С. Рункевич. О добродетелях и подвигах по творениям святого Василия Великого 617

Neither loss, nor illness, nor other adversities of life will affect a person if his mind abides in God. The works of the holy fathers, representing an inexhaustible source of Christian edification, are unfortunately not widespread enough at the present time. The reason, in our opinion, is, firstly, that the complete editions of the patristic works available in Russian translation contain much that was said by the holy fathers exclusively for their contemporaries and currently remains inaccessible to the ordinary reader; and, secondly, that the very translation of many patristic works, being for the most part so-called literal or literal, is difficult to understand. This book is an attempt to publish a systematic collection of selected patristic works in translation, which an effort was made to make literary and publicly understandable. I allow myself to hope that this experience will be met with sympathy in Christian society. Saint Basil the Great lived in a time that can rightly be called turbulent. Popular unrest and church unrest produced indescribable unrest and seemed to threaten the destruction of everything. The saint himself wrote about his time: “The Church has been brought to the point of extreme exhaustion. With the constant attacks of enemies, the Church is exhausted, like a ship in the middle of the sea that is crushed one after another by the blows of the waves. If you don’t help now, soon there will be no one left to help.” And now fifteen centuries have passed. The country in which Saint Basil the Great lived and preached changed the name of its ruler many times. Kingdoms disappeared; cities collapsed; The ashes of the former rulers of the earth are scattered by the wind. The earth itself changed its appearance. Troubles have long been replaced by dead peace. The Church of Christ emerged victoriously from the turmoil that was preparing to engulf it, and the great words of the great teacher, who spoke about eternal truths, continue to sound powerfully to this day, as if they were spoken only yesterday or today. About virtues and exploits “People who are deeply devoted to the cares of life, like fat birds, having in vain their wings, drag along the earth along with cattle” 618. “Our life is in Christ (Phil. 1:21); therefore, our word must be about Christ, our thoughts and every action must adhere to His commandments, and our soul must be transformed into His image” 619. “Neither loss, nor illness, nor other adversities of life will touch a person if his mind abides in God” 620. “We must constantly remember the Lord and, always having before our eyes the departure from this world, organize our lives in such a way as to give an answer to the infallible Judge and for good deeds have boldness before Him who, on the day of His visitation, will reveal the secrets of our hearts” 621. Almost every work leading to bliss was initiated by the Lord Himself, offering Himself as an example to His followers. Turn to the beatitudes, examine each one, and you will find that He preceded the teaching with words and deeds. “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5). Where can we learn meekness? “Learn from Me,” says the Lord, “for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). Who will teach us the blessings of the world? The Peacemaker Himself, who makes peace (Eph.2:15) and pacifies both earthly and heavenly things with the blood of His cross (Col.1:20). “Blessed are the poor” (Matthew 5:3). He Himself became poor and “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), so that “from His fullness we all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16) 622. Every deed and every word of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ is a rule of piety and virtue. This is why He became incarnate, depicting, as if on an icon, both piety and virtue, so that each and everyone, looking at this image, would, if possible, imitate the Prototype. For this is why He took on our body, so that we, as much as possible, would imitate His way of life 623. The Savior, being in the flesh, left His life as a model and outline of virtue for everyone who wants to live piously, so that, looking at these features, they would imprint a similar image in their lives, without deviating in any way from the Prototype. That the Savior set His life as a model of the most perfect life for all who want to follow Him, He Himself clearly said about this: “Whoever serves Me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26), meaning not a bodily following, but an exact, if possible, imitation of His life 624. God, who created us, gave us the gift of speech so that we could reveal to each other what is in our minds and hearts, and so that each of us, being naturally sociable, could convey our thoughts to our neighbors, extracting them, as if from some treasury, from the secret places of the soul. If we lived with a soul not covered by anything, we could immediately understand each other by the same thoughts. But since thoughts occur in the soul, covered with a veil of flesh, words are needed to reveal what is in our soul. Our thought, as soon as it is clothed in the sound that expresses it, is transported in the word, as if in a shuttle, and, having sailed through the air, passes from the speaker to the listener. And if the word finds peace and silence, it takes refuge in the ears of those who listen, as in a calm and serene haven. If there is noise and confusion among the listeners, like a storm, then the word, scattered in the air, will be destroyed. So, keep quiet for this word. Perhaps it will bring you something useful in its cargo. We humans fall most easily into the sin of thought. Bodily actions require time, appropriate opportunity, labor, assistants, and various aids; movements of thought occur outside of time, are accomplished without labor, are composed without effort, any time is convenient for them. Often a person, revered by everyone, wears the mask of righteousness, often even sits among those who please him for his virtue, and he himself is carried away mentally, in an invisible movement of the heart, to the place of sin and commits a secret sin, which has no witnesses and is unknown to anyone, until He comes who will “illuminate the hidden things in the darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart” (1 Cor. 4:5). Mental sin is committed with the speed of thought. But where we are in danger of falling, there we are given protection. The One who “created the hearts of all” (Ps. 33:15) us, first of all commanded us to have purity in thought, especially since in general sin primarily consists in the false direction of the will by thought. That which we are most prone to sin, the Lord, as our caring Guardian and true Physician of souls, has honored with the greatest protection and care. It is firmly said in Scripture: “take heed to yourself,” that is: take heed to yourself, “beware lest an evil thought enter into your heart” (Deut. 15:9). It is said: “take heed to yourself.” Every living creature received from the Organizer God, by its very nature, the desire for self-preservation. Take a closer look at animals and you will see that most of them, without learning from anyone, have an aversion to what is harmful and at the same time, by some natural attraction, strive for what is useful for them. And God, who instructs us, gave us this great commandment so that, through the help of reason, we would have what they have by nature, so that what dumb people do without thinking, we would do with attention, with constant vigilance of the mind, and so that we, following the commandments given to us from God, avoid sin, as dumb people avoid poisonous foods, and seek truth, just as they look for what is suitable for them among the herbs. food. So, “take heed to yourself” so that you can distinguish between what is harmful and what is salutary. But you can “listen” in two ways: you can either peer into visible objects with your bodily eyes, or immerse yourself in the contemplation of the incorporeal with your mental, spiritual gaze. And if we say that this commandment relates to the area of ​​​​action of our bodily eyes, it will immediately turn out to be impossible to fulfill. For how can anyone embrace the whole of himself with his eye? The eye cannot look at itself, it does not reach the crown, it does not know the back, nor the face, nor the structure inside the body. However, it would be impious to claim that we have been given commandments that cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, it remains to apply the commandment to the activity of the soul. So, “take heed to yourself,” that is, examine yourself from all sides; To protect yourself, keep your spiritual eye vigilant. “Know that you are walking in the midst of snares” (Sir.9:18): hidden nets have been placed by the enemy in many places. Examine everything, “escape like a roe from the hand of a chamois, and like a bird from the hand of a fowler” (Proverbs 6:5). The chamois is elusive due to its visual acuity, and the bird, when it is vigilant, easily, with the help of its wings, escapes the tricks of the hunters. Take care that you do not end up worse than the dumb in guarding yourself, and lest, being entangled in a snare, you become a prey to the devil, who ensnares the unwary into his will (2 Tim. 2:26). So, “pay attention to yourself,” that is, “pay attention” not to what is yours, and not to 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, for we are created in the image of the Creator; ours is the body and the sensations acquired through it; around us are property, art and other accessories of life. What does this mean? This means: do not “heed” the flesh, do not pursue carnal blessings with all your might, that is, health, beauty, enjoyment of pleasures, longevity; admire not wealth, not fame, not power; Do not consider that great that serves you for temporary life, and in caring about this, do not be negligent about your true life. But “take heed to yourself,” that is, to your soul. Decorate it, take care of it, so that with your attentiveness you prevent in it all impurity, all vice, cleanse it from all sinful shame and decorate it and enlighten it with all the beauty of virtue. Test yourself, who you are; know your nature: your body is mortal, but your soul is immortal. Our life is twofold: one is carnal, fleeting, and the other is spiritual, having no end. Therefore, “take heed to yourself”: do not dwell on the mortal as if it were eternal, and do not neglect the eternal as if it were transitory. Do not give all your cares to the flesh, because it is subject to destruction; take more care of the soul - an immortal creation. Delve into yourself in order to be able to give both what they need: the flesh - food and coverings, the soul - the unshakable rules of piety, decent behavior, exercise in virtue, correction of passions. But “the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and they oppose each other” (Gal. 5:17). Take care that you, clinging to the flesh, do not yield greater power to the worse. Just as on the scales, if one cup goes down, then the other, opposite to it, certainly rises up, so with regard to the body and soul: excess in one invariably entails depletion in the other. There is a rule that is equally suitable and useful for both healthy and sick people. In illness, doctors advise patients to be attentive to themselves and not to neglect anything that serves to heal. In the same way, the physician of our souls, the word, with his small help heals the soul suffering from sin. Therefore, “take heed to yourself” so that as you sin, you will also receive healing benefits. Your sin is great and serious - you need sincere confession, bitter tears, intense vigilance, continuous fasting. A sin is light and small - let repentance be equal to it. Just “pay attention to yourself” so that you know both the health and the illness of the soul. For many, having fallen into great and incurable illnesses, from excessive negligence do not even know that they are sick. So the same commandment heals the sick and strengthens the healthy. This short saying is suitable for everyone. You are a hunter, sent by the Lord, who said: “Behold, I will send a multitude of hunters, and they will chase them from every mountain” (Jer. 16:16), - “take heed” diligently, so that your prey does not run away and so that, having caught the word of truth, you bring to the Savior those who have gone wild in sin. You are a traveler, like one who prays: “Strengthen 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. Builder, lay firmly the foundation of faith, which is Jesus Christ. Let the builder see how he builds (1 Cor. 3:10), so that there is neither wood, nor hay, nor straw, but gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Cor. 3:12). Shepherd, “take heed” so as not to transgress anything that is required by the pastoral title: bring back the lost, bind the broken, heal the sick. Farmer, dig up the barren fig tree and cover it with things that promote fertility. Warrior, rush into battle “with the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:8), “make war... as a good warrior" (1 Tim. 1:18), against the spirits of wickedness, against the passions of the flesh, take on the "whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:13) and, in order to please the military commander, do not bind yourself to the "deeds of this life" (2 Tim. 2:4). Ascetic, “take heed to yourself” so as not to break any ascetic law, because “even if someone strives, he will not be crowned if he strives unlawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5). Imitate the Apostle Paul, who at the same time runs forward, fights, and receives blows. And, like a good fighter, keep the gaze of your soul undistracted: do not take your eyes off the enemy; those places where the blow is fatal, guard most of all, protect, cover with your hands. When running, strive “forward” ( Phil. 3:13 ); so run to receive your reward (1 Cor. 9:24). In the struggle, fight against invisible enemies. Common sense requires that you be like this in life: not relaxed, not sleepy, but sober and cheerfully defending yourself. “Take heed to yourself”: be sober, prudent, protect what you own, think about the future. Don’t flatter yourself with unrealistic dreams, but don’t carelessly let go of what you already have. I think that this commandment was also given to eradicate our usual passion, due to which we are more inclined to be curious about others than to delve into our own. This is why it is said: stop trying to observe the vices inherent in others, do not give your mind time to occupy yourself with other people’s infirmities, but “pay attention to yourself,” that is, turn the eye of your soul to examine yourself. Many, according to the word of the Lord, notice “the speck in a brother’s eye, but do not feel the beam” in their own eye (Matthew 7:3). Therefore, tirelessly examine yourself to see if your life is truly following the commandment. Do not look for anything worthy of reproach in others, like that arrogant Pharisee who, standing in the church, praised himself and humiliated 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 a thought? Has anything foolish been done in the works of your hands? And when you find many sins in your life (and you will, no doubt, because you are a man), then repeat the words of the publican: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). So, “take heed to yourself.” This saying, if you are prosperous and your whole life seems to be carried along with the flow, will be useful to you as a kind of good adviser, bringing a reminder of human fate. And if you are exhausted under the yoke of life, it can sweeten your heart, so that out of despair you do not fall into cowardly despondency. Are you proud of your wealth, are you proud of your ancestors, are you exalted by your physical beauty and the honors bestowed on you by everyone? “Take heed to yourself” that you are mortal, that “you are dust and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). Turn your gaze to those who lived in similar splendor before you. Where are those who held the helm of power in their hands, where are the glorious victories, where are the beloved singers and actors, the well-known rich people, military heroes, famous rulers? All that was left of all of them was ashes and a few bones. Did what was said about them actually happen? Isn't this all a myth? The glory and splendor of earthly life are so fragile. Look into the coffins: can you discern who is the servant and who is the master, who is poor and who is rich? Try to distinguish a prisoner from a king, a strong from a weak, a beautiful from an ugly. Yes, if you remember your nature, you will never become exalted. And you will always remember if you pay attention to yourself. If you are a person of low status, unknown, the poorest of the poor, a homeless wanderer, weak, in need of daily food, trembling at those in power, afraid of everyone - do not despair because in the present there is nothing for you that people usually strive for; turn the gaze of your soul to the blessings that have already been given to you from God and which, according to the promise, are prepared for the end. Namely: firstly, you are a human being, the only earthly creature created by God Himself. Is it really not enough for someone who thinks sensibly to achieve the highest degree of contentment - to be created by the hands of the God who arranged everything? Is it not enough that one created in the image of the Creator can, through a good life, achieve equality with the Angels? You have received a rational soul, with which you know God, penetrate with your mind into the nature of things, and reap the most pleasant fruit of wisdom. All living beings on earth, and in the waters, and in the air are given to your service and are subordinate. Was it not you who invented the arts, created cities, invented everything both necessary for life and for luxury? Have not the seas also become navigable for you thanks to reason? Do not both the earth and the sea serve your life? Is it not to you that the air, the sky and the hosts of stars show their harmonious rank? Why are you faint-hearted because you don’t have gold and silver? You have the sun, which carries its golden ball before you all day long; there is a moon illuminating you with its silver light. Don't you have a luxury crew? But you have legs - this is your integral and natural chariot. Why do you consider people happy who have accumulated a full pocket and, in order to move from place to place, need other people’s legs? Don't you have a rich ivory bed? But you have land, which is more valuable than all ivory, and on earth you can always have sweet rest, quick and carefree sleep. Don't you have a golden roof? But above you is the sky, shining like diamonds of immeasurable value and unspeakable beauty, innumerable stars. But all this is still human; but there is something else, more important. For you - God in men, for you - the distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the destruction of death, the hope of resurrection, God's commandments that perfect your life, the ascent to God with the help of the commandments, the prepared Kingdom of Heaven, the crowns of righteousness prepared for those who do not shy away from deeds of virtue. If you follow the commandment to “take heed to yourself,” you will find all this and even more around you. And you will enjoy the present, you will not be cowardly in poverty. This commandment, always being before your eyes, will provide you with great help. For example: has anger taken over your mind, does irritation lead you to indecent speech, cruel and brutal actions? If you pay attention to yourself, you will pacify your irritation, like a stubborn young horse that cannot tolerate the bridle, hitting him like a whip with the blow of this word; hold your tongue; You cannot raise your hand against someone who has upset you. Or: crafty wishes, inflaming your soul, ignite uncontrollable and unclean aspirations in it? If you listen to yourself and remember that this, which is currently pleasant for you, will lead to a bitter end, that the excitement of pleasure now occurring in our body will give birth to a poisonous worm that will endlessly torment us in Gehenna, and that the current kindling of the flesh will become the mother of eternal fire, then carnal pleasures will immediately disappear, take flight and there will be some kind of wonderful inner silence in the soul and silence. So, “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 is by nature to dominate, and the other is to obey and obey reason. Do not allow the spirit to ever be enslaved and become a servant of passions; do not allow passions to rebel against reason and usurp dominion over the soul. “Take heed to yourselves” in order to pay heed to God, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever! 625 Question. Is there any order or any sequence in the commandments of God, so that one of them is the first, another is the second, and so on; or are all the commandments equal to each other and everyone can, as in a circle, start from where they want? Answer. This question is already resolved in the Gospel. When the lawyer approached the Lord and asked: “What is the first of all commandments?” “The Lord answered: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:35–38; Mark 12:28–30). So, the Lord Himself put order to His commandments, indicating that the commandment to love God is the first and greatest. Rules, lengthy, 1,626 Love for God is required of us as a necessary duty. The rules are extensive, 2,627 Love for God is inherent in us from birth; it is not purchased or borrowed. From whom did we learn to admire the beauty of God’s world? From whom did you acquire your attachment to life? Who taught us to love our parents or those who raised us? So, or much more, love for God is not instilled in us from the outside, but in human nature, along with life, there is an undoubted desire for this love. We, for our part, can only carefully nurture this innate desire of ours and, with the help of God’s grace, raise it to perfection. By nature we strive for beauty. But what is more admirable than God’s beauty? Can we imagine anything more wondrous than God's greatness? What spiritual desire is as strong and irresistible as the desire turned to God in a soul cleansed of vice? She says with true sincerity: “I am faint with love” (Song. 2:5). Truly indescribable and indescribable are the luminous sparkles of God's beauty: the word cannot express, the ear cannot perceive! You will talk about the brilliance of the dawn, or the radiance of the moon, or the brilliance of the sun, but all this is unworthy of the semblance of the glory of the true Light and in comparison with It is darker than the darkness of deep night before the brightest light of noon. This beauty - not visible with bodily eyes, but comprehended only by thought - if it illuminated any of the saints, it left in them an irresistible desire for it, so that they already began to languish with this life and said: “Woe is me that I abide” (Ps. 119:5); “When will I come and appear before the face of God” (Ps. 41:3)? “For me, life is Christ and death is gain; I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ, because this is incomparably better” (Phil. 1:21, 23); “My soul thirsts for the mighty, living God” (Ps. 41:3) and “now you are letting go of Your servant, O Master” (Luke 2:29). Weighed down by this life, like a prison, those whose souls were touched by the radiance of God’s beauty were so unstoppable in their striving! Tirelessly thirsting to contemplate Divine beauty, they sent up prayer so that the vision of the beauty of the Lord would extend for them throughout their lives (Ps. 27:4). People by nature strive for beauty. But in the true sense, only good is beautiful and worthy of love, and God alone is good. Everything strives for good; therefore, everything tends towards God. What we do of our own free will, unless our mind is seduced by the evil one, is innate to us. And love for God is a necessary duty inherent in us by nature. Its impoverishment is for the soul the most intolerable evil of all evils. Alienation and separation from God is more unbearable than the torment of Gehenna and harder for the soul than the deprivation of light for the eye or the deprivation of life for a living being. All those born have from birth a tender love for those who gave birth: this is proven both by the affection of the dumb and by the love of children for their mothers from the very birth. Thus, we will turn out to be more foolish than babies and more insensitive than animals if we do not have love for the One who created us and move away from Him! And even if we believed that we ourselves have not received any gifts of Divine goodness, then by the mere fact that we have received existence from God, we must love Him immeasurably with all tenderness and constantly remember Him, just as children love and remember their mothers. There should be an even greater feeling of love for the One who benefits us with innumerable gifts. Attachment to those who bestow some benefit is also characteristic not only of people, but also of animals. It is said in Scripture: “The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib” (Is. 1:3). Oh, if the following words had not been said: “But Israel does not know Me, My people do not understand” (Is. 1:3)! Is it necessary to talk about how dogs and other animals are attached to those who feed them! So, we also have love and affection for those who do good by nature, and the need for gratitude for the benefit shown to us motivates us to do any work. But what word can adequately depict God’s gifts to us? They are such in number that they exceed any number; so great in significance that even one is enough to oblige us to endless gratitude to the Giver. There would not be enough time to explain the innumerable gifts of God to our family. Therefore, let us keep silent about the rising of the sun, about the phases of the moon, about the goodness of the air, about the change of seasons, about water from the clouds and water from the earth, about sea and land, about what grows on the earth and what lives in the waters; about the differences in climate, about the countless species of animals, about everything assigned to the service of our lives. But one thing, even if anyone wanted, cannot be avoided; It is absolutely impossible for someone who has a sound mind and speech to remain silent about one gift. However, it is even more impossible to say about this gift as it should. Before them are other gifts - like the shine of stars before the rays of the sun. Immeasurable in greatness and mercy, this luminous gift is the providential attitude of God towards man. God, having created man in His image and likeness, honored him with the knowledge of God, gave him the enjoyment of the immeasurable blessings of paradise, placed him at the head of everything on earth, and subsequently, when the serpent seduced him and he fell into sin, and through sin into death and everything that is associated with death, did not despise him, but gave him the law to help him, assigned Angels to protect him and care for him, sent prophets to expose vices and teach virtue, suppressed vicious aspirations with threats, aroused zeal for good deeds with promises, repeatedly showed the fruit of vice and virtue on different faces to admonish others, and did not turn away from those who, despite all such immeasurable care, remained disobedient. We were not abandoned by the goodness of the Master, and our ingratitude for the gifts we did not deserve, received from God, insulting the Benefactor to us, did not interrupt His love for us. But He called us from death to new life by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. An even greater miracle lies in the very method of beneficence. For the Son of God, “being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:6-7). And “He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:4); “He was wounded for our sins... so that by His stripes we might be healed” (Is. 53:5); “he redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Gal.3:13); suffered the most shameful death in order to lead us to a glorious life. And he not only revived us, the dead, but also gave us the way to strive for God-likeness, prepared for us eternal rest, the greatness of bliss exceeding all human thought. What shall we render to the Lord for all His good deeds to us (Ps. 116:3)? But He is so good that He does not require retribution and is content only with our love for all His countless gifts. When I bring all this to my mind, then I come to horror and fear from fear, lest through inattentiveness of mind or from vain pursuits I should grow cold in love for God and one day become a reproach to Christ. For the one who now deceives us and tries in every possible way with worldly lures to make us forget about the Benevolent One, to the destruction of our souls, then, cursing and mocking us, will turn our coldness and oblivion into a reproach to the Lord and will boast of our disobedience and our apostasy: that he did not create us and did not die for us, but nevertheless drew us along after him in our disobedience and negligence about the commandments of God. This reproach addressed to the Lord, who died for us and rose again, and the boasting of the enemy before Him to whom we are indescribably indebted, seems to me heavier than the torment of Gehenna 628. What is the measure of love for God? The measure of love for God is such that the soul always strives with all its might to do the will of God, with the goal and desire for the glory of God. How is love for God achieved? Love for God is achieved first of all if we conscientiously remember God's benefits. The same thing happens to dumb people. We see that dogs mainly love the one who gives them food. This is also said by the prophet Isaiah: “I raised and elevated my sons, but they rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's manger; but Israel does not know Me, My people do not understand” (Is. 1:2-3). For just as in an ox and a donkey love is involuntarily born for the one who shows them benefits, so do we: if we accept benefits with kind feeling and gratitude, then how can we not love the Benefactor God who shows us so many and such great benefits? Such a disposition in an intact soul is born, so to speak, naturally, without teaching. What are the signs of love for God? The Lord Himself showed them to us, saying: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15) 629. We are taught to show love even to death, without any distinction, to both the righteous and the sinful. Rules, summarized, 186,630 Just as God gives everyone the opportunity to partake of the light equally, so may the imitators of God shed a common and equal ray of love on everyone. 3rd word on asceticism 631 Where love becomes scarce, hatred certainly takes its place. 3rd word on asceticism 632 Just as he who has love has God within himself, so he who has hatred nourishes the devil within himself. 3rd word on asceticism 633 Love those close to you no more than the Lord. Who does not know that man by nature is a meek and sociable creature? It is our nature to have fellowship with one another, to need one another, and to love one another. And if the Lord put these seeds into our nature, then He will subsequently demand an account of the fruits from them. He says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” (John 13:34). And, wanting to motivate our soul to fulfill this commandment, he demands, as proof of who His disciple is, not extraordinary signs and wonders (although he gave the power to do this in the Holy Spirit). What does the Lord require from His disciples? Here are the words of the Lord: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Everywhere the Lord combines the commandment of love for God with the commandment of love for one’s neighbor, so that doing good to one’s neighbor is imputed to Himself: “I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35–36), and “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). Consequently, through love for God one can succeed in loving one’s neighbor, and through love for one’s neighbor one can again return to love for God, and whoever loves the Lord, of course, also loves his neighbor. The Lord said: “Whoever loves Me will keep My word” (John 14:23); “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He who loves his neighbor fulfills the duty of his love to God, who transfers his mercy to Himself. That is why the faithful servant of God, Moses, showed such love for his brothers that he wanted to be blotted out from the book of God in which he was written, if the sin of the people was not forgiven (Ex. 32:32). And the Apostle Paul dared to pray that he would be excommunicated from Christ for the sake of his brothers, relatives to him according to the flesh (Rom. 9:3), desiring, in imitation of the Lord, to become the redemptive price for the salvation of others, and at the same time knowing that he who, out of love for God for the sake of the most important of the commandments, refuses the mercy of God, cannot be excommunicated, for he will receive many times more than he sacrificed. From what has been said, it is clear that the saints achieved the highest degree of love for their neighbors. What kind of love should we have for each other? The kind that the Lord showed and taught, saying: “Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). If one must devote one’s soul, then all the more one must strive in every possible way for the benefit of everyone, solely for the purpose of pleasing God. How can you achieve love for your neighbor? Firstly, one must fear responsibility for breaking the commandment of the Lord Himself, who said: “He who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Then one must strive for eternal life, for “His commandment is eternal life” (John 12:50). And the “first and greatest commandment” (Matt. 22:38) is the following: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mk. 12:30; Matt. 22:37); “The second is like this: love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31). Finally, we must strive to imitate the Lord, who said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34). The following considerations can also contribute to the arousal of love for one’s neighbor. If our brother does good to us, then we are humanly obliged to show love to him; The pagans also have such love, as the Lord clearly speaks about this in the Gospel: “If you love those who love you, what gratitude is that to you? For sinners also love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). If our neighbor causes us harm, then even in this case we are obliged to love him - not only according to the commandment of God, but also as our benefactor, if only we believe in the words of the Lord: “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11–12). How is love for one’s neighbor manifested according to the commandment of the Lord, and how can one know if someone loves one’s neighbor not in accordance with the commandment? Love has two distinctive properties: to grieve and worry if the loved one is in a bad way, and to rejoice if he is good, and to try in every possible way to promote his well-being. Therefore, blessed is he who grieves for the one who sins, for the one who sins is exposed to terrible danger. Blessed is he who rejoices in the one who does what is right, for such, according to the word of Scripture, gains incomparable profit. The Apostle Paul also testifies to this, saying: “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Cor. 12:26), obviously meaning in this case a concern regarding pleasing God. Whoever does not have such a mood obviously does not have love for his neighbor according to the commandment of the Lord 635. “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Who are the enemies you are told to love? And how do we love our enemies: only by doing good to them or by goodwill? And is the latter possible? The enemy tends to harm and plot. Therefore, anyone who harms anyone in any way can be called an enemy, especially one who sins, because, depending on him, he harms in various ways and plots against everyone living or meeting with him. And since a person consists of soul and body, we will love our enemies both with our soul, exposing them and admonishing them and in every way bringing them to conversion, and with our body, doing good to them when they need what is necessary for life. Everyone knows that love consists of a mood. That love for enemies is possible, the Lord showed and testified when he demonstrated the love of the Father and His own in obedience “even to death” (Phil. 2:8) for the sake of enemies, and not for the sake of friends, as the Apostle Paul testifies, saying: “God proves His love for us in this, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:8). The Apostle exhorts us to the same thing, saying: “Imitate God, as beloved children, and live in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2). The Good and Just One would not have commanded us to love our enemies if He had not granted us the ability to do so. And He showed that such ability belongs to us by nature. After all, animals by nature love those who show them kindness. But our enemies do us more good deeds than our friends, bringing us blessings from the Lord, who said: “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11–12) 636. No one should ever believe that he has enough strength to overcome the difficulties of life alone, without the help of others. No. Each one has far more need of the help of others than one hand needs the help of the other. By the very structure of our body, the Lord teaches us that communication is necessary for us. Delve into the structure of the human body, and you will see that not a single member of the body can do without the help of others. The leg would not have stepped so firmly if there had been no support for the body in the other leg. The eye would not see so correctly if the other eye did not help it to perceive objects of vision. Or rather hearing, when sounds are perceived in both ears. A thing is grasped more firmly by all fingers than not by all. In a word, every natural action of ours is determined by the unanimity of those acting. Likewise, unanimity is necessary in everyday affairs. Prayer itself, when there is no agreement among those praying, is less effective. The Lord promised His presence in the midst of two or three calling on Him in unanimity (Matthew 18:20). And the Lord took upon Himself His very incarnation in order to “pacify” both earthly and heavenly things with the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20) 637. Humility is a treasury of virtues. Ascetic charters, 16,638 Even a great sinner is healed by humility. Humility is an imitation of Christ, and exaltation is an imitation of the devil. Progress in humility is progress of the soul. Humility, as defined by the Apostle Paul, consists of considering everyone better than yourself (Rom. 12:10). Never be proud of anyone, even great sinners. Oh, that man would remain in glory before God and have greatness, not illusory, but true - exalted by the power of God, enlightened by God's wisdom, in the joy of eternal life and its blessings! But since man betrayed the desire for Divine glory, desired more and hurried to what he could not get, he lost what he could have. And since then, for him, the only salvation, a cure for illness and a means to return to his former blissful state is modesty, that is, not to pursue illusory and deceptive glory, but to seek true glory from God. Only in this way will a person correct his sin, only in this way will he heal his illness, only in this way will he return to the sacred commandment that he left behind. The devil, who seduced the first man with the specter of false glory, does not cease today to excite people with the same baits and invents thousands of intrigues for this purpose. So he makes it seem important to a person if he has accumulated a lot of money, and the person begins to boast about it and worry about acquiring wealth, thinking that wealth leads to glory. But wealth in no way leads to glory and only creates danger, because the acquisition of money is the beginning of covetousness, and the possession of wealth blinds, puffs up and produces in the soul a disease similar to a tumor in the body. It is not wealth alone that gives rise to exaltation in a person. People are exalted not only by wearing clothes purchased at a high price; not only by setting up a completely unnecessary expensive and luxurious table; not only by creating huge houses, adorning them with decorations; not only because they have a large staff of obsequious servants and a countless crowd of flatterers. The source of arrogance and exaltation for a person is his position in society, which does not depend on wealth. People often exalt themselves in the importance, or influence, or fame they have acquired in society and, placing themselves above the rest of humanity, think of themselves as sitting almost on a cloud, and consider those who have not achieved the same position as them to be their footstool and are exalted before them. But human glory is no more stable than a dream; its shine is more insignificant than the ghosts of the night; at the wave of the crowd it appears and at the wave of the crowd it quickly disappears without a trace. A person is sometimes also proud of strength and beauty. And he will not think that “all flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field: the grass dries up, the flower fades” (Is. 40:6-7). Unavoidable time will bring with it illnesses and quickly drain both strength and beauty. Much more important and lasting than wealth and strength and beauty is wisdom and prudence. But they also lead to vain exaltation and do not bring true greatness, because both wisdom and prudence are worth nothing when a person does not possess wisdom from God. A prudent person will not boast of his wisdom and apparent greatness, but will follow the instructions of Blessed Anna and the Prophet Jeremiah: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty boast in his strength, let not the rich man boast in his wealth” (Jer. 9:23; 1 Sam. 2:10). But what is true glory and how can a person be great? The Lord says through the prophet Jeremiah: “He who boasts, boast in that which understands and knows Me” (Jer. 9:24). This is the height of man, this is his glory and greatness: to know what is truly great, to love it and to seek glory from the Lord of glory. The Apostle says: “If you boast, boast in the Lord” - in that Christ “has become for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30-31). The perfect and true praise of God is this, that a man is not exalted in his own righteousness, but knows that he stands in need of true righteousness, and is justified through faith in Christ. And the Apostle Paul boasts that he has despised his own righteousness and is seeking righteousness in Christ, seeking “the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, that I may attain to the resurrection of the dead” (Phil. 3:9-11). Here every height of pride falls. There is nothing left for you to be arrogant, O man, if your glory and hope is to put to death all that is yours and seek the future life in Christ. And now we already have the beginnings of this life, reaching the point that we live entirely by the grace and gift of God: “God works in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). God by His Spirit reveals His wisdom, destined for our glory (1 Cor. 2:7). God gives strength in labor: “I have labored more than all of them,” says the Apostle Paul, “not I, however, but the grace of God which is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). God also delivers from dangers, beyond all human expectation. The apostle said: “We had within ourselves the sentence of death, in order to trust not in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead, who delivered us from so close death, and is delivering us, and in whom we hope to deliver us again” (2 Cor. 1:9-10). So, think about it, can you be exalted in the blessings that you possess by the grace of God? After all, you didn’t make them. Instead of exalting yourself, confess gratitude to the Giver of blessings. “What do you have that you did not receive” (1 Cor. 4:7)? You yourself did not know God through your righteousness, but God made you know Himself through goodness (Gal. 4:9). It was not you who joined Christ through virtue, but Christ who joined you to Himself by His coming (Phil. 3:12). “You did not choose Me,” says the Lord, “but I chose you” (John 15:16). But you think highly of yourself because others give you preferential respect. Finally, understand who you are: you are Adam, expelled from paradise; you are Saul, forsaken by the Spirit of God; you are Israel, cut off from the holy root. It is said: “You hold on by faith; do not be proud” (Rom. 11:20). Mercy is followed by judgment, and the Judge examines how you took advantage of what was given to you by mercy. Perhaps, however, you do not understand that you have been honored with mercy, and in an excess of insensibility you turn mercy into your own merit. But you, of course, have no more merit than the holy Apostle Peter. After all, in love for the Lord you cannot surpass the one who loved the Lord so much that he wanted to die for Him. So what? Since he thought highly of himself, saying: “Even if everyone is offended because of You, I will never be offended” (Matthew 26:33), then he was given over to human fear and fell to the point of renunciation. His fall taught him not to rely too much on himself. From the experience of his own weakness, he learned to spare the weak. Once, drowning in the sea, he was supported by the right hand of Christ; now, in the storm of temptation, in danger of perishing from lack of faith, he was also protected by the power of Christ. The Lord predicted to him what would happen to him: “Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan has asked to sow you like wheat. But I prayed for you, so that your faith would not fail; and when you have once turned, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). The Apostle Peter did not receive help in vain, because he was admonished to abandon arrogance and spare the weak. But the Pharisee, full of intolerance and pride, only boldly relying on himself and slandering the tax collector before God, lost the praise for his righteousness, because he was stubborn in his pride. Meanwhile, the publican “went justified into his house” (Luke 18:14), because he glorified the All-Holy God and, in the consciousness of his unworthiness, did not dare to look up, but asked only for mercy, humiliating himself both in appearance, and by beating his chest, and by the fact that he did not seek anything other than mercy. Don't forget this example. He who was proud lost his righteousness, he who boldly relied on himself lost his reward; he who exalted himself before him and did not wait for God's judgment, but pronounced judgment on himself, is humiliated before the humble sinner. Therefore, never be arrogant, even before great sinners. Humility often cleanses even a great sinner. Do not justify yourself more than another, so that, being justified by your own verdict, you will not be condemned by the verdict of God. “I myself do not judge myself,” says the Apostle Paul, “for although I know nothing about myself, I am not justified by this; But the Lord is my judge” (1 Cor. 4:3–4). If you notice that you have done something good, thank God and do not be proud of your neighbor. It is said: “Let each one test his own work, and then he will have praise only in himself, and not in another” (Gal. 6:4). For what benefit have you done to your neighbor by confessing the faith, or by enduring persecution in the name of Christ, or by patiently bearing the labors of fasting? It is not for anyone else to benefit from this, but for you. Remember the fair remark: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5; Prov. 3:34). Do not forget the saying of the Lord: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Don’t be an unjust judge of yourself, test yourself without weakness, and if you notice that there is something good in you, don’t show it off, don’t intentionally forget your falls, don’t boast about the merit you’ve done now, don’t apologize for doing something bad before. When the present gives you a reason for arrogance, bring to mind the past - and you will get rid of unreasonable arrogance. And if you see your neighbor in sin, do not look at this alone, but think about what good he has done or is doing, and often after such reflection you will find that he is better than you. And God does not judge a person for one act. “I know,” He says, “their deeds and their thoughts” (Is. 66:18). Let us always protect ourselves from pride, humbling ourselves in order to rise, imitating the Lord, who descended from heaven to extreme humiliation and from humiliation ascended to the appropriate height. Everything in the Lord teaches humility. When He was a child, He was in a den, and not on a bed, but in a manger; in the house of the carpenter and the poor Mother, he obeys the Mother and the betrothed to Her; He studies, listens to what he did not need, asks and surprises with wisdom in His questions; receives the laying on of hands from John, and the Master is baptized by a slave; does not resist any of those who rebel against Him and does not bring into action against them the ineffable power that He had, but yields to them, as if to the strongest, and gives the subordination that belongs to the powers that be; stands before the high priests in the form of a defendant, is brought before the hegemon, and accepts condemnation; endures slander in silence when he could expose the slanderers; suffers spitting from slaves and servants, is given over to death, and the most shameful death among people. This is how He went through the entire human life, from beginning to end, and after such humility He finally reveals glory, glorifying with Him those who were dishonored with Him. And these, firstly, are the blessed disciples who go around the world in poverty and nakedness, not in the wisdom of words, not accompanied by a crowd, but alone, wandering, lonely, passing through land and sea, scourged, stoned, persecuted, and finally put to death. These are Divine lessons for us! Let us imitate them, so that out of humility, eternal glory may shine forth for us - this perfect and true gift of Christ. But how can we achieve saving humility and abandon the destructive arrogance of pride? Humility is acquired, firstly, by remembering the commandment of the Lord, who said: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and who demonstrated in Himself the fulfillment of this commandment on many occasions; secondly, by faith in the promise that “he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11); finally, constant concern for improvement in humility and for accustoming oneself to it. For perfection in virtue, like perfection in every art, is achieved only by constant exercise. We can achieve humility if we pay attention to the little things and don’t neglect anything, as if a little thing cannot harm us. The soul becomes similar to its activities. What she does is what she imprints on, and that’s why she takes on her appearance. Let your appearance, clothing, gait, food, home, and all household furnishings be brought to the point that there are no excesses in them; Let speech, song, and behavior towards one’s neighbor be directed more toward modesty than toward pride. May you not have excessive embellishment in words, excessive sweetness in singing, proud and arrogant speeches; cut off passion in everything. Be helpful towards a friend, meek with a servant, unforgetful of the impudent, philanthropic towards the humble, comfort the unfortunate, visit the sick, do not despise anyone, be friendly when you meet, polite in response, benevolent to everyone, accessible, do not indulge in praise for yourself, do not force others to talk about you, do not accept undeserved praise, hide as much as you can your own virtues, and convict yourself of your sins, without expecting reproof from others; be like Job, who did not hide his misdeeds (Job.31:34). Do not be harsh in reprimands, do not reprove hastily and in irritation, do not condemn for unimportant things, as if you were a strict righteous person. Raise up those who have fallen into sin, correct them spiritually, as the apostle advises, watching “every one for himself, lest he be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). Make an effort not to be glorified by people, if only you remember that Christ calls the detriment of the reward received from God, deliberately showing yourself before people and doing good with the goal that people see it. For it is said about such: “they are already receiving their reward” (Matthew 6:2). Therefore, do not harm yourself by trying to be in front of people. God sees everything. Seek glory before God and He will give a glorious reward. If you are awarded primacy, people pay attention to you and glorify you; be equal to those under your control, as it is said, “not lording it over the inheritance of God” (1 Pet. 5:3). Whoever wants to be first, the Lord commanded him to be a slave of all (Mark 10:44). To put it briefly: love humility, and it will glorify you. You will ascend to true glory, to glory with the Angels, to glory before God. Christ will recognize you before the Angels as His disciple and will glorify you if you imitate His humility. For He says: “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). To him be glory and power forever and ever 644. The fear of God overcomes all kinds of spiritual shortcomings. The rules are extensive, 10,645 The fear of the Lord is the purification of the soul. Discourse on the beginning of the Book of Proverbs 646 If fear does not control our lives, then the sanctification of the body will not occur. Discourse on Psalm thirty-three 647 He who has perfect fear and fears everything out of fear of God will not sin in anything, because he leaves nothing unattended. Discourse on Psalm thirty-three 648 Not every fear is good and saving. There is also the fear of the enemy, for which the prophet prays, so that it does not come close to his soul, saying: “Save my life from the fear of the enemy” (Ps. 63:2). That fear is the enemy’s, which instills in us the fear of death and the powers that be. Discourse on Psalm thirty-three 649 We must remember the words of the Lord: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” (Jer. 23:24), and: “Am I only God near, and not God far away?” (Jer.23:23), and: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). And, remembering these words, it is necessary to carry out every action and form every thought as if before the eyes of the Lord. Then we will always have the fear of God, which, as the Scripture says, hates “evil, pride and arrogance, and the evil way, and deceitful lips” (Proverbs 8:13). Then we will have perfect love, fulfilling what the Lord said: “I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Together with this, it will be achieved that the commandments of the Lord will not be fulfilled out of man-pleasing. After all, no one gives all his attention to the lower one when the higher one is present. And if it happened that what was done was pleasant and pleasing to a noble person, but unpleasant and displeasing to a lower one, then everyone, recognizing approval from a higher person as worthy of preferential attention, neglects in this case censure from a lower person. If this happens among people, then what soul, truly sober and healthy, with confidence in the presence of God, will abandon doing anything pleasing to God and turn to human opinions, or, neglecting the commandments of God, will be enslaved to human custom, will submit to public prejudice, will be embarrassed before those endowed with a high rank? Such was the mood of the Psalmist when he said: “The proud have dug a pit for me, contrary to Your law” (Ps. 119:85); and again: “I will speak of Your testimonies before kings and will not be ashamed” (Ps. 119:46). For those who are not yet sufficiently established in piety, it is more useful to learn through fear, according to the instructions of the wise Solomon, who said: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). For those who have emerged from infancy in Christ, who no longer need milk and are capable of perfecting themselves through solid food, dogmas require broader commandments in which the whole truth of love about Christ is achieved. How can you instill in yourself the fear of God's judgment? By its very nature, the expectation of something dangerous produces fear. So, we are afraid of both animals and leaders, expecting something bad from them. Therefore, if someone firmly believes that the Lord’s threats about punishment for sinners are true, and expects that he will inevitably have to experience them for his sins, then he will fear God’s judgment 650. Souls who desire to have fellowship with wisdom must be purified by the fear of God. For to lay down the mysteries of salvation before everyone you meet and to accept equally everyone who does not possess either purity of life or a proven and sound mind would mean pouring precious myrrh into an unclean vessel. Therefore, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). And the fear of the Lord is the purification of the soul, according to the word of the prophet and king David, who prayed like this: “My flesh trembles at Your fear” (Ps. 119:120). Where fear has taken hold, there abides spiritual purity, because from there every vice and every ungodly act flees. Likewise, bodily members, nailed by fear, cannot rush into indecent acts. Just as a person into whom nails are driven, held back by pain, remains inactive, so one nailed by the fear of God cannot use his eyes for what should not be, nor stretch out his hands for what is not allowed, and generally cannot act in great or small things contrary to his duty, as if pierced by some pain - the expectation of threatening punishments 651. Blessed is the soul that, day and night, has no other concern than the thought of how on the great day, when all creation will appear before the righteous Judge, it will give an account of its deeds and answer for its life! Whoever always has before the eyes of his soul this day and hour and the thought of justification at the undeceitful Judgment will not sin much, because we sin mainly due to the lack of fear of God. And whoever has the expectation of a terrible day of judgment clearly imprinted in his soul, the fear that dwells in him does not allow him to commit reprehensible acts, and does not allow him to have sinful thoughts. Always remember God and have the fear of God in your heart 652. At the last Judgment, when the Lord calls the righteous to Himself, the benefactor will take first place. The nourisher of others takes precedence among those awarded honors; the one who feeds the hungry is called before everyone else and is brought into the Kingdom of Heaven preferentially before other righteous people. And the stingy one is given over to the fire before other sinners (Matthew 25:34–46). Conversation in times of famine and drought 653 We praise charity and deny it to those in need. Conversation in times of famine and drought 654 There is no benefit from charity, which is trumpeted. A world that has forgotten God is full of injustice towards others and inhumanity towards the powerless. The Apostle Paul says: “And because they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do lewd things, so that they were filled with all unrighteousness, ... wickedness, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil spirits, slanderers, slanderers, haters of God, offenders, self-praisers, proud, devising evil, disobedient to parents, reckless, ... unloving, unmerciful” (Rom. 1:28-31). Those who do not forget God must abstain from evil deeds and show mercy to their neighbors. The prophet Isaiah teaches, speaking in the name of God: “Stop doing evil, learn to do good” (Is. 1:16–17). In the Old Testament there were many commandments not to harm one's neighbor and many commandments to be philanthropic and merciful. If anyone neglects this, then everything else is not enough to justify it. But it must be remembered that just as a benefit to a needy person made from unrighteous gains is displeasing to God, so one who abstains from unrighteous deeds does not deserve praise if he does not give what he has to anyone. About those who do injustice and intend to offer a sacrifice to God, it is said: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 15:8). And about the unmerciful it is said: “Whoever stops his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry and will not be heard” (Proverbs 21:13). Therefore, as Scripture teaches, “honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Prov. 3:9). For if you intend to bring to God something from unrighteousness and theft, then it is better for you neither to acquire such property nor to offer from it; only a pure gift offers prayer, according to what is said in Scripture: “The prayer of the righteous is pleasing to God” (Prov. 15:8). And vice versa, if, having acquired through righteous labors, you do not make offerings to God that would feed the poor, then this will be counted against you as theft. It is said: “You rob Me... with tithes and offerings. Bring... tithes into the storehouse" (Mal. 3:8, 10). So, we must combine mercy and righteousness, gain with righteousness and spend on mercy, according to what is said in Scripture: “Watch mercy and judgment and trust in your God always” (Hos. 12:6). The Lord loves mercy and truth. Therefore, whoever cares about mercy and truth draws closer to God. And let everyone test themselves from this side. Let the rich man look at his profits, from which he intends to bring gifts to God: did he not oppress the beggar for them, did he force them from the weak, did he covet something from a subordinate, using power instead of justice. Must maintain fairness and equality in treatment of all. Do not do violence when you have power; do not covet, having the opportunity to do this. On the contrary, endowed with the advantages of power, show the rights of justice. The proof of your obedience and fear of God will not be that you do not do what you cannot do, but that you have the opportunity to transgress and do not transgress. And if you give to the poor, taking away property from others, then it is better not to take or give. Why do you defile your wealth by adding unrighteous gains to it? Why do you turn your offering into defilement, bringing something with which you, having offended one, think to show mercy to another? Have pity for the one towards whom you are unfair. Treat him kindly, show him mercy, and you will fulfill your mercy with righteousness. God has no fellowship with covetousness. It is not because He left us the poor that He Himself is not able to feed them, but for our own good He requires us to bear the fruit of philanthropy and truth. There is no alms from untruth, there is no blessing from an oath, there are no blessings from tears. To those who bring tears to those who are offended, God says: “You cause the altar of the Lord to be watered down with tears, with weeping and crying, so that He no longer accepts the propitiatory sacrifice from your hands” (Mal. 2:13). Sacrifice from your labors, but do not allow unjust actions, intending to bring a gift to God from what you acquired through unrighteousness. This will be vanity and will only cause praise from people, but you will not receive praise from God. If you do alms with the thought that God sees it, then beware of doing it from unclean species, knowing that this will not please the All-Seeing God. Your gift will not be accepted by God if you bring it by upsetting someone. The Lord said: “If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Remember the publican Zacchaeus, who first decided to return fourfold if he had offended anyone, and then from the remaining estate he divided half of it to the poor (Luke 19:8). He rejoices that he can accept Christ. And Christ accepts generosity towards the poor in no other way than after returning to the offended everything that was taken from them by greed. So, the Lord accepted the truth from Zacchaeus and said: “Now salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). This should be firmly remembered by those who give alms, but do not care about observing justice. And those who are careful not to do injustice, but do not care about works of mercy, must remember that “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10) and that such a tree will never be pleasing to the heavenly Landowner, who says: “For the third year I have gone looking for fruit on this fig tree and have not found it; cut it down: why does it occupy the land?” (Luke 13:7). According to the Old Testament, the one who does not give a mortgage to the poor is condemned by God; a threat is uttered against such a person; It is said: “When someone who has not received the pledge back cries out to Me, “I will hear, for I am merciful” (Ex. 22:27). It was also criminal to gather what was forgotten in the field after the harvest, and to re-pick the branches again after harvesting grapes and olives, because it should have been left to the poor (Deut. 24:19-21). If these were the instructions in the Old Testament, then what can we say about those who live in Christ? The Lord says: “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Therefore, the apostle instructs to give to the poor not only from the fields and from the harvest, but also from the labor of one’s hands. “Work,” he says, “doing with your own hands what is useful, so that there will be something to give to the needy” (Eph. 4:28). The Lord gave advice to those who wish to follow Him to sell all their possessions for charity to the poor and then follow Him. From His followers and those who have achieved perfection, He demands immediately and in full the fulfillment of alms, so that, having fulfilled the service with their property, they begin to serve in word and spirit. And He commands the rest to constantly do alms and share what they have, so that through this they become imitators of God’s love for mankind, becoming compassionate and merciful. For the Lord says: “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38). Through this the Lord also promised them fellowship with Himself, for they will stand at the right hand of the Lord, and the King will say to them: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from creation. peace. For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:34–36). And since the righteous will be surprised and say: “When did we do this for You, Lord?” - then He will say to them: “Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). A diligent servant of the poor turns out to be a fellow member of Christ not only if he gives away a lot, being wealthy, but if he also gives a little out of his poverty and if only he “gives... a cup of cold water” to the disciple in the name of the Teacher (Matthew 10:42). For what the world calls the poverty of disciples, for you, rich man, serves as an opportunity to acquire true wealth. Through this you become a co-worker with Christ: you feed the soldiers of Christ, and you feed voluntarily, and not under compulsion. The Heavenly King does not force or demand taxes, but accepts those who are zealous, so that those who give themselves receive, those who show honor are respected, those who share temporary blessings with others are called into the communion of eternal blessings. Let this always be in memory, before the eyes of the soul, so as not to lose the opportunity that comes along and, having missed it, not to expect another and in this expectation not to be caught by death! May the Lord grant us to be fruitful, vigilant, remembering His commandments, ready and not delayed by anything for the glorious meeting of Him 656. Everyone's prayer is open before God. Discourse on Psalm twenty-eighth 657 Demons have a habit of distracting us from saving prayer during prayer hours under plausible pretexts. Prayer is a good helper for us in this life, while we live in the flesh, and a reliable guardian on the path to the next century. Trust in the goodness of God and expect God to intercede, knowing that if we turn to Him as we should and sincerely, then not only will He not reject us completely, but before we even have time to finish the words of the prayer, He will say: I am with you! In prayer we should not ask for our own will to be fulfilled, but rather leave everything to God, who provides for us. Communion in prayer brings great benefits. When praying, do not ask for what you should not ask, so as not to anger the Lord. Don’t ask for wealth, or human glory, or power, or in general anything that passes away. Ask for the Kingdom of God. And then the Lord Himself will give you everything you need for your body. He says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). There are two types of prayer. The first type is praise with humility; the second, lowest, is a petition. Don't start your prayer with a request. When starting to pray, forget yourself, your wife, your children; leave the earth, go beyond the sky; leave all creation, visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything. And when you praise Him, do not rush your thoughts here and there, do not invent on your own, like the pagans, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures and say: “I bless You, Lord, long-suffering and gentle, who is patient with me, a sinner, every day, and gives us all the opportunity to repent. You, Lord, are patient with us, arranging the salvation of our race through rebuke and admonition, in ancient times through the prophets, and finally through the coming of Your Christ. You created us. You are our God. We praise You” (see Ps.99). When you have finished your doxology, as much as you can from Scripture, then, having praised God, say with humility: “Lord, I am not worthy to stand before You, because I am all in sins.” There is only God without sin, but there is no man who is sinless. When we sin a lot, for the most part we do not notice our sins. That is why the apostle says: “Although I know nothing about myself, I am not justified by this” (1 Cor. 4:4); in other words: I sin a lot and don’t notice. And the holy king and prophet David says: “Who will consider his own mistakes?” (Ps. 19:13). Thus, you will not lie if you say that you are full of sins. If, recognizing your sins, you say that you are not a sinner, then you will sin. Therefore, say better: “I am a sinner more than all sinners.” Then you will act in accordance with the commandment of God, which commands: “When you have done everything commanded you, say: we are slaves, worthless, because we did (only what) we had to do” (Luke 17:10). So you should always reason: “I am not worthy.” The Holy Apostle says: “In humility of mind, consider one another better than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). So, pray to God with fear and humility. Continuing the word of humility, say: “I thank You, Lord, that You tolerated my sins for a long time and left me so far unpunished. I was worthy to endure thousands of troubles and to be rejected from Your presence; but You, kindly and philanthropic, were patient with me. I thank You, although I do not have enough strength to thank You for Your long-suffering.” And then, having completed both parts of the prayer - doxology and humility, ask for what you should ask for, that is, not wealth, not earthly glory, not bodily health. The Creator who created you takes care of your well-being; He knows what is good for everyone: whether to be healthy or sick. Ask only for the Kingdom of God. No one will approach the king with a request for any little thing. And don’t bring indignation on yourself with your petty prayer. Ask only for what is worthy of the King of God. When you pray for what is worthy of God, do not give up until you receive it. For the Lord Himself teaches us this, saying in the Gospel: “One of you, having a friend, will come to him at midnight and say to him: friend! lend me three loaves of bread, for my friend came to me from the road, and I have nothing to offer him, and he from inside will answer him: don’t bother me, the doors are already locked, and my children are with me on the bed; I can't get up and give it to you. If, I tell you, he does not get up and give him because of his friendship with him, then because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he asks” (Luke 11:5-8). The Lord, by this example, teaches us to be unremitting and zealous in prayer. He takes an example from man and for man, so that we learn to never lose hope, so that when we ask and do not receive, we do not lag behind until we receive, if only we ask for what pleases God, and so that no one says: “I am a sinner and therefore am not heard.” This is why the Lord says so that we do not despair: “If he does not get up and give to him because of his friendship with him, then, because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he asks” (Luke 11:8). And even if a month or a year has passed, even three years or more, do not give up until you receive, but ask in faith, constantly doing good. It often happens that some of us in our youth care about chastity. Then temptation creeps in, natural desires awaken, prayer weakens, wine is added to youth - and chastity perishes: a person has changed from one to another. The transformation took place because the person did not resist passion with common sense. He had to cry out to God for help, but on his part he had to do everything. For if someone indulges in desires out of inconstancy and betrays himself to his enemies, then God does not help him and does not listen to him, because he has previously made himself alien to God through sin. God's assistance never leaves those who seek help from God. Therefore, there is no need to bring yourself to the point of falling and, in such a state, call on God’s help. It should be addressed immediately when an attraction to sin is still noticed. And one should not call upon it carelessly, without scattering thoughts here and there. Whoever asks this way will not receive what he asks for and will only upset the Lord. If the one who stands and makes a speech before the boss stands with fear, not allowing his outer eye to wander, as well as his inner, spiritual one, then all the more with fear and trembling one must stand before God, directing all thoughts to Him alone and to nothing else. For He not only, like people, sees the outer man, but also sees into the inner man. Therefore, if you stand before God as you should and do everything on your part, then do not stop asking, and you will receive what you ask for. If your conscience tells you that you are careless, if you stand in prayer absent-mindedly, having the opportunity to stand without being absent-minded, then do not dare to stand before God, lest your prayer turn into sin. And if, exhausted by sin, you do not have the strength to pray with concentration, then do not give up prayer, force yourself as much as you can, and continue to stand before God, directing your thoughts to Him. And God will forgive you for your absent-mindedness, because not out of neglect, but out of weakness, you did not have the strength to stand before God as you should. So, forcing yourself to every good deed, do not stop asking until you receive what you ask for, and patiently push into the door of God’s mercy. “For,” it is said, “everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10). But you don’t want to receive anything else other than one salvation in God. Do you know how patient the saints were? God called Abraham in his youth and, moving him from the land of Assyria to Palestine, said to him: “I will give you and your descendants after you the land where you wander” (Gen. 17:8); “You will have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky” (Gen. 15:5). Many years passed, the nature in him became dead, death was already at the door. But he did not say: “Lord, You promised me offspring, but my wife Sarah and I are already old, and there is no hope left for us to fulfill the promise.” He did not say or think this, but remained unshakable in faith, and although he was old in years, the hope in him was young. The body became powerless and inspired despair, but faith strengthened both soul and body. “He who gave me the promise,” Abraham reflected, “is God and the Master of nature; He will make the impossible possible, because He creates and transforms everything as He pleases” (see Am.5:8). And so, when nature grew weak and the body became dead, then the promise of God came to life. Here's an example for you. Imitate the faith of Abraham. And we will pray and leave, fast for two years and stop. Let us not weaken, having the promise of God! For He who promised Abraham to multiply his descendants also gave us a promise that He would give to those who ask what they ask. He says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). When you were far from Him, toiling and burdened with a heavy burden of sin, He called you to relieve you of the burden and give you “rest” (Matthew 11:29). Tell me, are you not sure of Him? If we did not want to give an answer, then our conscience would speak for us. For we are not unsure that He can reassure us, but we refuse to take upon ourselves His yoke, good and easy (Matthew 11:29-30), and to go through the narrow gates into the Kingdom of Heaven and, on the contrary, we prefer to bear the burden of sins, walk the broad path of passions, lust, and enter through the wide gates “into destruction” (Matthew 7:13). You will say: “I asked many times and did not receive.” You did not receive, no doubt, because you asked poorly: either with unbelief, or absent-mindedly, or for something that would not have brought you true benefit. Or you were not persistent in your request. The Scripture says: “Through your patience save your souls” (Luke 21:19) and: “he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). You will say: “God knows the heart of those who pray, why does He need our petition?” Indeed, God knows what we need, and gives us everything bodily “richly for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). Being good, he “sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). And “he commands his sun to rise on the evil and the good” (Matthew 5:45) even before they ask (Matthew 6:8). But you will not receive the faith, merit, and virtue of the Kingdom of Heaven if you do not ask with great patience, because you must first desire it, and then strive for it in faith and patience, using on your part everything necessary, so that your conscience does not at all condemn that you ask carelessly or lazily. And then you will receive it if it pleases God: for He knows better than you what is good for you. It may be that God is slow to grant you what you ask in order to make you wiser in your zeal for Him and so that you value the gift of God as it should and, having received it, guard what was given with fear. For everyone tries to preserve everything that is acquired with great difficulty, so that, having lost it, he does not lose the great labor he spent on acquiring it. So, do not be faint-hearted if you do not receive what you ask for quickly. Knowing all this, we will always be grateful to the Lord, whether we receive what we ask for soon or not, because everything that the Lord does is arranging everything for our salvation. And let us not, out of cowardice, stop asking in prayer. For this is why the Lord spoke the parable of the widow, who with her persistence bowed down the wicked judge (Luke 18:3-7), so that we too would be persistent in our petitions 663. The Lord said: “Whatever you ask in prayer in faith, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22); and again: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them” (Matthew 18:19). But how, through their prayer, sometimes the saints themselves did not receive what they asked for, like, for example, the apostle, who said: “Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me” (2 Cor. 12:8), and did not receive what he asked for; also Moses and the prophet Jeremiah? Our Lord Jesus Christ said in prayer: “My Father! if possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39); and then added: “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). This means, first of all, we must know that asking in prayer is not always possible for what we want. In any case, we do not know how to ask for what we need: “We do not know what to pray for” (Rom. 8:26). Therefore, the petition must be sent with great intelligence, in accordance with the will of God. And those whose requests are not heard need to know that they need either patience or intensified prayer, according to the Lord’s parable that “one must always pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1), and according to what the Lord said in another place: “because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he asks” (Luke 11:8). Or is there a need for correction and diligence, as God spoke to some through the Prophet, who said: “And when you stretch out your hands, I close My eyes from you; and when you multiply your prayers, I do not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean” (Isaiah 1:15, 16). And that even today there are, and even among many, “hands full of blood,” believers in that judgment of God, which is spoken against one who received the command to tell the people and remained silent, should not doubt at all: the blood of the one who has sinned at the hands of the guard will be exacted (Ezek. 33:6). Convinced that this was true and inevitable, the Apostle said: “I am pure from the blood of all; for I did not fail to declare to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:26–27). If the one who keeps silent turns out to be guilty of the blood of those who sin, then what should be said about those who seduce others by what they do or by what they say? It happens that due to the unworthiness of the one asking, the request is not fulfilled, as was the case with David, who prayed for the building of the house of God and did not receive what he asked. The prophet Jeremiah remained unheard because of the sinfulness of those for whom he prayed. Often, having through negligence omitted the convenient time at which we should have presented the petition, we find ourselves asking at the wrong time and in vain. Further, one should know that there are many and different, but unknown to us, reasons why God either sends or allows temptations, according to the economy, as was the case with the apostle, who “besought the Lord three times” (2 Cor. 12:8) and was not heard; therefore, through another prayer and petition he is freed from circumstances and, when he makes his petition, he is heard, like the two blind men in the Gospel and the ten lepers and many others. But another who has fallen into temptation, although he asks to be delivered from misfortune, but since, according to the judgment of God’s economy, he must endure to the end, for often with patience he must achieve the goal for which the temptation was sent, he is not heard, because this does not agree with the purpose of God’s love for mankind 664 . The Lord said: “When you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father” (Matthew 6:6). What is this room into which the Lord commands the one who prays to enter? The meaning of the commandment is explained by the connection of speech: speech is addressed to one who suffers from the disease of man-pleasing. If someone is overcome by this illness, then such a person does well if he withdraws from prying eyes and retires into solitude, performing prayer, until he acquires the skill of not paying attention to human praise and looking only to God, following the example of the Psalmist, who said: “Behold, as the eyes of slaves are directed to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a slave are directed to the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes to the Lord our God, until He has mercy.” us" (Ps. 122:2). But if someone, by the grace of God, is free from the disease of man-pleasing, there is no need for him to hide what deserves praise. The Lord Himself teaches this, saying: “A city standing on the top of a mountain cannot hide. And having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). The same meaning of the commandment about mercy and fasting, which is spoken of in the same place in the Gospel, and in general about any act of piety 665. Having sinned, one must immediately change, repent and not accumulate evil for evil. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 5 667 Repentance requires that a person first cry out within himself and break his heart, then become a good example for others, and for this he makes himself audible and declares an image of repentance. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 15 668 In any case, due repentance gives firm hope for forgiveness of sins. What is required of a penitent? The repentant must first of all achieve the same mood in which the holy King David was when he said: “I hate lies and abhor them” (Ps. 119:163); “I have revealed my sin to You and have not hidden my iniquity; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” (Ps. 31:5). A soul mired in many sins must begin to hate its former sinful life and feel disgust even at the mere memory of it. Then the repentant must take as his mentor the thought of eternal Judgment and punishment, understand that the time of repentance is a time of tears, in a word, he must fulfill what is said in the sixth 670 and in many other psalms and what the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, who were filled with sorrow for the Lord’s sake about the sin of another: “Sorrow for the sake of God produces unchangeable repentance leading to salvation; ...the very fact that you were saddened for the sake of God, look what zeal has produced in you, what apologies, what indignation at the guilty party, what fear, what desire, what jealousy, what retribution! In all respects you have shown yourself to be clean in this matter” (2 Cor. 7:10–11). But not only must one withdraw from sin and grieve for those who sin, as the Corinthians grieved; one must completely withdraw from sinners. This last is expressed by the holy Psalmist: “Get away from me, all you who practice iniquity” (Ps. 6:9). The Apostle Paul commanded “not even to eat with such people” (1 Cor. 5:11). Finally, the repentant must bear “fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8), must, like Zacchaeus, do a greater good deed, the opposite of the sin he has committed. What are the fruits worthy of repentance that are required of the repentant? Fruits worthy of repentance are works of righteousness that are opposite to sin, which the repentant must do, bearing, as the Scripture says, “fruit in every good work” (Col. 1:10). How can one acquire hatred of sins? An unpleasant or sad end to a case always arouses hatred towards those responsible for such an end. Therefore, whoever is undoubtedly convinced that sins are the cause of many and great evils, will involuntarily and sincerely feel hatred towards them, as the holy Psalmist showed, saying: “I hate lies and abhor them” (Ps. 119:163). Another sincerely repents of sin, would like to leave it behind, but, having repented, falls into the same sin again and again. What should he do to stop sin? If someone, having repented of a sin, falls again into the same sin, this is a sign that the repentant has not been cleansed from the source of his sin; From this source, as from a root, sin grows again by itself. It is the same as if someone cut off the branches or trunk of a plant, but left the root; from the remaining root both the trunk and branches would appear again. Likewise, anyone who wants to be cleansed from any sin must necessarily tear out the very root of this sin. For some sins do not have their beginning in themselves, but are born from other sins. For example, enmity and envy do not arise by themselves, but grow as if from a root, from the love of fame. He who seeks glory from people enters into competition with someone who already has such fame, or envies someone who is glorified more than himself. Therefore, if someone recognizes himself as a sinner of enmity or envy and repents, but then again falls into the same sin, then let him know that in his soul he is ill with the main or root sin of envy and enmity, that is, the love of glory. And he should begin to heal the disease of love of glory through humility. The same is true in each of these cases. Is it permissible for someone who, after repentance, again finds himself in a multitude of sins, to fall into despair? And to what extent can we hope for God’s love for those who repent? If we were to compare, on the one hand, the multitude of God’s bounties and the greatness of God’s mercy towards us, and on the other hand, the multitude and greatness of our sins, then we would really have to fall into despair. But since sins, of course, are subject to measure and can be counted, but it is impossible to measure God’s mercy and count God’s bounties, one should not despair, but should bow in understanding before the greatness of God’s mercy and repent of sins, for, according to the word of the Apostle, we have “forgiveness of sins in the blood of Christ” (Eph. 1:7). And that we should not despair, we learn this from the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ about the son who took his father’s property and squandered it on sinful deeds. Let us remember with what joyful celebration the repentance of the prodigal son was greeted (Luke 15)! And through the Prophet God also said: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they will be as white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). However, we should not forget that these words are only valid when the image of repentance is worthy, when the repentant actually receives an aversion to sins and when he bears fruits worthy of repentance. Are good deeds that are the opposite of sins necessary for a repentant person, or perhaps repentance alone is enough for him to be justified before God? God, having sent down His only begotten Son to cleanse us from sins, on His part, first forgave the sins of everyone. But just as God has “mercy and judgment” (Ps. 100:1), according to the words of the Psalmist, and God is “merciful and righteous” (Ps. 112:4), it is necessary that we ourselves fulfill what the prophets and apostles said about the methods of repentance, so that in the remission of sins both the judgment of God’s righteousness and God’s mercy will be fulfilled. The Lord said: “Give alms from what you have; then everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41). Is it really possible that no matter how much someone sins, he will receive complete cleansing through alms? The very order of speech of the proposed passage of the Gospel explains the meaning of the given expression. Previously, the Lord said to the Pharisees: “You cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but your insides are full of robbery and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). Then he added: “It’s better to give alms from what you have, then everything will be clean for you.” “Everything” – that is, everything that we plunder and extort, sinning and being deceitful. This is also expressed by Zacchaeus, who said: “Lord! I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone in any way, I will repay him fourfold” (Luke 19:8). So, “all” are those sins that can be repaid and for which you can reward several times more; they are purified in this way. And in this way, I will add, not in itself sufficient for cleansing, but first having a need for God’s mercy and the blood of Christ, through which “we have redemption” from all other sins (Eph. 1:7), creating for every sin “fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). How should one treat someone who in words confesses that he repents, but in reality does not correct his sin? It is said about such a person: “Even if he speaks in a gentle voice, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart” (Proverbs 26:25). And elsewhere it is said: “A fool repeats his foolishness” (Prov. 26:11). How should one treat a sincerely repentant person? So, as the Lord taught in the parable: the owner who has found the lost sheep will take it on his shoulders with joy and, having come home, “will call his friends and neighbors and say to them: Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:6). How should we treat an unrepentant sinner? The Lord commanded: “If he does not listen to the Church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a publican” (Matthew 18:17). The Apostle teaches: “We command you... to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly, and not according to the tradition received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). How can a soul gain confidence that it is being cleansed of sins? Such confidence is acquired when one feels in oneself the mood of the holy King David, who said: “I hate lies and abhor them” (Ps. 119:163); when someone notices that what was commanded by the apostle was fulfilled on him, who said: “Mortify your members on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which the wrath of God is coming” (Col. 3:5-6); when someone can say about himself: “A corrupt heart will be removed from me, I will not know evil” (Ps. 100:4); when someone reaches such a mood that he will feel, like the saints, tender compassion for those who sin, like Saint David, who said: “I see apostates and am distressed, for they do not keep Your word” (Ps. 119:158), or like the Apostle, who testified about himself: “Who is faint, with whom I did not faint? who is tempted, for whom would I not be enflamed?” (2 Cor. 11:29). Verily, the soul is greater than the body. If we abhor any bodily uncleanness, if the sight of any suffering of the body or even the intention to inflict such suffering produces sadness and grief in us, then all the more characteristic is it for one who loves God and his neighbor to feel in relation to sinners what was said above, when he sees that the soul of those who sin is, as it were, ulcerated and devoured by beasts and it is, as it were, covered with pus and rot. The Holy King David said: “My iniquities have gone beyond my head, like a heavy burden, they have weighed me down, they stink, my wounds fester from my madness; I am bent and completely downcast, I walk around mourning all day” (Ps. 37:5-7). And the apostle said: “The sting of death is sin” (1 Cor. 15:56). And if anyone notices that his soul, either with his own or with the sins of others, comes into precisely this mood, then let him be sure that he is being cleansed of sin. What is the sign of the soul turning to God? When the soul is undoubtedly convinced of cleansing from sins by the blood of Christ, according to the greatness of mercy and the multitude of God’s mercies, according to the word of the Lord: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow; “If they are red as crimson, they will be white as wool” (Is. 1:18), then, having received the ability and power to please God, she says: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning; You turned my mourning into rejoicing, took off my sackcloth and girded me with joy, so that my soul may glorify You and not be silent, O Lord my God, I will praise You forever” (Ps. 29:6, 12-13). And thus, approaching God, he sings to Him: “I will exalt You, O Lord, because You raised me up and did not allow my enemies to triumph over me” (Ps. 29:2) 671. Servants of God's word and those who are obliged to take care of people should by all means refrain from what darkens the spirit. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 5 672 The ascetic abstains from everything. That abstinence is necessary is clear, firstly, from the fact that the Apostle Paul counts abstinence among spiritual fruits (Gal. 5:22–23). Secondly, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, integrity of service is achieved through abstinence. Namely, the apostle says: “We do not cause anyone to stumble in anything, so that his service is not reproached, but in everything we show ourselves as servants of God, in great patience, in troubles, in needs, in difficult circumstances, in labor, in vigils, in fasting, in purity” (2 Cor. 6:3-6). Elsewhere the apostle says that he was “many times faint, hungry and thirsty” (2 Cor. 11:26-27). According to the apostle, “all ascetics abstain from everything” (1 Cor. 9:25). Mortification of passions and enslavement of the flesh is achieved through nothing as successfully as through abstinence. The rebellion of youth and the destructive storm of passions are restrained by abstinence, as if by some kind of bridle. Therefore, the apostle exhorts us: “Do not turn the cares of the flesh into lusts” (Rom. 13:14), and says about the lustful woman that she “died alive” (1 Tim. 5:6). Finally, the example of the rich man’s luxury in the Gospel parable clearly shows us the need for abstinence, so that otherwise we would not hear what the rich man heard: “Remember that you have already received your good things in your life, but Lazarus your evil things; now he is comforted here, but you suffer” (Luke 16:25). The same Apostle Paul showed how disastrous intemperance is, counting it among the signs of apostasy. The Apostle says: “In the last days difficult times will come, for people will be lovers of themselves,” and then, listing many types of wicked people, he says: “slanderers, incontinent” (2 Tim. 3:1-3). And Esau was accused of intemperance, as the greatest of vices, when he gave up his birthright for food. And the first fall occurred as a result of intemperance. All saints were noted for their abstinence. The life of the saints and the example of the Lord Himself at His coming in the flesh oblige us to abstinence. Through long periods of fasting and prayer, Moses was worthy to accept the law and hear the words of God (Ex. 33:11). Elijah was then considered worthy of the appearance of God when he succeeded in abstinence. And when Daniel was awarded the revelation - was it not after twenty days of fasting? Was it not through abstinence that the three youths extinguished the power of the fire? John the Baptist's entire life was one of abstinence. The Lord began His ministry with abstinence. What is abstinence? Abstinence is not at all the complete abstinence of oneself from food: it would be a violent destruction of life; One should not act in such a way as to weaken the natural strength of the flesh by withholding food and bring it into a state of complete inactivity, so that from excessive weakening it reaches the inability to perform the most important feats and the inability to follow the spirit; and the apostle condemns the "weariness of the body" (Col. 2:23). Abstinence is keeping oneself from the pleasures of the flesh for the purpose of piety, to overthrow carnal wisdom. Abstinence, of course, must also be observed in food, according to each person’s strength, so as not to dwell on what is below the strength that a person has, but also not to try to exceed the strength; abstinence in food curbs the lust of the flesh. But the feat of abstinence concerns more than just the enjoyment of food. Whatever those who live in passions enjoy, those who strive to succeed in piety must abstain from all this. Therefore, a truly abstinent person will not conquer the belly and at the same time submit to the passion of human glory; will not overcome shameful lust and at the same time fall into enslavement to wealth or any other unworthy passion, for example, anger, despondency, and in general to that to which souls that are not enlightened by the light of the knowledge of Christ are usually enslaved. Just as all the commandments are closely related to one another, so that it is impossible to succeed in one without succeeding in another, the same or much more must be said about abstinence. He who abstains from fame is humble, he who abstains from property fulfills the Gospel commandment about non-covetousness, and so on. The strict law of abstinence determines the measure for the tongue, the limits for the eyes, and the inquisitive hearing for the ears. He who does not observe these boundaries does not have self-control. A truly abstinent person stands above any passion; he is firmly and unremittingly opposed to being carried away by any kind of sinful pleasure. So, abstinence is the destruction of sin, removal from passions, restriction of the body in its sinful movements and desires. Abstinence gives rise to spiritual life, contributes to the receipt of eternal benefits, destroying the sting of sinful voluptuousness. For voluptuousness is a great lure to evil: because of it, people fall more into sin. It, like a fish, catches every soul to death. Abstinence, driving out seduction and the bliss of voluptuousness, is a reliable refuge from sins. How much benefit there is just to see someone who is abstinent! He barely and only lightly touches the necessities of life, as if performing a burdensome service to nature, gets bored with the time spent on this, and immediately runs away from the table to get busy with business. I think that for a person who is not accustomed to abstinence, no word can captivate and influence a change in him as much as one meeting with an abstinent person. And this, it seems, is what it means to eat and drink to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), so that our good deeds shine at the table to the glorification of our Father, Who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16). It should be accepted as a rule that in order to dominate their own flesh, ascetics of piety need abstinence, because “all ascetics abstain from everything” (1 Cor. 9:25). There are times when it is necessary to abstain even from what is permitted and necessary, if such abstinence is aimed at the benefit of our brothers. Thus, the apostle says: “If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat” (1 Cor. 8:13). Having the right to “live from the gospel,” the apostle did not use this right, “so as not to put any obstacle to the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:14, 12). But, in order not to coincide with the enemies of God, who are burned in their conscience and therefore move away from the food 675, which “God created that the faithful... should eat with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:2-3), when the opportunity arises, one must touch everything in order to show others that “to the pure all things are pure” (Tit. 1:15), that “every creation of God is good, and nothing is reprehensible if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4-5). In such cases, one must observe abstinence in using only, according to need, only what is of little value and necessary for life, avoiding the harm of satiety, and completely refraining from serving pleasure. For in this way we will cut down the passion of the voluptuous, and we will heal, as much as depends on us, those who are burned in our conscience, and we will free ourselves on both sides from suspicion. It is said: “Why should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience” (1 Cor. 10:29)? Abstinence shows that a person died like Christ and put to death his “earthly members” (Col. 3:5). And we know that abstinence is the mother of chastity, the giver of health and successfully removes obstacles to the fruitfulness of good deeds in Christ, while, according to the word of the Lord, “the cares of this age,” the pleasures of life and various lusts, “choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Demons also flee from abstinence. The Lord Himself taught us that “this generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). There is only one measure of abstinence in relation to the passions of the soul: complete alienation from everything that leads to disastrous pleasure. And with regard to food - since everyone has their own different needs according to age, occupation, state of the body, then the measure and methods of abstinence are different. It is impossible to bring everyone under one rule. But the general goal should be to limit the satisfaction of needs. Overfilling and burdening yourself with food is disastrous. The Lord said: “Woe to you, who are now full” (Luke 6:25). Through satiety, the body itself becomes incapable of activity, prone to sleep and easily susceptible to all kinds of damage. Therefore, avoiding vicious excess in pleasure, the goal should not be to eat for pleasure, but to eat in accordance with the need to maintain life; for to be a slave to pleasure means nothing more than to make one’s belly a god (cf. Phil. 3:10). Since our body, constantly depleted and dissipated, requires replenishment (which is why the need for food is natural), the direct law of eating food requires replenishing what is empty to maintain life and nothing more. Thus, the best rule of abstinence in food should be the following: one should not strive either to soften or weaken the flesh, but should avoid immoderation in both, so that the flesh, having become fat, does not rebel and, having become sickly, does not lose the strength to fulfill the commandments. Therefore, whatever the need is satisfied without much hassle, that is what one should eat. The Lord Himself taught us this by feeding the weary people so that people “would not faint on the way” (Matthew 15:32). He could increase the miracle in the desert by providing luxurious dishes, but he served only simple, unrefined food: barley loaves and a piece of fish with the bread. And he didn’t even mention drinking, when there was natural drinking – water sufficient to satisfy everyone’s needs. Water should serve as a drink for everyone, unless such drinking is harmful to someone due to illness; then it should not be used by him, according to the advice of the Apostle Paul to Timothy (1 Tim. 5:23). And everything that causes harm should be abstained from. For it would be inappropriate to take food for the sake of maintaining the body and with the same food harm the body and hinder it in serving the commandment. In any case, we should prefer what is easier to obtain, so that, under the pretext of abstinence, we do not bother about dishes that are more beloved and expensive, seasoning them with expensive spices. But one must choose what can be found in one country or another, what is cheap and is used by the people, and from what is imported, use only the most necessary for life, for example, oil and the like, and what else is needed for the necessary consolation of the sick, if it can be obtained without special searches, troubles and difficulties 676. Inspired Scripture teaches us that silence is judged by time and face. By time, when, for example, it is said: “A man of understanding is silent at this time, for this is an evil time” (Am. 5:13); and again: “I will bridle my mouth as long as the wicked is before me” (Ps. 39:2). By the face, when, for example, as the apostle writes: “If there is a revelation to another of those sitting, then the first should be silent” (1 Cor. 14:30); and again: “Keep your wives silent in the churches” (1 Cor. 14:34). And sometimes those who are intemperate in their tongue and unable to observe the rule “let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but only what is good for edification in the faith” ( Eph. 4:29 ) need complete silence until they are cured of their illness - rashness in words - and are able to find out at their leisure when and what and how they should speak, so that what is said “deliveres grace to those who hear” ( Eph.4:29) 677. Should silence be observed regarding those who sin? What should not be done is clearly from the commands of the Lord, who said in the Old Testament: “Rebuke your neighbor, and you will not bear sin for him” (Lev.19:17); and in the Gospel: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: ​​if he listens to you, then you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he does not listen to them, tell the Church; and if he does not listen to the Church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a publican” (Matthew 18:15–17). And how great the condemnation for the sin of silence can be known, firstly, from the saying of the Lord, who said in general: “He who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36), and then from the stories contained in the Old and New Testaments. Because Achan stole “an ingot of gold and clothing,” the wrath of the Lord was upon all the people, although the people knew neither the sinner nor the sin until Achan was revealed, who suffered a terrible death with all his people (Joshua 7). And Eli, although he was not silent before his sons, who were “worthless people” (1 Samuel 2:12), but repeatedly admonished them and said: “No, my children, the report that I hear about you is not good” (1 Samuel 2:24), and many times proved the criminality of sin and the inevitability of judgment, however, since he did not fully punish and did not reveal proper jealousy towards them, he aroused such wrath of God that the people He was exterminated along with his sons, and the ark itself was taken by foreigners, and, moreover, he himself ended his life in a pitiful manner. If such wrath of God flared up against people who did not take part in sin, who even interfered and testified to sin, but were not active enough in relation to those who sinned, then what can we say about those who know and are silent? Such, if they do not fulfill what the Apostle Paul inspired to the Corinthians, saying: why “were you proud, instead of weeping, so that he who had done such a thing might be taken out from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2), and that he himself later testified about them, writing: “For the very fact that you were grieved for the sake of God, see what zeal has produced in you, what apologies, what indignation at the guilty one, what fear, what desire, what jealousy, what exaction. In all respects you have shown yourself to be pure in this matter” (2 Cor. 7:11), then, absolutely undoubtedly, even now everyone is in danger of being exposed to the same destruction or even more sorrowful, because in comparison with the one who rejected the law of Moses, the one who rejects the Lord and dares to do the same thing with the one who previously sinned and was condemned is worse. For “if Cain be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech,” who committed a similar sin, “seventy times sevenfold” (Gen. 4:24) 678. How can you tell whether zeal for God moves you against a brother who sins or anger toward him? If anyone, regarding any sin, experiences within himself what is said in Scripture: “My zeal consumes me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words” (Ps. 119:139), then it is clear that this is zeal for God. However, here too, prudent caution is needed to build faith. And if such a mood does not appear in the soul in advance and it does not set it in motion, then the movement itself becomes disordered, and the goal of godliness is not preserved in anything 679. The Apostle Paul says: “They revile us, we bless...they blaspheme us, we pray” (1 Cor. 4:12–13). The Apostle here, by his example, generally teaches us to treat everyone with kindness and to repay those who treat us evilly with good, so that this is observed not only in relation to the one who speaks evil, but also in relation to everyone who acts evilly, in fulfillment of what was said: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21) 680. What a truly majestic, wondrous and almost beyond human nature spectacle when a person who is much slandered, and sometimes struck in the face and subjected to many other insults, is not inflamed with anger, does not rise to revenge, but remains meek and angerless and prays for the offender, so that the sin he has committed will be forgiven and that he will subsequently receive the mercy of God and cease to be an offender! And we, for the most part, pursue revenge: we not only repay in equal measure, but we take revenge in abundance, we get irritated not only when we are insulted, but also when they do not show us respect; We recognize as our enemies those who show us honor less than we recognize ourselves as worthy 681. What do the words mean: “How many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me?” (Matthew 18:21). And what sins are we allowed to forgive? The power to forgive is not given in an unconditional sense, but depending on the obedience and consent of the penitent with those who care for his soul. For about such it is written: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). We shouldn’t even ask about what sins to forgive, because the New Testament did not give us any designation of them, but generally proclaims the remission of every sin to those who repent as it should, especially since the Lord promised on His own behalf about every deed 682 . How can anyone achieve undistractedness in prayer? He can achieve this when he has no doubt that God is before his eyes. For if the one who sees the ruler before him and converses with him has his eyes undistracted, then how much more will he who prays to God have an undistracted mind before Him who searches hearts and bellies, fulfilling what is said in Scripture: “Lifting up clean hands without anger and doubting” (1 Tim. 2:8). Is it possible to achieve non-distraction in everything and at all times and how can this be achieved? That it is possible to achieve this was shown to us by the Psalmist, who said: “My eyes are always on the Lord” (Ps. 24:15) and: “I have always seen the Lord before me, for He is at my right hand; I will not be shaken" (Ps. 15:8). And it is possible to achieve this if we do not give the soul time to be idle from thinking about God and about God’s works and gifts, also from confession and thanksgiving for everything 683. The Lord commands us not to worry about “what we eat, or what we drink, or what we wear” (Matthew 6:31). To what extent does this commandment extend and how is it fulfilled? This commandment extends “even to death,” like every commandment, because the Lord was “obedient even to death” (Phil. 2:8). And it can be accomplished with firm faith in God. For the Lord, having forbidden care, adds a promise: “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all this” (Matthew 6:32) before you ask Him. This is exactly the kind of faith that the Apostle Paul had, who says: “They were sentenced to death in order to trust not in themselves, but in God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9), that is, out of spiritual determination and readiness, he died daily, but was preserved by God’s favor. Therefore, he said with boldness: “We are considered dead, but here we are alive” (2 Cor. 6:9). If a person is seized with fiery zeal and an insatiable desire to fulfill the commandments of the Lord, then he no longer has the leisure to be distracted by caring for bodily needs 684. In the discussion of non-covetousness, the measure assigned to us is that everyone should limit the acquisition of property to the last tunic. John the Baptist said: “He who has two coats, give to him who has not” (Luke 3:11). And the Lord forbade His disciples to have two clothes (Matthew 10:10) and added to this: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor” (Matthew 19:21). The parable of the beads also applies here: a merchant who “found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:46) 685. We understand integrity in two ways. Either this is alienation from sin, achieved with the help of reason, or it is the unknown of evil. In the first case, integrity is achieved when, through long efforts at goodness and practice in it, we seem to cut down a certain root of evil in ourselves. In the second case, integrity occurs as a result of unfamiliarity with vices in experience, often due to youth or the nature of life. For example, a child does not know pride, pretense, or trickery; or people living in the village are unfamiliar with trade deceptions or legal slander. We also call such people blameless, but not because they are far from vice of their own free will, but because they have not had the opportunity to experience evil. The one who is blameless in the true sense of the word, through the exercise of virtue, drives out all wickedness from his soul and is rewarded with an inheritance of blessings, because “The Lord... does not deprive those who walk in integrity of blessings” (Ps. 83:12). He will say with confidence: “Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity” (Ps. 25:1); and again: “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to my integrity in me” (Ps. 7:9). The immaculate person is characterized by simplicity of character, nobility, and artlessness 686. “Holiness” (about which the Apostle Paul speaks in his Epistle to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 7:1)) is a complete dedication of oneself to God, unshakable at all times and on every occasion, and consisting of effort and care to please God; for what is damaged is discarded from offerings to God, and it is impious and daring to convert what has once been brought to Him for general and human use 687 . What kind of understanding should we ask for ourselves from God and how can we become worthy of receiving it? We learn about this understanding from God Himself through the Prophet, who says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty boast in his strength, let not the rich man boast in his wealth; but he who boasts, boast in this, that he understands and knows the Lord” (Jer. 9:23–24). We also learn through the apostle, who said: “Know what is the will of God” (Eph. 5:17). We can be worthy of this if we fulfill what is said in Scripture: “Stop and know that I am God” (Ps. 45:11), and if we believe that every word of God is true 688. Since true wisdom is Christ (1 Cor. 1:24), one who has been perfected through fellowship with Christ is called wise. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 5 689 Wisdom is one of the main virtues, possessing which we know what is good, what is evil and what is indifferent. But how is it testified that the serpent was the wisest of all beasts (Gen. 3:1)? 690 And the Lord also says: “Be wise as serpents” (Matthew 10:16). And the “unfaithful steward” is called wise (Luke 16:8) 691. Does it not appear from this that the word “wisdom” is used in different senses? In one sense, it is the protection of one’s own benefit at the expense of one’s neighbor; such is the wisdom of a snake that protects its head. There is also a certain resourcefulness that soon finds what is useful and takes possession of simple-minded people; Such is the wisdom of an unfaithful steward (Luke 16:1–8). True wisdom is the recognition of what one should do and what one should not do. Whoever possesses it will never deviate from the deeds of virtue and will never be imbued with the destruction of vice. Therefore, he who understands wisdom knows who the false thinkers and deceivers are and who instills the best rules regarding what one should do in life. He, like a skilled merchant, will keep to himself everything good, and he will keep himself from evil. This wisdom helps the one who builds his house to lay its foundation on the rock, that is, to rely on faith in Christ and remain unshakable in the rain, wind and aspirations of the river (Matthew 7:24-25). For with these last words the Lord depicted to us in the parable steadfastness in temptations both from people and those sent from above. He teaches not to neglect the necessities, but to stock up in advance [with the necessary supplies for] life and with the readiness of the heart to await the coming of the Bridegroom. For it is said that the wise virgins, since they had a supply of oil in their lamps, entered the chamber with the Bridegroom, and the foolish, due to their unpreparedness, were deprived of the joy of the bridal chamber (Matthew 25:1-12) 692. The unrighteous avoid the truth, just as those with sick eyes avoid the sun. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 3 693 True truth is Christ. Commentary on the beginning of the Book of Proverbs 694 It is true that there is a skill to give everything its due. It is difficult to achieve this, because some, due to lack of understanding, cannot figure out how to give each one what they deserve, while others violate justice by submitting to human passions, when the poor are despised and powerful offenders are not rebuked. Many, seeking human praise, falsely praise equality and truth in words, but in reality they prefer untruth and covetousness. There is a truth that actually lies within us, namely: giving each one his due; and although we do not achieve this exactly, nevertheless, acting with a sincere, truthful disposition, we do not deviate too far to the side. There is also truth that comes to us from heaven, from the righteous Judge - truth that sometimes corrects, sometimes rewards, and is not always understandable to us. To comprehend the true truth is truly the work of a great mind and a most perfect heart 695. We must thank God when He gives us blessings, and not lose patience when He does not reward us with them. If someone has shown us a benefit, then how can we render due gratitude to the Lord, pure and complete, and testify our gratitude to the benefactor reasonably, without diminishing or exceeding the measure? We can achieve this if we firmly believe that God is the Author and Performer of every good, and we will consider the one who has rendered us a service as the performer of God’s good deed 697 . The reward for obedience is higher than the reward for abstinence. 3rd word on asceticism 698 Obedience to God is preferable above all else. The rules are extensive, 12,699 Such is the measure of obedience that it must extend even to death. Let the obedient be gladdened by the hope of glory. The rules are extensive, 29,701 Since the Lord commanded: “Whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles” (Matt. 5:41), and the Apostle Paul teaches to obey “one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21), then is it really necessary for everyone to show obedience in everything that is commanded? The distinction of those giving the command does not in the least allow those receiving the command to violate obedience, for Moses did not disobey Jethro, who advised him good. But since there is a considerable difference in what is commanded (because some are contrary to the commandment of the Lord, or violate it, or in any way distort it with an admixture of the forbidden, while others are in accordance with the commandment; while others, although they seem to be in disagreement, contribute to it and serve as some aid to it), then it is necessary to remember the words of the Apostle, who said: “Do not despise prophecy, try everything, hold on to what is good, refrain from every kind of evil" (1 Thess. 5:20-22). And again: “We cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). So, if we receive an order about something consistent with the commandment or promoting it, then we must accept it with all zeal and diligence, as the will of God, according to the word of Scripture - “bearing with one another the love” (Eph. 4:2) of Christ. When someone commands us to do something contrary to the Lord’s commandment, violating it or distorting it, then we should say to him: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), remembering the words of the Lord: “They do not follow a stranger, but flee from him, because they do not know someone else’s voice” (John 10:5), and the words of the Apostle, who, for our protection, decided to touch upon ourselves Angels, saying: “Even if we or an angel from heaven preached to you a gospel other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). From this we learn that even if someone who opposes what is commanded by the Lord or advises doing what is forbidden by Him were very close or extremely well known, then everyone who loves the Lord should avoid such a person and abhor him. We must show obedience to each other, like slaves to rulers, according to the commandment of the Lord: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:43) and “last of all” (Mark 9:35). To this the Lord adds even more convincing: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). And the apostle says: “With the love of the Spirit serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). The apostle showed to what extent obedience should be shown, according to the rule of pleasing God, by presenting to us as an example the obedience of the Lord, who was “obedient even to death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). And before this, the apostle said: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5) 702 If, according to the word of the Lord, one should not take care of the necessities of life (Matthew 6:25, 31) and there is a command from the Lord: “Be careful not to obtain perishable food” (John 6:27), then isn’t it unnecessary to work? The Lord Himself explained His command in both cases. For, having forbidden the pursuit of the necessities of life, when he said: “Do not worry about what you will eat, what you will drink, or what you will wear; for the pagans seek all these things” (Matthew 6:25, 31, 32), he added the commandment: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And how one should seek, he revealed through the example of those honored with the Kingdom of God. Further: having forbidden us to strive “for food that perishes,” the Lord taught us to seek “food that endures to eternal life” (John 6:27). What kind of food this is, the Lord Himself revealed in another place, saying: “My food is to do the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 4:34). If the will of God is to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked, then it is absolutely necessary to imitate the Apostle Paul, who says: “In everything I have shown you that by working in this way you must support the weak” (Acts 20:35), and to obey his teaching: “Work with your own hands to do what is useful, so that you may have something to give to the needy” (Eph. 4:28). Therefore, if this is how the Lord commanded us in the Gospel and through the Apostle, then it is clear that to bother and work for oneself is completely prohibited, but for the sake of the needs of one’s neighbor, according to the commandment of the Lord, one must bother and work with great zeal, especially because the Lord takes care of those who have dedicated themselves to Him as care for Himself and promises the Kingdom of Heaven for it 703 . The Holy Apostle Paul, teaching us the deeds of virtue, instructs us to remain “often in fasting” (2 Cor. 11:27). Everyone needs to fast when fasting is required according to the rules of piety. But every feat of virtue, if performed without desire and zeal, does not bring the proper benefit. The Lord said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). Therefore, whoever, although he fasts, fasts reluctantly, has no merit. Is it commendable to institute abstinence from any kind of food or drink at your own discretion? The Lord said: “I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 6:38). Any decision of one's own will is unsafe. The holy king and prophet David, rejecting his own desires, “swore to preserve the righteous judgments of God” (Ps. 119:106). Prolonged fasting makes a person weak at work. What is better: to shorten business for the sake of fasting or to fast for the sake of business? It is absolutely necessary to maintain fasting and maintain the strength of the body with food in moderation. When it is required to fulfill God’s commandment about fasting, then one must fast, and when it is required to fulfill God’s commandment about eating food to strengthen the body, one must eat food, but in the latter case not be like gluttons, but act as is fitting for God’s workers. We must follow the apostle’s instruction: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). The Lord says: “When you fast, do not be sad,” but “when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6:16–17). Let us greet the days of fasting with joy and spend them lightly and cheerfully, as befits followers of Christ. The crown of victory is never bestowed on the sad, and the despondent never wins. Do not complain, but rejoice that the Supreme Physician has given you the right medicine against the disease of sin. When meeting the fast, do not take on a sad look. And when you fast, do not appear despondent, like the hypocrites (Matthew 6:16), in order to delight in the vain glory that you are a faster. There is no benefit from charity, which is trumpeted; there is no merit from the post, about which everyone is divulging. What is done for show does not bear fruit for the future life; there is no reward from God for the one who receives praise for his deeds here, from people 707. But what is true fasting? “Anoint your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6:17). Apply this command to your soul. Wash your soul from sins, mark it with holy unction, so that you may become a partaker of Christ. Fasting is an ancient gift, but one that is constantly renewed and blossoms into the beauty of virtue. Fasting is established in paradise. Adam received this first commandment: “You shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17). And this “don’t eat” is the legalization of fasting and abstinence. If Eve had fasted and not eaten of the tree, we would now have no need for our fast. For “those who are healthy do not need a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). We are sick with sin: we will be healed by repentance, and repentance is invalid without fasting. Through fasting, seek justification before God. And the very stay in paradise is an image of fasting - not only because man, living an angelic life, succeeded in becoming like the Angels through contentment with the little ones, but also because those who were in paradise did not think about what was later invented by man: neither the drinking of wine, nor the slaughter of animals, nor everything that fogs the human mind. Because we did not fast, we were expelled from paradise. Let us fast so that we can enter heaven again. Let us remember Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31): through fasting he entered heaven. Don't imitate Eve's disobedience. Do not, like her, accept the serpent as an adviser, who offers food to indulge the flesh. Do not refer to body ailments and infirmities. Remember that you give your explanations to the Omniscient. Remember that doctors also prescribe abstinence for sick people. Through fasting, Moses ascended the mountain. And I would not have dared to approach the smoking peak, I would not have dared to enter the darkness, if I had not been armed with fasting. Through fasting, he accepted the commandments inscribed by the finger of God on the tablets. At the top of the mountain, fasting was rewarded by the hearing of God, but below, the gluttony of the belly plunged into idolatry. For here the people sat down to eat and drink! The forty-day stay with God of His fasting and praying servant was deprived of fruit by the short-term intoxication of the people. For those tablets inscribed by the finger of God, which he accepted fasting, were destroyed by drunkenness. According to the judgment of the Prophet, the drunken people were unworthy to accept the law given by God. And in an instant the gluttony of the belly plunged into idolatry that people who knew God from great miracles. Put one and the other side by side: how fasting leads to God and how breaking fasting is disastrous for salvation! Fasting gives birth to prophets, strengthens the strong; fasting makes legislators wise. Fasting is a good guardian of the soul, a reliable friend of the body, a weapon for the perfect, a school for those who strive. He reflects temptations, nourishes piety, is a friend of sobriety, a source of chastity, in war he promotes deeds of valor, in times of peace he teaches meekness; sanctifies the monk, perfects the priest, for without fasting it is impossible to dare to perform sacred acts. Fasting led all the saints to live according to God. The man of desires, Daniel, who had not eaten bread or drunk water for three weeks, taught the lions to fast, having gone down into their den. Fasting extinguished the power of fire and stopped the mouths of lions. Fasting brings prayer to heaven; For her, he is like a wing during the ascent of grief. Fasting is the mother of health, educator of youth, adornment for the elderly, a good companion for travelers, a reliable companion for spouses. May fasting be a rest from incessant labor for the household and servants who serve you throughout the whole year. Give rest to your cook, give freedom to the one who prepares the table, stop the hand of the cupbearer; let the whole house calm down from thousands of worries, from smoke and stench, from the running up and down of those who serve the womb as a restless ruler. Let the belly give some rest to the lips, let it conclude a truce with them, it, which always demands and does not stop at anything, receives today and forgets tomorrow; when full, he philosophizes about abstinence, and when he is quickly exhausted, he forgets his rules. Fear the example of the rich man described in the Gospel. The luxury of his life betrayed him to the fire: accused of voluptuousness, he suffered in the flames of the furnace. To put out this flame, we need water. Leave your drinks and replace them with water. And not only will such a replacement be useful for the future life; it is precious even now. You now abhor water; be careful that you don’t later covet even a drop of it, like the rich man of the gospel. No one got drunk from the water; no one had a headache after drinking water; no one who drank water had any need for someone else's feet; no one lost their legs, no one stopped using their hands because they drank water. The fasting person has a respectable complexion, it does not turn into a shameless purple, but is adorned with a chaste pallor; His gaze is meek, his gait is sedate, his face is meaningful, not disfigured by immoderate laughter; moderation in speech, purity of heart. Remember the saints who were from the beginning of the age, “of whom the whole world was not worthy,” who “wandered about in mantles and goatskins, enduring shortcomings, sorrows, and bitterness” (Heb. 11:37–38). Imitate their way of life if you want a part with them. What laid Lazarus to rest in the bowels of Abraham? Isn't it a post? And the life of John the Baptist was one continuous fast. He had neither a bed, nor a table, nor cultivated land, nor an ox farmer, nor bread, nor a baker, nor anything else in life. And so “of those born of women there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). Above all, our Lord, having strengthened the flesh that He took on for us through fasting, took upon Himself in it the temptation of the devil, teaching us through fasting to prepare ourselves and educate ourselves for exploits in temptation. Just as in a fight, when you help one of the fighters, he will defeat the other, so if you go over to the side of the flesh, you will enslave the spirit, and if you go over to the side of the spirit, you will conquer the flesh. For the flesh and the spirit are always fighting each other. Therefore, if you want to make your spirit strong, curb your flesh by fasting. This will be the same thing that the apostle said: to the extent that “our outer man decays,” to the same extent “our inner man is renewed” (2 Cor. 4:16); and again: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). Whose “bones fell in the wilderness” (Heb. 3:17)? Was it not those who wanted to eat meat? While they were content with manna and water from the stone, they defeated their enemies, walked on the sea and “there was not one sick among them” (Ps. 104:37). And when they remembered the pots of meat and returned to Egypt with their lust, then they did not see the land of promise. Are you really not afraid of this example? Aren't you afraid that overeating may prevent you from receiving the expected benefits? From fatty food, smoky vapors seem to emerge, like a thick cloud, and block the path to the insights of the Holy Spirit, illuminating the mind. Fasting is a weapon for fighting demons, because “this generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). So many benefits from fasting! Do not limit the virtue of fasting to abstinence from food alone: ​​true fasting is also abstinence from evil deeds. “Loose the chains of unrighteousness” (Is. 58:6). Forgive your neighbor's insult. Do not fast “for quarrels and strife” (Isa. 58:4). You do not eat meat, but you eat your brother; you abstain from wine, but do not restrain yourself from offending; You wait until evening to taste food, but you spend the whole day in court. Woe to you who are drunk not on wine (Isaiah 28:1)! Anger is the intoxication of the soul; it makes her crazy, just like wine. And anger is also intoxication: it drowns the mind. Fear is a new intoxication if it comes from something that it shouldn’t come from. For it is said: “Save my life from the fear of the enemy” (Ps. 63:2). And in general, any passion that drives the mind crazy can rightly be called intoxication. Imagine an angry man, how intoxicated he is with passion: he is not his own master, he does not recognize himself, he does not recognize those present, as in a night battle, he touches everyone, attacks everyone, says whatever comes into his head; he is unrestrained, scolds, hits, threatens, swears, screams, breaks into pieces. Avoid intoxication with wine, but also avoid intoxication with passion. Drunkenness leads to intemperance, and sobriety leads to fasting 708. Fasting benefits the soul. Fasting indicates the limit even in what is permitted by law. Fasting strengthens the ascetic of piety. As much as you take away from the flesh, you add so much to the soul so that it shines with spiritual health. After all, invisible enemies are overcome not by bodily strength, but by constancy of the soul and patience in sorrow. Fasting at any time is useful for those who fast: because the attack of evil spirits loses its power, and the guardians of our life, the Angels, are more willing to work with those who have cleansed the soul by fasting. “The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh” (Gal. 5:17). And since they oppose each other, let us take away its boldness from the flesh and increase the strength of the soul, so that, having won victory over the passions through fasting, we may be crowned with the crowns of abstinence. Fasting protects infancy, makes the young chaste, makes the old venerable; for women - the most decent attire, a bridle in their prime, protection of marriage, educator of virginity. These are the merits of fasting for each individual house. And how he organizes our social life! Immediately leads to decorum, calms the noise; seductive smiles, immodest songs and dances suddenly seem to be removed from the city, as if expelled by some strict city ruler - fasting. If everyone accepted the post of advisor regarding their affairs, nothing would then prevent there being deep peace in the entire universe: peoples would not rebel against each other. If fasting had prevailed, then weapons would not have been forged, courts would not have been held, and people would not have been held in bonds; in a word, the deserts would not have robbers, the cities - criminals, the sea - robbers. If everyone were disciples of fasting, then, according to Job, the “cries of the overseer” would not be heard at all (Job 3:18). Our life would not be so lamentable and full of sorrow if fasting controlled it. For he would teach everyone not only abstinence from food, but also complete removal and alienation from the love of money, covetousness and all vice, after the expulsion of which nothing would prevent us from spending life in deep peace and serenity of souls. Moving away from fasting and the pursuit of luxury, as the bliss of life, brings with it this whole great swarm of evils with which our lives are full. Fasting is likeness to angels, a friend of the righteous, teaching a chaste life, the basis of repentance. Accept him, poor ones, he is your roommate and table comrade. Accept him, rich ones, he will heal you from the harm of satiety. Take it, you sick, it is the mother of health. Accept him, healthy ones, he is the guardian of bodily strength. Ask doctors, and they will tell you that excess health is very dangerous; Therefore, the most experienced destroy what is superfluous by fasting, so that strength does not collapse under the burden of fatness of the flesh. For a praiseworthy fast, abstaining from food is not enough. Let us fast with a fast that is pleasant and pleasing to God. True fasting involves abstaining from food, avoiding evil, curbing the tongue, suppressing anger, driving away lusts, slander, lies, and perjury. Abstaining from all this is true fasting 711. If you want to make your mind strong, curb your flesh with fasting. What is the use of fasting with the body when the soul is filled with thousands of evils? Conversations on Shestodnev, 8 713 Fasting guided all saints in their lives towards God. As in everything, so in fasting there is what is acceptable by God and what is rejected by Him. Abstinence from food, observed for show and not extending beyond the commandment “do not touch, do not taste, do not touch” (Col. 2:21), is hated by the Lord. But the Lord loves abstinence, undertaken to enslave carnal wisdom, because through the exhaustion of the flesh it arranges the sanctification of man. Abstaining from food in itself is not enough to make fasting worthy of praise. It is necessary that in everything else the behavior be appropriate, that is, that speech, behavior, and rapprochement with people should be undertaken only for spiritual benefit, so that abstinence from food becomes a complement to the asceticism of one’s entire life. Therefore, he who has zeal for his salvation exercises his mind a lot, works to comprehend the truth and rarely descends to care for the body. And having served him in what is necessary, having nourished him without hassle with what happened, he immediately leaves the occupation useless and returns to his former life. Such a way of life takes away from the carnal wisdom everything that it feeds on, and does not allow it to prevail over the spirit, does not allow the flesh to do carnal deeds: “fornication, uncleanness, evil lust” (Col. 3:5). Therefore, having mortified our “earthly members” both with an intelligible word that pacifies passions, and by abstaining from food, let us fast with a fast that is pleasant and pleasing to the Lord. And the hard worker will practice this with benefit, having before him an example in the lives of Elijah, Moses, Daniel, John and other saints, of whom “the whole world was not worthy,” who “wandered in mantles and goatskins, enduring shortcomings, sorrows, and bitterness” (Heb. 11:37-38). But abstinence from food alone, even if intensified, is, I repeat, not enough for perfection if the soul does not completely abstain from what feeds sin. Just as a person himself is dual, consisting of soul and body, so his food is twofold: mental and physical; and if it is consistent with the composition of each part of a person, then it makes him stronger for activity through nutrition. Just as bodily food, nourishing the human body, contributes to his health, increases his strength and makes him fit for struggle, so in the feat of piety, the dogmas of faith and moral lessons, constantly taught to the soul, enriching it with gradual increments, make it more suitable with great strength and diligence to begin studying the most important and most perfect dogmas 715. A good mood is a desire to please God - strong, tireless, firm and unshakable. It is achieved through reasonable and constant delving into the greatness of the glory of God, through grateful reflections and constant remembrance of the benefits given to us by God. It consists in fulfilling the commandment of God: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30). The holy prophet David also reached such a mood, who said: “As a deer desires streams of water, so does my soul desire you, O God” (Ps. 41:2). With such a mood we must serve God, fulfilling what the apostle said: “Who will separate us from the love of God? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? (Rom.8:35) 716. He who comes to God must love poverty in everything. Poverty is the nourisher of wisdom. Who are the “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3)? The Lord says in one place: “The words that I speak to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63); in another place: “The Holy Spirit... will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26), and “he will not speak of himself” (John 16:13). Hence, the “poor in spirit” are those who became poor not for anything else, but for the sake of the teaching of the Lord, who said: “Sell everything that you have and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21; Luke 18:22). But if someone, having accepted the poverty that happened for another reason, governs himself according to the will of God, like Lazarus, then even such a person will not be alien to bliss 719. Whoever strives for peace strives for Christ, for “He is our peace” (Eph. 2:14). Discourse on Psalm thirty-three 720 Nothing is more characteristic of a Christian than to be a peacemaker. The peace of Christ is the heavenly and saving gift of Christ, which has faded over time. True peace is in heaven, and as long as we are connected with the flesh, many things are inseparable from us that outrage us. Discourse on Psalm thirty-three 723 Who is the peacemaker honored by the Lord with bliss (Matthew 5:9)? A peacemaker is one who is a co-worker with the Lord, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, who said: “We are messengers on behalf of Christ, and it is as if God Himself exhorts through us; in the name of Christ we ask: be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20); and again: “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Rom. 5:1). A different kind of peace was rejected by the Lord, who said: “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you” (John 14:27) 724. Sorrow and joy in the Lord Tribulation in the present world is not something unexpected for those who have chosen a godly life. The Lord, who is good to us, knows how to bring us comfort even through our very sorrows. God, a lover of mankind, always combines sorrows with corresponding consolations, encouraging those who are discouraged so that they are not consumed by excessive sadness. “Many are the sorrows of the righteous” (Ps. 33:20). Sorrows accompany every righteous person in life. He who deviates from the wide and spacious path and follows the narrow and cramped path, chooses for himself the path of sorrows. And he is constantly surrounded by them. Sorrows, as if some animate beings, catch us and produce patience in us, and through patience - testing, through testing - hope (see Rom. 5: 3-4). That is why the Apostle says: “Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And the Psalmist said: “Many are the sorrows of the righteous” (Ps. 33:20). Whoever courageously endures the temptation of sorrow and is not embarrassed will say in triumph: “We overcome all these things through the power of Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). Such a person is far from avoiding sorrows or being afraid of them; on the contrary, he turns many sorrows into a reason for praise, saying: “We glory in sorrows” (Rom. 5:3) 729. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them from all sorrows (Ps. 33:18) Holy God is able to deliver you from all sorrow, if only with a true and sincere heart you place your trust in Him. The whole life of a righteous man is filled with sorrows. The path of the righteous is a narrow and sorrowful path. That is why the apostle says: “We are oppressed on every side” (2 Cor. 4:8). And it is also said: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). God delivers His saints from sorrow not by leaving them without testing, but by giving them patience. For if “from tribulation comes patience, and from patience experience” (Rom. 5:3-4), then he who avoids tribulation deprives himself of experience. And just as no one receives a crown of victory without having an opponent, so one can be tested only through tribulation. Therefore, the words “he delivers them from all their sorrows” (Ps. 33:18) do not mean that God does not allow the righteous to be in sorrows at all, but they mean that God gives “in temptation also relief” so that they can endure it (1 Cor. 10:13) 731. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and will save the humble in spirit” (Ps. 33:19). Contrition of the heart is the destruction of human thoughts. He who has despised the present, has given himself over to the word of God, and has given up his spirit to thoughts above human and divine, will have a contrite heart and will make it a sacrifice, not despised by the Lord. “You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God” (Ps. 50:19). So, “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and will save those who are humble in spirit” (Ps. 33:19). He who is alien to all arrogance and is not proud of anything human is both contrite in heart and humble in spirit. He who has the grace of the Holy Spirit quite humbles himself before his inferiors, calling himself with the apostle the servant of every man in Christ (2 Cor. 4:5), dust that is trodden down by all, saying with the apostle: “We are like the rubbish of the world, like dust that is trodden down by all” (1 Cor. 4:13). Such people make themselves last of all in order to become first in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord calls such people blessed, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) 732 Why does contrition sometimes appear in the soul without any effort about it, as if by itself, and sometimes the soul is so insensitive that, even if forced, it cannot come to contrition? Contrition is a gift of God. If someone forces himself, but still cannot come to contrition, then this either proves his negligence about his life in general, because it is impossible without reflection, without much and continuous exercise to begin something and suddenly master it; or it shows that the soul of such a person is overwhelmed by passions that do not allow it to freely turn to what it wants, just as the apostle says: “I am carnal, sold to sin... I do not do what I want, but what I hate, that I do” (Rom. 7:14-15); and again: “Therefore, it is no longer I who do this, but sin that dwells in me” (Rom. 7:17) 733. III. Sorrow for God's sake and worldly sorrow “Sadness for God’s sake” (2 Cor. 7:10) happens when someone is upset that God’s commandment has been neglected, according to what is said in Scripture: “Terror takes hold of me at the sight of the wicked who forsake Your law” (Ps. 119:53). And “worldly sadness” happens when what grieves is something human and characteristic of the world. “Sadness for God’s sake” is the beginning of ascension and success in heavenly things 734. “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). Crying properly is the beginning of joy. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 15 735 What kind of crying (see Matthew 5:4) is worthy of blessedness? This question comes down to the question of “sadness for God’s sake,” that is, when we cry about the sins we have committed, or when we cry because they dishonor God, because, according to the word of the Apostle, man dishonors God by breaking the law (Rom. 2:23), or when we cry, seeing the dangerous situation of those in sin, for it is said: “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:4) 736. Joy in the Lord (Phil.3:1) occurs when a person rejoices that everything happens according to the commandment of the Lord, to the glory of God. Therefore, when we fulfill the commandments of the Lord or do something in the name of the Lord, then, even if this is accompanied by sorrows for us, we should rejoice and rejoice with each other. Not every soul is given joy from God. But if someone has shed a lot of tears about his sin, then his crying turns into joy. “Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord; it is fitting to praise the upright” (Ps. 33:1). If ever in your heart, as if a light had fallen, a sudden thought of God occurred and illuminated your soul, so that you were filled with love for God and contempt for the world and everything corporeal, then from this weak and small likeness recognize the state of the righteous, which continually increases in joy in God. You only experience this joy temporarily and rarely, according to God’s will, so that through a fleeting sensation of it you will fall in love with the memory of what you lost through sin; and in the righteous, divine joy is constant, because the Holy Spirit undoubtedly dwells in him, the first fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace” (Gal. 5:22). So, “rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord” (Ps. 32:1). For the righteous, the Lord is like an abode in which if anyone is present, he inevitably has fun and rejoices. And the righteous, in turn, becomes like a place for the Lord, receiving Him into itself. And the sinner gives place to the devil within himself, not heeding the apostle who says: “Give no place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27). So, abiding in the Lord Himself and, as much as is available to us, contemplating His miracles, from contemplation of this we will acquire joy in our hearts 737. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything (1 Thess. 5:16-18) “Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything” (1 Thess. 5:16–18). This is what the Apostle Paul commands. Before we find out what it means to rejoice and what merit there is in this, and how it is possible to pray unceasingly and give thanks to God for everything, it is necessary to eliminate some objections to this commandment of the apostle. They say: “What kind of virtue is it to spend day and night in the joyful outpouring of the soul? And how is this possible when we are surrounded by thousands of various evils, which, naturally, should produce despondency and sorrow in the soul? In the midst of sorrows, it is just as impossible to rejoice and be in good spirits, just as it is impossible not to feel pain and not suffer when you have a burn or wound. And they also say: “How can we always rejoice when the reasons for joy are not in our power? After all, what produces joy does not depend on us: the arrival of a friend, a meeting with parents after a long separation, restoration of health after a serious illness, a happy discovery, honors, etc. Why are we given a commandment, the fulfillment of which is not in our will? And how can one pray unceasingly, when bodily needs inevitably attract the attention of the soul from time to time? After all, it is impossible to divide a thought between two concerns. In addition, it is prescribed to give thanks for everything: I must give thanks even when I am tormented, bullied, when I am numb from the cold, when I suffer from hunger, when I suddenly lost my children or my wife, when I suddenly lost all my wealth, when I am wounded, slandered, ruined? What shall we say in response? Let's say that the apostle, commanding to always rejoice, pray unceasingly and give thanks for everything, is trying to lift our souls from earth to heights and introduce us to a heavenly way of life. The Apostle calls not everyone to always rejoice, but the one who is like himself, no longer living in the flesh, but having Christ living in him. Because communication with the highest of blessings makes you completely forget about what worries the flesh. For if, according to the apostolic word, we have mortified our “earthly members” (Col. 3:5) and “carry in the body the deadness of the Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:10), then it goes without saying that the blows and wounds inflicted on the mortified body do not reach the soul, which is cut off from communication with it. Also, dishonor, loss and death of neighbors are not able to bring the soul out of its sublime mood and reduce it to sorrow for earthly things. In general, a soul embraced by love for the Creator and having tasted unearthly joy and beauty will not lose its joyful mood from any kind of carnal suffering. On the contrary, what seems sad to others will only increase her joyful mood. Such was the Apostle Paul, who was content “in weaknesses, in insults, in oppressions, in persecutions... in disasters, in needs, in difficult circumstances... in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness” (2 Cor. 6:4, 12:10, 11:27). In what circumstances others mourn and renounce life, in those circumstances the apostle rejoices. And he calls us to the life of the Gospel. Happy are those who spend their present lives in the hope of the next century and exchange the present for the eternal! Those united with God, even if they were in flames, like the three youths in Babylon, even if they were imprisoned, like Daniel, with lions, even if, like Jonah, they were swallowed up by a whale, they remain happy, spend their lives in joy, not grieving about the present, but rejoicing in the hope of what is prepared for the end. A good ascetic who has entered the field of piety must courageously endure the blows of his opponents in the hope of glory and a crown. And in physical wrestling, wrestlers who are accustomed to it do not lose courage from the fact that they receive blows, do not even notice the blows, do not feel pain from them and continue to fight with the enemy, burning with the sole desire to achieve victory. Likewise, for a zealot of piety, worldly sorrows will not darken his joy, because, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, “from tribulation comes patience, from patience experience, from experience hope, and hope does not put you to shame” (Rom. 5:3-5). Therefore, the Apostle Paul in another place commands us to remain patient in tribulation and be comforted by hope (Rom. 12:12). Hope gives rise to eternal joy in the soul of the virtuous. But the same Apostle Paul commands us that we should also weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15). In the Epistle to the Galatians he himself weeps for the enemies of the cross of Christ. Is it also necessary to mention that Jeremiah wept (Lamentations of Jeremiah), that God commanded Ezekiel to take up “weeping for the princes of Israel” (Ezek. 19:1), that many saints indulged in weeping? “Woe is me, my mother, that you gave birth to me” (Jer. 15:10)! "Woe is me! ...There are no more merciful on earth, no one who is truthful among people” (Mic. 7:1, 2). "Woe is me! It is with me now as when I gather the fruits of summer, as when I gather grapes: not a single berry to eat, not a single ripe fruit, which my soul desires” (Mic. 7:1). These are the voices of the righteous. Listen to them and you will notice that they all mourn this world and this miserable life in it. “Woe is me that I abide” (Ps. 119:5), for the desire is “to be separated and to be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). David left us a lament for his friend Jonathan, in which he also mourned his enemy: “I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan” (2 Sam. 1:26); “Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul” (2 Samuel 1:24)! Saul mourns as one who died in sin, and Jonathan as a person who all the time shared a common life with him. What else can I say? The Lord Himself wept for Lazarus (John 11:35), wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), and He blessed those who weep (Matt. 5:4; Luke 6:21). How does this, they say, agree with the words “rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16)? After all, tears and joy do not come from the same reasons. Tears are usually born from an unexpected impression, which, like a blow, amazes and stuns the soul, and joy is the delight of the soul, admiring that everything happened according to its desire. Hence the signs on the body are different. Those who mourn have a pale, cold face, but those who rejoice have a blooming appearance, their face is ruddy, their soul almost bursts out with pleasure. To this we say that the crying and tears of saints come from love for God. Always looking at the Beloved and increasing in themselves the pacifying joyful mood drawn there, they, caring for the fate of slaves like them, mourning those who sinned, corrected them with tears. But just as those standing on the shore, compassionate with those drowning in the sea through regret for the needy, do not lose their own safety, so those mourning the sins of their neighbors do not thereby destroy their spiritual peace, but, on the contrary, make it even greater, receiving joy from the Lord for their tears for their brother. Therefore, truly “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” and “will laugh” (Matthew 5:4; Luke 6:21). By laughter here we do not mean an explosion of laughter usually understood by this word, but joy, not dissolved by any sadness. Therefore, the apostle does not stop us from crying with those who weep, for these tears are, as it were, the seed and guarantee of eternal joy. Ascend your thoughts to the contemplation of the angelic state. Is another state appropriate for Angels other than the state of joy: after all, they are honored to stand before God and contemplate the indescribable beauty of the Creator’s glory. Encouraging us to this life, the apostle commanded us to always rejoice. Those who are prone to excessive sadness should not point to the tears of the Lord as an excuse. For just as the food that the Lord ate should serve for us not as a reason for voluptuousness, but, on the contrary, as the highest rule of abstinence and moderation, so tears are offered to us not as a law that prescribes crying, but as the most decent measure and as a precise rule, according to which we must, remaining within the limits of nature, endure sorrowful things with dignity and decorum. Therefore, neither women nor men should lament and cry with loud sobs and cries. A disciple of Christ must protect himself, like a high wall, with hope and repel the attacks of passions courageously and with strength, not allowing their hordes to take possession of the soul. To strain and fall under the weight of sorrow is characteristic of a soul that is weak and not strengthened by trust in God. Just as worms most often appear in trees that are less solid, so sorrows more often arise in people of a pampered disposition. Some people think that just as actors, presenting something sad, resort to a sad outfit, so the person crying should have the appropriate appearance, black clothes, disheveled hair, the house is dark, unclean and a sad tune, which would constantly preserve the wound of grief in the unhealed soul. No, this shouldn't happen. Leave it to those who have no hope to do this. And about those who have fallen asleep in Christ, you have been taught by revelation that “what is sown in corruption is raised in incorruption; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in strength; the natural body is sown, the spiritual body is raised” (1 Cor. 15:42–44). Why are you crying about someone who went to change his clothes? Do not cry for yourself that you are deprived of a helper in life, for it is said: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man” (Ps. 118:8). Do not complain about the deceased, as if he suffered a disaster, for soon the heavenly trumpet will awaken him, and you will see him standing before the judgment seat of Christ. In a word, neither the untimeliness of death nor other misfortunes that unexpectedly befall us will strike us if we are instructed in the word of piety. So, when something undesirable happens to you, most of all you need to call your thoughts to strict order and not be embarrassed, and then, with hope for the future, make the present easier for yourself. Just as those with sick eyes, turning their gaze away from objects that are too shiny, calm it down by focusing on flowers and greenery, so the soul does not need to constantly look at the sorrowful and deal with real sorrows, but it needs to raise its gaze to the contemplation of true blessings. And in this way it will be possible for you to always rejoice if your life is always turned to God and the hope of reward will ease everyday sorrows. You are dishonored - look at the glory that is prepared for patience in heaven. You are ruined - turn your gaze to heavenly wealth and the treasure that you accumulate for yourself through good deeds. You are far from your fatherland, but you have heavenly Jerusalem as your fatherland. You have lost a child - but you have Angels with whom you will rejoice before the throne of God and rejoice with eternal joy. Thus, by contrasting the expected blessings with real sorrows, you will maintain carelessness and undisturbed soul, to which the apostolic commandment calls us. Just as the happy course of affairs should not produce immoderate joy in your soul, so sorrows should not destroy its cheerfulness with despondency. For whoever does not look at everyday affairs in this way will never avoid worries and confusion in life. But you will easily achieve this if you follow the apostolic commandment, which calls you to always rejoice, eliminating the worries of the flesh, imparting spiritual well-being, rising above the sensation of the present, directing your thoughts to the hope of eternal blessings, of which even one idea can fill the soul with joy and instill in our hearts an angelic joy in Christ Jesus our Lord. The apostle says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). But how is it possible to pray unceasingly and is this commandment feasible? According to the usual understanding, prayer is the believer’s request for good from God. But there is no doubt that prayer should not be limited to words. God has no need for reminders through words; He Himself gives us what we need even when we don’t ask. The essence and power of prayer lies mainly in the soul's desire for God and in virtuous deeds continuously continued throughout life. It is said: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Pray while sitting at the table; when you eat bread, give thanks to Him who gave; When you strengthen your body with wine, remember Him who gave you this gift to gladden your heart and relieve ailments. The need for food has passed, but may your remembrance of the Benefactor not pass away. When putting on clothes, thank the Giver, increase your love for God, who gave us covers suitable for winter and summer, preserving our life and covering our ugliness. If the day is over, thank Him who gave us the sun to carry out our daily affairs and Who gave us fire to illuminate the night and serve the various needs of life. The night should provide other incentives to prayer. When you look at the sky and embrace the beauty of the stars, pray to the Lord of the visible and worship the highest Builder of all things, God, who “has made all things wisely” (Ps. 103:24). When you see that everything is immersed in sleep, again bow to the One who, even against our will, frees us through sleep from the continuity of labor and, giving us peace in sleep, renews vigor and strength. Therefore, let the whole night not be your own and exclusive destiny of sleep. Do not allow half of your life to become useless due to the insensibility of sleep; on the contrary, let your time of night be allocated to sleep and prayer. Let even your dreams become an exercise in piety, for dreams are for the most part like echoes of daytime concerns: what are our activities in life, so are our dreams. In this way, you will “pray unceasingly,” not concluding your prayer in words, but throughout your life bringing yourself closer to God, so that your life will be continuous and unceasing prayer. It is also said: “Give thanks in everything” (1 Thess. 5:18). They say: “How can it be that the soul, tormented and languishing from disasters and sorrows, turns not to crying and tears, but gives thanks as for a blessing, for what in reality it hates? Indeed, how can I be grateful that I am enduring something that only an enemy could wish for me? A beloved child has been lost untimely, an inconsolable mother is tormented by sorrows worse than the first pangs of birth: how can she, leaving crying, exclaim words of thanksgiving? How! Consider that to a born child, God is the first father, the most reasonable guardian and organizer of life. Why don’t we allow the reasonable Master to dispose of His property as He pleases, but we are annoyed for ourselves, as if we were being deprived of property, and we regret the dying, as if they were offended? Consider that the child did not die, but was given back, that the friend did not die, but set off on a journey and went somewhat ahead of you along the same path that sooner or later everyone will need to go. May the commandment of God be inseparable from you, and may it constantly give you, as it were, some light and illumination for judging matters. She, having taken upon herself the supervision of your soul in advance and having prepared in her soul the right judgments about every thing, will not allow you to fall, no matter what happens to you, but will allow you, like a cliff on the seashore, to safely and unshakably withstand the blows of storms and waves. Why didn’t you train yourself to think mortally about mortals, but accepted the death of a child as unexpected? When they first told you about the birth of a son, then if someone asked you what was born, what could you answer if not that what was born was a man? And if a person, then, of course, a mortal. What is unusual here if a mortal dies? Don't you see that the sun rises and sets? Don't you see that the moon waxes and then wanes; that the earth becomes green and withers? What is constant around us? What has a fixed and unchanging nature? Look at the sky, look at the earth: they are not eternal. For it is said: “Heaven and earth will pass away... the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky” (Matthew 24:35, 29). Is it surprising if we, being part of the world, are subject to what is characteristic of the world? Looking at all this, when the common fate reaches you, bear it with humility, no matter how hard it may be for you. Endure like a valiant ascetic, showing strength and courage not only in defeating opponents, but also in patiently enduring their blows. Bear it like some wise helmsman, not embarrassed by anything thanks to his great experience in navigation, keeping his soul cheerful, not falling, above all bad weather. The loss of a beloved son, a dear wife, or someone close to one’s heart does not terrify one who has a sound mind as the guide of his life, and does not live only according to the inclination of nature and habit, like the dumb. I sometimes saw an ox crying over a manger after the death of another ox, with which he grazed and walked in the same yoke. You can see that other animals suffer greatly from separation. But that’s not what you studied and taught. And although there is nothing incongruous in the beginning of friendship relying on a long relationship and a long-standing habit, it is completely unreasonable to mourn separation for the reason that we lived together for a long time. For example, your wife shared the lot of common life with you, the delight of your life, who filled your life with joy and happiness, all the time troubled about what was useful and pleasant to you, and tried by all means to protect you from all grief and sorrow. And so she leaves you, suddenly snatched away by death! Do not become embittered in suffering, do not say that there is some random coincidence of circumstances and there is no trustee governing the world. Do not assume some evil creator, do not go beyond the boundaries of prudence. Since you have completely become two and one flesh (Gen. 2:24), it is very excusable if you accepted the dissolution of this union with illness. But think about the fact that God, who created and animated us, gave each soul a special path in this life and for each set his own limits of departure. According to the ineffable laws of His wisdom and truth, He ordained that one would remain longer in the flesh, and that the other would sooner be freed from bodily bonds. Just as in prison some are kept in chains for a long time, while others soon receive liberation, so souls - some are kept longer in this life, and others less, according to the dignity of each, as the One who created us wisely, deeply and inexplicably for the human mind has provided for each of us. Do you hear what David says: “Bring my soul out of prison” (Ps. 142:7)? Haven't you heard that the soul of a saint seeks liberation? For what did Simeon say when he received our Lord into his arms? Isn’t this: “Now You are letting Your servant go, O Master” (Luke 2:29)? For one who hastens to the life above, being with the body is more difficult than any punishment and any prison. So, do not demand that orders for souls be carried out according to your desire. Think about those who entered into an alliance with each other during life and then were separated by death in such a way that they are like travelers who walk the same road and, from continuous stay with each other, are united by habit. Such travelers, when, having traveled a common path, see that the road further diverges, then, out of affection for each other, they do not neglect the path ahead of them, just to stay together, but, having said goodbye, they each go to their own limit. Just as the end of the journey was different for them and the rapprochement occurred from habit of each other during the journey, so those united by marriage or some other kind of communication of life, without a doubt, each had his own end of life, and this end of life destined for each of them necessarily divided and separated those who entered into an alliance with each other. Therefore, a prudent soul will not lose patience during separation, but will have gratitude to the One who combined the lot from the beginning of the union. And you, when your wife, or friend, or child was alive, or something else was with you, the loss of which you now lament, you did not thank the Giver for the blessings that you possessed, but you grumbled that others were still lacking. If he lived only with his wife, he grumbled that he did not have the children he wanted; and if there were children, he grumbled that he was not rich or saw his enemies prosperous. See to it that we ourselves do not make it necessary for ourselves to lose those whom we love most, not feeling their presence when they are with us, and being overly sorrowful at their loss. You did not give thanks for the blessings that God gave you, and now they are taken away from you in order to teach you to appreciate them. Just as the eyes do not see too close a bright color, but for this some proportionate distance is necessary, so ungrateful souls usually only when deprived of goods begin to feel the past happiness. For they did not know any gratitude to the Giver while they were using the gifts, and only with loss they appreciated the irrevocable. None of us, under any circumstances of life, can be considered free from the duty of gratitude, unless we conscientiously consider each of the circumstances. Let us take the trouble to look at what is below us, and thus, through comparison with the worst, measure what the good in our hands is worth. Are you a slave? There are others below you. Give thanks that you have an advantage over at least one, that you are not condemned to turn the millstone, that you do not suffer beatings. But even such a one does not lack incentives to gratitude, because he does not yet have shackles. The prisoner has life itself as sufficient incentive to give thanks: he sees the sun, breathes the air. Are you being punished unfairly? Rejoice in the hope of the future. Are you justly convicted? And in this case, thank you that you are being punished for a crime, and are not left for eternal torment for sins that were not punished in life. Thus, a prudent person in all his life can, on every occasion, render great thanks to God the Benefactor for the present. But now many fall into the vice of evil people and neglect what they have, and want to have what they do not have. Not paying attention to all those who are below them in well-being, they do not express gratitude to the Benefactor for what they have, but compare themselves with what is above them, calculate what they lack, grieve and grumble, as if they are deprived of their own if they do not have what belongs to others. The slave is dissatisfied that he is not free; the free man is dissatisfied that he is not of noble birth; a nobleman complains that he is not too rich; the rich man grieves that he has no power; the king complains that he does not possess the entire universe, but there are still nations that have not bowed under his scepter. Thus, the Benefactor receives no gratitude for anything. But we, putting aside grief for what we do not have, will learn to give thanks for what we have. In difficult circumstances of life we ​​will say: “Lord! In distress... I looked for You; I poured out quiet prayers when Your punishment came upon me” (Is. 26:16). Let's say: “It is good for me that I suffered” (Ps. 119:71). Let's say: “The sufferings of this present time are not worth anything in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). Let us cry to the Lord: “Punish me, O Lord, but in righteousness, not in Thy wrath” (Jer. 10:24), for “having been judged, we are punished by the Lord, so as not to be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:32). And with a prosperous course of life, let us say together with David: “What will I render to the Lord for all His good deeds to me?” (Ps. 115:3). He brought us from non-existence into being; He honored us with reason and gave us art; produces food from the earth; assigned animals to serve us; for us the rains, for us the sun, for us the hills and plains are adorned; Rivers flow for us, springs flow for us, the sea is open to us, the bowels of the earth are open to us, truly all creation brings us gifts through the rich and unfailing mercy of the Benefactor God! But why are we talking about unimportant things? For us – God is in people! For corrupt flesh, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). With the ungrateful - the Benefactor; with those sitting in darkness - the Sun of righteousness; on the cross - Impassive, Life is brought to death, to the darkness of hell - Light; for the fallen - resurrection, the spirit of sonhood, the distribution of gifts, the promise of a blessed life and everything else that cannot even be counted and to which does the word of the Prophet generally refer: “What will I render to the Lord for all His good deeds?” (Ps. 115:3). Remember in order everything that has been said and you will find that the apostolic commandment is easy to fulfill and precious for life; You will understand how to “always rejoice,” following a sound mind, how to “pray without ceasing,” how to “give thanks in everything,” how to console those who mourn, so that in everything you may be perfect and prepared with the help of the Holy Spirit and with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in you, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever 738. Commitment to Improvement It is impossible for someone who moves from one subject to another to achieve perfection in art or knowledge. The rules are extensive, 5,739 He is not perfect who begins well, but he who gives a perfect account of his work. He who is sincere in love for God and firmly confident in the fullness of reward from the Lord is not satisfied with what he has done, but always strives for more. And if he apparently does something beyond his strength, he does not abandon his care, as if he has fulfilled the measure, but is constantly full of striving, as if he were far from perfection, listening to the Lord, Who commanded: “When you have done everything commanded you, say: we are slaves, worthless, because we have done what we had to do” (Luke 17:10); listening also to the apostle, to whom the world was crucified and who was crucified to the world (Gal. 6:14). He, without embarrassment, says: “I do not consider myself to have achieved; But forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). Although he had authority, preaching “the gospel of living by the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14), he nevertheless says: “They ate no one’s bread for free, but labored and labored night and day, ... not because we had no power, but that we might give ourselves to you as an example for us to follow” (2 Thess. 3:8–9) 741. On fulfilling the commandments of the Lord People by nature have an attraction to the commandments of the Lord and the strength to fulfill them. The rules are extensive, 3,742 For the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave “himself for us” (Titus 2:14), take care of your souls, have sorrow for the vanity of your past life, begin to strive for the future for the glory of God and His Christ and the worshiped one and the Holy Spirit. Let us not remain in our laziness and relaxation, so that, because of laziness, we always lose the present and put off the beginning of good deeds until tomorrow and the next, so that we do not end up before the Tester of our souls like lazy and unwise virgins who did not stock up on oil for the lamps to meet the bridegroom coming at midnight, and like these virgins we do not lose the joy of the bridal chamber and, having come to our senses, do not cry later, in vain and uselessly regretting a badly spent time in life, when nothing can help (Matthew 25:1-13). “Now is the acceptable time,” says the Apostle Paul, “now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). This age is the age of repentance, and that of retribution; this age is the age of patience, and that age is of consolation. Now God is a Helper to those turning from the path of evil, and then He is an impartial and undeceitful Judge, examining deeds, words and thoughts. Now we experience long-suffering, and then we will recognize justice and rise - some to eternal torment, and others to eternal life, when everyone will receive according to their deeds. Until when will we put off our obedience to Christ, who has called us into His Heavenly Kingdom? Shall we not sober up, will we not call ourselves from ordinary vain life to the rigor of the Gospel, will we not clearly imagine before our eyes that Day of the Lord, terrible and glorious, on which those who stand for the sake of their deeds will be accepted by the Lord into the Kingdom of Heaven on the right side, and those who are rejected, for lack of good deeds, will be hidden on the left side by fiery hell and eternal darkness? It is said in the word of God: “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). We say that we desire the Kingdom of Heaven, but we don’t care about how to achieve it, we don’t want to undertake any work to fulfill the Lord’s commandment; in the vanity of our minds we expect that we will receive equal honor with those who struggled with sin even to death. What farmer, who sat at home or slept during sowing, collected grain when the harvest arrived? Who gathered grapes that he himself did not plant and grow? Those fruits whose labors. Honors and crowns belong to those who win, and not to the lazy and relaxed. Who ever crowned a man who had not experienced struggle? After all, according to the apostolic word, we must not only win, but also conduct the fight itself legally (2 Tim. 2:5), that is, not overlook the little things from what is laid out, but do everything as is legal for us. For it is said: “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, finds,” not as it happens to those who do, but “to those who do” as they should (Luke 12:43). And we, only assuming that we have fulfilled one commandment, assuming because we cannot say that we have really fulfilled it, for all commandments, according to the common sense of Scripture, have such a close connection that if one is violated, all the others are violated - we no longer expect anger for those not fulfilled, but we expect a reward for the one that we supposedly fulfilled. Of the ten talents given for saving, the one who keeps one or two talents and pays the rest is not considered honest for paying the larger part, but is called an offender and covetous for wasting the smaller part. But what can we say about waste, when someone who received one talent and then gave back without deception and in full everything that he received, is also condemned for not having acquired anything in addition to what was given! He who paid respect to his father for ten years and subsequently dealt him only one blow is put on trial as a murderer. “Go,” says the Lord, “teach all nations... teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). And the Apostle Paul, in agreement with this, writes: “We do not cause anyone to stumble in anything, so that his ministry may not be blamed; but in everything we show ourselves as servants of God” (2 Cor. 6:3–4). For if everything were not necessary for us to be saved, then not all the commandments would have been written and not all would have been prescribed for mandatory fulfillment. So, let him who considers himself to have merit reflect that only by calling his brother insane will he be guilty of Gehenna (Matthew 5:22). What good is it to him to be free from many things, when even one thing can keep him in slavery? For it is said by the Lord: “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). What is the benefit of being spared many sufferings for someone whose body is tormented by one painful disease? Let everyone remember the blessed Apostle Peter, who, after so many merits and so many blessings, heard only one contradiction: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8), moreover, this contradiction did not prove either laziness or neglect, but was an expression of respect and reverence. On the contrary, someone will say: “The Scripture says: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). Therefore, just calling on the name of the Lord is enough to save the one who calls.” But let him who says this listen to the apostle, who said: “How can we call on Him in whom we have not believed?” (Rom.10:14). And if he does not believe the apostle, let him listen to the Lord who says: “Not everyone who says to Me: Lord! God! will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Even one who does the will of the Lord, but not in the way God wants it, and who does not do it in a feeling of love for God, makes his zeal useless, according to the saying of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who says: just as they do “to appear before men, truly I say to you, they are already receiving their reward” (Matthew 6:5). Hence the Apostle Paul was taught to say: “If I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3). In the life of a Christian, three different dispositions can be distinguished: either, fearing punishment, we shy away from evil and are in a state of slavery; or, chasing the benefits of a reward, for the sake of our own benefit we fulfill what is commanded and become like mercenaries; or we do it for the sake of goodness itself and out of love for Him who gave us the law, rejoicing that we have been honored to serve the glorious and most good God, and in this case we are in a filial disposition. He who fulfills the commandments in fear and is constantly afraid of punishment for laziness will not do one of the things prescribed to him and neglect others, but will remain in the thought that the punishment for any disobedience is equally terrible for him. And for this he is blessed, because “he always remains in awe” (Proverbs 28:14) and stands firmly in the truth who can say: “I have always seen the Lord before me, for He is at my right hand; I will not be shaken” (Ps. 15:8), because he does not want to miss anything that should be taken into account. And “blessed is the man who fears the Lord” (Ps. 112:1). Why? Because He deeply loves His commandments (Ps. 112:1). So, it is not common for those who are afraid to leave any of the orders unfulfilled or to carry them out carelessly. But the mercenary will not violate any of the commands. For how will he receive payment for the work in the vineyard if he does not fulfill everything that was agreed upon? After all, if even one of the necessary things is missing, then this makes the vineyard not beneficial to the owner. Who will pay for the damage to the one who caused the damage? What remains is service out of love. What son, with the goal of pleasing his father and pleasing him in the most important things, will grieve him for the sake of little things, especially if we remember what the apostle says: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you are sealed” (Eph. 4:30)? Therefore, to what part do those who transgress most of the commandments wish to be counted, not serving God as a Father, not following Him as the One who gave the promises, and not working as a Master? God says: “If I am the Father, then where is the respect for Me? And if I am the Lord, then where is the reverence before Me? (Mal.1:6). Just as “he who fears the Lord” will deeply love His commandments (Ps. 111:1), so “by transgressing the law,” it is said, “you dishonor God” (Rom. 2:23). How, then, having preferred a pleasant life to a life according to the commandment, can we expect bliss in the next century, being with the saints and rejoicing with the Angels in the presence of Christ? Such dreams are from a child's mind. How will I be with Job without accepting even the most ordinary sorrow with thanksgiving? How will I be with David, not knowing the feeling of generosity towards the enemy? How can I be with Daniel if I do not strive to find God through unremitting abstinence and laborious prayer? How will I be with each of the saints without following in their footsteps? What judge is so ignorant that he would award equal crowns to both the winner and the one who did not enter into the fight? What military leader ever called for an equal division of the spoils between those who were victorious and those who did not show up on the battlefield? God is good, but also just. But the just is rewarded according to his worth, as it is written: “Lord, do good to those who are good and upright in their hearts; But may the Lord leave those who turn to their crooked ways to walk with the workers of iniquity” (Ps. 125:4-5). God is merciful, but also a Judge, for it is said: “he loves righteousness and justice,” although “the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord” (Ps. 33:5); That’s why the Prophet says: “I will sing mercy and judgment to You, O Lord” (Ps. 100:1). We have been taught to whom is “mercy,” for it is said: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Do you see how wisely the Lord shows mercy, not showing mercy without judgment and not judging without mercy, for “the Lord is merciful and righteous” (Ps. 114:5). Therefore, let us not turn His love for mankind into an excuse for our laziness. This is why there are thunders, this is why there is lightning, so that goodness will not be neglected. The shining sun also punishes with blindness; He who gives rain also gives fire. One indicates goodness, the other indicates severity. Let us be imbued with either love, for the sake of the first, or fear, for the sake of the second, so that we are not told: “Or do you despise the riches of God’s goodness, meekness and long-suffering, not realizing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath” (Rom. 2:4-5). So, it is impossible to be saved without doing works according to the commandment of God, and it is unsafe to neglect anything that is commanded (for it is a terrible exaltation to set oneself up as a judge of the Lawgiver and to choose some of His laws and reject others). Therefore, let us take care that nothing prescribed in the law of God is left unfulfilled. For if there is to be a “perfect man of God,” as it is said in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:17), then it is absolutely necessary through each commandment to be prepared “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), because, according to the word of God, although pure, but corrupt, is not accepted as a sacrifice to God 743. Reprinted from: Runkevich S. On virtues and exploits based on the works of St. Basil the Great. St. Petersburg, 1906. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 293 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 904. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 159 // Ibid. P. 670. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 293 // Ibid. P. 904. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 296 // Ibid. pp. 906–907. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation on Psalm Thirty-Third // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 534. See: St. Basil the Great. Ascetic charters, 1 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 322. See: St. Basil the Great. Ascetic statutes, 4 // Ibid. P. 336. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 3. On the words: Listen to yourself // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 882–891. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 1 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 155. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 2 // Ibid. P. 158. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 2 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 155–160. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 211–213 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 284–285. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 186 // Ibid. P. 277. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. A Word about Asceticism (Prologue 5) // Ibid. pp. 146–147. – Ed. Wed: Ibid. P. 147. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Letter 42. To his student Chilon // Ibid. P. 518. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 3 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 160; Rules, briefly stated, 162 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 269; Rules, briefly stated, 163 // Ibid. P. 270; Rules, briefly stated, 175 // Ibid. P. 274; Rules, briefly stated, 176 // Ibid. P. 274. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 176 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 274. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 97. From a message to the council meeting in Tiana // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 599. St. Basil the Great. Ascetic statutes, 16 // Ibid. P. 349. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Conversation 20. About humility // Ibid. T. 1. P. 1040. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. A Word on Asceticism (The Ascetic Word 12) // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 136. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 198 // Ibid. P. 280. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Ascetic charters. Chapter 16. About humility // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 349; It's him. Rules, briefly stated, 128 // Ibid. P. 261. St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 10 // Ibid. P. 174. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Conversation 12. At the beginning of the Book of Proverbs // Ibid. P. 975. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Conversation on Psalm Thirty-Three // Ibid. P. 536. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 5 and 4 // St. Basil the Great. Creations T. 2. P. 161; Rules, briefly stated, 209 // Ibid. P. 284. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 12. At the beginning of the Book of Proverbs // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 975. See: St. Basil the Great. From a letter to a widow (Letter 174) // Ibid. T. 2. P. 687. St. Basil the Great. Conversation during famine and drought // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 940–941. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Conversation during famine and drought // Ibid. P. 934. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Conversation about fasting // Ibid. P. 866. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 25. About mercy and judgment // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 1083. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 507. – Ed. Right there. T. 2. P. 134. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Ascetic charters, 1 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 322. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 261 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 298. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 277 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 307. See: St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 130. – Ed. Right there. T. 1. P. 743. – Ed. Right there. T. 2. P. 241. – Ed. The sixth psalm contains a prayer for mercy: “Lord! Do not rebuke me in Your wrath, and do not punish me in Your anger. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord... deliver my soul, save me for the sake of your mercy... Every night I wash my bed with my tears, I wet my bed” (Ps. 6). See: St. Basil the Great. Brief rules 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 271, 287, 289, 296 and 297 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 226–314. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 750. – Ed. Right there. T. 2. P. 519. – Ed. Brashno (ts.) - dish, food. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, stated at length, 16, 17, 18, 19 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 179–183; A word about asceticism // Ibid. P. 138; Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 1 // Ibid. T. 1. P. 618; Ascetic statutes, 4 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 333; Rules, briefly stated, 128 // Ibid. P. 261. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 208 // Ibid. pp. 283–284. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 47 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 238. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 165 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 271. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 226 // Ibid. P. 288. See: St. Basil the Great. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 1 // Ibid. T. 1. P. 657. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 15 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 229. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 201 and 202 // Ibid. P. 281. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 206 // St. Basil the Great.Creations. T. 2. pp. 282–283. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 150 // Ibid. P. 661. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 12. At the beginning of the Book of Proverbs // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 982. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 53 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 240. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 218 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 286. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 749. – Ed. According to Russian translation: “more cunning.” According to Russian translation: “quick-witted.” See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 12. At the beginning of the Book of Proverbs // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 978. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 697. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 12. At the beginning of the Book of Proverbs // Ibid. P. 979. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 442. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 219 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 286. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 146. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 114, 115, 116 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 257–258. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 207 // Ibid. P. 283. St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 130 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 262. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 137 // Ibid. P. 263. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 139 // Ibid. P. 264. – Ed. Since the Lord said: “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear fasting before men” (Matthew 6:16–17), what should you do when someone, wanting to fast to please God, nevertheless, despite his desire, cannot hide his fasting from people? This commandment is directed against those who try to fast for show to people in order to satisfy their passion for glorification from people. For the fact that the fulfillment of the Lord’s commandment for the glory of God cannot naturally be hidden, the Lord Himself declared, saying: “A city standing on the top of a mountain cannot hide, and having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel” (Matthew 5:14-15) 1 See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 1. About the first post // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 865. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 685. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 2. About the second post // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 875. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 872. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 1 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 642. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 157 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 268–269. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 484. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 205 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 282. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 541. – Ed. Right there. T. 2. P. 619. – Ed. Right there. T. 1. P. 541. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 215 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 285. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 478. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation on Psalm forty-five // ​​Ibid. T. 1. P. 570. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 613. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation on Psalm Thirty-Three // Ibid. T. 1. P. 533. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation on Psalm Thirty-Third // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 543. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 16 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 230. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 192 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 279; It's him. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 15 // Ibid. T. 1. P. 851. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 851. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 194 // Ibid. T. 2. P. 280. See: St. Basil the Great. Discourse on the thirty-second psalm // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 517. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 4. About Thanksgiving // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 892; It's him. Conversation 5. In memory of the martyr Iulita // Ibid. P. 901. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 162. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 121 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 259–260. St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 160. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Introduction. Rules set out at length // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 149–154.