At the beginning of the post, and about the post

Today, beloved, the spiritual spring of Lent has dawned upon us, and the meadows of abstinence have opened up for the ascetics of piety. The sailors of the Church call us to heavenly trade, equip us for the voyage of righteousness, unfolding before us the prophetic books and handing us the helm of the law; they strengthen the mast of the honorable cross and tie the anchor of faith; The Holy Spirit gives a name to this vessel and the Creator of everything guides it. Let us, beloved ones, joyfully accept today the holiness of fasting that stands at the threshold and, welcoming it with all our hearts, exclaim: welcome, O mother of blessings and virtues, fill us with heavenly fragrance, open to us the paradise of the gospel life, let us enjoy the spiritual fruits of abstinence, adorn us with the crown of chastity, cleanse our lives from filth, heal souls, ulcerated by lust, extinguish the passions inflamed by wine, curb the feverish fits of despondency, abolish the devilish spectacles, put an end to this frenzy, stop this inhuman beast-like activity, rebuke the winds of unclean spirits, bring the fasting people into order in the life of the incorporeal, show the venerable gray hair of the old man, plow our field with the plow of abstinence, bring the men to their senses, those who are mired in debauchery, adorn the wives who strive in chastity, inspire the young men to the life of an angel! Let those weary of sins sigh from their vain labors, let them, during the days of the Lenten fast, cleanse themselves of the dirt that has accumulated over the whole year. You not only fill the earth with yourself, but you also penetrate into paradise itself. The heavenly powers are now rejoicing, the ranks of angels are spiritually triumphant, thrones, dominions, principalities and powers rejoice over the salvation of people. Only the devil who fell from heaven says in confusion: where is now my boasting over those whom I led to fall through intemperance? What happened to my cunning plan to capture the souls of people through food? Where is the sweet taste from the tree, thanks to which I exposed Adam, seducing him along with Eve? The appearance of the post destroyed all my tricks. Where did this so-called post come from? Who turned this weapon against me? Now Adam, together with Eve, who was seduced by me, is no longer exposed; he no longer listens to the soul-destroying adviser; does not indulge in gluttony, does not get carried away by the disease of gluttony. Thanks to fasting, Adam is again in paradise, again in good spirits, again adorned with the image of God, again raised to primitive beauty. And what’s most terrible of all: having lost paradise through disobedience, he ascended to heaven on the chariot of fasting! I am cast down from there, and the one cast down by me is again counted among the heavenly powers. Struck by people, trampled upon by those who fast, persecuted by human nature - I have become a laughing stock. But let the evil one mourn his misfortunes, and we, having drawn from the apostolic quiver an arrow suitable for the present occasion, will strike his passion for greed, crying out with Paul in Paul’s words: “We have brought nothing into the world; It is clear that we cannot bear anything” (1 Tim. 6:7). Oh, that our entrance would be like our exit! Oh, that each of us would leave here naked and free from punishment, poor by nature and not condemned by soul, meager in both wealth and sins, deprived of both wealth and sorrows! But what is terrible is that the one who leaves the wealth he has acquired here leaves with the burden of the sins he committed during his enrichment. He is deprived of the benefits of his wealth, and is not freed from the condemnation he deserves thanks to them. His heir reaps the fruits of his labors, and he alone bears the punishment. The one who has not acquired, uses and enjoys, and the one who has acquired, without using anything, suffers torment, having received only one benefit - to be punished. Come to your senses, man, before this abyss of everyday vanity and of your own free will, share your wealth with the poor. But leave it to your enemies, warn those who are already opening their mouths at you, do not become the prey of lovers of other people's goods. Do you have children? Count the soul of the poor among them - as a sister, give her a part of your property. Are you child-loving? But don’t forget about God, thanks to Whom you have the very opportunity to be a happy father. Or is childlessness bothering you? Do not destroy yourself for the sake of the children whom nature denied you, but make yourself the heir of your acquisitions through charity, so as not to appear before the Judge without deeds of alms. Flee from the fire that threatens you; Keep in mind the common end for our entire family; remember that last day of your life. When the angels who appear for it want to take your soul immediately, what will you do, carried away by predatory death? When you are confused by the disaster that has broken out over you, not finding either words or voice to say anything, when the breathing in your chest becomes tight and intermittent, when a fire burns inside you, scorching your soul, when you have no ally to fight the terrible enemy, at that hour “a man will in no way redeem his brother and will not give God a ransom for him” (Psalm 48:8)? When money loses all meaning, when the soul is drawn to that terrible judgment seat, when you can no longer dispose of anything of your own, when you are ready to repent of what you have done, but there is no longer room for repentance, when the door of repentance is closed and the entrance to heaven is blocked, when you groan from the depths of your heart, but you will not find sympathy from anyone - will these horrors really not enlighten you? Of course, they will admonish you, and you will cry bitterly and say without words: woe is me, woe is me, the unfortunate one! I am pitiful, my end is inevitable, my life is snatched from me by force, bound they drag me to a place from where there is no return. Now the servants will not help, the friends will not intercede, the flatterers have retreated, the bodyguards will not protect; My wallet will not help me, gold will not bring me any benefit, no force will tear me out, money will not free me, patrons will not save me. I built houses in vain, spent so much money in vain, accumulated piles of gold. Everything that made up my glory has disappeared. The servants no longer appear at my command; the guard does not surround me according to my sign; Whole cities are not in a hurry, as it used to be, to carry out my will. What should I, the unfortunate one, do? What to do in the face of imminent danger? I will try to beg, I will also try to beg the death that is carrying me away, even if it did not have the disposition to have mercy on me. I beg you, oh death, give me a few more moments of life. Do you really care about the king's dignity? Didn't you see the chariot prepared at my door? Have pity on the nobility begging you, have mercy on the crying youth, pay attention to the gray hairs of the petitioner. I’m not asking you to let me go completely, I’m asking only for a short delay. My house remains unsettled; I have not yet managed to dispose of the inheritance properly. Until now, oblivion has not given me the opportunity to come to my senses, amid the constant change of everyday worries; I left my mind, which could have been most useful to me, inactive. And suddenly you drag me to trial! What will I say to answer? What can I rely on in my favor? How can I reject the charges brought against me? What can I say in defense of myself before the Judge? What can I say, how will I relieve myself, bowing down under the weight of crimes? Give me at least a short period of time, I ask you. Where are you taking me, unprepared? Why do you want to bring me naked before the Judge? Please listen to what I have to say. I want to remember my sins, admit my guilt, cry a little, sigh heavily, shed a few tears, say goodbye to my friends, hug my wife, although with a small impulse of repentance I want to ease my soul. I will find defenders for myself here among the poor; Before I leave here, I’ll grab some medicine for my wounds; I will give all my wealth for a little relief. Oh man! Even with smarter speeches you will not disarm death, you will not stop its hand. Death is an inexorable executioner, death is an inevitable sentence, death is an impartial rapist of our race, death is an undisguised killer, death is a natural traveler, death appears without a report in the face of kings, death is a predator, carrying out its work day and night with equal skill, death is a robber, a thief of truth, death is a welcome guest only for the righteous. Hearing this, beloved, let us stay awake and sober, so as not to fall asleep again in the sleep of sin. We will make amends for our previous deeds with new ones. Have you acquired wealth by deceit? Use it for the deeds of righteousness: use the very thing that caused you this suffering to alleviate your suffering. Did you offend anyone? First of all, satisfy those who have been offended by you. First of all, be fair, and then think about philanthropy; first give (someone else’s), and then distribute (yours); first turn away from evil, and then do good. Do not show generosity where there was no brotherly love. When you atone for your guilt before those whom you made beggars, then do good to other beggars whom you did not let into the world; when you dry the tears of those offended by you, then show compassion to other poor people whom you see crying. “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Proverbs 3:9). Do not be flattered: “God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). He will not accept your gift when another groans; The Creator will not want to share with you what you have stolen. You can’t trample on the truth like that, you can’t avoid exposure in this way. But if you recognize your guilt in anything, your untruth, repent. Have you become carried away by once unreasonable passions, enslaved to lawlessness? Are you burdened with many crimes? Do not be afraid of the Judge and do not despair of your salvation. He can be softened by deeds of mercy, His favor is not difficult to acquire by doing good to the poor, consoling the poor. You can bribe him in your favor. Listen to what He himself says in the Gospel: “Give alms” (Luke 12:33), and everything is done; “When no one lights a candle, he puts it in a secret place, not under a bushel, but on a candlestick, so that those who enter may see the light” (Luke 11:33). Give to Me, cries the One who enriches everyone; Give to Me, He cries, who gives abundantly to everyone. He also accepts the widow's two mites; He is not ashamed to ask for a cup of ice water; He also appreciates simple readiness to show mercy if there is nothing to help in reality. He said: “He who does good to the poor lends to the Lord” (Proverbs 19:17). Glory and power are due to Him unceasingly, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith”