НЕДЕЛЯ 13-Я ПО ПЯТИДЕСЯТНИЦЕ

The parable of the vineyard and the husbandmen Listen to the parable that the Savior once spoke, addressing the members of the Sanhedrin and the people, and spoke about the Master of the vineyard (see: Matt. 21, 33–42; Mark 12, 1–7). Thus, the Pharisees and scribes were once again forced to realize that they were wrong, pronounce judgment on themselves, and express personally that they agreed with God’s justice, which would deprive them of their exclusive rights and transfer those rights to the pagans. And Jesus Christ confirmed this, saying: he will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others (Mark 12:9). The Pharisees and high priests, who first pronounced their sentence, and now having heard the confirmation of Jesus Christ and understood the parable, said: Let it not be (Luke 20:16). But He, looking at them, to prove that not only justice itself demands, but that God himself predicted and determined so, brought forward a prophecy, saying: Have you never read in the Scripture: the stone that the builders rejected, the same one became the head of the corner? This is from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes. Therefore I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people bearing the fruits thereof (Matthew 21:42–43). To prove to the scribes and Pharisees that the Holy Scripture prophesied about their actions, Jesus Christ asked them if they had not read in the psalm about the Stone that was neglected by the builders and which, nevertheless, as a result of the wondrous plans of the Lord, became the main corner stone that connected the two walls? How will they remain builders any longer when all their plans are rejected and cancelled? Isn't the ancient prophecy about the Messiah being visibly fulfilled, that God will call other builders to build His church? “With this parable, Jesus Christ teaches many things: that God has provided for the Jews from ancient times, that from the very beginning they are prone to murder; that all possible measures were taken to correct them, that even after they beat the prophets, God did not abandon them, but also sent the Son to them; that both the New and Old Testaments are one and the same God; that through the death of Christ a great work was accomplished; that the Jews will suffer extreme punishment for the Cross of Christ and for their crimes; that the Gentiles will be called and the Jews rejected. Jesus Christ proposed this parable in order to show the severity and unforgivability of the sin of the Jews when, with all their care for them, they allowed harlots and tax collectors to get ahead of them. God's care for them was great, and their carelessness was immeasurable, because He did what the farmer needed to do Himself, planted a vineyard, surrounded it with a fence, etc., and there was little left for them: to take care only of what was already there, and to preserve what was entrusted, since nothing was forgotten, but everything was prepared. But with all this, they did not take advantage of anything, although they received a lot from God to a large extent. When God brought them out of Egypt, he gave them the Law, gave them a civil existence, built an altar, erected a church and absented himself, that is, he was long-suffering, and did not always and did not punish immediately after a crime. He sent slaves, i.e. prophets, to receive the fruits, i.e. obedience proven by deeds. But they showed their malice after such care for them: not only did they not produce fruit, which revealed their inactivity, but they were even indignant at those who came. If there was nothing to give, although they were obliged to do so, then they should not have been annoyed, not indignant, but begged. They not only became indignant, but also stained their hands with blood: they put the messengers to death, deserving execution themselves. Therefore, God sent another time and a third time, so that their malice and the love for mankind of the Sender would be visible. He did not immediately send the Son so that they would feel how unfairly they had treated the sent slaves and, putting aside anger, would be ashamed of His coming. The words “perhaps they will be ashamed of My Son” do not express ignorance, but indicate that they should have been ashamed. If they were not grateful to the slaves, then at least they should have respected the dignity of the Son. They should have come and asked for pardon for their crimes, but they behave as before, even commit new atrocities, more terrible than the previous ones. Christ Himself points to this, saying: complete the measure of your fathers (Matthew 23:32); The prophets accused them of the same thing before, saying: your hands are full of blood (Isa. 1:15); and bloodshed follows bloodshed ( Hos. 4:2 ). But they did not become more prudent. Although in the Decalogue the commandment was given to them: Thou shalt not kill, and they were ordered to abstain from many other things, however, with all these and many other incentives to fulfill the commandment, they did not abandon their evil intention. Seeing the Son, they say: let's go kill Him. For what? Was it because He honored you: being God, He became a man for you and performed countless miracles, forgave your sins, and called you into the Kingdom of God? And how, despite their wickedness, they are extremely insane; how unreasonable is their impulse to kill: let us kill Him, they say, and His inheritance will be ours (Luke 20:14). And where do they intend to kill - outside the vineyard? So Jesus Christ predicts the very place where he will be killed, and brings them to an involuntary consciousness by which they themselves pronounced their judgment; and there is no fairer sentence when those being punished blame themselves. He assures the Jews in every possible way that the unbelievers will be expelled and the pagans accepted. He made this clear by his treatment of the Canaanite woman, the selection of a colt when he ascended to Jerusalem, the example of the centurion, and many others; He points to this and now adds: this is from the Lord and is marvelous in our eyes, letting us know that the believing pagans and those who believe among the Jews will be one, despite all their former differences among themselves; that all this is happening according to God’s determination and is wonderful, amazing for everyone. He calls Himself a stone, and Jewish teachers as builders. Stone, i.e. They rejected Christ when they said: He is not from God; He deceives the people; You are a Samaritan, and you have a demon (cf. John 9:16, 7:12; 8:48). But the words of Jesus Christ did not enlighten the Jews; they were not ashamed of either the testimony of the prophets or their own verdict. Thus they were completely blinded by lust, vanity and attachment to the temporary.” The bitter fate of unrepentant sinners God is far removed from the wicked, says the wise Solomon (Proverbs 15:29), and therefore they are unhappy in this life. How often it is observed that some people, despite all their apparent happiness, are so unhappy in their souls that in despair they wish themselves to die and even, as often happens nowadays, cause death to themselves. And that the cause of all these misfortunes lies in sin, rarely does anyone think about it. When a person, as a result of grave and unrepentant sins, has left God, then God also leaves him; then the evil spirit takes possession of the whole heart of the sinner and makes the latter unhappy. And torment of conscience - is this a small punishment for an unrepentant sinner? The voice of conscience, no matter how hard they try to drown it out, does not give rest to the sinner anywhere, and the word of the prophet Isaiah is fulfilled on it: there is no peace for the ungodly (cf. Is. 57:21). But all these punishments, no matter how severe they may be, will cease with the death of a person. But what awaits the unrepentant sinner after death? It’s scary to even say: eternal torment in the eternal, unquenchable fire of Gehenna, prepared for the devil and his angels. Unless you turn, Jesus Christ said to the stubborn Jews, and you do not repent, you will all perish (cf. Luke 13:3). To explain the above, we will tell the following story. “In the African city of Carthage there lived a certain warrior man named Taxiot. He spent his life carelessly and sinned a lot. It happened at that time that an epidemic of a contagious disease began in Carthage, from which many people died. Fearing death, Taxiot repented of his sins and moved from the city to the village. But here he fell into the sin of adultery with the wife of a farmer and a few days after that he died from a snake bite. He was buried in a nearby monastery. Soon after his burial in the monastery they heard a terrible cry from the coffin: “Have mercy on me! have mercy on me!” Having dug up the coffin, the monks, to their great surprise, found Taxiot alive and in tears. They began to question him about what had happened to him, but he did not say anything, but only asked to be taken to Bishop Tarasius. For three days Taxiot could not come to his senses and only on the fourth day he spoke about what had happened to him. “Fathers and brothers,” the warrior Taxiot began his story, “when I was dying, I saw terrible murins (demons) before me; I also saw two bright young men (Angels) who, taking my soul, carried it past various ordeals, where they torture the souls of those who died in sins, and as many sins as there are so many ordeals; in each of them the demons represented my sins. But the holy Angels “matched good deeds to my evil deeds, and thus the ordeal passed.” And so we reached the fornication ordeal. Here the demons presented all my prodigal sins that I had committed since childhood. The Holy Angels said: God forgave him all the bodily sins he committed while living in the city, for he repented of them. But the demons said: after moving from the city to the village, he sinned with the landowner’s wife. Hearing this, the holy Angels, not finding a single good deed that could be opposed to the sin of adultery, left me. And so the evil spirits began to beat me cruelly. Then I was cast into hell, where sinners suffered. Here I heard incessant cries: woe to us, woe! It is difficult to describe the misery and torment that I saw there. They moan - and no one regrets them; they cry - but no one consoles them; They beg for mercy - but no one heeds their plea. I too was imprisoned with sinners. Suddenly, I see, a small light appeared, and two Angels appeared before me; I began to beg them to take me out of there, promising to repent of everything. And they answered: “You are praying prematurely: no one will leave here until the General Resurrection.” I began to ask them even more diligently. Then one Angel said to the other: “Do you guarantee for him that he will repent?” He replied: “I guarantee it.” And so they, shaking hands with each other, took me out of the underworld and brought me to my body, ordering me to enter it. My body was dark and stinking, so I didn’t want to enter it. But the Angels said: “It is impossible for you to repent except in the body with which you sinned.” Then I entered the body and began to shout: “Have mercy on me!” With this Taxiot finished his story. He was offered food, but he refused to accept it. Moving from church to church, Taxiot prayed to God with tears and said, addressing everyone: “Woe to those who sin, woe to those who do not repent, woe to those who defile their bodies!” He spent forty days in prayer and tears of repentance and after that he peacefully departed to the Lord.” You see what severe torment Taxiot was subjected to for one sin for which he did not have time to repent, what unimaginable torment awaits those who do not repent for several years, who live so carelessly that they do not think about their sins at all. My friends! Let us take pity from our hearts on such unfortunates, we will try to reason with them in order to save their souls, we ourselves will repent incessantly, we will mourn our sins throughout our lives in order to always be ready for death, then only we can avoid the fate of unrepentant sinners. The incomprehensibility of God's destinies One hermit asked God to make him understand the ways of His Providence, and imposed a fast on himself. However, God did not reveal to him what he wanted to know. He still did not stop praying, and finally the Lord brought him to his senses. When he went to visit an old man living far away from him, an Angel appeared to him in the form of a monk and offered to be his companion. The hermit was very happy at the offer, and they went on together. The day turned to evening. They stopped for the night with a pious man, who received them with such honor that he even offered them food on a silver platter. But here's what's surprising! Immediately after the meal, the Angel took the dish and threw it into the sea. The elder was perplexed, but did not say anything. They went further and the next day stopped with another, also pious husband. And this one received them with joy: he washed their feet and showed them all attention. But trouble again! When the hermit and his companion began to prepare for the journey, the owner brought his young son to them to be blessed. But instead of blessing, the Angel, touching the boy, took his soul. Neither the old man, out of horror, nor the father, out of despair, could utter a word, and the old man ran out, and his companion, not lagging behind, followed him. On the third day of the journey, they had nowhere to stay except one dilapidated house abandoned by everyone, and they took refuge in it. The elder sat down to taste the food, and his companion, to his amazement, again began a strange thing. He began to destroy the house, and having destroyed it, he began to build again. Seeing this, the hermit could not stand it: “Who are you, a demon or an Angel? What are you doing? – he shouted with anger. “The day before yesterday I took the dish from a good man and threw it into the sea. Yesterday he took the life of a boy, and today he destroyed it for some reason and began to build this house again?” Then the Angel said to him: “Don’t be surprised, elder, and don’t be tempted about me, but listen to what I tell you. The first husband who received us really acts in everything pleasing to God, but the dish that I threw was acquired by him by untruth. That's why I left him so that he wouldn't ruin his reward. The second husband is also pleasing to God, but if his young son had grown up, he would have become a terrible villain; That’s why I took his soul for his father’s good, so that he too could be saved.” “Well, here, what did you do?” - asked the old man. The angel continued: “The owner of this house was an immoral man, because of this he became poor and left. His grandfather, having built this house, hid gold in the wall, and some know about it. That’s why I ruined it, so that from now on no one would look for gold here and die through it.” The angel concluded his speech like this: “Return, elder, to your cell and do not suffer madly, for this is what the Holy Spirit says: “The depths of the Lord’s judgment are many, untested and unknown to man.” That’s why you don’t try them - it won’t do you any good.” The angel then became invisible, and the amazed old man repented of his error and then told everyone about what had happened. One presbyter, a wonderful husband who spent a lot of time in asceticism, said the following: “I had a sister, a girl who was young in years, but acquired the mind of an old man. She spent all her time in fasting and abstinence. One day she was sitting next to me and suddenly fell on her back and lay silent and lifeless all day and night. The next day at the same hour, as if rising from sleep, she was in fear and horror. I asked her what had happened to her, but she asked me to wait until the horror passed... She spent many days in tears, and she herself did not want to talk, and she did not want to listen to others, she did not even speak to those closest to her, and often she remembered the names of some with tears and, groaning, mourned them. Finally, she gave in to my requests and began to say: “At that hour, when I was sitting near you, two certain men, gray-haired, dignified in appearance, dressed in white clothes, came and took me by the right hand, ordered me to follow them. One of them, holding a rod in his hand, extended it to the sky and opened it, preparing us to enter it. Then, taking me, they lead me to a certain place where a great multitude of Angels stood, and the doors and churches were beyond all words. When I went inside, I saw an exalted throne and many standing there, surpassing in beauty and grandeur those who stood outside. There was Someone sitting on the throne, illuminating everyone with His light, to Whom everyone bowed. I was also brought to Him to worship, and I heard that He commanded to show me everything for the admonition of those living on earth. Arriving at a certain place, I see a great multitude of creations of indescribable beauty, clothed in various clothes, shining with gold and precious stones, and various churches, and a great multitude of husbands and wives living in them in honor and glory. Showing them, they told me: “These are bishops, these are clergy, these are laymen, some of them shone in their service, others lived chastely and righteously.” There I saw the presbyter of my village and the clergy we know. I saw many virgins and widows, wives who had lived honestly in marriage; Many of them were acquaintances, some from our town, others from different places... some practiced asceticism, others lived honestly in their condition, some spent most of their lives in widowhood and were overwhelmed by sorrows and many disasters. There are some of them who first fell in virginity and widowhood, and for repentance and many tears, were again restored to their former rank. Taking me from there, they took me to some places, terrible in appearance and terrible to see, filled with all kinds of crying and sobbing.” Intending to begin the story about this, she became so afraid that all her clothes were wetted with tears, her voice was interrupted, and her tongue involuntarily stammered and moved without making a sound. But, forced by me, she began to speak like this: “I have seen places so terrible and terrible that neither sight nor hearing can be understood; those present told me about them that they were prepared for all the wicked and lawless and for those who in the world were called Christians, but did a lot of evil. There I saw a stove lit and emitting some kind of terrible bubbling noise. I was horrified and asked who this was prepared for. They answered me: “For those who have been promoted to the clergy, who, out of love of money and carelessness, have offended the Church of God and lived a shameful life without repentance...” I, trembling, exclaimed: “Are such disasters prepared for those who are in the clergy and virginity?” One of those who were far away answered: “Disasters, damsel, are assigned to them corresponding to their wickedness against God and their unrighteousness against their neighbor. For God does not despise those who suffer there, nor do He leave those who do what is displeasing to Him without punishment. God Almighty rewards everyone according to their worth for good and evil.” After walking a little more, we stopped at a place full of deep darkness. Everything there was filled with screaming and confusion, a plaintive voice, gnashing of teeth and terrible groaning. There I saw various virgins and widows who did not act in accordance with their vows; they were devoted to wine and pleasures; they did not pay any attention to psalmody, prayers, and fasting, despite the fact that they had entered into a covenant with Christ with their promises. It was said about some of them that they misanthropically, although correctly, recounted the intentions of others, which served to corrupt some of them, and they became guilty of their death. I, seeing their groaning and crying, was no less overcome with fear than they were. Having looked carefully, I see two of the girls most dear to me, engulfed in fire and torment... when I saw them and groaned, I called one of them by name. They looked, and their faces were covered with shame because of the punishment they had suffered, and they were even more tormented by shame and sank down. I asked them with tears what secret things they had done, what was hidden from many who knew them on earth, and what evil deeds they fell into, for which they received punishment?.. They said: “We destroyed virginity through corruption, we decided to commit murders due to conception, we practiced abstinence and fasting in front of others, but in secret we did the opposite, because we only wanted human glory, and did not pay attention to the threatening torment. But everything that was done there was secretly exposed by the local disasters, and for the love of fame we accept the corresponding shame... But if you have any strength and boldness for the sake of your good life, help us, ask for at least a little mercy from those who torment us.” I answered: “Where are my brother’s many admonitions and advice to you? Where are the prayers, where is his great care, where are the constant prayers? Is all this really not enough for you not to be here?..” They, ashamed, remained silent, but then began to say: “Now is not the time for reproof and reproach, but for consolation and help... help us...” I fell down and with tears begged the tormentors to ease their torment. They sent me away with a terrible look, saying: “It is fair for them to reap the fruits of whatever deeds they have sown there; what blessings they despised there will not be received here, and what torments they disdained will be experienced... Go, maiden, proclaim there about what is here - good and evil, even if to many you seem to be speaking empty things.” Those girls, having learned that my prayer was useless, weeping and gnashing their teeth, said: “We endure everything in accordance with what we did, but, leaving us, go again into the world and tell about everything you saw to the one who lived with us, for she also did the same to us, laughing at what is here... Tell her about our torments, convince her to repent...” The Word of God teaches, and the voice of conscience of each of us confirms that our evil and wicked deeds anger the Lord God and call upon us punishment from Him. Many sins are committed by all of us - either because we are carried away by the tempting power of evil, or because of the weakness of the flesh in the fight against temptation. But there are also those among us who, due to the darkening of their hearts by unbelief and pride, consciously and persistently resist the grace of God and indulge in sin and wickedness. In bewilderment and sorrow, how can a Christian not exclaim in such a case: how long, O Lord, will Thy enemy be exalted (Ps. 12:3) and that the way of the wicked will be sung? (cf. Jer. 12:1). Let us not, brethren, boldly test the ways of God’s Providence, which we cannot comprehend with our weak minds, but rather, in this regard, let us seek consolation and confirmation of faith in the word of God. Once during the Savior’s earthly life, His beloved disciples, James and John, asked to bring down fire from heaven in order to destroy the inhabitants of a Samaritan village who had offended them by refusing hospitality. What did the Lord say to them in response to this request? I don't know what spirit you are eating. The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save (Luke 9:55–56). Here is some explanation of the great mystery of God - His inexpressible long-suffering towards our sins and iniquities! It lies in God’s endless love for the human race, in calling everyone to salvation. The Lord our Savior Himself, who descended to earth and became incarnate out of great love for us, enduring spitting and strangulation, the Cross and death from His unworthy servants, is long-suffering for His crucifiers. “Lord, I ascended You to the Cross, for You forbade the earth to swallow up those who crucified You, You commanded hell to release the centurion, You came with taxes, not death” - this is how God’s patience is depicted in one church song. The Lord, with His love, wants to overcome the malice of the crucifiers so that some will leave Golgotha ​​with a contrite spirit, beating their hearts, so that at the Cross there will also be those who would confess Him as the Son of God. He endures persecution from Saul in order to later make him a chosen vessel, appointed to preach His name among the pagans. He suffers reproach from every sinner who crucifies Him with their iniquities, waiting in every possible way for him to turn to Himself. Therefore, the entire time of our earthly existence can be called the time of God’s long-suffering. Let us try to use it for our spiritual benefit, for our eternal salvation. May none of us, because of God’s long-suffering, think of giving room to our passions and lusts. In this case, this long-suffering of God towards us will serve not to justify us, but to our greater condemnation! Terrible is the judgment, and terrible is the torment that awaits beyond the grave of sinners and wicked people who despised the goodness of God and died unrepentant! However, God’s judgment is often carried out in this life on the wicked and sinners, when they continue to stagnate in their iniquity and persist in sinful bitterness. The Lord waited a long time for repentance from the wicked people who lived before the flood, but when he saw that there was no repentance in them, he destroyed them with a flood. He also expected repentance from the Sodomites, but without waiting, He destroyed them with fire; For a long time he expected repentance from Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, but when this latter neglected His long-suffering, he drowned him in the depths of the sea with all his army. “The same judgment of God,” says Saint Tikhon, “even now befalls the lawless, those who are careless about God’s forbearance! We often hear how lawless people are sometimes amazed at their very lawlessness. Although not all of them, due to the unknown destinies of God, are punished here, nevertheless, all of them are cut with death, like an ax, and thrown into eternal fire.” Let us recognize the great love of our Lord for us, His inexpressible mercy and long-suffering for us. Let us repent of our sins and iniquities, while the time of His long-suffering continues, while His holy voice is still heard: repent (Matthew 4:17), so that death and the Judgment of Christ in sins may not overtake us. Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse our iniquities (cf. Ps. 50:3). The Lord endures for a long time, but it hurts The Lord is generous and merciful, long-suffering and abounding in mercy. Hourly and even every minute we anger Him with our grave sins, but the Lord endures everything and waits for our repentance and correction. He does not want the death of the sinner (cf. Ezek. 33:11) and is always ready to have mercy on the repentant, no matter how great and grave his sins may be. An instructive and comforting example in this regard is the repentance of the Ninevites. The inhabitants of the ancient city of Nineveh once greatly angered God: they completely forgot Him and indulged in all sorts of vices, and so God decided to completely destroy them and for this purpose sent the prophet Jonah there to preach. Jonah began to walk around the city and preach, saying: forty more days, and Nineveh will be destroyed! And the Ninevites believed God, and declared a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. This word reached the king of Nineveh, and he stood up from his throne, and took off his royal vestments, and dressed himself in sackcloth, and sat on ashes, and commanded to proclaim: that neither man nor cattle should eat anything or drink water, and that men and cattle should be covered in sackcloth, and cry mightily to God, and that everyone should turn from his evil way and from the violence of his hands. Who knows, maybe God will have mercy and turn away His burning anger from us, and we will not perish. And God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, and God regretted the disaster that he said he would bring on them, but did not bring (cf. Jonah 3:4–10). See, Christians, how merciful the Lord is! But at the same time, know that He is just, that although He waits a long time for our repentance, He punishes us greatly. An example of this can be the same Ninevites about whom, in addition to the prophet Jonah, another prophet, Nahum, preached. Let's say a few words about this Old Testament saint. The prophet Nahum came from the city of Elkiseya, lying on the banks of the Jordan River, from the tribe of Simeon. He, just like the prophet Jonah, prophesied about Nineveh - he predicted that this city would perish from water and fire, which actually came true. The inhabitants of the city of Nineveh, although they repented through the preaching of the prophet Jonah, but not for long; and seeing that Jonah's prophecy did not come true, they again returned to lawless deeds. Then the wrath of God befell them. At Nineveh there was a large lake surrounding the city; one day there was a strong earthquake, during which most of the city drowned in that lake, and the remaining inhabitants who escaped on the mountain were consumed by fire - and so Nahum’s prophecy came true. This incident clearly shows how just the Lord is. Be afraid, Christian, to offend your God and Creator with grave sins: God endures for a long time out of His love for mankind, but at the same time it hurts. In a countless number of experiences, sometimes there are special, sharply outstanding cases where the judgment of God, striking a crime immediately, reminds of itself to those of us who forget that the words of the Lord will not continue to those who speak, and that the Lord will not touch the promises, just as Netiia thinks touching. Who can stand against His wrath? And who can resist His fury in anger? His wrath will melt away his power, and the stones will be shaken off from him (Nahum. 1:6). Among such obvious examples of the wrath of God is the following incident. This happened in 1862. In the village of B-go district there lived one peasant family, consisting of an old mother and two sons, the eldest of whom was married and the youngest single. It so happened that the brothers quarreled among themselves. The elder, who was drunk, not wanting to listen to accusations of his reproachful behavior from the younger, decided, by the right of the elder, to use fists. The younger one, realizing that he was right, did not consider it necessary to give in to the drunken man, and a fight began. The old mother was lying in bed sick at that time. Gathering her last strength, leaning on a crutch, she approached the scene of the fight. To calm her sons down, she hit her drunken son on the back with a crutch, but he roughly pushed her away with the words: “It’s none of your business, mother.” The weak woman fell like a sheaf from such a push and gave up her soul to God. An investigation began, the corpse was opened, it turned out to be a bruise that caused death; When it comes to the criminal, he denies everything. The younger brother, out of cowardice, also did not dare to tell the truth. But the matter was not without witnesses: another family lived nearby and - wonderful! - in the same composition: an old mother and two sons, of which, just like there, the eldest is married, and the youngest is single. As closest neighbors, they were summoned for questioning, and although they were eyewitnesses to the incident, they stubbornly refused everything and were not afraid to confirm their lies with an oath. Of course, this did not prevent the case from being revealed, and the culprits were sent to prison. The neighbors, who under oath renounced any participation in the incident, were recognized by human justice as not involved in the case and left free. But now the judgment of God against false witnesses opens. About two months after the end of the judicial investigation into the above-mentioned case, the family of oath-breakers was punished: first of all, the old mother was found dead. They immediately let the right people know, and according to a medical examination, it turned out that she died from a blow. Since no traces of violence were discovered, the case was consigned to the will of God, and the body was in its turn consigned to the earth. One would have thought that would be the end; but this was only the beginning of God’s wrath. Less than two or three weeks after the death of the mother, her daughter-in-law was found dead in the field, on all fours, with her head buried in the ground as she was, with a sickle in her hand. An investigation was carried out, and the case was consigned to oblivion. But the hand of the Lord is high. The line was behind the older brother, and she did not slow down. Having buried his mother and wife, the elder brother himself found himself in new trouble; being drunk, he quarreled with a fellow villager, and, as often happens, the quarrel soon turned into a fight; At this time, the unfortunate man hit his opponent with a stick so accurately that he died two days later. The investigation began again. But strange thing! During the investigation of the case, they presented the stick with which the blow was struck - it turned out to be no thicker than a finger and so flexible! Moreover, the blow was, one might say, so indecisive that only one miracle could have given it such a formidable effect. The killer was sent to prison. What remains is his younger brother... The thought of the terrible fate that befell his family haunted him, and he went crazy... Thus, in a very short time, the righteous wrath of God destroyed an entire family of sinners to the ground! No matter how you explain this case, in the end you will have to admit that God cannot be mocked; that as much as He is merciful, He is also just, and that sooner or later grave sin will receive its retribution, if not in this life, then in the future life. So remember this, Christian, and write in your heart: “The Lord endures for a long time, but it hurts!” The Church is the living union of Christ with believers The human race, as descended from the One Creator, was supposed to be a closely knit family, one house headed by God as the Father. But the fall of the first people meant that the human race not only forgot and abandoned God - its Heavenly Father, but also divided into tribes and peoples living in hostility among themselves. The Heavenly Father gave good grace to bring people closer to Him and unite them through His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. The Savior reconciled, led and united with Himself all things in His body - the Church, becoming its foundation and head. The Church likens the Word of God to the building of God, the house of God, calling Christ the foundation and cornerstone and the believers - members of the Church - living stones. The house is strong at its foundation and corners. And the Church is firm and strong, until it is invincible by the forces of hell, by Christ (see: Matt. 16:18; 1 Pet. 2:5–7; Eph. 1:10,22, 2:13–18,20–22; 1 Cor. 3:10–11; Col. 2:9). The scribes and Pharisees rejected Christ as the Messiah, as the organizer of the Kingdom of God on earth. But He, rejected by them, is the Founder of the Church on earth. The stone, built carelessly, is quickly at the forefront (Matt. 21:42; Ps. 118:22). In order for the corners and walls of the building to be strong with a solid foundation and strength, each stone from which the building is built must be firmly interlocked with other stones. It happens that a stone loses its connection with the others, falls out of the wall, breaks and is trampled on. New stones are placed in place of fallen stones. Thus, the building (house) remains unharmed and well-maintained, while the fallen, broken stones are destroyed. If a Christian means anything, then it is in union only with Christ and other members of the Church. He remains in the Church as long as he has union with Christ and with other members of the Church, as long as he generally forms a living part of it. If he breaks his connection with Christ or with members of the Church, then what is he? Nothing more than a stone that fell out of a strong building, trampled under the feet of passers-by and destroyed. But what binds Christians in a living building - the Church? Faith and love. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world, faith in the Church as such a Divine institution, belonging to which a Christian is in real communion with Christ and all-sanctifying grace. But the Church is a living union of its constituent members. Christ is united with the Church by His divine love for her. Love, like cement, unites all members of the Church. As vividly as it should be, however, the necessity of connecting each individual member of the Church with others through love is not recognized. They usually imagine that one can remain in the Church regardless of the relationship one has to one another. This is a deep misconception. Let us imagine, for example, that the head of a house is at odds with some of his members. What does this lead to? In most cases, the result is that someone who lives at odds with their family stops loving their activities, fulfilling their responsibilities towards them, and deviates towards some kind of vice. But the evil doesn't stop there. Such a person at the same time is a bad Christian who runs away from prayers, does not visit the church of God and generally does not fulfill his Christian duties, that is, he who does not have love and peace with his neighbors breaks off communion with Christ. What kind of Church member is he? He is like a stone in a building that has lost its connection with the others and is ready to be removed. But the stone in the wall of a building can be held together with cement to hold it in place. And a Christian, in order to remain a living member of the Church, must again unite in love with other Christians who come into contact with him, otherwise he, as a member of the Church, will perish. Oh, how necessary is mutual love between Christians in order to be in deed and truth in communion with Christ and the Church! Unfortunately, the need for love and peace between individual members of the Church is not recognized. The life of modern Christians presents more and more frequent cases of clashes based on worldly interests and various manifestations of anger. Do not flatter yourself, brothers! By being hostile to each other, we are deprived of access to the love of Jesus Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the love of the Savior and the grace of the Holy Spirit act like blood in the members of a living body. Blood is distributed by the heart throughout the body only if all its members are inseparable. It does not reach those of them who are in disunity with those closest to them. Both the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit are communicated to the Christian not as an individual member, but as a constituent part of a single indivisible body - the Church. Given the enmity and anger of Christians against each other, what kind of unity can there be! And in this case, is it conceivable to communicate the love of Christ and saving grace? Those who have ears to hear, let them hear, and let them avoid enmity and malice in every possible way! About man's carelessness in the matter of salvation A certain man, running away from the fury of a unicorn, encountered a deep ravine with a steep cliff on his way. Fleeing from the beast, the man threw himself off a cliff. As he fell, he firmly grabbed the tree with both hands and rested his feet on a small ledge of the mountain. But then he saw two mice gnawing at the root of a tree, and he was in danger of falling into the abyss. Then he looked into the depths of the ravine and noticed a terrible snake there, which opened its mouth wide, and flames emanated from it. Finally, he turned his gaze to the ledge of the rock on which he stood with his feet, and noticed that the heads of poisonous asps were protruding from the crevices. Looking at the branches of the tree he was holding on to, he discovered honey from wild bees in them. And so this man, surrounded by so many dangers, forgot about the unicorn, which was raging on the edge of the abyss, forgot about the snake that was ready to devour him below, about asps and that the tree was soon going to fall - he forgot about all this and began to feast on honey. This is the meaning of this parable: a unicorn pursuing a man is death, which pursues all the sons of Adam. The big ravine is this vain world; a tree that is constantly being gnawed by two mice is a life that is constantly being shortened with each passing day and each passing night, bringing it closer to the hour of death; the heads of asps are our bodily passions and lusts. A fire-breathing serpent means hell, ready to devour sinners. Drops of honey are our sinful pleasures, which we so carelessly indulge in. Constantly think about your salvation One often hears the cry of people ignorant of religious life: is it my business to think about salvation? Is it possible, among the various activities and pleasures of life, to seek one Kingdom of God and His righteousness (cf. Matthew 6:33)? By renouncing his salvation, such a person renounces not only his most sacred duty, but also all the true joys of life that follow from the fulfillment of this duty... Is it my business to think about salvation?.. Poor, perishing soul! Whose business is this?.. If it were left only to the will of those who wished it, if it were only a random need, which not everyone has the opportunity and means to satisfy, then one could say: it’s none of my business. But concern for salvation is the common responsibility of everyone, and mine in the same way as everyone else. Is it my business to think about salvation? Whose business is it? These citizens of the desert, inhabitants of solitary cells, people who have condemned themselves to only deeds of piety, to whom I pay due tribute of reverence, but do not dare to imitate?.. I know that not everyone can accommodate the words of their lofty vows... But with the exception of these vows, with the exception of the external way of life, which is beyond my strength, is there still something left that I could imitate in them, to which I am equally obliged as they?.. Shall I say that I have the right to love God less than them; that I can value less than them the merits of the death of Christ the Savior on the cross; that I have the opportunity with impunity not to use the means of salvation provided to me, like everyone else?.. Oh, my God! no no! Is it my business to care about salvation... Oh, life, earthly life, you give me too clear an answer to this. Given to us without our will, terminated not by our will, you, at most, up to several decades, are so short that the most ardent defender and seeker of your joys will not consider you the only goal of our existence. Even in your shortest continuation, from a few days to a few years, you can be so long that even in a young heart you can plant a spark of thirst for another life, more joyful. I am afraid to lose even one day, knowing that he will not return; I’m afraid to use it for some vain concern or pleasure. I feel sorry for the day I spent carelessly; I feel terrible after one day spent in sinful pleasure, which leaves only a trace of repentance in my soul. The voice of conscience, as well as the teaching of the Gospel, constantly tell me that there will one day be a Day of Judgment, when it is necessary to give an answer to God for every moment of life. What will I bring to this Court? I have already deceived myself enough with the hope that there will still be time for worries and salvation; Now half of my life has passed (God knows, is there more?) and has brought me nothing for the future: what if the other one passes in the same way? No, concern for the salvation of the soul does not belong to certain years: my conscience, trembling at the Judgment of God, tells me this very clearly now; this care must accompany a whole life, which is all preparation for eternity. I leave it to you, my soul, to choose life or death for yourself... No, you will not choose eternal death for yourself at a distance from God, in the terrible torments of hell, you will not dare to exchange eternal bliss for the temporary sweetness of sin. But if you value the bliss of eternity so much, then don’t tell me: there will still be time to earn it; I still have time to prepare for it. I do not remind you that only God knows when the time of your transition to eternity will come; that, perhaps, before you say: behold, soon it will be necessary to think about eternity, the Angel of death will open its doors to you!.. I want to judge you from your words before the Last Judgment comes, after which there is no correction... Do you value the bliss of heaven? You will not give it up for any blessings of the world, which will one day leave you, just as you will leave it?.. Why don’t you try to deserve it more, to prepare yourself better for it? Why are you wasting time in vain, at the price of which you could buy yourself a greater measure of bliss?.. And let the evil of your carelessness be limited to this only, that you would not acquire the right to a greater reward. But don’t you know that not a single minute of our life passes without a trace, that every minute in which we have not done good and have not earned a reward is a minute of more or less serious sin, for which we will one day accept punishment? Look to what end you are leading yourself... Beware how dangerously you walk, redeeming the time, for the days are evil (Eph. 5:15-16). Is it my business to think about salvation? Mine, mine, my beloved Savior! I understand this when, in moments of illumination of my soul with the light of Your grace, I look at Your Cross. Oh, how clear to me in these moments is the saving voice of the Gospel; how clear, how strong and binding then his commandments become for me! Shame and sorrow cover my soul when I, at the foot of Your Cross, look at my former life! Someday my disastrous blindness must end! It’s time for me to finally come to the conclusion that my soul is dear to me, my Eternal Life, that I must work for my salvation, for which the Lord has done so much. I won't put it off any longer. I will try to do what I can to save myself, at least from now on my main concern will be salvation... Is it difficult to reconcile concerns about salvation with matters of the calling? What a daring and senseless lie! I take upon myself many varied tasks, varied ministries, and I am not afraid that it will be difficult to combine them, but I consider it difficult to combine a pious mood of spirit with the affairs of my calling. It is not difficult for me to combine with the affairs of my family life concerns about pleasing another, on whom I depend or from whom I expect some benefit for myself; on the contrary, people-pleasing adds strength and activity to me, makes me able to work twice as hard, in order to have time to do what is necessary for my family, and outside the home not to miss the opportunity to do something pleasing to someone whose attention and favor I value. But when it comes to pleasing God, it seems difficult to me to combine the work of pleasing God with family matters!.. It is not difficult for me, out of self-interest, for money or for honors, to take on dozens of positions; it’s not even difficult to give up the pleasures of family shelter, which I easily forget on days of special troubles or undertakings that promise profit; I just can’t combine concerns for the eternal good of the soul with the affairs of my ministry! Among the most varied activities, I find time to satisfy some random whim, to exercise in this or that art, to study this or that science, to idlely read some frivolous book. There is only no time to take care of the soul... Oh, how rudely I deceive myself, while, on the contrary, how many motivations and zeal for the salvation of the soul can be found in our very temporary fate! Without Your blessing, my God, those who build work in vain, no matter how someone builds their well-being; and Your blessing rests only on those who seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33). I am a family man; and in this very thing I find an incentive to please You, caring for my soul... I would like my children to be good people, so that You would be their Father when You wish to call their father to You; I am afraid to leave them an illegally acquired piece of bread, lest it arm Thy righteousness against them, but I do not want to leave them without hope, and I place this hope in You, entrusting myself and my home to You... Let my good example teach my children a good life, and my loyalty to You will be, in the eyes of Your immeasurable mercy, a petition for Your blessing on them!.. I am a citizen, faithful to my dear Fatherland: and this forces me to care about the correction of my soul, about the rightness of my life... I know that truth elevates the people and that the more good people in a society, pleasing to You, the stronger and more reliable it is; I pray to You for the correction of the hearts of my fellow citizens, I also pray for myself, trying, if possible, to always act in life according to the rules of the law and conscience... I am afraid that self-interest will lead me to a bad end; so that my dishonesty does not arouse Your wrath against me, punishing the guilty when they do not even think about punishment... I am a servant of Your Church and I cannot help but acknowledge my duty to live for You, saving my soul. Your righteousness will not tolerate me in Your Sanctuary if I am not faithful to Your laws; My coldness and inattention to my soul will not go unpunished by my flock, who would completely surrender to me if I deserved their respect, but who will cover me with dishonor if they see me as a slave of passions, a careless sinner... Am I rich? I must repay the undeserved gift of Your bounties, my wealth, with good deeds: otherwise, how much envy and malice will my wealth arouse in my neighbors, how many ill-wishers will I have cursing my gold!.. Am I poor? I have no choice but to completely entrust myself to Your Providence, to treasure up wealth for myself in the future pleasing You, so that with the hope of future ineffable blessings I can delight the grief of the present! You might be interested in: