Слово в понедельник недели 1-й Великого поста, на утрене

“Let a man tempt himself, and let him eat of the bread, and let him drink of the cup. He who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment without discerning the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:28–29). Those who need to appear in court to answer a case on which the well-being of their lives depends are not in a hurry with their arrival; They first try to find out thoroughly who will judge them, what laws are for them and against them, what can be said or done in favor of their cause. In the same way, if one were invited to a meal in the house of the kings, where he must be face to face with the king; then he would also consider it his duty to stock up on all the necessary information regarding the meeting with the king and his meal itself; I would not consider it unnecessary to learn even unimportant details. We, brethren, are suddenly faced with both of these cases, or, better to say, both of these happinesses (I call our appearance at the trial happiness, because the decision of the case in our favor depends on us): how can we not think carefully about where we should appear and what to do there? “Therefore, even if there had not been a direct command from the Apostle for this, which you heard, then the very concern for the salvation of your souls would have forced you, from thinking about yourself, regarding which we have already talked with you, to move your thoughts to thinking about the sacrament of repentance and communion, which you intend to begin. In this matter, again, everyone can go their own way, consider the most holy sacraments as their mind and heart inspire them, even, perhaps, as God Himself, or the Guardian Angel, inspires them. But some spiritual advice can also be given to the leadership, which is therefore our duty to offer you, so that those who need it will not be forced to go far for it. Do you want, in accordance with the command of the Apostle, to reflect on the sacrament of repentance and confession? Pay attention to the following main subjects: 1) who instituted this sacrament and for what purpose? 2) what is its strength and what are its fruits? 3) what is required of you as a confessor, so that the grace of the sacrament can exert its power on you? When solving these questions, there is no need to delve into any scientific research or deep considerations; For this, if you wish, you can use another time: now everything that has the appearance of learning would cool your heart. It is enough through simple reflection to be convinced from the heart that the judgment seat of confession was definitely established by Him Himself, Who alone has the power to forgive sins, to bind and decide the conscience; - that the clergy are in this matter only humble servants, who do what they are ordered to do by the Master of the House, without adding anything to the power of the sacrament with their dignity and without taking anything away from it with their unworthiness; that the power of Christian repentance does not consist in the superficial abandonment of certain vices and the acceptance of certain virtues in their place, but in the change, through the mysterious action of God’s grace, of our very spirit and heart, in the renewal of our whole life; - that, finally, the power of confession depends entirely on faith in the merits of Jesus Christ, who satisfied the justice of God with His death for our sins. Along with this, contrition of the spirit for sins is necessary; you must accept with all your heart the main condition under which pardon will be granted to you, that is, that you, having been pardoned, henceforth, with the help of God's grace, begin to behave as befits a follower of Christ: righteously, chastely and piously. When these main aspects in the sacrament of repentance and confession are clear in your soul and revived to the point that you feel all the importance and beneficialness of these sacraments, and with all the strength of your will you desire to be revived by them for your salvation, then you have done your job. If it were difficult to answer anything in the above questions on your own, do not be ashamed to ask those who know, turn to your spiritual father for admonition. However, from this sacred place, during this week, the concept of all these subjects will be taught, which will facilitate and complement everyone’s own reflection. But there is something in this matter that no one, a repentant sinner, can do for you and for you, even if he diligently wanted to provide you with this service. This is the following: when preparing for a new confession, you need to remember well your past confession, consider what happened in you after it: did you fulfill the penance, if any; Did he save himself from previous sins, or did he fall into them again, and what was the reason for this? Next, you must consider what to say to your spiritual father, how to put him in proper knowledge of your state of mind, what advice to ask him for, what feat of repentance to volunteer for, if necessary? This, as you yourself see, no one can do for you; and everyone, even if he is the most limited in his knowledge and abilities, is always capable of this. Do all this so that your spiritual father can quickly and more accurately see your soul and conscience, so that he can more reliably prescribe spiritual healing for you, so that you do not become confused before the holy lectern and do not worry afterwards that you did this important thing not as you should. About the sacrament of communion, if you think at length, then you need to think for an entire eternity: for this most holy sacrament is the height of the omnipotence, wisdom and love of God for us. But for the present day it is enough if you consider with your heart’s sympathy, who teaches the Holy Gifts? What is taught there? And to whom is it taught? It was not in vain that the Lord Himself said at the establishment of the Last Supper to the apostles: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Therefore, before we approach the cup of the Covenant, we must certainly fulfill His will. How to do it? Remember, firstly, how the Son of God, immediately after our fall in paradise, became our intercessor, and having taken upon Himself satisfaction for our sins, He said to the Father: “Behold, I come... to do Your will, O God” (Heb. 10:7), I come to suffer and die for the human race! How then, over the course of many centuries, one might say, he descended and approached us in promises and prophecies; how at the last day he came and became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, being conceived by her from the Holy Spirit; how at His birth the Angels sang, the shepherds praised, the Magi worshiped, and Herod went on a rampage and forced Him to flee to Egypt; remember how the Lord was circumcised today, brought to the church and received by Simeon; how he later spent thirty years in Nazareth, among poverty and labor; how, after baptism from John, after temptation in the wilderness, he went out to preach, taught for three years to everyone, healed the sick, raised the dead, not having anywhere to lay his head; do not forget especially the last days of His life, the resurrection of Lazarus, the entry into Jerusalem, the last supper and the last conversations with the disciples, among whom the sacrament of communion was established; then bloody sweat and prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane; then dishonor and torture at the trial of the Sanhedrin, Herod and Pilate; then the crucifixion and death on Calvary, and finally the glorious resurrection. Having thus gone through in memory the entire life of your Savior until His ascension into heaven from Olivet, think how much He did for you. And all this seemed to Him not enough if He did not feed you with His Divine Flesh and Blood until the end of time!.. From the Giver, turn your gaze to what is given, to the cup of the Covenant, from which you will drink eternal life. Notice how simple the appearance of the gift is, and how immense its power is. For why are the Body and Blood of the Lord taught? For the remission of sins and eternal life, in order for you to be most intimately united with Christ, and through this union to be cleansed, sanctified, immortalized, deified, and elevated above all creation. Every time you look at the Cup of the Covenant, there will be a new holy thought and feeling; whatever a new thought or feeling is, it is either enlightenment, or revelation, or strengthening, or consolation. Struck by the greatness of the object, you then involuntarily turn your gaze to yourself: who are you, approaching the cup of the Covenant, seeking union with the Lord? Isn’t he an absent-minded peace-lover who wants to perform one church rite, so as not to have the criticism of an unbeliever in society? Is it not a Pharisee who has become so obsessed with the impeccability of his life that he thinks of doing some kind of service to the church by appearing in it among the sinners he despises? Is it not a Christian who tempts on both knees, for whom it seems completely possible that what is so incompatible, both according to the testimony of the Gospel and in the essence of the thing, that is, to be pleasing and faithful to God and the world, conscience and passions? In general, we need to understand whether we feel the need to unite with Christ, whether we have a spiritual hunger for the Divine meat of His Body, whether there is a spiritual thirst for the Divine drinking of His Blood? Is there a desire to preserve such great gifts, after accepting them, in a clear conscience and pure life? Is there a determination to leave for this purpose what made us unclean and ungodly, to leave not for a day, not for a week, but forever. Finally, is it not useless to think in advance about where, when and how to appear for confession itself, for communion itself? In such a case, a lot can depend on small unexpected encounters: the spirit can become alarmed, the heart may move erratically, thoughts become clouded, feelings fade away: and this is very important at such moments. For, tell me yourself, isn’t it such details that occupy us and serve as a subject of reflection for the most important people when preparations are being made for the meeting of the king of the earth?.. Shall we not do for the King of Heaven what we do for the rulers of the earth?.. Amen. You might be interested in: