Слово во вторник недели 1-й Великого поста, на утрене

“Blow the trumpet in Zion... sanctify the fast, preach celibacy... and cry earnestly to the Lord” (Joel 2:1, 1:14). Why, at the beginning of Lent, according to the word of the prophet, was it necessary to sound the trumpet and preach celibacy? It would seem that fasting requires a contrary, reverent silence, or a quiet proclamation - a sermon not about healing, but about humility and abstinence. They blow a trumpet when they want to let those who are far away or have difficulty hearing know about something; They preach healing to such sick people who think that they are completely healthy and have no need for healing, or despair of receiving it. So, it is true that all such people were in ancient Israel. In new Israel - among Christians, where there is so much spiritual light, so many pious experiences and Divine powers for spiritual exploits, there would seem to be less room for doubts about the necessity and benefits of holy fasting. But, upon closer examination of the matter, here too the prophetic trumpet turns out to be unnecessary. And in us, as in the ancient Israelites, the sensual person does not rebel against anything so much, both with his strength and with his powerlessness, as against holy fasting. Attending divine services, going to confession, receiving the Holy Mysteries, for this purpose - repenting, praying, sighing and crying - sometimes the most sensual people willingly agree to all this; but to subordinate oneself to the rules of abstinence prescribed by the Church, to impose on oneself the yoke of holy fasting, seems to many, even the least Christians, too difficult, unnecessary, even dangerous. Thus, holy fasting, from being a friend, as it should be for everyone, turns for some almost into an enemy: instead of resorting to it as a medicine, they run away from it as from a disease. You yourself feel, brothers, whether it is possible for spiritual doctors to be cold-blooded spectators of this state of affairs. So, do not be surprised if we accept for a while the trumpet indicated by the prophet, and devote a few minutes to sorting out the unfortunate dispute between our sensuality and the healing power of holy fasting. I said that our sensual man rebels against holy fasting both with his strength and with his weakness. Indeed, listen to those who do not like fasting; some of them say: “I don’t have to fast, there is no need for me to fast; What others want to achieve through fasting, I have the same thing without fasting.” It is clear that this is the voice of power - imaginary or true - we will see later. Others say something completely different: “fasting could be good for me, but I cannot fast; this remedy is very effective, but it is beyond my weakness.” So he clearly says that powerlessness - imaginary or true - will also be seen later. Accordingly, let us, brethren, turn our attention first to the strong, and then to the powerless who do not like holy fasting. That there are people who need fasting less than others is certain: how can one compare in this regard the son of luxury, the rich man of the Gospel, and the son of poverty, Lazarus? In addition, a certain body composition, a way of upbringing, a special type of life and occupation, a certain mood of spirit make some people, in relation to virtue, without fasting almost the same as others can become only through prolonged fasting. All this is true; but it is no less true, brethren, that all such people, let us say without hesitation, are very happy in relation to the work of their salvation, have a need for fasting. To convince them of this, it is enough to ask them one question: do they need to repent? Do they recognize themselves as sinners, sick in spirit and heart, and therefore in need of healing their conscience? Without a doubt. But is there any disease that would be cured by satiety, for which abstinence and diet would not be necessary? In relation to the body - no: but in relation to the soul maybe? Intending to heal your flesh from something, you will resort to abstinence and deprivation; and, when you begin to heal the soul, will you allow your belly whatever it pleases? Isn't it a strange contradiction? We agree that you do not need fasting at all (which, however, cannot be), as a bulwark against sensuality and vices; so you need him as a fence of your virtues: you do not hope to gain anything for the spirit through him, so take him to help so as not to lose what you have acquired. Adam in paradise was no less perfect than you; I thought I could do without fasting, and what happened? Lot, in the midst of Sodom itself, flourished in virtue; outside Sodom he gave up his fast - and what happened? Let us assume that even without fasting you will not fall into gross vices; but if you fall into serious ones without fasting, and this is an important harm: the poison is subtle and slow, it is all poison, and you will never dare to take it. And what do you do, who are now thinking of doing without fasting, when some universally dangerous disease occurs? Hoping for all your strength and strength, do you leave precautions? On the contrary, you often take them more than weak people. Does the infection of sin mean nothing to you? When everyone protects themselves with the saving institutions of the Church, do you think it is safe to lead a spiritual life while continuing to satisfy the wishes of sensuality? And, finally, what is the power of the spirit that expresses itself through slavery to the flesh? What kind of health of soul and body is this that cannot do without the screams and cries of slaughtered animals? Are you firm in the rules of virtue even without fasting? Show this strength and firmness in curbing your sensual desires. And without fasting do you think to be a true Christian? Prove by your obedience to the orders of the common mother of the Church that you are truly her son, and not an enemy. Are you saying that you have sincere love for your neighbors even without fasting? How are you not afraid, by clearly violating the rules of fasting, to give them a reason to be tempted? This is not what the apostle did, who was truly strong in spirit and sincerely loved his neighbors: “If,” he says, “he wickedly seduces my brother, I will not eat meat forever” (1 Cor. 8:13). This is true strength of spirit and love for neighbors! Finally, the very fact that someone who does not fast arbitrarily separates himself from the entire host of Orthodox children of the Church who fast is already a very bad sign. The virtuous Uri was once invited, during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites, to enter his home for a while to calm down; but he answered with a feeling of holy indignation: “The ark of God, and Israel and Judah are in the booths... but I will not come into my house to eat and drink.” (2 Samuel 11:11). And you, supposedly strong in spirit, want to do the opposite! The ark of God in the Church is covered with a veil of sorrow, all Israel and Judah are in tabernacles, all the Orthodox sons of the Church are fasting; Are you ready to eat and drink? I called other opponents of fasting powerless because, in reflecting the beneficial power of fasting from themselves, they rely on their weakness. “I,” a common response from such people, “due to my weakness, cannot fast, even if I wanted to.” What to answer to those? Should we blame them for their weakness? Let's not! We are called to heal the sick. If you cannot fast as much as you would like, fast as much as you can: in this way you will see for yourself that you can do much more than you think. The intention of the Holy Church is not to impose a new burden on anyone through fasting, but through it to remove the previous burden from everyone. Just look at what this impossibility of fasting consists of: is it not some heaviness and trouble for a sensual person from the first actions? But this is an inevitable consequence of almost all medicines, in their first action, that they first weaken the sick, sometimes even putting them to bed in order to restore them to strength and health. It is not surprising that fasting will begin its effect by weakening our bestial man; this itself expresses its healing power; The least of these should be the incentive to give up your fast. One must be patient; continue using the medicine and see what happens next. We dare to assure you, brethren, that the more patient and constant you are in the use of holy fasting, the sooner you will see its beneficial effect on you. After the first attacks of heaviness and indignation from the irritability of a sensual person deprived of ordinary food, the heaviness of the body will pass, the confusion of feelings will be replaced by silence of the heart, the bitterness of the medicine will gradually turn into sweetness, so that, finally, even your sensual person will not be able to say anything against fasting, and he himself will willingly sign his sentence. “But in this case I must fear for my health, my constitution is too weak and upset.” This is the most common and most plausible objection in the mouth of our sensual person. We will not weaken him either; on the contrary, we will give him all the strength. We believe, dear brother, that your fear is well founded, that your body’s health may suffer somewhat from fasting; but what if you receive health of soul for this sacrifice? - Is the latter really less than the first? Wouldn't you agree to exchange strength of body for strength of spirit? If so, then you obviously care more about the body than about the soul, you change heaven for earth, you do not sincerely desire your salvation... But I feel that such language is too lofty for many of us. Alas, one cannot demand from today’s Christians that they agree to exchange earth for heaven! Let's go another way. You are afraid of upsetting your health by fasting! Well, if we tell you that prudent fasting is one of the surest means to restore even the most disturbed health? Spiritual doctors will have difficulty believing in this case: ask physical doctors, and they will tell you the same thing; - they will assure that in this one way - fasting, used wisely, the most dangerous and incurable diseases can be cured; that in general this, if you want to call it that, method of healing is especially effective in those ailments from which the current, weakened humanity suffers. Do you want, brothers, to see in part exactly how holy fasting works to restore the strength of our body? In order to make you love this saving medicine because of its most sensual benefits for bodily health, I will leave the tone of a preacher for a while and accept the voice of a natural scientist. It is not in vain that our body is compared to a skillfully constructed machine. The movement of this machine is started and maintained in two ways: breathing and nutrition. Breathing is something incessantly active, without which one cannot live. There is no place for fasting here; although moderation is useful here too. Nutrition is not like that: it is necessary, but at times; continuous feeding would cause death. This is nature’s own indication of fasting as a means to maintain health. Moreover, nutrition is a complex thing in its production: one cannot see without amazement how much work the poor body puts into food in order to turn it into juice and blood. No matter how firmly the nutritional organs are designed for this, from incessant work they become tired and weakened to the point that they are not able to carry out their work as they should. Hence the disorder of the nutritional organs; and from here on - an immense horde of diseases. Therefore, one of the main goals of medical science is to restore the proper functioning of the nutritional organs. But how to restore it? The first and most reliable thing is to stop exhausting work. Nature itself instills this in us, depriving us every time of illness of the urge to eat, and producing an aversion to it. You just need to obey and immediately turn to fasting. Called at the right time, this doctor will soon correct the whole matter in the simplest and most natural way. Having no new material to work with, the digestive organs during fasting finish all their previous lessons; continue to consume everything left over from different times, and what remains weighed down on them and their whole body. Having exhausted their own supply, these organs collect and consume reserve juices found throughout the body, which, remaining for a long time without use or change, also deteriorate and spoil the body; having exhausted this too, they turn their action on themselves, correct, so to speak, and renew their entire projectile at leisure, fasten what has weakened, awaken what has fallen asleep from insensibility, tighten what has expanded, open what has stalled, and thus put themselves in a position to act correctly again. Since the entire composition of the body depends on the nutritional organs, the beneficial actions performed in them quickly respond throughout the body: the circulation of blood and nerve juices becomes more correct and freer; surpluses and deficiencies in different types and places disappear; the vital force, no longer suppressed by the weight of the flesh, no longer exhausted by incessant work, awakens, comes to life and becomes capable of correcting by itself many, even important, damages. And in this way, the most stubborn diseases disappear unnoticed. After these effects of fasting on the health of the body - and I did not increase, but did I weaken them a lot, wanting in their description to avoid what is not clear to everyone - do we not, brothers, now have the right to change our voice, and instead of defending fasting from those complaining about poor health, offer it to them as the most important medicine? Do you feel sorry for your physical makeup, your weak build? Really have pity on him, and call for help from holy fasting, which the very nature of your body requires. How? Do you give rest to machines in your work churches, and will you never give it to your womb? Do you extinguish the lamp from time to time to give it time to cleanse it, and do you want the fire to constantly burn inside you, and so that, despite this, everything there is always clean? Let your poor stomach know, at least occasionally, that he has a prudent ruler over him who gives him weakness, and not a tyrant who exhausts him with incessant work. As a reward for this, you will receive not burden and weakness, which you fear so much, and which will soon pass, but strength, liveliness, lightness and a special feeling of health, which you do not have now. The very urge for food, spoiled by constant satiety, will become more lively, subtler, nobler, and its satisfaction will be accompanied by much greater pleasure, now completely unknown to you. In conclusion of this depiction of the beneficial effects of holy fasting for the body itself, I consider it not superfluous, brethren, to point out to you examples of people who spent not just Lent, but their entire lives in fasting. How long do you think they would live? Die prematurely? Have you reached the final limits of life? No, for the most part, they went far beyond them: some lived eighty, others ninety, others more than a hundred years. After this, for the most life-loving, most sensual people, there is nothing left but to embrace abstinence and love holy fasting. Amen. You might be interested in: