Беседа 37

Spoken to the people in the Church of the Holy Martyr Sebastian on the day of his repose. Reading the Holy Gospel: Luke 14.26–33. Luke 14.26–33. If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and, moreover, his own life, he cannot be My disciple; and whoever does not bear his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, whether he has what it takes to complete it? lest when he lays the foundation and is not able to complete it, all who see it begin to laugh at him, saying: this man began to build and could not finish? Or what king, going to war against another king, does not sit down and consult first whether he is able with ten thousand to resist the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he is still far away, he will send an embassy to him to ask for peace. So, anyone of you who does not renounce everything that he has cannot be My disciple. 1. If we, beloved brethren, consider what and how much of what is promised to us in heaven, then for the soul what is on earth becomes insignificant. For an earthly being in comparison with a heavenly one is a burden, not a benefit. Temporary life, in comparison with eternal life, should rather be called death than life. For the most daily loss of life, what else does it mean if not a certain duration of death? But what language can express or what mind can understand those inexpressible joys of the High Fatherland - to be among the hosts of Angels, to stand together with the most blessed spirits of the glories of the Creator, to look directly at the face of God, to see an indescribable light, to resolutely not be afraid of death, to enjoy the gift of constant innocence? Hearing about this, the soul is inflamed and wants to be already where it hopes to rejoice endlessly. But she cannot achieve great rewards except through great feats. That is why Paul, the glorious preacher, says: “But even if someone strives, he will not be crowned if he struggles unlawfully” (2 Tim 2.5). So, the greatness of rewards should delight the soul, but ascetic struggle should not frighten. That is why the Truth says to those who come to her: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and, moreover, his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” 2. But may it be contradictory in what way is it commanded to hate our parents and close relatives, to whom the commandment is given to love even our enemies? And indeed. The truth about the wife says: “So what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Matthew 19.6). And Paul says: “husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her” (Eph 5.25). Here the disciple commands to love his wife, while the Teacher says: “Whoever does not hate his wife cannot be My disciple.” Is it possible that the Judge proclaims one thing, and the preacher speaks about another? Or can we hate and love together? But if we delve into the power of the commandment, then we can do both through separation, so that we will love those who are united with us by kinship in the flesh and who are close to us, and, hating and running, we will not know those who are hostile to us on the path of God. For it is as if through hatred they love someone whom they do not listen to who is wise according to the flesh, when he instills in us wickedness. But in order to show that the Lord produces this hatred of others not from spiritual disposition, but from love, He immediately added, saying: “and, moreover, life itself.” So, we are commanded to hate our neighbors and our souls. Consequently, he, while loving, must hate his neighbor who hates him as much as he hates himself. For we hate our soul when we do not follow its wishes, when we argue with its efforts, when we fight with its pleasures. So, it is as if through hatred it is loved, when, being despised, it is directed towards the better. This is exactly how we should express our hatred of our neighbors, so that we can both love in them what they are and hate what they do to hinder us on the path of God. 3. It is known that when Paul was going to Jerusalem, then the Prophet Agabus took his belt and tied his hands and feet with it, saying: “The man whose belt is this will be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles” (Acts 21.11). What did he say who completely hated his soul? “I not only want to be a prisoner, but I am ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21.13); “But I do not look at anything and do not value my life” (Acts 20.24). This is how (the Apostle), loving, hated, and, hating, loved his soul, which he wanted to put to death for Jesus, in order to raise it to life from the death of sin. So, let’s transfer this concept of self-hatred to hatred of one’s neighbor. We must love everyone in this world, not excluding the enemy; but on the path of God there is no need to love the enemy, even if he were a relative. For whoever strongly desires the eternal must be on the path of God, which he enters without a father, without a mother, without a wife, without children, without relatives, without himself, so that he can know God more truly, the less he remembers anyone in the matter of pleasing Him. For it means a lot when carnal passions distract the attention of the mind and obscure its insight, but we do not suffer harm from them if we keep them in a constrained position. So, we must love our neighbors; love should be extended to all near and far, but for the sake of this love one should not shy away from love of God. 4. But we know that when the ark of the Lord returned from the land of the Philistines to the land of Israel, then it was laid on a cart, and the cart was harnessed to cows that had calved for the first time, whose calves were locked up at home. And it is written: “And the cows went straight to the road to Beth-shemesh; They walked along the same road, walked and mumbled, but did not deviate either to the right or to the left; and the rulers of the Philistines followed them to the borders of Bethshemesh” (1 Samuel 6.12). So, who do the cows represent, if not the believers in the Church, who, fulfilling the commandments of the holy Word, seem to carry the ark of the Lord placed on them? It is also necessary to note about them that those cows were calving for the first time, because there are many who, internally standing on the path of God, are externally bound by carnal concerns; but those who carry the ark of God in their souls do not deviate from the straight path. For behold, the cows are going to Bethsam. Because Bethsam is called the house of the sun, and the Prophet says: “The Sun of righteousness will rise and healing in its rays” (Mal 4.2). So, if we strive for the dwelling of the Eternal Sun, then this desire is worth it so as not to deviate from the path of God for the sake of bodily passions. With full attention, one must reflect on the fact that the “beauties” of God, harnessed to the cart, continue on their way and moo, roar loudly, and yet do not turn away from the path. This is exactly what the preachers of God and all the faithful in the Holy Church should be like, in order to sympathize with their neighbors with love, and yet, out of this sympathy, not stray from the path of God. 5. But how this very hatred of the soul should be expressed, the Truth further explains, saying: “and whoever does not bear his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.” Because the name of the cross comes from “baptism”. And we bear the cross of the Lord in two ways: either by mortifying the flesh by abstinence, or by considering the extremity of our neighbor as our own, out of sympathy. For the one who expresses grief over an alien extreme carries a cross in his soul. But you need to know that there are people who use abstinence of the flesh not for the sake of God, but for the sake of vanity. And there are many who express sympathy for their neighbor not in spirit, but in the flesh, in order to promote him not in virtue, but, as it were, in guilt. So, these people, although they seem to be carrying a cross, do not follow the Lord. Therefore, the same Truth rightly says: “and whoever does not bear his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.” For to bear the cross and follow the Lord means either to mortify the flesh by abstinence, or to show compassion for one’s neighbor, according to the desire of the eternal goal. But whoever shows this for a temporary purpose, although he wears a cross, refuses to follow the Lord. 6. But since high commandments are given, a comparison is immediately added from the height being built, when it is said: “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, whether he has what is needed to complete it, so that when he lays the foundation and is not able to complete it, all those who see it begin to laugh at him, saying: this man began to build and was not able to finish.” We must think ahead about everything we do. For, according to the word of Truth, the one who builds a tower prepares in advance the amount for the construction. So, if we want to build a pillar of humility, we must prepare ourselves in advance for the troubles of this age. But the difference between the earthly and heavenly structure is that the earthly structure is built by the collection of expenses, and the heavenly structure by the distribution of property. This is why we accumulate money if we do not have it ready; and for this we save up a sum when we leave what we had. The rich man who, having a lot of wealth, asked the Teacher, saying: “Good Teacher! What good thing can I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19.16)? – When he listened to the commandment to leave everything, he departed with sorrow; and in his soul he was constrained from where, in appearance, he was vast in possession. Since in this life he loved the costs of exaltation, then, striving for the Eternal Fatherland, he did not want to make costs for humility. But we must also pay attention to what is said, because, according to Paul, “but I will come to you quickly, if the Lord wills, and I will test not the words of the proud, but the power” (1 Cor 4.19). And in everything we do, we must think about our hidden enemies, who always oversee our deeds, always rejoice at our failure. Looking at them, the Prophet says: “My God! I trust in You, lest I be put to shame [forever], lest my enemies triumph over me” (Ps 24:2). For we, busy with good deeds, without carefully guarding against evil spirits, suffer ridicule from the very ones who disposed us to evil. But since the comparison was made from the construction of the building, now similarity is added from the smaller to the larger, so that it can be concluded from smaller things to larger ones. For further it follows: “or what king, going to war against another king, does not sit down and consult first whether he is able with ten thousand to resist the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he is still far away, he will send an embassy to him to ask for peace.” King against king, equal against equal, goes to war, and yet, if he admits that he cannot resist, then he sends an embassy and asks for peace. So, with what tears should we beg for mercy for ourselves, who at this terrible test will appear for judgment with our King, not equal with equal, but whose condition, and weakness, and everything on which we depend, are inferior? 7. But perhaps we have cleared away the guilt of evil deeds and removed all external wickedness from ourselves; but is this really enough for us to give an account of our thoughts? For he is called coming with twenty thousand, against whom the one coming with ten thousand is not sufficient. Because ten thousand is to twenty as one is to two. And even if we manage to achieve a lot, we barely keep only our external affairs in legal order. For although the lust of the flesh has already been killed, it has not yet been torn out from the roots from the heart. And He who comes to judgment judges both the external and the internal, and examines deeds as well as thoughts. So, He is coming with two against one, who will together judge for the deeds and thoughts of us, who were barely prepared by deeds alone. So, brothers, what should we do, if not, seeing that it is impossible to withstand His double army with an equal army, send an embassy to Him, who is still far away, and ask for the grant of peace? For He who is not yet present at the judgment is called far away. Let us send an embassy to Him—our tears; let us send works of mercy; let us lay on His altar the sacrifices of propitiation, we confess that we cannot compete with Him in judgment; Let us think about His power and pray for the granting of peace to us. This is what our embassy consists of, which appeases the coming King. Think, brethren, how merciful it is that He who is able to afflict us with His coming delays this coming. Let us send to Him, as we said, an embassy with tears, gifts and sacred sacrifices. For the sacrifice of the holy altar, once brought for the sake of our purification, with tears and tenderness of the soul, pleads for us, because He who, having risen from the dead by Himself, no longer dies, through it still suffers for us in His Sacrament. For as many times we offer Him the sacrifice of His suffering, so many times we renew His suffering for ourselves for the sake of our purification. 8. Many of you, beloved brethren, I think, happened to know what I want to tell you to renew your memory. Not long before our times, an event became known that someone, captured by enemies, was taken far away into captivity (Book 4, colloquial chapter 57); and since he was kept in chains for a long time, his wife, not seeing his return from this captivity, considered him killed. She took care to make sacrifices for him every Saturday, as if for the dead. In captivity, his shackles fell off as many times as his wife made sacrifices for the salvation of his soul. For after a long time, having returned from captivity, he told his wife with extreme surprise that on certain days - on every Saturday - his shackles fell off. Remembering precisely these days and hours, his wife remembered that he was then released from his bonds when she made sacrifices for him. So, beloved brethren, from this carefully conclude how much power the sacrifice we have made has to resolve the bonds of the heart in us, if it, brought by one, could destroy the bonds of the body in another. 9. Many of you, beloved brethren, knew Cassius in the city of Narni. He had the custom of making sacrifices to God every day, so that almost not a single day passed on which he did not offer sacrifices of propitiation to Almighty God (Book 4. Conversations, chapter 56). His life was very consistent with his sacrifice. For by giving out in alms everything he had, when he came to the sacrifice, then shedding tears with great contrition of heart, it was as if he had slain himself. I learned both about his life and about his death from a certain respected deacon who was his pupil. For he said that one night the Lord appeared to his presbyter in a vision, saying: “Go and tell the bishop, and do what you do, work as you work, let not your foot fail, let not your hand fail, on the day of the death of the Apostles you will come to Me, and I will give you your reward.” The presbyter woke up, but since the day of the death of the Apostles was very close, he was afraid to inform the bishop about the day of his so close death. The next night the Lord appeared again and strongly reproached him for his disobedience, and repeated the same words of his command. The presbyter woke up and wanted to go, but again weakness of heart was an obstacle to announcing the revelation; and he, contrary to the admonition of even the secondary command, did not go, and did not want to announce what he saw. But since the great meekness of despised grace is usually followed by greater anger of vengeance, the Lord, appearing for the third time, added punishment to the words, and he (the presbyter) was beaten so much that the physical wounds softened the hardness of his heart. Therefore, he, enlightened by the punishment, immediately ran to the bishop and found him standing, according to custom, at the sacrifice on the tomb of the Holy Martyr Juvenal, asked for a secret place from those standing around and rushed to his feet. And when the bishop could hardly calm him down. crying bitterly, then he wanted to know the reason for the tears. But he, wanting to tell about the vision in order, having first thrown off his clothes from his shoulders, revealed the bodily ulcers, so to speak, witnesses of truth and guilt, showed with what attention and severity the members of his body were furrowed blue from the blows inflicted. The bishop, as soon as he saw this, was horrified and in a voice of great horror asked who decided to do this to him. But he replied that he suffered this for him. Surprise grew to horror, but the presbyter, so as not to delay his questioning, revealed the secret of revelation and recounted to him the words of the Lord’s command that he had heard, saying: “Do what you do; work as you work; let not your foot fail; let not your hand fail; on the day of the death of the Apostles you will come to Me, and I will give you your reward.” Hearing this, the bishop rushed to prayer with great contrition of heart and, coming to the sacrifice at the third hour, due to the greatness of intense prayer, he extended it until the ninth hour! And from that day on he increased more and more the treasures of piety for himself; and he became as zealous for the cause as he was known for his position, because he was already beginning to owe Him to whom he himself was a debtor through this promise. But he had the custom of coming to Rome every year on the day of the death of the Apostles, and after this revelation he no longer wanted to go there, according to custom. Consequently, at this very time he, busy awaiting his death, was preoccupied; the next year, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth also. He was already beginning to doubt the truth of revelation if the plagues did not give faith to the words. And so, in the seventh year, he comfortably came to the sacred vigils of the expected day of repose; but a quiet sorrow touched him at these vigils, and on the very day of his repose he refused to perform the solemn Liturgy for the children awaiting him. But they, since they also suspected its outcome, all came to him together, unanimously lamenting the fact that on this very day they would not at all rest in the celebration of the solemn Liturgy if their same abbot did not come to the Lord as a mediator for them. Then he, touched by this, celebrated the Liturgy in the episcopal house church and with his own hand taught the body of the Lord and the world to everyone. During the entire service of the Liturgy, he went to his bed and there, lying there, looking at his priests and co-celebrants, saying, as it were, the last “forgive”, he exhorted them to preserve the union of love and commanded them by what consent they should be united with each other. Suddenly, in the midst of the very words of holy exhortation, he cried out in a terrible voice, saying: “It’s time.” And immediately with his own hands he handed the towel to those present, which, according to custom, covers the faces of the dying. Having covered himself with it, he gave up the ghost, and thus this holy soul, passing on to the Eternal Joys, renounced the mortal body. Who, beloved brothers, whom did this man imitate in his death, if not the One whom he contemplated in his life? For by saying “it is time,” he left the body; because Jesus, having completed everything, then said: “It is finished!” And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19.30). So, what the Lord did by authority, the servant did by calling. 10. Such a blessed peace was bestowed by that embassy to the coming King, which was sent daily in the Liturgy with sacrifices, alms and tears! So let him who can leave everything. And whoever cannot leave everything, let him send an embassy when the King is still far away, let him send gifts of tears, alms and sacrifice to Him. For He wants to be propitiated by prayers, Who knows that He cannot be tolerated in anger. This is what slows down His coming and supports the peace embassy. For if He wanted, He would have already come and executed all His enemies. But He announces how terrible He will come, but He delays His coming, because He does not want to find those who need to be punished. He announces to us the guilt of our contempt, saying: “So anyone of you who does not renounce everything that he has cannot be My disciple”; and yet it provides a means to the hope of salvation, because He who cannot be tolerated in anger wants to be appeased through an embassy asking for peace. So, beloved brethren, wash away the stains of sins with tears, wipe away with alms, cleanse with holy sacrifices. Do not wish to possess in your thoughts what you did not leave behind after consuming it. Have strong hope in the one Redeemer, raise your mind to the Eternal Fatherland. For if you no longer possess anything in this world with love, then leave everything in your possession. May He Himself grant us the desired joys, Who brought us the means of Eternal Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through all ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: