Статья 6. О должности хрістіанской къ ближнему

About this duty it is said in the first book in the chapter about love, mercy, etc. Here the duty is explained by the likeness taken from the members of the human body: because Christianity is a spiritual body, according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul. Just as there are many members of the imam in one body, the members do not all have the same function: also, where many are one body of Christ, but one is one to another 2357. § 444. True Christians are spiritually united with Christ, as body and head, about which union Saint Chrysostom speaks beautifully and consolingly as follows: "Look, Christ is the Head; we are the body. Can there be any distance between the body and the head? He is the foundation, we are the creation. That is Loza, we are born. He is the Bridegroom, we are the bride. He is the Shepherd, we are the sheep. That Path, we are walking. We are the church, that omnipotent. That Pervenets, we are brothers. That Heir, we are heirs. That is Life, we are living. That Resurrection, we are rising. He is Holy, we are enlightened. This whole connection is revealed" 2358. But as with Christ, so also one with another, as having one body and one head - Christ, Christians are united. Hence, consequently, such a duty is required from one Christian friend to another. § 445. Christians must have peace and agreement about Christ among themselves. In the real body, all limbs are harmonious and peaceful: hand to hand, foot to foot, eye to eye, and other limbs do not encroach; but what one limb does, that and the other; where one eye looks, there the other, where one foot steps, there the other steps behind it. In the same way, there is a great agreement among themselves and in the whole composition in other bodily organs. Because the Creator arranged it this way: otherwise there could not be a whole composition. Such agreement must also exist in the spiritual body, that is, in Christianity. The apostle lays down the reason for this union and peace: one body, one Spirit, just as you are called in one hope of your title; one Lord, one faith, one baptism: one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all of us 2359. And in the second place: by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and all were drunk with the same Spirit 2360. To this peace Christians exhort: have peace and sanctity with all, except whom no one will see the Lord 2361. There was such a peaceful union among the Christians of the dominant church, as Saint Luke testifies to this: the people who believed had one heart and one soul 2362. Woe to the Christians who sin and mislead in their duties, who quarrel with one another and are at war with one another; and even with God they cannot have peace while they are at enmity. For he who wants to have peace with God must first reconcile with his brother, according to the word of the Lord: if you bring your gift to the altar, and you change it, because your brother has something against you: leave that gift of yours in front of the altar, and go first be reconciled with your brother, and then come and bring your gift, etc. 2363 And if you do not forgive people their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins, says the Lord 2364. It is also shown in the parable of the king and his debtor and the clover of that debtor 2365. And he who does not have the forgiveness of sins cannot have peace with God: he is therefore subject to His wrath, and to all the temporal and eternal calamities that follow God's wrath. § 446. Between Christians, love must be sincere. In the physical body, the members are all connected by veins: so in the spiritual body of Christianity, Christians, like members of each other, must be connected by the union of love. This is what Christ commands Christians: this is what I command you to love one another 2366. To this the apostles admonish: Behold, with a pure heart, love one another diligently 2367. Brotherly love to live 2368. Darlings! God has loved us, and we are obliged to love each other 2369. The fruits of love are: any one is long-suffering, merciful, any one is not jealous; everyone does not exalt himself, is not proud, does not act violently, does not seek his own, does not get angry, does not think evil, does not rejoice in untruth, but rejoices in the truth, loves all, obeys all faith, trusts all, tolerates all. Любы николиже отпадетъ 2370 . If Christians want to be true Christians and not hypocrites, they must show their Christianity through love, according to the Lord's teaching: everyone understands this, as you are My disciples, if you have love among yourselves 2371. For if you do not love your brother, you will die. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that every murderer does not have an eternal stomach abiding in him 2372. § 447. Christians must be merciful to one another. In the material body, if one limb suffers, all the limbs will suffer with it 2373. When an arm, or a leg, or a head, or an eye, or any other limb hurts, all the other limbs also suffer: Christians must also sympathize and have compassion for each other in the spiritual body. When one Christian is in trouble and suffering, the debtors and other Christians will be moved by his trouble and suffering and will pity him. To this the Christian apostle exhorts: remember the bondsmen, how to bind them; embittered, as if they themselves exist in the body 2374. And again: be kind to one another, merciful, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you 2375. And Christ said: be merciful, just as your Father is merciful 2376. To be merciful is nothing more than to sympathize with the sick, to sympathize with the distressed and suffering, and to weep with those who weep 2377. Even if a Christian does not move with his brother's misfortune with his mercy: he testifies about himself that he does not have a Christian spirit. Such are those who are angry with others for both and take revenge on them; who do not help their brothers in need, but are able to help; who, being able to provide for the beggars and the poor, send them away without satisfying them, and do not do the other works of mercy mentioned in Matthew chapter XXV in 35, 36. A Christian cannot be without faith, faith without love, and love without mercy. For love is not only merciful to one's brother, but also to infidels and enemies, and cannot but do good to anyone whom it sees in need of good. § 448. In the real body, one helps another. Hand to hand, foot to foot, eye to eye, ear to ear, and other limbs help each other. The stumbling leg is supported by the other leg; the hand washes, wipes, corrects and otherwise serves the other hand and other hands; the eye by vision, the ear by hearing, the nostrils by smell, the feet by movement and flight, other limbs and the whole body serve; The stomach and intestines work for the whole body by digesting food and drink. In the same way, in the spiritual body, Christians are obliged to help and work for each other, to work with love for each other 2378. When one is poor, the second will serve him. When one is sad, the other is to comfort him; when one is weak in faith, the other will strengthen him; when one deviates from the true path, the other guides it; and everyone, rich to the poor, intelligent to the feeble-minded, healthy to the sick, free to the prisoner, young to the old, strong to the wealthy, and whatever else he wills to himself, do to another, and what he does not want to himself, do not owe to another. The word of God exhorts us to this in many places. And Christ our Lord, everything that is created for us is good for a Christian, as for a Christian, He knows what He has created, as He says: I was hungry, and you will give Me to eat, I was thirsty, and give Me drink; strange run, and bring me in; naked, and clothe Me; sick, and visit Me; run to prison, and come to Me. And because you have made one of my brothers the least, you have made me 2379. And those who do not help their brothers - Christians, let them take note of what the righteous Judge will say to them: go away from Me cursed into the eternal fire prepared by the devil and his angels. Because I got bored, and you won't let me eat; I was thirsty, and do not give Me drink; I was a stranger, and you did not bring me in; naked, and do not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and do not visit Me. For if you do not make one less, you will not make Me 2380. Even those who do not benefactors will have such a terrible answer: what will be the answer for those who take from Christians even what they have and do evil to them? Consider this, Christian, who not only do not do good, but also do evil to your brothers. This is why you see, Christian, that just as a true and living member of the spiritual body of Christ is recognized by a Christian, so is a hypocritical, rotten and dead, or rather severed member, much more than evil creation. Because the bodies and limbs of each other feel sickness and need, and therefore help each other. And when a Christian does not help another, it is a sign that he does not feel his illness, as if he is not connected to himself; and therefore, not feeling, he does not sympathize and does not help him. Otherwise, he would not have left him without help in his need. § 449. In the real body, one warns and protects another from impending misfortunes. The hand protects the head, eyes, and other limbs when disaster comes from the blows of a rod, sword, and so on; the eyes warn the second limb with vision, the ears with hearing and a clear hearing when they find an attack from the ear of evil; the tongue biting and testing the harmful stomach and the whole body; olfactory sense of smell harmful to the entire composition of the stench; the legs run to save the approaching evil: and thus all the limbs burn for each other and for the integrity of the entire body composition. In this way, Christians should also help each other, as a friend will take care of each other, take care and care when they see trouble coming to each other, - with some words and advice, some with prayer, some with deed, to warn and protect the one who is in trouble. And those who do not do this, but rather insidiously prepare the way to the misfortune of their brothers, they do not belong to this society, which is holy and bound by the union of love; but the essence is like a tree that does not produce good fruit, which is cut down and thrown into the fire 2381; or rather, like dry and broken branches, which are collected and put into the fire, and burn 2382. § 450. In the physical body, the womb works for the sake of the whole body, cooks food, creates juices and turns it into blood, and thus distributes the blood to all the limbs, and in this way strengthens, multiplies and ages all the limbs and the whole body. This is how shepherds should be in their spiritual body, like a womb, in their work: I feed the word of God first inside myself by reading, teaching, thinking and paying attention, one place with another intercourse, as if chewing and boiling, and turning it into spiritual juice and blood, and so my brothers, spiritual wives, they will divide, and thereby strengthen the weak, bring the young to age, until we all reach the union of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, a perfect man, in the measure of the age of Christ's fulfillment 2383. And those shepherds who do not do this, sin against their duty, and wear the name of a shepherd in vain. A shepherd is not a shepherd for himself, but a shepherd for the sheep. Why, I will give an answer to the Chief of the shepherds, Jesus Christ on the day of judgment, Who will then seek out His sheep by their hands. § 451. We see that in the material body all the limbs work for the sake of the belly, all serve it, provide it with food and drink so that it is strengthened: because it works and cooks food for the sake of the common benefit of the womb. For if the stomach, not taking food, weakens, then all the limbs also weaken, and so the whole person becomes weak, which we notice in the weak who do not take food, and those who are starving, and everyone finds out about himself in times of hunger and thirst. It should be the same in the spiritual body, that is, Christianity. Because pastors and teachers work for the common good, all Christians should ask them in general. They should, I say, be asked so that they have time for the sake of the common Christian benefit, to work hard, to exercise themselves in reading and pondering God's words, and as if to distribute the cooked food of God's words for the benefit of their listeners. He is worthy because he earns his wages 2384. For the shepherds sow spiritually: how much more do the listeners reap the carnal 2385? If they ask the souls of the listeners with the word of God, and so they think about their eternal salvation: is it great when they receive bodily food for the maintenance of a temporary stomach? As much as the soul is divided from the body, and the eternal life from the temporal, so much is the food of God's words, with which the souls of the shepherds ask the souls of the hearers, the dearest is the food of the body, which they receive from their hearers. Да общается убо очися словещем участье в вѣхъ благыхъ 2386 . Who is fighting with his dues when? Or who plants grapes and does not eat the fruit? Or who grazes the herd, but the milk of the herd is not eaten 2387? § 452. This is what has been written, Christian: 1) If the union of the faithful with Christ, the Son of God, is great, namely, so much, as much as the whole body and members with the head, then this is their great honor, glory and joy. 2) How Christians should obey Christ as their Head, and not do anything contrary to His will. We see that all the members of the natural body obey their head and do nothing against it. The hands do nothing, the legs do not walk, the stomach does not digest food, the tongue does not speak, and the whole body does not move, when the head does not think and does not want; and when the head wants, and what it thinks and wants, that is what its limbs do, and each limb sends its work: the eyes look and turn wherever they want; the language speaks what and as much as she wants and as much as she wants; legs go where they want; hands do what they want. So also other members obey the will of their head. Christians are obliged to show such obedience and obedience to Christ, their holy Head: do not do anything that He does not want; and do whatever He wants. In this way, they will show that they are truly united with Him by faith and love, as with the head of a branch. - 3) From this it can be seen that Christians are cut off and rejected from Christ and His holy churches, who do not obey Him, but live according to their whims. The limbs obey the head, but the head does not obey the second body. For example Peter's body and limbs do not do what Paul's head thinks and wants: because Peter's limbs are not connected to Paul's head. Thus, a Christian who does not obey Christ testifies about himself that he has turned away from Christ, and is not a true and living member of His holy church, but is a dead member, and like a branch withered and cut off from the vine 2388, although he confesses the name of Christ, and goes to church with believers, etc. doing things. - 4) Again, you see how a Christian behaves dutifully with his fellow Christian, namely, how he behaves with himself, that is, not flatteringly, not insidiously, not hypocritically, but simply and sincerely; what he does not want for himself, that is not done to him; and what he wills, he will do to him; what he speaks with his tongue, he has in his heart; and what is benevolent, affectionate, loving and charitable to him on the outside, so be on the inside. This is what the union of widows, the united bodies of the united, requires. – 5) There is not a true Christian, as it was said above, but there is a hypocrite who treats his neighbor not lovingly, but cunningly and hypocritically and unmercifully. 6) Let such Christians take note of what the prophet proclaims to them: the ax is already lying at the root of the tree: every fallen tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire 2389. Conversation 8th on the 1st post. къ Cor. Mf. 5, 22, 23, 24 and following.