Беседа 38

Spoken to the people in the Church of St. Martyr Clement. Reading the Holy Gospel: Matthew 22.1–14. Matthew 22.1–14. Jesus, continuing to speak to them in parables, said: The kingdom of heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son and he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast; and didn't want to come. Again he sent other slaves, saying: Tell those who are invited: behold, I have prepared my dinner, my bullocks and what is fattened, slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast. But they, despising this, went, some to their field, and some to their trade; the others, seizing his slaves, insulted and killed them. Hearing about this, the king became angry, and, sending his troops, destroyed their killers and burned their city. Then he says to his servants: The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy; So go to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast. And those slaves, going out onto the roads, gathered everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining. The king, going in to look at those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes, and says to him: friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes? He was silent. Then the king said to the servants: Having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; For many are called, but few are chosen. 1. I, beloved brethren, want to briefly follow the reading of the Gospel, so that at the end I will be able to dwell on a lengthy discussion. But first we must ask, is this the very reading in Matthew, which is described in Luke under the name of the supper (Luke 14.16 ff.)? And indeed, there is something that seems to be discordant, because here it is said about lunch, and there about supper; here the one who came to the wedding not in decent clothes is kicked out, there is no mention of anyone who would have been kicked out. From this comes the fair conclusion that here marriage signifies the real Church, and there – suppers – the eternal and final meeting; because, just as some enter into this (Church) who are about to leave it, so also there the eternal and final meeting is designated by the supper, so that whoever has entered that once will no longer come out of it. But if someone were to insist that these readings are one and the same, then I think it is better, keeping the faith, to yield to the understanding of another, rather than to argue, because the understanding can also be in agreement, because Luke remained silent, and Matthew spoke about that expelled guest who came to the wedding not in wedding clothes. And what is called supper in Luke, and dinner in Matthew, does not at all contradict our understanding, because the ancients dined every day at nine o’clock, and therefore dinner itself is called supper. 2. But I often, as I remember, said that in the Holy Gospel the Kingdom of Heaven is mostly called the real Church. Because the assembly of the Righteous is called the Kingdom of Heaven. For through the Prophet the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne” (Isaiah 66.1); and Solomon says: “The soul of the righteous is the throne of Wisdom” 5 (Wis. 7.27); Paul also says: “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1.24). From this we must clearly conclude that if God is Wisdom, and the soul of the righteous is the throne of Wisdom, then when heaven is called the throne of God, the soul of the righteous is heaven. Therefore, through the Psalmist it is said about the holy preachers: “the heavens preach the glory of God” (Ps 18.2). So, the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of the Righteous, because their hearts, not being attached to anything earthly, through this very fact that they strive for the heavenly, become the Kingdom of the Lord in them, as if Heavenly. So, it says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son.” 3. Your love already understands who this King is, the Father of the Son of the King; this is the One about whom the Psalmist says: “God! grant Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness to the king’s son” (Ps 71.1). It was He who “created marriage for His Son.” For God the Father created marriage for His Son, God, when in the virgin womb He coupled Him with human nature; when it pleased that God before the ages should be man at the end of the ages. But since this connection usually consists of two persons, then the thought should be far from our understanding that we believe that the Face of God and Man, our Redeemer Jesus Christ, consists of two persons. Because, although we say that It consists of two natures, or in two natures, we must avoid the belief that it is composed of two persons, as an absurdity. Consequently, it can be said more clearly and safely that the Father created the marriage of the Tsar’s Son by uniting the Holy Church with Him through the sacrament of the Incarnation. And the womb of the Virgin Mary was a palace for this Bridegroom. Therefore, the Psalmist says: “Their sound goes through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. He has made a dwelling place for the sun in them, and it comes out like a bridegroom from his bridal chamber” (Ps 18.5:6). He, “like the Bridegroom,” came out of His palace when the incarnate God came out of the uncorrupted womb of the Virgin to unite with Him the Holy Church. Therefore, He sent His servants to invite friends to this marriage. He sent once and sent again, because he first sent Prophets and then Apostles as preachers of the Incarnation of the Lord. And so He twice sent slaves to invite him, because through the Prophets he announced the future incarnation of the Only Begotten, and through the Apostles he preached about what had happened. But since those who were invited before did not want to come to the wedding feast, the second invitation says: “Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my bullocks and what is fattened, killed, and everything is ready.” 4. What do we, beloved brethren, mean by “youths” and “well-fed”, if not the Fathers of the New and Old Testaments? But since I speak simply, I need to explain the very words of the Gospel reading. For we call fattened things that have been fattened; for from the word “nourish” we derive the word “fed” or “nutritious.” And since the law says: “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy” (Matthew 5.43; Lev. 19.18), then the righteous at that time had permission to oppress the enemies of God and their own with all the strength they had, and to kill them with the sword. This is, without any doubt, prohibited in the New Testament, when the Truth personally preaches, saying: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5.44). So, who are designated as youths if not the fathers of the Old Testament? For they, having received permission from the Law, struck down their enemies with vengeance, like youths who gored their enemies with the horns of bodily strength? What is depicted through the well-fed, if not the New Testament fathers, who, accepting the grace of internal fattening, rising above earthly desires, rise to the heavenly on the wings of their contemplation? Because to stop your thoughts on the ground, what does it mean if not some dryness of the soul? But those who, from the understanding of heaven, already feed on the food of inner pleasure through holy aspirations for the heavenly, become fat, as if from the most abundant food. The Prophet wanted to be satisfied with this fat when he said: “As my soul is satisfied with fat and oil, and my lips praise You with a joyful voice” (Ps 62.6). So, since the sent preachers of the incarnation of the Lord, first the Prophets, and then the Holy Apostles, were persecuted by the infidels, who were invited, but did not want to come, it is said: “My bullocks and what is fattened is slaughtered, and everything is ready.” It is clearly said, as it were: “Look at the death of the preceding Fathers and think about the means of your life.” But it is remarkable that at the first invitation nothing is said about “calfs” and “well-fed”, and at the second “calfs” and “well-fed” are already mentioned; because Almighty God, when we do not want to listen to His words, adds examples so that everything that seems impossible to us becomes the more conveniently probable, the more accurately we know that it has already happened to others. 5. It follows: “but they, neglecting it, went, some to their fields, and some to trade.” Because to go “to your village” means to indulge immoderately in earthly labor, and to go “to buy” (to trade) means to strongly desire profits from the actions of this world. For some, busy with earthly labor, and others, devoted to the affairs of this world, do not want to thoroughly reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Lord and conform their lives with it, they refuse to go to the marriage of the Kings, as if going to a field or market place. But, more importantly, some for the most part not only reject the grace of the caller, but also persecute (the callers). That is why it is added: “the others, seizing his servants, insulted and killed them. Hearing about this, the king became angry, and, sending his troops, destroyed their killers and burned their city." He destroys the murderers because he destroys the pursuers. The city burns them with fire, because not only their souls, but even the bodies in which they lived, makes them suffer in the eternal flame of Gehenna. But it is said about murderers that they were destroyed by the sent troops, because every judgment on people is carried out through Angels. For what are the ranks of angels if not the armies of our King? Therefore the same King is called the Lord of Hosts. Because Hosts means “Lord of hosts.” So, He sends an army to destroy His enemies, because the Lord takes vengeance precisely through the Angels. Then our fathers only heard about His power of vengeance, but now we already see it. For where are those proud persecutors of the Martyrs? Where are those who raised the neck of their hearts against Their Creator and were proud of the deadly glory of this world? Now the death of the Martyrs is glorified by the faith of the living, and those who boasted of their cruelty against them are not remembered otherwise than among the dead. So, we learn from events what we hear in parables. 6. Therefore, He who knows that His invitations are despised will not have the wedding chambers of the King His Son empty. He sends to others, because the word of God, although it acts on others without success, will never find a place where it can rest. Therefore it is added: “Then he says to his servants: The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy; So go to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.” If in Holy Scripture we take paths for actions, then by the origins of paths we mean the shortcomings of actions, because for the most part those who come to God are those whose earthly deeds are not accompanied by any benefits. It follows: “And those slaves, going out onto the roads, gathered everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining.” 7. The very quality of those reclining clearly shows that this marriage of the King signifies the real Church, in which the evil come together with the good. Because it is confused by the difference of children, all of whom it gives birth to faith in such a way that, for good reasons, it does not bring everyone to the freedom of spiritual grace through a change of life. For as long as we live here, it is still necessary that we continue the path of the present age in confusion. But we sort ourselves out when we reach the end of it. For there are only good ones anywhere except heaven; and there are only evil people anywhere except hell. But this life, which is between heaven and hell, since it stands in the middle, generally accepts citizens from both sides; however, the Holy Church even now accepts them not indiscriminately, and later distinguishes them at the exodus. So, if there are good ones, then as long as you remain in this life, endure the evil ones with indifference. For whoever does not tolerate the evil, through impatience testifies to himself that he is not good. For Abel, who is not interested in Cain’s malice, agrees to die. So, during threshing on a threshing floor, the grains fall under the chaff; so flowers grow among thorns, and a fragrant rose grows with points that prick. Because the first man had two sons; but one of them is chosen, and the other is wicked (Gen. 4.1). Noah had three sons with him in the ark; but two of them are chosen, and one is wicked (Gen. 6.10). Abraham had two sons; but one is chosen, and the other is wicked (Gen. 21.10 et seq.). Isaac had two sons; but one is chosen, and the other is wicked (Gen. 27.37). Jacob had twelve sons; but one of them was sold for innocence, and the others, out of malice, were their brother’s sellers (Gen. 37.28). Twelve Apostles were chosen; but among them one was admitted in order to tempt, and eleven in order to be tempted (John 6.71). Seven deacons were appointed by the Apostles (Acts 6.5); but while six remained in the right faith, one emerged as the inventor of error (Rev 2.6). So, in this Church there can be neither evil without good, nor good without evil. Therefore, beloved brethren, remember the times that have passed and strengthen yourself to endure the evil. For if we are the children of the elect, then of necessity it remains for us to follow their example. For he was not good who refused to tolerate the evil. That is why blessed Job says about himself: “he became a brother to jackals and a friend to ostriches” (Job 30.29). Therefore, through Solomon, in the voice of the groom, it is said to the Holy Church: “As the lily among the thorns, so is my beloved among the maidens” (Song 2.2). Therefore, the Lord, through Ezekiel, says: “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them and do not be afraid of their words, if they become thistles and thorns for you, and you will live among the scorpions; Do not be afraid of their speech and do not be afraid of their face, for they are a rebellious house”; (Ezek 2.6). Therefore, Peter glorifies the life of Lot, saying: “But he delivered the righteous Lot, who was tired of being treated among violently depraved people (for this righteous man, living among them, was daily tormented in his righteous soul, seeing and hearing lawless deeds)” (2 Pet 2.7, 8). Therefore, Paul both praises and reinforces the life of the disciples, saying: “that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blame among a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:15). Therefore, John testifies about the Pergamon Church, saying: “I know your works, and that you live where the throne of Satan is, and that you hold My name, and have not denied My faith” (Rev 2.13). Behold, beloved brethren, by listing everything, we realize that there was no good person who was not tempted by the wickedness of the wicked. For, I will say this, the iron of our soul cannot be brought to the sharpness of a blade unless it is sharpened by the saw of extraneous wickedness. 8. But this should not frighten you, that in the Church there are many evil ones, and few good ones; because in the ark on the flood waters, the former image of the real Church, there was breadth in the lower parts and tightness in the upper: the latter at the top ended in one foot. This is probably because four-legged animals and reptiles were placed below, and birds and people above. Where it was wide, it accommodated animals; and where it was narrow, there he kept people, precisely because the Holy Church is vast in the flesh, but cramped in the spiritual. For where it tolerates the brutal morals of people, there it spreads more widely. And where it has people who are supported by spiritual intelligence, there it rises upward, but, however, it narrows because there are few of them. For “enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many go in thereat; for strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it” (Matthew 7.13, 14). The ark at the top becomes so narrow that it is even reduced to the measure of one foot, because in the Holy Church, the holier someone is, the fewer there are. At the very top, it (the Church) is brought to the One who is the only Man among people, and without comparison with another, was born a Saint. He, according to the Prophet, became “like a lonely bird on the housetop” (Ps 101.8). So, the more evil they are, the more in number they should be tolerant, because even at the threshing floor there are not many grains, which are stored in granaries, but huge heaps of straw that are burned by fire. 9. But since you, brethren, by the mercy of the Lord, have already entered the wedding house, that is, the Holy Church, then carefully examine so that the entering King does not find anything indecent in the mood of your soul. For with great heartfelt fear one must think about what is immediately added: “the king, going in to look at those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes.” What, beloved brethren, in our opinion, is expressed through the wedding garment? For if we call the wedding garment Baptism or faith, then who entered this wedding feast without Baptism and faith? For he stands outside (the wedding feast) because he has not yet believed. So, what should we mean by the wedding garment, if not love? For he enters into the wedding feast, but enters without the wedding garment, who, being numbered in the Holy Church, has faith, but does not have love. For love is rightly called the wedding garment, because our Creator had it in Himself when He came to unite Himself in marriage with the Holy Church. Because the love of God alone made it possible that His Only Begotten united with Himself the souls of chosen people. That is why John says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3.16). So, He who came to people out of love, appointed this same love to be the wedding garment. Therefore, each of you, being in the Church, has already come to the wedding feast, but did not come in wedding clothes, if he does not maintain the grace of love. And truly, brethren, if someone were invited to a physical wedding feast without changing his clothes, then by the very indecency of his clothes he would show how he rejoices with the bride and groom, and would blush that he appeared among those rejoicing and celebrating in despicable clothes. We come to the marriage of God and do not want to change the garment of our hearts. The Angels rejoice when the elect are taken to heaven. So, with what disposition do we look at these spiritual festivals, we who do not have the wedding garment, that is, love, which alone makes us comely? 10. But you need to know that just as clothes are hung on two trees, i.e. the upper and the lower, so love consists in two commandments, namely: in love for God and neighbor, because it is written: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength - this is the first commandment! The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12.30, 31; see Deut. 6.5). Here it should be noted that in love for one’s neighbor there is a measure of love when it is said: “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” and love for God is not constrained by any measure when it is said: “and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” For it is not commanded how much each one should love, but entirely, when it is said: “to all”; because the one who truly loves God is the one who leaves nothing for himself. So, everyone who is trying to purchase wedding clothing for marriage must fulfill the commandments of love. That is why, in the Prophet Ezekiel, the vestibule of the gate to the city itself, built on the mountain, has the measure of two Lakotas (Ezekiel 40.9), precisely because it is not permissible for us to enter the Heavenly City if we did not have love for God and neighbor in this Church, which is called the vestibule because it is still outside (the city). That is why it is commanded to dye the opon covering the Tabernacle twice (Exodus 26.1). These opons of the Tabernacle, you, brothers, you who by faith hide the heavenly mysteries in your hearts. But on the opons of the Tabernacle there should be purely scarlet paint. Because scarlet paint has the appearance of fire. What is love if not fire? But this love must strictly be colored, so that it is colored with love for God, and colored with love for one’s neighbor. For whoever loves God so much that, while contemplating Him, he does not care about his neighbor, although he is colored, he is not “purely” colored. And vice versa, whoever loves his neighbor so much that out of love for him leaves the contemplation of God, although he is colored, he is not “purely” colored. So, in order for your love to be “purely” painted scarlet, it must burn with both love for God and love for one’s neighbor, since neither out of compassion for one’s neighbor should it leave the contemplation of God, nor out of intense contemplation of God should it leave compassion for one’s neighbor. So, every person living among people must strive for the One Whom he desires, so, however, so as not to leave the one with whom he fled; and he must provide help to the latter in such a way that he is by no means indifferent to the One to whom he hastened. 11. You also need to know that love for one’s neighbor itself is divided into two commandments, when someone wise says: “You hate and do harm to no one” (Tob 4.15). And the Truth personally preaches, saying: “So in everything, whatever you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7.12). For if we give to others what we ourselves desire to receive, and refrain from doing to others what we do not desire for ourselves, then we keep the rights of love intact. But no one, loving someone, should immediately think that he has love, unless he first experiences the very power of his love. For if someone loves someone, but does not love for the sake of God, he does not have love, but thinks that he has love. But true love consists in when both a friend is loved in God and an enemy is loved for God’s sake. For this latter loves for God’s sake those whom he loves, already knowing that he loves those who do not love him. For love is usually proven only by resistance to hatred. Why does the Lord personally say: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6.27). Consequently, he truly loves who, for the sake of God, also loves the one about whom he knows that he does not love him. This is important, it is high, and for many it is difficult to perform, but it constitutes the wedding garment. And whoever, while reclining at the wedding, does not have it, should be very wary of being expelled when the Tsar comes. For it is said: “The king, going in to look at those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes.” These Words reclining at the wedding, beloved brethren, we who already have faith in the Church, feed on the food of Holy Scripture, rejoice in the union of the Church with God. I ask you to look around, whether you came to this wedding feast in wedding clothes, and reconsider your thoughts with special attention. Examine your hearts from all sides, whether you have any hatred, whether you envy someone else’s happiness, whether you harbor secret malice with a desire to harm someone. 12. So the King enters the wedding feast and examines the disposition of our hearts, and to the one whom he finds not dressed with love, he immediately says in anger: “friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” It is very surprising, beloved brethren, that He both calls him a friend and rejects him, as if clearly saying this: “friend,” and “not friend, friend” in faith, but “not friend” in deeds. “He kept silent,” because - which cannot be said without tears - at this judgment of the final reward there will be no reason for an apology, since he shouts from the outside, who, being a witness of conscience, inwardly accuses the soul. But meanwhile, you need to know that whoever has this robe of virtue, but not perfectly, should not despair of forgiveness at the entrance of the Holy King; because He Himself, giving us hope through the Psalmist, says: “in Your book are written all the days appointed for me, when not one of them was yet.” (Ps 139.16). But since we have said this little to console the falling and weak, we will now turn our words to someone who absolutely does not have this hope. What follows: 13. “Then the king said to the servants: Having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then, by the decision of conscience, the legs and hands of those who did not want to be bound for wicked deeds by correcting their lives are tied. Or more clearly: then the punishment will bind those who were not bound by evasion of good deeds. For the feet of those who do not want to visit the sick, and the hands that do not give anything from wealth to those in need, are already tied by will. Consequently, those who are now bound by vice voluntarily are then bound by punishment against their will. But it is well said that he is thrown into outer darkness. Because by “inner” darkness we call the blindness of the heart, and by “external” darkness we call the eternal night of condemnation. So, then, each condemned person is sent not to the inner, but to the outer darkness, because there, against his will, he is sent into the night of condemnation, who here voluntarily fell into the blindness of the heart. Where weeping and gnashing of teeth is predicted so that those teeth that here enjoyed gluttony will grind there; so that those eyes that were spinning here from unauthorized desires would shed tears, since all the members who here served in particular various vices would be subjected to private punishment separately. 14. But after the rejection of one, in which the totality of all evil is expressed, a general thought is immediately added, which says: “for many are called, but few are chosen.” Dearest brethren, what we have heard is very frightening. Now all of us, already called, came by faith to the wedding feast of the Heavenly King, and we believe and confess the mystery of His incarnation, we accept the Holy Word of God; but on the coming day of judgment the King will come. That we are called, we know, but whether we are chosen, we do not know. Consequently, the more necessary it is for each of us to humble ourselves, the less he knows about his election. For some have not yet begun to be good, and some have begun good works, but do not persevere in them. One apparently spent his entire life in wickedness, but at the end of his life, through tears of strict repentance, returns from his “wickedness”; another, apparently, spends the life of the elect, and yet it happens that at the end of his life he is inclined towards the wickedness of error. Someone begins good well, and does it even better; and the other, from childhood, indulges in bad deeds, and in these very deeds, always getting worse and worse, dies. So, everyone should fear for himself the more, the less he knows about what remains, because - this must often be repeated and never left in oblivion - “for many are called, but few are chosen.” 15. But since sometimes the minds of those listening pay more attention to the examples of believers than to the words of those who teach, I want to tell you something about your neighbor that your hearts should listen to with greater sympathy, the closer this story about your neighbor is to them. For we are not talking about events that are distant from us, but we are remembering those whose witnesses are still alive and say that they themselves were participants in them. My father had three sisters, all three of whom were sacred virgins: one of them was called Farsilla, the other Gordiana, the third Emiliana. All inflamed by the same jealousy, initiated at the same time, living under established supervision, they spent social life in their own home (Conversation book 4, chapter 16). And when they had been in this cohabitation for a long time, Farsilla and Emiliana began to grow in daily increments of love for their Creator and, being one flesh, pass in spirit into eternity. On the contrary, Gordiana’s soul began to cool from the heat of inner love through its daily losses, and little by little to return to the love of this age. Often Farsilla, with great sorrow, would say to her sister Emiliana: “I see that our sister Gordiana is not on our side, for I diligently consider that she runs out of the yard and does not save her heart for what she intended.” They tried to correct her with gentle daily reproof and return her from moral frivolity to the importance of her title. Although she, among the words of correction, unexpectedly took on the appearance of importance, however, when the time of this correction passed, then the feigned importance of honesty suddenly passed away, and she immediately returned to the words of frivolity. She rejoiced in the community of worldly girls, and for her the face that was not devoted to this world was very painful. But one night, to my aunt Farcilla, who was more respectable and very superior to her sisters by the power of constant prayer, careful exhaustion of the flesh, extraordinary abstinence and the importance of a high life, my great-great-grandfather Felix, the abbot of this Roman Church, appeared, as she herself said, and pointed out to her the dwelling of unceasing light, saying: “Come, because I receive you in this dwelling of light.” The next night she suddenly fell into a fever and within a day was close to death. And since at the death of noble women and men many people gather to console their relatives, at the very hour of her death many men and women surrounded her bed, among whom was my mother. When she suddenly, looking upward, saw Jesus coming, then with great concern she began to shout to those around her: “go away, go away, Jesus is coming!” And when she turned her attention to Him Whom she saw, then this holy soul renounced the body; and suddenly such a pleasant fragrance spread that even this pleasantness testified to everyone that the Originator of the pleasantness had come there. And when, according to the custom for the dead, they exposed her body for washing, they found hardened skin growths, like those of camels, on her elbows and knees from prolonged prayer; and the dead flesh bore witness to what its living spirit had always done. It was the day before the Nativity of the Lord. After it had passed, she immediately appeared to her sister Emiliana in a sleepy vision at night, saying: “I came so that, having spent the day of the Nativity of the Lord without you, I would spend the holy day of Epiphany with you.” She, concerned about the salvation of her sister Gordiana, immediately answered her: “If I come alone, then to whom will I leave our sister Gordiana?” To her, as she herself said, she again said with sorrow: “Go, for Gordiana, our sister, has been transferred to the laity.” This vision was immediately followed by a bodily illness and, as was said, the day before the Epiphany this one died from the intensification of her illness. Gordiana, as soon as she was left alone, indulged in her wickedness, and what she had hitherto hidden in mental desire, she later expressed in the experience of an ungodly deed. For, forgetting the fear of the Lord, forgetting shame and reverence, forgetting about tonsure, she later married the tax farmer of her fields. Behold, all three together were formerly ardent with zeal, but did not constantly remain in the same feat; because, according to the word of the Lord, “for many are called, but few are chosen.” So, I told this so that no one, having already established himself in virtue, would attribute to himself the strength for virtue, so that no one would rely on his own activity, because, although he knows what he is today, he still does not know what he will be tomorrow. Therefore, no one should safely rejoice in his deeds when he does not yet know what the end of this life will be. But since I spoke about an event that frightened you with Divine justice, I will also tell you, in contrast, about another event that should calm your frightened hearts with Divine mercy; however, I remember that I already talked about him in another conversation, but you weren’t there then. 16. Over the course of two years, a certain brother came to live in my monastery, located near the Church of the Holy Martyrs John and Paul, who was tested for a long time according to the rules, and was finally accepted (Conversations, book 4, chapter 58). His brother followed him to the monastery, not out of zeal for cohabitation, but out of carnal love. But the one who came to live together was greatly liked by the brethren; on the contrary, his brother was far removed from him both in life and in morals. However, he lived in the monastery more out of necessity than by choice. And although in all his actions he was a depraved man, he was indifferently tolerant of everyone for the sake of his brother. For he was frivolous in words, wicked in deeds, dandy in clothes, unbridled in disposition, but he could not stand it if anyone began to talk to him about the cohabitation of a holy state. His life was hard for all the brethren, however, as it is said, everyone tolerated him for the sake of his brother. He was greatly offended if anyone began to tell him anything about correcting his morality. I couldn’t not only do good, but I couldn’t even hear it. He spoke with an oath, with anger, with mockery, that he had never reached the state of holy cohabitation. But during this pestilence, which recently destroyed most of this city, he, struck in the underbelly, was close to death. And when he was close to death, the brethren gathered to pray for his outcome. His body was already dead at the extremities; in his chest alone there was still vital heat stored. But all the brothers began to pray for him the more fervently, the closer they saw his death. Suddenly, with all possible effort, he began to shout and interrupt their prayer, saying: “Go away, go away; Here I am given over to be devoured by the dragon, who cannot devour me in your presence. He has already taken my head into his mouth, give me space so that he no longer torments me, but finishes what he wants to do. If I am given over to him to be devoured, then why am I being slowed down by you?” The brothers began to say to him: “What are you saying, brother? Mark yourself with the sign of the Holy Cross." To this he answered as best he could, saying: “I want to cross myself, but I can’t, because the dragon is crushing me.” Hearing this, the brethren rushed to the ground and began to pray more intensely with tears for his redemption. And suddenly the patient, who had received relief, began to rejoice as best he could, saying: “Thanks be to God; Here is the dragon that grabbed me to devour, ran away, could not resist, driven out by your prayers. You pray only for my sins, because I am ready to correct myself and resolutely leave the life of this world.” So, the man who, as has already been said, was dead at the extremities of the body, brought back to life, turned to God with all his heart. Taught by lengthy and uninterrupted admonitions in the same cohabitation, he recently died from an intensified bodily illness. Dying, he no longer saw the dragon, because he defeated it by correcting his heart. Behold, my brothers, Gordiana, about whom I spoke above, has fallen from the heights of her monastic rank into hell; and this brother, about whom I spoke, returned from death itself to Eternal Life. Consequently, no one knows what is happening to him in the hidden destinies of God, “for many are called, but few are chosen.” So, since no one knows about himself whether he is chosen, then everyone can only tremble, everyone fears for their activities, everyone trusts in God’s mercy alone; no one should rely on their own strength. There is a reinforcer of our hope, namely the One who deigned to take upon Himself our nature, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through all the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: