Омилия XXVIII 121 .

Pronounced on the feast of the Saints and Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul The memory of every Saint, making his day a holiday, is a subject of common joy for the people and for the cities, and for citizens and rulers, and is the greatest benefit for all those who celebrate it. Because “the memory of the righteous is with praise,” says the wise Solomon (Proverbs 10:7); “When the righteous is praised, people will rejoice.” Because just as a lit lamp at night reveals light for the convenience and pleasure of all those present, so the godly life of each of the Saints and the corresponding blessed death, and the grace given to him from God for the purity of life, like a certain bright lamp brought by memory into our midst, gives those gathered a common 122 joy and benefit. And as with a good harvest of the earth, not only farmers, but all people rejoice: because from the fruits of the earth there is joy common to everyone; so the fruit-bearing, through virtue, which the Saints bring to God, pleases not only the Farmer of souls, but also all of us, as something offered for common pleasure and use, since being in this life, all the Saints are an incentive to virtue for all who intelligently listen and look at them: because they are animated images of virtue, solemn announcers 123 of all that is beautiful, living and broadcasting books about what directs us to a better path, and transporting us through the memory of those beauties in them, from this life, give us immortal benefit. The memory of their good deeds is their praise, due to them from us for their former help, which is still useful to us, due to the help that now flows to us from them. By recalling their deeds, we do not exaggerate their good qualities at all, because how could this be when we cannot even imagine all their virtue? For they strove for the honor of the ineffable rewards promised by God, and they had to demonstrate, as far as possible for human nature, an appropriate way of life, i.e. - surpassing every word. So, by praising them, we do not increase their inherent rewards - get rid of such a thought! - but we multiply the benefits that flow from them to us, to us who reach out to them as if to some God-shining Lights and we realize the power of good deeds shown by them and perceive them more and more. If, as we said, the memory of every Saint, as we said, is celebrated by us with hymns and corresponding praises, then how much more so is the memory of Peter and Paul, the very Top of the Coryphey of the Apostolic Face, who are the common Fathers and Leaders of all who are called by the name of Christ: Apostles, Martyrs, Reverends, Priests, Hierarchs, Shepherds and Teachers, as well as all the flocked and taught, as real Archpastors and Builders of Piety and Virtue common to all; and as the Luminaries containing the word of life in the world, so over-shining those shining in virtues, as the sun is other luminaries; or - like the heavens of the heavens, proclaiming the glory of God in the highest, so much superior to the size of the heavens and the beauty of the stars and the speed of both and the order and power, insofar as they proclaim that which exceeds the material world, relating to the region of super-heavenly and super-mundane revelations, and reveal the Light, Which has no change or change of shadow, not only leading from the darkness into this wonderful Light, but also by distributing it, making participants and children of the perfect Light, so that each of them, during the future Coming in glory and the appearance of the Chief of Light and the God-Man of the Word, could shine like the sun. Such Luminaries, which have risen together with each other for us today, illuminate the Church: for their combination does not produce an eclipse, but an excess of light; for it is by no means the case that one, going around, would be placed above the other, while the other would flow below it, so that in its course it could cover the other with a shadow; nor - that one should shine during the day, and the other at night, so that on the opposite side, while making a current, it falls under the shadow; and - neither that one would emit light, and the other would perceive the emitted light from there, so that on the basis of this it would undergo changes (phases), now receiving light in one way or another, according to the distance between them; but both equally partaking of Christ, This Ever-flowing Source of eternal Light, they prevailed and equal height and glory and radiance. Therefore, this combination is the mutual coupling of these Luminaries, delivering profound illumination to the souls of the faithful. But the first apostate (the devil), who led to the fact that the first man apostatized from God, seeing how the Creator Adam, the father of the human race, now again creates Peter, the next Father of the race of true worshipers of God, and not only seeing, but also hearing Him say to him: “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18); Having learned this, the evil one inflicts the same suicidal 124 evil on Peter, the Founder of the Worshipers of God, as he once did to Adam, the Founder of the human race. Knowing that the Apostle Peter is adorned with prudence and is flaming with love for Christ, he does not dare to attack directly, but as if from the flanks, and then from the right 125, and by great deception misleading him, he arranges for him to strive for something that exceeds his due: thus during the Saving Passion, when the Lord said to His Disciples: “You will all be offended because of Me in this night” ( Matthew 26:31), he objected, not believing this. And not only this, but he also placed himself above the rest, saying: “Even if all are offended, yet not I” (Matthew 26:33. Mark 14:29); exposes himself in comparison with others, as if, due to insolence, he has been led astray, so that, more than others (then) having resigned himself, over time he will appear brighter; not like Adam, who, having been subjected to temptation and at the same time being defeated, was completely destroyed, but - having been subjected to temptation and being defeated for a short time, then defeating the tempter. How? - Immediate condemnation of oneself and great sadness and repentance, and the strongest medicine to appease God - tears; for - “God will not despise a contrite and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19); and: - “sorrow, even according to God, brings unrepentant repentance to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10); and: - “he who sows in tears” - prayer, “he will reap in joy” - remission of sins. Having examined the subject, one can see that he not only sufficiently cured, through repentance and severe sorrow, the renunciation into which he was carried away, but also far removed from his soul the vice of insolence, as a result of which he placed himself above others. And wanting to show this to everyone, the Lord, after His Passion in the flesh for us and after the three-day Rising from the dead, speaking in the words now read in the Gospel, turns to Peter: “Simon the Jonah, love Me more than these” (John 21 et seq.); those. My Students? This, mind you, is in order to convert him to greater humility; because earlier, and without being questioned, he left himself above others, saying: “Even if everyone (is tempted), but not I,” and now we ask: - does he love (Christ) more than others? What is it - Lord? - Since Peter showed that he did not fall away from love for Him, and moreover, in addition to this, he accepted humility, openly fulfills the promise once given to him, and says to him: “Feed My lambs”; because when He wished to call the assembly of those who believed in Him a “building,” then He proclaimed that He would lay it as the foundation of this: “You are,” Peter said, “and on this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). When the word was about fishing, He makes him a fisher of men: “From here on,” he says, “there will be men fishing” (Luke 5:10); when he calls His “sheep,” he makes Peter the Shepherd: “Feed,” he says, “My lambs, feed My sheep.” On the basis of this, we should pay attention, brethren, to what great desire the Lord wants our salvation: it is so great that He demands nothing else from those who love Him, such as to guide us into pasture and into the fences of salvation. Let us also wish for our salvation and in deed and word we will show obedience to those who lead us into it. Because it is enough for each of us to wish to knock on the doors leading to salvation, and immediately a guide will appear, prepared by the common Savior, and a leader to salvation, who, filled with love for mankind, is very, very ready, as if he himself had appeared without a call, or better yet, as the one asking. Three times Christ questions Peter, so that, having answered three times, he confessed a good confession, and through a three-fold confession corrected a three-fold rejection, and three times appoints him as the Shepherd of His lambs and sheep, offering Peter also the three ranks of those being saved: slavery, mercenary and sonship, i.e. – virginity, chaste widowhood and honest marriage 126. But Peter, again and again being asked whether He loves Christ, became upset, it is said, as a result of the repetition of his question, believing that they did not believe him. Knowing that he loves Christ, and not being ignorant of the fact that the Questioner knows him better than even he himself, as if constrained from everywhere, he confesses: not only that he loves, but also proclaims that the One he loves is the God of all, saying: “You, Lord, weigh all; You feel like I love you”; because “to know everything” is characteristic only of the God of all. The Lord not only ordains the one who has made such a confession from the soul as Pastor and Archpastor of His entire Church, but also promises to gird him with such strength that even to death, and even death on the cross, he will stand firmly; the one who, before possessing this power, could not bear the question and argument with one girl. “Amen, amen, I say to you,” Christ tells him, “when you were young” and in your physical and spiritual youth, “you yourself girded yourself,” i.e. used your own strength, “and you walked, you walked, you even wanted to”, moving according to your own will and living according to the way of life inherent in your nature; “When you are old,” having reached extreme physical and spiritual age, “you will lift up your hands”; with these words meaning death through the cross and testifying that stretching on it will not be involuntary for Peter; so, “thou shalt lift up thy hands, and he will girdle thee,” i.e. strengthens, “and leads even if you don’t want to”, as is typical of people, since nature does not want its destruction caused by death; these words show the connection of our nature with life and that the martyrdom of Peter surpasses nature; for this you will voluntarily endure for My sake and for the sake of testimony about Me, being strengthened by Me, because nature is not born in such a way as to desire that which exceeds nature. But such, behold, Peter, how on the basis of little things one could know. What is Paul, and what language, or better yet, what and how many languages ​​could at least partially represent his steadfastness for Christ even to the point of death? - Paul, who died daily, it’s better to say - he always remained dead, no longer living for himself, as he says, but having Christ living in him! Because of his love for Christ, he not only considered everything present to be waste, but also the future takes second place in comparison with love, for he says: “For it is known that neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future, neither height nor depth will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:38-39). He had such zeal for Bose in order to make us jealous of Bose. And to whom of all, perhaps only Peter, will he concede in the identical quality of soul? But what kind of humility is he? – Listen again to what he says about himself: “I am an apostle; whoever is not worthy to be called an apostle” (1 Cor. 15:9). So, what follows from this? Since he is identical with Peter in regard to confession, zeal, humility and love, will he not receive identical rewards from Him who pays everything according to weights and measures and standards of perfect justice? and what would be the relationship between them? Thus, the Lord says to Peter: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). And about Paul, what does the Lord say to Ananias? – “This is My chosen vessel, to bear My name before nations and kings” (Acts 9:15). What name is this? – Of course, what is relevant to us is the Church of Christ, which Peter holds as its foundation. You see, the meaning and equality of honor between Peter and Paul, and that the Church rests, as it were, on both of them. Therefore, now She gives them both the same honor, celebrating the holiday today in equal honor for both of them. But we, carefully considering their achievement, will imitate their way of life, and if nothing else, then at least their correction, through humility and repentance. Because other great and sublime deeds respond to great (people) and lead the great to imitation; and, equally, there are some of their deeds that are inimitable for everyone; but correction, through repentance, more than them, answers us, who, each of us, sin so much every day that we would have no hope of salvation otherwise if we had not gained it through constant repentance. Repentance is preceded by awareness of one’s sins, which is a great reason for propitiating (God). For the Prophet Psalmist says to God: “Have mercy on me, for I have known my iniquity” (Ps. 50:1–2); By realizing his sins, he inclined God to mercy, and through confession and self-reproach he received complete forgiveness. For he says: “Reh: I will confess my iniquity to the Lord, and You have forsaken the wickedness of my heart” (Ps. 31:5). Because awareness of one’s sins is followed by self-condemnation, and this is followed by sorrow for sins, which Paul called “sorrow for God’s sake.” Out of this sadness for the sake of God is born a confession with a contrite heart and a prayer to God with a promise to distance oneself from sins in the future; and this is repentance. And for this reason, Manasseh was freed from punishment for his sins, although he fell into the abyss of many and great sins and was mired in them for a long period of years. For David, because of his repentance, God not only forgave his sins, but did not take away the gift of prophecy from him. And Peter, taking advantage of repentance, not only rose from the fall and received forgiveness, but also received the leadership of Christ’s Church as his inheritance. You will find that Paul was concerned about repentance even after his conversion and success and superior closeness to God. Because repentance, if it truly comes from the heart, convinces the acquisitive person to no longer indulge in sins, no longer join in with the lost, no longer rush greedily into ignoble pleasures, but to despise the present, hold on to the future, fight passions, try to do virtues, be self-controlled in everything, stay awake in prayer to God, renounce unjust gains, be merciful to your offenders, to be favorable to petitioners, to those in need of his help, to be ready to help in any way he can - in words, deeds, costs - from the heart to be helpful to everyone, so that through love of mankind he may acquire love for mankind and for the love of his neighbor receive God's love for himself and gain Divine favor for himself and receive eternal mercy and God's ever-present blessing and grace, which may we all receive by grace The Only Begotten Son of God, to Whom belongs glory, power, honor and worship with His Beginning Father and the Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PG.151:353–364. Homilia XXVIII. In fesco sactorum et coryphoeorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli. In Greek orig. stands “και νυν” but there is no doubt that it should be “κοινην”, which corresponds to the further meaning and corresponds to Lat. translation. We have encountered similar typos in Min’s works before, see for example. PG.91–552С. Orig. - self-moving pillars on which decrees are announced. In orig. “Antofono”, I think it should be: “Antofonos”, as I translated. Those. twisted, as it were, into something good, “right.” Virginity is likened to sonship; mercenary work (service of a servant) to widowhood; marriage is slavery. You might be interested in: