ХРИСТИАНИН

Tell me, please: do you beat, trample, bite? Are you a boar or a wild ass? And you are not ashamed, do not blush at your atrocity, forgetting your dignity? Are you poor? But you are free. Are you a craftsman? But you are a Christian. That is why you yourself should live in peace, because you are poor. Only rich people tend to quarrel, not poor people - rich people, I say, who have many reasons for quarreling. You do not take advantage of the pleasures of wealth, meanwhile you are looking for troubles that are inseparable from it - enmity, strife, quarrels, you torture and strangle your brother and bring him down in front of everyone. Don’t you understand that in your shamelessness you are imitating the unbridledness of the dumb, or, rather, making them even worse? The dumb have everything in common, they gather and walk together; but we, on the contrary, have nothing in common, but everything is upside down: enmities, strife, quarrels, hatred, resentment (6). The Lord wants a Christian to be a teacher, leaven, light and salt for the universe. What does light mean? Life is bright, without anything dark in it. Light is not useful to oneself, just like salt and leaven, but it benefits others. Therefore, we are required to be useful not only to ourselves, but also to others. After all, salt, if it does not salt, is no longer salt. This also shows that if we lead a virtuous life, then others will certainly live the same way; as well as vice versa - until we ourselves are virtuous, we will not bring any benefit to others (8). There are many Christians in name, but in reality there are very few. Some seem to be Christians and disciples of Christ in appearance, but traitors in character; in words they are pious and merciful, but in deeds they are unmerciful and wicked; Christians by name, but pagans by conviction, because, as the prophet David predicted, “they mixed with the pagans and learned their deeds” (Ps. 106:35). And indeed, this prophecy has come true for us. How many Christians practice Jewish and Greek fables, genealogies, fortune telling, stargazing, magic and talismans? How many Christians observe unhappy days and years, omens and dreams and the cries of birds? Then, aren’t Christians bathing in springs, first immersing lamps in them? Don’t Christians believe in meetings, eat things sacrificed to idols and strangled things, eat the blood of those crushed by beasts and torn to pieces by birds, and much more like that? How can those who admit all this be Christians? By what right do they dare to call themselves Christians? How do they dare to approach the Divine Sacraments, being worse than the pagans? In the same way, how many Christians adhere to pagan customs such as decorating faces, greetings, dancing, clapping, men wearing women's clothing? With such customs, what benefit does it bring to a person to be called a Christian? After all, just as a maiden, as long as she retains her virginity, is worthily and decently called a virgin and is in fact a virgin, but if someone seduces her and corrupts her and she loses her virginity, then she is no longer a virgin, so is a professed Christian, if he has violated the covenant and trampled on his vows, and rejected the word of the Gospel, and lives like a pagan, then it is useless for him to be called a Christian (9). There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not care about the salvation of others. Here you cannot excuse yourself by poverty; She who puts in two mites will convict you (see Luke 21:2); and Peter said: “I have no silver or gold” (Acts 3:6). And Paul was so poor that he often went hungry and did not have the food he needed. You cannot excuse yourself by ignorance; and they were humble and not from nobles. You cannot point out ignorance; and they were unlearned. Even if you were a slave, even if you were a fugitive, then you can fulfill your task; such was Onesimus, and, however, look at what [Paul] calls him to and to what dignity he elevates: “if you have fellowship with me,” he says, “in my bonds” (Phil. 1:17, 10). You cannot apologize through weakness; such was Timothy, who often suffered from illnesses. And that he was weak, listen: “drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23). Everyone can be useful to their neighbor if they want to do what depends on them. Do you not see the barren trees, how strong they are, how beautiful, tall, smooth and tall? But, if we had a garden, then we would rather have fruitful pomegranate or olive trees than them, because they give [only] pleasure and not benefit, although, however, there is some small benefit from them. Such are those who care only about themselves or even worse; they are only suitable for burning, while those [trees are suitable] both for construction and for storing things in them. Such were those virgins, although pure, adorned and chaste, they brought no benefit to anyone; that is why they are condemned to be burned (see Matt. 15:1–12). Such were those who did not nourish Christ; Note that none of them is condemned for their own sins: neither for adultery, nor for perjury, nor for anything at all, but for the fact that they were not useful to another (see Matthew 25:41–46). Such was the talent buried in the ground, impeccable in his life, but useless for another (see Matthew 25:18–28). And how can such a person be a Christian? Tell me: if leaven mixed with flour does not impart its properties to the whole [mixture], is it leaven? Also, if the ointment does not provide fragrance to those approaching, can we call it myrrh? Don’t say: it’s impossible for me to help others; if you were a [true] Christian, then it would be impossible not to be. Just as that which constitutes the property of [a thing] cannot be contrary to it, so it is here, because it constitutes the property of a Christian. Don't insult God. If you were to say that the sun cannot shine, you would insult Him; if you say that a Christian cannot be useful, then you will [also] offend God and call [Him] a liar, because it is more likely that the sun will neither warm nor shine than a Christian will not enlighten; It is sooner that the light become darkness than this. Don't say it's impossible; the opposite of this is impossible. Don't insult God. If we do well what depends on us, then, without a doubt, this will also happen as a natural consequence. The light of a Christian cannot be hidden; a lamp so bright cannot be hidden (10). I testify openly and proclaim louder than a trumpet, and if it were possible, I would not refuse to ascend to some elevated place and proclaim that none of the people living on earth can harm a Christian. What am I saying: from people? Neither can a demon, a tormentor, a devil, if [the Christian] himself does not cause harm to himself; and whoever wants to harm us will try in vain. Just as no person can harm an Angel who is on earth, so no person can harm [such] a person. And he himself cannot harm another as long as he is kind. What can be compared with such a person who can neither tolerate harm nor harm another? The latter, i.e. to not want to harm another, no less than the first. This is like an Angel and like God, because that is what God is like. But He is like this by nature, and He is like this by will. So, [a Christian] can neither suffer harm nor harm another. However, the words: cannot but be taken for powerlessness (because powerlessness means the opposite of this) - I mean here dislike. By nature, he is not disposed either to endure harm or to do evil to another; and the latter is also harmful. We also harm ourselves when we do evil to others, and most of our sins come precisely from the fact that we do not wish good for ourselves. Thus, a Christian cannot tolerate harm because he cannot harm another (10). You might be interested in: