Слово четвертое в Великий Понедельник

“I see Your palace, my Savior, decorated! and the imam has no clothes, but I will go into it: enlighten the robe of my soul, Light-Giver, and save me!” In one of the parables of the Gospel, the future Kingdom of Heaven is depicted, my brothers, under the guise of a wedding supper, which one powerful king arranged on the occasion of the marriage of his son. In accordance with the importance of the occasion, everyone who was closest to the king in terms of place and rank was invited to this supper; but, to the extreme surprise of everyone, these invited ones, these loved ones, had the temerity to refuse the supper: one, as the Gospel says, went at that time “to his village, the other to his purchases” (Matthew 22:1-14). And those who despised the Tsar’s house and honor were immediately punished with all severity. Meanwhile, so that the prepared supper would not be left without guests, the king ordered his servants to go out to the crossroads and invite everyone who would come to the meeting. Thus the kings' house was immediately filled with guests; and they all began to have fun brightly. In the middle of the feast, the king himself, according to the custom of householders, entered “to see those reclining.” He was pleased with everyone, as was everyone else with him; Only one guest forced him, in the midst of general contentment and joy, to reveal his righteous anger and even show an example of severity. For - imagine - instead of some decent clothing for the day and place, this reckless person came to the dinner in his everyday dress, which apparently reflected the uncleanness of his way of life. The king, however, turned to him with a meek question: “Friend, why did you come in without a wedding robe?” (Matthew 22:12). But when the culprit could not say a single word in response, thereby revealing that, going to the king, he did not think at all about where and why he was going; then the king, in his righteous anger, ordered not only to expel him from the palace, but also to hand him over to imprisonment in utter darkness. This royal supper, as we said, depicts the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel. Those who were called to the supper, but ignored the call and did not appear, are the foolish Jews who, for the lawless rejection of Jesus Christ and His apostles, lost their fatherland and have since been given over to worldwide dispersion. Called later to the supper from the crossroads and khalug (haluga - a fenced place, hut) - these are all of us poor sinners who were called to the Church of Christ from the crossroads of idolatry. The new wedding garment, in which one was to appear at the supper, is a garment of justification, gained by repentance for one’s sins and faith in the merits of Christ. The guest who turns out to not have a wedding robe and, however, dares to appear with others at the supper is a false Christian who, together with others, says: “I believe and confess; tea of ​​the life of the future century,” but he lives and acts like an infidel, and is completely devoted to the vanities of the present century. This, my brethren, is the meaning of the Gospel parable about the supper and the bridal chamber, and such is its relation to the matter of our salvation! This same parable serves as the basis for that touching hymn with which the Holy Church fills our ears throughout these days. The Christian here seems to see before him that heavenly palace in which the Divine Supper was established for all souls and hearts that have disdained themselves to the Bridegroom: “I see Your palace, my Savior!” The sight of ineffable bliss attracts him, and he would like to enter the supper and join the sacred face of those celebrating, but a glance at himself stops him. He remembers the ill-fated fate of the one who had the recklessness to appear at the royal supper, “not having a wedding robe”; feels at the same time that he does not have this precious robe, that his clothes, that is, his deeds and life, are gloomy, dilapidated and disgusting: and the clothes are not imam, but he is in. After this, one should give up the desire to be at the supper; but how can he leave it when his whole being strives there? - And so, scanty in clothing, but not in faith and love, he turns with a petition to the One who is able to fill everything that is missing, who with His light can enlighten all darkness, and begs Him to show him this great mercy: “illuminate the robe of my soul, Light-Giver, and save me!” Have you and I, beloved listener, ever been in a similar state of soul and heart? If you haven’t been, then the holy song of the Church is not for us, and we need to reflect not yet on the royal chamber and the wedding supper, but on the Babylonian captivity and the darkness of Egypt, in which you and I find ourselves. But there are people, before whose mental eyes I take out the palace of the heavenly Bridegroom, who, wherever they go, whatever they begin to do, morning and evening, day and night, contemplate it before them: “I see Your palace, my Savior!” Such people use all their strength and means to cleanse their soul and heart from all worldly filth and acquire the wedding robe; they do not miss a single opportunity to whiten the garments of their souls, either in the blood of the Lambs - in the merits of the dear Redeemer, or in their own tears flowing from a contrite heart and a humble spirit, or in the font of love and mercy for their neighbors; but they never consider themselves to have achieved the desired perfection. For the same grace of the Spirit, which reveals to them the beauty and greatness of the heavenly blessings prepared for those who love the Lord, allows them to see all the impurity of our fallen nature, all the imperfection of our best deeds; constantly shows them in their hearts new and new remnants of evil and sinful impurity. Therefore, no matter how high they stand, they are always imbued with a feeling of deep humility; they are not ashamed, like the Apostle Paul, to call themselves the chief of sinners, and not seeing in themselves the opportunity to cleanse themselves, “as He is pure” (1 John 3:3); Along with the last sinners, they cry from the depths of their souls: “Illuminate the robe of my soul, Light-Giver, and save me!” It is obvious, my brothers, that most of us do not have the happiness of belonging to this, as the Savior Himself calls it, a small number of the chosen ones. But, on the other hand, has any of us really decided to clearly belong to the terrible crowd of outcast people? No, such spiritual insensibility and deadness, such self-hatred, such love and, so to speak, addiction to hell; not in the most bitter sinners. And in their souls the voice of conscience is heard from time to time; and their heart is filled with disgust for sin; and sometimes the power of grace acts over them, not leaving a person until the very last minutes of his existence on earth: there is only no determination to break the bonds of sin; What is missing is only the saving compulsion of one’s evil will, and the effort to arise from the snare of the devil. Let us stand, beloved listener, let us stand with all our bonds and wounds before the luminous face of our all-merciful Savior; Let us stand and cry to Him from the depths of our souls: Be merciful, Master, and to me, Your poor creation! No matter how far I have strayed from the path of Thy house, no matter how the world and passions have blinded the eyes of my heart, no matter how grounded I have become with my whole being, no matter how deep the abyss of sin in which my enemy keeps me: but I, unworthy, lifted up by the power of Thy grace, which does not leave the least of sinners, illuminated by the light of the Gospel, admonished by the example of Thy chosen servants, am exalted sometimes with a thought to that holy height from which everything earthly and earthly seems small and insignificant, and everything heavenly, holy, eternal, visibly approaches me and seems to call to itself: “I see Your palace, my Savior!” Oh, how pure and holy everything is in him, how bright and joyful everything is! It is better, truly better, to lurk at the footsteps of this palace than to sit and reign in the villages of sinners: “I see Your palace, my Savior, adorned!” I also see that, despite all my uncleanness and unworthiness, there is a place for me in this palace, that my poor name is not forgotten by You, but is inscribed among those redeemed and destined for bliss in Your kingdom. Everything has been calling me to You for a long time; and I am ready to go to Your Divine Supper, but how can I appear before Your bright face with my darkness and nakedness, with my rags and sinful sores? I had the robe of innocence in Eden, Your most precious image adorned me there, but the crafty serpent appeared and stole this robe from me: and from there I lie naked and ashamed. Later I had another royal vestment from You - the priceless robe of the merits of Your Son, in which the Holy Church clothed me at baptism, but with age came unclean thoughts, evil wishes and passions; they stripped off from me the unsewn robe of grace-filled justification; - I lie there naked and ashamed. I also washed myself more than once in the mysterious font of repentance; he became whiter than snow by the communion of the holy and life-giving Mysteries: but soon again, madly, he returned to the blessings of worldly amusements and pleasures, plunging even deeper into the mire of intemperance and voluptuousness. What should I do now? Where to go? Who will remove the darkness and ulcers from my conscience? Who will cover the nakedness of my soul? In vain would I turn to the creatures around me for this: they themselves sigh from the terrible work of corruption to which Adam’s crime subjected them; They themselves expect me to free them from captivity. In vain would I pray to the very inhabitants of heaven and Angels for this: they have a lot of light and love; but their clothing does not suit me: for I am earthling and mortal. Wherever I look, I clearly see that I have no one to resort to except You, O all-merciful Lord and Judge, You, Who died for us, still existing sinners, Who has hitherto patiently awaited my conversion. Thine, O Lord, is the palace: Let the clothing also be Thine! - Enlighten, Light-Giver, the robe of my soul! Enlighten!.. I do not pray to You for the light of Tabor: may it remain the inheritance and reward of Your relatives and friends! Illuminate me with the light of Sinai, so that I can clearly see the path of Your commandments and, imbued with the fear of Your omnipotence, I will begin to walk without stumbling in Your justifications! - Do not hide the light of Calvary from me, so that I will see the power and necessity, for the salvation of people, of Your life-giving Cross, and I will take from it the courage and holy determination to mortify my flesh with its passions and lusts! Overshadow me with the radiance of the light of Sinai, yes, endowed with power from above, the grace of the Comforter Spirit, I will not be afraid of the struggle against the temptations of the world and with my evil skills! May, O All-Good One, finally visit my gloomy soul, although a single ray of light from Olivet, may I not lose sight of that blessed path along which You ascended to Your Father in heaven, and which should flow to You to all who wish to find themselves at the Divine Supper in Your God-bright chamber! Amen. 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