ОТЕЦ

Let us hasten, beloved, both to show zeal and to fulfill it with proper decorum and disposition. Child-loving fathers do the same: they offer their children not only what brings joy for a short time, but also what causes sorrow, and they instill in them not only what is immediately beneficial, but also what seems difficult, but turns out to be salutary in execution, and this latter is taught with special zeal and persistently demanded of them to observe (4). “Our Father who art in heaven!” (Matthew 6:9). Do you call God father, man? Fair enough: of course, He is the Father of all. But in this case, try to ensure that your deeds are pleasing to your Father. If your deeds are evil, then, of course, your father is the devil: he is the source of all evil. Therefore, try to distance yourself from him and please your good Father and Creator (9). It also happens as if some father gave his too tender and, moreover, sick son cake, refreshments and everything that just delights, but did not offer anything useful, and then, in response to the doctors’ comments, began to say in his own defense: “What should I do? I can't see my son crying." Unhappy, pathetic, traitor! - after all, I will not call such a father - wouldn’t it be much better, by causing short-term grief, to restore him to perfect health, rather than making temporary pleasure the cause of constant grief? The same thing happens to us when we care about the beauty of expressions, about the composition and euphony of speech, in order to give pleasure, and not to benefit, to arouse surprise, and not to teach, to delight, and not to reprove, to receive applause and depart with praise, and not to correct morals (10). Such [sinful] was that young man who, having squandered all his property, reached the last depravity, becoming more relaxed than any sick and insane person. But as soon as he wished, he suddenly became young just from his disposition and change of thoughts. As soon as he said: I will return to my father (see Luke 15:18), this one word, or, more correctly, not only the word, but also the deed that followed the words, brought him all the benefits. He did not say: I will go and - I stayed, but he said: I will go and - he went and completed his whole journey. Let us do the same; if we are carried away to someone else’s side, we will return to our father’s house and will not be afraid of the length of the journey. If only we wish, our return will be convenient and very soon, let’s leave only the alien and non-native side to us, that is, sin, which takes us far from our parental home. So, let’s leave sin in order to quickly return to our father’s roof. The Father is loving and will love us who repent no less, but even more, than those who please Him, since the father then honored the prodigal son with great honor and, having found his son, he rejoiced to a greater extent. But how can I return? - you say. Just make a start, and everything is already done; stop in a vicious life and do not go further - and you have already received everything. As with the sick, even this already constitutes the beginning of improvement, if they do not get worse, the same thing happens in relation to evil: do not go further - and your vicious deeds will come to an end. If you do this for two days, then on the third it will be easier for you to abstain, and by three days you will then add ten, then twenty, then a hundred, then a whole life. The further you move forward, the easier your path will seem; Finally, you will reach the very top and then you will immediately enjoy many benefits. After all, even then, when the prodigal son returned, pipes, harps, choirs, feasts and celebrations appeared; the one who should have demanded from his son an account of his untimely extravagance and such a long flight, did nothing of the kind, but met him as one who deserved praise, did not say a single reproachful word to him, did not even show the appearance that he remembered his former life, but hugged him, kissed him, slaughtered the calf, clothed him with clothes and adorned him a lot. And we, having such examples, will become bold and will not despair. After all, God rejoices not so much when He is called Master, but when He is called Father, not so much when He acquires a slave, but when He acquires a son, and He is more pleased to have a son than a slave. Everything He did, He did precisely for this purpose and did not spare His Only Begotten, so that we would receive adoption, so that we would love Him not only as a Master, but also as a Father. And if He achieves this from us, He is exalted, as is the one who glorifies Him; He announces this to everyone, although he has no need for anything of ours. He did this with Abraham, constantly repeating: I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Although the servants should boast about this, now the Master openly does it. That is why Peter asks: “Do you love Me more than they?” (John 21:15), - showing that before love it does not require anything from us. That’s why he ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son in order to show everyone how much the patriarch loved Him. And the desire to be deeply loved comes from strong love. That is why Christ said to the apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37) (11). Christ calls some children of God, and others sons of the devil, sons of disobedience, sons of hell, sons of destruction. Thus, Timothy, through virtue, became the son of Paul and was called a true son (1 Tim. 1:2); and we do not know the son of Paul’s sister by name, although he was close to Paul by carnal birth, but did not receive any benefit from it, and Timothy was distant both by carnal birth and by place of residence, as a citizen of the city of Lystra, but he became closer to everyone. Therefore, we too will try to become sons of saints, or, better yet, let us become sons of God. And that we can become sons of God, listen to what is said: “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That is why in prayer we call God Father and thereby remind ourselves not only of grace, but also of virtue, so that we do not do anything unworthy of such a relationship. But you ask: how can one become a son of God? If you are free from all passions, and behave meekly towards offenders and offenders. So does your Father do to those who blaspheme Him. And Christ, although he often spoke about many subjects, did not say anywhere: be like your Father, but when he said: “Do good to those who hate you and pray for those who abuse you” (Matthew 5:44), then he also mentioned this reward for the feat. Nothing brings us closer to God and makes us like Him like this perfection. That’s why Paul, when he says: “imitate God” (Eph. 5:1), means exactly this (11). You might be interested in: