Беседа 25

A feat is not great if it does not benefit others. – The greatness of Pavlova’s soul. 1 Corinthians 10:25. Eat everything that is sold at the market without any research, for peace of conscience. 1. Having said that it is impossible to drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons together, instilling complete abstinence from those (demonic) meals by the example of the Jews, human considerations, pointing out terrible mysteries and what is happening in the churches, and arousing (in the Corinthians) great fear - further, so that this fear would not lead them to the other extreme, so that they, out of excessive caution, would not fear such desecration in any way Without their knowledge, for example, in a marketplace, or in some other way, (the apostle) relieves them of such fear and says: “Everything that is sold in a marketplace, eat without any investigation.” If, he says, you eat without knowing or hearing (that it is sacrificed to idols), then you will not be subject to punishment, since this is a matter of ignorance, and not intemperance. And not only does he relieve them from such fear, but also from another, providing them with great independence and freedom: he does not even allow them to doubt, i.e. to investigate and investigate whether it is sacrificed to idols or not; but he commands simply to eat everything that is in the marketplace, without asking what is offered. Therefore, the one who eats (sacrificed to idols) out of ignorance remains innocent. What is sacrificed to idols is not evil by nature, but produces defilement according to the disposition of the eater. That’s why he says: “without any examination... for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it” (1 Cor. 10:25-26), and not demons. If the earth, and the fruits, and all dumb animals are His, then there is nothing unclean; Something becomes unclean as a result of a person’s disposition and disobedience. Therefore, he not only gave permission, but also added: “if one of the unbelievers calls you and you want to go, then eat everything that is offered to you without any examination, for peace of conscience” (1 Cor. 10:27). Notice again his condescension: he does not command or prescribe to walk, but he does not forbid it either; He relieves those who are walking from all suspicion. For what? So that excessive caution does not seem to be a matter of fear and apprehension, because whoever investigates does it out of fear, and whoever abstains after he has learned the matter, he abstains out of dislike, contempt and disgust. Therefore, Paul, wanting to arrange both, says: “Eat everything that is set before you... But if someone says to you, “This is sacrificed to idols,” then do not eat for the sake of the one who told you” (1 Cor. 10:27-28). He commands one to abstain (from idolatry sacrifices), not as having power, but as worthy of disgust. Avoid (sacrificed to idols), he says, not because it can cause harm - it has no power. However, on the grounds that it has no power, do not eat it indifferently, since it is the meal of enemies and the wicked. That’s why he adds: “Do not eat for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of your conscience. For the earth is the Lord's, and what fills it." Do you see how, both allowing him to eat and commanding him to abstain, he gives the same proof? This is not why he says, I forbid, as if it were an alien thing - “For it is the Lord’s earth” - but, as it was said, for the sake of conscience, i.e. so as not to do harm. Therefore, it is necessary to scout? No, he says, I don’t mean your conscience, but another; after all, I previously said: “for the sake of the one who announced”; and also: “I do not mean my own conscience, but another” (1 Cor. 10:29) But maybe someone will say: you rightly spare the brothers and do not allow us to eat things sacrificed to idols, so that “his conscience, as a weak person, will not dispose him to eat things sacrificed to idols” (1 Cor. 8:10); Why do you care about a pagan? Was it not you who said: “For why should I judge those who are outside?” (1 Cor. 5:12). Why do you care about them? It’s not about them, he says, that I care, but here, too, about you. That’s why he adds: “For why should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience?” He calls freedom - not being obliged to observe and not being subject to prohibition; This is freedom, alien to Jewish slavery. And the meaning of his words is as follows: God created me free and placed me above all harm: but the pagan does not know how to judge my wisdom, nor understand the generosity of my Master, but will condemn me and say to himself: the teaching of Christians is a fable: they shun idols, avoid demons, but do not refuse what is brought to them; their gluttony is great. What, you say, is the harm for us, and that he will judge so unfairly? But isn’t it much better not to give him any reason to condemn him at all? If you abstain, he won’t say that either. How do you say he won’t tell? Seeing that I use everything without intelligence, both in the marketplace and at the feast, how will he not say and condemn me that I use everything indifferently? Exactly, no, because you are using it not as something sacrificed to idols, but as something pure; by not scouting, you show that you are not afraid of what is being proposed. Therefore, whether you enter the house of a pagan or come to the marketplace, I do not allow you to scout, lest you be restless and cowardly and incur unnecessary worries on yourself. “If I take food with thanksgiving, then why blame me for what I give thanks for?” (1 Cor. 10:30). What, tell me, do you accept with gratitude? God's gifts. His grace is such that it makes my soul pure and places it above all uncleanness. Just as the sun, touching with its rays all kinds of impurities, makes them clean again, so or even more so, we, turning among the world, can remain clean if we want, and even more so the greater our strength. 2. Why, you say, should I abstain? Not so that you could otherwise become unclean, but for your brother, so as not to have communication with demons, and so as not to be condemned by an infidel. Here it is not the quality (of food), but disobedience and communication with demons that makes me unclean, and defilement depends on will. What do the words mean: “Why blame me for what I give thanks for?” I, he says, thank God that He has exalted me so much and placed me above Jewish humiliation that nothing can harm me; and the pagans, not knowing my wisdom, will suspect the opposite and say: Christians desire ours; they are hypocrites; they blaspheme demons and turn away from them, but flock to their meals; What could be more unreasonable than this? This means that they did not accept this teaching for the sake of truth, but out of ambition and lust for power. Therefore, isn’t it crazy to give reasons for blasphemy for the very benefits for which gratitude is given? But, you say, the pagan will say this even when he sees that I am not scouting. No, because not everything is filled with sacrifices to idols to have such a suspicion; Moreover, you eat it, not as something sacrificed to idols. So, do not scout in vain; and on the other hand, do not take part when they tell you that it was sacrificed to idols. Christ gave you grace, exalted you and placed you above all harm, not in order to give rise to bad rumors about you, and not in order to offend others so much by the very advantages for which you give thanks that they might blaspheme. Why, you say, should I not tell the pagan what I eat and not suffer any harm from it, and that I do not do this out of attachment to demons? Because you will not convince him, even if you have said this a thousand times, since he (the person) is weak and your enemy. If you have not yet convinced your brother, then much less will you convince the enemy and the pagan. If this one is bound by conscience in relation to something sacrificed to idols, then even more so he is unfaithful. Why should we resort to such means? But should we really retreat from Christ, Whom we have come to know and thank, just because our enemies blaspheme us? It won't happen! There is a difference between both; there there is great gain from enduring blasphemy, but here there is no benefit. That is why (the apostle) said above: “Whether we eat, we gain nothing; if we eat, we lose nothing” (1 Cor. 8:8). Moreover, he proved that it is necessary to withdraw and abstain from sacrifices to idols for other reasons, not only for this, but also for other reasons that he mentioned above. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Do you see how he moved from a specific subject to a general one and taught us an excellent rule - to glorify God in everything? “Do not give offense either to Jews or Greeks, or to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32); those. do not give anyone any reason to be tempted. Otherwise, your brother will be tempted, and the Jew will hate and condemn you even more, and the pagan will laugh at you as a glutton and a hypocrite. We must not seduce not only our brothers, but, if possible, even outsiders. If we are light, leaven, luminaries and salt, then we must enlighten, and not darken, strengthen, and not weaken, attract the infidels to ourselves, and not drive them away. Why do you drive away those whom you should attract? Genuinely the pagans are tempted when they see that we return to these (things), because they do not know our way of thinking and the fact that our soul has become above all sensual defilement. The Jews and the weakest of the brethren will experience the same thing. Do you see how many reasons he gave why one should abstain from idolatry sacrifices? Namely: because intemperance is useless, unnecessary, harms the brother, provokes blasphemy on the part of the Jew, reproach on the part of the pagan, which should not have communication with demons, that such behavior is in some way idolatry. Then, when he said: “do not give temptation”, he placed on them the responsibility for the temptation of the Jews and the Gentiles and expressed something difficult - look how he makes it convenient and easy: he puts himself as a mediator and says: “just as I please everyone in everything, seeking not my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved” (1 Cor. 10:33). “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). 3. To seek what is useful for society - this is the rule of the most perfect Christianity, this is its exact purpose, this is the height of perfection! The apostle also expresses this with the words: “as I am to Christ.” There is nothing you can do to imitate Christ so much as by caring for your neighbors; whether you fast, whether you sleep on the ground, whether you exhaust yourself, but if you do not care about your neighbor, then you do not do anything important, and for all that you are still far from the standard. Abstinence from idolatry sacrifices in itself is a useful thing; and I, says (the apostle), did a lot of unprofitable things, for example, circumcised and made sacrifices; such actions, if we consider them in themselves, can even destroy those who commit them and deprive them of salvation, but I subjected myself to this for the benefit resulting from it. There is nothing like that here: in those actions, if there is no benefit for others, then there may be harm; and, here, at least no one was tempted, and in this case one should abstain from what is forbidden. I exposed myself not only to harmful things, but also to difficult ones: “I caused costs to other churches,” he says, “receiving support from them” (2 Cor. 11:8); When I could eat and not work, I did not look for it, but I decided it would be better to die of hunger myself than to tempt another. That’s why he says: “I please everyone in everything”; whether it is necessary to do something illegal, or difficult and dangerous, I undergo everything for the benefit of others. So Paul, being above everyone in perfection, became below everyone in condescension. Truly, no feat can be great if it does not benefit others. This can be seen from the example of the one who brought the talent whole and was punished for not multiplying it. So you, brother, will remain without food, sleep on the ground, eat ashes and cry constantly, but if you do not provide any benefit to others, then you are not doing anything important. All the great and valiant men of antiquity especially had this in mind; examine their lives carefully, and you will clearly see that each of them had the goal not of their own benefit, but of their neighbors; This is why they became especially famous. So Moses performed many great wonders and signs, but nothing exalted him so much as the blessed words he spoke to God: “forgive them their sin, and if not, then blot me out too” (Ex. 32:32). So was David: “Behold, I have sinned, I have acted lawlessly; and these sheep, what did they do? Let your hand turn against me and against my father’s house” (2 Samuel 24:17). Abraham also sought the benefit not of his own, but of many: therefore he exposed himself to danger and asked God for (people) who had nothing to do with him. This is how they became famous; but those who sought their own benefit, see how they caused harm. Thus, Abraham’s nephew, having listened to his words: “If you are to the right, then I will be to the left” (Gen. 13:9), and having made a choice, keeping in mind his own benefit, did not find it; on the contrary, his country burned down, but the country of Abraham remained unharmed. Jonah, when he sought the benefit not of others, but of his own, almost died: the city stood, but he was in danger, was overwhelmed by waves and drowned; when he began to seek the benefit of others, then he found his own. Jacob, who did not seek his own benefit from the flocks, received great wealth. Also, Joseph, wanting to benefit his brothers, found his own: when his father sent him (to his brothers), he did not say: don’t you know that for visions and dreams they are ready to tear me to pieces, that for the interpretation of dreams they accuse me, that for your love for me they intend to punish me - what will they not do if they meet me in the middle of the field? He didn’t say or think anything like that, but preferred serving his brothers to everything; that is why he subsequently received all those benefits that made him very glorious and famous. So Moses - nothing prevents us from mentioning him another time, in order to see how he did not think about his own benefit and sought the benefit of others - spending his life in the royal palaces, “he considered reproach to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:26), and, abandoning everything, decided to share the disasters with the Jews; but not only was he not subjected to slavery, but on the contrary, he also freed them from slavery. All these deeds are great and worthy of angels. 4. But (the actions of) Paul have a great advantage. All others, leaving their own well-being, took part in the misfortunes of their neighbors; but Paul did much more. He not only participated in the misfortunes of others, but chose to endure extreme misfortunes himself so that others could enjoy prosperity. It is not the same thing to reject one’s well-being and indulge in disasters (together with others), or to expose oneself to suffering while giving peace and honor to others. There, although it is difficult to exchange well-being for suffering for one’s neighbor, there is some consolation in the fact that there are accomplices of suffering; and to expose oneself to sorrows so that others may enjoy joys is the work of the noblest soul and Pauline jealousy. Not only with this, but also with another great advantage, it surpasses all that we mentioned above. Abraham and all the others exposed themselves to the disasters of this life, and everyone generally wished for death; and Paul was willing to forfeit even future glory for the salvation of others. I can also point out a third advantage. Which one? The fact that although some of the men mentioned provided care for people who were at enmity against them, but those who were under their leadership; they did the same thing a father would do if he cared for a bad and criminal son, but a son nonetheless; and Paul wished to be anathematized for those who were not entrusted to his care, since he was sent to the pagans. Do you see the greatness of his soul and the excellence of his zeal, exceeding heaven itself? Imitate him; and if you can’t give it to him, then at least to the men who were glorified in the Old Testament. You will find something useful for yourself when you seek the benefit of your neighbor. If you do not have zeal for your brother, then remember that you cannot be saved otherwise, and take care of him and his deeds, at least for yourself. What has been said is enough to convince us that we cannot otherwise achieve what is useful to us. But, if you want, you can be convinced by experience and from ordinary examples. When a house happens to catch fire, those who live close to it and, caring only about themselves, will not prevent the danger, but will lock themselves in their houses for fear that someone will come in and steal something from them - what punishment will they receive? The fire, having reached them, will burn all their (property); not caring about the benefit of their neighbor, they will lose their own. God, wanting to unite everyone with each other, placed everything in such a necessary connection that the benefit of one is combined with the benefit of another: the whole world stands on this. If on a ship, during a storm, the helmsman, neglecting the benefit of others, seeks only his own, he will soon sink both himself and them. If every craft strived only for its own benefit, then life would be impossible, and (impossible) the very craft that would strive for this. Therefore, the farmer does not sow as much as he needs for himself, otherwise he would have long ago destroyed himself and others, but he also cares about others; the warrior takes up arms in the face of danger not in order to save only himself, but also to bring safety to the cities: the merchant brings not as much as he needs for himself, but for many others. But everyone, someone will say, does this not with my benefit in mind, but with his own, he works to acquire money, fame, and security for himself, so that, while delivering benefit to me, he seeks his own. I say the same thing, this is what I wanted to instill for a long time, and I directed all my words to show that a neighbor then achieves his benefit when he takes care of yours. If people were not placed in such a need, they would not want to seek the benefit of their neighbor; That’s why God connected everything in this way and did not allow us to achieve our own benefit except through the benefit of others. People tend to follow this path for the benefit of their neighbors; but the incentive to do this should not be borrowed from here, but from the conviction that it pleases God. It is impossible to be saved otherwise; If you practice even the highest wisdom, but do not care about others who are perishing, then you will not have any boldness before God. Where can you see this? From the words of Blessed Paul: “If I,” he says, “give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3). Do you see what Paul demands from us? Although the one who distributes (his property), apparently, seeks the benefit not of his own, but of his neighbor, this alone, he says, is not enough, but it must be done with sincerity and great compassion. This is why God gave us such a commandment, to unite us in a union of love. If He demands love from us to such an extent, and we do not show it even to a lesser extent, will we be worthy of forgiveness? How, someone will object, did God say to Lot through the angels: “Save your life” (Gen. 19:17)? But tell me, when did this happen and why? When punishment was threatened, when it was no longer time to reform, when (the wicked) were condemned and suffered from an incurable disease, when old men and young men gave themselves up to the same lusts and were about to be burned, on the day when lightning was about to strike them. Moreover, this was not said about vice and virtue, but referred to punishment sent down from God. What then, tell me, should have been done? Sit down, accept punishment and burn without any benefit? But that would be extreme madness. It’s not that I’m saying that one should suffer without reason and in vain, contrary to the will of God; but when a person leads a vicious life, then I command you, come to him and correct him, if you want, for the good of your neighbor, but if not, then at least for your own benefit; the former is better than the latter, but if you have not reached that height yet, then at least do it for the latter. Let no one seek his own benefit, and then he will find it. Knowing that neither poverty, nor torment, nor anything else can save us if we do not have high love, let us acquire it first of all, so that through it we may receive other blessings, present and future, which may we all be worthy of by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. These conversations were delivered by the saint in Antioch around 390. 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