Беседа 55

“Then Jesus said to His disciples: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24) Exposition 16:24–27. Following the example of Christ, one must always be ready to die. – Why Christ does not force, but invites to follow Him. -What does it mean to deny yourself? – To what extent should self-sacrifice extend? – Not all suffering is following Christ. – What is the true salvation and the true destruction of the soul. – Equality and consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. – Praise for the life of monks. – An explanation of the prayer they use after eating. – An exhortation to imitate the way of life of the monks. 1. “Then” – when? After Peter said: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord! let this not happen to you,” and received the answer: “get away from Me, Satan!” The Lord was not content with just a prohibition, but, wanting to fully demonstrate the inappropriateness of Peter’s words and the benefit of suffering, he said: You say to Me: “Be merciful!” let this not happen to you"; but I tell you that it is not only harmful and destructive for you to hinder Me and lament My suffering, but you yourself cannot be saved unless you are always ready to die. And so that the disciples do not think that it is dishonorable for Him to suffer, He teaches them about the benefits of suffering not only with the above words, but also with the following. Thus, in John He says: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; and if he dies, he will bear much fruit” (John 12:24). So, here, fully revealing the benefits of suffering, what was said about the need to die extends not only to oneself, but also to them. Such is the benefit of this feat that for you not wanting to die is detrimental, but being prepared for it is good. However, Christ fully explains this later, but now reveals only partly. And notice how, when He says this, He does not force; didn’t say that you, willy-nilly, must suffer, but what did he say? “If anyone wants to come after Me.” I do not force, I do not force; but I leave this to everyone’s own will. That’s why I say: “if anyone wants.” I invite you to a good deed, and not to an evil and painful one, not to execution and torment, which I would need to force. The matter itself is such that it may attract you. By saying this, Christ only attracted people more to follow Him. He who compels often repels; and whoever gives the listener freedom is more likely to attract. Gentle treatment is more effective than coercion. That is why Christ said: “if anyone wants.” Great are the blessings, He says, that I give you, such that you will willingly strive for them. He who gives gold and offers treasure will not use violence. If violence is not needed for these goods, then even less is it necessary for heavenly goods. If the property of the good itself does not motivate you to strive for it, then you are not worthy to receive it; even if you receive it, you will not know the price of what you received. That is why Christ does not force us, but condescendingly exhorts us. Since the disciples, embarrassed by the words of Jesus, apparently grumbled a lot in private, He says: one should not grumble and be embarrassed. If you do not believe that what I have said will be the cause of countless blessings and will come true for you, I do not force, I do not compel; but whoever wants to follow, I encourage him. Do not consider following Me what you are doing now, walking after Me. If you want to follow Me, then you will have to endure a lot of work, a lot of dangers. Do not think, Peter, that because you have confessed Me as the Son of God, you can expect crowns for this alone; Do not consider this sufficient for your salvation and do not rest on this, as if everything was done by you. I, as the Son of God, can make sure that you do not suffer disasters, but I do not want this for you, so that there is something of your own, and so that you deserve more praise. What kind of manager of games in the field, being a friend to a wrestler, would want to crown him only out of mercy, without any merit from him and solely because he loves him? Likewise, Christ wants those whom He especially loves to gain glory on their own, and not with His help alone. See how easy the commandment He offers is not difficult. He does not condemn them alone to disaster, but He gives a general commandment for everyone, saying: “If anyone wants,” whether wife, husband, boss, or subordinate, everyone must follow this path. And although, apparently, he speaks about one thing, he means three actions: denying himself, taking up his cross and following Him. Two are connected to each other, and one is placed separately. So let us see, first, what it means to deny oneself. Let us first explore what it means to reject another, then we will also learn what it means to reject oneself. So what does it mean to reject another? He who renounces another, for example, a brother, or a slave, or anyone else, even if he sees that he is being beaten, or tied up, or taken to execution, or otherwise tortured, does not intercede, does not protect, does not sympathize, does not take any part in it, as if he were a complete stranger to him. Likewise, Christ wants us not to feel sorry for our body: whether they beat you, drive you, burn you, or do anything else, do not feel sorry for yourself. This is what it means to feel sorry for yourself. And fathers then feel sorry for their children when, entrusting them to teachers, they order not to spare them. So is Christ. He did not say: let him not feel sorry for himself, but, what is much stronger, “let him deny himself,” that is, let him have nothing to do with himself, but let him condemn himself to dangers, to exploits, and endure them, just as someone else would endure them. Christ did not say: let him deny (αρνησασθω), but: “let him deny” (απαρνησασθω), with this small addition giving greater power to His words, since the latter is much more expressive than the first. 2. “And take up your cross.” This follows from the first. So that you do not think that, denying yourself, you must endure only verbal insults and reproaches, He sets the limit to which self-denial should extend, namely death, and blasphemous death. Therefore, He did not say: yes, “let him deny himself” even to death, but: “let him take up his cross,” meaning blasphemous death, and an action not once or twice, but performed throughout his entire life. Constantly, He says, have death before your eyes, and every day be ready to be slaughtered. Many, although they disdained wealth, pleasure and glory, did not despise death, but feared dangers; therefore, He says, I want My ascetic to fight until he bleeds, and his exploits continue until the very slaughter. So, if you need to endure death, and blasphemous death, death under a curse and on suspicion of evil deeds, then you must endure everything with courage, and also rejoice in it. "And follow Me". Since others, even while suffering, will not follow Him when they do not suffer for Him (and robbers, for example, and tomb robbers and sorcerers suffer many grievous torments), so that you do not think that the disasters themselves are enough, no matter what they come from, He adds what the cause of the disasters should be. Which one? Whatever you do or endure, follow Christ, endure everything for Him and observe other virtues. The words: “and follow Me” mean that you show not only courage in adversity, but also chastity, meekness, and all virtue. This is what it means to follow Him as one should, to strive for every other virtue, and to endure everything for Him. There are people who, following the devil, endure the same and betray their souls for him; but we suffer for Christ, or better yet, for ourselves. With patience they harm themselves both here and there; and we gain benefit both in this and the future life. So, isn’t it extreme negligence not to show such courage as those who are perishing, and this despite the fact that so many rewards are destined for us? Moreover, Christ helps us, but no one helps them. Even before, when He sent His disciples, the Lord commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles,” “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves,” and “They will lead you to rulers and kings” (Matthew 10:5, 16, 18). And now the commandments are much stronger and stricter. Then he spoke only about death, but now he mentioned both the cross and the everlasting cross: “and take,” He says, “your cross,” that is, let him hold and wear it unceasingly. This is what Christ always did as usual: not at first, not at the first instructions, but gradually and little by little he offered the most difficult commandments, so as not to alarm his listeners. Further, since the commandment seemed difficult, see how He softens it with subsequent words, how He offers rewards that exceed labor, and not only rewards, but also punishments for sins; there is even more talk about punishments than about rewards, because it is usually not so much the giving of benefits as a strict threat that makes many wise. Look how He begins here and ends in the same way. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it; What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? or what ransom will a man give for his soul” (Matthew 16:25–26)? These words mean: do not think that I will not spare you; on the contrary, I am very forgiving when I command you this. So the one who spares his son destroys him, and the one who does not spare saves him. One wise man said the same thing: “if you punish your son with a rod, “he will not die, you will save his soul from hell” (Prov. 23:13–14); and again: “He who pleases his son will bind up his wounds” (Sirach 30:7). The same thing happens with soldiers: if a military leader, sparing the soldiers, allows them to always sit at home, then he will also destroy those who stay with them. So, so that the same does not happen to you, He says, you must constantly be ready to die. After all, even now a terrible war is already flaring up. Therefore do not sit at home, but go out and fight; even if you fall in battle, you will come to life that very minute. If in visible battles the one who goes to death is more glorious than others and is considered invincible, and is especially terrible for his enemies, although the king for whom he takes up arms is not able to resurrect him after death, then even more so in these battles - when there are so many hopes of resurrection - he who betrays his soul to death will find it - firstly, because he will not soon be defeated, and secondly, because even if he falls, he will gain a better life for it. 3. Then, since, saying: “for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it,” in both cases he uses the words: “save and destroy,” so that no one would think that to destroy and save in both cases means the same thing, but clearly see that between one and the other salvation there is the same difference as between destruction and salvation, He explains this from contrary: “What does it profit a man,” He says, “if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?” Do you see that saving a soul, not properly, means destroying it, and worse than destroying it, destroying it irrevocably, so that there is no longer any means left to redeem it? Do not tell me, as if He said so, that he who escaped the greatest dangers saved his soul, but imagine that the whole universe was subjugated to his soul: what good will it do to him when his soul perishes? Tell me: if you see that your slaves live in complete contentment, and you yourself are in extreme trouble, what benefit is it to you that you are a master? No. Judge the soul in the same way: when the flesh enjoys and grows rich, the soul awaits future destruction. “What ransom will a man give for his soul?” Again confirms the same thing. You cannot, He says, give another soul instead of a soul. If you lose money, you can give others; the same can be said about the house, about slaves and about any other property; and having lost your soul, you cannot give another soul. Even if you owned the whole world, even if you were the king of the universe, however, even if you gave away the entire universe, you cannot buy a single soul for the entire universe. And what’s surprising if this happens to the soul? The same thing happens with the body, as anyone can see. Even if you put thousands of crowns on yourself, if your body is naturally sick and suffers incurably, then you cannot help it, even if you gave away an entire kingdom and added thousands of bodies, cities, and property. Judge the soul in the same way, and even more about the soul, and, leaving everything else, make every effort about it. 4. When caring for someone else’s, do not forget yourself and your own, as everyone does now, imitating the miners. For them there is no benefit from such work and from the most valuables; on the contrary: there is even greater harm, because they are exposed to dangers in vain and are exposed to others, without receiving any fruit for themselves from their labors and exhaustion. It is now that many imitate them, collecting wealth for others. Yes, we should be pitied more about us than about them, because after such labors Gehenna awaits us. Death frees the miner from his labors; but for us death is the beginning of countless evils. You say that you enjoy working when you get rich; but show that your soul rejoices: then I will believe. The most important thing in us is the soul. If the body becomes fat and the soul melts away, then this will not be of any use to you. So, if the slave is having fun, and the mistress is dying, then the mistress has no benefit from the well-being of the maid; Likewise, smart clothes are of no benefit to a sick body. “What ransom will a man give for his soul?” - Christ says to you again, commanding you to try in every possible way to take care of your soul, and to take care of it alone. Having frightened with an indication of the destruction of the soul, Christ consoles with the promise of good things: “for the Son of Man will come,” He says, “in the glory of His Father with His Angels, and then He will reward everyone according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27). Do you see that the Father and the Son have the same glory? If there is one glory, then obviously there is one essence. If, with the unity of essence, there is a difference in glory (“there is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another of the stars; and a star differs from a star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41), although they are of the same essence), then how can one consider those who have the same glory to be not consubstantial? And He did not say: in the glory that is characteristic of the Father, so that you would not again think that there is any difference here, but He shows with all accuracy that the glory is one and the same, saying that it will come in the glory of the Father. So, he says, why are you afraid, Peter, when you hear about death? You will then see Me in the glory of the Father. And if I am in glory, so are you. Your reward is not in this life; no, you will inherit another, better lot. Having spoken about the blessings, He, however, did not stop there, but also added threats, mentioning the final judgment, severe torture, an impartial verdict, and a righteous decision. However, He did not just want to sadden them with the word, but dissolved it with pleasant hopes. He did not say: then he will punish sinners, but - “he will reward everyone according to his deeds.” When He said this, He meant not only the punishment of sinners, but also the rewards and crowns of the righteous. He said this in order to encourage virtuous people. And I always tremble when I hear about the trial, since I am not one of those getting married. I think that others are also afraid and horrified, since who will not be frightened, who will not be made to tremble by this word if the listener comes only to the consciousness of himself? Who would not be convinced that sackcloth and the strictest fast are more necessary for us than for the people of Nineveh? We are told not about the destruction of the city, not about general destruction, but about eternal torment, about unquenchable fire. 5. That is why I give honor and amazement to the monks who retired into the desert, prompted both by other reasons and by this word of Christ. After lunch, or better yet, after dinner (sometimes they don’t have lunch, since they consider real life a time of crying and fasting), after dinner, offering songs of gratitude to God, they remember this word. If you want to hear their very song, so that you can always pronounce it, then I will repeat this entire sacred song to you. Here are her own words: “Blessed is God, who has nourished me from my youth, who gives food to all flesh! Fill our hearts with joy and gladness, so that we, having all contentment, may always abound in every good work in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory, honor and power to You, with the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Glory to You, Lord, Glory to You, Holy One, Glory to You, the King, that You have given us food and joy! Fill us with the Holy Spirit, that we may be found acceptable before You, that we may not be put to shame when You reward everyone according to his deeds.” This whole song is worthy of surprise, especially its end. Since at the table a person becomes somewhat forgetful and heavy from food, then, remembering the time of judgment, during the joy of the word of Christ, as if with some kind of bridle, they tame the soul. They know what happened to Israel from luxurious food: “they became fat, fat and stout; and he forsook God” (Deuteronomy 32:15). So Moses said: “When you eat and are satisfied, then beware that you do not forget the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:12, 11), because after being full, the Israelites dared to commit great iniquities. So, beware that something similar does not happen to you. Even if you do not sacrifice sheep and calves to stone or gold, be careful not to sacrifice your soul to anger, or your salvation to fornication or other similar passions. That is why the monks, fearing such falls, after the table, or better to say after fasting (since they also fast at the table), bring to mind the Last Judgment and the Last Day. If those who discipline themselves with fasting, prostration, vigil, sackcloth and countless labors still need such remembrance, then how can we live comfortably when our tables are stirred up by passions, and we both sit down at the table and get up from it without prayer? To ward off such troubles, let us explain the entire song that we have given, so that, having learned its benefits, we always sing it at the table - thereby taming the fury of the belly, and introducing in our homes the customs and rules of earthly angels. You yourself should go to them to receive such benefit; and if you don’t want to, at least listen to this spiritual sweet singing from my lips, and let everyone after the table say the words of the song, starting like this: “Blessed is God!” So, at the very beginning, they fulfill the apostolic commandment, which is prescribed: “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17). So, one should give thanks not for one real day, but for a whole life, which is why it is said: “he who has nourished me from my youth.” And this is where the teaching of wisdom lies. If God nourishes, then you don’t need to care for yourself. If the king had promised to give you daily food from his treasury, then you would have remained calm; all the more should you be free from all worries when God Himself gives and everything flows to you from Him like a river. This is why they utter such words, to convince themselves and those they teach to renounce all worldly cares. Further, so that you do not think that they give such gratitude only for themselves, they add: “who gives food to all flesh,” giving thanks for the whole world. Like the fathers of the entire universe, they bless God for everyone, stirring themselves up to sincere brotherly love; they cannot hate those for whom they thank God, who feeds them. Do you see from what has been said now and before how thanksgiving leads to love and removes worldly cares? If the Lord feeds all flesh, much more those who trust in Him. If he feeds those who are bound by worldly worries, then much more those who are free from them, as Christ confirmed when he said: “You are worth more than many small birds” (Luke 12:7). With these words He taught not to rely on wealth and fruitfulness of seeds. It is not this that nourishes, but the word of God. Thus, the monks with their song put to shame the Manichaeans and Valentinians, and all their like-minded people. In fact, one cannot be considered evil if he offers his benefits to everyone, even to those who blaspheme him. Next comes the petition: “fill our hearts with joy and gladness.” What joy: isn’t it worldly? No. If the monks had desired such joy, they would not have lived on the heights of the mountains and in the deserts, and would not have clothed themselves in sackcloth. On the contrary, they talk about that joy that has nothing to do with real life - about the joy of angels, about the joy of heaven. And they don’t just ask for joy, but they ask for it in great abundance. They don’t say: give; but: “fulfill”; They do not say: fill us, but: “our hearts.” This kind of joy is primarily the joy of the heart. “The fruit of the Spirit,” it is said, is “love, joy, peace” (Gal. 5:22). Since sin gave rise to sadness, they ask that righteousness be installed in them along with joy; Otherwise there can be no joy. “So that, having all sufficiency, we may always abound in every good work.” This is the fulfillment of the Gospel word: “Give us our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). Look how they seek contentment itself only for the soul: “so that we may abound in every good deed.” They did not tell us to fulfill only what was required, but even more than what was commanded. This is what the words mean: “so that we may have abundance.” And although they ask God for contentment only in what is necessary for life, they themselves are ready to obey not as much as is required of them, but with great abundance in everything. Thus, always and in everything, it is characteristic of well-intentioned slaves, wise men. Then, again reminding themselves of their weakness and that without heavenly help they cannot do anything good, they add to the words: “so that we may abound in good deeds”: “in Christ our Jesus, with whom be glory, honor and power to you forever, amen.” Thus they both begin and end the song with thanksgiving. 6. After that, they start again as if again, but, in fact, they continue the same. In a similar way, Paul ended the beginning of his letter with a doxology and said: “According to the will of God and our Father; To him be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:4–5), then begins to reveal the content of his message. Likewise, in another place, having said: “they worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen” (Rom. 1:25), he did not finish his speech, but continued it further. So, let us not blame these angels for not observing order when, having concluded their speech with a doxology, they again continue the sacred songs. They follow the example of the apostles when they begin with a doxology and end in the same way and, after this ending, begin again. So, they say: “Glory to You, Lord, glory to You, Holy One, glory to You, King, that You have given us meat to eat in joy!” We should give thanks not only for great blessings, but also for small ones. Thanks for small things, they denounce the heresy of the Manichaeans and all those who say that real life is evil. So that you, judging by their high wisdom and the fact that they do not care about the stomach, do not conclude that they abhor brushes like suicides, they teach you through their prayer that they abstain from many things, not out of disgust from the creatures of God, but out of love for asceticism. And look how, having given thanks for the blessings already sent down, they ask for other greater ones, and do not stop at everyday things, but rise above heaven, and say: “fill us with the Holy Spirit”! Without being filled with the grace of the Spirit, you cannot have proper success in anything, just as you cannot accomplish anything valiant and great without the help of Christ. And just as they add to the words: “so that we may abound in every good work”: “in Christ Jesus,” so here they say: “fill us with the Holy Spirit, that we may be acceptable before You.” Do you see that they do not pray for worldly things, but only give thanks, but for spiritual things they both give thanks and pray? “Seek first,” Christ said, “first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Continue to notice their wisdom. “Let us prove ourselves,” they say, “let us be acceptable before You, and let us not be put to shame.” We are not afraid, they say, of human shame; no matter what people say about us in ridicule and reproach, we do not pay any attention to it. We only care about this so that then we will not be ashamed. And when they say this, they think about the river of fire, about rewards, about honors. They did not say: lest we suffer punishment; but: so as not to be ashamed. For us to appear as offenders to the Lord is worse than Gehenna. But since this does not frighten many careless people, they add: “Then you will reward everyone according to his deeds.” You see how much benefit these wanderers and aliens, desert dwellers, or better yet, celestial inhabitants, bring us. We are pilgrims in heaven and inhabitants of the earth; and they are the opposite. After such a song, filled with tenderness, with hot and abundant tears, they go to bed and sleep as long as necessary for a little peace of mind. And again they turn night into day, spending time in thanksgiving and psalmody. And not only husbands, but also wives practice such wisdom, overcoming the weakness of nature with an excess of zeal. So, we, husbands, will be ashamed of the strength of our wives and will stop caring about the present - about the shadow, about the dream, about the smoke. Most of our life passes in insensibility. In our youth we are almost completely unreasonable; When old age sets in, all feeling in us becomes dull. There remains a small interval during which we can enjoy pleasure with full feeling; and even at this time we do not fully enjoy ourselves, due to countless worries and labors. That is why I urge you to seek unchanging, incorruptible blessings, and life that never ages. It is possible, after all, while living in the city to imitate the wisdom of the desert dwellers; and a married person with a family can pray, and fast, and be moved. Thus, the first Christians, taught by the apostles, lived in cities, and demonstrated the piety characteristic of desert dwellers; others were also engaged in needlework, such as Priscilla and Aquila. And all the prophets had wives and houses, such as: Isaiah, Ezekiel, the great Moses; however, this did not prevent them from being virtuous. Imitating them, we will always thank God and always sing His praises; Let us strive for chastity and other virtues, and introduce the wisdom of the hermits into the cities, so that we may appear both pleasing to God and respectable to people, and so that we may be rewarded with future blessings by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory, honor, power to the Father, with the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: