Беседа 11

Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Rom 6.5. If we are equipped with the likeness of His death, then we will also have a resurrection. What I already spoke about above, I will say about this now, namely, that (the apostle in the Epistle to the Romans) often moves on to moralizing words differently than in the other epistles, which he divides into two parts and assigns the first to dogmatic teaching, and the second to the care of morals; but this is not the case here, but alternately does this throughout the entire epistle so that his word is well received. So he says here that there are two mortifications and two deaths: one mortification is accomplished by Christ in baptism, and the other must be accomplished by us through our activities after baptism. The fact that our previous sins are buried in baptism is a gift of Christ, and remaining dead to sin after baptism should be a matter of our own care, although here, as we will see, God helps us most of all. Baptism not only has the power to atone for past sins, but also protects against future ones. And just as you brought faith to atone for previous sins, so in order not to be defiled by sins again after baptism, you must detect a change in zeal. Advising this very thing, (the apostle) says: “If we are equipped with the likeness of His death, then we will also have a resurrection.” Have you noticed how he elevated the listener, leading him straight to the Lord himself and trying to prove his great similarity with Him. And so that you do not object, the apostle did not say: death, but: “in the likeness of death,” since in you it was not the very essence that died, but the sinful person died, that is, depravity. The apostle also did not say: if we have partaken of the likeness of death, but how does he say? “If only we had been planted with it,” hinting in the word - planting its fruit in us. Just as Christ’s body, buried in the earth, bore fruit - the salvation of the world, so our body, buried in baptism, bore fruit - righteousness, sanctification, adoption and countless benefits, and will subsequently bring the gift of resurrection. And since we are buried in water, and Christ in earth, you are in relation to sin, and He is body, then (the apostle) did not say: equipped with the by-product of death, but: “in the likeness of death,” because although both are death, they are not in relation to the same thing. “If we are provided with food in death,” he says, “we will also have a resurrection.” Here he means a future resurrection. Since above, when he discussed death and said: “Or do you not understand, brothers, as we were baptized into Christ Jesus into His death,” he clearly did not say anything about the resurrection, but about life after baptism, commanding “to walk in the newness of life” (Rom. 6:3), here, using the same expression, he already foreshadows to us about the future resurrection. And so that you understand that (the apostle) is talking specifically about the future resurrection, and not about the resurrection in baptism, he, having said: “if we were implanted in the likeness of His death,” did not say that we will be implanted in the likeness of the resurrection, but simply - “and we will be resurrected.” So that you do not object: “if we did not die as Christ died, then how can we rise again, as He rose?” - the apostle, when he mentioned death, did not say: the equipment of death, but “in the likeness of death,” and when he spoke about the resurrection, he did not say: in the likeness of the resurrection, but also “we will be the resurrection itself.” And again he did not say: “were,” but: “we will be,” indicating with these words not the past, but the future resurrection. Then, wanting to make his speech reliable, he points to another resurrection that takes place here before the future, so that you truly believe in the future. Having said precisely that “we will be equipped with... the resurrection,” he added: Rom.6:6. This is knowing that our old man will be crucified with him, so that the body of sin may be abolished. Here (the apostle) presented together the cause and proof of the future resurrection; and he did not say: they will be crucified, but: “they will be crucified with him,” bringing baptism and the cross together. So he said above: “to be planted with the likeness of His death... so that the body of sin may be abolished,” calling this not this body of ours, but all depravity. Just as he calls all evil by the name of the old man, so he again calls the body of the old man evil, which is composed of different types of vice. And that what has been said is not my assumption, listen to how Paul himself explains it further. Having said: “Let the body of sin be abolished,” he added: as if it’s sin for anyone not to work for us. I wish the body to be dead, but not in the sense that it would collapse and die a natural death, but in the sense that it would not sin. And further (the apostle) explains this even more, saying: Rom.6:7. the dead are freed from sin. This (the apostle) says about every person, because just as the one who has died is freed from sin by the very fact that he lies dead, so is the one who comes out of baptism: he has already died once, therefore he must remain dead to sin forever. So, if you died in baptism, remain dead, because everyone who has died can no longer sin; and if you sin, you degrade the gift of God. Thus, having demanded such high wisdom from us, (the apostle) immediately points to the reward, saying: Rom.6:8. even if we die with Christ. Although being in communion with the Lord before any other reward is in itself already the greatest crown, but besides this, says (the apostle), I offer you another reward. Which one? Eternal life. We believe, he says, so that we may live with Him. Rom.6:9. Knowing that Christ has risen from the dead, who dies no more. Pay attention again to the art (of the apostle), how he reveals his thought from the opposite. Since the cross and death naturally led some to fear, he proves that they should strengthen them in hope. If Christ died once, says (Paul), then do not think that He is mortal; on the contrary, as a result of this very thing He remains immortal, since His death was the death of death, and since He died, He does not die. This is what death is What does it mean: sin? That is, He Himself was not guilty of death, but died for our sin. This is why He died, to destroy sin, to cut off its veins and take away all its strength. Do you notice how (the apostle) frightened? If Christ does not die another time, then there is no second baptism, and if there is no second baptism, then you should not have a tendency to sin. All this (the apostle) says, rebelling against those who thought: “Let us do evil, that good may come” (Rom. 3:8), or: “Let us continue... in sin, that grace may abound” (Rom. 6:1). Wanting to completely destroy such an opinion, he expresses this. And the hedgehog lives,” he continues, “God lives, that is, continuously, so that death no longer has power over him. If Christ died the first death, not being guilty of death, but for the sin of others, much less will He die now, having taken away sin. (Paul) expressed the same thing in his letter to the Hebrews, saying: “One at the end of the ages, for the sweeping away of sin, He appeared as His sacrifice. And just as man lies to die alone... so Christ was offered alone to bear the sins of many, and the second without sin will appear to those who wait for Him for salvation” (Heb. 9.26-28). The Apostle shows both the power of life according to God and the power of sin - the power of life according to God by the fact that Christ will no longer die, and the power of sin by the fact that it caused the Sinless One to die; therefore, how can he not destroy those who are truly guilty? Then, since (the apostle) was talking about the life of Christ, so that someone would not say: “What do these words have to do with us?” - he added further: Rom.6:11. In the same way, you also think that you are dead because sin should be, but God is alive. He said it well - “think”, because it is still impossible to visually imagine what he is talking about. What should we think about, you ask? “Dead... to sin... to be, but alive to God, in Christ Jesus our Lord,” that is, he who lives for God will achieve all virtue, having Jesus himself as his companion; this means “about Christ.” If he raised us from the dead, much more can he support us while we live. Rom.6:12. Let sin not reign in your dead body, so that you can listen to it. The apostle did not say, “Let him not live,” or, “Let not the flesh act,” but, “Let not sin reign,” because Christ did not come to abolish nature, but to correct the will. Then, showing that we are kept in the power of vice not by force or necessity, but voluntarily, (the apostle) did not say: let him not rule, which would indicate coercion, but: let him not reign. It would be inappropriate for those led into the kingdom of heaven to have sin as king and those called to reign with Christ to want to become captives of sin, just as it would be absurd if someone, having taken off the diadem from his head, wanted to be the slave of an insane woman, wretched and dressed in rags. Then, since it is difficult to overcome sin, look how (the apostle) showed ease and consoled us in labor, saying: “in your dead body.” By this he makes it clear that exploits are temporary and will soon cease, and at the same time he reminds us of previous evil deeds and the root of death, since the body first became mortal through sin. But you can not sin even if you have a mortal body. Have you noticed all the riches of Christ's grace? Adam, not yet having a mortal body, fell, and you can be crowned, having received as your inheritance a body subject to death. How, you ask, does sin reign? Not by your own strength, but by your carelessness. Therefore, having said: “Let him not reign,” he explains the very image of this reign, adding the following words: to listen to him in his lusts. To give up everything to the body, even power, is not an honor, but is extreme slavery and the height of dishonor. When it does what it wants, then it is deprived of all freedom, and when it encounters obstacles, then it primarily retains its dignity. Rom.6:13. Below, present the ouds of your weapons of unrighteousness to sin: but... weapons of righteousness. So, the body serves as a means for both vice and virtue, like a weapon, which the one who uses it is suitable for deeds of both kinds; Thus, both a warrior fighting for the fatherland and a robber armed against citizens are defended with the same weapon; therefore, the blame falls not on the weapon, but on the one who uses it for evil. The same can be said about the flesh, which is one or the other not according to its own nature, but according to the disposition of the soul. When you look with excessive attention at someone else’s beauty, then the eye becomes a weapon of untruth, not because of its own activity (because it is natural for the eye to look and not to look slyly), but because of the cunning of the thought that controls it; if you have curbed your thoughts, then your eye becomes an instrument of truth. The same should be said about the tongue, about the hands and all other members. And the apostle well called sin unrighteousness: whoever sins acts unjustly either in relation to himself or in relation to his neighbor, but much more in relation to himself than in relation to his neighbor. So, leading away from vice, (the apostle) leads to virtue and says: but imagine God as being from the dead living. Look how he motivates with simple names, naming sin here, and God here. Having pointed out how great the difference is between the rulers, he deprived of all excuse the warrior who abandoned God and wished to submit to the kingdom of sin. And not only here, but also in the following words, he reveals this, saying: “as from the dead the living.” With these words he shows the destruction of sin and the greatness of God's gift. Imagine, he says, what you were like before and what you have become now. Who were you? Dead and perished in such a death that there was no way to get rid of it, because there was no one who could help you. And what kind of dead people have you become? Living an immortal life. Through whom? Through almighty God. Therefore, it is right to submit to Him with such zeal as is characteristic of those who have been made alive from the dead. And your uds are instruments of God’s truth. Consequently, the body is not something bad if it can become a weapon of truth. Having spoken about weapons, (the apostle) announced that a severe battle had begun. Therefore, we need strong weapons, a courageous spirit and well-versed in matters of battle of this kind, and most of all we need a leader. But the leader is already present, always ready for an alliance with us, never invincible; He has also prepared strong weapons for us; all that is required is our consent to use these weapons as they should, under the condition of obeying the leader and acting with weapons for the fatherland. So, having instilled in us such great things, reminding us of weapons, battle and warfare, (the apostle) again inspires the warrior and arouses readiness in him, saying: Rom.6:14. Let sin not possess you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. And if sin no longer rules over us, then why did the apostle (exhort) before: “Let not... sin reign in your dead body... present the bites of your weapons of unrighteousness to sin?” ( Rom. 6:12–13 ) What does this speech mean? Here (the apostle) casually expresses a thought, which he must subsequently reveal and process with all skill. What kind of thought is this? Before the coming of Christ, our body was easily accessible to sin. After all, after death, a large number of passions entered into it and therefore it became extremely incapable of following the path of virtue. There was as yet no helping Spirit, no baptism capable of killing, but it ran like some wild horse and often sinned, because the law, although it prescribed what to do and what not to do, did not give the ascetic anything except verbal admonition. When Christ appeared, the struggle became easier. Therefore, we, as those who have received participation in greater help, are assigned more difficult feats, which is why Christ said: “Unless your righteousness comes to pass rather than the scribe and the Pharisee, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5.20). Subsequently the apostle speaks of this more clearly, but for now he briefly hints at it, showing that if we are not too subject to sin, then it will not overcome us. For it is not the law alone that commands, but also grace, which has forgiven the past and strengthens us for the future. The law promised crowns after labors, but grace first crowned them and then called them to exploits. But, in my opinion, what is meant here is not the whole life of the believer, but a comparison is being made between baptism and the law, which (the apostle) says in another place, that “the letter... kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3.6). The law exposes crime, and grace frees from it. Just as the law, by convicting, reveals sin, so grace, by forgiving, does not allow you to remain under sin, so that in a twofold way you are freed from the power of sin, because, firstly, because you are not under the law, and secondly, because you use grace. So, after (the apostle) had calmed the listener with the previous words, he again confirms it, offering an admonition in the form of an objection and saying this: Rom.6:15. what the hell? shall we sin, not under the law, but under grace? It won't happen. Although at first (the apostle) answers the proposed question as extremely inappropriate, he denies it, but then he turns his speech into an exhortation and proves that the ease of exploits is great, saying this: Rom.6:16. Don’t you know that you imagine that slaves will obey him, slaves of course, you will listen to him, either sin leading to death, or obedience leading to righteousness? Not to mention, the apostle argues, about Gehenna and severe future punishment, but about real shame, when you become slaves and, moreover, willing slaves, slaves of sin, and for such a reward that you die again. If before baptism sin produced bodily death, and the wound required such healing that the Lord of all accepted death and thus destroyed evil, then what will sin not produce when it takes possession of you, when after such a great gift and freedom you again and voluntarily bow under its yoke? So, do not strive into this abyss, do not voluntarily indulge in sin. During wars, warriors often surrender involuntarily, but here no one will defeat you unless you yourself become a traitor. Therefore, having properly instilled shame, (the apostle) frightens with rewards and points to retribution for deeds of this and that kind, namely, righteousness and death, death not physical, but much more terrible. Indeed, if Christ will no longer die, then who will destroy this death? Nobody. Consequently, it is necessary to endure punishment and torment forever, since there will no longer be a sensual death, as here, which would give rest to the body and separate it from the soul: “the last ... enemy will be destroyed by death” (1 Cor 15.26). Hence, the punishment will be immortal. But this is not what awaits those who obey God, and their reward will be righteousness and the benefits that grow from it. Rom.6:17. We thank God, for you are a slave to sin, but you obeyed from the heart, and in this way you were given the image of teaching. Having shamed with slavery, frightened and motivated by rewards, (the apostle) again encourages (the listeners) with a reminder of good deeds. In these words he shows that they have freed themselves from great evils, that they have not freed themselves through their own efforts, and that the future is more pleasant. Just as someone, having freed a captive from a cruel tormentor and convinced him not to return to him, recalls his terrible power, so Paul very clearly depicts past disasters, speaking of thanksgiving to God. It was not human power that was needed, he says, to free us from all those evils; but thanks be to God, who was willing and able to deliver us. And the apostle said beautifully: “listen... from the heart,” that is, you were not subjected to coercion or violence, but voluntarily, by your own disposition, abandoned sin. This is both praise and reproach. If you came voluntarily and were not subjected to any coercion, then what excuse and what justification can you have when you return to your former place? And then, so that you know that all this depended not only on their disposition, but also on God’s grace, the apostle, having said: “listen... from the heart,” added: “in it... the image of the teaching was given.” Obedience from the heart shows free will, and the word “surrendered” hints at God’s help. What is the image of teaching? Live correctly and carefully. Rom.6:18. Having freed yourself from sin, become enslaved to truth. (The Apostle) points here to two gifts of God: liberation from sin and enslavement to truth, which is better than any freedom. God acted in the same way as does, for example, the man who, having taken an orphan taken by barbarians to their land, not only freed him from captivity, but replaced him with a protective father and raised him to a very high dignity. The same thing happened to us. God not only freed us from ancient evils, but brought us into angelic life, leveled the path for us to the most perfect virtue, after placing us under the protection of righteousness, killed ancient evil, put to death the old man, and guided us to immortal life. So, let us remain in this life as truly alive, because many, although apparently breathing and walking, are nevertheless in a more pitiful state than the dead. After all, there are different kinds of deadness: there is bodily deadness, according to which Abraham, being dead, was not dead, as it is said: “There is no God, a God of the dead, but... of the living” (Matthew 22.32); there is spiritual deadness, which Christ meant when he said: “leave the dead to bury their dead.” (Matthew 8.22); There is another deadness, worthy of praise, that occurs through wisdom, about which Paul speaks: “put to death... your evils that are on the earth” (Col. 3.5); finally, there is deadness, which produces the previous one and occurs in baptism, as it is said: “our old man... will be crucified” (Rom. 6.6), that is, put to death. So, knowing this, let us avoid that mortification by which we die, even though we are alive, and we will not fear that by which common death occurs. And the other two types of mortification, of which one is blessed and given by God, and the other is praiseworthy and depends both on us and on God, we will choose and will carry out with zeal. David blesses one of these two mortifications, saying: “Blessed are those whose iniquities are left behind” (Ps. 31.1), and the other is praised by Paul, saying in the Epistle to the Galatians: “They who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh” (Gal. 5.24). Of the other pair of killings, Christ calls one worthy of contempt, saying: “Fear not those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul,” and the other - terrible, saying: “Fear rather than him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10.28). So, avoiding Gehenna, let us choose for ourselves that mortification that is blessed and praised, so that of the other two mortifications we avoid one and fear the other. There is no benefit for us to see the sun, eat and drink, if our life is not marked by good deeds. In fact, tell me, what is the benefit if the king is dressed in purple, has weapons with him, but does not rule over a single subject, but is available to everyone who wants to insult and offend him? Likewise, there will be no benefit for a Christian if he, having faith and the gift of baptism, turns out to be subject to all passions; in this case, the resentment will be greater and the shame will be stronger. Just as a king, clothed in a diadem and scarlet robe, not only does not add to his honor with such clothing, but dishonors it with his own shame, so a believer, if he leads a vicious life, will not only not inspire any respect for himself with these clothes, but will also become more ridiculous. “For those who sin lawlessly,” says (the apostle), “will perish lawlessly: and those who sin in the law will receive judgment by the law” (Rom. 2.12). And in his letter to the Hebrews he said: “Whoever rejects the law of Moses dies without mercy before two or three witnesses: how much do you think that the worst one will be rewarded with torment, even the one who trampled upon the Son of God” (Heb. 10.28–29)? And it is quite natural, since I, says (Christ), through baptism conquered all your passions. Why did it happen that you insulted such a great gift and became another instead of one? I killed and buried your former sins like worms - why did you give birth to others? After all, sins are worse than worms: worms wear away the body, and sins damage the soul and produce a greater stench. But we don’t feel this, and therefore we are in no hurry to cleanse our souls. After all, even a drunk person does not notice the bad smell from spoiled wine, but a non-drunk person senses it well. So it is with sins - he who lives chastely notices with precision their stench and uncleanness, but he who gives himself over to vice, as if suffering from a headache due to some kind of intoxication, does not even feel that he is sick. The most terrible effect of vice is that it does not allow those who have fallen into it to see the full danger of their own destruction; on the contrary, wallowing in the mud, they imagine that they are enjoying fragrances, which is why they cannot free themselves, and being full of worms, they are proud, as if adorned with precious stones. They do not even want to exterminate them, but feed them and breed them within themselves until they pass them on to the worms of the next century, since these here are the minions of the future, or better yet, not only minions, but the ancestors of those worms that never die, according to what was said: “their worm does not die” (Mk 9.44). They also kindle Gehenna, which never goes out. So, to prevent this from happening to us, let us dry up the source of evil, quench the furnace, and pluck out the root of vice from below, since if you cut down a bad tree on top of the ground, you will not do any good, because the root of vice will remain below, from which bad offspring will come again. What is the root of evil? Learn this from the good gardener who knows this exactly, who tends the spiritual vineyard and cultivates the entire universe. What does he call the cause of all evil? Passion for money. “For the root of all evil,” he says, “is the love of money” (1 Tim. 6.10). Hence the battles, hostilities and wars; hence the quarrels, abuse, suspicions and resentments; hence murder, theft and grave-digging; As a result of the love of money, not only cities and regions, but roads, inhabited and uninhabited places, mountains, forests, ravines, in a word - everything is full of blood and murder. This evil does not spare the sea, but even there it rages with all its fury, since sea robbers constantly attack here and invent new methods of robbery. As a result of the love of money, the laws of nature were distorted, kinship alliances were shaken, and the rights of existence itself were destroyed. The power of money has armed its hands not only against the living, but also against the dead; It is impossible to reconcile with money lovers even through death, but they, having broken the tombs, stretch out their villainous hands to dead bodies and do not free the one freed from life from their evil intentions. Whatever evil you encounter, whether in the house, or in the marketplace, in courts or in government places, in royal palaces or anywhere else, you can notice that all evil arose from the love of money. It was precisely this evil that filled everything with blood and murder, it kindled the flames of Gehenna, it made the cities no better, but even much worse than the desert. You can still protect yourself from those who carry out robberies on the roads, since they do not always attack; and those who do the same among the cities are so much worse than the first, how much more difficult it is to protect themselves from them, since with all their audacity they dare to do things that the first do secretly. The money lovers, having drawn into an alliance with themselves those laws that were established with the aim of abolishing their wickedness, filled the cities with many murders and crimes. Tell me, is it not murder, or even worse than murder, to starve a beggar, throw him into prison, and, along with hunger, subject him to torment and countless tortures? Although you do not do all this yourself, you serve as the cause of this work and accomplish it more than those who serve you. The killer thrusts the sword once and, having caused short-term pain, does not continue the torment; and you, turning the very light into darkness for him with your slander, insults and malicious intent and making him wish for death a thousand times, think how many deaths you are causing him instead of one. And the worst thing is that you rob and extort, not because you are oppressed by poverty and forced by hunger, but in order to gild more of the horse’s bridle, the roof of the house and the capitals of the pillars. And how can all this not be worthy of hell, when you plunge your brother, who together with you became a participant in unspeakable blessings and is so honored by your Master, into countless disasters in order to decorate stones, platforms and dumb animals who are not aware of this decoration? And the dog is in your great care, and the man, or, better to say, Christ, for the sake of the dog and everything that has been said, is condemned to extreme hunger. What's worse than such indifference? What is more terrible than such lawlessness? How many rivers of fire will such a soul need? The one created in the image of God stands dishonored due to your inhumanity, and the heads of the mules carrying your wife shine with abundant gold, as well as the coverings and wooden accessories of the canopy; if a chair or stool is to be made, everything is made of gold and silver; and the one for whom Christ came down from heaven and shed precious blood, due to your greed, does not have the most necessary food. Your beds are lined with silver everywhere, and the bodies of the saints are deprived of the necessary covering; For you, Christ is of little importance above all things—the servants, the mules, the bed, the chair, and the footstool. Not to mention other dishonest things, leaving you to think about it yourself. If, hearing this, you are horrified, then stop doing this and what was said will not harm you at all. Stop it, stay away from this madness. It is sheer madness to care about this. Therefore, leaving this behind, let us finally raise our gaze to heaven, remember the future day, think about the Last Judgment, about a strict report, about an incorruptible verdict; Let us imagine that God sees all this and yet does not send lightning to us from above, although our deeds are not only worthy of lightning. But He does not do this either, He does not raise the sea on us, He does not open up the earth in the middle, He does not extinguish the sun, He does not command the sky with the stars to fall, in a word, He does not change anything, but leaves it so that all creation remains in order and serves us. So, having thought about this, let us revere the greatness of His love for mankind and return to our nobility, because now we are no better, but even worse than the dumb. And they love what is akin to them and are content with the commonality of nature for mutual inclination towards each other. And you, having, in addition to the general nature, thousands of other motives to be in close union with your own members, namely, the endowment of reason, participation in piety, communication in countless blessings, however, you have become more rude than dumb animals, you show great concern for useless things, and you neglect the churches of God, which are perishing from hunger and nakedness, even often exposing them yourself to thousands of disasters. If you do this out of love for fame, then you should take more care of your brother than of your horse. After all, the better the one who takes advantage of your good deed, the more beautifully the crown is woven for you for your zeal; and now, by acting completely differently, you do not feel that you are arming thousands of accusers against yourself. Who won't say bad things about you? Who will not accuse you of extreme cruelty and misanthropy, seeing that you humiliate the human race and value the dumb above people, and along with the dumb, your home and household utensils? Didn't you hear the apostles say that the first to accept the teaching sold houses and estates in order to feed the brethren? And you take away the houses and lands of others in order to decorate the horse, trees, coverings, walls, platforms. And what’s even worse is that not only men, but also women suffer from this madness, involve men in great futile labor and very often force them to spend more on everything unnecessary than on what is necessary. And if someone accuses them of this, they invent an excuse worthy of all condemnation. Both this and this happen, they say. What are you saying? Are you really not afraid to say this, placing the hungry Christ on the same level as horses, mules, boxes and steps, or better yet, not on the same level, but you give most of it to others, and give barely a small share to Christ. Don't you know that everything belongs to Him - both you and everything you have? Do you not know that He formed the body, gave the soul, and gave the whole world as an inheritance? And you don’t give even a small reward in return. If you rent out a small house, then you demand payment for it with great precision; and now, using all of God’s creation and living in such a great world, you do not agree to pay even a small price, but you have sacrificed yourself and everything you have as a sacrifice to vanity, on which all this depends. After all, a horse decorated with such an outfit cannot become better in its dignity because of this, and neither can the person sitting on the horse, who sometimes even loses in his dignity. After all, many, ignoring the rider, turn their eyes to the decoration of the horse, to the servants walking in front and behind and proudly speaking, and the one whom they accompany, many hate and look upon as a public enemy. This does not happen when you adorn your soul, but people, angels and the Lord of the Angels himself all weave a crown for you. Thus, if you love fame, refrain from what you are doing now, and decorate not the house, but the soul, in order to become famous and glorious; now nothing can be lower than you, who displays the beauty of the house and has a completely empty soul. If you cannot bear my words, listen to what one of the pagans did, and be ashamed of their wisdom. They say that one of them, entering a magnificent house, shining with abundant gold and shining with the beauty of marbles and columns, when he saw that the entire floor of the house was covered with carpets, spat in the face of the owner of the house. Then, in response to the reproach, he said that since this could not be done anywhere else in the house, he was forced to offend the owner. Do you see how ridiculous a person is who decorates his appearance, and how everyone who has intelligence despises him? And quite rightly so. After all, if someone forced your wife to wear rags and be neglected, and dressed her maids in luxurious clothes, then you, of course, would not bear this indifferently, but you would be angry and would call such an act an extreme insult. So think about your soul. When you decorate the walls, floors, household utensils and everything else, but do not give generous alms, and do not practice other acts of wisdom, then you do the same and even much worse. After all, there is no difference between slave and mistress, but between soul and flesh there is a great difference; and if there is a great difference between soul and flesh, then much more between soul and house, between soul and bed and footstool. So, what kind of apology can you be worthy of when you cover all this richly with silver, but do not pay attention to the fact that your soul is dressed in rags, unkempt, languishing with hunger, covered with wounds and tormented by thousands of dogs, and when with all this you still think to boast about the decoration of external things? It is the height of madness for someone who has been ridiculed, desecrated, disfigured, dishonored and subjected to the most terrible punishment to boast of such deeds. Therefore, I beg you, having thought about all this, let us finally sober up, come to our senses and transfer this decoration from outside to our soul. Then such decoration will remain durable, and will make us equal to the angels and provide us with immutable benefits, which may it be given to all of us to achieve, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: