Беседа 3. На слова: «Внемли себе» (Втор. 15, 9)

God, who created us, gave us the use of words, so that we would open our heartfelt discussions to each other, and so that each of us, according to the sociability of nature, would convey his thoughts to his neighbor, as if from some treasury, wearing them out of the secret places of the heart. If we lived with a soul that was not covered by anything, we could immediately understand each other, based on the same thoughts. But since thoughts are produced in us by the soul, covered with a veil, that is, flesh, words and names are needed to reveal what is hidden in the depths. Therefore, our thought, as soon as it receives the sound signifying it, is transported in a word, as in a boat, and floats through the air, from the speaker to the listener. And if it finds deep silence and silence, then the word takes refuge in the ears of those learning, as in a calm and serene haven. If, like a fierce storm, confusion arises in the listeners, the word, scattered in the air, will suffer shipwreck. So, silence this word with your silence. Perhaps it will turn out that there is something useful in his cargo. The word of truth is difficult to grasp and can easily elude the inattentive. According to the economy of the Spirit, it is so compressed and brief that it means a lot to a few, and its shortness is convenient for retention in memory. For the perfection of a word, by its very nature, consists in not hiding through its obscurity what it means, and not being superfluous and empty, unnecessarily abounding in sayings. This is also the word recently read to us from the books of Moses, which, of course, you, hard workers, remembered, if only due to its brevity it did not slip past your ears. This saying is the following: “Take heed to yourself: let no word of iniquity be hidden in your heart” 23 (Deut. 15:9). We humans are receptive to sins committed by thought; therefore, “He who created our hearts in one” (Ps. 32:15), knowing that most sin is committed in the pursuit of the will, first of all commanded us to have purity in the sovereignty of the soul 24. For, by what we sin most often and most conveniently, we are worthy of the greatest protection and care. Just as the most prudent doctors bring weak bodies to safety in advance with protective instructions, so the general Guardian and true Physician of souls, who saw in us the most prone to sin, protected us with the strongest guards. For bodily actions require time, opportunity, the work of assistants and other aids; and movements of thought do not occur over time, are accomplished without difficulty, are composed without effort; Any time is convenient for them. Sometimes an important person, proud of his honesty, wearing outwardly the mask of chastity and often even sitting among those who please him for his virtue, in an invisible movement of the heart, is carried away by thought to the place of sin. He sees in the picture the object of his desires, imagines some indecent conversation, and in general, in the hidden church of the heart, having outlined a pleasure clear in himself, he commits an internal sin, which has no witnesses and remains unknown to everyone until the One who reveals “the secret of darkness 25 and announces the counsels of the heart” 26 comes (1 Cor. 4:5). Therefore, be careful that “let not the word of iniquity be hidden in your heart.” For he who looks at his wife “has already coveted... already committed adultery... in his heart” (Matthew 5:28); because bodily actions have many obstacles, and whoever sins by will, commits sin with the speed of thoughts. Therefore, where the fall is imminent, there we are given quick protection. For it is testified: “Let not the word of iniquity be hidden in your heart.” But let’s turn better to the very beginning of the word. It is said: “take heed to yourself.” Every living being, from God who arranged everything, has within himself the motivation to protect his own composition. And if you study diligently, you will find that most of the dumb, without studying, have an aversion to what is harmful, and again, by some natural attraction, they strive to enjoy what is useful. Therefore, God, who teaches us, gave us this great commandment, so that in the aid of reason we would find what they have by nature; and so that what dumb people do without thinking, we do with attention, with constant tension of the mind; and so that we may be faithful guardians of the motives given to us by God, avoiding sin, as the dumb avoid poisonous things in food, and pursuing righteousness, just as they look for nutritious things in grass. Therefore, “take heed to yourself” so that you can distinguish between what is harmful and what is salutary. But since you can listen in two ways: either with your bodily eyes you can peer into visible objects, or with the mental power of your soul you can immerse yourself in the contemplation of the incorporeal, then if we say that this commandment is limited to the action of the eyes, we will immediately expose its impossibility. For how can a person embrace his whole self with his eye? The eye cannot direct its vision to itself; he does not reach the crown, does not know either the ridge, or the face, or the location of the insides in the womb. But it is impious to assert that the commandments of the Spirit are impossible. Therefore, it remains to understand this commandment about mental action. So, “take heed to yourself,” that is, examine yourself from all sides; To protect yourself, keep your spiritual eye vigilant. “In the midst of the networks of minueshi” (Sir. 9, 18); the enemy has placed hidden snares in many places 27 . Therefore, inspect everything, “that you may be saved like a roe from a snare, and like a bird from a snare” (Proverbs 6:5). The chamois is elusive with snares due to its visual acuity, which is why it got its name from its characteristic sharpness of vision 28 . And a bird, when it is attentive, by the lightness of its wings, becomes superior to the cunning of the hunters. Therefore, be careful that you do not turn out to be worse than dumb in protecting yourself, and if you become entangled in a snare, do not become the prey of the devil, being caught alive “from him to his own will” (2 Tim. 2:26). So, “pay attention to yourself,” that is, pay attention not to what is yours and what is around you, but to yourself alone; for the other is ourselves, the other is what belongs to us, and the other is what is around us. We are soul and mind, since we are created in the image of the Creator; ours is the body and the sensations acquired through it; around us - property, art and other amenities of life. Therefore, what does this word mean? Do not listen to the flesh, do not pursue carnal blessings with all your might, that is, health, beauty, enjoyment of pleasures and longevity; respect not money, not fame, not dominion; Otherwise, consider great what serves you for temporary life, and in taking care of this, do not be careless about your primary life. But “take heed to yourself,” that is, to your soul. Decorate her, take care of her, so that with your attentiveness you prevent all impurity imparted to her by vice, cleanse her from all sinful shame, and decorate and enlighten her with all the beauty of virtue. Test yourself, who you are; know that your body is mortal, but your soul is immortal; that our life is twofold: one, characteristic of the flesh, is fleeting, and the other, akin to the soul, does not allow a limit. Therefore, “take heed to yourself,” do not dwell on the mortal as if it were eternal, and do not despise the eternal as if it were transitory. Do not care about the flesh, because it passes away; take care of the soul, an immortal being. With all possible diligence, delve into yourself in order to be able to give to both what is necessary: ​​to the flesh - food and coverings, and to the soul - the dogmas of piety, decent behavior, exercise in virtue, correction of passions, so as not to make your body fat, and not to strive for the abundance of the flesh. But since “the flesh... lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are opposed to one another” (Gal. 5:17), then be careful that you, clinging to the flesh, do not yield greater dominion to the worse. As when weighing on scales, if you burden one cup, you will certainly make the other one opposite it light; This is what happens with body and soul: excess in one makes scarcity necessary in the other. When the body is in good condition and burdened with fatness, then the mind must be weak and insufficient for its proper actions. And when the soul is well-ordered and, by thinking about blessings, is elevated to its inherent greatness, then the consequence of this is the withering of bodily strength. This same commandment is both useful for the sick and very useful for the healthy. In illness, doctors advise patients to be attentive to themselves and not to neglect anything that contributes to healing. But in a similar way, the word, the doctor of our souls, with this small help heals the soul suffering from sin. Therefore, “take heed to yourself” so that as you sin, you will receive benefits from healing. Is your sin great and heavy? You need a long confession, bitter tears, intense vigil, continuous fasting. Is the Fall easy and tolerable? Let repentance be equal to it. Just “pay attention to yourself” so that you know the health and illness of your soul. For many, from excessive negligence, having fallen into great and incurable illnesses, do not even know that they are sick. This commandment is of great benefit to those who are strengthened for activity; so that she alone heals the sick and improves the healthy. For each of us who are taught this word is a minister of one of the things prescribed to us by the Gospel. “In the great ... house, in this Church, there are not just all kinds of vessels of gold and silver, ... wood and clay” (2 Tim. 2:20), but also all kinds of art. The house of God, “even the living Church of God” (1 Tim. 3:15), has its fishers, travelers, architects, housebuilders, farmers, shepherds, ascetics, and warriors. This short saying is suitable for all of them, imbuing each with precision in action and zeal of will. Are you a fisher, sent by the Lord, who said: “Behold, I will send... many fishers, and they will catch them on every mountain” (Jer. 16:16)? “Take heed” diligently, so that the prey does not run away from you, and so that you, having caught the word of truth, lead those who have gone wild in sin to the Savior. Are you a traveler, like one who prays: “direct my steps” (Ps. 119:133)? “Take heed to yourself,” do not turn aside from the path, do not deviate to the right or to the left; follow the royal path. Architect, lay firmly the foundation of faith, which is Jesus Christ. Let the steward see to it “how he edifies” (1 Cor. 3:10), so that there is “neither wood, nor hay, nor reed, but gold, silver, and honest stone” (1 Cor. 3:12). Shepherd - “take heed” so as not to omit any responsibility assigned by the pastoral title. What are these responsibilities? Convert the lost, bind the broken, heal the sick. Farmer - dig up a barren fig tree and cover it with what helps fertility. Warrior - “suffer the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:8), fight the “good army” (1 Tim. 1:18) against the spirits of evil, against the passions of the flesh, take “all the armor of God” (Eph. 6:13), do not oblige yourself with “purchases of this life, so that you may be acceptable to the commander” (2 Tim. 2:4 ). Ascetic - “take heed to yourself” so as not to violate any of the ascetic laws; for no one “gets married unless he is legally tortured” (2 Tim. 2:5). Imitate Paul, both flowing and struggling and beating. And you yourself, like a good fighter, have an undistracted gaze of your soul; protect those places where the blow is fatal, covering them with your hands; don't take your eyes off your opponent. While running, stretch out “to the foreground” (Phil. 3:13); “This is how you are, that you may comprehend” (1 Cor. 9:24). In the struggle, fight against invisible enemies. The Word demands that you be like this in life, not to relax, not to indulge in sleep, but to soberly and vigilantly stand up for yourself. A day will not be enough for me if I describe the activities of those who promote the gospel of Christ, and the power of this commandment, how much it is suitable for everyone. “Take heed to yourself”: be sober, reasonable, preserve the present, provide for the future. Do not let go of what you already have out of carelessness; what is not yet, perhaps, will not be, do not assume pleasure in it, as if it were already in your hands. Isn’t it common for young people to have this illness - to think lightly that they already have what they only hope for? As soon as they are left alone or in the silence of the night, they invent ideas in themselves that have no significance, the mobility of their thoughts is carried away everywhere, promising themselves celebrity in life, a brilliant marriage, prosperity, deep old age, and honors from everyone. Then, being unable to rest their hopes on anything, they reach out to what people recognize as the most important. They acquire beautiful and huge houses, filling them with all kinds of jewelry; they appropriate for themselves as much land as the vanity of their thoughts separates them from the whole creation; again, the income collected from this is imprisoned in the repositories of this vanity; they add to them herds, countless servants, civil positions of authority, government of nations, leadership of armies, wars, trophies and even royal power. Having gone through all this in the empty dreams of the mind, out of excessive unreason they imagine that they enjoy everything they hope for as real and laid down at their feet. An idle and careless soul is characterized by this illness - dreaming while the body is awake. Therefore, the word, stopping the frivolity of the heart and the arrogance of thoughts and, as if with some kind of bridle, restraining the inconstancy of thought, gives this great and wise commandment saying: “take heed to yourself,” do not assume something that does not exist, but dispose of the present for your benefit. I think that the legislator also uses this admonition to eradicate the following passion that is common to us. Since it is easier for each of us to be curious about someone else’s things than to consider our own, so that this does not happen to us, it is said: stop carefully observing the vices in others, do not give time to your thoughts to experience other people’s weaknesses, but “pay attention to yourself,” that is, turn your spiritual eye to your own examination of yourself. For many, according to the word of the Lord, notice “the mote that is in their brother’s eye... but they do not see the log that is in their eye” (Matthew 7:3). And therefore, do not cease to examine yourself, whether you are truly leading your life according to the commandment; but do not look at the external, so that you can find something worthy of blame in someone, following the example of that cruel and arrogant Pharisee who stood justifying himself and humiliating the tax collector. On the contrary, do not stop judging yourself: have you sinned in some way in your thoughts? Didn't the tongue creep out, anticipating thoughts? Has anything rash been done in the works of your hands? And if you find many sins in your life (and you will, no doubt, because you are a man), then say in the words of the publican: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). So, “take heed to yourself.” If you are prosperous, live brightly, and your whole life goes with the flow, this saying will be useful to you, like a good adviser, reminding you of human fate. And if you are oppressed by circumstances, it will delight your heart in good time, so that from arrogance you do not become exalted to the point of exorbitant pride, and from despair you do not fall into cowardly despondency. Are you proud of your wealth, are you proud of your ancestors, do you admire your fatherland, physical beauty, and the honors bestowed upon you by everyone? “Take heed to yourself” that you are mortal, that “you are earth, and you will return to earth” (Gen. 3:19). Look at those who lived in similar nobility before you. Where are those vested with civilian property? Where are the irresistible twists? Where are the rulers of the festivities, the famous horse keepers, military leaders, satraps, rulers? Isn't everything dust? Aren't they all fables? Are not a small number of bones left as a monument to their life? Look into the coffins: can you discern who is the servant and who is the master, who is poor and who is rich? Distinguish, if you have the opportunity, the prisoner from the king, the strong from the weak, the handsome from the ugly. Therefore, remembering your nature, you will never become exalted. You will remember yourself if you “listen to yourself.” Again, you are a man of low birth, not glorious, you are the poorest of the poor, you have neither home nor fatherland, you are weak, you do not have daily food, you tremble at strong people, you are afraid of everyone, because of your low condition, for it is said: “the poor... does not suffer rebuke” 29 (Proverbs 13:8)? Do not despair of yourself and do not completely lose good hope because there is nothing enviable for you in the present, but raise your soul to the blessings that have already been given to you from God, and those that are promised later. So, firstly, you are a man, the only living creature (earthly) created by God. Is it really not enough for someone who thinks sensibly to reach the highest degree of complacency - to be created by the own hands of the God who arranged everything? Is it not enough that, created in the image of Him who created you, through a good life you can achieve equality with the Angels? You have received a rational soul, with which you understand God, penetrate with your intellect into the nature of things, and reap the sweetest fruit of wisdom. All animals, both those that live on land, the meek and the fierce, those that live in the waters and those that fly in this air, are enslaved and subordinate to you. Was it not you who invented the arts, built cities, invented everything both necessary and conducive to luxury? Was it not your mind that made the seas passable for you? Do not the earth and sea serve your life? Do not the air, the sky and the hosts of stars show you their harmonious rank? Why are you faint-hearted because you don’t have a silver-bridle horse? But you have the sun, which in its fastest flow carries a lamp before you throughout the entire day. You do not have shining gold and silver, but you have the moon, which illuminates you with its thousand times greater light. You do not enter golden chariots, but you have legs - this is your own and natural chariot. Why do you please people who have accumulated a full pocket and, in order to move from place to place, need other people’s legs? You do not sleep on a bed of ivory, but you have land that is worth more than a lot of ivory, you have sweet peace on it, quick and carefree sleep. You do not lie under a golden roof, but you have a sky above you, shining with the indescribable beauties of the stars. But this is still human, but there is something else – more important. For you, God is among men, for you, the distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the destruction of death, the hope of resurrection, God's commandments perfecting your life, ascent to God, with the help of the commandments, the prepared Kingdom of Heaven, crowns of righteousness, ready for those who do not deviate from the deeds of virtue! If you “pay attention to yourself,” then you will find all this and even more around you; and as you enjoy the present, you will not be cowardly in poverty. This commandment, everywhere before your eyes, will provide great help. For example, has anger taken over your mind, and irritability leads you to indecent speech, cruel and brutal actions? If you “pay attention to yourself,” then you will pacify your anger, like a stubborn young horse that cannot tolerate the bridle, hitting him like a whip with the blow of this word; You will hold your tongue and you will not lay hands on the one who upset you. Again, bad wishes, inflaming your soul, plunge it into uncontrollable and unclean aspirations? If you “pay attention to yourself,” and remember that this, which is sweet for you in the present, will have a bitter end, this tickling now occurring from pleasure in our body will give birth to a poisonous worm that will endlessly torment us in Gehenna, and that this kindling of the flesh will be the mother of eternal fire, then pleasures will immediately disappear, taking flight, and some wonderful inner silence and silence will occur in the soul, like how in the presence of a chaste mistress the noise of frisky maids falls silent. Therefore, “take heed to yourself,” and know that one thing in the soul is rational and spiritual, the other is passionate and unreasonable, and that the first by nature belongs to dominance, and to the rest - obedience and obedience to reason. So, do not allow the enslaved mind to ever become a servant of the passions, and again, do not allow the passions to rebel against the mind and usurp dominion over the soul. In general, strict observance of yourself will give you sufficient guidance to the knowledge of God. For if you “pay attention to yourself,” you will not have the need to look for traces of the Creator in the structure of the universe, but in yourself, as if in some small world, you will see the great wisdom of your Creator. From the incorporeality of the soul within you, understand that God is also incorporeal. Know that He is not limited by place, because your mind does not have a preliminary residence in any place, but only because of its connection with the body finds a certain place. Believe that God is invisible, having known your own soul, because it is also incomprehensible with bodily eyes. It has neither color nor appearance, is not encompassed by any bodily outline, but is recognized only by actions. Therefore, in thinking about God, do not seek to observe with the help of your eyes, but, leaving faith to the mind, have a mental concept of God. Marvel at the Artist, how He tied the power of your soul to your body, so that, stretching to its extremities, He brings the most distant members into one agreement and communication. Consider what power is imparted to the body by the soul, and what sympathy returns from the body to the soul; how the body receives life from the soul, and the soul receives painful sensations from the body; what treasures of knowledge it contains; why the knowledge of the past does not darken what is being studied again, but the memories remain unmerged and separate, being inscribed in the sovereign soul, as if on a copper pillar; how a soul, crawling into carnal passions, destroys its inherent beauty, and how again, having been cleansed of sinful shame, through virtue it ascends to likeness to the Creator. “Listen”, if it pleases you, by considering the soul and the structure of the body; and marvel at what a decent vitality the best Artist has created for the rational soul. Of all the animals, He gave one man an upright posture of the body, so that by its very outward appearance you could understand that your life begins from above. All four-legged animals look at the ground and are lowered to the belly, but man’s gaze is turned to the sky, so that he does not indulge in the belly and carnal passions, but has a complete desire for the heavenly procession. Then, placing the head at the very top of the body, God installed the most worthy feelings in it. There is sight, hearing, taste, smell; they are all located close to each other. And with such constriction of them in a small space, not one of them interferes with the action of the feeling adjacent to it. The eyes took the highest guard so that no part of the body would block their light, and so that, being under the slight cover of the eyebrows, they could rush straight from the highest heights. Again, the hearing is not open in a straight direction, but the sounds floating in the air are taken in a convoluted course. And the highest wisdom is visible in the fact that the voice carries on unhindered, or better said, it sounds, refracted in the bends, and nothing coming from outside can be an obstacle to sensation. Study the nature of the tongue, how soft and flexible it is and how varied its movements are sufficient for every need of speech. The teeth are also instruments of the voice, providing strong support for the tongue, and together they serve when tasting food; some cut it, others crush it. And thus, considering everything with proper reasoning and studying the drawing in of air by the lungs, the preservation of warmth in the heart, the instruments of digestion, the conductors of blood, in all this you will see the unsearchable wisdom of your Creator; so that you yourself will say with the prophet: “Your mind is amazed at Me!” (Ps. 139:6). So, “take heed to yourselves” in order to give heed to God, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen! Beware that no lawless thought enters your heart. The Greek word δορκας (chamois) comes from δερκομαι (see). ...The poor man doesn’t even hear the threat. You might be interested in: