossible to condemn the one who says in this case the words of Christ: “Let this cup pass by from Me,” that is, the cup of hatred from men, persecution, disgrace: but one also cannot help but praise the one who has the spirit to continuously finish the following: “Not as I will, but as You” (Matthew 26:39), Heavenly Father! Leaving it to the wise and incomprehensible destinies of God to choose those worthy of difficult feats, and to raise them to high bliss - to suffer for Christ, let us not miss without special attention that, for everyone in general, the word of Christ, which encourages, in order to accomplish feats and endure suffering, sufficient strength and encouraging hope to draw from the thought of a heavenly reward: “This is your reward.” there is much in heaven." There are also, probably not many, exalted souls who, in their heartfelt thoughts and desires, passing by and leaving behind them all, not only earthly, but also heavenly rewards, directly, purely, solely strive to please God and to unite with him in love. “What do we have in heaven?” exclaims the Psalmist to God, “And what hast thou desired on earth? My heart and my flesh perish, the God of my heart, and my portion God forever” (Psalm 72:25,26). I don’t want, he says, anything earthly; and in heaven I seek nothing but the God of heaven; It is not sensual pleasures that my flesh thirsts for, nor the love of creatures that my heart thirsts for; I give up the most enviable share among people without envy to anyone who wants it; my portion is God; my heart wants to disappear where it does not find Him, and to be reborn where it can be found; my very flesh languishes with the desire for the only “satisfaction, that His glory may never be revealed” (Ps. 16:15). About this state of some pious souls, for many of those listening to this, I don’t know what to say 333, except these words of the Lord, spoken about one of the special states of grace: “he who is able to contain, let him contain” (Matthew 19:12). However, if the desire for reward is not perfection, God, however, does not forbid a person to think about reward; and even Himself uses the thought of reward to encourage a person to fulfill the commandments and achieve perfection. “Honor your father and your mother”: this is the commandment. And then there is a reward following it, encouraging you to fulfill it: “may it be good for you, and may you live long in the blessings of the earth” (Ex. 20:12). “If you want to be perfect, go sell your property and give to the poor”: this is the requirement of perfection. And here is the reward directly for this, encouraging one to achieve this perfection: “and have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). “Rejoice in that day, when men will hate you, and when you will be separated and reviled, and your name will be carried as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man”: this is the great requirement of the feat, which requires extraordinary strength of spirit and unshakable patience. For this, here is a great reward, capable of arousing and supporting extraordinary strength of spirit: “behold, your reward is many in heaven.” The Old Testament, as a preparatory one for Christian perfection, openly speaks most of earthly rewards; because 334, applied to the concepts of the people to whom it was given, it was necessary, of necessity, to clothe the spiritual contemplation of heavenly bliss in sensual images of earthly well-being. The New Testament, as revealing the perfection of the kingdom of heaven, in its spiritual power and high purity, usually indicates to its ascetics and sufferers heavenly rewards: and it not only neglects earthly ones as unimportant, but sometimes even considers them to be a loss of heavenly rewards. “They will receive their reward” (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16), says the Lord about hypocrites who seek human glory through virtue: that is, they received their reward on earth, from men, and therefore will not receive it in heaven, from God. Instead of what the ancient Law caressed with earthly well-being: “good things will happen to you; You will live long on earth" ; The Gospel threatens earthly well-being as dangerous, and despises this well-being as a guarantee of heavenly bliss: “What good is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36) “Whoever loves his soul will destroy it; and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for everlasting life” (John 12:25). According to this reasoning, each of those who hear this has the opportunity to ask themselves, and can simply decide for themselves, a question that is not unimportant, I hope, for each of us: am I a true Christian or not? If you are a true Christian 335: then your soul is truly not attached to temporary well-being; not partial to earthly rewards; you encourage and console yourself with the thought of a heavenly and eternal reward. And if you forget about the heavenly and eternal reward, seeking temporary gain, honor, and the convenience of living for your own pleasure: do not be deceived; such dispositions do not show a truly Christian spirit. Whoever is controlled and animated by the desire only for earthly reward: he is an earthly Old Testamentist, far from spiritual perfection and from acquiring heavenly treasures. He who does good deeds for temporary gain, or for human glory, has not yet left the realm of paganism; he creates idols of virtues for sale or for spectacle: he accepts his reward from people, and therefore heaven and God owe him nothing more 336. Will they not say that this reasoning is too strict and closes everyone under sin? For is it not natural, they will say, for a person to look for where it is better on earth, just as a fish looks for where it is deeper? If anyone truly says this, let him know that it is not we who, by strict reasoning, lock him up in sin; but the judgment of the Word of Christ and negligence to follow this Word closes him under sin. Even if it is natural to desire the best of earth, it is not in accordance with reason to seek it with oblivion and loss of the best of heaven. And if you want to adhere only to the natural, then see if through this you are not falling away from the grace-filled, which is higher than the natural? Relying on your imaginary natural rights, will you not reject these provisions of the law of grace: “Do not be lovers of money in disposition, but be content with what you have” (Heb. 13:5); – “doing more honor to one another” (Rom. 12:10); – “Do not please the flesh through lust” (Rom.13:14)? But if you certainly want what is natural: is the search for earthly rewards, which is so commonly noticed among us, truly natural? if what should be called natural is not what is demanded by uncontrolled desires and unrestrained passions, but what comes from the true needs of human nature, corresponds to them, satisfies them? When a mercenary desires payment sufficient for food, not only during the days of work, but also for the days of necessary rest afterwards: I do not argue that it is natural for him to desire such a reward. But when a rich man does not want to do anything without deriving benefit from the deed, even, if possible, double and triple benefit: what is natural here? When someone undergoing any kind of service 338 for each year, or for each somewhat special act of service, wants greater and greater pay, a higher and higher rank or distinction 339: what is natural here? Does human nature require it, and does it serve to his perfection, so that money, titles, and decorations are showered on him 340? Wouldn’t it be better, on the contrary, for the natural state of people if they looked not so much at earthly rewards, which are always small in comparison with the labors involved in them, and little joyful in comparison with the troubles of search, competition, deprivation, but rather at the heavenly reward, always great, completely pleasing, never taken away? 341 If everyone constantly had before his eyes his “much reward in heaven,” which everyone has the power to have before his eyes incessantly, then, satisfied with this aspiration, everyone would not so passionately seek earthly rewards and temporary consolations; the seller would be less greedy; he who judges more willingly 342 would prefer gratuitous truth to the dishonest bribe of untruth; obliged to serve society more decisively 343 would prefer the common benefit to his personal one, and would not renounce serving the common good, even if they did not give all justice to his service; placed in subordination and obedience would more easily forget his will, and would be less burdened by the strictures of his superior; a slave would work harder and more cheerfully for an ungenerous master 344; in short, with the thought of a heavenly reward, the selflessness of each person supported would constantly increase the treasure of the common good of people, and the inner treasure of virtue in the heart of each 345. Lord, generous in promise and faithful in fulfillment, confirm us in the beneficial remembrance and aspiration of “many rewards in heaven,” so that earthly rewards will not be tempting for us, and sorrows or temporary losses will not be unbearable. Amen 346. According to Jew. collection: Homily on the day of the discovery of the relics of our Father Alexy Metropolitan, spoken in the Chudov Monastery on May 20, 1826. According to Jew. collection: Jesus Christ commands to rejoice and leap; Jesus Christ promises... According to Jew. collection: what can I say. According to Jew. collection: either because earthly rewards had to correspond to earthly virtues, preparatory to the spiritual perfection of the kingdom of heaven, which he demanded, or, better said, which he could produce, or because... According to Jew. collection: Am I a Christian or not? If you are a Christian... According to Jew. collection: such dispositions do not show a Christian, but if not a rude pagan, then it is true that nothing better than a subtle hypocrite, skillfully producing idols of virtues and perfections, and giving them for sale or for spectacle, accepting his reward on earth from people, to whom heaven and God owe nothing more; or from the spiritual perfection of the kingdom of heaven is still far removed, earthly, the Old Law. According to Jew. collection: just like, according to the well-known saying... According to Jew. collection: serving the State... According to Jew. collection: as a prized mercenary, or a new honorary name or insignia... According to Jew. collection: to be showered with treasures, names, decorations. According to Jew. collection: and eternally pleasing? According to Jew. collection: more convenient... According to Jew. collection: more willingly... According to Jew. collection these words do not exist. According to Jew. collection: The ascetic, who has already received a reward in heaven, so much that from the excess of heaven it falls to the earth and gives us a share in the riches of grace, Saint Alexis! by your example and prayers, strengthen us in the beneficial search for many rewards in heaven, so that earthly rewards will not be tempting for us, and sorrows or temporary losses will not be unbearable. Amen. You might be interested in: