Беседа 20

“When you fast, do not be sad like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting.” (Matt. 6:16) Exposition 6:16–23. Those who pretend to fast deserve special condemnation. – The deception of a hypocrite is exposed both in the present life and in the future. – Virtue should be revered for its own sake. – Christ gradually destroys the passion of greed. – Double motivation for giving alms. – Wealth enslaves the soul. – What the eye is to the body, the mind is to the soul. – Wealth does not deliver what a person expects from it. “It makes him incapable of anything truly useful.” - How can one destroy the lust for wealth? – The remoteness of reward should not serve as an obstacle to collecting treasures in heaven. 1. At these words, it is fitting for us to groan heavily and weep bitterly. We not only imitate the hypocrites, but we have surpassed them. I know many who not only, when they fast, reveal this to people, but even without fasting at all, they take on the faces of those fasting and, in apology, present something worse than sin itself. I do this, they say, so that I do not tempt others. But what are you saying? The law of God commands you to fast; and you refer to temptation. And do you really think that by fulfilling this law you are seducing, but by breaking it you are not causing temptation? What could be worse than such an apology? You want to be worse than the hypocrites, you are doubly hypocritical and invent extreme wickedness. Doesn't the expressiveness of the Savior's saying really put you to shame? He did not say that they were only hypocrites, but, wanting to expose them more strongly, he said: “they take on gloomy faces,” that is, they spoil and distort them. If, for the sake of vain glory, appearing pale means spoiling one’s face, then what can we say about the whitewash and rouge with which women spoil their faces to the detriment of voluptuous young men? In the first case, they harm only themselves; and in the latter, both to themselves and to those who look at them. Run away from both ulcers as hard as you can. The Savior commanded us not only not to show off our good deeds, but also to carefully hide them, as He Himself did even before the instruction. Regarding alms, He did not just say: “Do not do your alms in front of people,” but added: “so that they may see you” (Matthew 6:1). He didn’t say this about fasting and prayer. Why? Because it is impossible to give alms completely secretly; but you can pray and fast. So, when he said: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3), he was not talking about hands, but about something that should be carefully hidden from everyone; He pointed to the same thing when He commanded to enter the cell, and not to the fact that prayer must certainly or primarily be performed in it. In the same way, here, having commanded to anoint the head, he did not command that we certainly anoint ourselves; otherwise we would all be transgressors of this commandment, and above all the communities of hermits who, retiring to the mountains, primarily try to observe the commandment of fasting. So, this is not what the Savior commanded. It was the custom of the ancients to anoint themselves during times of joy and gladness, as is evident from the example of David and Daniel. And Christ commands to anoint the head not so that we necessarily do it, but so that we carefully try to hide fasting - this is our own acquisition. And so that you can be convinced that this is exactly so, He fulfilled His commandment by the very act when, fasting for forty days and fasting in secret, He did not anoint His head and did not wash His face, but without doing this, he did everything without any vanity. He commands us the same thing: having mentioned the hypocrites and presented the listeners with two commandments, He, by this name, that is, the name of the hypocrites, points to something else. Namely: He turns away from evil desire not only because the deed of a hypocrite is worthy of ridicule and extremely harmful, but also because the deception of a hypocrite can only be hidden for a while. In fact, the actor only seems brilliant until then while the spectacle continues, and even then not for everyone: most of the spectators know who he is and who he pretends to be. But when the spectacle is over, then it is revealed to everyone in the form it is. The vainglorious must inevitably suffer the same fate. And if already here on earth many people know that they are not what they seem, but only put on a mask, then all the more will they be exposed later, when “everyone will be naked and exposed.” On the other hand, the Savior diverts His listeners from imitating the hypocrites and pointing out the ease of the commandment He prescribes. He does not command a long fast, does not order us to fast a lot, but only warns us not to lose our crown for it. So, what is serious in fasting lies both on us and on the hypocrites: after all, they also fast. And the easiest thing, i.e. to work so as not to lose the reward is My commandment, says the Savior. Thus, He does not in the least increase our labors, but only protects us with the security of rewards, not wanting us to go away uncrowned like hypocrites. These latter do not want to act as those who compete in the Olympic competitions act, who, in the presence of a huge assembly of ordinary people and famous persons, try to please only the one who crowns them for victory, even if he is a person of low status. You have a strong motivation to strive and conquer before the eyes of the Lord; He will crown you, and He is incomparably higher than all those who are in the disgrace of this world; meanwhile, you announce your victory to others, who not only cannot bring you any benefit, but can also do a lot of harm. 2. However, I do not forbid this either, He says. If you want to show yourself to people, then wait; I will deliver this to you in its entirety and with benefit for you. Now this desire of yours will separate you from My glory, since neglecting all this combines with Me - but then you will enjoy everything with all safety. Even before that, even here, you will receive an important fruit, despising human glory: you will be freed from heavy servility to people, you will become a sincere friend of virtue; but if, on the contrary, you love human glory, then, even if you retire into the desert, you will not acquire virtue, precisely because you will not have spectators. Think: you insult virtue itself when you perform it not for itself, but for some ropemaker, blacksmith and crowd of traders; you want wicked people, for whom virtue is a secondary matter, to be amazed at you; you convene the very enemies of virtue to show it to them as if in a spectacle. This is the same as if someone wanted to lead a chaste life not out of respect for the purity of chastity, but in order to prove himself before fornicators: in the same way, you would not have chosen virtue if you did not have the desire to become famous before the enemies of virtue, while it would be necessary to honor it because even its enemies praise it. So we should honor her not for the sake of others, but for her own sake. And we offend ourselves when they love us not for our own sake, but for the sake of others. Think about virtue in the same way: do not love it for the sake of others, do not obey God for people, but obey people for God. If you act otherwise, then, although, apparently, you love virtue, you irritate God just like someone who does not follow it at all. Just as this latter does not obey God because he does not practice virtue, so you also transgress the law of God because you fulfill it lawlessly. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19). After the Savior cured the disease of vanity, according to the natural order, he offers a word about non-covetousness. Truly, nothing makes you love wealth as much as vanity. And crowds of servants and eunuchs, and horses dressed in gold, and silver tables, and similar very funny things were invented by people not in order to satisfy a need, or to get pleasure, but in order to show themselves off to others. So, above, Jesus Christ spoke only about what should be merciful; and here, with the words: “do not store up treasures,” it also shows to what extent one should be merciful. Since the love of greed dominates people with extreme force, and therefore it was impossible to offer the teaching of contempt for wealth suddenly, from the very beginning, the Savior eradicates this passion little by little, liberates it from it gradually, and, thus, makes the teaching of non-covetousness finally acceptable to the hearts of His listeners. That is why, first of all, He said: “Blessed are the merciful” (Matthew 5:7); then: “Make peace with your adversary” (Matthew 5:25); then: “Whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer garment also” (Matt. 5:40); but here it requires much more. There he said: if you see a quarrel threatening you, then do so, because it is better to have nothing and be further away from the quarrel than to have something and wage enmity; and here, without mentioning either the plaintiff, or the defendant, or anyone else, he simply teaches contempt for property, regardless of anything. He gives this commandment not so much for the recipient as for the giver of alms, so that, that is, even when no one offends us or drags us to judgment, we despise wealth and distribute it to the poor. However, in the present case He has not yet revealed everything. Although in the desert He showed extraordinary feats for the virtue of non-covetousness, however, He does not display them, since the time was not yet to reveal this. Now He wants to examine only the (ordinary) thoughts of men, and offers His words more as an adviser than as a legislator. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,” he says and adds: “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” Thus, He proves both the very place and the properties of objects the harm of earthly treasures and the dignity of heavenly ones. And it doesn’t stop here, but presents another consideration. First, He motivates His hearers to virtue by the very thing they fear most. What are you afraid of, He says? Will your wealth really be exhausted if you give alms? No: give alms - and then it will not run out; and what is more surprising is that not only will it then not be depleted, but will also receive a large increase, because heavenly blessings will also be added to it. He does not directly say this here yet, but in his further speech he affirms it. 3. Now, offering what could especially convince His listeners, that is, that the treasure would remain inexhaustible with them, He, on the other hand, inclines them to mercy; does not say that if you give alms, the treasure will be preserved, but he threatens the opposite case, i.e., that if you do not give, it will perish. Marvel at the ineffable wisdom! He didn’t say that you would leave him to others, which is often pleasant for people; but, to their horror, it shows that they are not able to do this either, because, even if people do not cause damage to wealth, moth and rust will always do harm. Although it may seem easy to cope with this harm, it is actually difficult to overcome or prevent it. No matter what you come up with, you cannot prevent this harm, Why? Is gold destroyed by moths? – If it is not destroyed by moths, then thieves steal. - But is everyone really being robbed? – If not all, at least very many. In view of this, the Savior considers wealth from the other side, as I mentioned above: “where a person’s treasure is,” He says, “there is his heart” (Matthew 6:21). That is, although nothing like this will happen, considerable harm for you will consist in the fact that you will be attached to earthly things, you will be a slave instead of a free one, you will fall away from heavenly things, you will not be able to think about heavenly things, but only about money, about interest, about debts, about profits and vile cravings. What could be worse than this? Such a person falls into slavery, more severe than the slavery of any slave, and, what is most disastrous of all, arbitrarily rejects the nobility and freedom inherent in man. No matter how much I talk to you, having a mind nailed to wealth, you cannot hear anything useful for yourself. But like a dog in a den, chained to worries about money tighter than a chain, you rush at everyone who comes to you - you are only concerned with preserving the treasure that lies with you for others. What could be worse than this? But since this thought exceeded the understanding of the listeners, and both the harm and the benefit arising from wealth were not obvious to many, and in order to understand this, a rather insightful mind was needed, the Savior, after a preliminary explanation, said: “where a person’s treasure is, there is his heart.” Explaining the same thing further, He turns speech from mental objects to sensory ones, namely, He says: “The lamp of the body is the eye” (Matthew 6:22). The meaning of His words is this: do not bury gold or anything else like that in the ground, because you are storing up treasure for worms, aphids and thieves. Although you will save it from these destroyers, you will not save your heart from enslavement and clinging to everything earthly, because where your treasure is, there your heart will be. On the contrary, if your treasure is in heaven, then you not only have the benefit that you will be awarded heavenly honors for it, but you will also receive a reward here, ascending to heaven, thinking and caring about heavenly things, since it is obvious that you will transfer your mind there too, where you put your treasure; on the contrary, when you place your treasure on the ground, you will experience the completely opposite. If what has been said seems unclear to you, then listen to the following: “The lamp of the body is the eye. So, if your eye is clean, then your whole body will be bright; if your eye is bad, then your whole body will be dark. Therefore, if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” (Matthew 6:22–23). Thus, the Savior turns His word to clear examples. Since He mentioned the enslavement and captivity of the mind, and this was incomprehensible to many, He applies His teaching to external objects and those that are before the eyes, so that from them they can understand what the mind is exposed to. It’s as if the Savior said this: if you don’t know what damage that happens to the mind means, then learn this from considering physical things. What the eye is to the body, the mind is to the soul. Of course, you would never want to wear gold, put on silk clothes and, at the same time, be blind - but you would prefer the health of your eyes to all such pomp. After all, if you lose your sight, then there will be no pleasure for you in life. But just as when your eyes are blind, other members, no longer using the light, become very weak in their activity, so also, when your mind is corrupted, your life will be filled with countless evils. Therefore, just as with regard to the body we are most concerned about having healthy vision, so with regard to the soul we must primarily take care of the health of the mind. If we blind the mind, which is supposed to provide light to other abilities, then what will we look at? Block the source and you will dry up the river; in a similar way, whoever darkens his mind leads to confusion in all his actions in this life. That is why the Savior says: “if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness.” When the helmsman becomes prey to the waves, when the lamp goes out, when the leader is captured, then what hope remains for the subordinates? 4. Therefore, now, without mentioning the slander, quarrels and litigation that arise because of wealth (He pointed to them above when He said: “lest your rival hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant” - (Matthew 5:25)), he puts here the seemingly inevitable and more difficult, thus diverting from the evil passion of greed. To enslave the mind of this disease is much more difficult than to be thrown into prison. Moreover, the latter does not always happen, otherwise it certainly follows attachment to wealth. That is why Christ, after that evil, mentioned this evil as the most serious and certainly happening. God, He says, gave us intelligence so that we would dispel the darkness of ignorance, have a correct understanding of things and, using it as a weapon and light against everything sorrowful and harmful, would remain safe. And we exchange this precious gift for unnecessary and useless things. What is the use of a warrior adorned with gold when the general is captured? What is the benefit of a decorated ship when the helmsman becomes prey to the waves? What is the use of a slender body if the eyes are deprived of vision? If someone, who must be healthy in order to treat the illnesses of others, were forced into illness and placed in a gilded church on a silver bed, then what benefit would come of this for the sick? Likewise, if you damage the mind, which can curb passions, and tie it to a treasure, then not only will you not receive any benefit, but, on the contrary, you will lose a lot and cause great harm to your soul. Do you see how the Savior, by the very thing that most induces people to vice, distracts them from the latter and leads them to virtue? Why do you desire wealth, He says? Is it not for having fun and luxury? But you won’t get this, but you will meet something completely opposite. If, being deprived of eyes, we do not enjoy any pleasures due to this misfortune, then all the more should we feel the same due to the corruption and blindness of the mind. Why do you bury your treasures in the ground? Is it to keep them safer? But here you will experience something completely opposite. Thus, as one who fasts, gives alms and prays out of sheer vanity, He thereby restrained them from vanity, which is what especially motivates them to this vice (why do you pray and give alms like that, He says? Is it not to receive glory from people? But do not pray with such an intention - and then you will receive it on the last day - just as He distracts the lover of money from attachment to wealth thereby, What does he primarily care about? What do you want, He says? Is it to preserve your wealth and enjoy pleasures? I will give you all this in great abundance if you put the gold where I command you. Although the damage to the mind that comes from addiction to wealth, the Savior most clearly revealed it later, precisely when he mentioned the thorns, nevertheless, he sufficiently pointed it out here when he was overcome by insane passion. called greed darkened. And just as those in the darkness cannot clearly make out anything, and when they see a rope, they think that it is a snake, and when they see mountains and wilds, they die of fear, so the self-seeking people, out of their suspicion, are afraid of what seems not scary to others. They are afraid of poverty, or more correctly, they are afraid not only of poverty, but also of any unimportant loss. If they suffer any small damage, they grieve and lament much more than those who do not even have the necessary food. Many of the rich, unable to bear such a misfortune, even hanged themselves. Likewise, insults and violence seem so unbearable to them that many have taken their own lives as a result of them. Wealth, apart from serving themselves, makes them incapable of everything else. When it forces them to serve itself, then they decide to die, and to be wounded, and to do any shameful thing. This constitutes the most extreme misfortune. Where you need to have patience, there they are weakest. And where they should be careful, there they are extremely shameless and arrogant. Truly, the same thing happens to them as to someone who squanders all his property on unnecessary things. Such a person, having unwisely squandered all his acquisitions, when the time comes for the necessary expenses, having nothing, suffers the most severe disasters. 5. Just as actors, having studied their reprehensible arts, when they show them, endure many terrible and dangerous things, but in other, useful and necessary matters, they turn out to be the funniest of all, so are self-interested people. Just as those, walking along a stretched rope, show great presence of mind on it, and when some important matter requires courage and courage from them, they cannot even figure out how to decide on it, so the rich decide on everything for the sake of money, but for the sake of wisdom they cannot dare to do anything at all. And just as they are engaged in both dangerous and useless work, so they endure many dangers and difficulties, but in the end they achieve nothing useful and are covered in extreme darkness: they become blind from the corruption of their minds, and from the unrealizability of their undertakings they are darkened with great darkness, which is why they cannot look freely. He who is only in darkness is freed from darkness when the sun appears; He who is deprived of sight does not even see when the sun appears. The rich suffer the same thing. Even when the Sun of Truth shines and instructs them, they do not feel it, because wealth has blinded their eyes, which is why they suffer from extreme blindness: both from themselves and from the fact that they do not listen to the Teacher. So, let us listen carefully to Him, so that, although it is late, we may receive our sight. How can you see the light? You will see clearly if you realize how blind you became. How did you become blind? From evil lust. The passion for money, like harmful phlegm, covering the clear pupil of the eye, has brought a thick cloud over you. But this cloud can be conveniently dispersed and dispersed if we accept the ray of Christ’s teaching, if we heed His instructions and words: “do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” What good does listening do to me, you say, when lust holds me? But by constant listening, lust itself can finally be destroyed. If you are still obsessed with it, then imagine that lust is not lustful. In fact, what kind of lust is there when you are subject to the cruelest slavery and torment, bound from everywhere, in darkness, filled with all confusion, enduring useless labors, saving wealth for others, and often for enemies? Is this desirable in any way? Shouldn't we, on the contrary, run away and get away from it? What kind of desire is there to lay your treasure among thieves? If you absolutely desire wealth, then move it to a place where it can remain safe and sound. And what you are doing now is not characteristic of those who desire wealth, but of slavery, misfortune, loss and unceasing sorrow. If some person showed you a safe place on earth to store your wealth, then, even if he led you into the very desert, you would not be lazy or slow, but would put your property there with full confidence. When God promises you this instead of people, and offers you not the desert, but heaven, you accept something completely opposite. And this despite the fact that, even if your property was completely safe here, you can never be free from anxiety. You may not lose him, but you will never stop worrying about him. On the contrary, if you lay treasure in heaven, you will not experience anything like this; and, most importantly, then you do not bury, but plant your gold. Then it becomes both a treasure and a seed for you, or better than both. The seed does not remain forever, otherwise it always abides. Again, the treasure here does not vegetate, otherwise it brings you imperishable fruits. If you refer to the length of time and the remoteness of reward, then I can show you how much benefit you will receive here too; and besides, I will try to convince you using the most everyday circumstances that you are in vain making such excuses. 6. Even in real life you prepare a lot of things that you yourself never think of using; and if anyone accuses you of this, you, pointing to your children and grandchildren, think to find sufficient consolation in your excessive labors. When you, in your deepest old age, build magnificent houses, before the completion of which you may die; when you plant trees that will bear fruit many years later (when you plant trees in the field that will bear fruit only in a hundred years); when you buy estates and inheritances that you will own after a long time; when you care about many things that you will never use, are you doing all this for yourself, or for posterity? So, isn’t this a sign of extreme madness when you are not embarrassed by the length of time regarding earthly goods and even, because of this duration, are in danger of losing the entire reward for your labors; But regarding heavenly blessings, do you become depressed because of the delay, while this delay brings you more benefit, and does not deliver to others the benefits you expect, but preserves all the gifts for you? Moreover, this slowness does not last long - our business is at the gates of the judgment seat; we don’t know - maybe in our time everything will end, and this terrible day will come, and His terrible and impartial judgment. In fact, many signs have already been accomplished: the Gospel has been preached throughout the entire universe, and battles and earthquakes and famines have come true, and the remaining gap is not long. But don't you see the signs? This is the greatest sign. So those who were in the time of Noah did not see the beginning of all destruction, and a terrible punishment befell them, while they played, ate, got married and did everything usual. In the same way, the inhabitants of Sodom, in the midst of their amusements, not at all foreseeing what was about to happen to them, were consumed by the falling flame. So, imagining all this, let us try to prepare ourselves to depart from here. Let the day of universal demise not yet come; but the end of everyone, both old and young, is already at the door. And it is no longer possible for those who have left here to buy oil or receive forgiveness, even if Abraham prayed, even Noah, even Job, even Daniel. So, while we have time to prepare for ourselves boldness before God, let us store up oil in abundance, transfer everything to heaven, so that in due time, and when we especially have need, we can enjoy all this, the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: