Жертва

So that you may know the depth of wisdom and the richness of the unsearchable judgments of God, God did not leave the sacrifices themselves completely unsanctified, imperfect and limited to the shedding of blood, but to the subordinate sacrifices is added a great and relatively to the first Nature, so to speak, unslaughtered Sacrifice - the cleansing not of a small part of the Universe and not for a short time, but of the whole world and eternal. For this purpose, a lamb is taken (see Ex. 12:5) out of kindness and as a garment of ancient nakedness, for such is the Sacrifice offered for us, which is and is called the garment of incorruptibility. Perfect not only in the Divinity, in comparison with Whom there is nothing more perfect, but also in the received nature, which is anointed by the Divinity, and has become the same with the anointing one and, I dare say, together with God (1). Gradually, we too will become familiar with the law according to the Gospel, and not according to letters, completely, and not imperfectly, eternally, and not temporarily. Let us make our head not Jerusalem below, but the metropolis of the mountains - a city not now trampled by armies, but glorified by Angels. Let us not sacrifice bulls and lambs with horns and hooves (Ps. 68:32), in which there is much that is dead and insensible. But let us offer praise to God (see Ps. 49:14) on the high altar with the high faces. Let us pass through the first veil, proceed to the second veil, and enter into the Holy of Holies. I will say even more: let us sacrifice ourselves to God - better yet, let us offer every movement every day. Let us accept everything for the sake of the Word, in suffering we will imitate suffering, we will honor the Blood with our blood, we will willingly ascend to the cross. Nails are coveted, although very painful. For to suffer with Christ and for Christ is more desirable than to enjoy with others (1). Some praise Pythagoras of Samos 89 that, when he had to make a sacrifice, he sacrificed a clay bull, because he did not approve of other sacrifices and said that it is not necessary to cleanse the dead with the dead - so calling the body (2). Pythagoras - Greek philosopher of the 6th century. BC, the first representative of philosophical idealism. – Approx. ed. You might be interested in: