Беседа на второе воскресенье Евангельских чтений по Луке, говорящее:

“Let men do as you will, and so do you to them”; it also speaks against moneylenders 273 1. “He who created our hearts as one, was mindful of all our deeds” (Ps. 32:15) 274, having appeared to us in the flesh and deigning to be our Teacher, now restoring what was damaged, seeks from us only that which at the beginning, when creating us, he put into our souls: because for His teachings that were to be in the future, He laid the foundation accordingly, and subsequently added to the state of things created from the beginning teaching; doing nothing more than cleansing the inherent beauty of His creation, which has become blackened as a result of accepting sin. And this is especially shown by the words of the Gospel that are spoken today and offered to us for interpretation: “As men will, let men do to you, and you do likewise to them” (Luke 6:31). The Prophet Isaiah predicted perfectly, saying that “the Lord will make the word short throughout all the earth” (Is. 10:23) 275. Because in this single and brief saying, Christ embraced all virtue, every commandment, almost every good activity and structure of the soul (thought). Therefore, according to the Evangelist Matthew, having presented this, the Lord added: “Behold, there are the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12); so in another place, summing everything up in two principles, He said that on these two commandments - prescribing love for God and love for neighbor - the whole law and the prophets are established (Matthew 22:40). Now He has reduced everything to one thing; not only that righteousness that is contained in the law and the prophets, but also in general all good activities among all people, which He now presented not only for one (Israelite) people, but for the entire universe as a law, or better to say: for those who from every nation under heaven join Him 276 . 2. And he not only embraced, but also showed, that each of these two commandments which He gave was implanted in us by nature. Because this is what James, the Brother of God, prescribes to us, saying: “Having put aside all filthiness and excess of malice, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). God also foretold this through the Prophet Jeremiah, saying: “I am making a new covenant with them, giving My laws in their minds” (Jer. 31:31-33). Because to desire in the soul belongs to the world of thoughts, in which now having revealed all the Gospel commandments imprinted, the Lord commands and lays down the law to lead life in accordance with this, because, as a lover of goodness and love of mankind, He put into our very nature the knowledge of how to act (“tin tu prakteon gnosin”). 3. In the exhortation to observe this fundamental commandment, the Lord revealed that not only every gospel commandment is implanted in us (by nature), saying: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them,” but also showed that it is fair and not difficult and useful and easily understandable for everyone and known by nature. Because what is this? “Don’t you know that being angry and blaspheming your brother and the like is a bad thing?” And why do you yourself not want to be the subject of his anger and reproach (and there is no doubt you agree with this), but you immediately become upset and, not tolerating this situation, try by all means to avoid it? - of course, for the reason that anger is an evil thing, lawless and harmful. The same is true if someone fixes a passionate and overly attentive gaze on your spouse; also - and when someone, not only out of hostility towards you, but in general, tells a lie about you. And simply to say, everything that is prohibited according to the Gospel commandments is unacceptable to us. What can we say about the extremes of sin already previously prohibited by the laws of the Old Testament, such as murder, adultery, perjury, violence and the like? What can we say about the virtues that are opposite to these sins and how we are pleased when they are committed (by other people) in our favor? Do you see that you yourself know each of these commandments and recognize them as fair and useful? and not only this, but also not difficult: because you would not consider that person worthy of greater censure who is full of rage against you or slander or in any other way plots against you, if you really believed that it would be extremely difficult or even (completely) impossible for this person to refrain from each of these matters. 4. So, let it not be that when you suffer evil from another person, being offended by him or deceived or brought into harm, then you judge correctly; when you yourself offend your neighbor and inflict untruth on him or deceive him, then you judge differently, without passing the same sentence on the same deeds; but, being an impartial judge, what you do not want to endure from another person, as an undoubted evil, do not do that yourself in relation to other people; and the good that you want to flow for you from another person, let the same be done by you for him. Are you asking for something from someone, protection, perhaps, or some other help, and, of course, you want to receive it, considering it useful to you? Isn't it? Therefore, when someone asks you for something, try hard to be consistent with yourself, and carefully consider and implement what he asks of you. But maybe he is asking for something that exceeds your capabilities? Do what is in your power; because if you had great opportunities, you would use them. “If diligence is due,” says Paul, “if anyone has, it is acceptable to eat, and not because he does not have” (2 Cor. 8:12) 277.. Do you want to be loved by everyone, to be worthy of forgiveness (or: leniency) and you think that it is difficult and unbearable to endure condemnation, even if you stumbled in something small? “Then love everyone yourself, be lenient, avoid judging, as if you saw yourself in each person, and thus passed judgment and had such a disposition and acted that way.” “For this is the will of God,” says Peter, the leading figure of the Apostles, “for those who do good to curb the ignorance of foolish people” (1 Peter 2:15) 278., that is: those who hate us in vain and do not want to give to others what they themselves seek to receive from others. How can we not call a person crazy who, in relation to the same nature, desires the same thing and passes judgment on the wrong person, when nature itself has placed in us these identical judgments and desires 279? Because the desire to be loved by everyone and to see good from everyone, as well as from ourselves to repay the same, naturally arises in all of us; therefore, wanting to do good and have goodwill towards everyone, as well as seeing the same in relation to ourselves, is an innate feeling in us. Because we were created - we are all in the image of the Good (God); but the penetrating and multiplying sin did not extinguish in each of us the love for good, as if it were in no way dangerous for him; however, he crushed and spoiled love for one’s neighbor, as the real head of all virtues, and rendered it unusable. Therefore, renewing our nature and calling us again to the grace of being like Him, giving His laws into our hearts, as the prophetic word says, He says: “Let men do whatever you will, and do likewise to them. And if you love those who love, what grace is there for you, for even sinners who love them love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what grace is there for you, for sinners do the same. And if you kiss your friends only because you are doing something extra, don’t the pagans do the same thing? And if you give in return you expect to receive from them, what grace is there for you, for even sinners give back to sinners, so that they may receive something equal” (Luke 6:23–24; Matt. 5:47) 280. 5. Here, encompassing under one name, calling “sinners,” He brings in His speech both those who are not called by Him (i.e., the pagans), and those who do not live according to His Gospel, showing by this that there is no benefit for us to be called “Christians” if by our deeds we do not differ from the pagans. Because, as the great Paul told the Jews, “circumcision benefits if you do the law; if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision” (Rom. 2:26); Thus, now Christ through the Gospel tells us: to you who are Mine, grace will come from Me if you keep My commandments; If you do the works that sinners do, and nothing more than this: loving those who love you and doing good to those who do good to you, then this does not give you any boldness towards Me. - He says this not with the purpose of turning people away from loving those who love them, and doing good to those who do good to them, and lending with the expectation of getting their money back, but in order to show that each of these deeds remains without reward, as having its own reward here and not bringing any grace to the soul and not cleansing it from the filth that came as a result of sin. So all this presented does not bring any benefit or grace to the soul for eternal reward. What is not presented here incurs greater censure and brings greater harm to the soul: because those who, in response to self-love, do not respond with love and upset those who love them, are worse than publicans and sinners. How much worse are those people who, with their deeds and words, repay the opposite (of what they receive from people who love and care for them)! Such, of course, are also those who rebel against the city leaders, who daily take upon themselves no little concern for them, those who do not show due loyalty to the kings appointed by God, those who do not humble themselves under the strong hand of God, and do not submit to the Church of Christ and recklessly harbor furious irritation at the primates of the Church 281, who are trying for them and every good and benefit they desire and beg and do, as much as possible. I have strength. 6. But those who do not want to lend to those who promise to pay the amount borrowed by them on time, who demand interest, and then heavy ones, and without them do not even agree to show kinson or silver, are lawless and, perhaps, worse sinners, as those who do not obey either the Law of the Old Testament or the New Testament, of which the latter (i.e., the New Testament) exhorts them to lend even to those from who have no hope of getting back the loaned amount; and the Old Law says: “Thou shalt not give thy money for usury” (Lev.25:37; Deut.23:19) 282., and puts it in praise of him, “who did not give his money for usury” (Ps.14:5) 283. and believes that one should flee from the city, on the streets of which, that is, openly, usury and deception are committed (Ps. 54:12). Do you see how the moneylender takes glory not only from his own soul, but also from the entire city, bringing upon him the accusation of inhumanity and, in general, all untruth? Because, being a citizen and having acquired his property thanks to him, he does not use it for the benefit of the community, does not want to lend to those who do not have, but to those who have little, he gives at interest, in order to cunningly take away even the small means of living that they have. Therefore, immediately after bribery, the Prophet mentions deception, saying: “They fled and settled in the desert: for I saw iniquity and bickering in the city, and the wealth and flattery did not fail from its hundred” (Ps. 54:8, 54:10, 54:12) 284 .. Consequently, the usurer tries to get rich not so much with money as with sins, ruining the life of the debtor, and at the same time his soul: because interest is, as it were, the spawn of a viper, nesting in the chest of money lovers and, as it were, foreshadowing the threatening, never-ending worms that will not be avoided in the next century. If one of them had told me: since you do not allow me to take interest, I will keep the excess silver for myself and refuse to borrow from those who need it; let him know that he keeps in his depths the breeders of echidnas, who are destined to become the breeders of these ever-growing worms! 7. Therefore, taking us away from the abundance of such evils, He exhorts us to love our enemies and do good to them and lend to those who do not have to repay the debt, expecting nothing from them; “For your reward will be great,” He says, “and you will be sons of the Most High: for He is good to the graceless and the wicked” (Luke 6:35). So, when you do good to those who do you evil, and give to those who do not repay the debt, do not consider that your property was lost in vain; because now is the time for sowing good deeds, and the time for the harvest corresponding to sowing belongs to the future age. So, do not lose hope because of the time limit between sowing and harvest, but be strenuous in perpetuating 286 your good, just as he who does evil here perpetuates his evil. Because whoever sows here will also reap there, with the greatest increase. So if here by your deeds you become like the Son of God and show yourself to be good to everyone, just as He is good to everyone, then there you will receive an abundance of likeness to Him, illuminating with the light of the glory of the Most High and remaining forever with those with whom Christ will be, God among gods (Ps. 81:1), who has distributed the virtues of ever-present bliss 287 . Because this is what He revealed, adding: “And you will be sons of the Most High, for He is good to the graceless and evil.” Because it was precisely because of His goodness that the Son of God, bowing the heavens, descended to earth and became the Son of Man, and proclaimed and accomplished this, and finally, having suffered, died for us, and rose again and ascended into heaven again to make us heavenly and immortal and sons of God. So what He now requires of us: love for our enemies, doing good, lending to those who cannot repay the debt, is not only appropriate for us to do and useful for us, as was said above, but also small in comparison with what is given to us from Him. Because He gave Himself for us, who not only had nothing to give in return, but who were previously, in many of their manifestations, graceless (ungrateful) and evil; He exhorts us to lend from our abundance and to do good from the property that we own. But what is it and how much?! - And, behold, for the sake of this little thing, He in return gives likeness to Himself, and grants the highest adoption to God and heavenly rewards: “Be merciful,” He says, “as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:30), with whom He is due glory with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. In Greek ed. No. 45, pp. 40–49. Orig. "their hearts, their deeds." Orig. "in the whole universe." Another translation is possible: “those who join him, i.e. to God's people." “For if there is zeal, it is accepted according to who has what, and not according to what he does not have”: “For this is the will of God, that by doing good we should stop the ignorance of men.” Somewhat loose translation. We have added to the quote ourselves, because there is an obvious omission in the text. This term usually refers to bishops. Russian lane “Do not lend your silver at interest”: Russian lane “He who does not lend his money at interest”: Russian lane “Running would have gone away and settled in the desert: for I see lawlessness and strife in the city: usury and deception do not leave its streets”: Also – “ungrateful”: Of the many meanings of the verb "comiso": Probably a reference to the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–11). You might be interested in: