Слово 68. Об отречении от мира и о воздержании от вольного обращения с людьми

When we love to escape from the world and remove ourselves from worldly affairs, then nothing separates us so much from the world, mortifies our passions, arouses and revives us for the spiritual, like crying and heartache with reasoning. For the face of the reverent imitates the humility of the Beloved. And, on the contrary, nothing makes us so much accomplices of the world, both those living in the world, and those who in the world are given over to drunkenness and fornication, and nothing removes us so much from the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of the mysteries of God, as laughter and bold soaring of thoughts. And this is the work of the prodigal demon. But since I have come to know through experience your wisdom, beloved, I beg you with love to protect yourself from the attack of the enemy, so that you do not, with the wit of your speeches, cool down in your soul the ardor of love for Christ, who for your sake tasted the gall on the tree of the cross, and so that the enemy, instead of that sweet reflection and boldness before God, does not, during your waking hours, fill your soul with many dreams and during your sleep, captivate it. absurd dreams, the stench of which the holy Angels of God cannot tolerate. And then you will become a cause of fall for others, and a sharp prick for yourself 551. Therefore, force yourself to imitate the humility of Christ, so that the fire He throws at you will quickly ignite, by which all the movements of this world that kill the new man and desecrate the courts of the Holy and Almighty Lord are eradicated. For I dare say with Saint Paul that we are “the church of God” (1 Cor. 3:16). Therefore, as God Himself is pure, let us cleanse His church, so that He may desire to dwell in it. And just as He Himself is holy, let us also sanctify the church; let us adorn it with all sorts of good and honest deeds, we will perfume it with the fragrance of the peace of God’s will, with pure and heartfelt prayer, which cannot be acquired by communication in frequent worldly unrest. And thus, the cloud of His glory will overshadow the soul, and the light of His greatness will shine inside the heart, and all the inhabitants of the village of God will be filled with joy and gladness, and the arrogant and shameless will disappear from the flame of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, constantly reproach yourself, brother, and say: “Alas, damned soul! The time for your separation from the body has come. Why do you rejoice in what you must leave today and what you will not see forever? Pay attention to your previous life, think about what you did, why you did it, and what your deeds were, with whom you spent the days of your life, or who took advantage of the labor of your work on earth, whom you delighted with your warfare, so that he would come out to meet you when you left the world, whom you delighted during your course, so that you may rest in his haven, for whom you suffered in poverty, working to come to him. with joy, whom did you acquire as a friend in the next century, so that he would receive you during your departure, in what field did you work for hire, and who will give you your wages at sunset when you leave? Test yourself, soul, and consider in what land your inheritance is and whether you have passed the field, which brings sorrow to the fruitful workers; cry out and cry with groaning and sorrow - in what way will your God rest more than sacrifices and burnt offerings. Let your lips exude painful voices, with which the holy Angels delight; wet your cheeks with the tears of your eyes, so that the Holy Spirit may rest in you and wash you from the filth of your vice; propitiate your Lord with tears so that he may come to you; call Mary and Martha, let them teach you lamentable voices. Cry to the Lord: “Lord Jesus, our God, who wept over Lazarus and shed tears of sorrow and compassion over him, accept the tears of my sorrow. By Your suffering heal my passions; Heal my wounds with Your stripes; With Your blood, cleanse my blood and blend with my body the fragrance of Your life-giving Body. May the gall that your enemies gave you to drink sweeten my soul from the sorrow that my opponent gave me to drink. May Your body, stretched out on the tree of the cross, lift up my mind to You, carried away by demons below. May Your head, bowed on the cross, lift up my head, strangled by the adversaries. May Your all-holy hands, nailed by the infidels to the cross, lead me to You from the abyss of destruction, as Your all-holy lips promised. May Your face, which has received strangulations and spitting from the damned, illuminate my face, defiled by iniquities. May Thy soul, which, being on the cross, Thou gavet up to Thy Father, guide me to Thee by Thy grace. I do not have a sick heart to seek You; I have neither repentance nor contrition, by which children are introduced into their own inheritance. I have no consoling tears, Vladyka. My mind has been darkened by the affairs of this world and I do not have the strength to raise my gaze to You with pain. My heart has grown cold from many temptations and cannot be warmed by tears of love for You. But You, Lord Jesus Christ God, treasure of good things, grant me complete repentance and an untiring heart, so that with all my soul I may go out to seek You. For without You I will be alien to all good. Therefore, O Good One, grant me Your grace. May the Father, who eternally and eternally drives You out from His bosom, renew in me the features of Your image. I left you; Don't leave me. I have departed from You; You come to seek me and lead me into Your pasture, number me among the sheep of Your chosen flock, nourish me with the grain of Your Divine mysteries along with those whose pure heart is Your abode, and in it the leafing of Your revelations is visible - this is consolation and this joy for those who have labored for You in sorrows and in various torments. May we also be worthy of this oblation by Your grace and Your love for mankind, our Savior, Jesus Christ, forever and ever! Amen". You might be interested in: