ЗЛЫЕ ЛЮДИ

Let us not be afraid of evil people, but feel sorry for them. Then indeed they were terrible, when the high path leading to wisdom had not yet been discovered; and now that heaven is open to us and people become angels, they are no longer scary. So an animal, rushing with great swiftness at the tip of a spear, apparently threatens the one holding the spear with danger, but inflicts a severe wound on itself; and the one who rushes “against the pricks” (Acts 9:5) also stains his feet with blood. Such is virtue - a sharp sword is born, and all evil people are worse and crazier than wild animals. When they attack the good, they cause much more harm to themselves; They cause a loss in money or health to the good, and they themselves cause significant harm to their soul. If the loss of property harmed our own virtue, then Paul would not have commanded to endure insults, and not to offend (see 1 Cor. 6:7). If tolerating insults were evil, then the Lawgiver of good would not have commanded evil. However, although this is indeed the case, one should not give oneself over to evil people and have communication with them, but run away and evade their society; and when they attack, then face them courageously. That is why we are commanded to pray so as not to fall into temptation. Therefore, the prophet [David], having said: remove me, Lord, from the evil man, adds: deliver me from the unrighteous man (Ps. 139:2), again meaning vice in general, because he speaks here of unrighteousness not only in relation to property, but in relation to everything. The prophet asks to be delivered so as not to fall, or so as not to become the same. Moreover, he asks not simply, but having done what is due on his part (3). Such is an evil person: the more benefits he receives, the more he becomes inflamed with envy. The power of beneficence is food for the malice of the person being benefited. Remove me, O Lord, from the evil man (Ps. 139:2) - not from demons. Demons are driven away by the sign of the cross, and the evil man confronts the Lord himself; Paul cast out demons with one word, but he could not overcome the anger of Alexander the forger: “Alexander the coppersmith,” he says, “did me a lot of harm. May the Lord reward him according to his deeds!” (2 Tim. 4:14). Remove me, Lord, from the evil man, not from the good man. “A good man brings good things out of a good treasure, and an evil man brings evil things out of an evil treasure” (Matthew 12:35), and from his heart, as if from a root, each of them returns his own, the good one - kindness, and the evil one - wickedness (3). If a person does not change the morals of his life, then he is no different from wild animals. We sometimes call wrong and evil people wild beasts, thinking that it is not enough to call them only beasts, and in order to show their completely cruel mental state, we call them wild beasts; Moreover, if we think that even this is not enough, then we call them demons - and evil and harmful demons. The fact that a person is endowed with a body is not enough to reveal the measure of his humanity; but his soul needs to reveal that he is really a man. The body is formed to be the servant and slave of the soul. But when the mind accepts the morals of animals, then what is the use of a zither when the zither himself is sick? Nebuchadnezzar once had the body of a man, but his food, lifestyle and other habits were those of animals. And how many people are like him in morals! Oh, if only they, having retired, ate herbs with the beasts, and did not torment the bodies of people, did not drink their blood and did not plunder the property and wealth of others, since even animals do not have such a disposition that one beast torment another (4). You should blame the evil for the fact that, having the opportunity not to be so, they became evil; and you, having left this, test too much and explore the destinies of God, although you know that no one is evil out of necessity. You will say: one should be born only good - and there would be no need for Gehenna, or punishment, or torment, and there would not even be evil; the evil ones should either not have been born, or, if they were born, they should have died immediately. First of all, I should point you to the following apostolic saying: “Who are you, O man, that you argue with God? Will the product say to the person who made it: “Why did you make me this way?” (Rom. 9:20). If you demand evidence of reason, I will say that the good deserve greater surprise when they are among the evil, because then patience and great wisdom are especially revealed in them. You, by saying the above words, destroy the opportunity for struggle and exploits. Well, you say; In order for some to become good, others are punished? No, not for this, but for his crimes. They became evil not because they were born, but as a result of their negligence; That's why they are punished. How can those who have such teachers of virtue and do not receive any benefit from them not be worthy of punishment? Just as the good and the good are doubly worthy of honor because they were good and were not at all infected by the evil, so the evil are worthy of double punishment - both because they were evil, having the opportunity to become good (which is proven by those who became good), and because they did not receive any benefit from the good (7). There is no need, beloved, to enter into competition with evil people, but let us learn, unless it harms our virtue, to give way to their evil slander. In this way all insolence is tamed. Like arrows, hitting something elastic, hard and opposing, they bounce back with greater force - at those who launched them; when the swiftness of their flight does not meet with opposition, it soon loses strength and ceases - this is what happens with daring people. When we go against them, they become even more ferocious; when we give in to them and lag behind them, we can easily tame their fury (8). If it is necessary to cut off a member that, being connected to us, harms us, then shouldn’t it be much more necessary to distance ourselves from friends when connection with them does not lead to good. So, agreement is not always good, just as disagreement is not always bad. I say this so that we avoid evil people and look for good ones. If we cut off rotten and incurable members, fearing that the whole body would not be subject to the same infection, and we do this not out of disdain for them, but out of a desire to protect other parts of the body, then all the more should we do this in relation to people whose company is harmful to us. If we can correct them and not suffer harm ourselves, then we must use every effort to do so. If they do not correct themselves and we receive harm, then it is necessary to reject them and abandon them. From this they themselves often receive much more benefit. That is why Paul urged in this way: “Cast out the wicked one from among you,” and: “That he who has done such a thing may be taken out from among you” (1 Cor. 5:13, 2). It is harmful, truly harmful, to treat evil people. The infection does not stick as quickly and the scab destroys those exposed to this disease as the evil morals of vicious people. “Bad communities corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). And the prophet also says: “Flee from among them and be removed” (Jer. 51:6). Let no one have a vicious friend. If we abandon vicious children and do not respect either nature, or its laws, or its connections, then all the more should we run away from vicious friends and acquaintances. Even if we do not receive any harm from them, we still will not be able to avoid bad rumors. Outsiders do not peer into our lives, but judge us by our society. I command this to both wives and virgins. It is said: take care of what is good not only before God, but also before men (Rom. 12:17). Let us try our best not to tempt our neighbor. Even if our life was the most righteous, but if it serves as a temptation for others, it loses all its value. But how is it possible for a righteous life to seduce? [This happens] when being in company with other people brings bad publicity to her. When, relying on ourselves, we treat vicious people, then, even if we ourselves do not suffer harm, we seduce others. I say this to husbands, wives, and virgins, leaving it to their conscience to find out exactly how much evil is born from this. Let me not suspect anything bad, nor does anyone else who is more perfect; but the most simple-minded brother suffers harm from your perfection. But we must pay attention to his weakness. But if he does not suffer harm, then the pagan will suffer. And Paul commanded: “Do not give offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks, or to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32). I do not suspect anything bad about a virgin, because I love virginity, and love does not think evil. I absolutely love this lifestyle and can’t think of anything bad. But how will we convince outsiders? And we need to take care of them too. Let us behave in such a way that no one, even one of the infidels, can find a reason to rightly reproach us. Just as those who lead a righteous life glorify God, so, on the contrary, those who live badly give rise to blasphemy against Him. But God forbid that there should be such among us, but let our deeds shine so that our Father is glorified (8). When, while living virtuously, we are persecuted by evil people and suffer ridicule from them for our attachment to virtue, let us not grieve and grieve. Such is the property of virtue that it usually arouses hatred towards itself in evil people. Envying those who want to live righteously, and thinking to prepare an excuse for themselves if they denigrate the good reputation of others, evil people hate [the good] as going the opposite way and try in every possible way to disgrace their lives. But let us not lament, because the hatred of the wicked serves as a sign of virtue. That is why Christ says: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own” (John 15:19), and again in another place: “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you!” (Luke 6:26) (9). You might be interested in: