ТЩЕСЛАВИЕ

The Pharisees, being infected with vanity and given over to this terrible passion, did not receive any benefit from His conversation. And in fact, this passion is terrible and many-headed. Captivated by it, some strive for wealth, others for power, others for power. Extending her power further, she turns into food and alms, and fasting, and prayers, and the gift of teaching, and many other heads of this beast. However, it is not at all surprising when people are proud of wealth and power, but it is strange and worthy of mourning when they turn fasting and prayer into an object of their vanity. But in order not to dwell here only on reproaches, we will also indicate a way to avoid this passion. Who should we start with first? Is it with those who are vain of wealth, or clothing, or power, or the gift of teaching, or bodily strength, or art, or beauty, or clothes, or cruelty, or philanthropy and almsgiving, or vices, or death, or orders that must be carried out after their death? This passion, as I said, entangles us in many different ways and extends even beyond the boundaries of our life. That’s why they say: so-and-so died and, so that they would be surprised at him, bequeathed to do this and that. That's why one wants to be poor and the other rich. This is especially and terrible that the passion of vanity finds food for itself in opposite objects (7). Vanity is harmful everywhere, but especially in matters of philanthropy, since here it is extreme cruelty, extracting praise for itself from the misfortunes of others and almost swearing at those living in poverty. If pointing out your good deeds means reproaching the recipient, then isn’t it much worse to show them off in front of many? How can we avoid this evil? We will escape it when we learn to be truly merciful and consider from whom we seek glory. Tell me, who is the first teacher of alms? Of course, the One who taught us it by His example, i.e. God, who knows everyone best and endlessly provides it. What then? If you were learning the art of wrestling, who would you look to or to whom would you show your success in it - the one who sells vegetables and fish, or the teacher of this art, even if there were many of them, and this one? And if everyone else began to laugh at you, and he praised you, wouldn’t you also laugh at them with him? Or: if you were studying the art of fighters, would you not look in the same way at someone who knows how to teach this art? Likewise, if you were practicing eloquence, would you not value the praise of the teacher of eloquence and neglect the judgment of others? So, is it not reckless in other arts to pay attention only to the approval of the teacher, but in works of mercy to do the opposite - and especially since the harm in both cases is not the same? In fact, if you fight only to please the people, and not the teacher, then the whole trouble matters only in relation to this struggle, but here the matter concerns eternal life. If you become like God through almsgiving, then be like Him in not doing it for show. When He healed someone, He said not to tell anyone about it. But do you want to be known as merciful among people? What kind of profit? There is no profit, but the harm is endless, since the very ones whom you call as witnesses take away from you, like robbers, the treasures of heaven, or, better to say, it is not they, but we ourselves who plunder our own acquisitions and waste our wealth stored in the heavenly abodes. Here is a new disaster, a new extraordinary evil! What the moth does not destroy, what the thief does not steal, vanity plunders. Behold the moth that destroys eternal treasures! Here is a thief, plundering heavenly goods! Here is a thief of unstolen wealth! This is what destroys and corrupts everything good! So, when the devil sees that this country is inaccessible either to robbers or other attackers and that its treasures are not destroyed by moths, he plunders them with vanity (7). Giving alms for show destroys the reward, and the one who does this deprives himself of future goodness. No other passion is as harmful to the soul as the passion of vanity. After all, a person becomes infected with this disease precisely when he has already made great progress in fulfilling the commandments. That is why the Savior hastens to cut this passion in us by the roots, teaching us to give alms secretly (9). There is nothing worse than vanity. It was precisely this that destroyed the Jews most of all. That is why Christ said to them: “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another, but do not seek the glory that is from the One God?” (John 5:44). Vanity, together with death, excites great laughter, and before further punishment brings on countless disasters here. And if you want to know this, without touching yet heaven, from where vanity brings us down, and Gehenna, into which it plunges, we will consider everything that it produces here. And really, what could be more harmful, more shameful and heavier than vanity? That this disease causes losses is proven by the useless and vain expenditures on theaters, stadiums and other equally unnecessary entertainments, such as the construction of magnificent and luxurious houses and all sorts of other unnecessary structures, which now cannot even be described. Everyone knows that a wasteful person who loves pomp and suffers from the disease of vanity necessarily becomes a thief and a covetous person. To deliver food to this beast, he lays his hands on other people's property. And what about property? This fire consumes not only money, but also souls, preparing not only present, but also future death. Vanity is the mother of Gehenna, it strongly ignites hellfire and the poisonous worm. Everyone knows that it extends its power over the dead, and what could be worse than that? All other passions cease with death, but vanity continues its action even after death and tries to show its properties over the deceased body. When dying people make sure that magnificent monuments are erected for them, on which all their property must be spent, and they try to show extraordinary splendor in the coffin; When people, during their lifetime, insulted beggars who approached them for one ovol or a piece of bread, and, when dying, prepared abundant food for the worm, then what power will you find more painful than this disease? From this same evil impure love is born, since many are drawn into adultery not by the beauty of their faces, not by the lust of copulation, but by the desire to boast: I seduced so-and-so and drew her into fornication. And is it necessary to talk about other vices that grow from here? I would rather be a slave to many barbarians than to one of vanity, since the barbarians do not command captives what vanity commands its subordinates. Be the servant of all, it says, whether they be greater than you or lesser. Don’t care about your soul, don’t worry about virtue, laugh at freedom, sacrifice your salvation, and if you do any good, then do it not to please God, but for show to people, so that you can get a crown from them; If you give alms or fast, endure the labor, but try to destroy the benefit. What could be more inhumane than such demands? This is where envy, arrogance, and love of money originate - the mother of all evils. A crowd of slaves, barbarians dressed in gold, parasites, flatterers, silvered chariots and much more, which is even more ridiculous, are used not for pleasure and benefit, but out of sheer vanity. Yes, you say, everyone knows that this passion is evil, but how can we avoid it - that’s what we should talk about. The main thing is that if you completely convince yourself that this illness is serious, then you will make the best start towards correction, because the patient immediately looks for a doctor as soon as he finds out that he is sick. And if you are looking for another way to avoid [the evil that results from this], then look unceasingly to God and be content with the glory that comes from Him. If you notice that this passion incites you and encourages you to tell your brothers about your merits, then first of all think that no benefit will come from this story for you, extinguish the absurd passion and tell your soul: this is how long you have been tormented to talk about your merits, and you could not remain silent, but declared to everyone - what benefit does this have for you? There is no benefit, but great harm to everyone - the loss of everything that you collected with great difficulty (11). You might be interested in: