Слово 91. О терпении из любви к Богу и о том, как терпением приобретается помощь

To the extent that a person neglects this world and is jealous of the fear of God, to that extent God’s Providence approaches him, and a person secretly feels the intercession of Providence, and pure thoughts are given to him to understand it. And if someone voluntarily loses worldly goods, then to the extent that he is deprived of them, to the same extent God’s mercy accompanies him and God’s love for mankind supports him. Glory to the One who saves us with our gums and lips, and with all this gives us the opportunity to gain our life! For even the souls of those who are too weak to acquire life for themselves by their own will, He leads through involuntary sorrows to virtue. And this beggar Lazarus, not by his own will, was deprived of the blessings of the world, and his body was stricken with ulcers, and he endured two bitter sufferings, each of which was worse than the other, but afterward he was honored in Abraham’s bosom. God is close to the grieving heart of those who cry out to Him in sorrow. If He sometimes subjects someone to bodily deprivation and other sorrows, then the enduring of this turns to help us, just as a doctor in a serious illness restores health by cutting his limbs. The Lord shows great love for mankind towards the soul of the mourner, commensurate with the severity of the suffering in his grief. Therefore, when the desire for the love of Christ is not so victorious in you that from the joy of Christ you are dispassionate in all your sorrow, then know that the world lives in you more than Christ. And when illness, poverty, exhaustion of the body and fear of what is harmful to the body disturb your thoughts and interfere with the joy of your hope and care for the Lord, then know that it is the body that lives in you, and not Christ. It’s easy to say: whatever love allows and prevails in you, that’s what lives in you. If you have no shortage of what you need, and your body is healthy, and you are not afraid of anything contrary, and you say that you can purely go to Christ, then know that you are sick in mind and deprived of tasting the glory of God. I judge you not because you already are, but more so that you know how much you lack in perfection, although you have a certain part of the life of the former holy fathers before us. And do not say that there is no person whose mind would completely rise above weakness, when his body is overwhelmed by temptations and sorrows, and whose love for Christ would overcome the sadness of the mind. I will not bring to memory the holy martyrs, so as not to faint before the depth of their suffering. I will not say how much their patience, supported by the power of Christ’s love, overcame great sorrow and bodily illness. Let us leave this aside because the mere memory of this plunges human nature into grief and outrages us with the greatness of the deed and the wonder of the spectacle. Let's look at the godless so-called philosophers. One of them made it a law in his thoughts to remain silent for several years. The Roman Emperor, surprised by this rumor, wanted to put it to the test. Therefore, he ordered him to be brought to him, and when he saw that he was resolutely silent when asked any question and did not answer, he became angry with him and ordered him to be put to death for not respecting the throne and the crown of his glory. But the philosopher was not afraid, but, on the contrary, kept his law and silently prepared for death. The emperor gave the order to the executioners: “If he fears the sword and breaks his law, put him to death; and if he persists in his will, return him to me alive.” So, when he approached the appointed place, and those who received the order, inflicting insults, forced him to break their law and not be subject to death, then he reasoned: “It is better for me to die in one hour and preserve my will, for the sake of which I have struggled for so long, than to be overcome by the fear of death, to scold my wisdom and be reproached for timidity when faced with an extreme.” And without embarrassment he prostrated himself to be beheaded by the sword. This was reported to the emperor, the emperor was surprised and released him with honor. Others have completely trampled natural lust; others easily endured slander; others endured severe illnesses without sorrow; and others showed their patience in tribulations and great disasters. And if they endured this for the sake of empty glory and hope, then shouldn’t we, monks, who are called to communion with God, endure much more? May we be worthy of this, through the prayers of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and all who, through the sweat of their deeds, have pleased Christ! All glory, honor and worship are due to Him with His Beginningless Father and with the Ever-Essential, One-Natural and Life-Giving Spirit, now and forever! Amen. You might be interested in: