Слово 90. О невольных лукавых помыслах, происходящих от предшествовавших им расслабления и нерадения

Others strengthen the body and want to give it a little rest for the sake of the cause of God, until they gather their strength, and again return to their work. Therefore, in the few days of our peace, let us not completely destroy our protection and let us not surrender our souls to ruin, like people who have no intention of returning to their work again. During times of peace, others are struck by the arrows of the enemy: these are those who, by the boldness of their will, gather substance 701 for their souls and in the holy land, that is, in prayer, see themselves dressed in unclean clothes. And this is the very thing that moves in their soul at the hour of thinking about God and prayer. What we acquired during our negligence brings us to shame during our prayer. Sobriety helps a person more than business, and permission 702 harms him more than peace. From peace, domestic battles arise and disturb a person, but he has the opportunity to stop them. For when a person leaves peace and returns to the place of business, these battles are taken away from him and removed. But what is generated by resolution is not the same as what is generated by relaxation and peace. For while a person remains in the realm of his freedom during rest, he can return again and govern himself by establishing his rule, because he is still in the realm of his freedom. But by giving himself permission, he leaves the realm of his freedom. If a person had not completely rejected self-care, he would not have been violently and involuntarily forced to submit to what does not give him peace; and if he had not completely gone beyond the limits of freedom, then circumstances would not have happened to him that forcibly tied him to something that he was unable to resist. Do not give, man, freedom to any of your feelings, so as not to reach the point where it is impossible to return to freedom again. Peace harms only the young, but permission harms both the perfect and the old. Those who, as a result of peace, reach evil thoughts can again return to protecting themselves and establish themselves in their high life; and those who, in the hope of getting things done, neglected to protect themselves, were led away captives from a high life into a life of licentiousness 703 . Although some are defeated in an enemy country, they die during peace. Another goes out under the pretext of buying his life 704 and receives a sharp sting in his soul. We will not grieve when we slip in something, but when we become stagnant in something, because creep often happens to the perfect, and stagnation in it is complete deadness. The sadness that we feel at our attempts is imputed to us by grace instead of pure work. Whoever, in the hope of repentance, crawls a second time, walks deceitfully with God; death unexpectedly attacks him, and he does not reach the time in which he hoped to fulfill the deeds of virtue. Everyone who gave free rein to their feelings also gave free rein to their hearts. The work of the heart serves as a bond for the outer members. And if someone engages in it with prudence, following the example of the fathers who lived before us, then this happens clearly by the following three phenomena in him, namely: he is not attached to bodily acquisitions, does not like gluttony, and irritability is completely far from him. Where these three phenomena take place, i.e., bodily (whether small or great) acquisitiveness, hot temper and overcoming gluttony, there (let it be known to you), even if a person, apparently, was likened to the ancient saints, his permission for the external comes from intolerance in the internal, and not from the difference in the neglect of his soul 705. Otherwise, why not, neglecting bodily things, acquire meekness? Reasonable neglect is followed by: disconnection from anything, neglect of peace and desire for people 706. And if someone willingly and joyfully accepts damage 707 for the sake of God, then he is pure internally; if someone does not neglect anyone for their physical shortcomings, then he is truly free; If someone does not look with pleasure at someone who honors him or is not indignant at someone who dishonors him, then in this life he has become dead to the world. Maintaining prudence is better than any living, no matter how and to what human extent it is carried out. Do not hate the sinner, because we are all guilty; and if you rebel against him for God’s sake, then weep for him. And why do you hate him? Hate his sins - and pray for him, in order to become like Christ, Who had no indignation at sinners, but prayed for them. Don't you see how He wept for Jerusalem (see Luke 19:41)? And the devil laughs at us in many ways - why should we hate someone who, like us, is ridiculed by the devil who laughs at us? And why do you, man, hate a sinner? Is it because he does not have righteousness like you? But where is your truth when you don’t have love? Why didn't you cry for him? But you drive him away. Others, out of ignorance, are aroused to anger, considering themselves capable of judging the affairs of sinners. Be a preacher of the goodness of God, because God feeds you, unworthy, and because you owe Him a lot, but His exaction is not visible on you, and for the small deeds you have done, He rewards you with great ones. Do not call God just, for His justice is not known by your deeds. Although David calls Him just and just, His Son revealed to us that He is even more good and gracious. For he says: “It is good” to the evil and wicked (Luke 6:35). And why do you call God just, when in the chapter about the reward of workers you read: “friend, I will not offend you... I want to give to this last one, as I did to you. Even if your eye is evil, though I am good” (Matthew 20:13–15)? Why does a person also call God just, when in the chapter about the prodigal son, who prodigally squandered his wealth, he reads that during one contrition, which the son (the father) showed, he came and fell on his neck, and gave him power over all his wealth 708? For no one else said this about God so that we might doubt Him, but the Son of God Himself testified this about Him. Where is God's justice? Is it because we are sinners and Christ died for us? And if He is so merciful, then we will believe that He does not accept change. Let us never imagine this iniquity, so as to call God unmerciful: the property of God does not change, like the dead, and God does not acquire what He does not have; does not lose what He has; does not receive increase, like creatures. What God had from the beginning, he always has and will have to infinity, as Blessed Cyril said in his interpretation of the book of Genesis: fear Him, he says, out of love, and not according to the cruel name given to Him 709. Love Him as you must love Him, and not for what He will give you in the future, but for what we have received in the present world, created for our sake. For who is able to repay Him? Where is His reward for our deeds? Who prompted Him to bring us into being in the beginning? Who pleads with Him for us when we do not remember Him? When we did not yet exist, who brought our body to life? And again, where does the thought of knowledge fall into the dust? Oh, how wonderful is the mercy of God! Oh, how amazing is the grace of God and our Creator! What a force that dominates everything! What immeasurable goodness by which He again raises the nature of us sinners to re-creation! Who has the strength to glorify Him? He raises up the criminal 710 and His blasphemer, He renews the foolish dust, makes it rational and verbal, He makes the scattered and insensitive mind and wasted feelings into a rational nature and worthy of Divine thought! The sinner is unable to imagine the grace of His resurrection. Where is Gehenna that could make us sad? Where is the torment that frightens us in various ways and conquers the joy of His love? And what is Gehenna before the grace of His resurrection, when it will raise us from hell, cause “this corruptible to put on incorruptibility” (1 Cor. 15:54), and raise up those who fell into hell in glory? Come, you sensible ones, and be amazed! Who, having a wise and wonderful mind, will worthily marvel at the mercy of our Creator? There is a reward for the sinner, 711 and instead of the reward of the righteous, He rewards them with resurrection; and instead of the corruption of bodies that have trampled upon His law, He clothes them with the perfect glory of incorruptibility. This mercy is to resurrect us after we have sinned, higher than mercy is to bring us into being when we did not exist. Glory, Lord, to Your immeasurable grace! Behold, Lord, the waves of Your grace silenced me, and I had no thought left of gratitude to You 712! With what lips will we glorify You, good King, who loves our life? Glory to Thee for these two worlds which Thou hast created for our growth and enjoyment, leading us from everything that Thou has created to the knowledge of Thy glory! Glory to You from now on and forever. Amen. Under the pretext of spiritual benefit. That is, not because his soul neglects valuable things. Desire to communicate with people. That is, not due to the fact that people gave Him the name “cruel.” In the Serbian translation, this passage reads like this: “or does the punishment of the sinner say what it is?” That is, every thought in me fell silent, overcome by gratitude to You. You might be interested in: