Верность

Curiosity, love of glory, voluptuousness, love of money and other lusts of this world - all are like the adulteress to whom a Christian clings with his soul, if he loves honor, glory, silver, gold, sweetness and other lusts and so leaves Christ, the immortal Bridegroom, and gives his soul to the love of the world, like an unclean harlot. ABOUT! How gravely do Christians sin against Christ, Who loved them and gave Himself for them, if they do not maintain that loyalty to Him which, upon entering Christianity, they promised to preserve to the end. And so they are deprived of all the spiritual benefits that they were granted in Baptism, without permission, to their extreme misfortune. It is not in vain that the holy apostles lead us away from the love of this world. Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world (1 John 2:15), says Saint John. Friendship with the world is enmity against God: whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4). Love for this world is so harmful that the one who loves it becomes an enemy of God - that it is terrible to even think about, although a blind person does not understand this. Do you see or hear that a husband renounces his wife if she does not remain faithful to him, but, leaving him, unlawfully mixes with others and commits adultery. Know for sure that Christ, the heavenly and most pure Bridegroom, renounces the soul that clings to this world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the self and the pride of life, if it does not remain faithful to Him, which upon entering Christianity it promised to keep until the end of its life. To such he will say: “I don’t know you, where you come from,” when he comes in His glory (see Luke 13:25). Do you see or hear that an honest and faithful wife does not love anyone except her husband, and does not try to please anyone, only her husband. From this carnal marriage, turn your mind to a spiritual marriage, in which Christians are united by faith to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ. Saint Paul speaks about this to the faithful Corinthians: he has betrothed you to one husband, in order to present you to Christ as a pure virgin (2 Cor. 11:2). Consider how Christians should preserve love for this heavenly Bridegroom! How we must distance ourselves from the impure love of this world, cleave to the one Christ, please, please, be kind and fulfill His holy will, and not love anyone but Him and for His sake, if they want to remain faithful to Him. The servants of Christ must be faithful to the end, as the Lord Himself tells them: be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). Every work receives its perfection from the end, and not from the beginning. The end accomplishes everything. Faithful servants of Christ must serve their Lord always, in prosperity and adversity. A true and faithful slave must not be separated from his master. Likewise, Christ’s servant must always be with Christ his Lord and serve Him relentlessly. Otherwise, it is a hypocritical and untrue service, when in our prosperity we love Christ and serve Him, but in our wickedness we are indignant, we grumble, and so our hearts lag behind Him. We must be constant servants of Christ and follow Him everywhere, as He Himself wants from us: whoever serves Me, let him follow Me (John 12:26). Since the human soul receives all kindness and beauty from Christ, to Whom it is betrothed by faith, there is an undoubted sign that it has and preserves this kindness - when it does not separate from Him for worldly love, but cleaves to Him, like a bride to the Groom, by faith and love, follows in His footsteps, imitates His humility, patience, meekness and love, and thus remains faithful to Him, and both in humility and in His suffering He is not separated from Him, so in His glory He will not be separated from Him. Faith from the soul, betrothed to Christ, requires this. Just as a wife remains faithful to her husband when she does not separate from him either in dishonor or exile, so the soul is recognized as faithful to Christ if it does not separate from Him in humility and suffering. And just as a wife is considered unfaithful to her husband when she loves someone more than her husband, or just as much as her husband, or leaves him in misfortune, so that soul does not keep faith in Christ, the Son of God, which cleaves to the world and does not want to be with Christ in death, patience and suffering. And Christ considers such a soul unfaithful to Himself. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels (Mark 8:38). And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:38). This means the promise and oath to Christ given at Baptism by a Christian, that is, that as he wrote down and gave his name to Christ, so with faith and love he will serve and follow Him all his life, as Christ Himself demands from a Christian: whoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant also be (John 12:26). If the soul keeps this promise, then it also keeps faith in Christ - its Bridegroom - and with faith the beauty and kindness given to it by Christ.