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that unceasing communication with God through prayer and psalmody is the foundation and affirmation of all good and the prevention and liberation from all evil and from every evil state 320 1. After bringing to mind and counting the multitude and greatness of God’s gifts to us, and also the fact that no one has anything worthy with which to repay Him, David says: “What will I repay to the Lord for all that I have repaid?” (Ps. 115:3). Since the Prophet here speaks in a manner understandable to those who do not have greater insight, therefore, without mentioning those gifts that were before the birth of man, he speaks of those gifts that were given from God to man after his birth. What were they like before the birth of man, i.e. Before man received his being from God, what gifts of God were already ready for him? - Heaven, behold, the earth and this entire material world, and something, perhaps, belonging to the super-worldly, were brought into being for our sake: because all this, existing before the birth of every person, created for our sake from nothing, was lovingly prepared, which is why it is immediately given from God to every person coming into this world, for his existence and pleasure; and this is not a reward for anything and not a recompense (for any services), but is truly given as a gift from a very skillful and generous God, who gives gifts to everyone. “Why did you,” says Paul, “bring it to you?” (1 Cor. 4:7). “Who will give to God (even if he has not yet come into being 321) and be rewarded to him?” (Rom.11:36). So, leaving aside all this so much and so great, I mean: the world and everything in the world and what belongs to the super-peaceful (because it is impossible for oneself to repay our Creator for all this), he, looking only at those gifts that God gave us after our birth, wonders how he could repay for them. 2. But what are these gifts that we received after our birth, for which, says the Prophet, there must be retribution on our part? – When a person, with a feeling of realizing the One who brought him into existence and for his sake created all things, gives glory to God and looks to Him through his faith and deeds, then this is a kind of reward to God on the part of man. Since God, being an ever-flowing and inexhaustible Source (of goodness), glorifies those who glorify Him many times over, and adds new ones to the blessings existing from the beginning for those who receive them with due gratitude, this is God’s reciprocal reward to man. To this, the recipients again respond on their part with appropriate gratitude, expressed in words and deeds. And this repeatedly, according to the law of reciprocity 322, produces numerous rewards to each other: to people from God, and to God from people who please Him. Thus, Abraham, having come to know the Creator through his deeds and having given honor and glory to God, was worthy to hear His voice and receive the divine promise: “Get out from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great language, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you will be blessed. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse, and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you” (Gen. 12:1-3). Thus, these very words and the promise contained in them were given by God to Abraham as a reward to him for giving glory to God. He again rendered obedience to God in practice, which is why he again heard from Him: “Be well-pleasing to Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and your seed, and I will multiply you greatly and greatly” (Gen. 12:1-3). These are in order in relation to each other - on the part of Abraham in relation to God, rewards expressed through faith, words and deeds, and God's appearances to Abraham and His promises and benefits to him, what word could briefly cover? - because among them belong these great wonderful works and the law and the prophets and the fact that from him came the race of kings and Christ Himself, the King of kings and Lord of lords! An attentive researcher might notice that this applies not only to Abraham, but also to each of those who please God, although it is mutually accomplished through other deeds both during the time and in the life of the saints of God. 3. So, since David, having examined, saw his present situation and proclaimed what had happened before him (because this too was for his sake) and knew the immeasurable benefits of God and those benefits truly befitting God that God showed towards us people, and also realized that on our part there is nothing that, when rewarding Him, could be compared with His gifts to people, he exclaimed: “What will I render to the Lord about everyone that we have repaid?” Finding nothing else to bring to God, as soon as recognition of the mercies previously received from Him and a request for future (mercies), he adds to the previous words, saying this: “I will accept the cup of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord” (Ps. 115:4): but this is not retribution, since he rather accepts and asks for what is given to him, rather than repays himself: because he who has received a gift from the king and falls prostrate, and then asking for another gift, does not thereby bring recompense to the king for the gift received from him. He calls the “cup of salvation” a drink of thanksgiving to God for his salvation. But, being a Prophet and speaking in the Spirit and foreseeing the future and close to what is characteristic of grace 323, and, like our forefather by faith, referring to himself what belongs to us, “I will receive the Cup,” he says, “of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord”: presenting our divine communion and communion of the mysterious Cup and, according to this, boldness towards God and, for the reason this, salvation. If, for God’s blessings shown to us, we have no other reward than to pray to God again, then when we sin against Him and make ourselves guilty before Him, how can we compensate for this? - Of course, there is nothing. Because even if we did something good, then before we sinned, we should have done good, and then (after we sinned before God) we have nothing left that would be sufficient to repay the debt. So, to heal our sins, we have no choice but to glorify His incomparable forbearance and invoke His divine bounties. 4. But why does this happen - I am turning to you now - that having nothing to offer God, either for the benefits that we have experienced from Him, or for the sins with which we have offended Him, we nevertheless completely neglect His praises and prayers? Behold, now I see a church full of people gathered, and I myself am filled with joy; but I remember the past time: there was a time for collecting new wine 324 (and I’m telling you this not to blame you, but to give you reason); It was the time of harvesting new wine, and the Church of God experienced a considerable depletion in the number of those who gathered and performed praises to God and fervent prayers. Because how many people completely “slept through” the very Sunday (Lord’s) days 325, which were named after the Lord for this reason, so that on these days, refraining from entertainment and withdrawing from everyday affairs, we would devote ourselves to prayers to God and praises? But where do we get annual fruit bearings? – Isn’t it from God? And now, when the time has come for enjoying and collecting them, then all the more should we add Him to our praises. We, acting completely unbeautifully and unfairly, then especially diminish and neglect them. But why am I talking about this now? – Because many, even before and after the harvest of new grapes, do not “wake up” for the morning services on Sundays, and there are those gathered here who, one might say, devote most of their time to conversations with each other rather than to prayers to God and praises; many pay more attention to goods than to (sacred) words, and to selling and buying than to the teachings of the inspired Scriptures, and thus the church becomes a shop, and the “House of Prayer,” which is the same as saying, “The House of God” becomes a “house of buying” (John 2:16), and these people buzz around us, as you see, like some kind of drones, both without listening and trying to listen interfering. 5. What is the reason for this illness of theirs? - This happens because they do not at all believe that there is any benefit from praying to God and praising and listening to the divine Scriptures and exhortation (sermon). So, some consider this a useless task (I say “some” because the word is not about everyone, which would be unfair); So, some consider this a useless task and think that they are killing the time that, if given, would be spent on praising God and on prayers; and a sign that they consider this to be lost time is the fact that when the scheduled work begins, be it the harvest or the grape harvest or anything else that seems necessary to us, they ask us to shorten the services. And this causes such damage to the very piety and life in Christ and your very bodily well-being that it is impossible to express it: because he who counts the time of prayer to God, for lost time and neglects prayers and gives himself entirely to carnal affairs, does not believe Rexham: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), and does not know that the Lord of life and death also has power over our health and illness, and how It was His business to create us, so His business is to provide us so that we can live, act and generally exist. He who does not believe in things that belong to the present age, how will he believe in those things that belong to the future age? If he does not have a firm belief in future things, either promised or threatened after death, will he care about acquiring virtue? Answer me this. Because every virtue that is not performed for the sake of God and not because of promised rewards or threatened torments; is not a virtue. Do you see that it is impossible to have either firm faith or true virtue if we do not devote ourselves wholeheartedly to church services 326 and prayers? And what am I saying – faith and virtue? – Because we cannot even successfully complete everyday affairs if God does not help us; and this is achieved by diligent prayer. 6. But, they will say, many, even without often visiting church and indulging in the prayers performed there, not only have success in everyday affairs, but also enjoy wealth and fame and physical health. But let us consider that from this our life does not become very, very useful, and in our life there is a lot of inconstancy and adversity: because, without calling on God in every matter and without having assistance (or “help”) on His part, we give access to the evil one: and such access of his not only ruins our affairs, but also leads to an unfortunate end, and for the sake of insignificant things and pretexts, he brings people into such a great rage against each other that some became victims of the fratricidal sword, while others lived with the blood of their fellow tribesmen, staining their will and soul, or even the very hand that shed the blood. Because the mind that has departed from God becomes either bestial or demon-like and, having gone beyond the boundaries of nature, lusts for things alien to nature and does not know satiety in its greed: it gives itself entirely to carnal lusts and does not know the measure of pleasure. He wants to enjoy honor from everyone, but dishonors himself with his own deeds; wants everyone to flatter and approve and promote his plans, and if according to him they do not come true (because how could this be?), he is filled with indomitable rage; and the anger in him and aggressiveness towards his fellow tribe makes him like a snake, and thus a person becomes a murderer, and is likened to a murderer - Satan, the one who was created in the image and likeness of God. And there is one reason for all this: the retreat of the mind (soul) from the fear and memory of God and allowing access to the cooperation of the evil enemy (the devil). If we strengthen our soul in advance (“prokatasfalisometa”) in every case with praises of God and prayers, the adversary will have no place in us; together with him, the entire pack of evil surrounding him will be driven away. Accordingly, chastity and righteousness and meekness and humility will adorn (or: “govern”) our souls, and united with love with each other, we will live a peaceful life unbroken by civil strife, having in our midst, due to constant communication with Him, the King of the world, Christ. 7. Therefore, every morning, before any work, God's Church beckons us to itself with sacred beats 327: because daily communication with God, through prayer and psalmody, calms all stormy impulses and directs them along the good path, restrains carnal passions, and dulls the selfish will and washes away pride, and takes away envy, and masters anger, and smoothes out rancor, and all bitterness and quarrel having been removed from the environment, instead all virtue and goodness of law and prosperity brings to cities and houses and souls and bodies, and to those living in marriage and to those who have adopted a monastic way of life; and, in a word, it 328 is the foundation and affirmation of all good things and the prevention and liberation from all evil and from every evil situation. What brought Jonah back to the earth when he was in the deep and swallowed up by the whale of the sea? “Isn’t that where his prayer comes from?” Listen to how he testifies to this. - “In my affliction I cried out to the Lord my God, and when I heard, I cried out of the belly of hell, and you heard my voice” (Jon. 2:3). What brought Hezekiah from the gates of death to life, if not again, prayer? And Isaiah is a witness to this, proclaiming to him: “Thus says the Lord: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears: behold, I add to your years, fifteen years” (Is. 38:5). What saved Daniel from the lions' den? - Is it not that because of his refusal to stop his incessant prayer to God, he was condemned to be thrown into that ditch? (Dan.6:10–23). What kept the Three Youths alive in the middle of the cave? - Listen to how they say there: “Deal with us according to Your meekness, and according to the abundance of Your mercy, rescue us, and give glory to Your name” (Dan. 3:42-43). 8. Leaving these ancient men, let us turn our attention to those who, according to the narrative of the Gospel of grace, were freed from the great adversities that beset them. What brought the dead daughter of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, to life again, as we heard Luke preaching today? (Luke 8:44) – Isn’t this his prayer to Christ? What gave lepers cleansing (Matthew 8:2)? – Isn’t it her again? What gave light to two pairs of blind men (Matthew 9:27, 20:30)? Were not two of them ordered by the people to remain silent; however, they cried out even more, why did they receive what they prayed for (Matthew 20:30–34)? What did the Canaanite, although, according to the Law, despicable, give her daughter back to health? – Isn’t her prayer to the Lord persistent (Matthew 15:22–28)? - Let us leave aside everything else, so that we remember our existing compatriots, the heavenly crowned ones, ever living and reverently revered by us: what wonderful thing was revealed among the Martyrs of Nestor and before the sacred martyrdom by the second David (in the struggle) against the new Goliath, Leah, when he (St. Nestor), having clearly prayed, then physically entered into a fight with Leah and powerfully overpowering him, then crushed the pride of the tyrannical Herculius (Maximinian)? - Isn’t it his prayer in this matter to the great one in the saints, even before the end of the suffering, Demetrius and, through him, to God 329? 9. So, if prayer nullifies diseases and cleanses lepers, and gives sight to the blind, and frees from the throats of beasts, both on land and in the sea, and keeps alive in the midst of fire, and brings to life from the gates of mortals and resurrects the completely dead, and reveals heavenly crown bearers and conquerors over enemies visible and invisible, delivering wonderful trophies to those who prayed from the heart, then it is not obvious Is it possible that, due to our neglect of prayer and negligence about it, we are overcome by great adversity? Because: “Ask,” says the Lord, “and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; press, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives it, and everyone who seeks finds it, and the door is opened to the one who asks” (Matthew 7:7-8); and - “If you,” He says, “are wicked, you know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11). But, one might say, there is no “one who understands,” there is no “one who seeks God” (Ps. 13:2); because if we realized: Who is our Creator, Who honored us in His image, Who settled us in a pure place of pleasure, Who, having grown old and dishonored by sin and deprived of a place of pleasure, again, through Himself, Renews and Restores and Calls to its former glory and eternal pleasure, if we realized this, we would not give our whole soul to these material and temporary things, but rather would look for and take care of those things that do not crumble and do not flow by. And so, it’s as if we are “pouring water into a holey barrel” 330 and tying our treasures (values ​​in life) into a torn bundle. But you don't have wealth? Don't have a treasure? - But you lust after them: and this is enough for all evil to prevail over you. Because: “those who want to get rich fall into adversity and the devil’s snares” (1 Tim. 6:9), as the great Paul says 331 is not available.. So, let us ardently desire, brethren, 332 things above, let us seek those above, in order to harmlessly receive the lower (earthly) blessings in the present age, and enjoy life and not miss the future and heavenly blessings in the next age, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom befits all glory, honor and worship with His beginningless Father and the Most Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. In Greek ed. listed as No. 51. pp.108–119. The harvest of grapes and the making of wine were accompanied by celebrations. According to Greek "Sunday" called "The Lord's Day" - "and Kyriaki." Orig. “hymns, chants,” but the thought is “church worship.” Those. bell ringing. In Byzantium there were no bells, but wooden boards that were beaten. Those. our constant communication with God through prayer and psalmody (or church services). See Lives of the Saints, October 26th day. Greek proverb corresponding to Russian: “draw water with a sieve”, see: “Ancient Greek-Russian Dictionary”, vol. II, p. 316. Moscow 1958 At Ap. Paul's word "devilish" “Heavenly things”, i.e. belonging to the highest: the spiritual and heavenly world. You might be interested in: