Беседа 33

The meaning of love. – The devil’s job is to tear people away from each other. – Love overcomes everything. 1 Corinthians 13:4. Love is patient and kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, it is not proud. 1. Having proved that without love there is no great benefit from faith, nor from knowledge, nor from prophecy, nor from the gift of tongues, nor from the gift of healings, nor from other gifts, nor even from perfect life and martyrdom, (the apostle) describes, as was necessary, its unparalleled beauty, decorating its image, as if with some colors, with various kinds of virtues and carefully combining all its parts. Therefore, beloved, be attentive to what is said and delve into every word with great care in order to see both the perfection of the subject and the art of the painter. Look where he started and what he put as the first reason for all good things. What exactly? Longsuffering; it is the root of all wisdom; That’s why the Wise One says: “A patient person has a lot of understanding, but an irritable person shows stupidity” (Prov. 14:29); and further, comparing this virtue with a strong city, he says that it is stronger than it. This is an indestructible weapon, an unshakable pillar, easily repelling all attacks. Just as a spark falling into the sea does not cause him any harm, but immediately goes out, so everything unexpected, striking a long-suffering soul, soon disappears, but does not outrage it. Longsuffering is the most steadfast; Whether you point to an army, money, horses, walls, weapons, or anything else, nothing can compare with long-suffering. Whoever possesses something like this is often overcome by anger, falls like a weak child, and fills everything with noise and confusion; and the long-suffering one, as if staying in a harbour, enjoys deep tranquility; if you harm him, you will not move this stone; if you offend him, you will not shake this pillar; if you strike him, you will not crush this adamant; That is why he is called long-suffering, 54 because he has, as it were, a long and great soul, and what is long is called great. Meanwhile, this virtue is born from love, and it brings great benefit to those who have acquired it and use it. Do not tell me that lost people, doing evil (to the long-suffering) and not suffering evil for it, become worse; this does not come from his long-suffering, but from those themselves who do not use it as they should. Therefore, do not tell me about them, but remember the more meek people who receive great benefit from this; when, while doing evil, they do not suffer evil for it, then, marveling at the patience of the sufferer, they receive the greatest lesson in wisdom. However, (the apostle) does not stop there, but adds other perfections of love: it, he says, “is merciful.” Since there are people who use long-suffering not for their own wisdom, but for revenge on those who insult them, tormented within themselves, he says that love does not have this deficiency either; That’s why he adds: “he is merciful.” Those who love do not act meekly with those who are burning with anger in order to strengthen the flame of anger, but in order to tame it and extinguish it, and not only with courageous patience, but also with pleasing and exhortation, they heal the wound and heal the ulcer of anger. "Doesn't envy". It happens that someone is patient, but envious, which is why his virtue loses its perfection. But love is far from this. “He is not arrogant,” that is, he does not act foolishly. It makes the lover prudent, sedate and thorough. Recklessness is characteristic of people who love shamefully; and he who loves with true love is completely free from this; when there is no anger in the heart, then there can be no recklessness and insolence; love, abiding in the soul, like some skilled farmer, does not allow any of these thorns to grow. "Not proud". We see that many are proud of their very virtues, that is, the fact that they are not envious, not evil, not cowardly, not reckless; these vices are associated not only with wealth and poverty, but also with the kindest qualities by nature; and love completely purifies everything. Note: the long-suffering is not always merciful; if he is not merciful, then his good quality becomes a vice and can turn into maliciousness; but love, delivering medicine, that is, mercy, keeps virtue pure. Also, the merciful is often frivolous; but love corrects this deficiency too. “Love,” he says, “is not exalted, is not proud.” He who is merciful and long-suffering is often proud; but love destroys this vice too. 2. Look how (the apostle) praises her not only what she has, but also what she does not have: she, he says, on the one hand produces virtues, on the other destroys vices, or, better, does not allow them to arise. He did not say: although she has envy, she overcomes envy, or: although she has pride, she tames this passion, but: “does not envy, does not exalt herself, is not proud”; and what is especially surprising is that she effortlessly does good, erects a trophy without struggle or resistance. Whoever has it, it does not force him to work in order to achieve the crown, but without difficulty gives him a reward, because where there is no passion opposing a virtuous disposition, what kind of work can there be? “He does not commit disorder” (1 Cor. 13:5). What am I saying, continues (the apostle), that she is not proud? She is so far from this passion that even when she suffers extreme hardships for her loved one, she does not consider this a dishonor. He did not say again that although he endures dishonor, he endures it courageously, and that he does not even feel the dishonor at all. If lovers of money, enduring all sorts of troubles for the sake of their profit, not only are not ashamed, but also rejoice, then all the more he who has praiseworthy love for the good of his loved ones will not refuse anything like that, and not only will not refuse, but is not even ashamed when he endures something. However, so that we do not cite a vicious deed as an example, let us look at Christ in this regard and see the truth of what was said. Our Lord Jesus Christ was subjected to spitting and scourging from miserable slaves, and not only did not consider this dishonor, but he also rejoiced and considered it glory; He brought the thief and murderer with Him into paradise before others, talked with the harlot, moreover, in the presence of all His accusers, and did not consider this shameful, but even allowed her to kiss His feet, wet His body with tears and wipe with her hair, and all this in the presence of enemies and adversaries, because love does not act outrageously. Therefore, even fathers, even if they were the wisest and most eloquent of all, are not ashamed to babble along with their children, and no one who looks at it condemns them, but, on the contrary, it seems such a good thing that it even deserves praise; if again children are vicious, then they patiently try to correct them, watch over them, restrain them from bad deeds and are not ashamed, because love does not act outrageously, but, as if with golden wings, covers all the misdeeds of its loved ones. So Jonathan loved David, and therefore, having listened to the words of his father: “the son of harlots, brought up as a wife” 55 (1 Sam. 20:30), he was not ashamed, although the words were filled with great reproach; they precisely mean the following: the son of harlots, furiously addicted to men and indulging in everyone who passes by, effeminate, weak, having nothing masculine in himself and living to dishonor himself and the mother who gave birth to you. So what? Was he upset by this, was he ashamed and fell behind his beloved? Quite the contrary, he even boasted of his love; although (Saul) was then a king, Jonathan was the son of a king, and David was a fugitive and a wanderer, but with all this he was not ashamed of his love, because love does not go wild. Truly, what is worthy of surprise in it is that it not only does not allow one to grieve and be upset in the event of an insult, but also encourages one to rejoice; Therefore, after all this, Jonathan, as if having received a crown, went and embraced David, because love does not know dishonor and even boasts of what another is ashamed of. For her, shame is not being able to love, or, while loving, not being exposed to dangers and not enduring everything for her loved ones. However, when I say: everything, do not think that I also mean harmful, for example, if someone began to help a young man in (criminal) love for a woman, or asked him to do something else harmful. Such a person does not love, as I previously proved to you with the example of the Egyptian woman. He only loves who wishes what is useful for his beloved; and whoever does not seek good, even if he said a thousand times that he loves, is more hostile than all enemies. So once upon a time Rebekah, being strongly attached to her son, even decided to steal, was not ashamed and was not afraid of being exposed - but there was considerable danger - but even when her son objected to her, she said: “Let your curse be on me, my son” (Gen. 27:13). 3. Do you see an apostolic soul in your wife? Just as Paul, if one can compare the small with the great, wanted to be anathema for the Jews, so she even decided to be cursed, if only her son would receive a blessing. She provided the good to him - since she herself could not participate with him in the blessing - but the evil was ready to take on herself alone, and, moreover, she rejoiced, hurried, while danger threatened, and was upset by the slowness of the matter, fearing that Esau, having preceded Jacob, would not make her wise order in vain. That is why he expresses himself briefly, motivates the young man and, without refuting his words, expresses a thought sufficient to convince him; didn’t say: you are saying this in vain and you are afraid in vain, your father is old and has no sight - but what? “Let your curse be on me, my son”; just don’t upset things, don’t release the spoils, don’t lose the treasure. And was not Jacob himself a laborer for his relative for two seven years? In addition to slavery, were you not subjected to ridicule after being deceived? So what? Did he feel ridicule, did he consider it dishonorable to himself that, being free, descended from free parents and having received a noble upbringing, he was a slave to his relatives, whereas this is especially offensive if someone suffers reproach from loved ones? No, and the reason for this was love, which even made a long time short for him: “they appeared,” says (Scripture), “to him in a few days” (Gen. 29:20). So he was far from being offended and ashamed of his slavery! Therefore, blessed Paul rightly says: “love does not act outrageously: it does not seek its own, it is not irritated.” Having said: “does not commit outrages,” he also shows how she does not tolerate dishonor. What kind? She is not looking for her own. Her beloved is everything to her, and she considers it a dishonor to herself when she cannot save him from dishonor, so that if she can help her beloved with her own dishonor, she does not consider this a dishonor for herself: the beloved is for him the same as he himself. Love is such that the lover and the beloved are no longer two separate persons, but one person, which nothing but love can do. Therefore, do not seek what is yours, so that you may find what is yours; He who seeks his own does not find his own. That’s why Paul said: “Seek no one’s own, but each one the benefit of another” (1 Cor. 10:24). The benefit of each person is the benefit of his neighbor, and the benefit of his neighbor is his benefit. Just as someone who has buried his own gold in his neighbor’s house, unless he wants to go look and dig it up there, will never see it, so here, whoever does not want to seek his own benefit in the benefit of his neighbor will not receive crowns. God arranged it this way so that we would be tied to each other. When someone encourages a lazy child to follow his brother, but he does not want to do this on his own, then he gives into the hands of the brother something beloved and pleasant for the child, so that, wanting to receive it, he would follow him, which actually happens - so here too God gave what is useful for everyone to his neighbor, so that we have communication with each other and are not divided. If you want, you can see this in us, who preach: what is useful for me lies in you, and what is useful for you lies in me; for example, it is useful for you to know what is pleasing to God; but this has been entrusted to me so that you receive it from me, and therefore you are forced to resort to me; and it is useful for me for you to become the best - I will receive a great reward for this - but this depends on you: therefore I have the need to watch over you so that you become the best and in this way I would receive from you what is useful for me. That is why Paul said: “For who is our hope...? Aren’t you too?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19). And one more thing: you are “our hope, and joy, and the crown of my praise.” So Paul's joy was the disciples, and they rejoiced in his joy; That’s why he cried when he saw those dying. On the other hand, their benefit lay in Paul; That’s why he said: “Because of the hope of Israel I am bound with these bonds” (Acts 28:20). And again: “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may receive salvation” (2 Tim. 2:10). The same can be seen in everyday affairs: neither “the wife,” says (the apostle), “has power over her own body,” nor the husband, but the wife of the husband, and the husband of the wife (1 Cor. 7:4). So we, when we want to connect several people with each other, do the same: we do not allow anyone to control us, but, having formed a chain of them, we force one to depend on another, and another on a third. Can't you see the same thing in the government? The judge sits down to judge not for himself, but for the benefit of his neighbor; subordinates by pleasing, obedience and in all other ways bring benefit to their superiors; soldiers take up arms for us because they are exposed to danger for us; and we work for them, because they receive support from us. 4. If you say that everyone does this, seeking their own benefit, then I say the same thing - only one’s own benefit is achieved through someone else’s. If a warrior did not fight for those who provide him with support, then no one would provide him with this service; and vice versa, if they did not provide maintenance to the warrior, then no one would defend them. Do you see how love extends to everything and arranges everything? But don’t be lazy to look at this whole gold chain. Having said: “does not seek his own,” (the apostle) again speaks of the benefits that come from love. What are these benefits? “Does not get irritated, does not think evil.” Look again how she not only destroys vices, but does not even allow them to begin. He did not say: although he is irritated, he overcomes irritation, but: “does not get irritated”: he also did not say: he does not do evil, but: “does not think”; not only does he not commit, but does not even plot anything bad against his loved one. And really, how can she do evil or be irritated when she does not allow even a bad thought? And here is the source of love. “He does not rejoice in unrighteousness” (1 Cor. 13:6), that is, he does not rejoice when others suffer evil; and not only this, but there is much more in it: “but he rejoices with the truth,” that is, he rejoices in those who are well-ordered in life, as Paul says: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). That’s why she doesn’t envy, that’s why she’s not proud: she recognizes the benefits of others as her own. Do you see how love makes your pet almost an angel? If he has no anger, is pure from envy and free from any harmful passion, then it is obvious that he is already above human nature and has achieved the dispassion of angels. However (Paul) is not content with this, but finds something even more to say; he always states the most important things after. Love, he says, “covers all things” (1 Cor. 13:7), in its long-suffering and meekness, no matter what unfortunate and difficult things happen, even if there are insults, even beatings, even death, or something similar. This can also be seen from the example of blessed David. What could be more painful than to see a son rebelling, seeking power and thirsting for the blood of his father? But the blessed one (David) endured this too, did not even want to utter a reproachful word against the parricide, but, leaving everything else to the military leaders, ordered his life to be spared: so strong was his foundation of love! That is why (says the apostle): “covers everything.” With these words he expresses the power of love, and further its kindness: “everything,” he says, “hopes, believes everything, endures everything.” What does it mean: “hopes for everything”? Without despair, she expects all the best from her loved one, and even if he was bad, he does not cease to correct him, take care and care. “Believes everything”: not just hopes, but with confidence, because he loves so much; and even if good did not happen beyond her expectations, and even her beloved would become even worse, she endures this too: she endures everything, she says. “Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8). Do you see what he accomplished and what is especially excellent about this gift? What exactly does “never cease” mean? It does not stop, does not weaken because it endures, because it loves everything. He who loves can never hate, no matter what happens: this is the greatest benefit of love. Such was Paul; That’s why he said: “Lest I arouse jealousy in my relatives according to the flesh” (Rom. 11:14), and did not cease to hope; and Timothy exhorted this way: “The servant of the Lord should not quarrel, but be friendly to everyone, teachable, gentle, instructing those who oppose him with meekness, lest God give them repentance to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24-25). How, you say, shouldn’t one even hate enemies and pagans? One must hate, but not them, but their teaching, not a person, but a vicious life and a corrupted will. Man is the work of God, and error is the work of the devil. Therefore, do not confuse the things of God with the things of the devil. The Jews blasphemed, persecuted, insulted Christ and said a lot of evil about Him, but did Paul, who loved Christ more than anyone, hate them? No; on the contrary, he loved them and did everything for them; then he said: “my heart’s desire and prayer to God” for them “is for salvation” (Rom. 10:1); then: “I myself would like to be excommunicated from Christ” for them (Rom. 9:3). So Ezekiel, seeing their destruction, said: “Oh, Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the remnant of Israel?” (Ezek.9:8). And Moses also said: “Forgive them their sin” (Exodus 32:32). Why does David say: “Should I not hate those who hate You, O Lord, and not be disgusted by those who rebel against You? I hate them with complete hatred: they are my enemies” (Ps. 139:21-22). Not everything in the Psalms of David is said by David himself; so they say: “I live at the tents of Kedar” (Ps. 119:5); and also: “by the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept” (Ps. 137:1), - meanwhile he himself did not see either Babylon or the villages of Kedar. On the other hand, the highest wisdom is now required of us (Christians); so, when the disciples asked for the fire to come down, as during the time of Elijah, Christ said: “You do not know what kind of spirit you are” (Luke 9:55). 5. Then the Jews were commanded to hate not only wickedness, but also the wicked themselves, so that friendship with them would not serve as a reason for them to commit lawlessness; therefore they were forbidden to enter into family ties with the pagans and mix with them, and barriers were placed between them on all sides; but now, when (God) has brought us to the highest wisdom and placed us above such danger, he commands us to enter into communication and talk with them, because there is no harm to us from them, and they benefit from us. What do you say I should do? One should not hate, but show mercy; After all, if you hate, then how can you convert the erring one, how will you pray for the unfaithful? And that you need to pray for him, listen to what Paul says: “Therefore, first of all, I urge that prayers, petitions, supplications, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Tim. 2:1); but then not everyone was believers, as everyone knows. And further: “for kings and for all those in authority” (1 Tim. 2:2); but they were wicked and lawless, as is also known. Then, showing the reason why one needs to pray, he adds: “For this is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). Therefore, when a pagan wife happened to be married to a believer, he did not dissolve the marriage; Meanwhile, what is closer than a husband to his wife? “They will be,” says (Scripture), “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24), and therefore there is great love and ardent affection between them. If we begin to hate the wicked and lawless, then, extending further, we will also hate sinners; and by following this path, little by little we will separate ourselves from the majority of the brethren, or, better yet, from all of them, because there is no one without sin. If one must hate the enemies of God, then one must hate not only the wicked, but also sinners; and in this case we will be worse than beasts, turning away from everyone and puffed up with pride, like the Pharisee. But Paul did not command that way, but how? “Admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). How, you say, does he say: “If anyone does not listen to our word in this epistle, take note of him and do not communicate with him” (2 Thess. 3:14)? True, this is said about the brethren; but not simply, but also with meekness; do not ignore what follows; add what is said below. Namely, having said: “do not communicate,” he added: “but do not consider him an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:15). Do you see how he commands to hate the bad (deed), and not the person? The devil’s job is to tear us apart from each other; he is trying hard to destroy love in order to block the path to correction, and to keep him in error, and you in enmity, and thus block his path to salvation. If the doctor hates and runs away from the patient, and the patient turns away from the doctor, can the patient recover when he does not call for the doctor and the doctor does not come to him? Why, tell me, do you turn away and run away from him? Is it because he is wicked? But that is why it is necessary to come and heal in order to restore the patient. Even if he suffers from an incurable disease, you are commanded to do your job. Judas was also overcome by an incurable disease, but God did not stop healing him; Therefore, do not weaken. Even if with all your efforts you could not free him from wickedness, you will still receive a reward, as if you had freed him, and you will cause him to be amazed at your meekness, and thus God will be glorified in every possible way. Even if you performed miracles, even if you raised the dead, even if you did something else similar, the pagans will never be astonished at you as they are when they see you meek, kind and courteous; and this is an important matter, because in this way many can finally lag behind vice. Nothing can attract like love. Because of something else, that is, signs and wonders, they may envy you, but because of it (love) they will begin to be surprised and love, and by loving they will little by little accept the truth. However, if (the pagan) does not soon become a believer, do not be surprised, do not rush, do not suddenly demand everything, but let him praise and love for now, and then little by little he will come to this. But so that you can see clearly how important this is, listen to how Paul himself justified himself when he appeared before an unfaithful judge: “I consider myself happy,” he said, “that today I can defend myself before you” (Acts 26:2), he spoke not out of flattery, no, but wanting to achieve benefit through meekness; and in part he achieved and captivated the judge by the one who was the defendant, and this victory was proclaimed by the captive himself, saying with a loud voice in the presence of everyone: “You are not convincing me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). 6. What about Paul? He spreads the net even more and says: “I would pray to God that... not only you, but also all who hear me today, may become like me, except in these bonds” (Acts 26:29). What are you saying, Paul: besides bonds? What boldness will you have if you are ashamed of them and avoid them, and, moreover, in front of such a multitude of people? Do you not boast of them everywhere in your epistles, calling yourself a prisoner and everywhere pointing out to us these bonds as a diadem? Why are you now avoiding bonds? I do not shy away, he says, and I am not ashamed, but I condescend to the weakness of others, because they cannot yet accept what I boast about; but I learned from my Master not to put new patches on old clothes (Matthew 9:16); that's why I said so. They still poorly understand our teaching and are hostile to the cross; therefore, if I apply more bonds, their hatred will increase even more; That’s why I separated them in order to make the teaching more understandable. It seems to them a shameful thing to be bound, because they have not yet tasted our glory; therefore one must be lenient. When they learn to be wise, then they will know the beauty of chains and the glory of bonds. Talking with others, he calls suffering a gift of grace: “it has been given to you for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him” (Phil. 1:29); and in the present case it was necessary to wish only that the listeners would not be ashamed of the cross; that is why it extends forward gradually. When someone introduces another into the royal palace, he does not show him the inner rooms before he examines the front and outer ones, because otherwise (the palaces) will not seem amazing to him if he, stretching inside, does not recognize everything. So we will treat the pagans, condescendingly, with love; she is a great mentor; it can turn away from error, and correct morals, and lead to wisdom, and make people out of stones. If you want to know its power, then imagine a man who is timid, fearful and trembles before the shadow, or angry, rude and more like an animal than a man, or lustful, voluptuous and devoted to all vices, and give him into the hands of love, bring him into this school, and soon you will see how this timid and timid man will become courageous, generous and courageous in everything; and, what is most surprising, this will happen not because his being has changed, but because love reveals its strength in the most timid soul; here it is the same as if someone, having made a sword not from iron, but from lead, and without changing the essence of lead, brought it to the ability to do the same as iron. Look: Jacob was a modest man, he sat at home, did not know labor or danger, he lived a calm and carefree life, and like a maiden in a mansion, he, for the most part, remained to keep his house, and from the market place, from all noise and everything that happened in the market place, he moved away and constantly lived away from troubles and worries. So what? When the fire of love ignited him, this modest man who never left his home, then look how brave and hardworking he became; listen to this not from me, but from the patriarch himself. Reproaching his father-in-law, he says: “Behold, I have been with you for twenty years” (Gen. 31:38). And what was his situation for twenty years? “I was tormented,” he adds, “by heat during the day, and by cold at night, and my sleep fled from my eyes” (Gen. 31:40). Such was the modest husband who did not leave his home and previously led a quiet life. And that he was timid is evident from the fact that, while waiting for a meeting with Esau, he was mortally afraid. Then, look how the same fearful man became braver than a lion out of love: standing in front of everyone, like some kind of stronghold, he was ready to be the first to meet a cruel man who, as he thought, was breathing murder, and to protect his wives with his own body; whomever he feared and feared, he was the first to fight, because his love for his wives was stronger than his fear. Do you see how the timid suddenly became courageous, not because he changed his character, but because he was strengthened by love? He was timid even after, as can be seen from the fact that he moved from place to place. However, let no one think that this was said as a reproach to the righteous; timidity is not a vice; it comes from nature; it is only reprehensible to do something obscene out of timidity. It is possible for someone who is timid by nature to become courageous through piety. What was Moses like? Was he not afraid of one Egyptian, did he not run away and retire beyond the borders (of Egypt)? Meanwhile, this fugitive, who could not bear the threat of one person, after tasting the sweetness of love, boldly and without any coercion was ready to perish with his beloved: “Forgive them,” he said, forgive their sin, and if not, then blot me out of Your book, in which You wrote” (Ex. 32:32). On the other hand, that love makes the cruel meek and the intemperate chaste, there is no need to give examples of this; Everyone knows this. Even if someone was fiercer than any beast, love makes him humbler than any lamb. Who, for example, was more fierce and furious than Saul? But when his daughter released his enemy, he did not even say a rude word to her; who killed almost all the priests for David, having learned how his daughter let him out of the house, did not insult her even with a word, while the cunning was used against himself; this is because he was held by the strongest bridle - love (for his daughter). By making meek, love also makes people chaste; whoever loves his wife as he should love, even if he was extremely voluptuous, out of love for her will not look at another: “strong,” says (Scripture), “love is like death” (Song. 8:6). Therefore, debauchery comes from nothing other than a lack of love. So, if love is the culprit of every virtue, then let us plant it with all diligence in our souls, so that it brings us many benefits, and so that we constantly collect its abundant fruits, always blooming and never withering; then we will achieve eternal blessings, 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. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” Greek υιε κορασιων αυτομολουντων - “sons of defector girls” - the word “effeminate” is missing; here there is a hint of the abduction of foreign wives by the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 21). To the synod. lane “unfit and disobedient son” – I.I. You might be interested in: