Слово 89. О вреде безрассудной ревности, прикрывающейся личиною ревности Божественной, и о помощи, какая бывает от кротости и других нравственных качеств

A jealous person never achieves peace of mind, and one who is alien to peace is alien to joy. For if peace of mind is called perfect health, and jealousy is contrary to peace, then, consequently, the one in whom there is evil jealousy suffers from a serious illness. Apparently, you, a man, reveal your jealousy against other people’s illnesses, but in reality you have deprived your soul of health. Therefore, work harder to improve the health of your soul. If you want to heal the weak, then know that the sick have more need to care for them than to reproach them. But you don’t help others, and you plunge yourself into a serious, painful illness. Jealousy in people is recognized not as one of the types of wisdom, but as one of the mental illnesses, and precisely - it is limited in the way of thinking and great ignorance. The beginning of Divine wisdom is modesty and meekness, which is characteristic of a great soul and bears the infirmities of people. For it is said: “You bear with the strength the infirmities of the weak” (Rom. 15:1), and the one who sins “rectify the spirit of meekness” (Gal. 6:1). The apostle lists “long-suffering” and “peace” among the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). A heart filled with sadness about weakness and powerlessness in obvious, physical affairs replaces all bodily affairs. Physical deeds without the sadness of the mind are the same as an inanimate body. He who grieves at heart and gives freedom to his feelings is like a sick person who suffers physically, but whose mouth is open to any food that is harmful to him. He who grieves at heart and gives freedom to his feelings is like a man who, having an only-begotten son, little by little kills him with his own hands. Sorrow of mind is a precious gift from God. He who endures it as he should is like a man who carries a shrine in his members. A person who has given free rein to his tongue to speak both good and bad about people is unworthy of this grace. Repentance and relationships with people are the same as a broken barrel. Ambition and strangulation together are the same as a sword dipped in honey. Chastity and conversation with a woman are the same as a lioness and a sheep in the same house. Deeds without mercy before God are the same as a man who kills his son before his father. He who is weak in soul and corrects his friends is like a man whose eyes are blind and shows another the way 686. Mercy and justice in one soul are the same as a person who worships God and idols in the same house. Mercy is the opposite of justice. Justice is an equalization of exact measures, because it gives everyone what they deserve, and in retribution does not allow inclination to one side, or partiality. But mercy is sadness aroused by grace, and compassionately bows to everyone: whoever is worthy of evil is not repaid (with evil), and whoever is worthy of good, he is filled with abundance (abundantly). And if in one there is a part of justice, then in the other there is a part of malice 687. Just as hay and fire cannot stand to be in the same house, so justice and mercy cannot be in the same soul. Just as a grain of sand cannot maintain balance with a large weight of gold, so the demands of God’s justice do not maintain balance in comparison with God’s mercy. Like a handful of sand thrown into the great sea, the same is the fall of all flesh in comparison with Providence and God's mercy. And just as a source of abundant water is not blocked by a handful of dust, so the mercy of the Creator is not overcome by the vices of creatures. Being vindictive and praying means the same as sowing in the sea and waiting for the harvest. Just as it is impossible to put a barrier to the lordship of fire so that it does not ascend upward, so nothing prevents the prayers of the merciful from ascending to heaven. What is the flow of water in a sloping place, such is the strength of irritability when it finds access to our mind. He who has acquired humility in his heart has become dead to the world, and he who has become dead to the world has become dead to the passions. Whoever has become dead in heart for his loved ones, the devil has become dead to him. Whoever has found envy has found the devil with it. There is humility from the fear of God, and there is humility out of love for God: some are humble out of fear of God, others out of joy. And the one who is humble through the fear of God is accompanied at all times by modesty in all members, the orderliness of feelings and a contrite heart, and the one who is humble through joy is accompanied by great simplicity, a growing and uncontrollable heart. Love does not know shame, therefore it does not know how to give members the appearance of decorum. It is natural not to be ashamed of love and to forget your limits. Blessed is he who has found you, the haven of all joy! The assembly of the humble is loved by God, like the assembly of the Seraphim. A chaste body is more precious before God than a pure sacrifice. For these two virtues, that is, humility and chastity, prepare a deposit in the soul from the Trinity. Walk reverently before your friends; when you do this, you will benefit both yourself and them, because the soul often throws off the reins of caution under the pretext of love. Beware of conversations, because they are not useful at all times. In meetings, prefer silence, because it prevents much harm. Observe the womb, but not as eyesight 688, because internal warfare is undoubtedly easier than external. Do not believe, brother, that inner thoughts can be abandoned without bringing the body into a good and orderly state. Fear habits more than enemies. He who feeds a habit 689 is the same as a person who gives food to fire, because the measure of the strength of both 690 depends on the amount of substance. If a habit demands something once, and its demand is not fulfilled, then another time you will find it weak; and if once you fulfill her will, then the second time you will find that she attacks you with much greater force. Keep this in mind regarding everything, because the help of precaution is more important to you than the help of the actual actions. He who loves laughter and loves to make fun of people will not be your friend, because he leads you to the habit of indulging in relaxation. Do not make your face happy with those who are dissolute in their lives; but beware lest you hate him; If he wants to rebel, give him your hand and take care until death to acquire him. If you are still weak, then turn away from this healing, for it is said: give him the end of your rod, and so on 691. Speak carefully to someone who is highly intelligent and suffers from envy. For as soon as you say something, he gives your words in his heart whatever interpretation he pleases, and in what is good in you, he finds a means to cause others to stumble; and your words in his mind are distorted in accordance with his illness. When someone begins to argue with his brother in front of you, make your face sad. As soon as you do this, you will find yourself protected both before God and before him. If you give something to someone in need, let the cheerfulness of your face precede your giving, and comfort his sorrow with a kind word. When you do this, then your gaiety in his mind overcomes your giving, that is, (it) is higher than satisfying the needs of the body. On the day when you open your mouth and begin to say something against someone, consider yourself dead to God and vain in all your affairs, even if your thought prompts you to say, apparently, something that is just and constructive. For what need does a man have to destroy his own building and repair the building of his friend? On that day on which you grieve for someone suffering from some illness, for a good or evil person, suffering physically or mentally, consider yourself a martyr and look at yourself as someone who suffered for Christ and was deemed worthy to become a confessor. For remember that Christ died for sinners, not for the righteous. Look how great this thing is - to grieve for evil people and do good to sinners more than the righteous! The Apostle remembers this as a matter worthy of wonder (see Rom. 5:6–8). If you can justify yourself in yourself, in your soul, then do not worry about looking for another justification. Let bodily chastity and purity of conscience precede you in all your deeds. For without them, every work is vanity before God. About any matter, if you do it without reflection and research, know that it is vain, although decent; because God imputes righteousness according to prudence, and not according to foolish actions. The righteous man who is unwise is a lamp in the (light of) the sun. The prayer of the vindictive is sowing on a stone. An unmerciful ascetic is a barren tree. Reproof from envy is a poisonous arrow. The flatterer's praise is a hidden network. A stupid advisor is a blind guardian. Staying with the foolish is a wound to the heart. Conversation with intelligent people is a sweet source. A wise counselor is a wall of hope. A stupid and unreasonable friend is a repository of harm. It is better to see a man living with weeping women than a wise man following a fool. It is better to live with animals than with people of bad behavior. It is better to be with kites 692 than with a covetous and insatiable man. Better be a friend to a murderer 693 than to a lover of controversy. It is better to talk with a pig than with a glutton, because a pig's trough is better than gluttonous lips. Live better with lepers than with proud people. Let them persecute you, don’t persecute you; let them crucify you, do not crucify; let them offend, do not offend; let them slander you, do not slander you; be meek and not zealous in evil 694. Self-justification is not a matter of Christian living; there is not even a hint of this in the teachings of Christ. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep 695; for this is a sign of purity. Be sick with the sick; shed tears with sinners; Rejoice with those who repent. Be friendly with all people; and remain alone with your thoughts. Take part in the suffering of everyone, but with your body be far from everyone. Do not reprove or vilify anyone, even those who are extremely bad in your life. Spread your garment over the sinner and cover him. If you cannot take upon yourself his sins and bear punishment and shame for him, then at least be patient and do not shame him. Know, brother, that this is why we need not to leave the doors of our cells, so as not to know the evil deeds of men; and then, in the purity of your mind, you will see holy and good people in everyone. If you begin to reprove, admonish, judge, investigate, punish, reproach, then how will our life differ from the life of the city? And if we do not leave this, what will be worse than being in the desert? If you are not silent in your heart, at least be silent in your tongue. If you cannot keep your thoughts in order, then at least make your feelings well-ordered. If you are not alone in your thoughts, then be alone in your body. If you cannot labor with your body, at least grieve with your mind. If you cannot stay awake while standing, then stay awake while sitting or lying on your bed. If you cannot fast for two days, fast at least until the evening. And if you can’t until the evening, then at least beware of satiety. If you are not holy in your heart, then at least be pure in your body. If you do not weep in your heart, then at least clothe your face with weeping. If you cannot have mercy, then say that you are a sinner. If you are not a peacemaker, then at least do not be a lover of rebellion. You cannot become zealous, at least in your way of thinking do not be like a lazy one. If you are not a winner, then do not exalt yourself in thought above those who are subject to responsibility. If you are not able to stop the mouth of someone slandering your friend, then at least beware of communicating with him. Know that if fire comes out from you 696 and burns others, then God will seek at your hand the souls burned by your fire. If you do not throw someone into the fire, but agree with the one who throws you and enjoy it, then in judgment you will be his accomplice. If you love meekness, remain in peace. And if you are worthy of peace, you will rejoice at all times. Seek reason, not gold; put on humility and not fine linen; gain peace, not a kingdom. Only one who has humility is intelligent, and one who does not have humility will not be intelligent. The humble-wise is only peaceful, and the non-peaceful is not humble-wise; and peaceful - only rejoicing. In all the paths that people walk in the world, they do not find peace until they come closer to hope in God. The heart is not pacified by labor and stumbling until hope comes into it, pacifies the heart, and sheds joy into it. Words venerated and filled with holiness spoke about her; “Come to Me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Draw closer, He says, to hope in Me, and you will rest from labor and fear. Hope in God lifts the heart, but fear of Gehenna crushes it. The light of the mind generates faith, and faith generates the consolation of hope, and hope strengthens the heart. Faith is a revelation of the understanding 697, and when the mind is darkened, faith is hidden, fear dominates us and cuts off our hope. Faith, which comes from teaching, does not free a person from pride and doubt; the one that liberates is the one that is seen by the understanding 698 and shines (in the mind), and is called the knowledge and manifestation of truth. As long as the mind understands God as God, the manifestation of the understanding 699 does not bring fear closer to the heart. When we are allowed to fall into darkness and lose this understanding, then until we humble ourselves, there is fear in us, until it brings us closer to humility and repentance. The Son of God endured the cross; Therefore, we sinners will boldly rely on repentance. For if only the (external) appearance of repentance in King Ahab turned away anger from him 700, then the truth of our repentance will not be useless for us. If one kind of humility in him, without truth (repentance), turned away anger from him, then will it not even more turn away from us, who are truly grieving over our sins? The sorrow of the mind is sufficient to replace all bodily activity. Saint Gregory says: he is the church of grace who is united with God and is always preoccupied with the thought of His judgment. What does it mean to have concern for His judgment, if not to always seek His repose, if not to grieve and constantly worry about the fact that we cannot achieve perfection due to the weakness of our nature? To have unceasing sadness about this means to constantly carry in your soul the remembrance of God, as Blessed Basil said. Undistracted prayer produces a clear thought about God in the soul. And our instilling God within ourselves through remembrance is the instilling of God in us. Thus we become the church of God. This is care and a contrite heart - to prepare rest for Him! To him be glory forever! Amen. In Paisius, after the word “great” there is: “and strong souls and the firmest wisdom.” At first glance it may seem strange to think that there is a part of malice in justice; but this thought is correct; you just need to understand it correctly. Let's take this case. A man was engaged in murder, robbery, theft for many years and then fell into some misfortune. Anyone who does not pity this criminal, but subjects him to proper punishment, will be just, but will not be merciful. Thus, one who wants to be just cannot be merciful. That is why the Monk Isaac says that mercy is the opposite of justice. And if justice is opposite to mercy, then it means that there is unmercifulness in it, that is, malice. This does not mean, of course, that justice is a vice; it is virtue and one of the properties of God; but this only means that it is lower than mercy, because, as the Apostle James says: “mercy exalts itself over judgment” (James 2:13). (From a note by Nikephoros Theotokis). Bridle your womb, and even more so, your eyesight. “If you are still weak,” that is, weak in soul, and if, giving a helping hand to someone who is dissolute in his life, you can fall into the same passions to which he is subject, then you should even turn away from providing such help, so that, wanting to heal another, you yourself do not fall into an even worse illness. “And what the words “give him the end of your rod” mean and who they belong to is unknown. (From a note by Nikephoros Theotokis). – We think that the last words represent the beginning of a proverb or saying, the meaning of which is probably this: “give him the end of your staff, and he will draw you to him along with it,” that is, the meaning is the same as in our proverb: “a claw gets stuck - the whole bird is lost”; in other words: “just start doing something bad, and you won’t stop.” With birds of prey feeding on corpses. Hoping to fix it. That is, the gift of understanding from God. That is, understanding revealed from God. See 1 Kings 21:27–29. The Monk Isaac wants to say by this that Ahab’s repentance was expressed only externally: he “torn his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted, and slept in sackcloth, and walked sadly.” This is what it says in the Hebrew text of this passage in the Book of Kings, which, apparently, was used by the Monk Isaac; but in the Greek text there are words that are not in the Hebrew and from which it is clear that Ahab’s repentance was not only external, namely: it is said that he “was touched before the Lord, walked and wept.” You might be interested in: