Беседа 25. О милости и о суде

The world, which has forgotten God, is dominated, brethren, by injustice towards its neighbor and inhumanity towards the weak, just as the divine Apostle says: “as if I had not been tempted to have God in my mind... God gave them over to an unskilled mind, to do unspeakable things, full of all kinds of unrighteousness... wickedness, covetousness, malice; filled with envy, murder, zeal, flattery, malice; whisperers, slanderers, abominations of God, harassers, majestic, proud, seekers of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish... unloving... unmerciful" (Rom. 1:28-31). And those whom God raises to godliness, teach them both abstinence from evil deeds and concern for mercy towards their neighbors, as the prophet Isaiah taught, speaking on behalf of God: “cease from your wickedness, learn to do good” (Is. 1:16-17). And in the law there were many commandments about not doing harm to one’s neighbor, and commandments about being humane and merciful. If someone leaves one of these, then the other is not enough for the health of the person. Just as a benefit to a needy person made from unrighteous gains is displeasing to God, so one who abstains from unrighteousness is not praiseworthy if he does not give any of his property to anyone. About those who do injustice and intend to bring gifts to God, it is written: “The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 15:8). And about the unmerciful it is said: “He who stops his ears, who will not listen to the beggar, will call him, and he will not listen” (Proverbs 21:13). Therefore, the parable advises: “Honor the Lord with your righteous labors and give Him the firstfruits of your fruits of righteousness” (Proverbs 3:9). For if you intend to bring to God something from what you have acquired through unrighteousness and theft, then it is better for you not to acquire such property and not to bring from it. The pure gift offers prayer, as it is written: “The vows of those who upright are pleasing to Him” (Proverbs 15:8). And again, if, having acquired through righteous labors, you do not bring offerings to God to feed the poor, then this will be counted against you as robbery, as the prophet Malachi said: “For tithes and firstfruits are with you. ...And there will be destruction" in your houses (Mal. 3, 8, 10). Therefore, you must, having dissolved mercy and judgment, acquire with judgment and spend on mercy, according to what is written: “Provide mercy and judgment, and draw near to your God” (Hos. 12:6). For God loves alms and justice. Therefore, one who is concerned about mercy and judgment approaches God. From this point of view, let a person test himself, and let a rich man look at his own income, from which he intends to bring gifts to God: did he not oppress the beggar, did he not do violence to the weak, did he not take advantage of something from those subordinate to him, using power instead of justice? For we are commanded to observe justice and equality in the judgment of slaves. Do not commit violence because you are in power; do not covet, because you are strong; on the contrary, since you have the advantages of power, then show the rights of justice. It is not in what you are not able to do that you can provide proof of obedience and fear of God, but in what you have the strength to transgress, and do not transgress. And if, taking away the property of the poor, you give to the poor, then it would be better not to steal and not to give. Why do you desecrate your wealth by adding unrighteous gains to it? Why do you turn your offering into defilement through unrighteousness, intending to bring something in consideration of which you need to have pity on another beggar? Have mercy on the one to whom you do injustice. Treat him kindly; Show him mercy, and you will show mercy with judgment. God will not have fellowship with covetousness: the Lord is not an accomplice of robbers and predators. It was not because He Himself was unable to feed the poor that He left them to us; but for our benefit he demands from us truth and philanthropic fruitfulness. There is no alms from untruth, no blessing from an oath, no good deeds from tears. To those who draw tears from the offended, God says: “This is what you have hated; you have covered My altar with tears, and we wept and sighed” (Mal. 2:13). Show mercy from your labors, do not want to act unjustly under the pretext of bringing alms as a gift to God from what you have acquired through unrighteousness. Such actions show vanity and serve to gain praise from people, rather than praise from God. Therefore, the Lord says well: “Let you not be visible to men” (Matthew 6:1). If you do alms in the thought that God sees it, then beware of doing it out of selfish motives, knowing that this will not please the spectator - God. So let us do alms in order to receive it back from God. But God rewards those whom he praises; and He does not praise any covetous person. You cannot offer a gift to God if you have offended your brother. It is said: “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember it, because your brother has something for you... first humble yourself with your brother, and then come and bring your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Remember the publican Zacchaeus, who first decided to return fourfold if he had offended in any way, then from the rest of his estate he separated half of the property to the poor (Luke 19:8). He is glad that he can accept Christ, and Christ accepts generosity towards the poor in no other way than by rewarding those who are offended for what was taken from them by greed. And thus the Lord accepted the truth of Zacchaeus, and said: “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). And this goes to those who give alms, but do not care about observing justice. And to those who are wary of doing injustice, but are neglectful of mercy, let us say that “every tree that does not produce fruit... is cut down and thrown into fire” (Matthew 3:10), and that such a tree will never be pleasing to the Heavenly Farmer, who says: when you come “looking for fruit on the fig tree... you will not find it” and commands that it be cut down so that there is no place for it. did not borrow for nothing (Luke 13:7). But the one who does not give back the mortgage to the poor is also condemned by God; a threat is uttered against such a person; It is said: “If he who has not received his pledge back cries out to Me, I will hear him: for I am merciful” (Ex. 22:27). It was also dangerous and criminal to reap what was left after the first harvest, to pick grapes and olives a second time, because this should have been left to the poor (Deut. 24:19-21). If this was prescribed to those who lived under the law, what shall we say about those who live in Christ? The Lord says to them: “Unless your righteousness comes out any more than the scribe and the Pharisee, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Therefore, the Apostle advises giving to the poor not only from the fields and from the income, but also from the labor of your hands; “doing, he says, with your own hands what is good, so that you may give to those who ask” (Eph. 4:28). And the Lord gave advice to those who wanted to follow Him to sell all their property for charity to the poor and then follow Him. But just as He commands His followers and those who have reached perfection to suddenly and completely fulfill the work of alms, so that, having completed the service with their property, they begin to serve in word and spirit, so He prescribes for others constant alms and constant communication of what they have, so that through this, having become compassionate or sociable and merciful, they would become imitators of God’s love for mankind. For he says: “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38). Through this he promised them communication with Himself. For the merciful will stand at the right hand of the Lord; The coming King will say to them: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for you were hungry, and give Me food; You became thirsty and drank Me; naked and clothed Me; strange... and known to me; sick and... in prison, and came to Me” (Matthew 25:34–36). Therefore, the righteous will be surprised and say: when did we do this for You, Lord? He says to them: “Amen”, “Amen, I say to you, since you have made one and the least of these brothers of mine, you have created for me” (Matthew 25:40). For zeal for the saints is piety before Christ, and a zealous servant of the poor turns out to be a fellow member of Christ, not only if he gives away, having something great, but if, having acquired something small, he gives it away, and if only “he gives a cup of cold water to drink” to the disciple in the name of the Teacher (Matthew 10:42). For what the world calls the poverty of disciples, then for you, rich man, there is an opportunity to acquire true wealth. Through them you become an ally of Christ’s soldiers and feed voluntarily, and not under compulsion. The Heavenly King does not force, does not demand taxes, but accepts those who are zealous, so that those who give themselves receive, those who show honor are respected, those who admit others to the communion of temporal blessings are called into the communion of eternal blessings. Let this be in our memory at all times and before the eyes of our souls, so that the current time does not disappear for us, so that, having missed the present, we do not wait for another time, and in this expectation and delay we do not be caught by death! May the Lord grant us to be fruitful, vigilant, remembering His commandments, ready and undelayed by anything for the glorious meeting of Him, in Christ Himself and our God, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages! Amen. You might be interested in: