Слово первое в Великий Четверток

“Mistress’s wanderings and immortal meals, in a high place, high minds, faithful ones, come let us enjoy.” Finally, the Holy Church has a meal and a spiritual feast! The fasting and fasting continued for a long time: but the food and drinking were extraordinary. For worldly meals and suppers satisfy and delight for a time; and then they often become burdensome and always give way to a new famine: here, whoever tastes worthily will not hunger forever: “immortal meals.” Our Lord is philanthropic! He did not suffer to see his slaves smooth; He knows that the spirit is vigorous, but the flesh is weak: and so, at the end of the fasting season, He Himself prepares a meal. “Mistress’s wanderings and immortal meals.” In addition to calming and encouraging the hungry, this supper will serve as a farewell for its Organizer. For He needs to leave everyone and go on a long journey, it is necessary to separate not for a short time. How not to share the last minutes with others and relatives? How not to leave them something in memory of Yourself? - Moreover, how can we not rush to such a meal? “Come, let’s enjoy!” Let us all come in for this supper; for although it is said: “high minds”: but this is said out of necessity, because what is offered at the supper is high in its very essence, so that whoever lies down cannot reach what is offered with his lips. However, there are no special conditions. It only says: “return.” But without faith, why go there, where without faith you cannot take a single step? And is it difficult to have faith where the Lord and Lord of all is in charge of everything, and where therefore omnipotence operates? Leaving behind all fear and bewilderment, let us ascend to a mountainous place and, who can, “enjoy”; who is still incapable of it, at least let’s see what is offered there, who accepts it and how, and what follows from what is offered and accepted? “Now it was evening, and I was reclining with ten disciples who were deceived” (Matthew 26:20). This is how Saint Matthew begins his description of the Lord's Table. It is known on what occasion it was: it was necessary, according to the law, in this day, “Rising from supper... put down your vestments and receive the lention, girding yourself. Then they poured water into the laver, and the disciple began to wash his feet, and to wipe them with the lantern with which he had girded” (John 13:4-5). Everyone obeys: only Peter retorts: “Thou shalt not wash my foot forever!” (John 13:8). In vain! First, I would like to take up the lention and wash the feet of the Teacher and fellow practitioners. Then I would have heard again: “Blessed are you, Simon... for flesh and blood have not been revealed to you, but the Father... Who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). And now, although a praiseworthy feeling is expressed in your words, it is from the same flesh and blood: exalted, but still unable to inherit the Kingdom of God. Therefore, it will not be the same, but something else: “If I do not wash you, have no part with Me!” (John 13:8). Now there are no more barriers. Let the feast begin, let there be joy! And it began. The lamb is eaten, the bitter potion is tasted, the unleavened bread is consumed, the cup of thanksgiving is drunk: the Old Testament is fulfilled. But all this is mortal, tasted a thousand times and never satiating the spirit. Where is the immortal meal? Where is the Lady's love of strangers? Don't be bored and don't be afraid! He who fed five thousand with five loaves will also feed us. If he accepts those who are not invited, how much more will those who are invited be released. “Vernie, come and enjoy!” “And to them (the disciples) who ate, Jesus took the bread and blessed it, and gave it to the disciples, and said: Take and eat: this is My Body! And having received the cup and given praise, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it.” For this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28). So, this is what they will treat us with: not bread, but the body, not wine, but blood! - this is the Body; This is Blood! – And whose Body and Blood? -Our Savior: My Body, My Blood! Who could have put faith in this if He Himself had not spoken about it, if the apostles had not repeated the same thing on His behalf? But how can we consume this food? The Lord loves us so much! Seeing that all meals end in decay and do not make us immortal, He ordains incorruptible food and drink. They could only be composed of Flesh and Blood, which alone in the whole world were not subject to destruction, but, on the contrary, had the power to revive, and He did not spare either His Body or His Blood, but offered them at the supper, offered them not only to His disciples, but in their person to all nations. Saint Andrew was the first to accept it for us, but he accepted it in order to pass it on faithfully to each of us. And to whom does he not convey correctly? Get started everyone; at every church meal, the same Body and the same Blood, of which the apostles now partook. But how to start this meal? – How to taste the Body? How to drink Blood? - This is not according to our nature. The Teacher was in charge of all this and took care of our weakness. What is eaten is the Body, but its appearance is the same, that of bread; what is drunk is Blood, but its image and taste are the same - wine. Thus, it is condescending to our nature that instead of one miracle, two are performed each time: both bread and wine turn into Body and Blood and, converted, retain their former form, so that in this way there is room for faith on our part. Truly, one must have no low intelligence in order to enjoy this meal. With this mind we must fly to the heights of the Savior’s love for us, laying down His soul for us. But this high mind - in this case - is given not by learning, but by faith: “if you do not believe, you will not understand” (Is. 7:9). So let us believe, when we begin the meal of the Body and Blood, let us not lower our minds, asking: “How can... give His Flesh food?” (John 6:52) or, like the heretics, wondering how the Body and Blood can be hidden under the guise of bread and wine? From man this is impossible, but from our Savior, Who is God and man, all things are possible. On the contrary, it was unworthy of Him to give one bread and one wine: for each of the people can do this a hundred times. He, like God, had to do more; and He did the most; “For no one else... has love, but if anyone... lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Amen. You might be interested in: