Беседа 5

1 Tim. 1:18–19. I teach you, my son Timothy, in accordance with the prophecies that were about you, such a testament that you fight in accordance with them, like a good warrior, having faith and a good conscience, which some, having rejected, suffered shipwreck in faith. Which priests should be chosen? - Against those who unworthily or only once a year begin to receive the Holy Mysteries. 1. The title of mentor and priest is very important and worthy of admiration, and truly Divine direction is required in order for a person worthy to be chosen for this. This is how it was in ancient times; This is how it happens now, when we, without human partiality, make an election, when we do not look at anything worldly, neither at friendship nor at enmity. Although we do not participate in the Spirit to the same extent, a good intention is enough to attract the ordination of God. Likewise, the apostles were not involved in the Spirit when they chose Matthew, but, leaving the matter to prayer, they numbered him among the apostles - they did not look at human friendship. This is how it should be done now with us. But we, having reached the extreme degree of negligence, ignore what is quite obvious. If we do not see the obvious, then how will God reveal the unknown to us? If, He says, you have not been faithful in small things, then who will entrust you with great and true things? Meanwhile, at that time, since nothing was done according to human passion, priests were appointed through prophecy. What does it mean - through prophecy? By (inspiration) the Holy Spirit. Prophecy consists not only in predicting the future, but also (in recognizing) the present; So Saul was revealed through prophecy when he was hiding between the vessels, because God reveals (his will) to the righteous. The words were also a prophecy: “Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 13:2). This is how Timothy was chosen. But here (the apostle) speaks of many prophecies, (meaning), perhaps, the (prophecy) by which he received him when he was circumcised, and when he ordained him, as he himself, writing to him, says: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you” (1 Tim. 4:14). So, in order to arouse him to jealousy and force him to be sober and watchful, he reminds him of the one who chose and ordained him, saying as it were: God chose you, He entrusted you (Church); You did not become (a servant of the faith) by human election: do not grieve, do not disgrace the Divine election. Then, since he gave him a commandment here, and it was very difficult, what does he say? “I am teaching you, my son Timothy, this testament.” He gives him a commandment, like a son, like his own. (He tells him) not commandingly, not despotically, not with authority, but fatherly: “my son Timothy.” And the expression: “I teach” shows that it is necessary to accurately preserve (the faithful), and that it did not come from us: we did not acquire it, but God gave it to us, and not only this, but also faith and a good conscience. Therefore, what He has given to us, we must keep. If He (the Lord) had not come, there would have been neither faith itself nor the pure life that we acquire from childhood. The Apostle seems to be saying this: It is not I who command you, but He who chose you. The words: “according to the prophecies that were about you” have this exact meaning. Listen to them, be obedient to them. What do you command, tell me? “That you may fight according to them, as a good warrior.” They chose you to do what they chose you to do; perform good service as a warrior. He said: “good”, because there is also an evil service of a warrior, about which he says: “How you gave your members over as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness” (Rom. 6:19). They serve as warriors under the (power of) the tormentor, and you are under the (power of) the king. But why does he call this work the service of a warrior? To show that a strong war has been raised against everyone in general, and especially against the teacher, that we need strong weapons, namely sobriety, wakefulness, vigilance, that we must be ready for bloody battles, that (we must) take up arms and not have the slightest effeminacy. “So that you fight,” he says, “in agreement with them.” Just as in the army not everyone performs their service in the same way, but in different ranks, so in the Church one occupies the place of a teacher, another - a student, a third - an ignorant person, meanwhile you occupy the first place. Then, lest anyone think that this is enough, what does he say? "Having faith and a good conscience". A teacher must first teach himself. Just as a military leader, if he had not previously been an excellent warrior, would never have been a military leader, so is the teacher. (The apostle) speaks about this in another place: “so that, having preached to others, you yourself should not remain unworthy” (1 Cor. 9:27). “Having,” he says, “faith and a good conscience” - so that you can govern others in this way. Hearing this, let us not neglect the instructions of those who are greater than us, despite the fact that we are teachers. If Timothy, with whom we should not compare ourselves, accepts instructions and studies, and even when he himself was already in the rank of teacher, then much more should we (should do so). says, “Some, having rejected, suffered shipwreck in the faith.” And rightly so, because when life becomes worthy of condemnation, then the same teaching arises. And you can see many who fell from this into the abyss of sins and turned into paganism. In order not to be tormented by the fear of the future, they try to convince themselves in their souls that all our (threats) are false. And some people shy away from faith because when they speculate, they subject everything to investigation, and speculating causes shipwreck, but faith is, in a sense, a reliable ship. 2. So, those who deviate from this must inevitably suffer shipwreck, and this (the apostle) shows us by example: “Such,” he says, “Hymenaeus and Alexander” (1 Tim. 1:20). And by their example he admonishes us. Do you see that in those days there were people who taught wrongly, sought out many things, deviated from the faith, subjected everything to investigation through their speculations? A man who endured shipwreck, remains naked and deprived of everything; in the same way, the one who has fallen from faith no longer has anything to stand on. He does not lead a life from which he could derive any benefit, because what is the use of the rest of the body when the head is damaged? happens when someone falls away from the faith: he does not stop anywhere, but swims here and there until he again plunges into the abyss “Whom,” he says, “I delivered to Satan, so that they would learn not to blaspheme.” Do you see that the study of Divine things through speculation is blasphemy? And rightly so, what does human reasoning have to do with them? But how does Satan teach them not to blaspheme? After all, if he teaches others not to blaspheme, then all the more should he (teach this) himself. If to this day he cannot teach this to himself, then he cannot teach it to others either. (The Apostle) did not say: let him teach them not to blaspheme, but: “so that they learn not to blaspheme.” It is not he who does this, but it is the consequence (of his actions). In a similar way, in another place (the apostle) speaks of the one who has gone astray: “to be delivered over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, not for the purpose of saving the body, so that the spirit may be saved” (1 Cor. 5:5). That is, it (is said) is impersonal. How does this happen? Just as executioners, being themselves filled with countless crimes, admonish others, so here (the same thing is said) about the evil demon. But why did you not punish them yourself, like Varius, like Cephas - Ananias, but handed them over to Satan? Not to punish them, but to teach them. However, he himself had the power (to punish), for example, when he says: “What do you want? come to you with a rod" (1 Cor. 4:21)? and again: “but that you may do good, even though we seem not to be what we ought to be” (2 Cor. 13:7); and also: “for creation, and not for destruction” (2 Cor. 13:10). So why does he call upon Satan for punishment? In order to combine a stronger reproach with the severity of punishment; or better, the unbelievers (the apostles) themselves taught, and the apostates were handed over to Satan. But why did Peter himself (punish) Ananias? Because Ananias was also an unbeliever and also a testing one. So, so that the unbelievers knew that they could not hide, for this they were punished themselves (the apostles); Meanwhile, those who already knew about this and then apostatized (from the faith), they handed over to Satan, showing that they (those who apostatized) were protected not by their own strength, but by their care, and that they were betrayed (to Satan) as soon as they fell into pride. Just as kings act when they defeat their enemies with their own hands, and hand over (criminals from) their subjects to executioners, so it is here. From here it is revealed that this was done as a result of the care of the apostles; Moreover, it was important to have the opportunity to command the devil: through this it became obvious that the devil submits and, even against his will, submits to the apostles. Thus, this also contributed quite a bit to the manifestation of grace-filled gifts. And how he betrayed (the guilty one to Satan), listen. “As you meet together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 5:4). Consequently, (the culprit) was immediately thrown out of the general meeting, excommunicated from the herd, he remained alone and naked, given over to the wolf. Just as the cloud showed the Jewish camp, so the Spirit shows the Church. Therefore, whoever was cast out from it was burned (in fire); and he was cast out of it (the guilty one) according to the judgment of the apostles. So the Lord handed Judas over to Satan, “And after this piece Satan entered into him” (John 13:27). However, it can also be said that those whom they wanted to correct were not punished themselves, but those who were incorrigible were punished themselves; or, if not so, then in order to be more terrible, they handed over (the guilty) to others (for punishment). So Job was betrayed to Satan, but not for his sins, but for his greater glorification. 3. Much of this happens now. Precisely, since the priests do not know all the sinners and people who unworthily partake of the holy mysteries, God often does this and betrays them to Satan. When illnesses happen, when slander occurs, when sorrows and misfortunes occur, when the like (disasters) befall, it happens from this reason. And Paul reveals this to us, saying this: “Because of this many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying” (1 Cor. 11:30). How is it, you say, when we begin (the mysteries) once a year? All evil consists in this, that it is not by purity of thoughts, but by the distance of time that you measure your dignity when approaching (the mysteries), and you consider this a sign of piety, that you do not approach them often, not knowing that to approach them unworthily, even if it happened once, means to insult (the shrine), and to approach them worthily, even often, is salutary. Insolence does not consist in the fact that they often begin, but in the fact that (they begin) unworthily, even if someone did it even once in their entire life. And we are so senseless and pitiful that, throughout the whole year, committing a thousand iniquities, we do not care at all about freeing ourselves from them, but think that it is enough if we do not often dare to approach the body of Christ with an insult to Him, not thinking that Christ’s crucifiers crucified Him only once. Does sin really become less because it happened only once? And Judas betrayed (Christ) one day. So what? Did this save him? And why do we measure this matter by distance of time? Let a clear conscience constitute for us the time at which we must approach (the mysteries). The sacrament celebrated on Easter contains nothing more than the one that is celebrated now. It is one and the same; the same grace of the Spirit; it is always Easter. Those of you who are privy to the mysteries know this. And on Friday, and on Saturday, and on Sunday, and on the day of martyrs, the same sacrifice is made. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,” he says, “you proclaim the death of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:26). He did not limit the sacrifices to a time limit. So, why, you say, is it called Easter? Because Christ suffered for us then. Therefore, no one should proceed differently to the first, and differently to the last (sacrifice). They have one strength, one dignity, one grace, one and the same body; one is not more holy than the other, and the latter is not inferior to the former. And you also know this, because then you do not see anything extraordinary except these worldly curtains and a brilliant, crowded meeting. However, these days have some advantage in the sense that the day of salvation for us begins from them, since on this day Christ was slain, in addition, in relation to the sacraments, they do not have any advantage. When you even begin to eat sensual food, you wash your hands and rinse your mouth; and, intending to begin spiritual food, do you not wash your soul, but come, being filled with uncleanness? How, you say? Are forty-day fasts not enough to cleanse us from the heavy burden of sins? What is the benefit of this, tell me? If someone, intending to put fragrant ointment somewhere, cleared the place for this, and then, soon after placing it there, added manure to it, would the fragrance not be destroyed? This happens to us too. At the time when we approached (the sacrament), we were, as far as our strength allowed us, worthy of it, and then we again defile ourselves. What good does it do us? We are even talking about those who can purify themselves within forty days. Let us not, I beg you, neglect our salvation, lest our labor be in vain. A person who turns away from his sin, and again returns to it and acts as before, “like a dog returns to his vomit” (Proverbs 26:11). If we do this, if we are attentive to ourselves, then we will be able to be worthy of future rewards, which may we receive all through 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, probably in Antioch around 397. You might be interested in: