НЕДЕЛЯ 12-Я ПО ПЯТИДЕСЯТНИЦЕ

Gospel story about the rich young man On the way from Galilee to Judea, a rich young man, perhaps one of the leaders of the synagogue, approached Jesus. With reverence, he fell on his knees before Him and said: Good Teacher! What good thing can I do to have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16). Jesus knew that this young man, despite his good aspirations, lacked awareness of his sins, and therefore, wanting to awaken this desire in him, he said to him: Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone (Matthew 19:17). The young man saw in Jesus only a man similar to himself, so the Lord rejects such a name. He was good only because God was together, but among people no one is good. By this, He wanted to remind the young man not to consider himself a kind, good person, so that he would recognize his sins and the need for repentance. To do this, Jesus pointed him to the law and said: If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17). The young man was counting on extraordinary commandments, on a very special path to heaven, so he asks with a sense of his own dignity: Which ones? Of course not ancient, ordinary? And when Jesus actually named the ancient commandments: do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 19:18-19), - the young man answers the Lord with proud self-confidence: I have kept all this from my youth (Matthew 19:20). There was some truth in this answer; he kept the commandments as he understood them. But at the same time, these words conveyed his innocence and frankness. He himself noticed that this was still not enough, so he asked: What else am I missing? This noble desire, for which the whole law was not enough, this simplicity and frankness endeared the heart of Jesus to it. The Lord looked at him with a loving gaze and said one thing that he still lacked. His heart was still attached to earthly property, and in such a way that it could only be helped by completely tearing it away from wealth. Therefore Jesus said to him: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor; and have treasure in heaven, and come after Me (cf. Matthew 19:21). With this demand, Jesus completely revealed to the young man the depths of his heart and showed him his shortcomings. When the young man heard these words, he became sad and went away embarrassed, because he was very rich. He would have liked to be saved, but the struggle was very difficult for him, and too great a sacrifice was required. That's why he left Jesus. The example of this young man showed how much wealth can hinder entry into the Kingdom of Christ. With sadness, Jesus looked at the departing young man whom He loved, and said to His disciples: Truly I say to you, it is difficult for a rich man (who puts his hope in his wealth and attaches his heart to it) to enter the Kingdom of God. And again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24). The disciples were afraid of these words and timidly asked: So who can be saved? (Matthew 19:25). Jesus, looking at them, confirmed their opinion with the words: this is impossible for men, but - and with this He again consoles them - with God all things are possible (cf. Matthew 19:26). What do you need to do to inherit an eternal belly? In order to truly know what we must do to receive Eternal Life or Eternal Bliss, without a doubt, it is most reliable to pay attention to what Jesus Christ Himself recognized or commanded as necessary to receive Eternal Bliss. a) Jesus Christ commanded those who needed to receive the Eternal Life, or Eternal Bliss, to have faith in Him. For this is what he said to Nicodemus: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is fitting for the Son of Man to be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life. For God loved the world, for He gave His only begotten Son to eat, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life (John 3:14–16). b) Jesus Christ declared love for God and neighbor necessary to receive Eternal Life: when the lawyer asked Jesus Christ: what have I done, will I inherit eternal life? - and when the Lord asked him: what is written in the law? - and he answered: love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself, - then the Lord said to him: do this, and you will live (Luke 10:25-28). c) Jesus Christ commanded those who needed to receive the Eternal Life to observe all the commandments of God: when a certain young man, like the aforementioned lawyer, asked the Lord: what good will I do, so that the imam will have eternal life? Then the Lord said to him: If you want to be taken into the belly, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:16–17). d) Jesus Christ taught that those who abandon or reject everything that prevents them from clinging to Him with all their hearts will receive the Eternal Life. For this is what He said to His disciples: everyone who leaves a house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children (no doubt, only if they distract him from Christ and the Christian life), or village, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29). e) Jesus Christ recognized that the Eternal Life will be received by all those who believe in Him, who carefully listen to His word and follow Him in life. For this is what He said: My sheep hear My voice, and follow Me: and I will give them eternal life (cf. John 10:27–28). f) Jesus Christ taught that all who worthily partake of His Holy Body and Blood will receive the Eternal Life. For this is what He said: I am the living bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats of this bread will live forever... whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood will have eternal life (cf. John 6:51,54). g) Jesus Christ proclaimed back in the Old Testament through the holy prophet that those who bring true repentance will receive Eternal Life. For this is what it says: if a wicked man turns from all his iniquities that he has committed, and keeps all My commandments and does justice and righteousness and mercy, he will live life and not die (cf. Ezek. 18:21). h) Finally, the holy Apostle Paul declares that the Eternal Life will be received by people who do good deeds in life: God will reward everyone according to his deeds: according to the endurance of good deeds, glory and honor and incorruptibility will be given to those who seek eternal life (Rom. 2:6-7). i) Eternal Life can only be inherited by those who live within the boundaries of the Orthodox Church, as its faithful and obedient children. Since Jesus Christ, according to the saying of the holy Apostle Paul, is the Head of the Church and He is the Savior of the body; then, in order to have participation in His salvation, it is necessary to be a member of His body, that is, the Catholic Church. Remember, brethren, that without obedience to the Holy Orthodox Church, without a close union with her, it is impossible to be saved, even if someone shed his blood for Jesus Christ. Remember the formidable words of the Savior: if the Church also disobeys (your brother), be like a pagan and a tax collector (Matthew 18:17). Therefore, beware of false teachers who want to tear you away from obedience to the Holy Church! This is what we must do to inherit the Eternal Life. To the question: what must one do in order to inherit the Eternal Belly, one can give another answer, from the opposite side, namely: a) All those who do not believe in Jesus Christ will not inherit the Eternal Life; For whoever does not believe in the Son of God, said John the Baptist, will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36). b) The Eternal Life will not be inherited by all those who in this life do not walk through the narrow gate of the Lord’s commandments, for the Lord said: the narrow gate, and the narrow path, lead into the life; but lead the wide gate and the broad way into destruction (Matthew 7:14,13). c) The Eternal Life will not be inherited by everyone who is randomly attached by love to something created by God, no matter how important, or dear, or kind it may be to us: for whoever loves, says the Lord, father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37). d) All those who remain without true repentance will not inherit the Eternal Life. In your sin you will die, the Lord said to the unrepentant Jews (John 8:21). e) All those who do not partake of the Flesh and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ will not inherit the Eternal Life, for this is what the Lord said: unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life in you (John 6:53). f) Finally, all those who, fearing difficulties, do not overcome sinful lusts in themselves, but allow them to act within themselves until the end of their lives and die with them, will not inherit the Eternal Life. For thus said the Lord: he that overcometh shall inherit all things: the fearful, and the unfaithful, and the abominable, and the murderers, and those who commit fornication, and those who practice enchantments, the idolaters, and all that lie, their portion in the lake that burns with fire and the bogeyman, which is the second death (Apoc. 21:7-8). Believe in the Lord, all who do not want to lose the Eternal Life! Leave a life that is contrary to His commandments, and live according to His commandments, bring true repentance, partake of His Body and Blood more often, and you will certainly have Eternal Life. Is our concern for the “rainy day” reasonable? We only think about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear; All we worry about is where to get money, how to support ourselves, what will happen to us tomorrow, the day after tomorrow... And especially in our sinful times, people seem to be obsessed with how to make more money, their only thoughts, their only worries... But why such care? Judge for yourself: what son will take care of everyday needs when he is with his father, under parental care and affection? Don’t we all have a Heavenly Father? Doesn't He care about us? He grows bread and all kinds of fruits for our food with our slightest labor, and now without any of our assistance. He feeds the animals and decorates the fields with flowers. If God cares so much about unreasonable creatures, then will He, the Merciful, leave man, His most excellent creation, without His providence and care? Of course not. In the lives of the saints we find many examples of how quickly the Lord satisfies the needs of those who come to Him for help. Let's take, for example, St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh. The Monk Sergius himself never cared about tomorrow and taught the brethren the same. But the brethren often grumbled about the shortcomings and hardships of desert life. Once the poverty in the monastery reached such a point that the brethren spent three days without food. Constrained by hunger, they grumbled against St. Sergius, who forbade them to leave the monastery and collect alms; some even decided to leave the monastery completely. Then the monk called all the monks and began to meekly exhort them so that they would not faint in temptation, would not murmur, but would place all their trust in the Lord. Then, to console them, he said: “I believe that God will not abandon this place and those who live in it.” And, indeed, the very next day, early in the morning, a lot of bread, fish and other supplies for the monastic meal were sent to the monastery from an unknown benefactor. Another time, the lack of water aroused murmurs among the brethren. When the monk chose a place for desert silence, he did not care about having water nearby; it was even pleasant for him to carry it from afar in order to tax his flesh even more. But as the brethren multiplied, the lack of water became more and more noticeable. The brethren more than once complained to the monk about the lack of water... Then he, taking one of the monks with him, went to the ditch located near the monastery itself. Having found some rainwater in the ditch, the Monk Sergius knelt down, earnestly prayed to God and made the sign of the cross over this place. - And, lo and behold! - a large source of water instantly appeared in the ditch, which from then on began to serve all the needs of the monastery. This is how the Lord cares for His faithful servants who trust in Him! But for us sinners, these examples are apparently not intelligible. We all continue to struggle as hard as we can, working day and night, without knowing a rest even on holidays, all with one goal: how to save more so that we can live peacefully into old age and leave more money for our children. In short, each of us has “rainy day” concerns on our minds. But is such concern reasonable? To answer this question, we present the story of one ascetic. “There lived a certain gardener named John, who worked very hard, but had no money, because whatever he earned, he gave everything to the poor. But then one day he thought: “What if I get old and get sick? Who will shelter me then? Who will feed and water? He thought so and began to save money for a “rainy day.” At first a little, then more, and finally he became so addicted to money that he began to refuse beggars. He saved up a lot of money for a “rainy day,” and this day came for him. A terrible wound opened on his leg. He went to bed and began to be treated by doctors. Soon he spent all his money on treatment, but there was still no help. Finally, the doctors told him directly that if his leg was not taken away, he would die. No matter how hard it was for the patient to lose his leg, he still agreed to cut it off... Meanwhile, that night he thought about it, remembered his previous life and began to repent of his sins and ask God for mercy and forgiveness. And then the Angel of the Lord appears to him and says: “John! Where is the money you collected? John cried and said: “I have sinned, Lord, forgive me, I will not save money from now on.” Then the Angel of the Lord touched his sore leg, and John was healed. Since then, he considered it a sin to save money for a “rainy day.” “What do I need money for,” he said, “when the Lord Himself takes care of me?” You see, Christian, how reasonable our concern for the “rainy day” is! After this, decide for yourself - is it necessary to save money for a “rainy day”? There cannot be a “black day” for a true Christian, since the Lord protects His faithful servants from troubles. And even if some trouble were to happen, then turn to the Lord again, and He will not leave you. Cast your sorrow upon the Lord, and He will nourish you (Ps. 54:23); Cast your worries on the Lord, and He will support you! Repenting of sins is understandable, for whoever commits sin fulfills the will of Satan; but how can one repent of a good deed? After all, whoever does good fulfills the will of God; a good deed is pleasant to God and pleasant to good people; it means that if God helped you do a good deed, you should rejoice, you should thank God, and not repent... This is how it should be; but here, beloved, is our great misfortune: sin often takes such hold of a person’s heart that it makes him regret the good deed he has done; Isn’t it true, what a sinful desire, what an ungodly repentance!.. It seems that it would be difficult to believe this, but, unfortunately, this often happens, and it happens, of course, with great harm to the soul. In the days of St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, there was one bishop named Troilus, a stingy and calculating man. Once Saint John invited him to the hospital with him to visit the poor and sick. Walking around the sick, Saint John said to Troilus: “Here is a wonderful opportunity for you, Father, to console the poor brethren and give them alms.” Troilus was ashamed to refuse a good deed, and he donated a gold coin to the sick, spending thirty gold coins on it. But when he returned home, he felt so sorry for this money that he fell ill and went to bed. Meanwhile, Saint John sends him an invitation to dinner; Troilus refuses, citing ill health; then Saint John understood what was the matter; he takes thirty pieces of gold and goes to the sick bishop. “I brought you the money that I borrowed from you to distribute in the hospital,” he told Troilus, “here, take it; just take the trouble to write with your own hand, so that the Lord gives me the reward that followed you for them.” Troilus, seeing the gold, joyfully got out of bed and immediately wrote the following note: “Merciful God! Give reward to my master John for the gold that I, sinner Troilus, distributed in the hospital: for he returned it to me.” Having given this receipt to Saint John, Troilus forgot his illness and went to John to have dinner. It was sad to see such a love of money for the saint of God, and in whom? - in the shepherd of the Church of Christ! And so Saint John began to pray with all his heart that the Lord would enlighten Troilus, and the Lord would hear his holy prayer. The next night, Troilus saw in a dream a beautiful house, above the doors of which was written in gold letters: the abode and eternal rest of Troilus the Bishop. He was incredibly happy about this vision, when suddenly a certain formidable man appeared and said to the servants who were here: “The Lord of the whole world commanded that the name of Troilus be erased here and in its place write the name of John, Patriarch of Alexandria, who bought this house for himself for thirty gold rubles. So - change the inscription! At these words, Troilus woke up and was filled with fear and pity. The next morning he hurried to Saint John; covered in tears, he told the high priest his vision, repented of his love of money, and from that time on he became generous and merciful to everyone. So the Lord admonished the stingy Troilus, did not allow his soul to perish: it is clear that in his former life there was goodness, which the Lord now remembered, through the prayers of St. John the Merciful: after all, with the Lord God, not a single sigh of the heart, not a single drop of tear will remain forgotten. He, the Merciful One, can give us, sinners, the price of good deeds and those sorrows that we endure involuntarily, for our sins, as long as we do not grumble in these sorrows and repent of our sins. But here is another story, from which the most selfish heart should involuntarily shudder. One resident of Constantinople was seriously ill; Fearing death, he distributed to the poor, like Troilus, also thirty gold coins. God had mercy on him and gave him health for his alms. But the foolish man began to regret the money spent and told his grief to a rich man he knew. He persuaded him not to spare money: “Be careful not to anger the Lord,” he said, “after all, God raised you almost from the dead for alms; lest you die for this without repentance.” But he never stopped regretting the money. Then the acquaintance says to him: “If you don’t want to listen to me, then perhaps we’ll go into the church; there just say: Lord! I didn’t give alms, but this man did, and I’ll give you the money right away.” The unfortunate money lover willingly agreed to this. And he had just taken the money in his hands and said the words mentioned, when right there, in the church, he fell and died... The clergy offered his comrade to return thirty gold coins, but the servant of God answered: “God forbid me to take what I have already given to the Lord God! Is this possible? God cannot be mocked!” And the money was distributed to the poor. This is how God’s terrible judgment was carried out on a man who was not ashamed, for the sake of self-interest, to renounce that good deed for which he himself had already received God’s great mercy! There lived one old man who was pious and strict in life, but, unfortunately, he became infected with the spirit of love of money. He lived near one trading place, as if so that the people, gathering there every day, would have a mentor and spiritual father nearby, but in fact so that visitors, returning from the market, would not come to him empty-handed. Saint Andrew, the Fool for Christ's sake, one day, walking past a money-lover, saw, by the revelation of God, that a terrible serpent had wrapped itself around his neck. The seer looked in amazement, and the monk, thinking that he, being one of the beggars, was expecting alms, said: “God willing!” Saint Andrew retreated a few steps and saw an airy inscription above him: “The serpent of the love of money is the root of all lawlessness.” Condolent over the death of his brother, Andrei wanted to leave, but as soon as he turned back, he saw two young men arguing with each other: one was black, with dull and fierce eyes, and the other was beautiful, like the light of heaven; the first claimed that the elder belonged to him, for, like the second, he worked not for God, but for him; but another said that this old man, being humble and meek, being in fasting and prayer, is God’s servant... So they argued, when suddenly a heavenly voice came to the luminous young man: “You cannot have a part in the old man; leave him,” and the Angel instantly left. Surprised, Andrei began to cry out of pity and went his way. But Andrei’s heart could not be calm: wanting to convert the unfortunate old man to the truth, after a while he again walked past the marketplace and, seeing him, took him by the hand. “Servant of God! - he said, - listen to me without anger, your servant: I am very sorry for you and cannot without horror think that you, previously a friend of God, have now become a servant of the enemy of our salvation. Your soul had wings like Seraphim; Why did you allow the hostile spirit to circumcise them? You had the image of an angel: why did you want to be dark? Why did you become friends with the serpent of love of money and warm it in your bosom? What are you collecting treasures for? Will you really be buried with them? By vigilantly collecting pieces of silver from spiritual children and having fun with them, you will collect all their crimes on your head... How will you stand before the Last Judgment of Christ with such a burden? Know that your Guardian Angel has retreated far from you and is crying about your destruction, and the devil is leading you wherever he wants... I am telling the truth, listen to me and squander your property on the poor, widows, orphans and strangers, otherwise you will perish evil... Do you see the devil?” Then the spiritual eyes of the elder were opened: a black beast-like giant stood at a far distance from him and gnashed his teeth, but, terrified of Saint Andrew, did not dare to approach him... The elder trembled with horror and could hardly pronounce the promise to live according to the commandments of the Lord... But as soon as he made the oath, lightning suddenly flashed from the east, the unclean spirit disappeared, and the Angel of the Lord approached the monk. The sin of love of money is so destructive for Eternal Life! Here are examples of how the Lord punishes money lovers in this life. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (his relics rest in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral), was very compassionate towards the poor and often gave them alms, but for the most part he did not do it himself, but trusted his servants. One day he gave a servant a fair amount of money to distribute to the poor, but he, overcome by the passion of love of money, gave away one part of the money and kept the other for himself. And one poor widow came to the saint with a complaint against the servant that he had not given her anything from what the saint had given out. Then Saint Jonah, calling a servant, said to him: “Why did you insult this widow by not giving her anything?” He began to deny it, saying that he gave it to her, but she still asks. The widow assured that he had not given her anything. Then the servant lost his temper and said angrily: “Go and die, because you are lying.” But the saint, seeing that the widow was right, said to the servant: “No, it won’t be like that, because the widow is telling the truth, and you are lying and stealing; therefore, the widow “she will live, but you will die.” And at that very hour the money-loving servant was overcome by illness, and he soon died. Here's another story from everyday life. In 1864, in the large Siberian city of Omsk, bread was so expensive that poor people almost starved to death. Such poor people included a widow of the noble class with her daughter, already an adult. This widow suffered from a serious illness for a long time and was unable to earn food for herself: her daughter fed her by selling her handicrafts. The poor somehow managed to get by in the best years, but in the lean years they became completely destitute. Lent of 1864 began, the most difficult period of this memorable year for Siberians. Bread, which had been high in price until that time, became extremely expensive, especially during Lent, when due to the thaw, its delivery from the villages was stopped. The mentioned mother and daughter, in the sixth week of Lent, absolutely had no opportunity to buy even half a pound of bread for themselves, and for the last two days of this week they literally sat hungry, because there was nothing to sell or pawn; there was no work, and therefore no income for it, and it was a shame to go begging. But two days spent without a piece of bread could drown out the feeling of modesty. And so the poor daughter, on Palm Sunday itself, before dinner, went to a rich flour merchant - merchant A., for whose family she sometimes worked, and, telling him frankly her hopeless situation, asked him for Christ's sake to give her at least a few pounds of flour or some baked bread as payment for the work that A.'s family might later order her. What did this rich man do? He said with contempt: “There are many of you hungry now! If I feed everyone, I myself will probably die of hunger. Go where you came from...” The poor girl, who relied on the help of this rich man as her last hope of saving herself and her mother from starvation, in a fit of despair uttered the following words: “The Lord will punish you for this!” – and left. These words, escaping from the lips of a deeply distressed and grief-stricken girl, were prophetic: God’s punishment for the cruel rich man did not slow down. After the girl left, A. sat down to dinner with his family. At lunch he choked on a bone from a fish pie and died a few hours later. The whole family saw in this event the punishing finger of God, and the widow of the unfortunate man, soon after her husband’s funeral, wanting to atone for his cruel act towards the poor orphans, took them both into her house. This is how God punishes the hard-hearted! Yes, apparently, every tear of our neighbor, which we could dry, but did not want, means a lot, a lot in the eyes of the Just God! So, Christian, avoid the love of money, as the destroyer and cause of all evil on earth. Holy Righteous Philaret the Merciful Saint Philaret was born in Asia Minor. He was a rich and noble man. From an early age, pious parents instilled in him a love for God and His law. Philaret married and with his family - his wife and three children - lived in the village of Amnia, in the Paphlagon region, in complete contentment. It seems that it would be difficult to find a happier person: the family lived in harmony, his wealth increased every day; neither sadness nor care darkened his life. How often does it happen that, living in such contentment, a person gets used to self-gratification and forgets about the poor who are in need! But Filaret was not like that. “God did not give me wealth,” he said, “so that I could use it alone; but so that I share with the poor, with those whom the Lord will not be ashamed to call His brothers at the Last Judgment. What is the use of property to me if I begin to take care of it out of stinginess? Will it help me on the Day of Judgment, which will be so terrible for the unmerciful? Will it be my food and drink in the age to come? Will luxurious dresses be my incorruptible clothing? Of course not. The Apostle says: we have brought nothing into the world; It is clear that we cannot take anything out of it (1 Tim. 6:7). If none of the earthly property can be taken out of here, then wouldn’t it be better to give it to God with the hands of the poor, and God will not leave me or my family; I believe the prophet David, who says: I was young and old, and I have not seen the righteous abandoned and his children asking for bread (cf. Ps. 36:25). Reasoning in this way, Filaret did just that. He loved the poor and unfortunate, like the father of his children, and generously distributed benefits to them. The whole region blessed him: all the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, and the strange found shelter, help and consolation with him. Many years passed like this. But it pleased the Lord to test His faithful servant. The enemies, the Ishmaelites, attacked the region in which the good Philaret lived, and, like a storm and flame, devastated it. They plundered all the wealth of Philaret, took many of his servants captive, plundered the herds and took possession of the fields. Philaret had only a servant and a maid left, the house in which he lived, a small field, a pair of oxen and a horse. With these meager means, it was possible to deliver daily bread to feed the family only through constant and hard work. Filaret meekly submitted to the will of the Lord and began to cultivate his field himself. One day he harnessed his oxen and went to the arable land. While working, he praised and thanked the Lord for bringing him to fulfill the commandment, which commanded him to buy bread for himself by the sweat of his brow, and, by sending him work, delivered him from laziness and idleness, so dangerous for the soul. At this time, another villager was working in a neighboring field, and suddenly his ox died. The villager was very upset; he was poor, and the dead ox belonged to a neighbor. He began to cry bitterly. “Who can I find help from? - he thought. “If this had happened in previous years, I would have gone to good Philaret, and he would have helped me, but now he himself is poor. But still I will go to him, tell him my grief; he will feel sorry for me and help me at least with a kind word.” The neighbor did just that. Filaret, seeing his sadness, unharnessed one of his ox and gave it to him. “Take my ox, brother, continue your work and thank the Lord,” he told him, and he went home. Filaret's wife, having learned about what had happened, began to bitterly reproach her husband. “You want to starve us to death,” she said, “why did you give up the ox? How will you cultivate your field? After all, I know that you gave the ox not out of kindness, not for the sake of God, but for your own sake, because you are used to living in wealth and idleness, and you are too lazy to work and cultivate the field. How are we going to live?” Filaret responded to these reproaches with meekness, reassured his wife with the mercy of God, and he and his son began to work day and night, knowing almost no rest. However, every day the family became poorer. Filaret deprived himself of the most necessary things, but it was beyond his strength to refuse a beggar: sometimes he took off his clothes and gave them to the poor. His wife often scolded and reproached him. Filaret told his family: “I have a treasure that you don’t know about,” but his wife and children did not understand his words. Finally, they reached extreme poverty and began to need daily food. Sometimes neighbors sent them, out of regret, bread or flour, but even here Filaret shared his share with the poor. God was pleased to return the wealth to the kind and meek Philaret, and this is how it happened. Empress Irina, who reigned in Greece with her son Constantine, wished to marry him; The dignitaries of the royal court were sent to bring the most beautiful maidens from all over the empire, from whom the king could choose a bride. Those sent also came to the village in which Filaret lived. Seeing from a distance his house, which was the largest of all, they wanted to stay in it, but the villagers told them: “This house, although large and beautiful on the outside, is poor and empty inside: the poorest man lives in it.” Meanwhile, Filaret, seeing strangers who were walking towards his house, went out to meet them and began to call them to him, completely forgetting about his poverty and rejoicing that he could give shelter to travelers. They entered, and Filaret, hastening to his wife, ordered her to prepare dinner. - What's wrong with you? - she exclaimed, - what should we cook dinner from? There is neither lamb nor chicken in our poor house, and we barely remember oil and wine when we had them. - So, at least light a fire, heat some water and prepare a room for the wanderers; maybe God will send us something to help us. In fact, as soon as she began to fulfill what was said, the elders of the village appeared at the door; Having heard that good Philaret had guests, and knowing his poverty, they hurried to help him in any way they could: one carried a lamb, another a chicken, a third oil, wine, and so on. Filaret accepted all these offerings with gratitude and cordially entertained the wanderers, who asked him about his family and learned that he had three young granddaughters. They wanted to see them and were so amazed by the beauty and modesty of one of them, whose name was Maria, that they certainly demanded that she go to Constantinople, and Filaret and his family went there. Ten young maidens were brought to the king's choice. Maria, brought up in humility, did not expect a brilliant fate, especially since one of the girls, proud of her beauty and nobility of her family, directly told her friends: “Do you really think that the king will choose one of you? His choice will probably fall on me, because I am more beautiful, and smarter, and more noble than all of you.” Maria listened to these speeches with meekness, considering herself completely unworthy of high rank. But the Lord exalts the humble and crushes the thoughts of the proud. The king's choice settled on Mary. Having married her, he showed mercy and honor to her entire family, and gave rich houses and estates to the merciful Philaret. Filaret's wife and his household then repented of their previous grumbling and asked Filaret for forgiveness. “Forgive us,” they said, “that we sinned against you in madness and reviled your generosity and mercy towards the poor and wretched. What is given to the poor is given to God himself, and He will reward it a hundredfold in this life and with bliss in the next. For your virtues the Lord has exalted you and us together with you.” In the midst of greatness and wealth, the merciful Filaret remained meek and humble, as before, rejoicing only that he could help the poor more. One day he said to his wife: “Wife, let’s make a rich feast and invite the king and his nobles.” The wife prepared everything, thinking of treating the Tsar and the nobles to a truly luxurious dinner, and meanwhile Filaret went to invite guests. On the appointed day, many poor, lame, blind, and wretched people gathered at his house; he came out to meet them, received them cordially, and himself and his family served them. Those who saw this then understood that he really received the King of Heaven in the person of the poor and needy, for the Lord Jesus Himself said: whatever you did to one of the least of My brothers, you did to Me (cf. Matt. 25:40). They said to each other: “Truly this man is all God and a true disciple of Christ, who said: learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29).” Filaret, releasing the poor, gave each one a piece of gold. For works of mercy, Filaret used the wealth given to him by the tsar, who, loving him, would have willingly entrusted him with an important position, but Filaret withdrew from earthly greatness and kept deep humility in his heart. He often said: “I thank and praise my God, who raised me, a beggar, from rot and raised me to such a height as to be the grandfather of the queen, this is enough for me; I don’t need anything else.” Having lived to a ripe old age, Filaret received a notification from God that his death was approaching; he ordered a coffin for himself, distributed the money he had to the poor, and when he went to bed, calling his wife, children and grandchildren to him, he announced to them that his death was imminent. They began to cry inconsolably, but he joyfully and calmly blessed everyone and told them: “You know and have seen, my children, my life. The Lord has given me great wealth; then he experienced poverty; and, seeing that I patiently and resignedly endured what was sent, he again elevated me to earthly glory and seated me with the kings and mighty of this world. But I did not store my wealth in chests, but through the poor and weak I sent it to God. I ask you, beloved, do not quickly spare the current wealth of this world, but send it to another world, where I am already leaving. I ask you, do not forget your love of strangers, intercede for widows and orphans, visit the sick and those in prison, do not abandon church meetings, do not take someone else’s, do not offend anyone, do not slander, do not rejoice in the misfortune of either friends or enemies, commemorate the dead and do not forget me, a sinner, in your prayers.” After this, having spoken to each of his grandchildren a few instructive and prophetic words about their fate and having prayed for all of them and for the whole world, he sang a psalm with a beaming face: I will sing to You of mercy and judgment, O Lord (Ps. 100:1), then began to read the Lord’s Prayer and with the words: Thy will be done! - gave up his soul to God. Even after death, his face retained an expression of joyful calm, which until his old age gave him extraordinary beauty. When the news of his death spread throughout that country, it aroused universal grief; the tsar, and the nobles, and a great multitude of beggars, weeping, accompanied the body of the merciful Philaret to the grave. One relative of Blessed Philaret had a wondrous dream the day after his death. “I saw,” he said, “as if I had been transported to an unknown place, and a bright man showed me a river of fire, which frightens me with its noise. And beyond the fiery river I see a bright and joyful paradise. There, a sweet fragrance fills the air, a quiet wind sways the beautiful trees covered with fruits and flowers. There are no words to describe all the good things that the Lord prepared there for those who love Him. There I saw the righteous, clothed in white robes and enjoying the blessings of heaven. Among them there was one old man whom I did not recognize. He sat on a golden throne: on one side, newly enlightened children surrounded him, holding candles in their hands, on the other, many beggars crowded to come closer to him. And I asked one young man: “Who is this old man sitting on the throne among these bright men? Isn't it Abraham? And he answered me: “This is Philaret of Amniat, who, for his love for the poor and wretched and for his pure and righteous life, like the second Abraham, settles here.” Filaret, when he saw me, began to call me to his place. “Come here,” he said, “and you will receive the same benefits.” And I told him: “I can’t, O blessed one, the fiery river is stopping me, the path across it is narrow and the bridge is inconvenient.” He tells me: “Be bold and go fearlessly; for all who are here have walked the same way, and there is no other way.” With these words he extended his hand to me, and I passed safely across the river. But as soon as I touched his hand, the wonderful dream disappeared, and I woke up and became sad, wondering how I would cross the river of fire and reach the villages of paradise.” About the exploits of the saints who reached the Kingdom of Heaven by a narrow path I. The Alexandrian Bishop Theophilus, who lived at the end of the 4th century, says that a certain Ammonius, a Nitrian ascetic, or monk, in order to pacify carnal passion, burned wounds on various parts of his body and from time to time renewed them with a hot iron. Another Nitrian monk, Saint Macarius of Alexandria, or the Younger, lay naked for six months in the monastery swamp, giving himself over to be tormented by poisonous mosquitoes. Blessed Theodoret speaks similarly about the famous Stylite, Venerable Simeon. The latter, for a long time, allowed himself to be bitten by worms, unusually large and poisonous, in order to “accustom himself to practicing large ones through small feats.” II. At the beginning of the emergence of monasticism, such great men as Saint Anthony, Saint Hilarion and other patriarchs of monastic life constantly wore hair shirts on their naked bodies and found imitators. Subsequently, such examples are mentioned less frequently; We see the wearing of a hair shirt among those who were distinguished by special ascetic patience. Among such ascetics is the Greek saint Theodore Trikhina, that is, the hairy one; the famous Martin, Bishop of Tours, dying and offering his last prayers to God, dressed in hair shirt, said to the disciples around him: “A Christian should die no other way than in hair shirt and ashes.” Such examples of great ascetic monks: Saint Anthony, Saint Hilarion, who died in a hair shirt, contributed to the widespread dissemination of this custom. III. In the history of monasticism in ancient and recent times, as well as in stories about various journeys to holy places, about religious processions, another type of ascetic self-mortification is known - this is barefooting, or self-deprivation of shoes. Barefoot behavior had been encountered before - examples from the Old Testament are known: for example, Moses was ordered to take off his shoes (see: Exodus 3:5); David would flee barefoot from Absalom (see: 2 Sam. 15:30), and Isaiah was commanded to take off his sandals (see: Is. 20:2,4). In Christian antiquity we come across exhortations to barefootness and examples of the same kind. Already Clement of Alexandria, among the moral instructions necessary for a man, also gives advice to walk without shoes. He expresses the opinion that the most decent thing for a man is not to wear shoes at all, with the exception of military service, since tying sandals to his feet is, in his judgment, a shameful and humiliating thing, a sign of slavery, just as shameful are the chains on the feet of women, against whom the prophet Isaiah armed himself (see: Is. 3:16-18). Other reasons for barefooting are presented by the famous describer of the life of ancient monks, John Cassian the Roman. He finds such grounds in the Gospel, pointing out that Jesus Christ Himself prescribes barefoot shoes to His apostles (see: Luke 10:4; Matt. 10:10), although Jesus Christ only forbids the apostles to take spare shoes with them, commanding them to be content with simple shoes (see: Mark 6:9). IV. Just as some of the Christian ascetics denied themselves shoes, others considered it possible to do without any clothing necessary to cover the body. In the history of Christianity, such examples are not often found. The hermits of the so-called Skit desert in Egypt walked completely naked; When looking at them, the Monk Macarius of Egypt received for himself the edification that, with all the severity of his life, he had not yet reached the degree of self-deprivation to which these hermits had reached. There were also isolated examples of naked ascetics who lived in caves or in the open air. Sulpicius Severus says of one hermit on Mount Sinai that for fifty years he had no other covering than that provided by his own hair. Something similar is known about the ascetics Onufria and Sophronia. Much more numerous and instructive are examples of extreme ascetic poverty in clothing, which the ascetics of Christian society were able to content themselves with. Since ancient times, strong and incessant voices have been heard advocating possible simplicity and unpretentiousness in clothing. Such famous writers of the ancient Church as Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian of Carthage, in their writings, one might say, outlined harmonious rules of biblical-contemplative asceticism. Clement recommends preferring simple white clothing to any other, because both the holy people in heaven and the Angels are dressed in white (see: Rev. 6:11, 19:8); he warns against motley and colored clothes, because such clothes are more pleasing to the eye than they serve any practical need. And because simplicity is the best reflection of Christian holiness and truth. In the Old Testament, clothes that were colorful or mixed from different threads were already prohibited. Silk materials are completely indecent for a Christian, not only because it is a completely useless product, but because silk is the product of worms, which serve as a symbol of inconstancy and changeability of spiritual disposition. A Christian should not use pearls at all, because the very word of God is likened to precious pearls (Matt. 7:6, 13:45), because the doors of Heavenly Jerusalem consist of twelve pearls, and because nature itself, although it does not prohibit, nevertheless makes it very difficult to use pearls and gold, hiding the first under water, and the second under the ground. Wearing false hair, as women do, is indecent and completely disgusting, for wearing someone else's hair on your head is as disgusting as having a shaved head. And on whom, in this case, will the priest place his blessing hand? Will he not bless someone else's head when he touches with his hand such hair on a kneeling woman that does not belong to her? Also, a Christian should not decorate his head with wreaths of flowers, for he should not love the opposite of what the Savior’s head was decorated with, and His head wore a crown of thorns. In general, a person who cares about external decorations, but does not care enough about internal purity and beauty, is likened to the Egyptian temples, which, although the outside shone with luxury, were inside filled with cats, crocodiles and other disgusting animals that served for the worship of the pagans. At the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th century, Blessed Jerome and St. John Chrysostom also give a lot of wise advice regarding the clothing of a Christian. Blessed Jerome already gives certain instructions about how monks and ascetics should dress. He demands that monks and nuns wear poor, coarse and dark dresses, warning, however, against dirty and slovenly clothes as boasting of poverty. Saint John Chrysostom, for his part, denounces those who exposed their, so to speak, artificial simplicity in dress. For some persons, although, under the pretext of simplicity, wore narrow black underwear, cloaks and shoes of the same color, they tried to copy some of the persons depicted in ancient paintings. In return, he praises his faithful student, the rich widow Olympias, and her poor attire because she was no different in appearance from the poorest people. V. Stories about asceticism, which dealt with such forms of carnal self-mortification as barefoot, complete or partial nudity, are very useful to supplement with information about that ascetic custom, which consists directly in fighting the feeling of cold and accustoming oneself to endure the most terrible cold. The simplest and more common way to combat the feeling of cold or winter cold is to constantly deliberately not heat the rooms, even if it is frosty outside. A similar custom is found very early in the history of asceticism. Thus, blessed Theodoret says of Abraham, bishop of Kara, that he considered the use of fire unnecessary for any purpose. The boldest and most difficult form of struggle takes on the unfavorable influence of winds and bad weather in the case when the ascetic remains for many days or even his whole life without any shelter, in the open air. This type of asceticism is naturally found in the East, where the climate, at least during most of the year, is favorable to this kind of life or greatly facilitates it. In the history of the ascetics of the ancient Church we find many hermits in Syria, Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia, about whom Blessed Theodoret speaks and who, according to his story, either stood on pillars, or lived in the wilderness following the example of John the Baptist (see: Luke 1:80), or stayed in cisterns (i.e., containers for water) and in open caves that did not offer any protection, or, finally, they settled on cold-prone rocks and mountain peaks exposed to various changes in weather. Many of these anchorites (hermits) spent a similar life for more or less a long time, some all their lives. Blessed Theodoret can find similar stories even about pious women, for example, Marina and Cyrus, who wore iron shirts. According to other writers, Saint Mary of Egypt remained homeless for more than 47 years, living in the wild desert. Even in later times this kind of asceticism was preserved. In the writings of Eustathius of Thessaloniki we find references to numerous ascetics who lived outside the shelter - he mentions stylites, those living in trees, cave dwellers, etc. VI. Fasting is one of the hallmarks of asceticism. Fasting, as is known, consists not only in the fact that a certain person abstains from certain types of food or eats food in the most moderate quantities, but also in the fact that with this kind of abstinence is connected the renunciation of all strong and pleasant drinks (it goes without saying - from all animal food) and in general from everything that can delight the sense of taste. Let us begin to describe fasting and fasting in Christianity. Saint Pachomius, the founder of cenobitic monasticism, following the example of his teacher Palamon, ate only bread and salt, without consuming butter (and if he allowed himself butter on holidays, he mixed it with dust or ashes). Nevertheless, he was quite lenient towards his brothers. Having forbidden them the consumption of tasty and appetizing dishes, as well as wine, Pachomius established that the brethren had daily food cooked on fire, that they had a sufficient amount of bread, and generally took care that the monks had sufficient strength for field and other work. Once, when Pachomius became aware that the monks of one hostel he founded, for the sake of a great feat, did not have hot food at the table for two months, as a result of which the monastery cook, taking advantage of his leisure time, prepared at least five hundred handicrafts for sale, Pachomius became very angry at the deviation from his instructions - he burned all the cook’s products in front of the astonished monks and addressed them with a strong accusatory word. He told them that it was much easier and more convenient to refuse food that was not prepared and not put on the table than to observe moderation when sufficient and good food was offered to satisfy a person. Only on Pentecost did the monks have to eat more meager food, and some monks at this time, such as the monks in Tavenna, did not eat for two or three days or even five days in a row. Meat was completely forbidden to the monks, but it was not a great need in hot Egypt. Bread was the main food of the monks. The monks were given two loaves of bread per day, which, according to Cassian, weighed 1 pound 12 ounces, therefore each loaf weighed 12–14 lots (corresponding to 144–168 grams). One of these loaves was eaten around three o'clock in the afternoon, and the other after sunset. On fasting days, the monks were given only the evening portion. The more strict of the monks were content with one piece of bread, while others tried to eat even less: thus, Saint Macarius of Alexandria ate from ten to eight lots of bread every day for three years, i.e. 100–120 grams. Saint Hilarion, from the age of 31 to the age of 35, did not eat more than twelve lots of barley bread daily. For Marcian of Cyrus on the Euphrates, the usual daily portion of bread was a quarter of a pound, or only 6 lots. Quite moderate demands regarding the fasting of monks are expressed by Basil the Great, who, as is known, in his rules for monks, gave a model of monastic life for the entire Orthodox East. Strictly prescribing to abstain from meat, and at times from fish, butter, wine (for example, on Lent and other days of fasting), Vasily is a champion of the rule that the degree of fasting must be commensurate with the state of health and with the work that the monk is engaged in. He prescribes to avoid everything that can harm health - any excess in food and too much deprivation in it. Greek monasteries of subsequent times, faithfully following the example of Basil, never introduced too strict regulations regarding food. Until now we have talked about monastic fasts prescribed by various monastic rules, and therefore forced. The voluntary fasts of individual ascetics should be distinguished from these fasts. As arbitrary, they are very diverse. Church history has preserved much instructive information about fasts of this kind. During his stay in the desert, Saint Anthony suffered strong attacks from his body, which did not want to completely submit to his spirit; his means of combating sinful desires was intense fasting. At the indicated time of his asceticism, he lived either in a dilapidated fortress, or in an abandoned cave, which once served for the burial of the dead; His only food was bread and water, which he usually ate once a day at sunset, and sometimes after two or even four days; With both bread and water, he stocked up for a whole six months in advance. Anthony's disciple Saint Hilarion was also guided in his own life by the thought: in order to tame a donkey, that is, your own body, you need to feed it not with barley, but with chaff. Hilarion was content with the most unpretentious food, taking it after a few days, and finally reached the point that it was enough for him to eat food once a week. History tells many instructive things about Saint Macarius of Egypt. Thus, we know about the courageous struggle that he waged with a feeling of thirst. To his disciple Evagrius, who asked him for water because he was exhausted under the scorching rays of the southern sun, Macarius said: “It’s enough for you that you have shade, which many travelers and sailors are deprived of. Think about it, my son, for more than twenty years now I have never gotten enough sleep, and I have not eaten enough bread, and I have not drunk enough water. All this time I eat bread to a certain extent, I also drink water to a certain extent, I devote only a little time to sleep, because I fall asleep standing, leaning against the wall.” The ascetic Arseny, in order not to give pleasure to his sense of smell, which he had a finely developed sense of smell, did not drink any other water except the smelly one in which he soaked his dry bread and palm leaves. The ascetic Postumius cared so little about satisfying his thirst that his tongue became dry and cracked. John Moschus says that one monk abstained from drinking so much for three years that he finally fell into a fever. Other ascetics expressed their ascetics by abstaining from all bread. This is what Abraham of Carria and Evagrius did, and this is what Hilarion did. The latter, in his old age, from 64 to 80 years of his life, ate only cabbage leaves, sprinkled with a little flour. And Posidonius of Thebaid and the monk Alas deprived themselves of bread for decades - the first for 40, and the second for 80. Palladius tells about a certain John that until the age of 90 he ate only tree fruits and never ate food cooked on fire. Other ascetics showed their abstinence in the fact that, although they had food before their eyes, they tried not to eat it for as long as possible, accustoming themselves, as it were, to not pay attention to food at all. This is what Pavel the Simple did. Elpidias ate food only on Saturdays and Sundays for 25 years; therefore, in appearance, he seemed to be a skeleton of skin and bones. Saint Febronia ate a little once every two days. Saint Euphrosia, or Eupraxia, daughter of Senator Antigonus, first fasted two days a week, then four, and finally six, in order to defeat the evil one, who tempted her in a sleepy state. Saint Sava, who lived in a cave near Edessa, finally reached the point where he could eat only once a week, and the merest food at that, consisting of millet bread with water and salt. A certain hermit John did not lie down for three whole years, did not sit down, but only stood, and strengthened his strength with the Eucharist, which he received every Saturday. We cannot fail to mention here the exploits of our Russian Venerable John the Recluse. The exploits of this ascetic are amazing. “Truly blessed is he who has dedicated himself,” writes Polycarp, “to the will of God and has kept His immaculate commandments, keeping body and soul without defilement of the flesh and soul; I'm talking about Saint John, who shut himself up in a narrow cave. He spent thirty years in great abstinence, suppressing his body with strong fasting, wearing glands all over his body.” At first, for three years in a row, he spent whole weeks without food; Heavy chains on the body increased the severity of hunger and thirst, but the carnal passion did not go out. He went to the cave of St. Anthony and stayed there day and night, praying at his tomb. The saint announced to him: “John, John! you need to shut yourself up here in order to at least weaken the abuse through invisibility and silence; The Lord will help you with the prayers of the saints.” And John shut himself up in the narrowest and darkest cave; the swearing did not stop; thirty years were spent in this cave and thirty years were a time of painful struggle. Not knowing what to do with himself, John decided on an even more difficult feat: he dug a hole, sat down across his chest and covered himself with earth. He remained in this position throughout Great Lent; his legs were burning, his veins were writhing, the heat was consuming his insides; John rejoiced in spirit, not feeling the fire of sin. Only the terrible vision terrified him. “Lord, my God! forever have you forsaken me? Have mercy on me, for You are the only one who loves mankind,” the sufferer prayed. And when he finished the prayer, the light shone, and the terrible serpent, hitherto ready to devour him, disappeared, and he heard a voice: “John, here is help for you; but take heed to yourself so that no worse thing happens to you. According to the strength of your patience, it has been allowed to you, so that you will be burned like gold; The master assigns hard work to the strong and strong servants, and bad and easy work to the weak and weak.” The Monk John himself spoke about such exploits to one brother who was in great despondency. The following is known about Saint Mary of Egypt, whom the Eastern Church represents as a model of fasting: while staying in the Jordan desert, for three years she ate the bread she took with her, and then for forty years she ate only grains and water, which the desert provided her. When she, who was considered long dead, was met by the pious monk Zosima and offered food, she was able to eat only three lentil grains, since she was completely unaccustomed to ordinary human food. From a medical point of view, stories about the long fast of ascetics do not represent anything incredible. Physiologists say that a person, like many animals, for example, dogs, horses, if you give them water to drink and do not block their access to air, can live without any food for several days and even weeks. One criminal in Toulouse, who wanted to starve himself, but drank water, died only on the 63rd day of his fast. It is also known from the testimonies of the most truthful travelers in India that some of the Indian ascetics actually support themselves only with water and air. An example of a forty-day fast was shown by the doctor Tanker, which was reported in all newspapers. VII. Next to fasting, celibate, or virgin, life is one of the distinctive signs of asceticism. One who strictly fasts or leads a virgin life is usually said to be an ascetic. Indeed, celibacy, or virginity, is one of the most difficult feats among other ascetic self-deprivations. There was a custom among ascetics to pacify the inner heat of their passions through cold, for which they resorted to cold water, ice, and snow. This also includes the desire of some ascetics to subdue their lusts by lying on thorn bushes, thistles and wrens. In this last respect, a remarkable example is provided by Saint Benedict, who, wanting to banish the image of a beautiful woman from his imagination, entered a thicket of thorns and wounded himself on all sides. A further form of asceticism in maintaining chastity consisted in the avoidance by men of absolutely any meetings with women. Remarkable in this regard is the story of one Egyptian monk, Paul. One day, when Paul accidentally met a woman, he fled as if he had encountered a lion. In the legends of John Moschus, one abbot tells his monks: “A monk should with the same care avoid any contact with a woman with whom salt is protected from water, in which the salt dissolves and disappears.” In other cases, the avoidance of meeting a woman extended so far that the ascetics suppressed family feelings and did not want to see either their sisters or their mother (see: Matt. 12:50). Pachomius refused to see his sister and, even when she became a nun and the abbess of a special convent, he spoke to her only in the presence of the monk Peter, an elderly man and a highly chaste life. A similar story tells about Pior, John Calamita, Theodore, Marcian and other ascetics of the East, and in the West about Benedict of Nursia, who allowed his sister Scholastica to see him only once a year, and this meeting should not last more than one day. Others did not even want to see their own mothers: this is known about Theodore, the student of Pachomius, Pimen, Nufa and Simeon the Stylite. The latter did not want to see his mother, despite her persistent requests. This also includes the strict rules of the monks to protect their monasteries from women visiting them. Improve yourself on the path to the kingdom of heaven “Walking in the forest, in the garden or in the meadow and seeing young shoots of plants, fruits on trees and a variety of useful flowers, take for yourself from all this God-given vegetation exactly this lesson: every tree in the summer certainly produces significant shoots, certainly grows in volume and height - every year, as it were, strengthens itself to move forward with the strength God has given it; so tell yourself: and I must certainly every day, every year become morally higher and higher, better and better, more perfect and perfect, I must move forward on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven or to the Heavenly Father, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit, living and acting in me. Just as a meadow is decorated with many flowers, so the meadow of my soul should be decorated with all the flowers of virtues; just as trees bear flowers and then fruits, so my soul should bear the fruits of faith and good deeds.” You might be interested in: