Беседа 39

Spoken to the people in the Church of Blessed John, called Constantine. Reading the Holy Gospel: Luke 19.42–47. Luke 19.42–47. And he said: Oh, if only you, even on this day, knew what serves for your peace! But it is now hidden from your eyes, for the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches and surround you and press you in on every side, and they will ruin you, and beat your children within you, and will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation. And entering the church, he began to drive out those who were buying and selling in it, saying to them, “It is written, My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And he taught every day in the church. The chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people sought to destroy Him. 1. I want to follow a brief reading of the Holy Gospel in as short a word as possible in order to give the most extensive reflection on it to those who know how to infer a lot from a little. That the Weeping Lord describes the destruction of Jerusalem, which was carried out by the Roman commanders Titus and Vespasian - this is known to anyone who has read the history of its destruction. For a prophecy is made about the Roman commanders when it is said: “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches and surround you, and press you in on every side, and destroy you, and kill your children within you.” The addition “and they will not leave you one stone upon another” even predicts the transfer of this city, because now, when it is built on the place where, outside the gates, the Lord was crucified, the former Jerusalem has been destroyed, as they say, to the ground. For what crime was his punishment this destruction was further added: “because you did not know the time of your visit.” Because the Creator of everything deigned to visit him with the mystery of His incarnation, but he did not correspond to Him with fear and love. That is why, through the Prophet, even the birds of the air are presented as witnesses to the hardness of the human heart, when it is said: “And the stork under the sky knows its definite times, and the turtledove, and the swallow, and the crane watch the time when they will fly; but my people do not know the decree of the Lord.” (Jer 8.7). But first you need to ask what kind of thought is in the words: “looking at him, I cried for him.” For the Redeemer mourned in advance the destruction of the treacherous city, which this very city did not know was approaching it. The weeping Lord rightly says to him: “Oh, if you, even on this day of yours, knew what serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes,” who is now having fun only because you don’t know what threatens you. That is why it is added: “though on this day of yours I have learned that it serves for your peace.” For when he indulged in carnal pleasure and did not foresee the coming disasters, then he had in his days that which could serve him for peace. But why he would have real benefits to the world is revealed from what follows! “But this is now hidden from your eyes.” For if the threatening disasters had not been hidden from the eyes of his heart, he would not have rejoiced in real happiness. And then immediately added the punishment which, as I said, was threatened by the Roman commanders. 2. According to the description of this, what the Lord has done is added, because “I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them glad in My house of prayer; Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56.7). For the One who predicted the coming disasters and immediately entered the church to drive out those who were selling and buying from it, made it clear that the fall of the people mainly depended on the guilt of the priests. Because, describing the destruction, but beating those who were selling and buying in the church, He, by His very action, showed where the root of destruction came from. Since from the testimony of another Evangelist we know that doves were sold in the church (Mark 11.15). What is meant by the name doves, if not the gift of the Holy Spirit? But He drives out both those who sell and those who buy, because He condemns both those who give ordination for money, and those who strive for money to receive the gift of the Spirit. About this church he immediately adds: “My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” That those (high priests) actually sat in the church to receive gifts, there was no doubt about it; because they sought insults for those who did not give. Consequently, the house of prayer was turned into a cave of thieves, because they (the high priests) knew how to preside over the church in order to either physically persecute those who did not give gifts, or spiritually kill those who gave. But since our Redeemer did not deprive even the unworthy and ungrateful of edification, then after the strict reproof revealed through the expulsion of the corrupt, He immediately showed the gift of grace. For then follows: “and he taught every day in the church.” We traced this with a brief reflection on history. 3. But since we know that Jerusalem has already been destroyed, and by its destruction it served for the better, because, after the expulsion of the robbers from the church, the church itself, as we know, was already destroyed, then we must bring the likeness of external things to internal ones, and from the destroyed construction of walls we must fear the ruin of morals. “And when he approached the city, looking at it, he wept for it and said: Oh, if only you, even on this day, knew what serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes." He did this once when he predicted the destruction of the city. This our Redeemer never ceases to do through His chosen ones daily, when He sees some falling from a good life into the works of wickedness. For He beats them, but they do not understand why they are beaten, because, according to Solomon, they are “of those who rejoice in doing evil, delight in evil debauchery” (Proverbs 2.14). If they had known about the punishment threatening them, they would have mourned themselves with the weeping elect. But the thought that then follows is well adapted to the perishing soul: “although in this day of yours you have learned that it serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes." Here the depraved soul, which rejoices in the passing of time, has its day. For her, what exists serves for peace, because, enjoying temporary things, being puffed up with honors, indulging in carnal pleasure, not being disturbed by any fear of future punishment, she has peace on her day, which will have an important reason for condemnation on someone else’s day. For she will be punished where the righteous will rejoice; and everything that only serves for peace will then turn into the bitterness of warfare, because she will begin to scold herself, why she did not prevent the condemnation that she endures, for which she closed her mental eyes from foreseeing future evils. That is why it is said to her: “It is now hidden from your eyes.” For a depraved soul, devoted to present blessings, drowning in earthly pleasures, hides from itself subsequent disasters, because it avoids foreseeing the future, which is entertained by present joy; and when she indulges in the pleasures of this life, then what else does she do if not go to the fire with her eyes closed? Therefore it is well written: “I have seen enough in my vain days: the righteous perish in his righteousness; The wicked live long in his wickedness." (Eccl 7.15). And therefore through Paul it is said: “even those who rejoice, even if they do not rejoice” (1 Cor 7.30); because if there really is joy in the present time, then one must rejoice in such a way that the grief of the coming judgment never leaves the memory, since a fearful soul, when it is imbued with the fear of the final vengeance, is as moderate in real joy now as it is then in fear of the coming wrath. That is why it is written: “Blessed is the man who always remains in reverence; but whoever hardens his heart will fall into trouble” (Proverbs 28.14). For the wrath of the coming judgment will be all the more painful to bear then, the less they fear it now among the crimes. 4. It follows: “for the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches and surround you, and press you in from everywhere.” What enemies are more dangerous for the human soul than the evil spirits that surround it when separated from the body, while they assist it in carnal love with deceptive pleasures? They surround her with trenches because, bringing before her eyes the iniquities she has committed, they constrain her, dragging her towards the community of their condemnation, so that she, caught at the very end of her life, sees for herself what kind of enemies she is surrounded by, and yet cannot find a way out of their taxation, because she can no longer do good deeds, who despised them when she could do them. In addition to them, what follows can also be understood: “they will surround you with trenches and surround you, and press you in from everywhere.” Because evil spirits oppress the soul from everywhere when they present it with the sight of iniquities not only committed in deed, but also in word, and even in thought, so that it, having amused itself with many crimes, is extremely embarrassed by all in retribution. It follows: “and they will ruin you, and kill your children in you.” The soul is broken by the consciousness of its guilt when the flesh, which it considered its life, is forced to return to the dust. Her children are beaten when the impermissible thoughts that came from her crumble at the last vengeance of life, as it is written: “on that day [all] his thoughts disappear” (Ps 145.4). The same gross thoughts can be understood by the meaning of stones. For further it follows: “and they will not leave in you one stone upon another.” For a depraved soul, adding an even more criminal thought to a criminal thought, what else does it do if it does not lay stone upon stone? But in a destroyed city no stone is left unturned, because when the soul is brought to its vengeance, then the entire structure of its thoughts crumbles from it. 5. And why she endures this is further added: “because you did not know the time of your visit.” Almighty God usually visits the depraved soul in many ways. For he constantly visits her with a commandment, and sometimes even with a miracle, so that she listens to the truth, which she did not know, and at the same time, proud and contemptuous, and forced by pain, and overcome by good deeds, she is ashamed of the evil that she has done. But since she does not understand the time of her visit, at the end of her life she betrays herself to those enemies with whom she enters into community at the eternal court of unceasing condemnation, as it is written: “When you go with your rival to the authorities, then on the road try to free yourself from him, so that he does not bring you to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to the torturer, and the torturer does not throw you into prison” (Luke 12.58). Because our opponent on the path is the Word of God, which is contrary to our carnal desires in this life. The one who humbly obeys his commandments is freed from this rival. Otherwise, the opponent hands over to the Judge, and the Judge to the torturer; because the sinner who is guilty of despising the Word of the Lord will be detained at the trial of the Judge. The judge submits him to torture because he allows the evil spirit to drag him to vengeance, so that he himself will drive out from his body that forced soul that voluntarily agreed with him to commit crimes. The torturer sends him to prison, because (the sinner) through the evil spirit is cast into the underworld, until the day of judgment comes, from which he himself (this last one) will be tormented together in the fires of the underworld. 6. So, after the destruction of the city, which we adapted to the perishing soul, it is immediately added: “and entering the church, he began to drive out those who were selling and buying in it.” As important as the church of God is in a city, so is the life of the pious among the believing people. And often some take on the appearance of piety and, when they receive a place in the degrees of the priesthood, then the duty of religion is turned into the trade of earthly industry. Because the sellers in the church are those who offer for a price what belongs to others by right. For to sell justice means to observe it in order to receive a reward. The sellers in the church are also those who, having given the patrons a price, buy sin when they do not want to allow their neighbor what they should allow, and when they despise doing the work to which they are obliged by law. It is well said to them: “My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves”; because when some depraved people occupy the places of the priesthood, then they kill with the swords of their wickedness where they should have revived their neighbors through the mediation of their prayer. 7. Both the church and the house of God are the very soul and conscience of believers. If she ever utters depraved thoughts in an insult to her neighbor, then robbers sit in her, like in a cave, and simply attacking and killing when they plunge swords into those who have absolutely not offended them in any way. For the soul of believers is no longer a church of prayer, but a cave of thieves, when it, having abandoned the innocence and simplicity of holiness, intensifies to do something that can cause harm to others. But since we constantly tune ourselves against all this depravity with the words of our Redeemer through the Holy Scriptures, then even to this day what is said to have been done was done then, as they say: “and he taught every day in the church.” For when He teaches the souls of believers to carefully guard against evil, then Truth is taught daily in the Church. But we need to know that we truly learn with the words of Truth when we look with fear and incessancy at our latest misfortunes, according to the word of one sage who says: “in all your deeds remember your end, and you will never sin” (Sir 7.39). Because we must daily think about what we heard from the lips of the same Redeemer: “Oh, if only you, even in this day of yours, knew what serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes." For as long as the righteous Judge holds back and does not yet stretch out his hand to defeat, as long as some safety of time is seen from the retribution of the final vengeance, so long we must think about the coming disaster, thinking - to grieve, while grieving - to prevent, and constantly reviewing the sins committed, reviewing - to cry, and weeping - to cleanse. No joy about transient happiness should relax us, nothing transitory should close the eyes of our mind and lead us blind to the fire. For if you thoroughly think about the importance of this shame, then from the lips of the Truth you will learn when it is said to someone who is careless and does not foresee the future: “Oh, if you, even on this day of yours, knew what serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes." 8. For it is necessary to think thoroughly about how terrible the hour of death will be for us, what horror of the soul, what remembrance of all evils, what oblivion of past happiness, what fear and what salvation of the Judge. Therefore, what of the present should be delightful for us, when with the passing of everything together, what threatens cannot pass? When does what one loves decisively end and that state begins in which the disease never ends? Then the evil spirits in the departing soul look for its deeds, then they visualize those sins to which they disposed it, in order to entice their accomplice to torment. But why are we talking only about the sinful soul, when they even come to the chosen dying and find theirs in them, if they have time to do anything? Among people there was only One, Who, before His suffering, fearlessly said: “It is not long for Me to speak with you; For the prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me” (John 14.30). Since the prince of the world saw Him as a mortal man, he thought that he could find something of himself in Him. But He came out of the corruption of the world without any sin, Who came into the world without sin. Peter did not dare to say this about himself against the prince of the world, who was honored to hear: “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16.19). Paul did not dare to say this, who before his death was caught up into the mysteries of the third heaven (2 Cor 12.2). Even John did not dare to say this about himself, Who, out of special love, reclined at the supper on the breasts of His Redeemer (John 21.20). For when the Prophet says: “Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin.” (Ps 50.7), then the one who came into the world with guilt could not be without guilt in the world. That is why the same Prophet says: “not one living will be justified before You” (Ps 142.2). That is why Solomon says: “Therefore, do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, lest you hear your servant when he curses you” (Eccl 7.21). “That’s why John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1.8). That is why James says: “For we all sin many times” (James 3.2). For it is known that since everyone was conceived from the pleasures of the flesh, then, without any doubt, the prince of this world had something of his own: either in their deeds, or in words, or thoughts. But he could not either kidnap them later or hold them before, because they were freed from their debts by the One who paid the debt of death for us without debt, so that our debts to our enemy would not detain us, because for us the Mediator of God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, freely gave him what he did not owe. For we were freed from the due death of the soul by the One who paid for us with the undue death of the body. So, He says: “For the prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me” (John 14.30). Therefore, we must care and think with abundant daily tears about how fierce, how terrible the prince of this world will come on the day of our death, looking for his deeds in us, if he even came to the Lord, dying in the flesh, and looked for something in Him in Whom he could not find anything. 9. So, what will we say, what will we do, we, the unfortunate ones who have fallen into countless sins? What shall we say to the enemy, who seeks and finds much of himself in us, if not only that we have a certain refuge and firm hope, because we have done one thing together with Him in whom the prince of this world sought something of his own, but could not find it? Because He is only free among the dead (Ps 87.5). And we are released from sinful slavery to true freedom because we unite with Him who alone is free. For it is known - and we cannot deny, but we sincerely admit - that the prince of this world has much in us; but despite this, he no longer has the power to abduct us at the time of our death because we have become members of Him in whom He has nothing. But what good is it that we are united through faith with the same Redeemer if we are separated from Him by morals? For He Himself says: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Therefore, right deeds must be combined with right faith. We must wash away the sins we have committed with daily tears, we must reward our past iniquities with good deeds based on love for God and neighbor; Our brothers should not be denied anything good that we can bestow upon them. For we are made members of our Redeemer in no other way than by devotion to God and compassion for our neighbor. 10. But since, for the most part, examples rather than words excite the hearts of those who listen to the love of God and neighbor, I want to point out with your love what the one who is now here, my son, Deacon Epiphanius, is from the province of Isauria, passing off as a miracle that happened in the neighboring land of Lycaonia. For he says that there was a certain monk in it, of a very strict life, named Martyrius, who from his monastery went to visit another monastery, in which he was a confessor. And so walking, he found on the way a certain leper, whose elephantiasis covered his limbs with thick wounds, wanting to return to his refuge, but having no strength from fatigue. But he said that he had refuge on the very path along which the monk Martyrius was in a hurry to go. But the man of God, taking pity on the fatigue of this leper, immediately threw off the robe with which he was dressed, and spread it out, and laid the leper on it, and wrapping him on all sides with his robe, lifted him onto his shoulders and carried him with him. And when he was already approaching the gates of the monastery, then the spiritual father of this very monastery began to shout loudly: “Run, quickly open the monastery gates, because Brother Martyrius is coming, carrying the Lord.” But immediately, as soon as Martyrius came to the entrance to the monastery, the One who seemed to be a leper, jumping out of his mantle and appearing in the form in which the Redeemer of the human race, God and man, Christ Jesus, is usually recognized from people, ascended to heaven in the sight of Martyrius, and, ascending, said to him: “Martyrius, you were not ashamed of me on earth, I will not be ashamed of you in heaven.” As soon as this holy man entered the monastery, the father of the monastery asked him: “Brother Martyrius, where is the one whom you carried?” This one answered him, saying: “If I had known who it was, I would have restrained His feet.” Then the same Martyrius said that when he carried it, he did not feel its weight. And it’s not surprising, because how could the one who carried the “Bearer!” feel the heaviness? In this event, we need to pay attention to the power of brotherly compassion and how sincere mercy connects us with Almighty God. For we approach the One who is above all, from where, through compassion for our neighbor, we lower ourselves even below ourselves. In physical things no one reaches heights unless he strives for them; but in spiritual things it is known that the more we humble ourselves through compassion, the more surely we rise to the heights. But for the Redeemer of the human race it is not enough for our edification that, according to His assurance, He will say at the last judgment: “just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25.40). Even before this trial, he deigned to show in himself what he said, in order to show that he who now does good things to those in need, in particular, depends on Him, out of love for Whom he would make a dependence. And everyone receives a greater reward, the more hospitable they are to those who are apparently more worthy of contempt. For what in the human body is higher than the body of Christ, which is exalted above the angels? And what is more disgusting in the human body than the body of a leper, which is torn with swelling wounds and filled with a steaming stench? - But then He appeared in the form of a leper; and He Who is most venerable has deigned to appear despised below all. What is this for, if not to admonish us, who are slow in feeling, that whoever hastens to appear to him who lives in heaven should not renounce humility on earth and compassion even for rejected and despised brethren? – I wanted to speak briefly to your love, but since his path does not depend on man (Jer 10.23), the flowing word that He Himself of Whom we are talking about, Who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through all ages of ages, could not be kept. Amen. You might be interested in: