Conversations on the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Our wealth and treasure and source of eternal life is the economy of the Savior. This is something we long to talk about and hasten to preach, but we do not have the strength to explain it properly. Tormented by desire and aware of our powerlessness, as if to some kind of saving haven, we resort to the prophetic word: “Whoever speaks of the power of the Lord will proclaim all His praises?” (“Whoever proclaims the mighty powers of the Lord, all His praises will be heard.”) (Psalm 105:2). Even this great prophet, to whom God “showed... wisdom” (“revealed the unknown and secret wisdom of the Holy One”) (Psalm 50:8) and whom he was worthy to be called the father of Christ, David, blessed and great among the prophets, a glorious friend of God among kings, so pleasing to His heart that God Himself said: “I have found a man after My heart, David, the son of Jesse” (“I found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart" (Acts 13:22), - such and such a great man said, turning his gaze to the greatness of the knowledge of God: “Wonderful to me is [Your] knowledge—high, I cannot comprehend it!” (“Your mind was amazed at Me: be strong, I will not be able to reach it”) (Psalm 139:6). Just as the prophet is at a loss for words before the greatness of God’s power, so Paul, the theologian and trumpet of heaven, exclaims: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies and unsearchable His ways!” (“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God, for His judgment has not been tried and His ways have not been tried”) (Rom. 11:33). If the mouths of the prophets and apostles, pouring out streams of knowledge of God, filling the whole earth, as many waters fill the seas, if such and such great streams, abundantly feeding the sea of ​​piety, confessed their powerlessness to show the power of the Preached One, then what does the dewdrop of the weakest word mean before this sea of ​​wisdom? And yet, the greatness of theology should not plunge us into silence; on the contrary, by understanding the purposes of God, we are moved to the determination to [teach] divine teaching. After all, God values ​​not the quality of speech, but the disposition of the preacher and the love of the listeners. Just as tenderly loving fathers, listening to their children babbling and stumbling in words, do not pay attention to the shortcomings of speech, but [rejoice] at the natural attraction, and the babbling of children is more pleasant to them than any rhetorical eloquence and philosophical pomp, so God is pleased in us not with lips babbling about theology, but with desire and disposition - when we preach with faith and sing with love. Of course, human language cannot speak about God with complete accuracy; no matter what we say about him, it will all be baby talk. Why? Because precisely because, as Paul exclaims, we only “know in part and prophesy in part” (1 Cor. 13:9). But although we babble, God has given us the message of peace. Isaiah spoke about this: “and the tongue-tied will speak clearly” (“and the dumb nations will soon learn to speak peace”) (Is. 32:4). So we will babble about our common Father and Master. He honored His disciples with the title “children” (John 13:33); and if he calls them children, then of course he will accept the babble of children. Moreover, after the glorious Ascension proclaimed by Himself was preached, grace is not constrained by time and theology is not limited to days. 2. Last time, as Christ knows, we failed to fulfill our desire to ascend the Mount of Olives; our intention was hindered by the fickleness of the air and the large number of people. (I say this so that those who want to accuse me in vain will take away every reason). Then, bearing in mind a lot of what has already been said, we hastily shortened the speech so as not to burden your memory with an abundance of words. Today we will repay that debt. Likewise, the law commanded that whoever did not perform Passover in the first month should fulfill his duty in the second. And you, of course, should know that the Word of God is not limited to times or days, but on any day a sermon can be offered about the cross, and about suffering, and about the resurrection, and about the ascension, and about the second coming. 3. We will first look at some of the divine words read today, and then, having exhausted the gospel sources, we will gradually move on to what was promised. “On the same first day of the week in the evening, when the doors (of the house) where His disciples were gathered were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came” (“Being... late on that day, one of the Sabbaths, and with the doors closed, where [His] disciples were gathered together,... Jesus came”) (John 20:19). After the Savior has prepared the resurrection for us, He rarely appears to His disciples on days other than the Lord's Day. Just as before, fulfilling the law, He came to the synagogue every Saturday, so since the time of His saving resurrection and the giving of the pledge to the world, He appears preferably on the Day of the Lord, the first after the Sabbath, establishing the foundation of the holy day of the Lord. The celebration of the Sabbath has now come to an end, and the beginning has been made of the establishment of the Day of the Lord, that is, Sunday, as you remember from previous explanations. Why did blessed Matthew, denoting Saturday, but introducing the beginning of the holy day of the Lord, say: “on Saturday evening”? Because it was the end and evening of the previous Sabbath: “After the Sabbath had passed” (“they were made one from the Sabbaths”) (Matthew 28:1). And on this very first day after the Sabbath, on the very day of the holy feast of the resurrection, the risen (Lord) appeared. “When the doors (of the house) where His disciples were gathered were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst” (“By the closed door, where [His] disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and a hundred in the midst” (John 20:19). Where fear reigns, there comes the One who delivers from fear; where confusion reigns, silence shines; where the ship of piety is overwhelmed, there (the Lord) brings the skill of the helmsman. He who calms the storm, who leads the ship into a quiet harbor, brings medicine in the midst of fear. “He stood in the middle,” and what does he say? - "Peace be with you." Don’t let your thoughts be troubled, don’t let your heart be troubled, don’t succumb to the temptations of fear. "Peace be with you." Peace stops war, dispels fear, drives out enmity. "Peace be with you." Peace from God was often taught to people, but not through a person in authority, but through angels, prophets, and judges. Only the Savior, having appeared, gave peace on His behalf. Peace was given to Daniel, but through an angel. An angel appeared to Daniel and said: “Do not be afraid, man of desires! peace be with you; take heart, take heart!” (“Peace be with you, man of desires; take courage and be strong, the Lord is with you”) (Dan. 10:19). An angel also appeared to Gideon and said: “Peace be with you” (Judges 6:23). So, the angels proclaimed peace, but never the Lord of the angels himself: He sent peace through them, but in Himself kept the treasure of the peace of the Gospel. Often the prophets who received peace through angels longed to receive it directly from the face of the Lord of the world. So Isaiah cried: “Lord! You give us peace" ("O Lord our God, give us peace") (Is. 26:12); not through others, but from yourself, give us peace. And now (followed) the answer to this prayer: “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). “Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet and His side” (“And this He said, He showed them His hand and [nose] and His side”) (John 20:20). Just as a commander returning from war, adorned with wounds acquired in victories, is not ashamed of these wounds, because they are more glorious than wreaths, so the Savior, having endured wounds for the truth and for our entire race, does not hide His sufferings, but shows (their signs) to testify to His courage. He showed us his hands, wounded by nails, and showed us the rib from which a mysterious source flowed for us. He showed his hands to certify the resurrection, to convince those who doubted that the One who suffered had truly risen, that the dead and buried body had indeed been resurrected. 4. “The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (“The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord”) (John 20:20). Peace is granted, fear is resolved, joy flourishes. “Jesus said to them a second time: Peace be with you!” ("And he said to them... again: Peace be with you") (John 20:21). Why "secondary" ("packs")? Where (the Lord) wishes to establish the gifts of grace, there he repeats blessings; as he said to Abraham: “By blessing I will bless you, and by multiplying I will multiply your seed” (“Blessing I will bless you, and by multiplying I will multiply”) (Gen. 22:17), so he gives peace to those near and far. “As the Father sent Me, /so/ I send you”! ("As the Father sent Me, I also send you") (John 20:21). Pay attention, I ask you: see how He applies economy to human concepts. He did not say: “as the Father begot me,” but: “as he sent,” because where the message is, there human relationships are taken as a model. We constantly note such expressions, since they serve to explain the economy. And where we talk about nature itself, it speaks directly [about the relationship] of the Father and the Son. "As He sent Me". - “How did He send You?” - I beg you, be careful. – “You were sent as a Lord from heaven; and sendest thou thyself, just as the Father sent thee?” “I don’t mean the method of messengership here,” he answers, “but the meaning.” I was sent to suffer for the world; I am sending you to decorate the universe with your suffering.” And since mortal nature itself did not have the strength to rise to the likeness of the Lord, it continues: “Having said this, he breathed and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (“and this he said to them: receive the Holy Spirit”) (John 20:22). Understand why the Savior blew on the apostles on the very day of resurrection? Is it because without a breath he could not give the apostles the Holy Spirit? No, but just as at the creation of the first man “the Lord breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7), but then man, by his fall, destroyed the gift of inspiration and, having lost the life-giving power, was resolved into dust and brought down His work into the tomb, so now, renewing His creation and restoring the former gift, the Lord breathed into the faces of the apostles, returning the ancient creation vital force. And thus the predictions of the prophets were fulfilled. Thus, the blessed prophet Nahum, foreseeing that the Savior, having risen from the dead, would fill the holy apostles with divine grace with a breath, preaches to the people, saying: “Celebrate, O Judea, your holidays, fulfill your vows, for the wicked will no longer pass through you: he is completely destroyed. The destroyer is rising against you: guard the strongholds, guard the road, strengthen your loins, gather your strength" ("Celebrate your feasts of Judah, repay [God] your vows, before anyone will be allowed to pass through the promise: having died and been cast out. Breathe up into Your face, take away [thee] from insult" ) ( Nahum 1:15, 2:1). And so the Lord says: “Peace be with you! ...Having said this, he breathed and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21–22). The Savior saw that human nature was exhausted under the yoke of work and shirked from the struggle due to weakness; Therefore, He makes up for her lack with the power of the Spirit in order to comfort her, depressed by our weakness, and, as if with some kind of bridle, strengthens her with divine grace, so that, having received from grace what she did not have by nature, she goes out to fight, excited by the power of the Spirit. “Receive the Holy Spirit: as the Father hath sent me, so send I you.” But You, Lord, walking as the Lord, saw the sinners - and had mercy on them, and forgave us our sins. This is the highest mercy. We are heading towards the abyss of sins; There are many sinners; great love for humanity is necessary. But we have no power: what similarity can there be between our messenger and Your messenger? As if in response to this and to justify His words “as the Father sent Me, /so/ I send you,” the Savior adds: “Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; On whomsoever you retain, they will remain upon him” (“Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven, and whose sins you retain, they will be held”) (John 20:23). Whatever power He Himself has, He also gives to the apostles, because just as it is impossible to subordinate the people to a ruler who has not been invested by the king with the power of pardon and punishment and death, so the Savior, intending to make the apostles rulers of the universe, invests them with the power of pardon and punishment in these words: “Whose sins you forgive, their sins will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him.” (John 20:23). It is, of course, impossible to testify courageously, or preach zealously, or accomplish anything great and difficult at all, if the power of the Holy Spirit does not strengthen the spirit of the witness. Without her cooperation it is impossible to be a witness. I now call a witness not only one who has experienced death through suffering, but also one who bears witness with the word of grace. Every messenger of truth is a witness of God. Thus, the Gospel says about John the Baptist: “And John bore witness in the truth, saying... that this is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 1:32, 34). And he testifies not with suffering, but with a cry. So, it is impossible to be a witness of the Divine Word, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Savior, before His Ascension, says to the apostles: “But remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) and “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Without receiving this power, you cannot be witnesses” (Acts 1:8). 5. “But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called the Twin, was not here with them” (John 20:24). According to the great economy of Christ, Thomas was absent then, so that his doubt would make the resurrection more reliable, because if Thomas had not been absent then and would not have doubted the resurrection, and the Lord would not have resolved his doubts with obvious evidence, then the miracle of the resurrection would have continued to tempt many more. And his doubt served as a medicine for all the faithful. Then, when Thomas came, the other disciples said to him: “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). They spoke proudly of what they saw, but he, as if possessed (by the spirit of) contradiction, but not unbelief (such is doubt), and eagerly wanting to make sure, did not say, however: “this cannot be.” Look carefully: he did not reject the resurrection - he did not say: “You say impossible things, you tell impossible things,” but he sought confirmation, saying: “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (“unless I see in His hand the marks of the nails, and put my finger in the marks of the nails.” nails, and I will put my hand into His side; I have no faith" (John 20:25). “After eight days” (“And by day I was shaken”). Look, he appears again on the day of the Lord: eight days have passed from one day of the Lord to the next. “After eight days...after the resurrection, Jesus came, when the doors were locked, stood in the midst of them and said: Peace be with you!” ("again...Jesus came with the shut doors, and a hundred in the midst [of them], and said: Peace be with you") (John 20:26). There He said twice: “Peace be with you,” and here once, so that the gift of peace could be fully the gift of the Holy Trinity. “Peace be with you! Then he says to Thomas, “Put your finger here” (John 20:27). I beg you to be careful. The Savior does not wait for the disciples to tell Him about Thomas’ doubt: he does not learn first and then teaches; but in order to convince him that even without appearing, He was between them, and so that he would examine what he doubted, he says to Thomas: “Put your finger here as you wanted, and look at My hands; give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing” (“see My hand, and bring Your hand, and place it in My side: and be not unfaithful, but faithful”) (John 20:27). This shows that the one who seeks evidence is unfaithful, and the one who serves faith is faithful. Is it the same thing to examine the sides of Christ and the marks of the nails and ask: “How was He born?” Most likely not. In fact, Thomas was looking to see traces of nails visible on the body and accessible to touch; he wanted to consider what was given in reality, which he had seen before. And you, being curious about the invisible nature, the incomprehensible being, about the ineffable birth, about the ineffable Parent, about the incomprehensible Begotten, do you not display great insolence? Are you worse than an infidel? If Blessed Thomas, for examining the ribs, heard: “Do not be an unbeliever, but a believer” - (even more so) you, exploring the incorporeal nature and the incomprehensible power, “Do not be an unbeliever, but a believer.” Let us thank the goodness of God and forbearance that the finger of Thomas became a rod of piety, crushing the tricks of heretics and blocking the lips of those who dare to say that Christ was incarnate in a ghostly way and died in a ghostly way. The finger of Thomas resolved the doubts of the heretics with the same power as that finger against which the Egyptian magicians were powerless, saying: “This is the finger of God” (Ex. 8:19). And then, after complete conviction, it was fitting for Saint Thomas to repeat the words of David: “In the day of my sorrow I seek the Lord” (“in the day of my sorrow I sought God”), and since I sought with my hands, add the following: “my hand is stretched out at night and does not fall down” (“my hand was stretched out at night before Him, and I was not deceived”) (Psalm 76:3). "Do not be an unbeliever, but a believer." And he, recognizing the Sufferer by the wounds and God by foreknowledge, exclaims: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). 6. Let the heretics listen. If the Son really does not want (this) and does not have equal dignity with the Father, then why does He not reject the honor that is unbecoming to Him? When He heard from someone: “Good Teacher!” , immediately objected: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Matthew 19:16–17), although the name “good” is also used among us. In your opinion, He refused to hear “good”; Shouldn't he have refused to accept "God" and "Lord" much more? There - “to the good teacher,” and says: “Why do you call Me good?” , and here - “My Lord and my God,” and did not say: “Why do you call Me Lord and God?” But there, since His treatment was unworthy (because it was said not “the good Lord”, but “the good teacher”), He rejected the base, but here He accepted the glorious. And here he reproached, but he reproached, on the contrary, for what was said too late. The Lord did not reproach Thomas for saying “My Lord,” but for saying it later (than he should have). “You believed because you saw Me; Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (“For having seen Me, you have believed; blessed are you who have not seen and yet believed”) (John 20:29). One is rooted, and we are all blessed; Of course, this blessing extends to all of us and to those who come after us, because without experiencing miracles personally, but taking them on faith, we are all participants in this great and glorious bliss. 7. From this narrative, which we have briefly reviewed, let us move on, if you are not tired of the abundance of what has been said, to another prophetic saying. Which one? “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord” (Mic. 4:2; cf. Is. 2:3), since the Savior ascended from the Mount of Olives. “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob.” And God also honored this day with the same name as the mountain. There the Savior ascended from the mountain called Olivet, and here the so-called Olive Grove (η ελαια) grows, both by its proximity to the city and by the same name reproducing the ancient story. The Savior led His disciples to the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Pay attention to the similarities - both there and here. “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” Let us ascend with desire and word, and see what fruits the saving ascension has brought us. 8. I want to take the book of Acts itself and examine it from the beginning in order, so that together with you we can exhaust the divine sources, and, as examiners of the truth, desiring to grow rich in godliness, we can explore together the treasures of Holy Scripture. “The Acts,” they say, “of the apostles.” The inscription itself reveals the whole essence of the matter and the title is the beginning of the entire story. However, not all the apostles' acts are contained in this book: if you examine carefully, the initial chapters of the book talk about the miracles and teachings of Peter and only partly of the other apostles, and then the entire narrative focuses on (the works of) Paul. But if the story is about Peter and Paul, how is the book called “The Acts of the Apostles” in general? Since, according to (the Apostle) Paul, if one member is glorified, all members are glorified along with it, the writer did not write: “The Acts of Peter and Paul,” but used the general title: “The Acts of the Apostles.” Who compiled this book of Acts? Now we are exploring. Many, not knowing its writer, disagree among themselves and contradict each other: some attribute the Acts to Clement of Rome, others to Barnabas, others to the Evangelist Luke. In view of the disagreement of these opinions, we will turn to the writer himself for an explanation of who he is and what he is doing, and (we will see) whether he has any indications about himself. “I wrote the first book /to you/, Theophilus, about everything” (“The first word I wrote about everything, O Theophilus”) (Acts 1:1). Having said “first,” he turns our thought to the question of which word he calls first, because if he had written only this one book, he could not have said: “I wrote the first book” (“I created the first ... word”). So, the book in question turns out to be the second: the first has already been written earlier. And what the first book he wrote, he explains himself: “I wrote the first book /to you/, Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning” (“the first word I wrote about everything, about Theophilus, which Jesus began to do and teach”). From this it is clear that it was not his actions that were the subject of his first work, but the Gospel: the “first word” is not about what Peter and Paul did, but about “what Jesus did and taught” (“what Jesus began to do and teach”). It is clear that Luke, who wrote the Gospel, also wrote Acts. However, let's take a closer look to see if he really is. “I wrote the first book to you, Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day on which He ascended, giving commands by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He chose.” ) (Acts 1:1–2). As if he were saying this: “I described the works of the Savior and His teaching before the Ascension. Please be careful. “The first,” he says, “my work embraces the deeds of the Savior and His teaching, and this first book was brought to the Ascension.” And undoubtedly, neither Matthew, nor Mark (perhaps partly), nor John brought the Gospel to the Ascension, only Luke. Matthew ends the Gospel this way: “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus commanded them, and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him... And Jesus came near and said to them:... go and teach all nations... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:16-20). This is the end of the Gospel. Matthew did not say how the Lord ascended. In a similar way, Mark says: “And when they came out, (the women) fled from the tomb... and did not say anything to anyone, because they were afraid” (“and when they came out, they fled from the tomb... - and decided to no one: fear fear”) (Mark 16:8). And after another he speaks briefly about the Ascension like this: “And so the Lord, after talking with them, ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand God. And they went and preached everywhere, with the Lord’s assistance and confirming the word with subsequent signs. Amen” (“The Lord, therefore, after speaking with [him] was ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God. And they went forth preaching everywhere, making haste to the Lord and confirming the word with subsequent signs. Amen”) (Mark 16:19-20). and the end of the Gospel. Mark did not have a detailed story about the Ascension. John (at the end of his Gospel) talks about the appearance of the Savior to the disciples at Lake Tiberias. “Jesus says to Simon Peter: Simon the Jonah! do you love me? (John 21:15), and (so on) until the end of the conversation (between them). And here John stopped and did not mention the Ascension, but says: “Jesus did many other things; but, if we were to write about this in detail, then, I think, the world itself would not be able to contain the books that were written" ("But Jesus did many signs, even if they had been written one by one, so that the whole world itself could not contain the books that were written") (John 21:25, 20:30). Thus, John and Matthew did not remember the Ascension at all, but Mark mentioned it, but only Only Luke continued the full story before the ascension and refers to it: “I wrote the first book to you, Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day on which he ascended, giving commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he chose” (Acts 1:1-2). 9 . Who is this Theophilus? At that time he was hegemon and, while in office, accepted the sermon (evangelical); just as the once proconsul of Cyprus followed the preaching of Paul during his proconsulship, so Theophilus, being hegemon, was converted (to Christ) by the preaching of Luke. He asked Blessed Luke himself to describe for him the acts of the apostles. “You taught me,” he says, “the works of Christ; teach now the works of His disciples.” Therefore (the apostle) devotes his second word to him. After all, the Gospel of Luke was written for Theophilus. Where can you see this? Luke himself says: “As many have already begun to compile narratives about events that are completely known among us, as those who were from the very beginning eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word conveyed to us, it was decided that I, after a thorough examination of everything, first, describe to you in order, venerable Theophilus, so that you would recognize the solid foundation of the teaching in which you were instructed” (“before many people began to tell the story of those known to us things that you gave to us, who from the very beginning were the witnesses, and the servants of the former words, you deigned to write to you, the sovereign Theophilus, who followed the above testily” (Luke 1: 1-4). “Venerable” (“sovereign”) – the same as illustrious; such a title was given then to the illustrious. Where can you see this? Fest the hegemon says to Pavel: “You are crazy, Pavel!” (“Are you mad Paul?”) And he answers the hegemon: “No, venerable Festus,” he said, I am not mad” (“I am not mad, ... sovereign Fiste”) (Acts 26:24–25). So here - “venerable Theophilus” (“sovereign Theophilus”). So, Luke, having first written the Gospel and dedicated it to Theophilus, now dedicates his second work to the same Theophilus. Which one exactly? “I wrote the first book /to you/, Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught.” And what did you bring your story to? “Until the day in which He ascended, giving commands by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen.” In other words: “I wrote,” he says, “the Gospel from the beginning until the day on which He ascended (to heaven), giving instructions to the apostles whom He had previously chosen for Himself.” I ask you to pay attention: “to whom He also showed Himself alive, because of His suffering” (“Before them, set Himself alive because of Your suffering”) (Acts 1:3). Do you see the courage of the evangelist? And in the acts of the apostles he does not forget about theology. He did not say: “appearing to whom,” but “to whom he showed himself alive.” As Christ said: “destroy this church, and I will raise it up in three days” (“destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up”) (John 2:19). “To whom also He showed Himself alive, through His suffering, with many true proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God” (“Before them, He set Himself alive through His suffering in many true signs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking even about the Kingdom of God”) (Acts 1:3). 10. Pay attention, please. “With many true proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God.” For forty days (the Savior) appeared to the disciples, (but) not every day. Moreover, after the resurrection, He surrounded His flesh with many (signs) of complete certainty, so that constant contemplation would not weaken (reverence for) the greatness of power. In view of this, it was necessary that, having risen, He would henceforth appear in divine features, and not in the form familiar to observers; as the writer says: “with many true proofs, for forty days.” This was no longer an ordinary observation, but (confirmed by) some undoubted signs of His existence. Thus, He appeared to the disciples in different forms, with different voices, and different appearances. He often appeared to them and was not recognized by them (for example, he appeared to those who were fishing with Peter and said to them: “Children! Do you have any food? ("children, what is edible food for us") (John. 21:5), and they did not recognize Him either by appearance or by voice; but He tells them: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch it” (“Cast the net on the right hand side of the ship, and you will find it”) (John 21:6); they cast and caught a lot of fish. Not recognizing Him by appearance, they immediately recognized Him by this manifestation of power; Then the evangelist John says to Peter: “This is the Lord” (John 21:7), being convinced of this not by sight, but by the manifestation of power. Therefore, Luke also proclaims: “with many true proofs, appearing to them and speaking for forty days.” Not just appearing, but being seen for a certain time. Having examined carefully, we find that after the resurrection the Savior appeared to the holy apostles eleven times and then ascended to the Father. Since He had eleven disciples - after the fall of Judas, who lost his place and dignity as a result of the evil betrayal he committed - he appears to the apostles eleven times; however, not all together, but separately - now one, now the other; for example, he appeared to ten in the absence of Thomas, and then appeared again when Thomas was with them. Now let us examine the number, how it turns out that He appeared eleven times according to the number of eleven apostles. The first apparition was to Mary walking at the tomb and to the other wives. First of all, He was cared for by women, whom blessed Isaiah calls: “wives... come and tell us” (Is. 27:11). So, he appeared to the women. Those who demand strict accuracy can see that we do not distort the accounts. First, (the Lord) appeared to the women - Mary and others; then to Peter, then to Cleopas and his companion on the way to Emmaus, where He was recognized by them in the breaking of bread. But how is it clear that before these two, (the Lord) appeared to Peter? After the evening (at Emmaus), Cleopas and his companion hurried to tell the disciples that they had seen the Lord, and found the apostles saying that “the Lord has truly risen and appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34). This means that the news that Peter saw the Lord came before these two reported their vision. Paul points to this, saying: “For I taught you from the beginning what I also received, that is, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” also one of ten”) (1 Cor. 15:4–5). First to Peter, then to these two. So, (the Lord) appeared, firstly to the wives, secondly to Peter, thirdly to Cleopas and his companion, fourthly to the ten, “when the doors were locked,” in the absence of Thomas; then eleven together with Thomas - this is the fifth. Next he appears to five hundred brethren; and Paul indicates this, saying: “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive” (1 Cor. 15:6) this is the sixth (appearance). Then he appeared to seven on the Sea of ​​Tiberias, fishing; then, according to Paul, to James, and finally to all the apostles. Please watch carefully. So, you have first of all the wives, Peter, Cleopas together, the appearance of ten besides Thomas, the appearance of eleven, the sixth to five hundred brethren, the seventh to seven, the eighth to James, the ninth to seventy, the tenth to the Mount of Galilee, the eleventh to the Mount of Olives. In memory of the ascension of the Savior, who so often taught peace, we cannot help but repeat the count once again for firmness. So, you have, firstly, wives, secondly, Peter, thirdly, Cleopas together, fourthly, ten, fifthly, eleven, sixthly, five hundred, seventhly, seven, eighthly, James, ninthly, seventy, tenthly, on the Mount of Galilee, eleventhly, on the Mount of Olives. 11. “Appearing to them and speaking about the Kingdom of God. And, having gathered them, He commanded them: do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me" ("Appearing to them forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And with them he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me") (Acts 1: 3-4). Oh, the great condescension of the Savior! Oh, much goodness! Oh, indescribable love for humanity! Even though before Your suffering, Lord, You ate and reclined with the disciples, why do You enter into such communication with them after Your resurrection? “In order,” he says, “to confirm Thomas in the truth of the resurrection.” If even now, when all this was happening, there are those who do not believe in the resurrection, then if it were not for this, that is, if He did not eat and drink with the disciples, who could stop the unbridled lips of those who dare to frivolously say anything about the economy of the Savior? This teaches us to honor the divine and mysterious meal. Often a meal accomplishes something that is beyond words. Often countless advisers cannot reconcile ordinary enmity, but one meal stops wars. Let's continue with the example we just took. We do not cease to be enemies of God, remaining enemies of the Divine Word, as Paul says: “While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10). We were enemies; the law was given - and did not reconcile; the prophets came and did not convince; The enemies and enemies of God have always been and remain. There were many persecutors against the truth, many fighters against piety, many words, many instructions, but nothing stopped the war. Christ came, established His meal, gave Himself as food and said: “Take, eat” (Matthew 26:26) - and immediately stopped the war and established peace. In Egypt, he punishes those who fight against God - and no one obeys; defeats the tormentors - and no one submits. Here He offers Himself as food - and everyone is ashamed and obeys. He didn’t convince with blows, but being devoured convinces. I mean the One who is devoured at the mysterious meal: “I am,” he says, “the bread that came down from heaven” and gives “life to the world” (John 6:41, 33). Sharing a meal with his disciples, (the Savior) spoke to them “about the Kingdom of God. And having gathered them together, He commanded them: Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me” (Acts 1:4). Yes, we have heard from You, Lord; You said: “I am ascending to My Father” (John 20:17), and I will pray to Him, and I will send you the Spirit of truth, the Comforter.” You really said this, but when did the Father promise? The Lord did not say, “Wait for My promise,” but “the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me.” “Exactly,” he says, “the Father promised, but I reminded.” Where did the Father promise? You can look through the entire Gospel, but you will not find the Words of the Father, who promises to give the disciples the Holy Spirit. Where did He promise? Through the mouth of the prophets, as Paul says: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, chosen for the gospel of God, which God first promised through His prophets in the holy writings concerning His Son” (“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, chosen for the gospel of God, which He first promised through His prophets in the holy writings concerning His Son”) (Rom. 1:1–3). 12. So, he who foretold the Gospel promised to give the Holy Spirit. Where is the promise of the Spirit? I seek with you together, as one of you by faith and love for Christ. I have told your love more than once that sheep and shepherds are by human definition, but before Christ all sheep: both shepherds and the flocked - all have one supreme Shepherd. So, where did the Father promise the Holy Spirit? God says through the mouth of the prophet Joel: “In the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:16–17; cf. Joel 2:28). Here's a promise. Where is the execution? At the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, when He divided the kinds of languages ​​among them, and they began to speak in (different) tongues. (Then) they were suspected of being drunk, and Peter said: “Men of the Jews and all who live in Jerusalem!... they are not drunk, as you think, for it is now the third hour of the day; but this is what was foretold by the prophet Joel: And it will come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:14–17; Joel 2:28). This is the Father's promise. How, however, is it clear that this promise was made on behalf of the Father? If I know that the Son also spoke through the prophets, then how can I know whether the Father was the speaker in this case? “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy... And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and incense smoke” (Acts 2:17, 19). I have spoken many times about the blood coming from a rib, because it was the greatest miracle to see blood coming from a dead body; (the prophet foresaw) the blood flowing from the rib - the fire that descended on the apostles. “Blood and fire and smoking smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes” (Acts 2:19–20). From the way he speaks about the Son, make sure that the Father says: “before the day of the Lord comes,” and did not say “My day.” Why? If You give signs, then why do you turn your thoughts to someone else, saying: “Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes”? This needs to be noticed. Or maybe someone will say that the prophet speaks on his own behalf: “before the day comes”? But it was impossible for the prophet (about himself) to say: “Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:17–21). Only God through the prophets could speak this way. And Paul adds to this: “There is one Lord of all, rich to all who call on Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” And then, showing that this is said about Christ, he continues: “But how can we call on /Him/ in Whom we have not believed? How can one believe /in One/ of whom one has not heard? How to hear without a preacher? And how can we preach if they are not sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of peace, who bring good news!” (Rom. 10:12–15). Please note this. “He commanded them: do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised from the Father, which you have heard from Me, for John baptized with water, and a few days after this you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). After forty days, ten remained until the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit appeared and baptized the apostles not with water, but with fire. 13. Here we should resolve the issue that is confusing for many. Namely, many asked whether, before the suffering of the Savior, the apostles were baptized with the baptism of the Gospel? We do not impose our opinion and do not trust to human reasoning in this matter, but firmly adhere to the Scriptures. (In the Scriptures) we find that the apostles received baptism before the sufferings of Christ, the baptism of John. And the Savior, before His suffering, does not give them another baptism, so as not to abolish John’s preaching and not to give the Jews a reason to attack that He introduced his special baptism out of pride before John the Baptist, but allows the disciples to have a deposit of water, preserving for them (for the future) the grace of the Spirit. Therefore, as those who do not yet have the Spirit, he says after the resurrection: “Receive the Holy Spirit,” and adds: “Go to Jerusalem and wait there for what you heard from Me, for John baptized with water, and a few days after this you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Not with water again, because they had already received (baptism with water), but with the Holy Spirit; does not add water to water, but makes up for the deficiency with what was missing. “A few days after this, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”; instead of saying: “in ten days.” What need is there for such a delay? Why the delay? Ten days lie between the promise and the fulfillment: this is to test the faith of the apostles. When grace was inactive and no one appeared, their faith was tested whether they would retain confidence in the One who promised. He promised and said (the Lord): “in a few days.” I didn’t define exactly (the number of) days, but simply – “in a few days.” The Savior does not let us know everything, but he directs us to adhere to the measure of divine determination. Learn what you hear; What you don’t understand, don’t ask. “You... will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, it filled the whole house where they were sitting, so that they were baptized with the Holy Spirit as in water. And the visible phenomenon, that is, the division of languages, connects with the invisible. Thus they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. And that being baptized in the Holy Spirit was the same thing as receiving the Holy Spirit is confirmed by another narrative. When Peter was reproached by his disciples: “Why did you go to the Greeks and proclaim them and give them baptism and sacraments?”, he answered: “I was in the city of Joppa, and a certain Cornelius the centurion sent for me, and when I came, I preached the doctrine; but at the very time that I spoke, the Holy Spirit came upon them, as upon us at the beginning.” And to show that the fact that those who were with Cornelius received the Holy Spirit was baptism, Peter immediately says: “Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said: John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:16). 14. So, before the suffering of the Savior, the apostles were baptized with water and washed. But this was a washing for the remission of sins, and not the communication of the Holy Spirit. “John appeared,” says the evangelist, “baptizing in the desert and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (“John came... preaching in the desert a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”) (Mark 1:4). But we need to explain how we know that the apostles had this baptism. After all, the Lord did not say, “John baptized you with water,” but that he baptized in general; and from here it is not yet clear whether he also baptized the apostles. How is this known? Listen judiciously. When Peter contradicted while washing his feet, saying: “Lord! You will never wash my feet,” the Savior said: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Peter objected: “Lord! not only my feet, but also my hands and head,” and the Savior responded to this: “He who has been washed needs only to wash his feet” (John 13:8–10). Do you see how He confirmed John's baptism? It must be borne in mind that where there was no calling of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is only a baptism of repentance, and where there is a calling, there is a baptism of sonship. The Savior did not abolish the baptism of repentance, but complemented it with the invocation of the Holy Trinity and then added the baptism of the Holy Spirit to this baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity. The heretics rejected the baptism established in the name of the Holy Trinity, which they had, because, unfortunate ones, they did not have respect for the Master’s voice: “the washed one only needs to wash his feet.” “And you, a few days after this, will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” And here the curiosity and vanity characteristic of human nature were not slow to appear. People always tend to ask: “When will this be? When will Christ come? In how many years will it end? When will His kingdom come? So the apostles, succumbing to human passion, begin to ask the Savior: “They came together and asked Him, saying: Are you at this time, Lord, restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ("And they... came together to ask Him, saying: Lord, if in this year you will establish the kingdom of Israel") (Acts 1:6). Although He had already explained to them: “When will the Son of Man come in His glory” (Matt. 25:31), they still ask: “Is it not at this time?” ("And in this summer?") They wanted to know whether the expected kingdom was now near, whether salvation was delayed? But the Savior answers: “It is not your business to know the times or seasons which the Father has appointed in His authority” (Acts 1:7). The apostles are not allowed to search for times; Are heretics really allowed to explore the eternal nature and the supermundane being? Of course not - and if some heretic began to ask about such things and said: “How did the Father give birth, and what is the method of divine birth?”, you would turn the words of the Lord against him: “It is not your business to know times or seasons”; “It is not your business” to know the birth and being of God, and not only “not “yours,” but neither angels, nor archangels, nor any created power." Who can know this? “No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son" (Matthew 11:27); and the “depths of God” are known to no one except the “Spirit of God.” “It is not your business to know the times or terms."Are you not ashamed of the moderation of the apostles? The Savior's companions, to whom He appeared, enlightened by Him, are not allowed to know, but they learn not to exceed measures and hear: “It is not your business to know times or seasons,” but are you investigating? True, it was given to Daniel to know times and seasons and measures; he was told: “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city 3... seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” (“seventy weeks were cut short for your people... from the exodus of the word... you built the church... Weeks of weeks and sixty-two weeks... and one.”) (Dan. 9:24-27). For him, the understanding of the times was available, but over time, boldness is curbed, so that people learn that if it is not allowed to know about the times, then even less should one inquire about the Divine birth. “It is not your business to know the times or seasons which the Father has appointed in His authority.” But the Son didn’t put it? Does this mean that times and seasons are only in the power of the Father, but the Son has no participation? But if the Son does not have a part in times and years and ages, then Paul is lying when he says: “In these last days he spoke to us by the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:2)? If the Son is the Creator of the ages, then they lie in the power of the Son. The same thing that Paul says (contains in the words): “which the Father has placed in His authority,” because the Son is here called the authority of the Father, as His power and wisdom: “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). 15. “It is not your business to know the times or seasons which the Father has appointed in His authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you” (Acts 1:7–8). “Receive strength” - not in order to scout about times and years, but in order to believe in the Lord. “And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” Do not measure the order of words, but the strength of power. He said: “proclaim it everywhere”; it shows His power if the word turns into action. I can, not so much with authority as with vanity, say to the upcoming or few servants and brothers: go to the nations and teach everyone, convert everyone, defeat the barbarians, defeat everyone who opposes the kingdom. Words come, but if they are not followed by action, I am not only condemned as a liar, but also punished as a reckless braggart. So, we must judge the Savior’s words not by what He said, but by what He did. He said, “Teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). If words were not justified by deeds, it was boasting, not divine power. He also said: “preach to the ends of the earth.” If there is any region that is not involved in preaching, then the command turned out to be false. If the brilliance of deeds has eclipsed the words themselves, the witnesses are true and the witness is true. “Having said this, He rose up in their sight” (“And this river will be taken away by those who see”) (Acts 1:9). Of course, the Lord could not have ascended openly, but since he had the eyes of his disciples as witnesses to the resurrection, he now makes them witnesses of the ascension. “He was lifted up before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And as they looked toward heaven, as He ascended” (Acts 1:9; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:10), He ascended, rose, rushed upward, and ascended. “For Christ did not enter into the sanctuary made with hands... but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24). And he not only ascended, but also passed. “Having a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens,” says Paul (Heb. 4:14). Ascended, rose, ascended, walked, passed. Look: he ascended as one who had authority, so that the prophetic word would be fulfilled: “God ascended with shouts” (“God ascended with shouts”). The prophet speaks about this with complete confidence. “God arose with shouts: Lift up your heights, O gates, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will come in!” ("lift up your gates, O princes, and lift up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in") (Ps. 46:6, 23:7). He will enter: “For Christ did not enter into the sanctuary made with hands... but into heaven itself” - “the King of glory will enter.” But two things happened. How the earth was previously astonished to see the Savior clothed with a body, and as it is our nature, when we see a new face, to ask: “Who is this?” - no one, of course, asks about something familiar, so the earth, and at the sight of the Savior, possessing divine power and commanding the winds and the sea, asks: “Who is this, that both the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matt. 8:27). So, as the earth cried out in amazement, “Who is this?” , so now heaven, seeing the Divinity in the flesh, says with amazement: “Who is this King of glory?” (Psalm 23:8). 16. Here's something else worthy of surprise. The Savior came to earth, and when he came, he brought the Holy Spirit, and when he ascended to heaven, he lifted up his holy body to give the world a guarantee of salvation, the Power of the Holy Spirit. A Christian should consider the holy body of Christ to be another guarantee of salvation for the same world. When I say this, I mean both you and every Christian person. I am a Christian and God's. On what basis? I have the Holy Spirit who came down from heaven. Do you want any other proof? I have received the Spirit of God from heaven, I have a sure guarantee of salvation. What is the deposit? Above is His body, below is the Holy Spirit in us. Do you doubt, heretic, that we are God's? God and people united into one race. Just as marriage unites different parties, and by the combination of husband and wife, entire two families become related, and one turns out to be a nephew, and the other an uncle, even though they have never seen each other, so after the incarnation of Christ through His flesh, the whole church became relatives of Christ: Paul is a relative of Christ, and Peter, and every faithful one, all of us, everyone who is pious. Therefore Paul says: “we, being the race of God” (Acts 17:29). However, I know in what sense this is said, and I do not undertake to examine this whole story: for my purpose, what Paul states about the race is enough. And again in another place he says: “And you are the body of Christ...” “members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones:" (1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 5:30) 4 ("we are the body of Christ and partake... of His flesh"). In other words, according to the flesh which Christ received, we are kin to Him. So we have His pledge in heaven, namely, His body, from us borrowed, and on earth - the Holy Spirit dwelling with us. And here it is amazing: it cannot be said that the Spirit came down from heaven, and He is no longer in heaven, so that they exchanged with each other the body - heaven, and the Spirit - earth, but the Spirit is also with us, and everywhere, and in heaven, “Where,” says the psalmist, “will I go from Your Spirit?” (Ps. 139:7). And why are you surprised that the Spirit is both with us and in heaven, and the body of Christ is both in heaven and with us? Heaven received the holy body, and the earth also received the Holy Spirit. Christ came and brought the Holy Spirit, He ascended and lifted up our body. And behold, the image of Adam, buried in the tomb, no longer appears among the angels, but above the angels sits with the Father, in order to seat us with Him. Oh, terrible and strange dispensation! O great King, great in everything, great and amazing! And as the prophet said: “Lord our God! how majestic is Your name throughout the whole earth! Your glory extends above the heavens!” ("O Lord Our Lord, for Your name is wonderful throughout all the earth, for Your splendor is taken above the heavens") (Psalm 8:2). “The cloud took” the Deity; word for word: “in their eyes... a cloud took Him away,” great in everything; great God, great Lord. “Great is the Lord and highly praised” (“Great is the Lord and highly praised”) (Psalm 47:2). Great God, great Lord, great and King: “great King over all the earth” (Psalm 46:3). “The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion; on the northern side /it/ is the city of the great King" ("Mountains of Zion, the ribs of the north, the city of the great King") (Psalm 47:3). Great prophet, great priest, great light, great in everything. And Scripture always enthusiastically calls Him great; for example, Paul says: “great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13), or David: “Great is the Lord and highly praised” (“great is the Lord and highly praised”) (Psalm 47:2). Great King, great prophet; when Jesus performed miracles, the nations said: “A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited His people” (“as a great prophet has risen among us, and as God has visited his people”) (Luke 7:16). And not only great in Divinity, but also in the flesh; just as in Divinity there is a great God, and a great Lord, and a great king, and on the other hand, a great priest and a great prophet. Where is this from? Paul says: “having a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4:14). If the Lord is a great bishop and a great prophet, then God truly visited His people and raised up a great prophet in Israel. If He is a great prophet, a great priest, a great king, then He is also a great light: “I am a Gentile Galilee... The people sitting in darkness will see a great light” (Is. 9:1–2). The prophet even calls His day great: “before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (“before the great and enlightened day of the Lord comes”) (Joel 2:31). Hearing everywhere about the great and great deeds of the Lord, why did you, heretic, think of splitting and belittling the great? So, we will have a guarantee of our life in heaven, where we are exalted from And then again we will be caught up in the clouds, if we are worthy to meet the judge, but comes to him with humility - he does not arrange the meeting, because he is devoid of courage. So, let us all, beloved, be at least in the last ranks of those who meet, because, as at the meeting of the king, although not all participants were equally honored, so it will be so then. “Everyone will receive his reward according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8) Let there be no obstacles to the Word of God, but inseparably with the truth, let us all be bold in the love of Christ, feeding the people, watering souls, being divided in souls, but not separated in thoughts. The enemy of the world has a judge. Even if we could assure people, since we are open before God in all our nakedness, we call upon Him, the One who supervises thoughts and seeks out every false word, as witnesses that we never wanted and do not want to be enemies of the world. And if we destroyed the world, we would be the enemies of those who heard from Christ: “Peace be with you!” But what we want, and try, and ardently desire peace, is the witness of He Who knows it; We will remain silent about the rest. He who accepts God as a mediator does not offend the highest court with his justifications. And God is able to give peace, to establish peace, to establish peace among those who preach, and among those who listen to the sermon, and among those who teach, and among students, so that, having begun in peace and being established in the world and being filled with peace, we may bring on behalf of all glory to the God of peace, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Three amazing miracles, unknown from the beginning of time and surpassing the powers of our very nature, were inextricably and unshakably united with each other. Yes, the triple rope is not easy to break. These miracles are as follows: birth by an unmarried mother, resurrection after three days of death, ascension of the flesh into heaven. History knows of barren women giving birth, but not giving birth outside of marriage; knows the dead who were resurrected, but not resurrected for endless life; knows the ascending prophet, but ascending as if into heaven, that is, not into the true heaven. Elijah changed one place to another, and the Savior ascended to the same place from where he descended - ascended in the presence of men and women, who in large numbers contemplated Him until their eyes, intently looking at the heights, weakened, and the angels gave them testimony regarding what they saw, and foreshadowed His second coming. “Suddenly,” says the Scripture, “two men in white clothes appeared to them and said: Men of Galilee, why are you standing and looking at heaven?” , etc. (Acts 1:10–11). Oh, how much the good Lord has done for the sake of the evil servants, for their salvation! He descended from heaven, ascended to heaven, will come again from heaven. But how will it come? Not having assumed another hypostasis, but in a fleshly form, in human form; however, not enduring humiliation, as before, not falling asleep in a ship, not experiencing painful thirst at a well, not sitting “on a colt” (John 12:15), but rushing on a cloudy donkey; not leading fishermen with Him, but accompanied by angels; not standing near the judicial pulpit, but judging Himself, and granting judicial power to the fishermen themselves, as He Himself teaches, saying to His disciples: “When the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). And to the Jews - “if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whose power do they cast out your sons? Therefore they will be your judges” (Matthew 12:27), because, being from the Jews, they did not think like Jews, but preferred the sufferings of Christ and His plagues to their relatives, the murderers of the Lord. A great miracle, extraordinary judgment! It is strange to see that a fisherman judges, but a Pharisee is judged, that a tent maker sits with boldness, and a bishop gives an account with groans. Why did they hit the Lord on the cheek, beat him on the head, and, finally, kill the “Heir” outside the vineyard? Why did they throw Peter into prison? Why did they strike Paul “five times... forty times, less one” (2 Cor. 11:24)? But Bishop Ananias, worthy of wonder in the eyes of the Jews, commanded his servants to strike on the lips of Paul, on the lips of Paul, on the lips of grace, on the lips of truth, on the organ of life, which sounds louder than any trumpet, more harmonious than any harmony, on the organ of Christ, on the flute of the Spirit. Paul declared with his tongue what was pleasing to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I think that David spoke on behalf of Paul: “my tongue is a scribe’s reed for a scribbler” (Psalm 44:2). What does Paul say to Ananias, contemplating in advance the punishment that threatens him? “God will beat you, whitewashed wall!” (“watered down”) (Acts 23:3). “Whitewashed wall” (“whitewashed”) – a decorated coffin, outside – an enemy, inside – a dead man. Since we are required to give an account of everything that we have done during our lives, since there is a world judgment ahead, at which they will ask about what we have done with the talents entrusted to us, they will punish us for rejecting the sacramental marriage, they will ask about the lamps of the marriage chamber, about the growth of the seed, about the fruit of the vineyard and about everything that He revealed to us through His parables, then let us weigh our life, change its affairs, without doing any more by bartering silver, not getting gold for yourself, not lending money for high interest, because the Judge abhors this, but delivering food to the poor, being hospitable, calling on God and doing everything that can soften the Judge’s anger. Looking at Abraham, comprehend the benefits of love of hobbies; Conclude about the benefits of fervent prayer following the example of the Ninevites; look at the treasury of alms in Tabitha; she lay lifeless on her bed, they were preparing to bury her in a grave; but the “widows,” surrounding Peter and showing gifts to the dead woman, rescued the dead woman from hell (Acts 9:36–41). If the tears of the widows revived the dead body, which, obviously, was about to die again later, what do you think the Judge will reward for the benefits of those who generously fed the poor and did not deprive themselves of their testimony? The gift at that time will be inalienable, since between it and its owner there will no longer be death, but instead of death there will be eternal life. “For the trumpet will sound,” says Scripture, “and the dead in Christ will rise incorruptible” (1 Cor. 15:52) and unchangeable, following the example of the Lord. And just as He was “taken up by a certain cloud” (Acts 1:9), so we, according to the word of Paul, “will be caught up in the clouds” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). And just as He ascended with a joyful cry and the sound of a trumpet, in exactly the same way we, having heard the Archangel trumpet and shaking off the cloud of death like a dream, will unite with the Chief of life: “And so,” says the Scripture, “we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17), thinking about the Lord, guarding His commandments. May we all be worthy to hear that blessed one voice: “Okay, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. "Blessed be God!" Today it is timely for all of us to loudly pronounce that prophetic saying, to collectively praise our Lord of all and say: “Whoever speaks of the power of the Lord will proclaim all His praises?” ("Who will proclaim the mighty powers of the Lord? All His praises will be heard") (Psalm 106:2). Today our “firstborn” 5 (“firstfruits”) (1 Cor. 15:23) ascended into heaven and the One who took upon Himself our flesh received the Father’s throne in order to reconcile the slaves with God, destroy the ancient enmity and give the people still living on earth the peace of the highest powers. Today we have common rewards for victory over the devil, common rewards for struggle, common retribution for exploits, common crowns, common glory. Therefore, let us all rejoice, seeing that our “firstfruits” is seated in those above and that our nature takes its place on the throne at the right hand of God. If the wondrous prophet pleases “those who have a tribe in Zion and a tribe in Jerusalem” (Is. 31:9), then we should rejoice and be comforted much more, seeing that our “firstfruits” has ascended to the very top of heaven and occupied the royal throne. Indeed, think, beloved, how great is the goodness of our God and how inexpressible is His economy, manifested in relation to our race, expelled from paradise due to the devil’s deception; and to what height did God suddenly raise him, having fallen under such a great curse! And how we, who turned out to be unworthy of earth, are today elevated to heaven, and our nature, which was previously considered unworthy even of heaven, took first place in heaven; nature, which was a subject of reproach for demons, today meets itself with worship from angels and heavenly powers! Oh, blessed envy! O precious wiles! Oh, envy is the cause of wonderful deeds, the culprit of our countless blessings, you gave birth to the law of immortality. That crafty demon, having envied our nature, which took place on earth, now sees that he is worshiped in heaven; and having stolen, as he thought, something great and incomparable, he now sees that we enjoy greater and more brilliant blessings than before. That is why today I am having fun and rejoicing; I invite you to take part in my rejoicing. Unworthy of earthly honor, we ascended to the highest kingdom, rose above the heavens, reached the royal throne; and the nature, for which the cherub guarded paradise, moves forward to meet worship. Therefore, beloved, be amazed at the wise plan of your Lord and glorify Him, who has given you so much. The generosity of the gift exceeded the magnitude of the punishment. In fact, pay attention: we were expelled from paradise, and brought into heaven itself; we were condemned to death, but immortality was granted to us; we incurred disfavour and were rejected, but now we have been honored with the name of children of God, and not only children, but also heirs, and not only heirs, but also joint heirs of Christ. Look how much more important what the Lord has given us is compared to what was taken from us! But when you hear that He ascended and ascended, then beware of assuming that in relation to God a descent in the sense of place is possible; The Divine fills everything and is present everywhere, and there is no place where God is not present, as the overseer of everything and as the Creator of everything. The body, having received which He deigned to appear on earth, is of the same origin as ours; it is the same as ours in every respect; the ascending body is ours. And therefore, today we will all loudly pronounce that prophetic saying: “God arose with shouting, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet” (“God rose with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet”) (Psalm 47:6), and we will celebrate this bright and brilliant triumph, since everyone, without exception, has enjoyed the gift of the Lord. Just as a man-loving master, having loved his servant, does not disdain, out of love for him, to put on his dress, so our Lord Christ, having loved our nature and seeing that it had fallen into the abyss of evil, that it had no hope of salvation and that it needed great condescension, deigned to take our body. And therefore, having appeared in the world, He freed all people from error and led them to the truth; and in the Gospel he exclaims, saying: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). So, what I wanted, I did; He restored human nature, which was lying down, and showed such great love for humanity that the human mind cannot grasp the meaning of the events that took place. Tell me, how are we, having brought disfavour upon ourselves, found ourselves unworthy of the earth and deprived of earthly honor, suddenly elevated to such a great height? Why did the war end? Why doesn't anger show up anymore? In fact, what is extraordinary and filled with the greatest amazement is the fact that it was not we who turned for help, but that He Himself, righteously indignant at us, appeared as an Intercessor for us, and thus the world came into being. And Paul exclaims, saying: “It is as if God himself exhorts through us; We ask in the name of Christ” (“for Christ we pray, as I pray to God with us”) (2 Cor. 5:20). Do you see the most amazing wisdom, do you see the Lord’s indescribable love for mankind, do you notice extraordinary care? The sting of death has now been destroyed; now the victory of hell is ended; the power of death has now been overthrown; now enmity has been abolished; now the long war has died out; people then became like angels; they united with the latter, and as a result of the same name of both sides, a close alliance arose between them. The Lord, common to all, having reconciled His Father with the human race, ascended. And that He ascended for this reason, listen to Him Himself: “It is better for you that I go; for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you” (“you have no choice but to go; if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you”) (John 16:7). As proof of our reconciliation, He promises to send us the Comforter. In fact, pay attention to what is added further and with what care by the Lord: “He...,” says the Lord, “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). It is clear that the sent down Holy Spirit will guide all of us, who are mistaken and leaning now in one direction or the other, to the truth. Since God Himself was angry with us, and we turned away from the humane Master to such an extent, our Lord Christ, appearing as a Mediator, accomplished reconciliation. He truly broke down the “barrier that stood in the midst” (“mediastinum of the fence”) (Eph. 2:14). Therefore, looking at the Lord of our “first principles,” we already have good hopes. And now, no matter what you say, I am no longer afraid; whether you say about a worm, or about ashes, or about fire, or about punishment, or about gnashing of teeth, or about ashes, or about anything else, I despise everything without difficulty, looking at my “first beginnings,” that is, at Christ, Who sits in the heavenly places and almost talks with all people and calls out: finally, leave your carelessness and know your nobility, thinking about the number of gifts that you have to take possession of in a little time. Living with the apostles, “he commanded them: do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for what the Father has promised” (Acts 1:4). Note also in this the care of the Lord: seeing the weakness of human nature and knowing that it is in great need of support, He bestowed the help of the Holy Spirit so that man would become invincible to the wiles of the devil. What happened was the same as if some excellent commander notices that the soldiers under his command cannot stand enemy threats, but are struck by fear, and strengthens them all, protecting them from everywhere with a shell, shield, helmet and other accessories of full weapons; So our Lord Jesus Christ, seeing that the power of opposing forces is great and that therefore human nature has a great need for help, bestowed the grace of the Holy Spirit so that a person who was previously afraid of the demonic hordes would now appear terrible to them and bring them into horror, and so that with his mere appearance he would put the insidious serpent to flight. Such is the grace of the Holy Spirit: wherever it appears, it puts the demonic hordes and all hostile forces to flight. “You will receive power,” says the Lord, “when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). What kind of power was this? He told them about this a little earlier: “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, ... cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8), etc.; according to Him, there will not be a single illness so serious that it will not yield to the power of the Holy Spirit. This day was the reason for such great benefits for us. Today the angels, seeing that our nature shines from the height of the Royal Throne, received what they had long desired. And so that you understand the difference between the servant and the Lord, pay attention to the fact that when Elijah ascended, he ascended on a chariot of fire: when our Lord ascended with His flesh, during His ascension a cloud served Him. “He was lifted up before their eyes,” says the Scripture, “and a cloud took Him out of their sight” (“When they saw Him, He was taken away, and the cloud was taken away from their sight”) (Acts 1:9). And he, that is, Elijah, ascended as if into heaven, because he was a slave, and Christ ascended into heaven itself, because He was Lord. “Suddenly two men in white clothes appeared to them and said: Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended into heaven from you, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven” (“Behold two hundred men... in white clothing, and they said to them: ... this Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have seen Him.”) (Acts 1:10–11). When a slave was to be called, a chariot was sent for him; when it is the Son, then it is the royal throne, and not just a throne, but the Father’s throne itself. Listen to what Isaiah says about the Father in a loud voice: “Behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud” (“behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud”) (Is. 19:1). Therefore He sent down a cloud also to the Son. Elijah, going up, left his mantle for Elisha; Jesus, ascending, poured out grace-filled gifts on His disciples, producing not just one prophet, but countless Elishas, ​​or better yet, much greater than Elisha, and more brilliant than him. Considering all this, beloved, let us repay our Lord with our wonderful life, so that, just as He glorified us with His grace-filled gifts, so we, with our virtuous actions and wonderful life, would make God merciful. Let us, then, glorify our Lord and disdain the alluring splendor of real things; this kind of instruction is the best; it can also guide the infidels to the truth, since they pay less attention to our words than to our deeds. Therefore, Christ said: “Blessed is he who does and teaches” (Matthew 5:19), he said, explaining that teaching by deeds is more perfect than instruction by words, and that it, to a greater extent than the latter, is able to lead ignorant people to the true path. Let us try to please God and carefully arrange our lives in order to receive for ourselves the grace of the Spirit and, with the help of His power, to more easily practice acts of virtue, because where grace sees a sober soul, there it is poured out abundantly. Therefore, I ask, let us set ourselves up in the proper way so that, strengthened by the power of the Spirit, we can safely lead our present life, receive future blessings and be worthy of the kingdom of heaven, which may we all receive by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who redeemed us with the honest blood of His life-giving side and freed us from error and from slavery. With Him belongs honor and power, all glory and splendor to the Father and the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. A brilliant church spectacle opens before me, arousing not vain laughter in people, but frantic sorrow in the devil. He sees in those on high that “root” that resurrects the dead in the underworld; he sees that on earth, those who were given over to death on the cross are now looking down from heaven; sees that the earth is filled with angels; sees that the air becomes unusually passable; sees that the heavenly powers are coming out to meet them and hears that some of them are saying: “Lift up your heights, O gates, and the King of glory will enter!” (“Take the gates of your princes, and the King of glory will come in”) (Psalm 23:7), and others, in turn, meeting and accompanying Christ, exclaim: “The Lord is mighty in battle” (Psalm 23:8). In what kind of "battle"? In the one that He undertook for us against the universal enemy. None of the people were able to overcome the latter: neither the prophets nor the righteous. Everyone was under the tyranny of the then reigning death until the King of Ages appeared, who, having bound the strong man, took his weapon. And when the Lord was nailed to the cross, the heavenly powers were amazed; all creation was thrown into confusion, seeing the new mystery and contemplating the terrible spectacle that was taking place on earth. The earth shook, the sea began to move, the abyss was agitated, all creation fell into fear; the heavenly bodies were horrified, the sun and moon fled, the stars darkened, the day did not stand; after the curtain in the church was torn, the frightened angel flew away from there; darkness filled the earth; the elements retreated from their order, the day changed. Seeing their Lord and Creator hanging on the tree, the creatures could not bear it. Then hell was destroyed, its gates were broken and its locks were broken. Prophesying about this, David said: “Break in pieces the gates of brass, and break the chains of iron” (Psalm 107:16). The reigning death was then cast down under the feet of Christ, and carried away in triumph like a captive. Resurrecting with an incorruptible and glorious body, He crushed the power of the enemy, frustrated his plans, and descended into the kingdom of hell; destroyed the enemy’s throne, pulled the diadem from the enemy, destroyed his royal rods and said to the captives in hell: “Go, all tribes of nations, to the Father and God; go and receive freedom from slavery; I am leading you from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from the domain of a tyrant to a state ruled by a King. I - Christ - bring you good news of life. Therefore, no longer fear the tyrant, but despise the fear of death, hunger and sorrow, bonds, prison and troubles. The army of the tyrant, which is defeated, fears this; Of all, I alone am the victorious King, who suffered for you in His flesh.” So He is truly the irresistible and powerful Lord; He is strong in battle; He is the King of glory, who courageously brought out the chained prisoners and those in the tombs. Regarding Him, David said: “He ascended on high, he took captivity captive” (Psalm 67:19). Of course, every Christian holiday is a condemnation of the devil; and the current one in particular. On all other holidays, although he showed his anger and was not at all successful in his intentions, he still rejoiced. For example: when the Virgin miraculously conceived, he attributed the cause to fornication; when She gave birth unspeakably, he began to slander that She was not a virgin; when the Mother fed the one who nourishes every creature, then the devil inspired Herod with the idea of ​​​​beating the babies, hoping to capture the uncontrollable among them; for the one who hastens to baptism, he then prepares a temptation; when the Lord talked with the Jews, then, through the action of the devil, he was subjected to slander on their part, and when he performed miracles, then, through the devil’s slander, the Jews tried to stone Him; the devil preferred a murderer and a robber to Him; He crucified the thieves along with the crucified man; sealed the coffin of the buried person; when Christ was resurrected, the devil misinterpreted His resurrection; and when the Lord ascended and walked into heaven, the devil could no longer say anything, but wounded his head to an even greater extent than before. Therefore, today’s holiday is more painful for the devil than any other celebration, since the latter sees that the angelic army is rejoicing everywhere, that some angels accompany the Lord, while others march ahead of Him, others - towards Him, some, in turn, talk with the face of the apostles and say: “Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven" ("men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who has ascended into heaven from you, will come again in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven") (Acts 1:11). "This Jesus" who showed many signs. So, the day of the Lord’s Ascension brought sorrow, as it is said, to the devil, but joy to the faithful. Now a joyful spring has dawned and charming flowers have grown; the branches of the vineyard are laden with fruit, the olive trees are in bloom, the fig trees have already produced their fruit, and the thickest fields are set in motion by zephyr, imitating the pleasant vibration of the sea waves. As a result of the Lord's Ascension, everything rejoices with us. Therefore, I will pronounce before you the words of David, which he beautifully spoke on the occasion of the Ascension of the Lord: “Clap your hands, all nations, shout to God with a voice of joy. The Lord ascended with the sound of a trumpet” (Psalm 46:2, 6) to where He was; ascended to a place from which he had never left. “He who descended, He is also the one who ascended above all the heavens” (Eph. 4:10); not another appeared to the prophets and spoke to the apostles, not another was in the bosom of the Father and was judged by Pilate, not another was nailed to the cross with nails and walked on cherubim, not another was entwined with Joseph’s shroud and embraced the creation with his hand, not another was laid in the tomb and praised by the seraphim; but it is the very One who sits with the Father and is conceived without seed in the virgin womb. “God arose with shouting, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet” (Psalm 46:6). The Creator of centuries, the One who brought everything from non-existence into being, the Creator of Adam, the One who produced human nature, who resettled Enoch, who pleased Him, into the land of life, preserved Noah among the universe, called the patriarch Abraham from the Chaldean land, through Isaac prefigured the mystery of the cross, gave Jacob the birth of twelve sons, tested the patience of Job, made Moses the leader of the people, filled Samuel with the prophetic gift even in the womb of his mother, chose the shepherd of the sheep, David, as king, bestowed wisdom on Solomon, lifted up Elijah in a fiery chariot in a whirlwind, breathed into the prophets the power of foreknowledge of the future, gave the apostles the gift of healings - the One who said to them: “take courage: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), He is the Lord of glory, ascended to the heavens "with shouting" ("in shouting") (Psalm 47:6) and he sat down at the right hand of the Father. After submitting angels, authorities and powers to Him (see 1 Cor. 15:28), may He accept our intense prayers and make us conquerors of the temptations of the world! May the whole army of unclean spirits subdue us, saying to us: “Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions” (Luke 10:19)! May the God of all, who has deigned to gather us together for the celebration of a saving festival, keep us unharmed and blameless, healthy and whole in soul, body and spirit, filled with the fruits of truth and good deeds! To Him is due all glory, honor and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Of course, every holiday that has Christ’s economy as its subject is joyful and gladdens the hearts of the faithful; Today's celebration is also joyful. We will show why it is joyful in our further speech. As it is written, God completed all His works in six days, and rested on the seventh (Gen. 2:2). Therefore, “in the last days” (Heb. 1:2), having deigned to “seek and save them who were lost” (Matt. 18:11; Luke 19:10) and having become man, the Word of God in the same exact way conveyed to us, according to the number of days of peacemaking, the feasts that have His economy as their subject. So, the first root of the feasts of Christ is His carnal miraculous birth from the Holy Virgin and Mother of God Mary after conception. Through the latter, Christ God, who bows the heavens, appeared on earth to save the lost world. At the birth of Christ, the angels, appearing to the shepherds and explaining the extraordinary mystery of the miracle, exclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14). Hence, it is right that Christmas is called the first holiday. The second holiday is the appearance of Christ our God, when, having come to the Jordan, He showed all people the condescension of His ineffable compassion, and when the voice of the Father was heard from heaven, testifying about Him: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). And also the Spirit, who descended in the form of a dove, remained on Him, so that in one instant of time the entire consubstantial Trinity clearly appeared. A worthy eyewitness of Her was the Lord's Forerunner, John. About this Epiphany, the blessed Apostle Paul says: “The grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Titus 2:11). Since the salvation of all people arose from here, it is fitting that the holiday is called very great by the pious. The third of the holidays is the holy, venerable and all-honorable day of the saving suffering of Christ, our true God, when, nailed in the flesh on the cross, He destroyed the record that sin kept against us, and when with just one word He brought Adam, who was expelled from it, into paradise for disobedience, as He says to the thief: “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Therefore, this holiday is very great and predominantly so, because Paul said: “Our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). The fourth holiday is the glorious day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ our God, which reconciles us with God, when, appearing to the inhabitants of hell, He crushed eternal faiths, broke bonds, rose from the dead, won victory over hell, resurrected with Him the righteous who were in the latter, and, entering His disciples, gave them peace as a reward. Therefore, without any contradiction on anyone’s part, this glorious day is considered by the faithful to be the mother of holidays. The fifth holiday is the holy Ascension of the Lord into heaven, which we are now discussing. This holiday is the fifth of the others, since the Ascension itself happened on the fifth day of the week. We must celebrate this event for the reason that today Christ raised into heaven the firstfruits of our mortality, that is, the flesh. That is why the apostle said: “He raised us up... and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). From where the culprit of all evil and the father of sin, the devil, was overthrown because of his excessive pride and extraordinary arrogance, there Christ, out of His great love for mankind, put in his place a man expelled from paradise as a result of the devil’s evil advice. So, a real holiday is worthy of honor and spiritual rejoicing. And since at the beginning of the conversation we mentioned the sevenfold number of holidays, corresponding to the number of days of peacemaking, but hitherto we have indicated only five holidays, it is necessary to talk about the other two and then talk about the history to be discussed (i.e., the current festival). So, the sixth of the number of holidays is the sixth praiseworthy day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, when in the form of tongues of fire Christ sent from heaven to the holy apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit, which they expected, according to the Lord’s promise. This holiday is also called Pentecost, due to the fulfillment of seven weeks after the resurrection of Christ. And this, of course, holiday is undoubtedly very great in the eyes of pious Christians. The seventh holiday is the expected day of the resurrection of the dead; the faithful are imbued with this hope; then the humane and impartial Judge, Christ our God, will reward everyone according to his deeds. This is true “rest”, about which the Apostle Paul said: “let us strive to enter into that rest” (Heb. 4:11). Then there will be the greatest holiday, full of joy, gladness and rejoicing for those who will inherit what “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no one has entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Therefore, beloved, let us pray that we too will be given the opportunity to celebrate together with the righteous in the palace of the heavenly kingdom, not only for one or two or three days, but for endless centuries. So, having talked about the seven holidays, let us return to the speech about what we suggested at first. Our story concerns the current holiday, that is, the ascension of Christ into heaven. David said: “incline the heavens and below, and darkness is under His feet” (Psalm 17:10). He obviously foreshadowed the appearance of the Word from heaven to earth. He said: “darkness is under His feet,” thereby explaining the clothing of the Divine with flesh, so that, because of Christ’s humble and meek appearance, His coming was not recognized by the majority of the people. Again the same prophet says: “Lord, Your way is in the sea, and Your path is in the great waters, and Your footprints are unknown” (Psalm 76:20). “For if they had known,” says the apostle, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). And again the prophet David said: “And he sat on the Cherubim and flew, and was carried on the wings of the wind” (“he climbed on the cherubim, he flew on the wing of the wind”) (Psalm 17:11). He said: “on the cherubim,” since while in heaven he was with the Father, the Lord walked on cherubim, and on earth, speaking with people, He was in no way separated from the cherubim and heavenly throne. By saying: “on the wings of the wind,” the prophet alludes to the clouds on which the Lord ascended, as it is written about in the Acts of the Apostles: “and the cloud took Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). Then the book of Acts goes on to say, “And as they looked up to heaven at the time of His going up” (Acts. 1:10), the apostles were seized with indescribable surprise and fear fell upon them; their minds, mortal by nature and unfamiliar with this kind of spectacle, went into a frenzy. But perhaps someone will say that Peter, James and John had already contemplated something similar before, namely, the Transfiguration of the Lord. Of course, they had contemplated something similar before: they saw both the transfigured Lord and the cloud that overshadowed Him; but they did not see such a cloud that would be carried into the upper layers of the air space and that would lift the Lord to heaven. This is a miracle, and this is a miracle; but one miracle is more terrible than another: this one; although in both cases the power and mystery of one God took place, this miracle is more sublime than that. Then Moses and Elijah appeared to Peter and those with him, talking with the Lord; now the cherubim throne, that is, an invisible force covered with a cloud, suddenly appeared and delighted the Lord, who was talking with His servants. Then Peter answered boldly: “Lord! It’s good for us to be here; If you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4). Now none of the disciples could speak or even open their mouths, but they, struck by the greatest fear, stood in amazement. Scripture then adds the following words: “Suddenly two men dressed in white stood before them and said” (Acts 1:10–11). This increase is not unnecessary. The fact that the men were dressed in white clothes serves as an indication of the greatest celebration. But what did they say? “Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? (Acts 1:11). An extraordinary miracle frightened you; have you forgotten the One who said: “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17)? Isn’t that why He told you: “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18); and again: “My peace I give to you, My peace I leave with you” (John 14:27)? Did He not promise to send you the Comforter, that is, the Holy Spirit? “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11). In the same way he will come on the clouds of heaven, with glory and great power. In the same way he will come at the time when he will judge the world in righteousness. The Father granted him “all judgment.” Don’t you remember that while He was with you, He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me?” (Matthew 28:18) Then the apostles, having come to their senses, returned home, glorifying and blessing the Lord, and awaiting the divine gift, that is, the coming of the All-Holy Spirit. So, what was said in the psalms was fulfilled: “God arose with shouts, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet” (Psalm 46:6). It is clear that here the prophet predicted the duality of the natures of the incarnate Lord. In exactly the same way, Thomas, after the resurrection of the Lord, touching His side, exclaimed, saying: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). “God arose with shouting, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet” (Psalm 46:6). “With exclamations” - because the cherubim “with an unceasing voice” send up the thrice-holy hymn to God. And how the Lord ascended on the Cherubim throne, we have already explained above. “At the sound of a trumpet” - obviously the Archangel, foretelling His ascension to heaven. But also the Holy Spirit, with a commanding voice, declared to the powers above: “Lift up, O gates, your heights, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will come in!” (“Take up your gates, O princes, and take up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in”). And the powers said: “Who is this King of glory?” After this, the Spirit answered: “The Lord is mighty and strong, the Lord is mighty in battle” (Ps. 23:7–8). He defeated the enemy, armed himself against the devil's tyranny, taking on a human body; extinguished the devil’s “kindled arrows”; nailed to the cross and having tasted death, although He, as God, is immortal, the Lord devastated hell and, appearing victorious, rose from the dead and, having returned the lost sheep, here He goes back, carrying it on His shoulder to the ninety-nine sheep who did not stray from their path and were on the mountains, that is, grazing in heaven. “The Lord is mighty and strong, the Lord is mighty in battle.” And again the psalmist says: “The Lord of hosts, He is the king of glory” (Ps. 23:10). Therefore, as soon as the powers heard: “The Lord of hosts”, shouting the usual praise in agreement, they received the Lord with joy and accompanied Him to the “high and exalted throne” (Isa. 6:1). What David said was fulfilled: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit on my right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Psalm 109:1 O, heretic, about what nature did the Lord say: “Sit at my right hand”? Is it not about that flesh that was received from us and which received life from the holy Virgin? Let those who confess that in Christ there is one nature. Christ God is worthy of His eternal kingdom! To him be glory and power with the beginningless Father, with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. The day of the Lord's Ascension has arrived. And although many have already spoken in a public meeting, however, our father encourages us, unimportant people, to talk. And it seemed to us a fair consideration that silence only serves as a veil for the lack of eloquence and hides the vastness of ignorance. And since you, together with your father and the powers on high, incline the congregation to speeches and command them to say with them what David once exclaimed about the Ascension of the Lord: “Lift up your heights, O gates, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will enter!” ("lift up your gates, O princes, and lift up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in") (Psalm 23:7), then today we will sing what is related to this holiday. Today our Lord Christ ascends to the Father’s throne; Today the One Who became incarnate sits with the Father, although the Lord had not been separated from Him before, and even now, not for the first time, He just began to sit with Him. The Lord always rests in the bosom of the Father. He alone embraces the Father and he alone is embraced by the Father. “I am in the Father,” He says, “and the Father is in Me” (John 14:11). And the Word was in the Father - and on earth. Descending from heaven, the Lord did not make His Father’s bosom empty, and, ascending to heaven, He did not deprive the earth of His presence, but even when He spoke to people, He remained with the Father, and, sitting with the Father, He is not separated from people. “I am with you,” He says, “always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Today the Lord Christ ascends from among men into heaven, leaving not like Enoch, and ascending to heaven not according to the example of Elijah, caught in a chariot of fire; but ascends in order to send the disciples the power of the Holy Spirit. David, many generations earlier, contemplating the joy of this ascension, foretold the following: “God rose up with shouting” (Psalm 47:6), the One who created Adam from the dust, justified Abel and “took” ("translated") Enoch (Gen. 5:24). with shouts,” the One who accepted Isaac, the unslain sacrifice, and filled Jacob with blessings. “God arose with shouts,” the One who guided the wandering Joseph and allowed Job’s patience. “God arose with shouting,” the One who glorified Moses and bestowed the high priesthood on Aaron. “God arose with shouting,” the One who strengthened Joshua and gave prophetic power to Samuel. “God arose with shouting,” He who made David strong and Solomon wise. “God arose with shouts,” the One who inspired the prophets and communicated the gifts of healing to the apostles. “God has gone up with a shout,” He who is on high without a mother and below without a father. “God arose with shouts” - the eternal generation of the Father and the unsown growth of the Virgin - Mother. “God arose with shouts” - the Giver of life and the Distributor of wonderful gifts. “God arose with shouts,” He who by His death put death to death and gave life to the human race. “God arose with shouting, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.” To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Some manuscripts read: “and our city” "Jerusalem" - in glory. Bible. Two texts are merged here: 1) “You are the body of Christ, and individually members” (1 Cor. 12:27), and 2) “we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Eph. 5:30). The exact translation of this word is “first fruits.” Doubtful works (Spuria) attributed to St. John Chrysostom.