Поучение первое на освящение церкви («Избрал и освятил дом сей, да будет имя Мое в нем вовеки, и будут очи Мои и сердце Мое там во все дни» (2Пар. 7:16))

Blessed Christians! When the wise Israeli king Solomon created the church of the Lord in the city of Jerusalem with great diligence and at great expense for its decoration, then the Lord God, seeing such diligence, seeing how he decorated the church with all kinds of beautiful and skillful images, gold, silver and precious stones, how he prayed to Him with diligent prayer, appeared to him, spoke peaceful words about this church and heard his prayer. So now, blessed people, seeing the grace of God, seeing how it has favored the diligence and zeal of the lovers of God to create and consecrate this holy church, in which the Lord Himself dwells, every prayer is heard and beheld with the eyes, let us try to continually give thanks to Him, our Most Generous King and God, and we will not be lazy to always abide in this house of God both day and night, because there is no rest other than Although you will look for the churches of God, you will not find them. St. John Chrysostom greatly praises those who often come to the church of God, expressing the great benefit of this in the following words: “Nothing arranges our life so joyfully as the delight of thought in the church, for in the church there is joy among those who rejoice, in the church there is consolation for those who mourn, in the church there is joy for those who are sad, in the church there is coolness for those who suffer adversity, in the church there is calmness for those who work, consolation in illnesses, firm hope in God. In sacred churches and the heart of God, according to His word: “And my heart is there all the days” (1 Kings 9:3). By coming to them and praying fervently, God’s rational and verbal creation or God-fearing people receive the greatest benefit, and through reading and listening to the Divine Scripture they become capable of every good deed.” If anyone sees his conscience and mind troubled, then let him go to the sacred church of the Lord, which God has chosen as his dwelling place, in which His ears listen to Christian prayers, as it is said: “And now My eyes will be open and My ears will be obedient to prayer in this place” (1 Kings 8:29), - let him prayerfully pour out his heart before God, show his wounds to the spiritual shepherds, declare temptations, let him bind them for healing with the plaster of the commandment of the Lord and the advice of the priests. Then truly such a person will be healed, truly saved in soul and body and completely renewed in spiritual thought, “like your youth is like an eagle’s” (Ps. 102:5), for the holy Apostle Paul teaches this way to always be renewed, saying: “As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). While we live in this world, we are commanded for salvation to firmly fulfill God’s commandments about love for God and neighbor, for this is what it says: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). These words were written by all the prophets and evangelists. From the time a person matures and begins to come to his senses, he first of all becomes responsible in the love of God, for He created us, blessed Christians. And since we are people of the Almighty God, “the sheep of His pasture” (Ps. 95:7), He commands us to enter His gates by confession of faith and into His courts (Ps. 83:3), that is, into the holy churches, by singing love, for if someone loves something, then he turns all his thoughts and desires to it. In view of this, it is commanded to teach the love of God to every child from childhood, for the fifth book of Moses contains the following words of God Himself to the Israelites: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the One Lord, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and let these words that I command you today be in your heart and in your soul, and teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit in the house, and walking along the road, and lying down, and rising, and tie them as a sign on your hand, and let them be a blindfold over your eyes, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:3-9). The All-Good God Himself says to those who fulfill His commandments with love: “And it shall come to pass if you obey My commandments, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God” (Deut. 11:13). If someone loves God, then God will love him, and he will love his neighbor, as the Lord said: “Love him as yourself” (Lev. 19:34). Who loves himself? He who spends his life worthily comes to the Church of God, often visiting the church of God, says prayers and constantly remembers the name of God. He loves himself who distances himself from every evil passion and from a person with a dishonest and indecent disposition, who keeps his feelings from forbidden things. How can anyone learn to guard their feelings from temptations and untruths, and their hearts from evil lusts, if they do not know the law of God, do not study and do not go to the Church of God? Many people say and think that they know if they have ever read something somewhere. There is no time to go to church, to pray, to remember God as it should be, to read the law of God and church teachers for one’s own benefit, to understand how to live, everyone says, but to get drunk, have dinners, play, blaspheme, utter shameful words, commit foul lusts - all this takes a lot of time: whole nights are spent in any kind of disorder, especially in drunkenness, there is always time for this. Whoever does this does not love himself; He who does not love himself will not love his neighbor, and will not even think about his Creator. What is our piety? What is Christianity? What love do we have for God when we see that the churches are empty and the lawful teaching, which someone should listen to, has been abandoned? Everywhere is full of malice, untruths, insults, outrages and obscene language. Overeating and drunkenness not only made many people miserable, not only drove them to the point of frenzy and madness, but also gave them untimely terrible deaths, and completely eradicated, and is even now eradicating those who adhere to it, for it is written: “Do not look at the wine” (Proverbs 23:31). No matter how much you drink, you cannot overcome wine, but it will completely overcome you and turn you into nothing. They ring and invite people to the holy church to sing and praise the Lord God, for whom one should have all the love, but no one comes, because here, on the very holidays and at the all-night vigil, even the main cathedral church is free from people coming, in which there are always enough people singing and reading, but there is no love for it, and therefore they do not go. But at feasts you spend nights drinking and mocking, as if this is business, and there is time for this, and you are not bored in obscene fun. Truly, drunkenness that goes beyond all natural boundaries is harmful and destructive not only to the soul, but also to the body. Now people have come up with the idea of ​​drinking a lot about their health for other people and in absentia, and ruining themselves immeasurably by this, because the desires of a drunken person cannot be of any benefit to anyone, they do not have a heart offered to the love of God. If a person satisfies his passions, if he does not learn the law of the Lord, is deprived of the holy church and does not sympathize with his brethren with any kindness, then he sins. The Holy Scripture says: “Those who fear the Lord do not resist His words, and those who love keep His ways. Those who fear the Lord will seek His favor, and those who love Him will be filled with the law. Those who fear the Lord will make their hearts ready and humble their souls before Him” (Sir. 2:15-17). Therefore, having tried to remain in such fear of God, we will be heard in our prayers, according to the testimony of the prophet of God, Moses the Seer of God, who says: “And whatever you pray to God, he will fulfill it.” May God's favor be upon you through His grace and love for mankind always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.