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What kind of work, really, is it to forgive someone who has offended? It is not forgiveness, but the maintenance of enmity that is difficult. On the contrary, it is very easy for those who want to free themselves from anger, and this also brings peace (6). The Savior’s requirement is twofold: that we feel our sins and that we forgive others. You need to feel your sins in order to make it more convenient to forgive them to others (since he who reflects on his own sins is more lenient towards his neighbor). We must forgive others not only with words, but with a pure heart. So, let us not turn the sword against ourselves with our memory of malice. In what way and to what extent will the one who insulted you harm you, as much as you will harm yourself by feeding anger within yourself and being condemned by God for this? If you are reasonable and wise, then evil will turn on the head of the offender and he will suffer severely. If you are offended and indignant, then you yourself will suffer - not from him, but from yourself. So, do not say that another has insulted you, and slandered you, and caused great harm: the more you speak, the more you will show that he is your benefactor. He gives you the opportunity to be freed from your sins, so that the more offenses he inflicts on you, the more he becomes the reason for the cleansing of your sins. Indeed, if we want, no one can offend us; Even our enemies will bring us the greatest benefit. But what about people? Can anyone be more crafty than the devil? But he can also provide us with the most convenient opportunity for our glory, as the example of Job shows. If the devil provides an opportunity to receive crowns, then why fear the enemy - man? Look how much benefit you receive by bearing insults from your enemies without complaint: the first and most important is the remission of sins; the second is patience and generosity; the third is meekness and philanthropy, since the one who is not able to be angry at those who insult him will be all the more meek towards those who love him; the fourth is the complete destruction of anger, which no good can equal, since one free from anger is, without a doubt, free from the troubles associated with it, and does not spend his life in vain grief and torment. He who does not know how to quarrel does not know sorrow, but enjoys joy and other countless blessings. So, by hating others, we punish ourselves, just as by loving others, we benefit ourselves. Moreover, everyone will respect you, even your enemies themselves, even if they were demons; or rather, by doing this, you will no longer have an enemy. But most importantly, you will gain God's mercy. If you have sinned, you will receive forgiveness of your sins; if you are right, you will receive greater boldness towards God. So, let us not harbor hatred for anyone, in order to earn love from God ourselves - and then, even if we owe ten thousand talents, He will have mercy on us and have mercy on us. But are you offended by your neighbor? That’s why be lenient with him; do not harbor hatred; cry and weep, and do not despise him: after all, it was not you who angered God, but he; and you, having suffered an insult, acted praiseworthy. Remember that Christ, going to die on the Cross, rejoiced over Himself, but wept over His crucifiers: we should do the same. The more we are offended, the more we should mourn those who offended us; For us, great good comes from this, but for them, on the contrary, great evil. But your neighbor offended you in front of everyone and even hit you? This only means that he dishonored and disgraced himself in front of everyone and armed a thousand accusers against himself; on the contrary, he prepared many crowns for you and gave many heralds of your generosity. But he slandered you in front of others? What do you care about this, when God Himself will consider your case, and not those who heard the slander? He only added an extra reason for his punishment, since he will have to answer not only for his actions, but also for the fact that he condemned you. He slandered you before people, and he himself became guilty before God. If this is not enough for you, then remember that the Lord Himself was slandered both by Satan and by people, and, moreover, before those whom He loved most. His only begotten Son experienced the same thing, who therefore said: “If the master of the house was called Beelzebub, how much more of his household?” (Matthew 10:25). And not only did that evil demon slander Him, but even managed to pass off his slander as the truth - and slandered him not in some unimportant way, but in the greatest and most shameful crimes: he called Him a madman, a flatterer, and an adversary to God. But you, having shown good deeds to your neighbor, suffer offense from him? Therefore, especially cry and be sick for those who have caused you harm, but rejoice in yourself: you have become like God, “He commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good” (Matthew 5:45). But if imitation of God exceeds your strength (although for a zealous person this is not difficult, but let it seem to you beyond your strength), then we will show you an example to follow in slaves like you. Look at Joseph: although he suffered countless disasters from his brothers, he nevertheless benefited them; look at Moses, who, after the countless attacks of the Jews against him, prayed for them; look at blessed Paul, who could not even count the sufferings that he suffered from the Jews, and despite all this, he still wanted to be under anathema for them; look at Stephen, who, being stoned, prayed for remission of sin to these murderers. Having remembered all this, leave all anger, so that God may forgive you all your sins (7). Think about how much you are guilty, and not only do not refuse forgiveness to those who have offended you, but also rush to those who have upset you, so that you too have a reason to receive forgiveness, to find an excuse for your own untruths. The pagans, not expecting any great benefits, often acted prudently in such cases; and you, having such hopes in mind, refuse forgiveness, and hesitate, and do not decide in advance, out of obedience to the law of God, to do what will happen by itself over time, but would you rather have the passion go out in you without any reward for you, than with a reward? If your passion fades over time, then it will not benefit you at all; on the contrary, great punishment awaits you, because you did not, according to the inspiration of the law of God, do what time has done. If you say that the memory of an insult inflames you with anger, then remember whether the one who insulted you did you any good; and think together, how much evil have you plotted against others? Did he slander and dishonor you? Imagine that you, too, have slandered others. How can you receive forgiveness when you yourself deny it to others? But you didn't slander anyone? But you listened to how the other was slandered, and agreed. And this is not without sin. Do you want to know how good it is to forgive offenses and how much it pleases God? He punishes those who rejoice when they see those being justly punished by Him, because although they are righteously punished, you should not rejoice. And the prophet, having exposed many untruths, added: “Do not worry about Joseph’s misfortune!” ( Amos 6:6 ); and again: “Neither will she who lives in Tzaan escape; the mourning in the village of Etzel will not let you stop there” (Mic. 1:11). Although Joseph, that is, the tribes that descended from him, and others neighboring them, were punished by God’s determination, He wants us to have compassion for them too. If we, being angry, when we punish a slave and see that one of his comrades is laughing, become even more irritated and turn our anger against the latter, then much more will God punish those who rejoice when they see those being punished by Him. And if we should have pity and not attack those who are being punished by God, then even more should we have pity on those who sin against us. This is a sign of love, and God prefers love to everything. Just as in the royal scarlet robe those colors and colors that decorate the chlamys are considered precious, so here too those virtues that contain love are precious. And nothing preserves love better than by forgiving the wrongs of those who are guilty before us. Doesn't God also care about the offended? Doesn't He send the offended to the offended? Doesn’t he send him to him from the very altar and doesn’t he call him to the meal after reconciliation (see Matt. 5:23)? However, that’s why you don’t need to wait for him to come to you; otherwise you've lost everything. This is why God especially assigns you a great reward, so that you can precede him; so if you are reconciled at his request, then love will no longer be the fruit of the command of God, but of the zeal of the one who offended - which is why you remain uncrowned, while he receives a reward. What are you saying? Do you have an enemy and are not ashamed? Isn’t the devil enough for us to still make enemies for ourselves from among those like us? Oh, if only he would stop enmity against us! Oh, if only he were not the devil! Don't you know how great the pleasure is after reconciliation? What is need if it is not clearly revealed during the hostility itself? Only after the cessation of hostility can one learn well that it is much more pleasant to love the one who has offended than to hate (7). If you see that your heart is on fire [from resentment], protect your chest with the sign of the cross: remember something that happened then, and with this memory you will dispel all disturbance of the spirit like dust. Thoughts about words, deeds; think that He is the Master and you are the slave. He suffered for you, and you for yourself; He is for those who benefited from Him and crucified Him together, and you are for yourself; He is for those who insult Him, and you are often for those who are offended by you; He is in the eyes of the whole city, even the entire Jewish people, in the eyes of strangers and compatriots, to whom He spoke humane words, and you are in the presence of several. And what’s most offensive is that He was abandoned by the disciples themselves. Those who formerly served Him fled from Him; and enemies and opponents - Jews, soldiers, robbers on both sides - surrounding the Crucified One, annoyed, reproached, reviled, mocked, blasphemed: and the robbers both reviled and blasphemed Him. But how does Luke say (see Luke 23:40) that one of the thieves reviled Him? It was both; At first they both blasphemed, but after that not so much. So that you do not think that this happened by some kind of agreement or that the robber was not a robber, the evangelist, with his curse, proves to you that at first there was a robber and an enemy on the cross, but suddenly he changed. So, reflecting on all this, think: what have you suffered that is similar to what your Lord suffered? Are you publicly embarrassed? But of course it's not like that. Are you punished? But, of course, not all over the body, and not so much naked and tortured. If they choked you, then again it’s not like that. Add to this: from whom, for what, when? And what’s hardest of all is that no one complained about what was happening then, no one showed indignation; on the contrary, everyone praised, everyone laughed and put him to shame, they reviled Him as a deceiver, a self-praiser and a flatterer who cannot justify his words with deeds. But He was completely silent, giving us an invaluable healing - long-suffering. And we, listening to this, do not know how to be patient even in front of our slaves, but we jump and kick like wild donkeys; We are cruel and inhumane against those who offend us, but we care little about what concerns God. We remain the same in our attitude towards friends: if someone offends us, we will not tolerate it; If anyone annoys us, we become more savage than the beasts, we who read this daily. One disciple betrayed him, the others left Him and ran away; those who were favored spat on Him; the servant of the bishops began to blow his ear; the soldiers hit the cheeks; those passing by mocked and reviled; the robbers also reproached; and He did not answer a word to anyone, but conquered everyone with silence, teaching you in fact that the more you endure everything with meekness, the easier you will defeat those who treat you unfairly and make everyone marvel at you. Who, indeed, would not marvel at the one who with meekness endures the insults inflicted by impudent slanderers? Just as one who, although legitimately suffering, endures adversity with meekness, is considered by many to be an innocent sufferer, so, on the contrary, one who suffers innocently, but rages out of impatience, attracts the suspicion that he is suffering something worthy and becomes the subject of laughter, like a prisoner carried away by anger, having lost his nobility. Such a person is not worthy to be called free; at least managed thousands of servants. But has anyone really annoyed you? So what's the point? Now is the time to show your wisdom. We even see animals as meek when no one annoys them; They don’t always rage, but only when someone teases them. So, if we only remain calm when no one annoys us, then how are we superior to animals? It is not without reason that they often rush about and can be excused, since they are furious because they are irritated and beaten; Moreover, they have no reason, and they have received brutality from nature. But when you rage and commit atrocities, tell me, what can you find an excuse for? What evil have you suffered? Was he robbed? That is why you must endure this, because by doing so you gain more. Is he dishonored? What's in it? You yourself have become no less if you are reasonable. If you have not suffered anything bad, then why are you angry with someone who not only did you no harm, but also brought you benefit? Those who respect us lull and soften us; on the contrary, those who offend and despise make those who are attentive to themselves more patient. Lazy people suffer more harm when they are respected than when they are insulted. Those who insult us make us smart when we are awake to ourselves; and those who praise us increase arrogance in us, arouse pride, vanity, carelessness and make the soul pampered and weak. This is proven by those fathers who do not so much caress their children as scold them, fearing that they might suffer harm from indulgence; The same remedy is used by teachers. Therefore, if anyone should be turned away, it is the flatterers, and not those who insult us: flattery does more harm than insult. Affection is a bait for the unwary, and it is more difficult to guard against it than that one; and there is more reward for that, more glory. And truly, it is more worthy of surprise to see a person who is insulted - and he is not indignant, than one who is beaten, struck - and he does not fall. But how is it possible, you say, not to be indignant? Has anyone offended you? Mark your chest with the sign of the cross; remember everything that happened on the Cross, and everything will go out. Don’t think about insults alone, but remember at the same time the good that you ever received from someone who offended you; and you will immediately become meek. Especially and first of all, bring to mind the fear of God - and you will soon become moderate and calm (7). “Forgive us,” we say, “our debts, just as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). I know that an offended soul does not easily endure insults; but if we think that by forgiving an offense we are doing good not so much to the offender as to ourselves, then we will easily spew out the poison of anger. And the one who did not forgive his debtor a hundred denarii did not offend his brother, but made himself a debtor of a thousand talents, which had previously been forgiven him. Thus, when we do not forgive others, we do not forgive ourselves. Let us not only say to God: do not remember our sins, but let everyone say to himself: let us not remember the sins of our brothers against us. You yourself are the first judge of your affairs, and then God judges them. You write for yourself the law of forgiveness and punishment and pronounce upon yourself the sentence of one or the other; Thus, it depends on you whether God will remember your sins or not. That is why Paul commands to forgive if anyone has a complaint against someone (Col. 3:13), and not just to forgive, but so that no trace (of anger) remains. And Christ not only did not point out our sins, but also did not remember that we had sinned, and did not say: you sinned in this and that, but forgave and destroyed the handwriting, without imputing the crimes to us, as Paul explained it (see Col. 2:14). Let us do the same and erase everything from our memory; unless something good was done by those who insulted us - this is one thing we will remember. And if he did something offensive and hostile, then let’s leave it and erase it from memory, so that no trace remains. If there was nothing good for us from him, then the greater the reward for us, the greater the praise, if we forgive. Others blot out their sins by vigils, lying on the ground and countless deeds; and you can destroy all your sins in a much easier way - by not remembering evil (8). It is not those who suffer offense that are worthy of tears, but those who cause it. A covetous person, a slanderer and anyone who does any other evil harms themselves much more, but they bring us the greatest benefit if we do not avenge ourselves. Suppose, for example, such and such robbed, and you thanked and glorified God for the offense. Through this thanksgiving you acquired for yourself countless rewards, just as he prepared for himself an indescribable fire. If someone says: what if I could not take revenge on the one who offended me, because I am weaker than him? - then I will answer this: you could be angry and angry, because it is in our power, to wish harm to the one who saddened, to curse him a thousand times and dishonor him everywhere. Consequently, whoever did not do this will receive a reward for not taking revenge, since, obviously, he would not have taken revenge even if he could have done so. After all, an offended person, if he is cowardly, uses all kinds of weapons - he takes revenge on the offender with curses, curses, and slander. So, not only do not do this, but also pray for him; and if you not only do not do this, but also begin to pray for him, then you will be like God. “Pray,” it is said, “for those who offend you... that you may be like your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44, 45). Do you see what great benefit we receive from the insults inflicted on us by others? God delights in nothing so much as when we do not repay evil for evil? But what am I saying: when we do not repay evil for evil? After all, we are commanded to repay the opposite - with good deeds, prayers. Therefore, Christ rewarded the one who wanted to betray Him with good deeds, namely: He washed his feet, rebuked him in secret, reproached him with meekness, served, honored him with a meal and a kiss, and although [Judas] did not become any better from this, He did not stop doing His own (9). Do you want your sins to be forgiven? Forgive your neighbor for his sins against you. If you do not forgive your brother’s sins, the Lord will not forgive yours either, because He said: “If you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins” (Matthew 6:15) (9). You might be interested in: