Слово в пяток недели 4-й Великого поста

“Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom!” (Luke 23:42). There is no, my brothers, not a single most powerful and effective medicine that could not be harmful if abused. Even the stronger and better the medicine, the more harmful it is when it is not used as it should be. A touching example of a thief who repented on the cross, and for his repentance was worthy to hear from the lips of the Savior Himself: “Today you will be with Me in heaven”! (Luke 23:43) - is one of the most effective spiritual medicines for repentant sinners, to maintain their hope in God’s mercy, to protect them from despondency and despair. But this healing, instead of benefit, sometimes hardens mental illness and turns into destruction: when, in the hope of the example of the thief who repented and was saved on the cross, they postpone their repentance until the last minutes of life. It is known how they are judged in such a case: “The robber,” they say, “a few minutes before his death managed to repent and enter heaven; all the more will it be possible for us, who are not robbers, to repent of our sins before death itself, and, like him, to receive pardon.” Much could be said against this false reasoning, and most of all, that with death and hell, as the ancient holy sage noted, there is no agreement and conditions that they will not give us, perhaps, a few minutes for repentance before our death: for many, as experience shows, die suddenly; but we, leaving everything else aside, now want to show most of all that the very example of the robber cannot in the least serve as a reason for postponing our repentance until death, and that those are most cruelly mistaken who think to see in this robber an example of the most convenient and easy repentance. May the Lord grant that our word about this will benefit someone and raise at least one sinner from false hope. So, beloved brother, you are looking for easy repentance for yourself, you want to give your whole life to sin and passions, in the hope of buying, so to speak, God’s paradise for nothing in your last minutes. Look for an example for this repentance anywhere, just not in the person of the thief on the cross. - How? Easy repentance when your hands and feet are pierced with nails? Easy repentance, when on the list of the most barbaric torments there is nothing greater than being crucified? Easy repentance when, from the torments of the cross, the great hero himself cries out: “My God, my God, you have forsaken me!” (Matthew 27:46). Put yourself in the place of a robber melting away in agony, feel, if you can, what he, crucified, endures and feels; - and then imagine, if you like, that his repentance is easy and convenient. “But still,” someone might think, “paradise cost the robber only a few hours of torment and a few words.” And what, tell me, could he have done better now in his position? If he had come down from the cross, then we would have the right to demand from him further fruits of repentance, new and different feats of virtue; and he would, no doubt, surprise us with the purity of his life and selflessness; but now only his thoughts and lips remain free; and look how he uses them! It is true that only a few words come from his lips, but listen to these words: they contain the fullness of faith, love and hope, everything that can be demanded at death not only from a sinner, but also from the righteous himself. What was it worth just to call at that moment the Lord and Master of Paradise the One who hung on the Cross? If the thief had seen Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb, it would not have been difficult to exclaim like Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). If he had seen Him on Tabor in glory, between Moses and Elijah, then it would have been easy to say with Peter: “It’s good... to be here”! (Matthew 17:4). “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”! (Matthew 16:16). If he had heard, at least, Him talking in the church, then to the grace pouring from His lips, perhaps he would have unwittingly answered: “Lord, to whom are we going; verbs of the life of the eternal imashi” (John 6:68). Now, what is in front of the robber’s eyes? One Cross of Jesus and His torment! What does he hear? Blasphemy and ridicule of the Suffering One are everywhere. The Promised Messiah differs from him only in one crown of thorns!.. And in this Rejected One, apparently not only by people, but also by God Himself, the man, the thief, recognizes the Redeemer of all men, the Son of God!.. What kind of faith was required not to become blind in the midst of universal darkness, not to be carried away by the stormy stream of general opinion, to rise above all temptations? But the thief ascends!.. Jesus on the Cross is the same for him as if he saw Him on the throne of glory. Truly, if it is said about the centurion of Capernaum that there was no faith like his in all Israel; then about the robber at the present moment it must be said that his faith could not be found then in the whole world. And we take this example as the leader of our laziness in the matter of salvation? And on this cross of the thief, on these nails, do we think to quietly rest in sins until death? Alas, should we, with our lack of faith, with our spiritual weakening, should we, I say, hope that at the hour of death we will have that power of faith, which was not present in some of the apostles themselves at the hour of the Lord’s death? But in the thief, as we saw in the last interview, not only extraordinary faith was revealed on the cross; love for his neighbors was also revealed in all its strength, which forced him, forgetting his own torments, to care about the salvation of his unfortunate brother. How many people are capable of such high self-sacrifice? And if anyone were capable of this, then we, who want to continue a sinful life until death, will precisely for that very reason be least capable. For, do you think, unrepentant sinner, that your heart, petrified in sin, will suddenly be able to exude this holy water of love? Alas, if Moses himself stood before this stone with his staff; then he would have said: “From this rock we will bring you water” (Numbers 20:10). In fact, no matter how many spiritual fathers use exhortations over dying sinners, what do they see and hear for the most part? All they see is dryness of heart and despair; they hear one cry of illness, or even a murmur, not at all similar to the voice of a repentant robber. Let us stop deluding ourselves with the example of the Calvary thief, who, if we understand him correctly, should rather frighten us than incite anyone to be careless in the matter of salvation. If, - this is how one should reason in this case, - if of the two sinners who were crucified and died with the Savior, one became the prey of hell, then who can carelessly expect his salvation? True, another was saved and gained paradise; but how many of the rarest perfections were revealed in his soul! If only such repentance is accepted, like that of this robber, then even if paradise was opened to everyone before death, very few will enter it. Rather than expect such miracles of grace in yourself, which, perhaps, were previously deserved by the thief, it is a hundred times more prudent and better to take the path of repentance in advance and prepare your soul for eternity. Why, finally, someone will ask, should the example of the thief saved on the cross serve us? Moreover, firstly, so as not to be tempted by anything in the face and teaching of our Savior, Who until now, as on Golgotha, serves as the subject of criminal blasphemy and bewilderment for the sons of perdition. When you hear anywhere such insane mockery not only of the face of the Savior, but also of anything sacred concerning the faith and His Church, remember the thief and say: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom!” Moreover, secondly, so as not to think that if you have suffered punishment on earth for your sins, then you are already completely pure and right before God and can safely expect death in order to go straight to heaven. When this deceptive thought comes to you, then remember the robber who suffered the most terrible execution on earth, and, however, did not think through it to be right, but expected mercy from the mercy of the Lord, and say with him: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom!” Moreover, thirdly, in order not to despair from the multitude of your sins in the mercy of God and, calling on the Savior for help, to vigilantly wage war against evil skills - in the hope that He who did not reject the thief repenting on the cross will not reject your tears and your humble voice when you cry out to Him with faith and love. Therefore, when the enemy-tempter forces you to despondency and despair, saying that it is impossible for you to have mercy, imagine the thief on the cross and pray with his words: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom!” Finally, if you happen to be overtaken by death quite suddenly, and you no longer have the opportunity to do anything for the benefit of your poor soul; then, at least, try to commend your spirit to the Lord with these words: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom!” Amen. You might be interested in: