About repentance, and about Herod and John the Baptist

1. Let us think, instead of your applause, about what is useful to you, and, having reminded the congregation a little about something regarding the moral way of life, let us talk with you about what the preacher is awarded with the most insignificant applause, but after which a strong desire is born in the listeners to achieve the salvation of the soul. It is good and suitable for pious souls to talk about faith; and when we see your zeal awakening while listening to the word about faith, we clearly understand the love of your soul for its Master. Just as a bad servant reproaches his master, so a prudent servant rejoices when everyone praises his master; therefore, the desire for praise for the master is proof of the servant’s goodwill. It is good to wash the vessel of the soul in order to, having cleansed it with moral teaching, prepare it for the perception of the world (incense) of theology, because “wisdom will not enter an evil soul” (Wisdom Sol. 1:4). In this conversation we have to touch upon the question of life from precisely the side that requires very careful caution. Namely, if I greatly encourage you with repentance, then you should be wary that someone, counting on future repentance, will weaken and become more careless in life. On the other hand, if I keep silent about the hope of repentance, then I fear that someone will become spiritually dull and indulge in bodily passions. Equally, both carelessness, when the soul relaxes from pleasure, and loss of hope for repentance, predispose one to a pampered life. Therefore, speech should be divided into two parts, one for the healthy and the other for the weak. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). He who has begun to fall, let him prevent the fall by repentance; If anyone is in danger of falling, let him not fall; If someone falls even after protection, let him not lose hope in the philanthropy of the One who restores the fallen. It sometimes happens that I experience a slight hesitation: “my feet were almost shaken” (Psalm 73:2). It happens that someone who has already wavered receives help from the Lord: “When I said, “My foot wavers,” Thy mercy, O Lord, supported me” (Ps. 93:18). It even happens that the one who not only hesitated, but had already fallen and was in danger before completely sinking, God does not reject: “They pushed me hard so that I fell, but the Lord supported me” (Ps. 118:13). And the one who fell, really died completely? Never. And there is consolation for him: “when,” it is said, “he falls, he will not fall.” Why is this so? “For the Lord holds him by the hand” (Psalm 36:24). It also happens that a person falls easily, but does not go further along the path of falling. And those who have fallen deeply, are they completely lost? And here we also see the mercy of the Lord: “The Lord supports all those who fall and raises up all those who are cast down” (Ps. 144:14) The Psalms, perfectly proving this, it seems to me, do not lead us to despair in repentance, because about God they say this: “God is a righteous judge” (Ps. 7:12). First, listen to what it means to be just, and prepare to defend yourself; often the following assumption arises: if God is fair, then why does He not immediately reward sinners? So-and-so is unjust and prospers; someone robs and gets rich; another is insolent and dominates; How does this agree with the truth of God? If God is just, why doesn't He immediately punish sinners? Is He really just, but does not have the power to immediately punish sinners? After all, it sometimes happens that a judge judges fairly, but cannot enforce his decision. So, is punishment really delayed due to impotence? Let this not happen! That is why the prophet immediately adds: “God is a righteous judge, and God is strictly exacting every day” (Ps. 7:12). As just, He knows what is just, and as strong, He can carry out what He thinks. But where is the reason for the reprieve of sins? What is this deferment of punishment for? As a just one, He knows the sinner; as strong as He is, He has the strength to carry the decision through to completion. So, what is the reason for slowness? “God is a righteous judge, and God is strictly exacting every day.” “If anyone does not convert,” it is said, “He sharpens His sword.” “If anyone does not convert” (Ps. 7:13). Therefore, if we turn, we will not immediately experience the blow. Do you want to see His extreme love for mankind? “He strains His bow and directs it.” He intimidates, but does not cut. Let fear act first, let your repentance prevent the blow. And so that the purpose of the Judge is completely clear to you: “he bends his bow and prepares for him the vessels of death.” Can’t this image frighten? Don’t these words speak of the Incorporeal One? “He strains his bow and guides it, he prepares for him the vessels of death” (Ps. 7:13-14). Here it is as if some artist presented the Judge before his eyes. ready: one pushes the bow forward, and the other pulled the bowstring, the arrow is held by the ends of the Judge's fingers. The bow is drawn, the arrow is ready. Do not neglect the bow: it is drawn; Do not relax yourself with an excess of long-suffering and do not intend to give yourself up to pleasure forever. Don’t say: while I’m still enjoying love, while I’m taking advantage of my youth, a little later the time for repentance will come, tomorrow I’ll repent, in my old age I’ll take care of life. This kind of reasoning is futile, the decisions of your will are bad, your lust serves as a bad advisor for you. You say: today I will sin, and tomorrow I will repent. Are you the master of tomorrow? Who will guarantee you for tomorrow? If you delve deeply, it turns out that you cannot control today either: one part of today has passed, and the other is still ahead; That one is no longer yours, and this one is not yours yet. You say: today I will take advantage of the pleasure, and tomorrow I will repent. What is in your hands you give to pleasure; and what is not yours, to repentance? Better take my advice: give today to repentance, and don’t even leave tomorrow to sin. How good it is that divine Scripture distracts us from sin in every way: “Oh, that you would now listen to His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Psalm 95:7–8), and: “Train one another every day... lest any of you be hardened by being deceived by sin” (Heb. 3:13). The devil often plots his intrigues here. When he notices that the soul begins to feel sins and think about the consequences of punishment, he suggests this kind of thought: I am still very young, the time will come for repentance, and now I will take advantage of what I have, while I still take possession of the subject of the dispute; I will somehow protect myself from this, but I will first end with pleasure and pleasure, and then I will have time to repent. Tomorrow comes again and again it completely entangles you with these same devilish reasonings: again it points to the future, but distracts you from the present; and so on every day - today, keeping you in pleasure, and relegating hopes of repentance to tomorrow, he forces you to waste your life day after day in the service of sin. 2. But arm yourself against pleasure, listen to the Lord who calls: “Make peace with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the way with him” (Matthew 5:25). This applies to everyone, and especially to those who like to interfere in other people's affairs; for them this is a direct lesson so that they do not give themselves up to litigation with such persistence. In fact, even in litigation, it is better to prevent an unknown court decision with a peace agreement than to drag the parties into the abyss of uncertainty with the hope of victory. You are confident in your documents, you hope for a favorable outcome, the defender, holding out his hand for a bribe, promises victory in order to conclude a condition on payment for the service. Sometimes even a judge, already bribed, reveals the court's decision to you in advance. You rest on an uncertain hope, because if you, turning forward, bribed the judge, you opened the door for other bribes; think about it, your opponent is also concerned about the same thing; and often, when your court cases seem to be sailing in clear and calm weather, they quietly begin to persuade you to lower your sails. Have you never seen the sea be calm near the seashore and agitated in the depths? How many who set out in clear and calm weather, having sailed to the middle of the sea, suffered shipwreck due to unexpected storms and waves! This is what happens in court. Sometimes the beginning heralds hope, but the end leads to the opposite outcome. Therefore, it would be good, as I said, to prevent monetary litigation with a friendly agreement, in order to, in addition to ending the litigation, gain yourself a friend; It is not good not only to collect accusations, but also to start them; in this case, mercy is better than anger. However, I think this is not just about money. “Make peace with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the road with him” (Matthew 5:25). This addition gives me reason to see something more here. If the speech concerned only money matters, or empty accusations, why add this: they oppose each other. Which competitor will be on the road with their rival? During a journey, who communicates with someone with whom they disagree in opinion? Isn't he afraid that he will steal written documents, persuade witnesses, and stage attacks on the highway? So, obviously, we are dealing here with an enemy who always accompanies us, whose company, despite all precautions, we cannot avoid, and, moreover, an enemy towards whom we, moreover, treat with favor. So who is this real enemy? If you look carefully, you will find that it is your own body: it is in conflict with your spirit. And lest you think that these are just my words, Paul also confirms what was said: “the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh: they oppose each other” (Galatians 5:17). And I am not offering you a Manichaean teaching; I am not asserting that the body was created by another creator, but I am saying that the flesh, having pleasure as its advisor, desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit, relying on hope for the future, goes against the flesh. The passion for the worldly and the desire for the kingdom of heaven are opposite to each other. Here is the enemy who, whether you like it or not, does not lag behind you on the way; and the path is life. The soul is jealous of imitation of its image, but the flesh gravitates towards the earth; and this is the opposite of one another. To this rival of yours be blessed. And when? “While you are still on the way with him,” while you are with him in this life, because if the path ends, then there will be no time for repentance, “for in death there is no remembrance of You: in the grave who will praise You” (Psalm 6:6)? So, treat this enemy of yours favorably. He did not say: please him, but: be favorable. You should not do pleasant things to your enemy, but, being prudent, call him from pleasure to repentance. He does not order you, like a cook, to do everything for the pleasure of the body, but wants you to be a doctor for it. After all, the doctor often mixes bitter things, and cuts, and cauterizes, and, increasing the burden, takes payment. And although he causes the patient some trouble, he does this with the aim of improving his health. “So that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge” (Matthew 5:25), - to the future Judge. Your rival is such that if you now begin to please him, then the Judge will hand you over to a servant - understand, to vengeful forces - and you will be thrown into prison, into utter darkness. This place is scary: “you will not come out of there until you have paid the last coin” (Matthew 5:26). If you pay off your debt before you die, you will be free, but if you die as a debtor, then even the smallest debt will be demanded of you without reserve. What does it mean: “until the last code”? That “the thought of man will be confessed to you, and even the remnant of the thought will solemnly glorify you” 1 (Ps. 75:11). Knowing this, brothers, compare and contrast, on the one hand, pleasures, on the other, the future day of judgment and the decision of the Judge; you will immediately understand how bitter pleasure is, as soon as you know how bitter its fruits are. Do you want us to draw from the two feasts described in the Gospels some edifying lessons for the congregation regarding what is the end of those who love pleasure, and what is the fruit for those who bring repentance? And don't be surprised that St. Scripture often describes the feasts of those who love pleasure: it describes everything from which you should guard and imitate. It describes the actions of those who indulge in pleasure in order to constantly expose them to shame and so that you avoid imitating them; It also describes the deeds of those who love God, so that you will find in them an example for repentance and, juxtaposing side by side the one who pursues pleasures and the one who loves God, you will flee from one and imitate the other. Let this be at the same time a lesson for the prudent not to delight their eyes too much with public spectacles, and not to rush to the equestrian lists, and not to grab seats in the theater at night: this thirst for obscene spectacles is insane. And in fact, people cannot wait for the day, burning with impatience, and even at night they seize places of darkness in order to please their eyes with obscene spectacles, or to watch the fights of fighters with wild animals. And sitting there, often spectators - people express more affection for the animals than for people like themselves. Don’t you feel sorry for that unfortunate person who, for a piece of bread, voluntarily gives himself up to be eaten by animals and, for the sake of an insatiable passion, saturates the bellies of animals with himself? But his stomach is insatiable, and your eyes are insatiable. Others act like a buffoon, make antics to their own shame, expose themselves to laughter for a fee, are not ashamed even if they beat him in public, expose their cheeks to blows, shave off their hair with a razor so that not a single hair testifies against their shamelessness. Another devotes himself to lustful female dances, contrary to nature and with annoyance at the fact that he was not born a woman to his parents, and is even proud of such a perversion of nature. What people don’t do for the sake of their belly and selfishness and because of vanity are shameful deeds; about such it is fitting to cite the testimony of Paul: “their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame” (Phil. 3:19). Don’t go there, don’t rush to take steps in that direction, and don’t allow obscene amusements at your feasts. Sometimes you say: okay, I’ll give up the theater and won’t even go up the steps: I can have fun and feast [at home]. But even here you have repeated indecent theatrical scenes. What good does it do you to give up the theater? It's not the stones that we feel disgusted with, is it? After all, it is not the stones of the theaters that are condemned, but the ugliness of what is happening there, the worthlessness of indecent spectacles, which introduces the thief through the organs of sight and hearing, as through some windows. So, when you abandoned the theater and allowed chaos of performances at your table, you yourself do not notice that you have turned your house into a theater. It’s not the place of the theater that I hate, but I fear for the morals of those who gather there. 3. And so that you know that obscene and soul-destroying spectacles allowed at feasts deserve condemnation, I will remind you of that feast with the king, or rather, with the tyrant, which is described in the book of the Gospels. The dinner was with the king, or more correctly, with the tyrant, on the birthday of Herod, the nasty fox, the cunning beast, stained with blood; knowing his character, the Lord did not say: tell this lion (although this beast appears to be a king), but - “tell this fox” (Luke 13:32) - because, although he had the strength of a lion, his character was similar to a fox. When the feast has begun and everyone has gathered to drink wine, a dancer appears at the feast; a shameful spectacle and worthless, pitiful, even if she performed in the theater and on stage, not to mention the royal feast. Do you want to know how shameful the spectacle was at this feast? A dancer from the royal family, daughter of Herodias: the royal family and the behavior of the dancer! This is the same Herodias who did not restrain herself within the boundaries of nature, who was married to Philip, but lived with Herod. A riddle is what I say, but the end of unbridledness usually leads to the solution of riddles. And Herod, leaving the memory of his brother and completely becoming a slave of intemperance, although he was the king of the Jews, he was more a slave of pleasure. Maybe this is how it should have been: like the subjects, so are the rulers. Because of this cohabitation, the great, greater than a prophet, John boldly denounced Herod for intemperance: truly, he is even greater than a prophet! After all, every prophet was awarded the prophetic gift only when he reached adulthood; and some even much later. Only John, being still six months in his mother's womb and feeding in accordance with the laws of nature, with the assistance of God, while greeting his mother, leapt, imperfect in members, but perfect in faith. But perhaps the fetus in its mother's womb jumped joyfully, accelerating, if possible, a certain time of nature. He saw the Lord’s mother present, but he was embarrassed by the guarding of his womb and played joyfully; and since he could not yet speak and, not having a tongue, could not yet make a sound, he, using his mother’s language, prophesies and speaks through Elizabeth. John tells his mother words from the womb. So is he not rightly called more than a prophet? There is also another reason why he is greater than a prophet. The prophets foretold the future and longed to see what they foresaw in spirit. Therefore, they cried out: “Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation” (Psalm 85:8). That's why the Lord said about them: “Many prophets and righteous people wanted to see what you see, but did not see, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear” (Matthew 13:17). So, the prophets predict the future, and John directly indicates the One about whom he predicts. He predicts the future even in the womb, and subsequently says this: He, “I am not worthy to untie the thong of His sandals” (John 1:27), stands in your midst. What does he call it? “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! And this prophet, and more than a prophet, did not tolerate shameful cohabitation, but boldly came out in defense of trampled chastity. Let this beautiful story teach each of us that even in the absence of obvious persecution, the door of martyrdom is always open to us. Was John drawn to the altar or to smoking incense? Or forced you to make sacrifices and libations? After all, no one said: renounce God? After all, no one said: I will sacrifice to idols? But in the name of chastity, having spoken with a bold word of reproof, he is a martyr of chastity. So that you know how powerful frank prophetic speech is, he tells the king: “You must not have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). Do you see how naturally virtues dominate over vice? Herod is a king who has armour-bearers, abounds in wealth, a ruler enjoying royal power; John is a poor man, without shelter, without a fatherland, poor, hungry, eating as much as nature requires. Meanwhile, the one who is dressed in camel's hair is a legislator for the one who is dressed in a purple robe; one who wandered in the deserts points out to the ruler of crowded cities; the one who collected locusts from the herbs and ate wild honey imperiously instructs the one who held the luxurious royal meal: “It is not due to you”! Although it would seem that everything is possible for the king, “everything is permissible for me, but not everything is profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12). And so, when they should have given thanks for this, done good, or honored the teacher of chastity, Herod became irritated, and Herodias became even more furious (because close in name, they were even closer to each other in disposition, as obedient to the same yoke: and there will be two - not one in flesh, but one in intemperance), and for this they imprison the prophet to show their foolishness. “Reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov. 9:8), but if you rebuke a foolish man, he will hate you even more. He is imprisoned, but does not leave freedom of speech: dissolve, he says, my members; but just allow illegal marriage! But while he was languishing in prison, Herod arranged that bitter, wicked and bloodthirsty feast, the sad end of which was the murder of the prophet. Enter Herodias, the daughter of Herodias, a daughter not only in the flesh, but also in the spirit, enters a drunken meeting, the royal daughter dances in public, for whom it was not proper to leave the bedroom, it was not proper to appear in front of men. But, it must be, just as John spoke in the language of his mother a little earlier, so the girl also borrowed shamelessness from her mother. Enters the feast. This alone was not enough for the greatest shamelessness: how else to enter? Is it royal? Is it solemn? Are they not accompanied by eunuchs and maidservants? Is it not with some other kind of honor and pomp? No; enters dancing. The bad entrance had an even worse purpose. In the midst of the feast she danced, in full view of all the intemperate guests, when the wine aroused lust even more. And you want to know the worst? She not only danced, but she danced well. Shamelessness is characterized by special thoroughness in evil deeds. And it soon turns out that this shameful deed is being done not without success. Herod and those reclining with him liked the dance. And this fox does not hide her face from shame. He sees his brother’s daughter and the one with whom he lived illegally dancing among the men, and is not ashamed, but even finds it pleasant, because both he and those reclining with him liked it. “You deal mercifully with the merciful, sincerely with the sincere, purely with the pure, and with the evil one according to his wickedness” (Ps. 17:26-27). I wish he would have learned a little from Paul: “There is a certain rumor that fornication has arisen among you, and such fornication as is not heard even among the Gentiles, that a man has his father’s wife instead of a wife. And you became proud, instead of weeping, so that he who had done such a thing might be taken out from among you” (1 Cor. 5:1-2). But she pleases with a shameful deed and receives a reward worse than the deed itself, because Herod swore: “Ask me what you want, and I will give it to you; even to half my kingdom" (Mk. 6:22–23) Do you see what pleasure can bring a person to? Do you see the shame of those who love spectacle? You swear in advance: “Ask me what you want, and I will give it to you,” and you let the dancer make the request, confirming your decision with an oath. Do you see how the passion for pleasure attracts the dignity of kings to the earth? Do you see how she humiliates the kingdom? Whatever you ask, I will give it to you, even up to half the kingdom. What do you think his royal dignity is worth? Are your eyes damaged? Once a girl danced, and you gave half; and if she had danced another time, the king would then have remained a simple man. Where is the dignity of those who indulge in pleasure? Where is the purple dress of the slutty? He threw half the kingdom at the feet of the dancer; Pray that she will not dance again, or if she does dance, then at least not so successfully, otherwise you will have to go beggars. So, the reward was given incongruously; What did this dancer demand? She does not frivolously give herself a gift, does not immediately demand a reward, but, taught in advance by her mother, leaves with the intention of consulting about the reward with an evil mentor. And what kind of reward does he require? “I want you to give me now the head of John the Baptist on a platter” (Mark 6:25). Is it amazing shamelessness for me to mourn? Is the act itself shameful? Is it the king's promise? Or demanding a reward? But don’t you shudder at the thought of what dancing can lead to? Don't you feel disgusted by the meaning of applause? Don't you despise half-naked people? Do you dare to introduce a dancer into your circle of friends? Do you dare to make friends with the dancer yourself? Wouldn't you really hate an activity that causes casual laughter from the audience? Causes laughter, and when taken to extremes, it kills the prophet! We must hate dancing, the invention of demons, the exercise of evil spirits! True, Herod was saddened when he heard the request (Mk. 6:26); but he became sad, one might say, slightly imitating Pilate, or more correctly, Pilate’s disposition, because the event being narrated happened earlier (the events with Pilate). He washes his hands and betrays (Christ) to condemnation; This one also grieves - and at the same time, because of the oath and for the sake of those reclining, he keeps his promise. Didn’t the Lord rightly say today: don’t swear at all? Do you hear the Lord’s admonition: don’t swear at all? Why do you really swear: is it so that if you break the oath, you will trap yourself, or so that if you keep the oath, you will kill the prophet? It is bad that he swore, but even worse is that he kept the oath: however, “for the sake of the oath,” it is said, “and those who reclined with him” (Mark 6:26). Are you ashamed of those around you, but are you not afraid of the Judge? And he ordered, it is said, and immediately the head of John the Baptist was brought on a platter and given to the girl (Mark 6:27-28). This is the bitterest end of the bitter feast: the head of the prophet is cut off, given to the maiden, and the maiden accepts it; does not shudder at this sight, is not horrified at the sight of the head, is not disgusted by the drops of blood: a truly bloodthirsty lioness has an even more bloodthirsty cub! The head of the prophet is placed on a platter, on which food is usually carried; the same vessel for both food and killing! And at that hour, when drops of blood were still flowing from the wound and the head itself was still trembling, she was hastily brought to the feast; and the tongue still moved and said: “You should not have it.” And taking it, she took it to her mother. The dance instructor received an unholy price for evil lessons! 4. We were forced to describe this event in such detail in order to open the eyes of those who are looking for spectacles and to convince you to turn away from this kind of performance. However, we will not end the conversation with this sad story, and the dancer will not be able to erect a barrier in the way of the church word, but we will contrast the unbridled, tyrannical and bitter feast with the Master's Supper, filled with love for mankind, in order to understand what the fruits of repentance are. “One of the Pharisees asked Him to come in and eat food with him” (Luke 7:36). The Lord entered and lay down. Although He knew the intentions of those who invited, He generously condescended. And that the one who invited was a hypocrite will be revealed later. When the Lord was reclining and the meal was still going on, “a woman of that city who was a sinner” (Luke 7:37), hearing that Jesus was reclining there, entered, they say, into the house; and having brought a vessel of peace, she began to pour it on the Lord’s feet, and kissed them, and wiped them with her hair. To make sure that the one who invited was a hypocrite, look at what the Pharisee thinks to himself: “If He were a prophet, He would know who and what kind of woman is touching Him, for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). The Pharisees are not only hypocrites, but also envious people. Christ reclines with you, although He knows your behavior, and no one envies; but a sinful woman came to seek salvation, and you, Pharisee, were jealous. Maybe 2... was his relative, but rather the founder of the teachings. So, in order to convince you that He is a prophet, and, moreover, not a simple prophet, but a perfect prophet - after all, what would be surprising if He found out that the woman was a sinner? It was not difficult to know about this from popular rumor; and you, a Pharisee, not being a prophet, knew this - so for this He reveals that He knew much more. There was already a rumor about that (woman’s) life, especially since she was a great sinner; and the Lord, to show His divine power, reads the thoughts of the Pharisee. After all, the story does not show that the Pharisee addressed a remark to one of those reclining, but spoke to himself, reasoned to himself. So, know that He is not just a prophet, but a perfect prophet: this thought stirred in the recesses of your mind, and the Lord read it; You hide your feeling in the depths of your soul, but the Lord caught it and heals it. For this purpose, He spoke about two debtors, one of whom the lender forgave five hundred, and the other fifty (denarii), and asked: “Which of them will love him more?” When the Pharisee answered: “he to whom he forgave more” (Luke 7:42–43), the Lord then used his answer to compare him, the Pharisee, and that woman who received the forgiveness of many sins. I don’t praise her for her previous life, but for the sake of such an end I consider her happy. Of course, she was a harlot and a harlot, but let no one blame her along with the Pharisee. Let Paul explain this, let him act as the woman’s defender: “Who will accuse God’s elect? God justifies them” (Rom. 8:33)? So, let’s study the story in more detail, so as not only to please this woman, but also to learn ourselves. Comes to Jesus with preparation, carrying myrrh in a vessel and tears in his eyes: an inanimate vessel of peace and a living source of repentance; for the fleshly body she brings ointment to drown out the stench of debauchery - sin is vile, as David testifies: “My wounds stink and fester because of my madness” (Ps. 37:6). Every one who sins produces a stench, every one who repents makes ointment. And just as there are many fragrant herbs in the world, there are so many different types of repentance. This is how it should be, so that from many kinds of life many fruits are gathered to prepare the myrrh of repentance. Do you want to know the humility of a woman? Another woman, who once brought myrrh to Christ, poured it on His head, and in general her behavior was bolder. And this one, aware of the depth of her fall, does not dare to pour a libation on his head, but touches only His feet. However, His legs were not devoid of strength. And it is clear that if not only the Savior’s clothing, but even its edge imparts complete recovery to the believer and makes her theft commendable, then how much more could the feet of Christ destroy suffering from sins! Further, not only did she pour out myrrh, but she also shed streams of tears. Blessed are the springs from which this woman’s rivers flow, washing away her sins! And let her teach you why God gave us eyes. Is it only to serve the vision? But every dumb animal has this, and, if you look into the matter, some of the dumb animals have sharper vision than we do. Therefore, for you, the eyes are not only servants of vision, but also accomplices of repentance. Happy are you if you have kept the baptismal font; if you, as a person, have already managed to squander her gifts, set in motion the sources of tears. You have a whole well: draw sorrow from the depths of your heart, touch both twin eyes, shed streams of tears, drown your sins with tears. Minor rivulets from the rain carry away light stems; However, rivers and rivers of considerable depth, stormy mountain streams are able to carry away stumps and heavy stones deep in the water. Weigh your sins. If your sin is insignificant, a few tears are enough; if the sin is great, then the flow of tears must be greater. If you have confidence in life, and a willingness to cry, and a contrite heart, and you have not yet cried all your tears for yourself, then give me some of your tears: crying for your brother’s sins. “And you became proud instead of weeping” (1 Cor. 5:2). Samuel did not sin, but he weeps for Saul who sinned. Paul is a chosen vessel, but he grieves for us. “Whoever is tempted,” he says, “for whom would I not burn” (2 Cor. 11:29)? Do you see that my temptations are breaking Paul’s heart? However, it is necessary that each of us has enough tears for our sins. Let us imitate the woman: she wets the feet of Jesus with her tears and anoints them with ointment. Feet with tears: where sins come from, where healing comes from. Have you heard Jesus say today: “Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Sin begins from a glance. Where the root of debauchery is, there is the source of healing. "And with the hair of his head." Didn’t she who bought the myrrh and took out the alabaster have a towel prepared? Couldn't she wet it with tears and dry it with a towel? No, she did not dare to do this: drying with a towel - this was reserved for Christ. Perhaps she protected herself out of fear: she did not want the healing to be taken upon herself by a soulless object, while her own body was sinning. In fact, what would be the benefit to her if she blessed a soulless towel by touching the body of Christ? And so, she renews nature, instead of a towel she wipes with her hair. Where sin comes from, there comes healing. She has sinned with all her members, and heals them all. She looked voluptuously at the young man, shedding springs of tears; she sinned with kisses, like a harlot, and desecrated her soul with the touch of her hands, - now she kisses the feet of Christ to wipe her lips and cleanse her from filth; He even wipes it with his hair, perhaps teaching women who do not know decency a thing or two. Since an exquisite hairstyle often serves as a snare for young people (which is why Paul admonishes beautifully to adorn oneself not with the hairstyle), since she now realized in her soul that she had caught many young people with braided hair, like wild goats in nooses, then she wants to express repentance with her hair; and just as she often braided it wickedly, she once and for all unbraided it piously. So, what reward does she receive for the deeds with which she expressed her repentance? Listen to what the Master said: because she loved much, many of her sins are forgiven. 5. The Lord tore up the manuscript, and Novat composes what was torn. Have you ever seen a hardworking person collect a torn manuscript and carefully put it back together again in order to use slander again? The Bishop tore up the manuscript, forgave the debt, and the attorney slandered him. But our talk about Novata is short. Imitate that woman and you will receive the reward of healing. I am not afraid of the judgment of Novatus: he will not come to judge the living and the dead, and Novatus will not be appointed to judge the thirteenth throne along with the twelve apostles. Whoever shows me zealous repentance, I will vouch for the mercy of Jesus the Lord. Repentance in words, of course, is not enough; there must also be deeds of repentance. If you say: I repent, and again, like a dog, you return to your vomit, or like a pig to the dung of the mud (2 Peter 2:22), then, of course, your word is of no use, and the mud floods. If you want to repent properly, then watch over sin and try to keep the rest safe. It is better not to have any wounds at all; if, however, you cannot do without it, then treat it quickly, bandage it quickly, so as not to look at it with disgust when it becomes infested with worms. And when the wound heals, beware of hurting yourself again. It doesn't take long to cause a wound, but healing it takes a lot of work. As for the mercy of the Judge, it is easy to prove not only in words, but also in reality. You have heard, of course, about the mercy of the Master, who, along with other praises to blessed Peter, uttered the following words: “and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:19)? Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven, and whose sins you withhold, they will be withheld. Doesn't this indicate the Lord's mercy? "I'll give you the keys." Why didn’t He give it to John, who fell to the Master’s chest, having an undoubted sign of love? Why didn’t he give it to Jacob, whose head was cut off first? “And Herod slew James, John’s brother, with the sword” (Acts 12:2). Do you want to know how he loved John? From the very cross he said to his Mother: “Behold, Your son” (John 19:26)! Will you seek love greater than this? “Behold, Your son”! Here the popular proverb was justified. What does a friend mean? Another me. "Behold, Thy son"! As a mother, he introduced Her to him. But why, in this case, did not the Lord hand over the keys of the kingdom to him, although he loved him most of all? And in this again we must see the mercy of the Lord. He does not give the keys to James, he does not give the keys to John, he does not give the keys to any of the other apostles free from sin, but he chooses Peter - according to His love for mankind. Since it was Peter, before the rooster crowed (I will keep silent about the rest out of respect for the virtue of this husband), who fell into sin before the others, that is precisely why the Lord did not entrust the keys to the kingdom of heaven to any other of the sinless disciples, but handed them over to Peter, so that when he sees someone who has repented of their sins and has been freed from them by repentance and wants to enter the kingdom of heaven, remembering his fall, he would become an assistant to him in salvation. How can I not please the hunter of the Church who fed such puppies! We have not yet had time to show them the bodies (shells) of thought, and they have already caught the beast. However, according to the custom of hunters, after you have captured the thoughts, we will divide what we have caught into parts. So, we said that the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom to Peter, but did not entrust them to any other of the sinless apostles, and did this so that Peter, when he sees some of those who have turned from sins and are strengthened through repentance to enter the kingdom (because those who use effort receive the kingdom of heaven), remembering his example, and opened the door for us who came with repentance. Do you see the philanthropy of the one who trusted? Remember the keys. Repent before it’s locked up, because “the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Luke 5:24). Where there is sin, there is permission from sin. Do not think that there is pleasure on earth and repentance there. Give permission here, and then Peter will receive you in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. The translation is given according to the Septuagint. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria.