Golden streams from Golden lips

Edifying reflections for each day of the month, selected from the works of St. John Chrysostom Contents Day 1. How useful is the exercise of reading the Holy Books Day 2. How should we correct our lives Day 3. The Word of God is more precious than all treasures Day 4. With what zeal and care should we exercise in reading the Holy Scriptures Day 5. About the goodness and love of God Day 6. We must diligently listen and read the Holy Scriptures Day 7. Any time is convenient for reading the Holy Scriptures Scriptures Day 8. How useful it is to practice reading the Holy Scriptures Day 9. This world is governed by the Providence of God Day 10. With what intention did God create man Day 11. God created everything for the benefit of man Day 12. About decorating the soul Day 13. God's long-suffering should convince us more to repentance and correct our lives Day 14. We should adorn the soul more than the body Day 15. The power of God overcomes every difficulty Day 16. We must seek eternal blessings rather than temporary ones Day 17. God punishes man in order to stop lawlessness Day 18. We must endure adversity patiently Day 19. God has mercy on the sinners for the sake of the good Day 20. Misfortunes should not extinguish our hopes for God Day 21. About the consequences of the fall of Adam Day 22. A person must follow the strength of the soul, and not the desire of the passions Day 23. God, while punishing for sins, in His mercy does not leave us without consolation Day 24. He who diligently reads the Holy Scripture and fulfills it approaches God Day 25. Should with listen with attention to church teachings Day 26. What do listeners of the word of God commit to? Day 27. Listening to the word of God, we must teach others the same and not neglect the preacher Day 28. Nothing in the world happens by chance Day 29. Virtue is innate to man Day 30. The cause of all evil is the fall of Adam and our sins Day 31. Nothing happens by chance HOW USEFUL IS EXERCISE IN READING SACRED BOOKS? We can, while staying at home, both after and before dinner, pick up divine books in our hands, receive benefit from them, and provide spiritual food to the soul. For, just as the body needs sensual food, so the soul requires daily instruction and spiritual food, so that, strengthened by it, it can resist the rebellions of the flesh and refrain from constant warfare, which threatens us and makes our soul captive if we, even for a short time, want to indulge in carelessness. Therefore, the prophet David called blessed the one who studies in the law of the Lord day and night (Ps. 1:1, 2). And blessed Moses, instructing the Jewish people, says: “When you eat and drink and are satisfied, remember the Lord your God” (Deut. 8:10). You see, then, especially after eating, we must offer ourselves spiritual food, so that the soul, after being sated with bodily food, becomes careless, does not fall into destruction and does not give way to the machinations of the devil, who at all times tries to inflict a mortal blow on us. The same prophet in another place said: “Lying and rising, remember the Lord your God” (Deut. 6:7). You see that at no time should we drive away this remembrance of God from our souls, but keep it firmly in our conscience, be in constant vigilance and never give ourselves rest, but knowing the wrath of our enemy, be sober and watchful, block all entrances to him, and never neglect spiritual food. For this is our salvation, this is our spiritual wealth, this is our security. If we begin to protect ourselves in this way every day by reading, listening, and spiritual conversation, then we will be able to become invincible ourselves, and make the machinations of the evil demon unsuccessful, and we will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. HOW SHOULD WE CORRECT OUR LIFE As long as we have time, let us use at least as much effort to acquire spiritual wealth as others do to acquire worldly wealth; Let us constantly worry about whether we have done something good, whether through our vigilance we have driven away from ourselves some passion that outraged us, so that, feeling the approval of our conscience, we may taste great pleasure. If we do not gain anything from constantly listening to teachings, then this not only will not bring us any benefit, but will also serve to our greater condemnation, when, with such concern for us on the part of the church, we will remain the same as before - when the angry does not become meek, the hot-tempered does not turn to quietness, the envious does not move to goodwill, the money-lover does not abandon his passion and does not favor himself. giving alms and feeding the poor, the intemperate will not become chaste, the one who chases vain glory will not learn to despise it and seek true glory, the one who neglects love for his neighbor will not perk up and accustom himself not only to being no worse than publicans, even if it is said: “If you love those who love you, what kind of reward will you take? Don’t tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:46), but also to such a state of soul that you can look meekly at your enemies and show great love for them. If we, constantly hearing so many instructions, do not overcome the above-mentioned and other passions that arise in us, then what forgiveness will we have, what justification? THE WORD OF GOD IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN ALL TREASURES The acquisition of (expensive sea) stones does not bring much benefit to the owner, on the contrary, it often even harms and is the cause of countless troubles for him; It is not so much joy that he feels when he finds them, but rather the troubles he suffers when he finds them, because he has aroused the eyes of the envious against himself and armed the greedy covetous people. Nothing like this can be feared from spiritual precious stones: the wealth they bring is incalculable, and the joy is unfading. This is what David says about this: “Your words are desirable more than gold and many precious stones (Ps. 19:11). You see how he, having exposed the substances considered the most precious, was not only not satisfied with such a comparison, but also added: a lot; and thereby showed us the superiority of the word of God. “More than gold,” he says, “there are many honest stones.” This does not mean, however, that only to this extent are the words of God coveted, but since David knew that people give the highest price to these particular substances, he put them on display to show the superiority and greatest preciousness of the words of the Spirit. Therefore, if here we can find great pleasantness and the surest pleasure - for these words are divine and spiritual, and can bring great spiritual joy to the soul, then let us listen to what is offered with great zeal and ardent disposition, so that, having received here true wealth and having collected many seeds for godly wisdom, we can return home with them. So, let each of you, together with your neighbor, renew in memory what is said here, and communicating yours to the other, let him accept from him what he remembers, so that by devoting all your worries to divine lessons and occupying your mind with them, you can easily overcome the passions that disturb you and avoid the wiles of the devil. For if we begin to take care of the divine, then God himself will take care of ours, and we will sail the sea of ​​real life with complete safety and, guided by the great Helmsman - the God of all, we will enter the harbor of love for mankind. WITH WHAT DILIGENCE AND CARE SHOULD YOU PRACTICE IN READING THE SACRED SCRIPTURES The property of Divine words is such that in a few utterances they reveal a great wealth of thoughts and bestow untold treasure on those who decide to carefully study them; Therefore, let us not superficially skim over anything contained in the Divine Scripture, but whether it be a listing of names or a story about an incident, let us begin to seek out the treasure contained in them. For Christ also said: “Try the Scriptures” (John 5:39), because it is not everywhere that one can immediately find the meaning of what is written, but a deep study is also required of us. Our ruler is humane; When he sees that we are trying and are very zealous about understanding the divine words, he no longer allows us to need anything, but immediately enlightens our mind, gives us his insight, and, in His great wisdom, communicates the true teaching to our souls. Therefore, wanting to encourage us to this and make us more zealous, He recognized those who demonstrate such zeal as worthy of blessing, saying: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Notice the wisdom of the Teacher: He not only aroused jealousy by pleasing, but with the words: “hungry and thirsty for righteousness,” He also taught the listeners with what zeal they should strive to study spiritual words. Just as, that is, those who feel hunger with inexpressible haste rush to food, and those who are burning with intense thirst quickly run to drink, just like these hungry ones, one must hasten to spiritual teaching. Such people not only deserve to be pleased, but also receive what they are looking for. For they, it is said, “will be satisfied,” that is, they will be satisfied, their spiritual desire will be fulfilled. So, having such a Master, so good, so generous, let us also resort to Him and try to earn His favor, so that He, out of His love for mankind, will enlighten our minds to understand the power of Divine Scripture, and you, like the hungry and thirsty, will accept spiritual teaching with great readiness. ABOUT GOD'S GOODNESS AND HUMANITY “Let the sins of men multiply, but I will fulfill what I promised, and in the future I will not show such wrath against everyone.” Have you seen the abundance of God's goodness? Have you seen the greatness of condescension? Have you seen the power of trusteeship? God did not extend His good deed only to two, three, or ten generations, but promised to keep it until the end of the world, so that we would be admonished by both, that is, by the fact that Noah’s contemporaries were subjected to such punishment for their many sins, and by the fact that we, by the ineffable love of God for mankind, were worthy of such a promise. For those who are sensible are more strongly disposed to fulfill the commandments of God by good deeds than by punishment. Let's not be ungrateful. If God honored us with such a benefit even before we did anything good, or better yet, after we had done a lot worthy of punishment, then what other bounties will He honor us with when we are grateful, when we show our gratitude for the past, and discover a change for the better in ourselves? If He does good to the unworthy and shows kindness to those who have sinned, then what will we not receive when we abandon sin and practice virtue? For this reason, He shows us many benefits before we do anything good, and deigns to forgive us when we sin, and does not send punishment suddenly - in order to attract us all to Himself, both with benefits and long-suffering. Often, too, while punishing some, He wants to inspire others so that, being enlightened by the misfortune of others, they themselves will not suffer punishment. Have you seen how inventive His love for mankind is, how everything He does is accomplished solely for our salvation? So, thinking about this, let us not be careless, let us not neglect virtue and transgress the laws given by Him. For if He sees that we are turning to goodness, becoming modest and generally laying down at least some beginnings to a virtuous life, then on His part He will help us, making everything easy and convenient for us and not even allowing us to feel the weight of the deeds of virtue. And in fact, when the soul directs its thoughts to God, it can no longer be deceived by the sight of sensory objects, but, passing by everything, it more carefully examines objects invisible to the bodily eyes and not subject to change, but constantly abiding, unchanging and unshakable, than what is before the eyes. YOU NEED TO LISTEN AND READ THE SACRED SCRIPTURE DILIGENTLY From here (from Scripture) you can receive a cure corresponding to every misfortune that befalls human nature, reject all everyday sorrow and not be distressed by any circumstances. Therefore, I ask you, come here (to church) more often, listen carefully to the reading of the Divine Scripture, and not only when you are here, but also at home, pick up the sacred books and diligently benefit from them for yourself, for great benefits come from them: firstly, from reading them the language is formed; then the soul takes wings and becomes sublime, being illuminated by the light of the Sun of Truth; freeing himself at this very time (reading) from the impurity of vicious thoughts and enjoying great peace and tranquility. As bodily food is for maintaining our strength, so is reading (the Scriptures) for the soul. It is spiritual food that strengthens the mind and makes the soul strong, firm and wise, not allowing it to be carried away by unreasonable passions, on the contrary, further facilitating its flight and lifting it, so to speak, to heaven itself. Let us not, please, neglect such benefits, but let us begin at home to carefully read the Divine Scripture, and when we come here (to church), we will not waste time on empty and useless conversations, but for what we came, we will pay all our attention and listen to what we read, in order to leave here with some gain. If, having come here, you spend your time in inappropriate and empty conversations and return home without any gain, then what is the use of it? Wouldn’t it be strange that while those who come to the worldly marketplace try to bring home from there everything that can be obtained in this marketplace, albeit by spending money, but those who come here, to this spiritual marketplace, will not make every effort to return from here, having received something useful and put it into their soul, especially when for this they do not need to spend money, but only need to show zeal and spiritual readiness? So, so that we do not be worse than those who visit the marketplaces of life, let us try to show great care and vigilant attentiveness, so that we leave here with a reserve that would be sufficient not only for ourselves, but also to supply others - so that we can correct our wife, and slaves, and neighbors, and a friend, and even an enemy. EVERY TIME IS CONVENIENT TO READ THE SACRED SCRIPTURE Shouldn't we imitate the Ethiopian eunuch, who came to Jerusalem to worship, and who did not stop reading the Scriptures during his journey? This foreigner can be a worthy teacher for all of us, and for those who lead private lives, and for the military, and for those invested with nobility, and in general for everyone, not only for men, but also for women, not only for those who live in families, but also for those who have chosen the monastic life; everyone can learn from this that no time can serve as an obstacle to reading the word of God, that not only at home, but also while walking in the marketplace, and traveling, or being in a crowded meeting and doing business, we can practice this reading, so that, having done our best, we will immediately receive a guide. Seeing our disposition towards spiritual knowledge, our Master will not despise us, but will give insight from above and enlighten our mind. Let us not neglect reading Scripture, but whether we understand what is contained in it or not, let us constantly turn to it. The constant exercise of reading imprints indelibly on the memory what we read, and often what we could not understand while reading today, we suddenly understand when we start reading again tomorrow, because the humane God invisibly enlightens our mind. But we have now said this about constant reading of Divine Scripture. And the Lord usually acts in the same way in everything else - that is, when we do what depends on us, He generously gives us His help and, as He did in relation to the reading of Scripture, sending with great speed a mentor to a foreigner, He does the same with those who want to succeed in virtue. Abraham, for the great humility that he showed in relation to Lot, giving him the best places, received a great reward from above, accepting a promise that many times exceeded his merit. Each time, God first allows the patriarch himself to discover the God-loving disposition of his soul, and then gives him a reward from Himself, wanting to instruct us all by the example of his wisdom, so that we, imitating the patriarchy, would first try to make efforts ourselves towards deeds of virtue, and then expect rewards from God. HOW MUCH IS IT USEFUL TO PRACTICE READING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE? It is a great blessing, beloved, to read the Divine Scriptures. It makes the soul wise, it transfers the mind to heaven, it makes a person noble, it does not allow him to become addicted to anything real, it makes our mind constantly dwell there in heaven, encourages us to do everything in the hope of the Lord’s reward and strive with the greatest zeal for deeds of virtue. Here, in Scripture, you can clearly learn how quick God’s providence is to help us, see the courage of the righteous, the goodness of the Lord and the abundance of rewards. They can stimulate themselves to compete and imitate the wisdom of valiant men and not allow themselves to weaken in the exploits of virtue, but firmly rely on the promises of God even before their fulfillment. Therefore, let us read the Divine Scripture with the greatest care. In this way we will acquire knowledge of it if we constantly turn to what is contained in it. For it is impossible that one who is occupied with the word of God with zeal and every effort should ever be neglected by God; on the contrary, even if we do not have a human mentor, then the Lord Himself, penetrating into our hearts, enlightens the mind, illuminates the meaning, reveals to us the hidden in objects unknown to us, as long as we want to do what depends on us. “Do not call,” says Scripture, “teachers... upon the earth” (Matthew 23:8, 9). So, when we take a spiritual book in our hands, then, concentrating our mind, collecting our thoughts and removing worldly thoughts from ourselves, we will thus read with great reverence, with full attention, so that we are worthy to be guided by the Holy Spirit in understanding what is written and receive great benefit from it. THIS WORLD IS GOVERNED BY GOD'S PROVISION What could be crazier than those people who dare to assert that everything that exists happened by itself, and leaves all creation without the providence of God? For how is it possible that so many elements and such a great order of existence could be governed without a Ruler and Guardian of the universe? And a ship without a helmsman cannot sail on the waves of the sea, and a warrior cannot do anything valiant without a military leader, and a house cannot stand without a manager: but this boundless world, this improvement of the elements could supposedly continue by itself and by chance, even if there was no One who could rule the universe and in His wisdom support and preserve everything visible? But why try too hard to prove to these people what, according to the proverb, is clear to the blind. However, we will not stop offering instructions from St. Scripture and use all possible efforts to ward off error and lead everyone to the truth, for although some may still be subject to error, they are of the same nature as us and therefore we must have great care for them and never weaken, but with great care do what depends on us and provide such decent medicine so that they, although late, receive true health. God cares about nothing more than the salvation of our soul, and St. Paul cries out about Him: “Who desires that all men should be saved and come into the understanding of truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). And God Himself says: “I do not desire the death of a sinner... but to be converted... and I live to be him” (Ezek. 18:23). After all, He created all this nature and created us not in order to destroy us or subject us to punishment, but to save and deliver us from error, to give pleasure in the kingdom. It is for us that He prepared it, not now, after creation, but even before the creation of the world, as He Himself says: “...come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Look how loving the Lord is, how He, even before the creation of the world and before He created man, prepared countless benefits for him and thereby showed how much care He has for our race and wants everyone to be saved. Therefore, having such a Lord, so philanthropic, so good and so merciful, let us take care of our own salvation and the salvation of our brothers. If God, an incomprehensible being, out of indescribable love for mankind, took upon himself all this for the sake of us and our salvation, then what should we not do for our brothers and fellow members in order to snatch them from the jaws of the devil and lead them to the path of virtue. Moreover, as much as the soul is better than the body, so many higher rewards will be awarded to those who give money to the poor who, through admonition and frequent suggestions, lead the careless and careless to the straight path and show them the ugliness of vice and the great beauty of divine virtue. WITH WHAT INTENTION DID GOD CREATE MAN? “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). What kind of news is this? What is this feature? Who is this being created, that the Creator needed such advice and reflection to create it? Don't be amazed, beloved. Man is the most excellent of all visible living creatures; It was for him that all this was created: the sky, the earth, the sea, the sun, the moon, the stars, reptiles, cattle, all dumb animals. Why, say, is he superior to all these creatures? For a fair reason. When the king intends to enter the city, then the armor-bearers and everyone else need to go forward so that the king can enter the palace after they have been prepared, just like now God, intending to establish a kind of king and ruler over everything earthly, first arranged all this decoration, and then created the ruler, and thus actually showed what honor this creature was awarded. For having said: “Let us make man in our image and likeness,” God did not stop there, but with subsequent words explained to us in what sense He used the word “image.” Because what does he say? - “And may he have possession of the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, [and animals], and livestock, and all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And so He places the image in dominion, and not in anything else. And in fact, God created man as the ruler of everything that exists on earth; even at the present time, when we are afraid and afraid of animals, we should not think that we have completely lost dominion over them. For even now, wherever a person appears, they immediately take flight. If sometimes we happen to suffer harm from them, then this is no longer because they have power over us, but because of our guilt. At the beginning of existence, creatures were not like this; but the animals were afraid and trembled at man; When man, having transgressed the commandment, fell, his dominion also diminished. “Let us create,” says God, “man in Our image and likeness.” As He called the image of dominion, so by likeness is that we, as much as is possible for man, become like God, that is, become like Him in meekness, humility and virtue in general. For just as on a vast and vast earth some animals are meek, others are fierce, so in our soul there are unreasonable and bestial thoughts, there are brutal and wild. We must defeat them, overcome and subjugate the power of reason. But how, you say, can you overcome the brutal thought? - What are you saying, man? We overcome the lions and tame them, and you doubt whether you can change the brutal thought to the meek? Moreover, in the beast there is cruelty by nature, and meekness is against nature; nature. So, are you the one who destroys in the beast what is in him by nature and imparts to him what is against nature—can you not preserve in yourself what is in you by nature? What condemnation does this deserve? Beasts have no reason, and yet we often see lions being led through the squares by the meek; in your soul, man, there is reason, and the fear of God, and many different benefits; So don’t make excuses or excuses. You can, if you want, be meek, quiet and submissive. GOD CREATED EVERYTHING FOR THE USE OF MAN With the onset of evening, the light recedes, darkness comes and lulls human nature, calms the tired body, calms all the senses and, like a good nurse, with its caring nature gives freedom from labor and exhausting activities to all members. When the measure of the night is fulfilled, light appears again and, awakening a person, makes him able to perceive the rays of the sun with refreshed feelings, and with new ardent zeal to begin ordinary affairs. The same can be seen in the sequence of seasons: after winter comes spring, and after summer comes autumn, so that by the change in the dissolution of the air our bodies are refreshed, so that they are not upset by excessive compression by the cold, and are not weakened by intense heat; Therefore, God forces us to get used to winter in the fall, and to summer in the spring. In general, whoever wants to look at everything judiciously will find order and proportionality in all creations, and will be convinced that nothing was created without a reason and without a purpose. The helmsman knows when to launch the ship, when to take it out of the pier, when to sail the sea. It is in these people especially that one can see how much meaning the wisdom of God has invested in human nature. For those who travel on high roads do not know the turns of the roads as well as these (sailors) know how to navigate the waters. That is why Scripture, amazed at the excessive wisdom of God, said: “Thou hast given a way in the sea, and a strong path in the waves” (Wis. 14:3); what human mind can comprehend this? The same order can be seen in our food intake: for for each time and for each season of the year the Lord gave us different food; and the earth, like a good nurse, brings us its gifts, obeying the command of the Creator, makes us accustomed to winter in the fall, and to summer in the spring. You provide the body with various clothes, taking into account the different seasons; Do not allow your soul to walk naked, without good deeds; dress it in decent clothing: through this you will restore it and bring it back to its natural state of health. What kind of clothing is this for the soul? Almsgiving and generosity to the poor: this is the most beautiful garment of the soul, this is its bright clothing. If you want not only to provide her with a robe, but also to decorate her like a body, then use prayer and confession of sins as an aid, and do not cease to wash her face with continuous tears. As a bodily face, you wash it every day with all care, so that no uncleanliness that disfigures it is visible on it; try to do the same with your soul, and wash it every day, shedding hot tears. For with this (tear) water, washing away impurity from itself, the soul becomes increasingly brighter. But since very many wives, out of great effeminacy, neglect the Apostolic commandment, which commands them not to adorn themselves “with wickerwork, or gold, or beads, or costly garments” (1 Tim. 2:9), they adorn themselves with great luxury, and not only wives, but also pampered husbands humiliate themselves to the cowardice of their wives, putting rings on their hands and adorning themselves with many expensive stones, which they should be ashamed of and blush at; then let both of them, having listened to our words, better turn these jewels, which bring a lot of harm to both husbands and wives, to decorate the soul and decorate it with them. Put even on a beautiful body, they make it ugly; on the contrary, those placed on the soul, even an ugly one, bring it great beauty. But how, you say, is it possible to place these jewels on the soul? Again with the hands of the poor: they, accepting (alms), impart beauty to the soul of the giver. Give them your jewelry and scatter it in their womb, and they will bring such beauty to your soul that you will attract the true Bridegroom to yourself with your appearance, and you will acquire countless benefits; for having attracted the Lord to yourself with this beauty, you will have the source of all blessings and possess unspeakable wealth. So, if we want to be kind to the Lord, then we will leave the care of decorating the body and take care of the beauty of the soul every day, so that we can attract the favor of the man-loving God and receive unspeakable benefits. GOD'S LONG SUFFERING SHOULD CONVINCE US MORE TO REPENTANCE AND CORRECTION OF LIFE For five hundred years, the humane God did not cease through Noah to admonish all the people living at that time and, if they only wanted to listen, did not cease to inspire them to abandon sin and turn to virtue. With all this, God says, and now I promise to endure another hundred and twenty years, so that they can take advantage of this time as they should, turn away from wickedness and begin to do good. However, God was not satisfied with this promise of one hundred and twenty years, but also commanded the righteous to build an ark, so that the very appearance of the ark would give them sufficient admonition, and none of them would remain ignorant of the greatness of the threatening punishment. For the very fact that this righteous man, who had reached the highest perfection, cared so much about building the ark, could have led all sensible people into fear and apprehension, and forced them to appease such a meek and humane Lord. And our Lord Himself, on that terrible Day of Judgment, will set some slaves against others, then pronounce condemnation on sinners and expose them that, having received the same means and benefits as the righteous, they did not strive like these in virtue. He often compares these opposite sides in order to condemn the careless the more. That’s why he said in the Gospel: “The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they have repented of the preaching of Jonah: and behold, more than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41). As if He said this: the barbarians, who did not use any special guidance, who did not hear any prophetic teachings, who saw neither signs nor wonders, but who heard from one man who escaped from a shipwreck such words that could plunge them into complete despair and bring them to the extreme, to contempt for his very words - these barbarians not only did not neglect the words of the prophet, but, having received a short three-day period, brought such strong and deep repentance for rejecting God's determination. It is they, says the Lord, who will condemn this generation, which enjoyed such great care from Me, raised by the books of the prophets, who saw signs and wonders every day. Further, in order to show both the extreme unbelief of the Jews and the inexpressible obedience of the Ninevites, the Lord added: “as I repented through the preaching of Jonah: and behold, more than Jonah is here.” Those, he says, having seen the poor man - Jonah, accepted his sermon and brought the most severe repentance; and these, seeing much more than Jonah, the very Creator of all creation, who moved among them, every day performed so many and great miracles, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, corrected natural defects, cast out demons, healed diseases, absolved sins with full power - they did not show the same faith as the barbarians. THE SOUL SHOULD BE DECORATED MORE THAN THE BODY How worthy of forgiveness can those be who show effeminacy in their clothes, try to clothe themselves with the tissues of worms, and what is especially bad, consider it important - whereas they should be ashamed, afraid and trembling, that they are not clothed in such clothes out of necessity and not for benefit, but for the sake of laziness and vanity, in order to be amazed at them in the marketplaces of the people. A person who has the same nature as you walks naked, not having even rough clothes to cover himself with: but neither nature itself attracts you to compassion, nor conscience urges you to help your neighbor, nor the thought of that last terrible day, nor fear of honor, nor the greatness of promises, nor the fact that our common Lord assimilates everything we have shown to our neighbors to Himself. As if having a heart of stone, and being alien to the same nature, such people, putting on expensive clothes, think that they are already becoming above human nature, and do not think about how great a responsibility they are exposing themselves to, badly managing what has been entrusted to them from the Lord and more willingly allowing their clothes to be destroyed than wanting to give any part of them to their brothers. I especially address this word to women. For in them we find the most passion for ornaments and luxury, for putting on golden clothes, wearing gold on the head, neck and other parts of the body, and in this way to be vain. Tell me, how many poor people could be fed, and how many naked people could be covered with only what is hung on their ears without any need and without any benefit, even to the harm and damage of the soul? Therefore, the Teacher of the universe, having said: “Having ... food and clothing, we will be content with these” (1 Tim. 6:8), also turns his word to women and says: let women adorn themselves, not with wickerwork, or gold, or beads, or costly garments. You see how He does not want them to be adorned with such clothes, clothed in gold and valuable stones, but to strive for the true adornment of the soul, to elevate its beauty with good deeds, and not to show it (with such care about decorating the body) in uncleanness, in dirt, in sackcloth, worn out by hunger, exhausted from the cold. For such care for the body and such decoration of it testify to the ugliness of the soul, the luxury of the body reveals the hunger of the soul, the richness of its clothes exposes its nakedness. For it is impossible for someone who cares about the soul and values ​​its beauty and beauty to be so concerned about external decoration. THE POWER OF GOD OVERCOMES EVERY DIFFICULTY Saul, being among the cities, led so many troops with him, and had spearmen and bodyguards, meanwhile, every day he trembled and feared the attack of the enemies. David, alone, having no one else with him, did not need human assistance. Saul, being clothed in a diadem and wearing a scarlet robe, needed his help: the king needed a shepherd, clothed in a diadem - an insignificant man (1 Sam. 17). David was still very young and, due to his minority, lived in his father’s house; but when the time had already come to open himself to his virtue, having received his father’s order to visit his brothers, he obeyed and went to them. Having come in this way to meet with them, he learned that a battle was coming with the foreigner Goliath, that the entire Jewish people, along with Saul, were struck with fear and the king was in danger of losing everything, then David wanted to see this new and strange sight, how one man decided to confront entire thousands. The king, recognizing the courage of his spirit, wanted to clothe him with his own (royal) weapon, but he, having put this weapon on himself, could not even wear it. And this happened so that the power of God that acted through him would be more clearly revealed, and so that the consequences of this would not be attributed to the power of weapons. And since he felt burdened, clothed in weapons, he laid them down, and took only a shepherd’s bag and a few stones, and with this he went out against that tower of flesh. The foreigner, for his part, looking at the weakness of his age, humiliates the righteous man and first attacks him with words as if he were a powerless youth. Thus, (he) came out to fight with confidence in the power of weapons, while the other protected himself with faith in higher help. But David, first of all, humbles the arrogance of the foreigner with his words and says to him: you are coming against me with a sword and a spear and thinking of winning by your own strength, but I am coming in the name of the Lord God. It was worth looking at this wondrous and unusual thing - to see how an armed man was struck by an unarmed man, an experienced warrior fell at the hands of a man who knew nothing but the life of a shepherd. Why did it happen like this? Because David was supported by Divine help, but Goliath was deprived of it, and therefore fell into the hands of David. WE SHOULD SEEK ETERNAL BENEFITS MORE THAN TEMPORARY BENEFITS Let us not ask for worldly things from our Lord. Yes, He does not expect a reminder from us; and even if we did not ask, He Himself gives us everything we need, “for His sun shines on the evil and on the good, and rains on the righteous and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Let us listen to Him when He, convincing us, says: “Seek first the Kingdom of God... and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Do you see that He Himself is ready to give us the first and promises, in the form of an addition, to give us the last? So, do not ask as the main thing for what you should receive in addition. Let us not disturb the order, but let us seek first the Kingdom of God, as He commanded, so that we may receive other things as well. That is why the Lord, in prayer, laying down for us the rules and limits to which our requests for everyday matters should extend, commanded us to say the following words, filled with all wisdom: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), that is, daily food. It is very unworthy of someone so generous and possessing such omnipotence to ask for something that is destroyed with real life and is subject to many changes and accidents. For such is everything human: let us point to wealth, or power, or human glory. Let us ask for something that does not pass away, that does not fail, that does not experience change. And knowing the goodness of our Lord, we will not have any concern for the present, but will transfer all our efforts to the desire of heaven. If He shines His sun on the evil and the good and rains on the righteous and the unrighteous, then all the more He will not despise those who have turned away from evil, fleeing from unrighteousness, but He will honor them with all providence and will show His care for them in everything. Knowing this, beloved, let us believe the promises of God and let us not act contrary to this commandment; As for the unbelievers, God is with them, when God promised us the future. And that we do not want to rely on future promises, but cling to the present, then what else should we look for for proof of our unbelief, if the deeds themselves so clearly testify to this? GOD PUNISHES MAN TO STOP ILLEGALITY The Creator of all, extending His goodness to all His creatures, shows us in every possible way how great care He has for the human race, and that from time immemorial and from the beginning He does everything for our salvation. Whether He beats or punishes, He does both out of the same goodness. He sends punishments not out of passion and anger, but wanting to stop wickedness so that it does not spread very far. And if anyone wants to trace this subject from the very beginning of human existence, he will find that God, for this very purpose, inflicts punishment on sinners. So, when he transgressed, God expelled Adam from paradise not only to punish him, but also to do him a favor. But what, who will say, is a good deed to lose the life of heaven? Let us not look at events superficially, beloved, and let us not hastily speculate about the works of God, but let us penetrate into the depths of His great goodness, and we will find that everything is done by Him for this purpose. Think about what lengths Adam would have come to if he had enjoyed those benefits even after his crime? If, after so many promises of God, he allowed himself to be carried away by the deception of the serpent and accept the evil advice of the devil, who puffed him up with the hope of being equal to God and plunged him into the sin of disobedience, then if he, even after committing the sin, remained in the same dignity and home, would he not have considered this evil demon more deserving of greater faith than the Creator of all things, and would he not have dreamed of even more appropriate things? about yourself? For this is what human nature is like: when, having committed sins, it is not curbed, but uses freedom, then it goes further and further and is cast into the abyss. However, it can be proven differently that God commanded Adam to leave paradise and subjected him to the punishment of death, wanting to show His love for mankind. For by expulsion from paradise and settlement near it he made him more prudent and cautious for the future, having convinced him by experience of the deceitfulness of the seducer, and subjected him to the punishment of death so that he, having become guilty of sin through disobedience, would not sin endlessly. You can add something else to this. What is this? The fact that, in subjecting him to this punishment, God did not stop the beneficial consequences of it on him alone, but wanted his descendants to understand his fate. For if even after this, the son of Adam, Cain, although he had before his eyes the expulsion of his father from paradise, the loss of his unspeakable glory, and the terrible curse pronounced: “you are earth, and to earth you will return” (Gen. 3:19), and despite this, did not come to his senses, but fell into the gravest sin, then to what frenzy would he have reached if he had not known what had happened to his father? And this is what is very surprising, when punishing this such a great sinner, who desecrated his hands with a vile murder, the Lord combined punishment with love for mankind. ADVERSE WE MUST ENDURE PATIENTLY If the burden of sins lies on us, then by showing great patience and gratitude during temptations, we can make this burden light, and if our sins are few, then even in this case, when we endure it with gratitude, we will earn greater favor from above. Our Lord, generous and caring for our salvation, sending temptations, offers us, as it were, some kind of school or field of struggle so that we do everything we can, and for this we are rewarded with His merciful providence. Knowing this, we will not weaken in temptations and murmur in sorrows; on the contrary, we will still rejoice, like blessed Paul, who says: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings” (Col. 1:24). Do you see a grateful soul? If he rejoiced in sorrow, then when could he be in sorrow? If what saddens others gave rise to joy in him, then think what the state of his soul was. And in order for you to be convinced that we cannot receive the blessings promised to us and be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven if we do not go through real life through sorrows, listen to what the Apostles say to those newly converted to the faith: “and having taught many, she returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, beseeching them to continue in the faith, and as through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God” ( Acts 14:21, 22). How can we apologize for the fact that we do not want to generously, courageously and with gratitude endure all the disasters that befall us, when we know that it is impossible for us to receive salvation otherwise than by going this way. And what is strange and new in this, when all the righteous went through real life through sorrow? Listen to Christ, who says: “You will be in sorrow in the world,” and so that those who heard this would not lose heart, He immediately encouraged them and promised them His help: “But be of good cheer, [for] I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). There is, he says, you have One who will ease your sadness, who will not allow you to perish under the burden of temptation, who will give relief when tempted, and will not bring disasters beyond our strength. Why are we sad? Will He really leave us if we do everything we can, if we show patience, firmness and gratitude? Are circumstances, even the most desperate, stronger than the wisdom of our Lord? Let us do only what we must; we will have sincere faith and hope in the wisdom of the Guardian of our souls. And He, who knows better than we what is good for us, will probably arrange everything in a way that is suitable for Him and useful for us, so that we can receive a reward for patience and be rewarded with His love for mankind. GOD HAS MERCY FOR THE SINNERS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOOD Do you know, brothers, what is the strength of virtuous people who are still striving in a virtuous life? “If ten righteous people are found,” says the Lord, “for their sake I will grant forgiveness of sins to all” (Gen. 18:32). It can be seen that all this happens with the aim of not leaving any pretext for the contradiction of those who would argue shamelessly; for there are many madmen with an unbridled tongue, who want to condemn the judgment of God and say, for example: why was Sodom burned? They, perhaps, would have repented if they had been shown patience. That is why God punishes such an increase in evil and such a decrease in virtue in such a multitude of people that a second flood would be needed, the same as the one that previously covered the universe. But since there was a promise from God that such punishment would not be inflicted again, God uses another type of execution, punishing the Sodomites together, and giving all subsequent generations an everlasting lesson in this. They perverted the laws of nature, invented a strange and illegal mixture, and therefore God brought upon them an extraordinary kind of execution, striking the very bowels of the earth for their iniquity, and leaving the very monument for subsequent generations, so that they would not dare to do similar things and would not be subjected to the same execution. But since even now, by the grace of God, there are many virtuous people who, like the forefather Abraham then, can propitiate the Lord, and if we, looking at ourselves and seeing our own carelessness, rightly recognize the great impoverishment of virtue in the world, then for the virtues of these people God shows long-suffering to others. And that the boldness of such people really is for us the fault of God’s long-suffering, to be convinced of this, let us hear from this very story what God says to the forefather: If I find the righteous, I will not destroy the city. And what do I say - ten righteous? No one was found there free from iniquity, except Lot alone and his two daughters. For his wife, perhaps having escaped execution in the city for his sake, was subsequently punished for her negligence. But now, since through the ineffable love of God the works of piety have increased, even among the cities there are many hidden people who can appease God, while others live in the mountains and caves. And the virtue of these people, although perhaps a few, can cover the sins of many, since the goodness of the Lord is great and He often, for the sake of the righteous few, deigns to grant salvation to many. But what am I saying - for the sake of the righteous few? Often, when he does not find a single righteous person in this life, He looks at those who have died for the sake of virtue, and proclaims: “I will defend this city... For my sake, and for David’s sake, for my servant’s sake” (2 Kings 19:34). Although they, he says, are unworthy of salvation and do not in any way deserve deliverance from misfortune, but as it is characteristic of Me to show love for mankind and as I am always ready to have mercy and rescue people from troubles, then for Myself and for the sake of David, My servant, I will create salvation for them. And thus the husband, who had passed away from this life so many years earlier, becomes the author of salvation for people who were perishing from their own carelessness. MISCELLANEOUS SHOULD NOT KEEP OUR HOPE IN GOD When we enjoy favor from above, even if we were among barbarians in a foreign land, we can live better than those who live at home and enjoy all kinds of services from others; and on the contrary, even if we lived in our own home and enjoyed great pleasures, as soon as we are deprived of help from above, we are then the most unhappy of all. For in virtue there is all strength, but in vice there is complete powerlessness. Tell me who, in your opinion, is pitiful and deserves many tears - those who did so much harm to Joseph, or the one who was given into slavery to foreigners? Of course, those are his brothers. Let us imagine how this marvelous young man, raised among many servants, constantly in the arms of his father, was suddenly forced to endure heavy slavery, and, moreover, among wild people who are no better than the animals themselves. But the Lord made these people meek, and gave him great patience. Having sold their brother, Joseph's brothers were calm, like people who had achieved their goal, because they had removed from themselves the brother they hated and envied. As for the Midian merchants, they, in turn, themselves become instruments of God’s economy and resell Joseph to Pentephrius, the chief of Pharaoh’s bodyguards. You see how Joseph little by little moves forward, revealing in everything the courage of his spirit and patience, so that finally, like a fighter who fought courageously, he will be crowned with a royal crown, and his dreams (for which his brothers hated him) will actually come true, and thus it will be proven in practice to those who sold him that all their deceit did not bring them any benefit. For such is the power of virtue that even through persecution it only achieves greater glory. Truly, there is nothing stronger, there is nothing more powerful than virtue, not because it in itself has such power, but because he who has mastered virtue also uses Divine help. And with such help and assistance, a person is stronger than everyone else, he is invincible, he is elusive not only to human slander, but also to the machinations of demons. Knowing this, we will avoid not suffering, but atrocities. Evil deeds constitute real suffering. For whoever intends to do evil to his neighbor does not harm him in the least; if he does any harm, it is only in real life, and he is preparing endless punishments for himself, unbearable torments. And we cannot avoid them otherwise than if, according to the teaching of the Lord, we pray for those who do us harm. ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL OF ADAM “God bring the beasts and all the dumb to Adam to see what I will call” (Cf.: Gen. 2:19). And he, seeing the animals near him, did not run away, but just as another master gives names to the slaves subordinate to him, so Adam gave names to all the animals. “And every hedgehog ... called Adam ... this name is for him,” is already a sign of power. Therefore, God, wanting and through this to show him the dignity of his power, instructed to give names to the animals. And as sin entered, both honor and power were already taken away. And just as among slaves, the most efficient are afraid of their comrades, and so it became with man. While he had boldness before God, he was afraid of the beasts, and when he sinned, he himself began to fear the last even of his fellow men. inviolable, it would not be easy for him to rise from the fall. When disobedient people enjoy the same honor as the obedient, then they are more likely to become accustomed to evil and are not easily left behind by evil. If even now, when there is fear, and punishment, and torment, people do not want to correct themselves, then what kind of people would they be if they did not suffer any trouble for their crimes? This means that God took away power from us due to His care and providence for us. But here too we see the ineffable love of God - how Adam completely violated the commandment of God and transgressed the law, and God, who loves mankind and conquers our sins with goodness, did not take away all honor from him and did not completely deprive him of dominion, but only those animals he took from under his power that were not very useful to him for life, on the contrary, those that are necessary and useful, and provide many services to our life, he left in subordination and obedience to him, which would bring us great benefit. Since He, determining a person’s punishment for disobedience, said: “By the sweat of your brow you shall bear your bread” (Gen. 3:19), but so that this labor and sweat would not be unbearable, God eased its burden and burden with many dumb people who help in labor and work. A PERSON MUST FOLLOW THE POWER OF THE SOUL, NOT THE ASPIRATION OF THE PASSIONS To be a man I live in soul; created from dust, having received, through the breath, the breath of life, he became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). What does it mean: “I live in the soul”? Into the active soul, which has members of the body as instruments of its actions, submissive to its will. But how have we perverted the order, and the evil has intensified to the point that we force the soul to follow the wishes of the flesh, and the one who, as a mistress, should preside and command, having been brought down from the throne, we force to obey the whims of the flesh, forgetting its nobility and superiority over the flesh! In fact, just think about the order of the creation of man, and consider that he was before the inspiration of the Lord, which became for him the breath of life, and became a living soul? He was simply a soulless idol, inactive and good for nothing, so that everything that elevates him so much lies primarily in God’s inspiration into him. And in order to convince us of it, not by what we were then, but by what now happens every day, think how ugly and unpleasant this body is after the soul leaves it. And what are we saying – ugly and unpleasant? How terrible it is then, how fetid and completely ugly is this body, which before, when the soul controlled it, was light, pleasant, very beautiful, animated by such meaning, and had a great ability to do good deeds! Reflecting on all this and imagining the nobility of our soul, let us not do anything unworthy of it, let us not defile it with unworthy deeds, enslaving its flesh and turning out to be so insensitive and cruel to a being so noble and worthy of such an advantage. For with it we, surrounded by a body, if we want, can, with the assistance of the grace of God, be compared with incorporeal forces and, while on earth, live as if in heaven, and not yield to them in anything. Let us not consider this impossible, but let us not be careless about virtue, having received from the Lord so many encouragements to do it with zeal. For our humane Lord, knowing the weakness of our will and our proneness to fall, gave us important aids in reading Scripture, so that we, constantly using it and reflecting on the lives of those wonderful and great men, would be moved to imitate them and would not neglect virtue, but would run away from sin and try in every possible way so as not to become unworthy of those ineffable blessings. GOD, PUNISHING FOR SINS, BY HIS MERCY DOES NOT LEAVE US WITHOUT CONSOLIATION “I will multiply your sorrows and your sighs; in pain you will give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16). Here the Lord means the diseases of birth and the great labor that a wife must endure, bearing the fruit as a burden for so many months, as well as some special pains that arise from this, the rupture of members and those unbearable sufferings that only those wives who experienced them know. However, the humane God gave, along with sorrows, such great consolation that the joy of the birth of a baby is equal to the illnesses that tormented the mother’s womb for so many months. For behold, wives who endure such labor (when giving birth to children), are so tormented by illnesses and, so to speak, despairing of life itself, after they give birth and are relieved from labor, again, as if having forgotten everything that happened to them, indulge in childbearing: this is how God arranged it for the preservation of the human race! The hope of future blessings always makes it easier to endure present sorrows. Anyone can see this in merchants who cross vast seas, endure shipwrecks and attacks by sea robbers, and often, after many such disasters, are deceived in their hopes, and yet, despite this, they do not lag behind, but again take up the same thing. The same can be said about farmers: and they, after cutting deep furrows, using a lot of labor to cultivate the land and sowing a lot of seeds into it, are often deceived in their hopes due to drought, or lack of yield, or scorch in the grain at the very end of the harvest; Despite this, however, they do not lag behind, but again, when the time comes, they take up farming. This can be noticed in everything anyone does. It’s exactly the same with a wife: often she, after many of those months (of pregnancy), after unbearable birth pains, after sleepless nights, after ruptures of limbs, for some unimportant circumstance, having prematurely aborted a baby that has not yet been formed and has not yet received a certain form or even a dead one, as soon as she avoids danger - and yet, as if forgetting all this, she begins the same thing again, again endures the same thing. And what did they say - the same? It often happens that a mother dies together with her child, however, this does not enlighten others and does not deter others from this matter: such and such God has combined pleasure and joy with sorrow! Christ also said this, talking with his disciples and showing at the same time the greatness of sorrow and the abundance of joy: “When a woman gives birth, she will have sorrow, for her year has come”; then, wanting to show us that the sorrow soon passes, and that joy and joy follow, he says: “When the child gives birth, he who does not remember the sorrow for the joy that a man was born into the world” (John 16:21). HE WHO DILIGENTLY READS THE SACRED SCRIPTURE AND FOLLOWS IT COMES CLOSER TO GOD (Day twenty-four) Divine words are spiritual treasure. And just as from a material treasure, whoever takes even one stone for himself often acquires great wealth; So here, too, the virtues of the righteous, if we want to be attentive, can bring us such great benefit that zeal will be aroused in us to imitate them. And in this way we too can receive the same favor from God as the righteous. “For God does not pay attention to personalities, but fear Him in every way and do what is right, He is acceptable” (Acts 10:34, 35) - so if we want, nothing will prevent us from receiving the same, or even greater, help from above. God, if only he sees that we, on our part, are making every possible effort and preferring what pleases Him to anything pleasing to people, He Himself will show such care for us that we will become completely irresistible. We have a constant enemy who has irreconcilable hatred towards us; therefore we must be vigilant in order to defeat his wiles and rise above his arrows. And we can only win only if through a virtuous life we ​​acquire help from above. The best way of life is a pure life. This is the foundation and root of virtue. Whoever firmly lays such a foundation will easily overcome everything else - neither the passion for money, nor the love of fame, nor envy, nor any other passion will overcome him. How is this possible? I'll tell you. Whose conscience is clear and free from any vice, for “blessed,” it is said, “are those who are pure in heart: for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). When someone is worthy of having Him in himself, then he will be in such a state as if clothed with a body he does not have a body, and will show complete contempt for everything human. Everything visible will seem to such a person as a shadow and a dream, and, as if already Having a stay in heaven, he will not desire anything for himself in real life. YOU MUST LISTEN TO CHURCH TEACHINGS WITH ATTENTION Let us not be careless, but, having aroused our thoughts, with all attentiveness, let us penetrate into the very depths of Scripture in order to extract some benefit from it and return home with it. The Church of God is a spiritual marketplace and at the same time a physician of souls: therefore, we must, like those who come to the marketplace, collect a lot of goods in it and return home with it; We must, like someone entering a hospital, take here medicines suitable for our illnesses and leave here with them. We do not gather here every day just to see each other and then all go away, but so that each of us learns something useful, receives a cure for the passion that outrages him, and then goes home from here. Wouldn’t it be extremely strange if we, sending our children to school, every day demand from them some kind of success in learning and in no way allow them to go there in vain and in vain when we see that they no longer acquire anything useful there; and we ourselves, having already reached full age, coming to this theological school, will not show equal zeal, and, moreover, in such a matter on which the salvation of the soul depends? And so each of us, I ask, tests himself every day, what benefit he received from today’s reading, and what from the next, so that it does not turn out that we are gathering here in vain and in vain. We, for our part, will not be at all to blame for this, because we do everything in our power and do not omit anything that we can do - but those who are indignant at us, do not listen diligently and do not want to take advantage of the instructions are subject to greater condemnation. For listen to what Christ says to the one who buried his talent: “You wicked servant... you should have given me my money as a trader, and when I came, I took it with interest” (Cf.: Matt. 25:26, 27); and about the Jews: “If he had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had any guilt; now they have no guilt” (John 15:22). WHAT ARE THE HEARERS OF GOD'S WORD OBLIGED TO? True, when we throw spiritual seed, we sometimes do not receive fruit due to the carelessness of our listeners; nevertheless, in the future there is a reward in store for us, for we put into circulation the silver entrusted to us, we fulfill what was commanded to us from the Lord, and the listeners will subsequently give an account to the One who will demand from them what was given to them with interest. However, we do not mean that we ourselves should not suffer harm and just do our job, but we want you to use what was handed over to you from us and not be subjected to the punishment that befell the one who hid the talent, and not only did not multiply, but also buried the silver of his Lord in the ground. Such are those who receive the word of teaching (for teaching is called talent and silver in Scripture) and do not try to bear fruit and make proper use (of teaching). “A certain man,” it is said, is a housewife, “when he left, he called his slaves... and to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one.” And after many times, having returned to him, the slaves came and received the five talents and approached, saying: “Lord, you gave me five talents: behold, they acquired five other talents” (cf. Matthew 25:14, 15, 19, 20). Great is the prudence of a servant, generous is the philanthropy of the Lord. For what does He say? “Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in a few things, I will make you ruler over many: enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21). since, he says, you have shown a lot of prudence in the use of what was entrusted to you, you deserve to receive even more. “He came... having received two talents, he said: Lord, you have delivered two talents to me: behold, another has received two talents” (Matthew 25:22). This slave also has a lot of care for his master’s property; therefore he too will be rewarded with the same thing that the first received. But why is the one who brought two talents awarded an equal share with the one who brought five talents? This is fair: because the greater and lesser increase in talents is made not by the diligence of one and the carelessness of another, but by the number of talents entrusted to them. As for their diligence, both brought equally, therefore they received the same reward. WHEN LISTENING TO THE WORD OF GOD, WE MUST TEACH OTHERS THE SAME AND NOT DISAPPOINT THE PREACHER The Samaritan woman, who came to draw sensual water, was filled with divine streams from a spiritual source, thus she returned home, having fulfilled the Lord’s saying on herself: “The water that I will give him, there will be in him a fountain of water flowing into an eternal belly” (John 4:14). For she, herself filled with this divine and spiritual source, did not restrain the flows within herself, but from her abundance, so to speak, she poured out the grace of the gift given to her onto the inhabitants of the city, and - a wife, a Samaritan, a foreigner, suddenly became a preacher. You have seen how important spiritual gratitude is, you have also seen the Lord’s love for mankind, how He does not despise anyone, even in a woman, even in a poor man, and for the sake of the royal letter they give great honor to him, and the letter from him is accepted with great fear and reverence. So, if someone who brings a charter from a person, and moreover a simple charter, is accepted from everyone in this way; all the more, in fairness, you need to accept with full attention the sayings of the Holy Spirit, transmitted to you through us, in order to receive your reward for the good disposition of your heart. For the grace of the Spirit is abundant and, pouring out on everyone, does not suffer any diminution in itself, but multiplies even more in the very division between many, and the more of those who partake of grace, the more abundant its gifts become. NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE WORLD BY CHANCE The Lord, offended by the wickedness of His people - Israel, but still merciful, commands His prophet to proclaim His will to the people, and the prophet speaks on behalf of God: “If you are willing and listen to Me, you will destroy the good land; and a person who has retreated from God and forgotten Him thinks: after all, we cannot avoid what is destined for us by fate, even if we wanted and tried to avoid it. The Lord still repeats: if you want, you will carry away the good earth; the sinner, on the contrary, answers: if we would like to receive something, but it will not be given to us, what is the use of wanting and asking? God continues: I have offered you fire and water, life and death, if you wish, stretch out your hand; and the devil whispers to us: you do not have your own will or will to choose this or that, unless you force yourself to do this by force, but even this only seems to you, unfortunate one! You do not delve into the difference between those who speak: one is offered to you by God, another is suggested to you by the tempting spirit; You don’t even distinguish between the fact that one thing is offered to you savingly and leads to life, while the other is filled with anger and wickedness and leads to eternal destruction. If you knew a conspiracy against the king, although you were not a participant in it, then for your acquaintance with these people, for communicating with them, you would be subject to the same punishment as they. When you hear what is being said about God, and this conversation is filled with blasphemy against God, won’t you move away so as not to hear such conversation, won’t you hate such people, won’t you stop such blasphemous lips? Otherwise, how can you pray to God with boldness? By listening to impudent speeches and not stopping them, don’t you yourself become an accomplice? Although you yourself are not guilty, you know people infected with this disease - exhort them with these or similar words, so that the Name of the Lord is not blasphemed, and even more so, try not only to not hear such conversations, but also to uproot their very thoughts. VIRTUE IS INHERENT IN MAN In the spiritual nature of man, God laid down a moral law that shows us what is good and what is evil. Therefore, no one should say: I did not read the law, I did not know what was prescribed by the law. For if we refuse the general written ten words of the law, then the unwritten, natural law will convict you. Do you want to know how the law innate by God operates in us, distinguishing between good and evil? – To do this, take a closer look at the phenomena of social life and notice how everyone who does evil avoids being called vicious. An adulterer commits adultery, but when he hears this name, he is ashamed. Tell the obvious adulterer: you are an adulterer! When he commits the act of adultery, he delights, but when he hears about it, he is ashamed. If you consider sin good, why do you avoid the name? Call someone a traitor, and he will take the name of his deeds as a reproach, as an insult. Thus, nature itself shows that evil is not the work of God, that God created only good and the most perfect good, but which people (in their concepts) confuse with evil, while they themselves are ashamed of it. Say to the chaste: chaste. He rejoices and is not ashamed of the name. Call the righteous righteous: he is adorned in deed and is honored by name. Even if, out of fear of God, he avoids the name of the righteous, he still rejoices in his soul about his good glory. Do you want to see, beloved, how strong the law innate to us is? Our soul, although mired in sins, nevertheless respects a good name. Many strong people, living by violence, and not thinking about anything other than kidnapping and lies, are often asked to alleviate the difficult condition of the poor. He who comes to plead with a strong and evil man does not immediately begin to tell him the truth, but first calls him virtuous. Don't you know what skilled supplicants do in such cases? You, they say, are a kind person, everyone praises your name, everyone glorifies your good deeds. And they add much more to their request in order to incline him to gain good fame for himself and deviate him from untruth. Do you see how the evil disposition of the heart is overcome by the praise of virtue? And no evil person wants to hear bad things about himself, because he respects the law inherent in nature, although he arbitrarily chooses something contrary to it. THE CAUSE OF ALL EVIL IS THE FALL OF ADAM AND OUR SINS Remember, brothers, that when Adam had not yet sinned, then the animals served and obeyed him, and he named them as his servants; and when he stained his face with sin, then the animals did not recognize him and from slaves they became his enemies. And just as a domestic dog serves the one who feeds him, fears and trembles at him, and if he suddenly sees him with his face stained with soot or covered with someone else’s mask, then he rushes at him as if he were a stranger and tries to tear him to pieces, so it was with Adam: as long as he kept his face pure, created in the image of God, until then the animals obeyed him like slaves, and when he stained his face their disobedience, they did not recognize him and began to be at enmity against him as against a stranger. Thus, the revolt of slaves is retribution for sins. Daniel was righteous, and the lions recognized his dominion; they saw him as innocent of sin and left him innocent of punishment (Dan. 6:22). The lying prophet sinned and a lion met him on the way and died! (1 Kings 13:24): he stained himself with lies, and the lion did not recognize him. If he had seen in him a prophet like Daniel, he would have honored him, but he found a false prophet, and therefore attacked him as a stranger; the ruler lied - and the slave rejected his rule. But what am I saying about external calamities, if our very body, which is most dear to us, sometimes enmities against us when we sin, with fevers and other painful sufferings, if even the servile punishes the ruling soul, it sins not because it wants this, but because it is given to it to do so. This is evidenced by Christ, who said to the healed paralytic: “Behold, you are healthy: let no one sin, lest anything worse befall him” (John 5:14). So, having learned, brethren, that wars from households, relatives and slaves, and bodily illnesses are mostly due to sins, let us destroy the source of evil - sin. NOTHING HAPPENS BY CHANCE There is no teaching, beloved, so harmful to us as the teaching about fate and remarks about birthdays. If you think that everything depends on chance, everything is determined by fate, then how can you blame your wife who left you and gave herself to another? Why are you angry with her, what right do you have to complain about the one who seduced her? If chance rules everything, then, seeing broken locks in your house, and learning that you have been robbed, you should not look for the thief and demand punishment for him, because he did not rob you of his own free will, as you say, but it was destined for him by fate. Leave everything: waste your wealth, abandon your houses, leave the trade through which you acquired your wealth, dismiss your slaves who helped you in your enterprises and be left without everything; - but you cannot bear all this and, involuntarily, you must despise your teaching about happiness - about fate. Why do you blame fate for this, and not blame yourself? Don't you see that your faith in fate cannot be based on anything and can come from our laziness and carelessness, in order only to humiliate our noble works, our activities. If everything happens by chance, what is the use of judicial seats? If everything happens by chance, what is faith? If everything depends on chance - there is no providence, no God, no virtue, no vice. If there is an opportunity, everything is in vain, everything will remain without reward: whether we work or do nothing, there is no praise, no condemnation, no one will praise us, no one will condemn us. If there is a case, then shame should disappear in us, honor should be destroyed, laws are not needed, courts are not needed. And why ask why one lives richly while the other lives beggarly? If we do not have enough intelligence to understand these empty words, then it would be better for us not to know anything than to interpret without meaning; It is better to have no idea of ​​good than to know bad; ignorance is not subject to condemnation, and knowledge of bad things has no excuse. But why does the wicked enjoy happiness, while the virtuous often suffers? If this one suffers misfortune, then for his patience he will receive a greater reward, and if he does not come to his senses in time and does not correct himself, and does not recognize the Lord Lord above him, his Creator and Provider, then he will be subjected to greater punishment. You might be interested in: