МНОГОЗАБОТЛИВОСТЬ (ЖИТЕЙСКИЕ ДЕЛА)

May we have nothing unreasonable, nothing vain. And such are worldly affairs, such are the worries of life. That is why the virgins are called holy fools, because they cared about empty worldly affairs, collected them here, and did not put them aside where they should have. But I'm afraid that we won't suffer the same thing. I am afraid that we too will come dressed in unclean clothes where everyone has bright and shining robes. There's nothing dirtier. Nothing is worse than sin. That is why the prophet, depicting the nature of sin, cried out: “My wounds stink and fester” (Ps. 37:6). And if you want to know the stench of sin, then imagine it after it has been committed, at a time when you are freed from desire, when the fire [of passion] no longer bothers you: then you will see what sin is. Imagine anger when you are in a calm state. Imagine covetousness when you are alien to this passion. There is nothing more vile, nothing more disgusting than theft and covetousness. We often talk about this not because we want to disturb you, but in order to bring you great and wonderful benefit. Whoever did not correct himself after hearing it once, perhaps will correct himself after hearing it another time, and whoever missed it another time will correct himself the third time (8). If someone, sitting as if at the top of the spectacle, looked at the whole world - or, better yet, let us limit ourselves for now, if you like, to our city alone - so, if someone, sitting on a high place, could see everything human - think how much recklessness he would see, how many tears he would shed, what laughter he would laugh, how much hatred he would feel! We really act in such a way that our deeds are funny, stupid, pitiful, and hateful. Here is one who feeds dogs to catch wild animals, but he himself falls into atrocity; the other uses donkeys and oxen to carry stones, but despises people who are melting away from hunger, spends an abyss of gold to build stone people, and leaves real people, who have become stone from disasters, in neglect. Another collects precious stones and with great difficulty removes the walls with them, but when he sees the naked members of the beggars, he is not at all moved. Some invent more clothes to go with their clothes, while others do not have anything to cover their naked bodies with. In the courts, again, one devours the other. Some waste everything on harlots and parasites; another - on comedians and dancers; others - for magnificent buildings, for the purchase of villages and houses. Again, one calculates interest, the other calculates interest on interest; another composes papers filled with many murders, and even at night has no rest, vigilantly awake to the destruction of others. As soon as the day has come, one runs to unjust profit, another to dissolute spending, and others to embezzlement. In general, there is a lot of concern about what is unnecessary and forbidden, but not even a thought about what is necessary. Those who judge, indeed, bear the name of judges, but act like robbers and murderers. If anyone examines litigation or wills, he will again find a lot of evil here - deceit, theft, evil intentions. And everyone cares about this, but there is no thought about the spiritual. Everyone comes to church just to gawk; but this is not what is required of us - we need deeds and a pure soul. If you spend the whole day on covetousness and then, coming [to church], say a few words, then not only will you not appease God, but you will irritate Him even more. If you want to bend to the mercy of your Lord, then show your deeds: know the multitude of all kinds of disasters, look at the naked, the hungry, the offended. God has opened thousands of ways for you to love humanity. So, let us not deceive ourselves by living in vain and in vain, and let us not be careless because we are now healthy. We have been exposed to illness more than once and, having reached an extreme degree of exhaustion, died from fear and anticipation of the future. Thinking about this, we will think that we can again undergo the same thing; let us acquire the same fear and become better - since our real deeds are worthy of a thousand condemnations. Those who sit in courts are like lions and dogs, and those who trade in markets are like foxes. And even those who live without doing any business, do not use their freedom from business as they should, but waste all their leisure on theaters and the bad deeds that come from there. And there is no one who would reprove for all this; and there are many who compete and lament that they themselves cannot do on an equal basis with others. But these latter will also be punished, although they will not do anything bad, because “they not only do them, but also approve of those who do them” (Rom. 1:32). Their inclinations are equally corrupt, and from the words of the apostle it is clear that there will be punishment for the disposition of the heart (9). When the rapid stream of everyday affairs runs, it drowns everything and destroys any benefit that may have been acquired. After all, if someone, having a wound, applied medicine to it, but did not tie it carefully, but allowed it to fall off and allowed water, dust, heat, and countless other things that could poison his wound to get into his ulcer, then, of course, he would not receive any benefit, but not from the weakness of medical remedies, but from his own carelessness. This usually happens to us when we pay little attention to divine words, but indulge ourselves completely and continuously in everyday concerns. In this case, every seed is suppressed, and everything becomes sterile. So, to prevent this from happening, let us open our eyes, at least a little, look at the sky, look at the tombs and graves of departed people. And the same end awaits us, and this need for relocation often comes to us before evening. Let us begin to prepare for this departure. We need to store a lot for this journey, because there is great heat, great heat, complete desert. You can no longer stay in a hotel there; You can’t buy anything, but you need to take everything with you from here. Listen to what the virgins say: “go... to those who sell” (Matthew 25:9); but those who went gained nothing. Listen to what Abraham says: “a great chasm has been established between us and you” (Luke 16:26). Listen to what Ezekiel says about that day: “Noah, Daniel, and Job... would not have saved... the sons” (Ezekiel 14:14, 18). But God forbid we hear these words! God grant, on the contrary, that we stock up here with everything we need for eternal life and see our Lord Jesus Christ with boldness (9). By exhausting and exhausting our body and enduring countless labors, we can receive heavenly blessings. Don’t you see what a distance there is between heaven and earth, what kind of battle lies ahead, how inclined man is to evil, how sin surrounds him and what snares he lays? Why do we bring upon ourselves so many worries other than those that are natural, cause ourselves so much worry and impose such great burdens on ourselves? Don't we have enough worries about our stomach, clothes and home? Isn't it enough to take care of [things] necessary? Meanwhile, Christ removes these [concerns] from us: do not worry about your soul, what you will eat and what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will wear (Matthew 6:25). If we do not have to worry about the necessary food, and clothing, and even about the coming day, will those who impose such a great burden on themselves and bury themselves under it ever be able to rise up? Have you not heard what Paul says: “No soldier binds himself to the affairs of this life” (2 Tim. 2:4)? And we indulge in luxury, overeating and drunkenness, we work hard on foreign objects, and when it comes to heavenly objects we turn out to be weak. Don't you know that what is promised to us is higher than human? He who walks on earth cannot ascend to the heights of heaven; and we don’t even try to live like humans, but have become worse than the most dumb. Do you not know what judgment we will face? Don't you remember that we must give an account of our words and thoughts? And we don’t even care about business! “Whoever looks at a woman lustfully,” says [the Lord], “has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28); and people who must give account even for an immodest look do not hesitate to rot in this very sin. “Whoever says, “You are a fool,” is subject to fiery hell” (Matthew 5:22); but we do not cease to shame our brothers with countless insults and various slander. He who loves a lover is no better than a pagan (see Matt. 5:46), and we hate those who love. What kind of forgiveness will we receive when, being obliged to exceed the limits prescribed by the ancients, we spend our lives even below these limits? What can we say in our defense? Who will appear and help us when we are punished? No one: but with screams and sobs, gnashing our teeth and tormented, we will inevitably be thrown into impenetrable darkness, into [a place of] inevitable torment and unbearable executions. Therefore, I exhort, I ask and, touching your knees, I beg: while there is still a short period of life left, accept my words with contrition, convert, correct yourself, so that after death, like the rich man, you do not cry uselessly and do not grieve hopelessly. Whether your father, or son, or friend, or whoever else has boldness before God, no one will then deliver you from [the torment] deserved by your own deeds. This is the judgment seat there: it judges only by deeds, and it is impossible to be saved there otherwise. I say this not to sadden or lead to despair, but so that we, nourishing vain and cold hopes and relying on this or that, do not become negligent about our own virtue. If we are careless, then no one will protect us - not a righteous man, not a prophet, not an apostle; If we are zealous, having sufficient protection in our own affairs, then with boldness we will be rewarded with the good things prepared for those who love God (12). You might be interested in: