Слово в среду недели 1-й Великого поста, на часах

This is the third day since we have been wandering in spirit through the holy desert of Holy and Great Lent. The Israelites, upon their exodus from Egypt, during this time already crossed the Red Sea and sang a song of thanksgiving to God the Savior: where are we now and what is happening to us? It cannot be that the fierce Pharaoh, the god of this age, would willingly release us from the slavery of the flesh and the world, so as not to pursue us in the wilderness of fasting with all his army - with all the temptations of sensual life. So what? Have we passed the Red Sea - sensual tendencies? Have you seen the drowning of the mental Pharaoh in waves of tears coming from a contrite heart and a humble spirit? If so, then we too should sing a song of thanksgiving to the Lord in our spirit. Without His omnipotent grace, we not only would not have left Egypt - the sinful service of the world and the flesh, but we would not even have thought of leaving: we would still have suffered, like the Israelites, by making plinth, we would have worked - “to decay.” And having thanked the Lord for permission from the bonds of the flesh and the world, for salvation from the enemy who persecutes us, we must, brothers, hasten in spirit to Sinai and Horeb - to the sacrament of repentance and confession, to enter through it into a new covenant with the God of our fathers, to accept from His grace the new law of spirit and life on the tablets of our souls and hearts. In the desert of fasting there is no permanent dwelling; strive forward until you reach the promised land - spiritual dispassion and unity with God. The waters of Marrah will meet - despondency, spiritual burden and bitterness - throw the tree of the cross into them - a living reflection on the sufferings of the Lord, raised for us - and the bitterness will be sweetened. The Amalekites will attack - dark thoughts, unclean desires - stretch out your hands, like Moses, in the form of a cross to the same Savior - and the enemy will be repulsed. Serpents will gnaw - external temptations from the world and the flesh - look again, like the Israelites, at the wood of the cross - and by the power of Him Crucified on it, every wound will be healed. The desert of fasting is dry and barren for the outer man; but for the internal, everything is here: Sinai with the revelations of heaven, and the tabernacle of God with the eternal priesthood, and the manna of grace-filled consolations. If you go forward unremittingly, you will reach Canaan and you will calm down from the burden of sin and the exhausting work of the flesh and the world. If you return back, you will again be subjected to the cruel slavery of the flesh and the devil, and the “last” will be for you “a pot of the first” (Luke 11:26). May the Lord save us from this! No one be Korah, no one Dathan and Aviron! Do not contradict the leadership of the Church and its sacraments, do not disagree with its rules, do not get bored with the duration of prayers. A loving mother knows what she is doing: let her enjoy seeing her children! Another day will pass, and the sacrament of repentance will take place; one more, and you will be a partaker of the Body and Blood of the Lord. And there, who knows - will the Church see you again, will you see her too? “We are counting the days of fasting, and then, perhaps, the days of our lives are already numbered.” Let us be vigilant in exploits; for we work not for others, but for ourselves. The time will come when a day will be paid with a century - an entire eternity. Amen. You might be interested in: