Беседа 19. На день святых четыредесяти мучеников 73

Will a lover of martyrs get bored when he commemorates the martyrs? The honor given to the valiant of our fellow servants is proof of our goodwill towards the common Lord. For it is certain that he who praises excellent men will not fail to imitate them in similar circumstances. Sincerely please the one who has endured torment, so that you too may become a martyr at will and, without persecution, without fire, without scourges, be awarded the same rewards as them. And we have to marvel at not just one, and not just two, the number of those blessed is not even limited to ten, but forty men, who in separate bodies had, as it were, one soul, in agreement and unanimity of faith, showed patience in torment, equal steadfastness for the truth. All are similar to one another, all are equal in spirit, equal in feat; therefore, they were awarded equal crowns of glory. Therefore, what word can adequately depict them? And forty lips would not be enough to glorify the valor of so many men. If even one were the subject of surprise, then this would be enough to exceed the power of my word; Moreover, such a multitude, this warlike squad, this invincible regiment, are equally invincible in battle and inaccessible to praise. However, having restored their image in memory, I will offer to those present here the common benefit from them, showing everyone, as if in a picture, the valiant deeds of these men; because the valor shown in battles was often depicted by both historical writers and painters, some decorating them with words, others depicting them in pictures; and by this both of them aroused many to courage. What the narrative word conveys through hearing, painting shows silently through imitation. So I, too, will remind those present here of the virtue of these men and, as if bringing their deeds before their eyes, I will encourage them to imitate those who are more courageous and more akin to them in will. Here is a word of praise to the martyrs - an incitement to the virtue of those gathered; because words about saints cannot slavishly follow the rules of words of praise. The compilers of these words take worldly reasons into praise: and to whom “the world has been crucified” (Gal. 6:14), can something worldly be a reason for glorification? These saints had more than one fatherland, because each came from a special place. What of this? What should we call them? having no fatherland or citizens of the universe? Just as when one contributes money to a pool, what each person contributes becomes the common property of all the contributors, so with these blessed people, the fatherland of each is the common fatherland of all, and everyone, being from different places, exchanges fatherlands with each other. It’s better to say, what is the need to search for their earthly fatherlands, when you can guess about their real city, what it is like? The city of martyrs is the city of God, “to whom God is an artist and maker” (Heb. 11:10), “Jerusalem above, freedom, ... mother” (Gal. 4:26) to Paul and those who are like him. Each of them has their own human race, but they all have the same spiritual race; because their common Father is God, and they are all brothers, not as born of one and the same, but as by the sonship of the Spirit united with each other in like-mindedness of love. This is a ready-made face, a great addition to those who glorify the Lord from time immemorial; They did not gather one by one, but suddenly moved in. And what kind of resettlement is this? Differing from all their peers in physical stature, youth of age and strength, they were included in the military lists; Both for military skill and for spiritual courage they received the first honors from the kings, being renowned among everyone for their virtue. And when this godless and ungodly proclamation was announced - not to confess Christ or risk danger; they threatened all kinds of torment, and the judges of unrighteousness stirred up great and brutal rage against the pious; slander and slander were made against them, various kinds of torture were sought, the tormentors were inexorable, fire was ready, the sword was sharpened, a cross was planted in the ground, a ditch, wheels, and whips were made; when some fled, others submitted, others were indecisive, and some, even before they knew it, were struck with horror from some threats, others were dizzy from the proximity of horrors, others, having entered into the struggle, were then unable to fully withstand the work and, halfway through, abandoning the feat, like those caught in a storm at sea, lost from shipwreck the burden of patience that they already had; These invincible and courageous warriors of Christ, coming out on Wednesday, announced to the mayor, who showed the royal scripture and demanded obedience, in a free voice, boldly and fearlessly, not in the least afraid of what was visible, not horrified by threats, that they were Christians. Oh, blessed lips that uttered this sacred voice, with which the air that received it was sanctified, with which the Angels who heard it applauded, with which the devil and demons were wounded, and which was recorded by the Lord in heaven! So, everyone, going out on Wednesday, said: “I am a Christian!” And just as on the lists those entering into a feat at the same time say their names and take the place of struggle, so each of them, having then rejected the name given to him at birth, borrowed a name for himself from the Savior common to all. And everyone did this, the next one joined the one before, and from this everyone had one name; They didn’t say: I am such and such or such and such, but everyone declared themselves Christians. What did the then ruler do? And he was skillful and abundant in means, either to seduce with caresses or to seduce with threats. And at first he wanted to charm them with caresses, trying to weaken the power of piety in them. He said: “Do not betray your youth; do not trade this sweet life for an untimely death. It is indecent for those accustomed to being distinguished for valor in battle to die the death of evildoers.” On top of this he promised them money. And he gave them this, and honors from the king, and endowed them with ranks, and wanted to overcome them with thousands of inventions. Since they did not succumb to such a temptation, he turned to another kind of tricks: he frightened them with beatings, deaths, and experiencing the most unbearable torments. That's how he acted! What about the martyrs? They say: “Why, O adversary of God, do you entice us, offering us these benefits, so that we fall away from the living God and become enslaved to destructive demons? Why do you give as much as you try to take away? I hate a gift that entails harm; I do not accept honor, which is the mother of dishonor. You give money that takes away unfading glory. You make him known to the king, but you alienate him from the true King. What do you offer us so sparingly and so little from the worldly? We despise the whole world. The visible hope cannot be compared with the hope we desire. Do you see this sky: how beautiful it looks, how majestic! You see the earth: how vast it is and what miracles there are on it! None of this equals the bliss of the righteous. For these things pass away, but our blessings endure. I wish for one gift - the crown of truth; I strive for one glory - glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. I am zealous for heavenly honors: I am afraid of torment, but torment is in Gehenna. That fire is terrible to me, but this one, which you threaten, is of service to me. He knows how to respect those who despise idols. I count your sores as “baby arrows” (Ps. 63:8), because you strike the body, and if it withstands the blows for a long time, it will be crowned brighter, and if it quickly becomes exhausted, it will get rid of such oppressive judges who, having taken the body into their service, try to dominate the soul, which, if you are not preferred to our God, as if having suffered extreme offense from us, you become irritated and threaten us with these terrible torments, blaming our piety. But you will not find us timid, or attached to life, or easily horrified. Out of love for God, we are ready to endure wheeling, stretching, burning and accept every kind of torture.” When this proud and inhuman man listened to this, not tolerating the insolence of these men and boiling with rage, he began to reason with himself how he could find a way to prepare for them both a long and, at the same time, bitter death. He finally found it, and look how cruel his invention is! Paying attention to the property of the country, that it is cold, to the season, that it is winter, noticing the night in which the cold extended to the greatest extent, and, moreover, the north wind was also blowing, he gave the order to strip them all and kill them in the open air, freezing them in the middle of the city. Without a doubt, you know, having experienced the winter cold, how unbearable this type of torment is; because it is impossible to explain this to others, except those who have ready-made examples of what is being retold in their own experience. A body exposed to cold first turns blue because the blood shrinks; then it trembles and shakes, while the teeth chatter, the veins come together, and the whole composition involuntarily tightens. And some kind of acute pain and inexpressible torment, penetrating into the very cerebellums, produces an unbearable sensation in those who are freezing. Then the members of the body fall away, as if burned by fire; because heat, driven away from the extremities of the body and running into the interior, leaves those parts from which it has withdrawn dead, and those parts in which it collects is subjected to excruciating pain, while death from freezing gradually approaches. So, they were condemned to spend the night in the open air, while the lake, near which the city was inhabited, where the saints labored, became covered with ice, became like a passing field and became so hardened from the cold that the surrounding inhabitants could safely walk on its surface, and the continuously flowing rivers, being bound by ice, abandoned their streams, and the water, soft by nature, changed to the hardness of stones, and the sharp breath of the northern wind brought death to all living things. Having then heard this command (think about the invincible courage of the martyrs), each one joyfully threw off his last tunic, and everyone flowed towards death, which the cold threatened, encouraging each other, as if they were going to steal the spoils. “We do not throw off our clothes,” they said, “but we put aside “the old man, who is corrupted by his delightful lusts” (Eph. 4:22). We thank You, Lord, that with this clothing we cast off sin from ourselves; Through the serpent we have put on, through Christ we will be put off. Let us not hold on to our clothes for the sake of the paradise we have lost. “What shall we render to the Lord” (Ps. 115:3)? And the garments were stripped from our Lord. Is it hard for a slave to endure what the Master also endured? It would be better to say that we have stripped our clothes from the Lord Himself. This was the audacity of the warriors; they took off and divided His clothes among themselves. Therefore, let us make amends for the accusation written against us. Winter is cruel, but paradise is sweet; It’s painful to freeze, but the peace is pleasant. We won’t be patient for long, and the patriarchal bosom will warm us. In one night we exchange an entire century for ourselves. Let your leg burn, just to continually rejoice with the Angels! Let your hand fall away, if only you have the boldness to lift it up to the Master! How many of our fellow warriors fell in the ranks, remaining faithful to the corruptible king? Shall we not sacrifice our lives out of loyalty to the true King? How many people caught in a crime suffered the death of the villains? Can we really not endure death for the truth? We will not shy away, comrades, we will not give room to the devil. We have flesh, we will not spare it. Since we must certainly die, we will die in order to live. “Let our sacrifice be before You,” Lord (Dan. 3:40). As a living sacrifice, pleasing to You, may we be accepted, burnt by this cold - we, a beautiful offering, a new burnt offering, offered not by fire, but by cold.” Offering such consolations to each other and encouraging each other, as if standing on guard in wartime, they spent the night courageously enduring the present, rejoicing in what was expected, laughing at the enemy. Everyone had the same prayer. “Forty people entered our field, forty people let us be crowned, Master! Let this number not decrease by any. It is honest: You Yourself, through Whom the law entered the world, honored it with a forty-day fast. After fasting for forty days, Elijah, who sought the Lord, was granted a vision!” And although this was their prayer, yet one of this number, exhausted from suffering, left the place of achievement and withdrew, arousing unspeakable regret in the saints. But the Lord did not allow their petitions to remain in vain. The one who was entrusted with the protection of the martyrs, warming himself not far from the fighting school, watched what would happen, ready to receive those of the soldiers who would resort to him. And besides, it was planned in advance that there would be a bathhouse nearby, promising quick help to those who had changed their minds. But what was invented by the enemies with evil intentions, namely: to find a place for the feat where the readiness of relief could weaken the firmness of the ascetics, this showed in the greatest light the patience of the martyrs. For he is not patient who lacks what is necessary, but he who, not lacking in pleasure, continues to suffer distress. When the martyrs labored, and the guard watched what would happen, he saw an extraordinary sight, saw that some Forces were descending from heaven, and, as it were, distributing great gifts from the Tsar to the soldiers. And they divided the gifts to everyone; only one was left unrewarded, recognizing him as unworthy of heavenly honors; and it was he who, soon giving up his suffering, went over to the enemy. A pitiful sight for the righteous! The warrior is a fugitive, the first of the brave is a captive, the sheep of Christ is the prey of beasts. But it was even more a pity that he did not achieve eternal life and did not enjoy the present; because his flesh immediately disintegrated from the action of heat on it. But just as this lover of life fell, breaking the law without any benefit to himself, so the executioner, as soon as he saw that he had evaded and went to the bathhouse, he himself took the place of the fugitive and, throwing off his clothes, joined the naked ones, calling out in one voice with the saints: “I am a Christian!” And having surprised those standing by with the suddenness of the change, as he replenished the number with himself, so with his joining he eased the grief for the weakened, following the example of those standing in the ranks, who, as soon as someone in the first rank falls, immediately replaces him with themselves, so that their ranks are not broken by those who have fallen. This one did the same. He saw heavenly miracles, learned the truth, flowed to the Lord, and became numbered among the martyrs! Judas went away, and Matthias was brought in to take his place. Yesterday's persecutor, and now the evangelist, became Pavlov's imitator. And he had the title from above, “neither from man nor by man” (Gal. 1:1). He believed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and was baptized into Him not by anyone else, but by his own faith, not in water, but in his own blood. And thus, at the beginning of the day, the still breathing martyrs were consigned to the fire, and the remains of the fire were thrown into the river, so that the feat of the blessed would embrace all creation. They fought on earth, showed patience in the air, were given over to fire, and were received by water. It is fitting for them to say: “I passed through fire and water, and brought you to rest” (Ps. 65:12). And they, having occupied our country, like some continuous series of pillars, provide security from the invasion of opponents, not confining themselves in one place, but having refuge in many places and adorning many homelands with themselves. And, what’s extraordinary, not being separated one by one, they visit those who receive, but without being separated from each other, they come united in face. And what a miracle! And they do not decrease in number, and do not allow their increase. If you divide them into each one, they do not go beyond their proper number. And if you put it together, in this case the same forty remain, resembling the nature of fire; because the fire, as it passes to the one who rekindles it, remains entirely with the one who had it with him. And these forty and all together, and everyone has everything. This is endless charity, inexhaustible grace, help ready for Christians, the church of martyrs, the army of victorious people, the face of those singing praises. How much effort did you put into finding even one prayer book for yourself to the Lord! - And here are forty prayer books sending out a prayer of agreement. “Where there are two or three congregations in the name of the Lord, there is one in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20); and where there are forty, will anyone doubt in the presence of God? The oppressed one runs to the forty martyrs, the rejoicing one comes to them; one to find relief from difficult circumstances, the other to protect his well-being. Here you will meet a pious wife, praying for her children, asking for the return of her absent husband, and for health for the sick man. May your petitions be fitting for martyrs. Let the young men imitate them as peers; Let fathers pray to be the parents of such children; Let mothers study what is told about the good mother. For the mother of one of these blessed ones, seeing that the others had already died of cold, and her son, due to the strength of his strength and patience in torment, was still breathing, when the executioners left him in the hope that he would change, she herself, taking him with her own hands, laid him on the chariot on which they were transporting the others to the fire. This is in the true sense the mother of a martyr! She did not shed tears of cowardice, did not say anything low and unworthy of time; but he says: “Go, son, on a good journey with your peers and comrades; do not lag behind this face; come to the Lord no later than others.” Here is a truly good root good industry! The valiant mother showed that she fed him more with the dogmas of piety than with milk. This is how he was raised, this is how he was sent by his pious mother! But the devil remained ashamed, because, having raised up all creation against the martyrs, he saw that everything had been overcome by their valor: the windy night, the cold of the country, the season, and the nakedness of their bodies. Holy face! Holy squad! Unshakable regiment! Common guardians of the human race! Good accomplices in care, companions in prayer, the most powerful intercessors, luminaries of the universe, the color of the Churches (as I think, both spiritual and sensual)! It was not the earth that hid you, but the sky that sheltered you; The gates of heaven have been opened to you. A spectacle worthy of an angelic army, worthy of patriarchs, prophets, and righteous people; men in the very bloom of youth who despised life, who loved the Lord more than their parents, more than their children! Being at the age most full of life, they counted temporary life for nothing in order to glorify God in their members, becoming “a disgrace ... to the world, both angel and man” (1 Cor. 4:9), raised up the fallen, strengthened the wavering, and aggravated the zeal of the pious. All, having erected one victorious monument for piety, were adorned with one crown of righteousness, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The Holy Church celebrates the memory of the forty martyrs who suffered in Lake Sebaste on March 9. You might be interested in: