Before the eyes of God

The collection “Before the Eyes of God” is a compilation of the sayings and instructions of St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslova). The book includes his thoughts on the most important aspects of spiritual life, such as faith, love, prayer, repentance, patience, humility and martyrdom. The saint considers the blessings of the world and heavenly riches, temporary and eternal, true and false love, the meaning of talents given by God, and the need for sacrifice to God and denial of ourselves. Particular attention is paid to the fight against vices and temptations, ways of spiritual healing and the importance of the fruits of repentance. His instructions to St. Gregory illustrates with examples from Holy Scripture, revealing the meaning of gospel events and parables in the context of everyday life. Contents Before the eyes of God About faith About love About the blessings of the world and heavenly wealth About temporary and eternal About prayer The life of the pious About talents Sacrifice to God About self-denial About patience About martyrdom Food for the soul About the good and the evil Spiritual healing About vices About repentance The fruit of repentance About the power to forgive About the temptation of Adam and the temptation of Christ About the destruction of the world Before the eyes of God, a hand is never without a gift if the ark of the heart is filled with good disposition. The path of the Lord is directed to the heart when a person humbly listens to the word of truth. The path of the Lord is directed to the heart when its life is prepared for keeping the commandments. Therefore it is written: He who loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). If our heart is not yet burning with the fire of love, then let it curb its desires with fear, so that, encouraged in the march towards its own perfection, it, restraining itself from the desire to receive someone else’s, will eventually achieve contempt for its own, with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ. True love consists in loving a friend in God and loving an enemy for God's sake. Whoever does not have this love loses every good thing he has, is deprived of the talent he received and, according to the Lord’s definition, is sent into utter darkness. For as punishment he falls into outer darkness who, because of his guilt, voluntarily fell into inner darkness. Just as death deprives the body of life, so love for eternal life kills love for material things, for it makes the one who completely possesses it, as it were, insensitive to earthly, external desires. No one sees his soul, but nevertheless no one doubts that he has a soul that he does not see, for the soul invisibly controls the visible body. If this invisible thing is separated, then the visible thing, which stood visibly, immediately falls. So, if in this visible life a being is animated by the invisible, is there any room for doubt about the existence of the invisible life? Our externals, no matter how small they may be, are sufficient for the Lord, because He weighs the heart, not the substance; He looks not at how much weight there is in the sacrifice brought to Him, but at the kind of heartfelt disposition with which it is performed. Visible miracles shine in order to attract the hearts of spectators to faith, so that through what is wonderfully happening on the outside, what is inside is recognized as even more wonderful. Let no dislike provoke us into anger, and let no goodwill incline us to express useless joy. Let happiness not arouse pride in us, and let misfortunes not confuse us, so that we, being confirmed in faith, never change with the change of temporary things. As much as we can stop the tongue, let the words not fly out into the wind, because the Judge says that for every idle word that people say, they will give an answer on the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36). An idle word is one that does not have the benefit of directness or sufficient necessity. He who is proud of his intellect, who breathes the flame of greed, who is defiled by the impurities of luxury, locks the door of his heart from the truth and, so that the Lord does not come to him, strengthens the locks of his soul with the oldness of vices. If we desire the joy of reward at the end of life’s journey, then along the way we must endure the bitterness of repentance. And let this be so that not only our life will be pleasing to God, but also our conversion will inflame others to the glory of God. Humility is the guardian of virtue. When you do good, always remember your evil deeds, so that the soul never carelessly enjoys a good deed, cautiously looking at its guilt. Feat combined with pride does not elevate, but humiliates. Because the one who creates virtues without humility throws dust into the wind, and from where, as it seems, he acquires something, from there he is most blinded. What smiles at the soul of the present age becomes bitter from discussions about eternal fire. Out of love for us our Savior died, out of love for Him we too will learn to conquer ourselves. If we do this as we should, then we will not only avert the punishments that threaten us, but we will also be awarded glory along with the martyrs. For, although there is no persecution now, there is still a place for martyrdom in the world, because, although we do not bow our necks to the sword, we must, with the spiritual sword, cut out carnal desires from our hearts with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ Himself. There are many who justify their wickedness by the wickedness of others. Those who actually neglect them do not truly hear the words of God. It is more glorious to silently avoid an offense than to win by responding. Those who work for the Lord are those who think not about their own, but about His profit, who have zeal for love, zeal for piety, are active in winning souls, and are in a hurry to lead others with them to eternal life. For the one who lives for himself, who feeds on the pleasures of his flesh, is rightly accused of idleness, because he does not bear the fruit of Divine work. The Judge excommunicates those who here butt with the horns of pride from the fate of the humble. Almighty God allowed His chosen ones to fall into certain crimes in order to give hope of forgiveness to others who lie in lawlessness if they turn to Him with all their hearts, and to open the way to piety through tears of repentance to the chosen ones. There is no God in the division of minds, because God is in unity, and those who are not separated from each other by the temptations of sects deserve His grace. The Spirit of Christ is truly the one who makes one love friends and enemies, despises earthly things, strenuously strives for heavenly things, humbles the flesh for vices, and curbs the desires of the heart. He who owed nothing to death suffered death for the human race. That is why we return to life every day after guilt, because the Creator condescends to our guilt without having guilt. Now the ancient enemy, the devil, has lost the spoils that he grabbed from the human race, he has lost the victory of his temptation. Daily sinners are restored to life, daily snatched from his jaws by the hand of the Redeemer. In love for one's neighbor there is hidden the teaching of how one should achieve love for God, therefore John the Theologian says: Whoever says: “I love God,” but hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see? (1 John 4:20). If your soul desires what delights, then first drink what makes you sad. You should not attribute anything to your own merits, so as not to fall into hostility. In the soul of one who has already known the eternal, temporal fruits must lose value. If what is high among people is abominable before God, then the exaltation of our heart is lower before God, the higher it is before people, and the humility of our heart is higher before God, the lower it is before people. If we do something good, let nothing we do make us pompous, and let neither wealth nor fame excite pride. If we are inwardly proud of the abundance of any blessings, then we are despicable before God. Do not honor the blessings of this world in your neighbors. Honor in people that they are created in the image of God. You will observe this in relation to your neighbors when you are not arrogant in your heart towards yourself. For whoever is still proud of transitory things does not know how to honor the eternally present in his neighbor. So, do not evaluate in yourself what you have, but evaluate only what you are. The end of time shows how insignificant is what can pass. The fall of things shows that a transitory thing was almost nothing even then when it seemed worthwhile. He who strives for God with a pure heart truly already has in him the One Whom he loves, for no one could love God if he did not have in his heart the One Whom he loves. The word of a teacher is in vain if it cannot ignite love. This ignition of the teaching was received from the lips of the Truth Himself by those who said: Did not our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He explained the Scripture to us? (Luke 24:32). Because from hearing a word, the spirit is inflamed, the cold of numbness is removed, the soul thirsts for higher desires, alien to earthly lusts. The true love that fills her torments her with sobs, but when she suffers from such a flame, then she feeds on this very torment. She is pleased to hear the commandments of heaven, and as many instructions as she receives from the commandments, she is ignited, as if from torches, and she who was previously stifled in lusts is ignited by words. The Holy Spirit makes everyone whom it fills both simple and fiery—simple in purity, fiery in zealous imitation. For neither simplicity without zeal, nor zeal without simplicity can please God. Therefore, the Truth Itself says: Be wise as serpents and simple as doves (Matthew 10:16). Every sinner who thinks about earthly things and does not seek heavenly things cannot look up, because, indulging in lower desires, he deviates from the integrity of his mind and always sees only what he thinks about. When we come to the battle of faith, we enter into a struggle with evil spirits. When there is no persecution from enemies, then one must guard the heart with special vigilance, for in times of peace, through permission to live, the opportunity is also given to excessively desire something. The carnal heart, desiring the glory of this life, rejects humility. We lose everything earthly by keeping it for ourselves, but we save it by spending it on charity. God chooses those whom the world despises, because for the most part self-contempt brings man to his senses. No one knows what is happening to him in the hidden destinies of God, for many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). So, since no one knows about himself whether he has been chosen, then everyone can only fear for their activities, everyone can rely on God’s mercy alone, no one should rely on their own strength. In physical things no one reaches heights unless he strives for them; but in spiritual things it is known that the more we humble ourselves through compassion, the more surely we rise to the heights. We must love our neighbors; love should extend to everyone near and far, but for the sake of this love one should not shy away from love of God. Faith is confidence in those things that cannot be revealed. For what appears does not need faith, but needs knowledge. A true believer is one who actually expresses what he believes. On the contrary, about those who have faith only in name, the Apostle Paul says: They say that they know God, but deny by deeds, being vile and disobedient and incapable of any good deed (Titus 1:16). Therefore, the Apostle James says: Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you everything that I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. (John 15, 12–16) If all the sacred sayings are full of the commandments of the Lord, then what does it mean that the Lord says about love, as a special commandment: This is my commandment, that you love one another - if not that every commandment depends on love alone and all the commandments make up one, because everything commanded is based only on love alone? For just as many branches come from one root, so many virtues are born from one love. And the branch of a good deed bears no fruit if it does not rest on the root of love. Therefore, there are many commandments of the Lord, and one; many - according to the variety of affairs, one - according to the root of love. And how this love should be fulfilled is inspired by the One who, in many thoughts of His Scripture, commands us to love both friends - as Him, and enemies - for His sake. For true love is the one who loves both his friend in God and his enemy for God’s sake. For there are some who love their neighbors, but according to the nature of kinship and flesh, which, however, in this love the sacred sayings do not contradict. But one thing means that it is done willingly by nature, and another thing is that it is done out of obedience to the commandments of the Lord out of love. These people love their neighbor, but, despite this, they do not achieve the highest rewards for love, because they spend their love not according to the spirit, but according to the flesh. Therefore, when the Lord said: love one another, he immediately added: as I have loved you. He said something like this: “You love for the reason why I loved you.” We must understand that the ancient enemy (the devil), while predisposing our soul to love temporary things, on the opposite side sets up a weaker neighbor against us, who is plotting to take away the very thing that we love. The ancient enemy is not trying to destroy earthly things, but to kill love in us. For we are suddenly inflamed with hatred and, wanting to be invincible from the outside, we suffer terribly inside; and by protecting little from the outside, we lose a lot inside, because by loving a temporary thing, we are deprived of true love, because anyone who destroys our property is an enemy. But if we begin to harbor hatred for the enemy, then we lose the inner. So, when we suffer from the outside something from our neighbor, then we must be vigilant against the hidden inner predator, which is never more conveniently defeated than when we love the external kidnapper. Because one and the main test of love is if we love even someone who does something hostile to us. That is why Truth Itself endures execution on the cross and, despite this, expresses love for His very persecutors, saying: Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). So, is it surprising if students in real life love their enemies, when their Teacher loves his enemies even when he is killed by them? He expresses the height of this love by adding: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). The Lord came to die even for our enemies, and despite the fact that He said that He would lay down His life for our friends, in order to clearly show us that when we can benefit our enemies through love, then our friends are even those who persecute us. But no one ever persecutes us until we die. How can we prove that we love our enemies? But in the world of the Holy Church there must be something from which it must be clearly seen whether during persecution we can die for love. The Apostle John clearly says: But whoever has enough in the world, but sees his brother in need and closes his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (1 John 3:17). Therefore, the prophet John the Baptist says: He who has two clothes, give to the poor, and he who has food, do the same (Luke 3:11). So, whoever during times of peace does not give his clothes for the sake of God, will he give up his soul during persecution? Therefore, in order for the power of love to be invincible in persecution, it must be nourished by charity in times of calm, for we must learn to give to Almighty God first our property, and then ourselves. In love for your neighbor, a measure of love is established when it is said: Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31), and love for God is not limited to any measure when it is said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30). For it is not commanded how much everyone should love, but completely, when it is said “to all,” because he truly loves God who leaves nothing for himself. No one, loving someone, should immediately think that he has love, unless he first experiences the power of his love. If we sincerely love those whom we support at our own expense, so that the needs of our neighbor are not burdensome for us, and his very poverty, supported by us, is not burdensome for us, then when the hand gives what is necessary, the heart delights in love. He who truly loves God, who keeps His commandments, the Lord comes into his heart and makes his abode in him (see John 14:23), because love for the Divine permeates him so that even during temptation he does not retreat from this love. Therefore, the one who truly loves is the one whose mind is not overcome by unholy love. For everyone is further separated from Supreme Love, the lower his love extends. Love for God is never idle. For if it exists, then it does good deeds, and if it refuses to do them, then it is not love. We truly love God when we strive from our pleasures to fulfill His commandments. For whoever still entertains himself with unauthorized desires does not truly love God, because he contradicts Him with his will. Let us love our neighbor, let us love the one who is near us, in order to be able to achieve love for the One who is higher than us. About the blessings of the world and heavenly wealth If you cannot leave everything in the world, then possess the goods of this world so that they do not keep you in the world, so that the earthly thing belongs to you, but does not possess you; so that what you have is under the control of your soul, so that the soul, overcome by love for earthly things, does not itself fall into the possession of its own things. So, let there be a temporary thing in use, and an eternal thing in desire; let a temporary thing be on the way, and let an eternal thing be the object of desire upon arrival in the heavenly fatherland. We must look at what is happening in this world, as if from the outside. Vices must be exterminated to the ground, they must be eradicated not only from activity, but even from the thoughts of the heart. For us, neither the pleasure of the flesh, nor vain curiosity, nor strong ambition should serve as an obstacle to the procession to the Lord’s Supper, but we should only, as if with some side of our soul, touch even what we honestly do in the world, so that the earthly blessings that please our body serve it in such a way as not to be an obstacle to the heart. Some lead a social life and do not have a secular mood. For such people are connected with the world by necessity, so that they cannot completely renounce the world, therefore they must contain the worldly in such a way as to be able to not obey it with the mood of the soul. So, when you cannot leave everything that belongs to the world, then dispose of external things prudently, but internally hasten with zeal towards the eternal. There should be nothing that slows down the striving of your soul, no attachment to any thing should bind you in this world. If one loves good things, then the soul should enjoy the best goods, that is, heavenly ones. If they are afraid of evil, then it is necessary to imagine eternal disasters, so that the soul, seeing itself there, will love what is there more and fear what is there more, so as not to cleave to what is here. For such activity we have the God-man Christ, the Mediator between people and God, through whom we will soon receive everything if we burn with true love for Him, our Savior. What tongue can express or what mind can understand the inexpressible joys of the heavenly fatherland - to be among the hosts of angels, to stand together with the most blessed spirits of the Creator, to look directly at the face of God, to see an indescribable light, to be absolutely not afraid of death, to enjoy the gift of constant innocence? Hearing about this, the soul is inflamed and wants to be already where it hopes to rejoice endlessly. But she cannot achieve great rewards except through the work of achievement. So, the greatness of rewards should delight the soul, but ascetic struggle should not frighten. In the house of Jesus you are not looking for Jesus if in the church of Eternity you pray untimely for temporal things. Here is one asking for a wife in prayer, another wanting property, a third demanding clothes, a fourth praying for food to be given to him. And although we must ask Almighty God for these things, if they are not there, we must constantly remember what the Savior commanded us: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). So, there is no sin in asking the Lord for these items, if, however, they are not asked in excess. But also - what is more important - some ask for death to the enemy, and whomever he cannot pursue with the sword, he pursues with prayer. And although the one who is being ill-wishered is still alive, the one who is ill-wishing is already guilty of his death. God commands that we love our enemies, but despite this, we ask God to kill the enemy. So, whoever prays in this way fights against the Creator with his very prayers. Therefore, it is said about Judas: And let his prayer become sin (Ps. 108:7) - because prayer turns into sin when one prays for something that the One to whom one prays forbids. Therefore, the Truth says: And when you stand in prayer, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Heavenly Father may forgive you your sins (Mark 11:25). The power of true prayer lies in the height of love. And everyone receives what he correctly asks for when, during prayer, his spirit is not darkened by hatred of the enemy. But for the most part, we overcome the fighting spirit if we also pray for our enemies. The lips pour out prayer for the enemy, but if only the heart could contain love! For often, although we send up prayer for our enemies, we pour it out more according to the commandment than out of love: we pray for the health and salvation of our enemies - and we are afraid that God will fulfill our requests. But He notices first of all our inner disposition, not words. Often, when we want to turn to the Lord after committing sins, when we try to beg His forgiveness, our soul is attacked by images of the crimes committed, dulling the sharpness of our mind, the spirit is confused and does not give room to the voice of our prayer, because before the Lord approaches the soul, our crimes, imprinted in our imagination, confuse us during prayer. But the more the painful noise of carnal thoughts constrains us, the more ardent and persistent we should be in prayer. This noise prevents us from crying out, since even in prayer, for the most part, we suffer from imagining our sins. But the louder the voice of the heart must be raised, the greater the obstacles it encounters, until it exceeds the noise of unbearable thoughts and, with its tension and persistence, reaches the holy ear of the Lord. I think everyone has experienced this on themselves, because when we direct our souls from this world to God, when we turn to prayer, then during prayer it becomes unpleasant and painful for us what we previously did with pleasure. Thoughts of sins are removed from the eyes of the heart by the power of holy desire; their imagination is overcome by cries of repentance. The judge is more likely to bow to prayer if the one praying corrects his wickedness. Just as the church of God is important in a city, so is the life of the pious among the believing people. There is no one who could truly say: “I did not receive talent, therefore there is nothing to force me to give an account for.” For every poor person will be counted as a talent what he has received, even in the smallest amount. For one has received understanding - and with this talent he commits himself to preaching. Another has received earthly wealth and is obliged to give material alms. The third received neither inner understanding nor wealth, but nevertheless learned the craft from which he feeds, and this skill itself is credited to him as the acceptance of talent. The fourth did not achieve any of this, but perhaps he earned the place of a friend of the rich man, and he truly received the talent of friendship. Consequently, if he does not tell a rich friend anything about those in need of help, he is condemned for hiding his talent. He who has understanding should make every effort to preach; he who has wealth must watch, lest he become sluggish in works of mercy; he who has a craft with which he supports himself must try in every possible way to share its use and benefits with his neighbor; he who has friendship with the rich must fear condemnation for hiding his talent if he does not stand up for the poor when he can. For from each of us the coming Judge will demand as much as he gave. So, in order for everyone to safely account for his talent at the coming of the Lord, he must daily weigh with fear what he has received. For God there is no richer sacrifice than good will. Good will consists in fearing the misfortunes of another as well as one’s own; rejoice in the well-being of your neighbor as well as your own; recognize other people's losses as your own; look at other people's profits as if they were your own; to love a friend not for the world, but for God; endure the enemy with love; do not do to anyone what you do not want to endure yourself; do not deny to anyone what you rightly desire for yourself; It is not only within one’s strength to help one’s neighbor when necessary, but also to desire to be useful to him even beyond one’s strength. So, what is richer than this burnt offering, when the soul, through what is offered to God, gives itself as a sacrifice on the altar of the heart? But this sacrifice of good will is never completely accomplished if the desire for this world is not completely abandoned. For what we desire in him, we undoubtedly envy our neighbors, because it seems that we lack what another achieves. And since envy is always in conflict with good will, as soon as the latter captivates the mind, the former is immediately removed. Therefore, the holy preachers, in order to completely love their neighbors, tried not to love anything in this century, never to desire anything, not to have anything with partiality. It is not difficult for a person to leave his property, but it is very difficult to leave himself. Because a little more means giving up what he has, but it means a lot to give up what he is. We are different - those who have fallen into sin, and different is how we were created. For the one who was proud, turning to Christ, became humble and denied himself. If one of the luxurious people changed his life to an abstinent one, then he renounced what he was. If someone greedy stopped being greedy, and the one who previously stole someone else’s property learned to give away his own, then, without a doubt, both of them abandoned themselves. Although he is the same by nature, he is not the same in anger. That is why it is written: Touch the wicked with misfortune, and they are no more (Proverbs 12:7). For the converted wicked disappear not because they no longer exist in essence, but precisely because they no longer exist because of their guilt in wickedness. So, then we leave ourselves, then we deny ourselves, when we move away from what we were due to old age, and strive for what we are called due to renewal. Let's think about how the Apostle Paul denied himself, who said: And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). Patience is the root of all virtues and their guardian. By patience we gain our souls, because we learn to rule over ourselves. Patience consists in enduring misfortunes inflicted from without with indifference and not having any annoyance at the one who does us harm. For the one who endures insults from his neighbor in such a way that, while grieving, remains silent and seeks the time of worthy retribution, does not have patience, but only shows the appearance of it, because it is written: Love is patient and kind (1 Cor. 13:4). For long-suffering love consists in enduring insults from others, but merciful love consists in loving even those from whom it suffers. That is why the Truth says from Itself: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who offend you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44). So, love is a virtue before people, consisting in tolerating enemies, and before God - in loving them, because God accepts only that sacrifice that kindles the flame of love before His eyes on the altar of virtue. But you need to know that for the most part we seem to be patient because we cannot repay evil for evil. But whoever does not return evil for evil simply because he cannot, is, without any doubt, not a patient person, because patience does not consist in manifestation, but in the heart. The vice of impatience upsets the very nourisher of virtues - rationality, for it is written: A patient person has much understanding (Proverbs 14:29). Consequently, the less intelligent someone is, the less patient he is. For he cannot truly persist in teaching goodness if in life he does not know how to indifferently endure insults from others. The virtue of patience is usually practiced in three ways. We suffer some things from God, others from our ancient enemy, the devil, and others from our neighbors. From our neighbor we suffer persecution, harm and reproach, and from our ancient enemy we suffer temptation; from God comes admonition. But in all these three ways, the mind must vigilantly examine itself, so that against insults from a neighbor it does not get carried away by the desire to repay evil for evil; so that against enemy temptations you do not bow to pleasure or consent to lawlessness; so as not to fall into murmuring against the Creator’s admonition. For the enemy suffers complete defeat when our soul, even in the midst of temptations, is not carried away by pleasure and harmony, and in the midst of reproaches from our neighbors, it avoids hatred, and in the midst of God’s admonitions it refrains from grumbling. In doing this, we should not desire to be rewarded with present blessings, for for the feat of patience we must expect the blessings of the future life. Therefore, endure your enemies, but love those whom you tolerate as brothers. There are two types of martyrdom: one is internal, the other is external, and if there is no external persecution, there may be hidden martyrdom, when the soul burns with readiness to suffer. That martyrdom can occur without visible suffering, this was testified by the Lord himself in the Gospel, when the sons of Zebedee, who, due to the weakness of their minds, asked him for higher places, asked: Can you drink the cup that I will drink? When they answered Him that they could, the Lord said to both: You will drink My cup... but to let you sit on My right side and on My left does not depend on Me (Matthew 20:22-23). What does the Lord mean here by the cup, if not the cup of suffering? Therefore, knowing for sure that Jacob ended his life as a martyr, and John died when there was no persecution of the Church, we undoubtedly conclude that there is martyrdom without open suffering, since it was said about the one who died not from persecution that he would drink the cup of the Lord. John did not end his life as a martyr, but he was nevertheless a martyr because he retained the suffering that he did not accept in the body in his mind. Consequently, we too can be martyrs without torture if we maintain true patience in our souls. Just as you feed your body daily with food so that it does not weaken, so let good deeds be daily food for your soul. Food nourishes the body, and pious activities nourish the spirit. What you give to a body that must die, do not withhold from the soul that will live forever. For when fire suddenly engulfs a home, each owner jumps up, grabs what he can, and runs out, counting as profit what he manages to take out of the fire with him. Now the flames of disasters engulf the world, and everything that seems precious in it is devastated by the approaching end like fire. There are only good people anywhere except heaven, and only evil people are nowhere except hell. But this life, which is between heaven and hell, since it stands in the middle, receives citizens from both sides. However, the Holy Church even now does not accept them indiscriminately, and later distinguishes them at the exodus. So, if there are good ones, then as long as you remain in this life, endure the evil ones with indifference. For whoever does not tolerate the evil, through impatience testifies to himself that he is not good. Because the first man, Adam, had two sons, Abel and Cain, but one of them was chosen, and the other was wicked (see Gen. 4: 1–8). Noah had three sons with him in the ark; but two of them are chosen, and one is wicked (see Gen. 6:10). Abraham had two sons, but one was chosen and the other was wicked (see Gen. 21:9–13). Isaac had two sons, but one was chosen and the other was wicked (see Gen. 27:37). Jacob had twelve sons, but one of them was sold for his innocence, and the others, out of malice, were their brother’s sellers (see Gen. 37:28). Twelve apostles were chosen, but among them one was admitted in order to tempt, and eleven in order to be tempted (see John 6:71). So, in this Church there can be neither evil without good, nor good without evil. Therefore, remember the past times and strengthen yourself to endure the evil. The Heavenly Physician contrasts each vice with separately suitable treatments. For just as according to medical science, hot things can be cured with cold, and cold things with hot, so our Lord gave commandments opposite to sins, so that he commanded abstinence to the intemperate, generosity to the stingy, meekness to the angry, and humility to the proud. It is known that He, giving new commandments to those who followed Him, said: So anyone of you who does not renounce everything that he has cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33). Almighty God usually visits the depraved soul in many ways. For he constantly visits her with a commandment, and sometimes even with a miracle, so that she listens to the truth, which she did not know, and at the same time, proud and contemptuous, and forced by pain, she converts, and, overcome by good deeds, is ashamed of the evil that she has done. The poison of sin, fatally hidden in the soul, is salutarily revealed in confession. For skin wounds draw the moisture of rottenness to the surface. And by confessing sins, what else are we doing if we are not revealing the evil that is hidden within us? Those who are now bound by vice voluntarily, after death against their will are bound by punishment and thrown into outer darkness. Because we call inner darkness the blindness of the heart, and outer darkness the eternal night of condemnation. People turned the tranquility of the human world into vain carelessness, they took earthly wandering for a home in the fatherland; bodily health has been turned into food for vices; the abundance of goods was used not for the need to satisfy the flesh, but for the corruption of the will; We forced the very dissolution of the air (the beneficial state of nature) to serve us out of love for earthly pleasure. He who has already rejected vices must find virtues in which he should grow. For when it is said: if anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, then it is immediately added: and take up your cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24). For the cross is laid in two ways: either when the body is exhausted by abstinence, or when the soul is struck by compassion for its neighbor. We must have compassion for man and justice for vices, so that in the same person we can both love the good by which he was created and pursue the evil that he has done, so that, by carelessly forgiving guilt, we do not show that we are no longer compassionate out of love, but have fallen through negligence. Whoever wants to completely conquer vices must try to humbly endure the blows of his purification, so that he will appear cleaner before the Judge, the more the fire of disaster now cleanses the rust of sin. I judge the Apostle Peter, I talk about the thief, I look at Zacchaeus, I look at Mary Magdalene - and I see nothing else in them except the example of hope and repentance given to us. For if anyone has fallen in faith, let him look at the Apostle Peter, who wept bitterly because he had denied out of fear (see Matt. 26:75). Another, in anger and cruelty, became heated against his neighbor - let him look at the thief, who, already at the very moment of death, through repentance, came to the rewards of life (see Luke 23:43). The third, out of excessive greed, stole someone else's property - let him look at the chief of publicans Zacchaeus, who returned fourfold to the one from whom he took something (see Luke 19:8). Another, inflamed by the fire of lust, has lost the purity of the flesh - let him look at Mary, who burned carnal love within herself with the fire of Divine love. Almighty God everywhere presents to our eyes those whom we should imitate, everywhere he shows examples of His mercy. So, vices, even if experienced, should no longer be liked. Almighty God willingly forgets that we were sinners, and is ready to credit our repentance to our innocence. Desecrated, after the waters of salvation we will be reborn with tears. One thing means bearing the fruit of repentance, and another means worthy fruit of repentance (see Matt. 3:8). For in order to talk about the worthy fruits of repentance, one must know that someone who has not done anything impermissible is rightly allowed to enjoy what is permissible; and he must do works of piety in such a way that if he does not want to, he may not leave what belongs to the world. But if someone has fallen into the crime of fornication or, what is even more terrible, into adultery, he must renounce what is permitted as much as he remembers himself having committed what is unlawful. For the fruit of good activity of the one who sins less should not be equal to that of the one who sins more; or the one who fell into no crimes, and the one who fell into some, and the one who fell into many. The power to bind (bind, punish) or loose (release, forgive) is given to those who receive the degree of government (see Matthew 18:18). Great is the honor, but great is the weight of this honor. Because it is unmerciful for the judge of the lives of others to be someone who does not know how to manage his own life. And it often happens that the place of a judge is taken by someone whose life does not agree with the place. And it is often done that he either condemns those who do not deserve condemnation, or frees others, being himself bound (by sin or crime). Often, in allowing and binding subordinates, he follows the movements of his will, and not sufficient reasons, which is why it happens that this power itself is deprived of the one who uses it according to his own whims, and not in accordance with the morals of his subordinates. Therefore, it is rightly said through the prophet Ezekiel: And dishonor Me before My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing souls that should not die, and leaving life to souls that should not live, deceiving the people who listen to lies (Ezek. 13:19). Because he kills those who do not have to die, who condemns the righteous, and he tries to revive the one who does not have life, who tries to free the guilty from punishment. It is necessary to look at what guilt preceded it, or what repentance followed after guilt, so that the opinion of the shepherd resolves those whom Almighty God visits with the grace of contrition. For the resolution of the external judge is true when it agrees with the thought of the internal judge. We, by pastoral authority, must resolve those about whom we know that our Savior revives them with restorative grace. This quickening is already known in the very confession of sin. But regardless of whether the shepherd imposes a prohibition justly or unfairly, his opinion should be terrible for the flock, so that the subordinate, although perhaps unjustly bound, does not have guilt because of the very opinion of his being bound. So, the shepherd should be afraid of both allowing and knitting indiscriminately. And one subordinate to the shepherd should be afraid of being bound, even if unjustly, and should not recklessly reproach the judgment of his shepherd, so that he would not be guilty - even if he was unjustly bound - in the pride of reckless censure. About the temptation of Adam and the temptation of Christ The ancient enemy the devil rebelled against the first man, our ancestor, with three temptations, because he tempted him with gluttony, vain glory and greed. And he won by temptation, because he subjugated him through consent. He tempted him to overeat when he pointed out forbidden food from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and convinced him to eat the fruit. He also tempted with vain glory when he said: You will be like gods. He also tempted with success in covetousness when he said: those who know good and evil (Gen. 3:5) - for covetousness refers not only to money, but also to exaltation. Therefore, excessive pursuit of exaltation is rightly called covetousness. But in the same ways the devil overthrew the first man, with the same methods he approached the second tempted Man, Jesus Christ. For he tempts Him with gluttony when he says: Command that these stones become bread (Matthew 4:3). He tempts with vain glory when he says: If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down (Matthew 4:6). He tempts with the covetousness of a high position when he shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, saying: I will give all this to You if you fall and worship me (Matthew 4:9). But from the second Man he is conquered by the same means by which he became famous as the conqueror of the first man. And this is what we should pay attention to in this temptation. The Lord, tempted by the devil, answers him with the commandments of Holy Scripture; He Who was the Word who could cast His tempter into the abyss does not reveal the strength of His power, but gives only one suggestion from Scripture. By this He gives us an example of patience, so that when we suffer something from wicked people, we are encouraged more to edify ourselves than to take revenge. Look what God's patience is and what our impatience is. When we are subjected to insults or any kind of insult, we are moved by fury, either taking revenge as much as we can, or threatening to take revenge if we cannot. But the Lord suffered an insult from the devil and did not answer him with anything except words of meekness. He endures those whom He could punish, so that His glory may rise all the higher through the fact that He defeated His enemy not by destroying him, but by patience. Grieving over the destruction of the world is typical of those who have planted the roots of their hearts in love for it, who do not desire a future life, who do not even believe in its existence. By the destruction of the world, the nearness of the Kingdom of God is known. You might be interested in: