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

Don’t we come out to you with instructions too often, and don’t we burden you too much at the very beginning of the feat? But we must quickly reach the end of the subject; for to divide the conversation into different days would be inconvenient for you and your memory, although it would be easier for us. Therefore, we will now indicate to you the third and last main subject, which you should think about with all diligence in these days. This is a new way of thinking, feeling and acting that you should adopt at the end of the holy retreat in order to preserve its fruits. Yes, brothers, if you are disposed to repent not for one week, or for one fast, but for your whole life; if you want to be reconciled with your Creator and Lord not temporarily, but forever: then, at the end of this holy work, a great change must occur in you - greater than what happens upon entering a new title or position, greater than under the most decisive and important circumstances of life. For what do all our titles and offices mean before the title of son and heir of God in Christ Jesus? What do all the most striking circumstances of life mean in comparison with that great miracle of life, when a sinner from a victim of hell becomes a member of the house of the Heavenly Father? Holy Scripture, which does not like and cannot exaggerate objects and concepts, calls true repentance a new creation. But is it possible to become a new creation and not adopt a new way of thinking, feeling and acting? Equally, is it possible to accept and preserve it without first thinking about it, and without internalizing it with a firm determination to live and act pleasing to God? - The lack of this preliminary consideration and determination is the main reason that all the good produced in the soul by the sacraments of confession and communion remains without further action, all the holy vows given to God and to oneself dissipate, one might say, in the air, soon after leaving the church. No measures have been taken in advance to protect oneself from the previous infection; no reliable means have been thought out for maintaining a good disposition, for the fulfillment of holy vows: - and therefore all the good that appears temporarily in the soul remains without fruit; all the former evil again invades the heart, at the first temptation, often with greater force. Having all this in mind, or, better to say, having suffered from this so many times, now, in order not to lose the grace of pardon again, you will try in advance to find the most reliable means possible to protect yourself from such misfortune. And in approval I must tell you that if anything, then there is no shortage of these means. How many of them are also represented by the Holy Church, which revives us to spiritual life through the sacraments of repentance and communion! The very structure of our life, according to the wise order of God's Providence, is such that with various temptations and temptations, around us there is always a considerable number of means for our salvation; you just need to be able to know your position and have a sincere desire to use it. When thinking about your future behavior, you should pay special attention to three things: 1) what you should leave in your way of thoughts, activities and actions; 2) what to accept and learn again; 3) what to change more or less. Need to consider what to leave? For example, visiting the theater, or reading voluptuous books, or eating excess food, from which, if not the chastity of the body, then the purity of the heart suffered. What to leave? For example, meeting and talking with such and such a freethinker or an immoral person, whose thoughts and words, like smoke, even if they do not produce a flame, always blacken the walls of the house and spoil the eyesight. What to leave? For example, the spirit of discontent and obstinacy, from which, although it apparently does not go beyond its limits, like from a slow fire, the sensitivity of your subordinates or servants constantly suffers. We need to consider what to take as a rule for ourselves in the future? If your home and public prayers have hitherto been neglected or have not received all due respect, then you need to determine how to compensate for this important omission, what hours to use for prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures at home, what days or hours to devote to going to church. In the same way, if hitherto the spiritual state of your family has been completely ignored, then you need to figure out how to engage and occupy them themselves in the matter of their salvation, what means to open up for them and how to interest them in this. You need to consider and decide what to change in your life, whether it will be the most important, for example, gender and lifestyle, or the most, apparently, unimportant, for example, the image and color of clothing. For, in the matter of salvation, as in other matters, the important often depends on the small, and the great is made up of small things. In all these respects, when thinking, we must keep in mind that we must find and take as many reliable measures as possible to prevent old vices and passions from invading the soul, to the unhindered development of a new grace-filled life in oneself, in all its types and directions, to root oneself in faith, love and Christian hope, to unite in spirit with one’s Lord and Savior. With all this, he will do very well who, having thought over the plan of his future behavior, proposes it for the consideration of some experienced pious person, most likely for the consideration of his spiritual father. The one who, being able to write, puts this plan on paper, will re-read it as often as possible, have it before his eyes and trust them with his new behavior, will also do very well. It will not be superfluous if someone, having drawn up the main rules of behavior for himself, solemnly vows to act according to them unswervingly. David was no worse than us; and yet, to keep himself on the path of the law, he even resorted to an oath: “I swore,” he says, “and set out to preserve the fate of Your righteousness!” (Ps.119:106) If in this way you take in advance all measures to preserve in yourself the traces and fruits of repentance, then you can be sure that the grace of pardon, which has been received so many times before, will now not be in vain in you; you will not return to the way things were, but you will follow that saving path of faith, humility and love, on which the Holy Sacraments of the Church will put you. Amen. You might be interested in: