Слово 44. На неделю новую, на весну и на память мученика Маманта

1. An ancient law was established with a good purpose to honor the day of Renewal, or better yet, to honor new blessings on the day of Renewal, and to honor it not once, but many times, every time the same day returns with a new turn of the year, so that the bestowed benefit does not fade from memory over time and disappear, lost in the depths of oblivion. They are renewed, as we read in Isaiah, islands to God (Is. 41:1), whatever should be understood by these islands, but in my opinion, should be understood by the Churches, recently built from the pagans, arising from bitter unbelief and receiving firmness suitable for God. The wall of copper is renewed, in another prophet (Jer. 1:18), that is, as I think, the soul is solid and golden-shaped, newly confirmed in piety. We are commanded to sing a new song to the Lord (Ps. 149:1), whether we were carried away by sin to Babylon, to this evil unity, and then happily returned to Jerusalem, and just as there, being in a foreign land, we could not sing the divine song, so here we composed a new song, and a new way of life, or we constantly remained and succeeded in goodness, and we have already accomplished some things, and we are still doing others with the help of the Holy and renewing Spirit. 2. The Tabernacle of Testimony, which God showed, Bezaleel completed, and Moses erected, is being renewed, and in a very magnificent manner. The kingdom of David is also renewed, not even once, but the first time with the anointing, and the second time with the proclamation of David as king. There was renewal in Jerosolimekh, and there was winter (John 10:22), that is, the winter of unbelief. And Jesus came - God and the church, the eternal God, the new church, destroyed in one day, restored in three days and abiding forever, that I may be saved, raised up from the ancient fall and made a new creature, recreated by such love for mankind. The divine David desires a pure heart, created in him, and a right spirit, renewed in his womb, not because he does not have it (who should have it, if not the great David?), but because he recognizes the present as new, constantly attached to the past. But why do I need to talk about more updates? I can explain the real Renewal, which we now celebrate, passing from death to life. Renewal, renewal is our holiday, brothers; Yes, this is repeated over and over again for pleasure! And what other update? He who knows, let him teach this, and let him who does not know renew his hearing! 3. God is an unapproachable light. It is continuous, it did not begin, it will not stop; He is unchangeable, ever-radiant and tri-radiant: few (I think, hardly many) contemplate Him in all its fullness. The forces surrounding God and the ministering spirits are the second lights, reflections of the first Light. And the light that we have not only began subsequently, but is stopped by the night and itself evenly stops the night. It is entrusted to vision, spread in the air and itself receives what it gives, for it gives vision the opportunity to see, and the former is visible through vision, while spilled around visible objects imparts visibility to them. God, who wanted to organize this world, which consists of the visible and invisible and serves as a great and wondrous preacher of His greatness, this God for ever-present beings is Light Himself, and no one else (for is a secondary light needed for those who have the highest Light?). And first of all, He illuminates the creatures below us and those around us with this visible light. For it was fitting for the great Light to begin the creation of the universe by creating light, with which He destroys the darkness and the previously existing disorder and disorder. 4. And, as I reason, at first God did not create this organic and solar light, but not contained in the body and in the sun, and then given to the sun to illuminate the entire universe. When for other creatures He first created substance, and subsequently clothed it in form, giving each creature a structure of parts, shape and size, then, in order to perform an even greater miracle, He realized here form before substance (for the form of the sun is light), and then adds substance, creating the eye of the day, that is, the sun. Therefore, the first, second, third, and so on are counted among the days until the seventh day, resting from work, and with these days everything created is divided, brought into order according to ineffable laws, and not instantly produced by the Almighty Word, for Whom to think or speak means to already accomplish a deed. If the last person to appear in the world was a man honored by God’s handiwork and image, then this is not at all surprising, for for him, as for a king, a royal monastery had to be prepared and then the king should be brought into it, accompanied by all creatures. So, if we had remained what we were and kept the commandment, we would have become what we were not, and would have come to the tree of life from the tree of knowledge. What would we become? Immortal and close to God. But since death came into the world through the envy of the evil one (Wis. 2:24) and took possession of man through deception, then God, having become man, suffers like man and becomes poor to the point of perceiving the flesh, so that we may be enriched by His poverty. Hence death, and the grave, and resurrection. Hence the new creation and the holiday; and I am again the founder of the celebration, celebrating the renewal of my salvation. 5. “What then? - you say. “Wasn’t the day of renewal and the first Sunday that followed that sacred and luminous night?” Why do you give this name to this day, O idle lover, who invents many fun things?” That was the day of salvation, and this is the day of remembrance of salvation. That day demarcates burial and resurrection, and this one is purely the day of a new birth, so that, just as the first creation begins on a weekly day (and this is evident from the fact that the seventh day from it is made Saturday, because it is a day of rest from work), so the second creation begins again on the same day, because it is the first among those following it and the eighth among those preceding it - a high day, a wondrous day, for it leads to the heavenly. condition. It seems to me that the divine Solomon is also fortune-telling about this day, commanding that a portion be given to the seventh, that is, the present life, and to the osmim (Eccl. 11:2), that is, the future life, both from the blessings here and from the restoration there. But the great David, in honor of this same day, sings his psalms: about this (Ps. 6 and 11), since another psalm sings of this same day of renewal (Ps. 29), calling some kind of renewal a house, and this house is us, who have been worthy to be, be called and become the church of God. 6. Here is a word for you about the Day of Renewal! But be yourself renewed and, having put off the old man, live in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4), putting a bridle on everything that causes death, training all members, hating or vomiting every unprofitable food of the tree, and only for this purpose remembering the ancient things in order to avoid them. Beautiful in appearance and good in food was the fruit that killed me. Let's run around with good colors, let's look at ourselves. Let not lust overcome thee of kindness, let him admire the eyelids (Proverbs 6:25), if possible, even a cursory glance, remembering Eve, this sweet bait, precious poison. Will a stranger save him whom his own has destroyed? Let not your throat be satisfied, in which everything that is given to it is swallowed up, and what is valuable before it is accepted becomes worthless upon acceptance. Has your sense of smell pampered you? Run incense. Has your sense of touch relaxed? Give up everything that is smooth and soft. Convinced by the rumor? Shut the door to all seductive and idle conversation. Open your mouth to the word of God (Prov. 31:8) in order to attract the Spirit, and not snatch death away from yourself. If something forbidden seduces you, remember who you were and what you died from. If you have deviated somewhat from common sense, come into yourself before you go completely mad and are subject to death, from the old become new and celebrate the renewal of the soul. 7. Be angry only with the serpent through whom you fell. Direct all your lustful power towards God, and not towards anything else malicious and deceptive. Let reason rule in everything, and let the best in you not be carried away by the worst. Do not harbor hatred, and without reason, towards your brother, for whom Christ died and, being God and Master, became your brother. Do not envy someone who has prospered, who aroused envy towards himself, believed that you were envied, and as a result was deposed. Do not despise tears, who yourself endured what was worthy of many tears and then received mercy. Do not push away the poor you who are enriched by the Divine; otherwise, at least do not enrich yourself to the detriment of the poor, for this already means a lot given our insatiability. Do not despise the stranger for whom Christ was a stranger (and with Christ we are all strangers and strangers), lest you continue to be removed from paradise. To those in need of shelter, food and clothing, provide these things, you who take advantage of them, and even beyond the need. Don't love wealth if it doesn't help the poor. Farewell is the one who has received forgiveness, mercy is the one who has been pardoned. Acquire philanthropy while you still have time. May your whole life be renewed, may all the paths of your activity be renewed. 8. Those living under the yoke of marriage! Give something to God too, because you are connected. Virgos! Give everything to God because you are free. Do not be predators of slavish lust, avoiding freedom by living with your husbands, although they are not your husbands. I cannot tolerate your constant suffering from voluptuous memories. I hate dating over the air. Strong ones, fear the Strongest; you who sit on high thrones, fear the Most High! Do not be surprised at what is impermanent. Do not despise what is permanent. Do not squeeze tightly what you take in your hands blurs. Do not be jealous of what is worthy not of envy, but of hatred. Do not rise high, lest you fall deeper. Do not consider it great that you seem better than the bad, but mourn that the good are superior to you. Do not laugh at the fall of your neighbor; Walk as much as you can, without stumbling, but also give your hand to the one lying on the ground. In sadness, do not lose hope for prosperity, and if things are going well, expect sadness. In one year there are four annual seasons; one moment produces many revolutions. Let your pleasure be thwarted by care, and your sorrow by the best hope. This is how a person is renewed, this is how the day of renewal is honored, with such pleasure, with such dishes. Do not appear, as it is said, before Me, there is nothing (κενός) (Ex. 23:15), but bring with you something good. And now appear new (καινός), with different morals, completely changed. The ancient mimoidosha was all new (2 Cor. 5:17). Bring this fruit to the holiday, change with a good change, and even in this case do not think highly of yourself, but say with David: this is the betrayal of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 76:11), from Whom is all that prospers in people. The Word of God wants you not to stand in one place, but to be ever-moving, well-moved, completely new, and if you sin, to turn from sin, and if you prosper, to strain your strength even more. 9. Yesterday your faith was in accordance with the circumstances of the time; now know the faith of God. How long will you keep churches on both sides (1 Kings 18:21)? How long will it take you to prepare what you need for the building? Finally, get down to the construction itself. Yesterday you considered it an honor to appear, now you consider it a great honor to be that in reality. How long will you have only dreams? Take care of reality someday! Yesterday you were a lover of spectacles, now turn out to be a lover of contemplation. Yesterday you were slanderous and insolent, now say only good things and be meek. Yesterday you indulged in drunkenness, now serve chastity. Today you drink wine, tomorrow you drink water. Now you are sick of the ivory bones and are smeared with the first stench (Amos 6:4-6); tomorrow you lie down on the bare ground and stay awake. From laughing, become thoughtful, instead of dandy clothes, put on rags, instead of an arrogant and pompous appearance, take on a simple appearance, from a gold-bearer, become a beggar-lover, from a tall one, become one who hangs to the ground. If you reason and act in this way, then there will be a new heaven and a new earth for you, who comprehend both the rest and the basis of this. 10. But let’s move on to celebrating for a decent amount of time. For everything flows beautifully to the triumph and rejoices. Look what is visible! The Queen of annual times comes to meet the Queen of days and brings from herself as a gift everything that is most beautiful and pleasant. Now the sky is transparent, now the sun is higher and more golden, now the circle of the moon is lighter and the host of stars is purer. Now the waves are coming into reconciliation with the shores, the clouds with the sun, the winds with the air, the earth with the plants, the plants with the eyes. Now the springs flow more transparently, now the rivers flow more abundantly, freed from winter bonds; the meadow is fragrant, the plant blooms, the grass is cut, and the lambs gallop in the grain fields. Already the ship is being taken out of the pier with exclamations, most of them pleasing to God, and the sail is flapping; the dolphin, taking a breath with possible pleasure and rising up, plays near the ship and tirelessly accompanies the swimmers. Already the farmer is putting a plow into the ground, raising his gaze to the mountain and calling for help on the Giver of fruits; He is already leading the bullock under the yoke, cutting a lush furrow and rejoicing in his hopes. Already those herding sheep and oxen are tuning their pipes, playing a shepherd's song and welcoming spring under the trees on the cliffs; the gardener is already caring for the trees; The birder prepares cages, examines the rays, notices the flight of birds; the fisherman peers into the depths, cleans his nets and sits on the rocks. 11. Already a hardworking bee, having spread its wings and left the hive, shows its wisdom, flies through the meadows, collects prey from flowers, and another decorates the honeycomb, intertwining hexagonal and overturned cups one on top of the other and closing them alternately straight, sometimes at an angle together for beauty and for strength; and another stores honey in these storehouses and cultivates the sweet fruit grown without a plow for the visiting guest. Oh, if only we, Christ’s beekeeper, would do the same, we who have before us such an example of wisdom and hard work! The bird is already building its nest; one flies into it temporarily, the other lives in it permanently, and the other flies around, echoes the forest and seems to talk to a person. Everything sings to God and glorifies Him with wordless voices. And through me, thanks are given to God for everything. Thus, their song of praise becomes mine, and from them I take the occasion for hymn. For now every living thing expresses its joy, and with us every feeling enjoys. Nowadays, a tall and zealous horse, tired of standing under the roof and breaking the leash, gallops across the field and shows off by the rivers. 12. What else? Now the martyrs are making a solemn procession in the open air, calling the Christ-loving people to the bright altars and proclaiming their exploits. Among them is my crown bearer (he is mine, although not mine: let envy fall! I say to those who know), the most famous Mamant, and shepherd and martyr. He first milked the fallow deer, which one before the other hastened to feed the righteous with extraordinary milk, and now he grazes the people of the mother of the cities and today, among many thousands of people hurrying from everywhere, he celebrates the renewal of spring, both distinguished by the beauty of virtues, so worthy of shepherds and solemn words. I will say even more briefly: now is natural spring, spiritual spring, spring for souls, spring for bodies, visible spring, invisible spring; and oh that we would be worthy of it there, having wonderfully changed here and having been renewed into a new life, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom is all glory and honor and power with the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father, amen!