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From the depths of the Father, who descended and became the path of salvation for us, the Lord with His blessed and divine voice teaches us repentance, saying: “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13); and again: “they do not require the health of a doctor, but the sick” (Luke 5:31). If I say this, you may not listen to me. But if the Lord Himself speaks, then why do you neglect this, not caring about your life? If you realize within yourself that there is an ulcer of thoughts and deeds in your insides, then why do you neglect your hidden ulcers? Why are you afraid of the Doctor? He is not cruel, and not uncompassionate, and not merciless; does not use iron, as well as strong healing and cauterization; heals in one word. If you want to come to Him, then He is full of goodness, full of mercy. Came for you from the depths of the Father. He incarnated for you, so that you would approach Him without fear; He became man for you, to heal your grievous wounds. With great love and with all goodness He calls you to Himself. Come, sinner, be healed without difficulty. Cast off the burden of sins, offer prayer, and moisten the rotten sores with your tears. For this Heavenly Physician, as the Good One, heals ulcers with tears and sighs. Come, sinner, to the good Doctor, bringing your tears - this is the best medicine. For this is what the Heavenly Physician wants, so that everyone heals himself with his own tears and is saved. This medicine does not last long, and does not gradually heal the ulcer, but heals you immediately. The doctor is waiting to see your tears; come on, don't be afraid. Show Him the ulcer, bringing along the healing - tears and sighs. Behold, the door of repentance is opened; try, sinner, to enter before it is closed. He does not give time to your negligence; and the door itself, seeing you careless, will not wait until your carelessness continues. Why did you hate your life, unfortunate one? What is higher than your soul, man? But you, sinner, neglected her. You do not know, beloved, at what hour the Heavenly Physician orders you to close the door of His healing. Go ahead, I beg you, try to heal. He wants to please the Heavenly Host with your repentance. The sun has already reached the evening hour, and is only delaying for you to reach the monastery. How long will you tolerate your unclean enemy, shamelessly fulfilling his will? He wants to throw you into the fire. That's what his efforts are about! This is his gift to those who love him! He always fights with all people, striking them with evil and unclean wishes, and he, the unclean one, again brings those who submit to him to despair, hardens their hearts, dries up their tears so that the sinner does not fall into contrition. Run away from him at all costs, man. Have hatred and disgust for what is dear to him. Pursue the evil one with hatred, flee from the treacherous one, for he is a “murderer from time immemorial” to the end (John 8:44). Run from him, man, lest he kill you! Listen, beloved, to the blessed Voice, which says daily: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn,” because I am silent, “meek,” merciful, “and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). He announces your rest, and promises you life from day to day. Go ahead, don't be afraid. The Lord of blessings has no need for anything, does not require the handwriting of all sins. He is a refuge from all evils; He heals ulcers and gives life in abundance, like the Good One; willingly accepts those who come to Him, because He, the great God and Forerunner (knowing the future), knows all our thoughts and, if someone comes to Him for healing, sees the heart and all its zeal. When the one who approaches has an unchanging pious life, then the good God Himself, in His goodness, is immediately found by those who seek Him, and before a person looks to God, He says to him: “Here I am!”; before he approaches Him, he opens the treasure to the seeker; before she sheds tears, he sheds treasures; before he asks, he makes peace with him; Before he prays, he bestows mercy. For this is what the love of God requires and wants. He is not slow to listen to those who truly come to God. And he does not reproach the wicked man who comes again: “Why did you serve the enemy for so long and voluntarily despise Me, the Master?” The Lord does not look for how much time has passed, but only at the humility, tears and sighs of those who fall before Him, because He, the Forerunner, as our God and Creator, suddenly forgives all sins, all mistakes in thoughts and deeds, and says that they should bring him the first robe and also a ring on his right hand, and commands all the Angels to rejoice at the discovery of this sinner’s soul. Blessed are we all humans; Our Lord is meek, unforgiving, kind, generous, merciful, long-suffering, and always forgives our wickedness if we ourselves wish it. For He calls, He endures for a long time, He gives us all His blessings in this life and there, if we want it. So, let's get started, let's pray while we have time. Here, while we are in this life, we can always appease God. It is not difficult for us to gain forgiveness; it is timely (profitable) for us to strike at the door of His mercy. Let us shed tears while it is still time to accept tears, so that, having passed away into that age, we will not cry in vain, for tears are not counted for anything there. As much as we wish, the good God forgives. For here He listens to us if we cry to Him; here he forgives if we ask for it; here he blots out (destroys) our iniquities if we are grateful. Here is consolation, there is interrogation; here patience, there severity; here mercy, there justice; here freedom, there court; here there is safety, there there is crampedness; here is pleasure, there is pain; here is greed, there is punishment; here laughter, there crying; here coldness, there execution; here is neglect, there is eternal fire; here are outfits, there is a never-ending worm; here arrogance, there humiliation; here theft, there the gnashing of teeth; here everything is covered in gold, there is darkness and gloom; here there is negligence, there there are unforgivable offenses. Knowing this, beloved brethren, why are we careless about our salvation? May our minds, brothers, not be nailed here! May love for earthly things not be sweet for us, so that our crying there does not become bitter! Why are we careless and do not want to be healed while there is still time? For the sake of the few tears shed in this short time, and for the sake of repentance, God forgives all sins. Cry a little here, so as not to cry there forever and ever, in pitch darkness. Be grateful here, so that there you are not thrown into unquenchable fire. Who will not shed tears for us, who will not cry for us? Having hated life, we love death. Think for yourself, my sincere brother, and choose what is best and beneficial for the soul. What is the difficulty for you to cry about your sins here, and through repentance, having become grateful, to pray here so as not to shed tears there, in the fire, without any benefit? For, shedding tears here, you receive relief and all kinds of consolation, but there, while crying, you will be subject to punishment and the collection of numerous talents. Pay a little, begging the Lord to forgive the debts of your soul. If you don’t want to pay back a little out of a lot here, you will have to pay off your entire debt there, after many tortures. I say this to your love, beloved and God-loving brethren, not as a worthy person, impeccable in life and maintaining purity, but as a person who, in great sorrow and sadness of heart, pondered with himself what awaits us and what we are neglecting. I am not pure, brethren, I am wicked in my life, in deeds and in thoughts, and I do not at all recognize anything good in myself; on the contrary, now and always he is sinful and weak in his will. But I say this to your like-minded people, because sadness always overtakes my heart at the thought of God’s future Last Judgment; for we are all constantly careless and think of living in this vain world forever and ever. A century passes and everything in it. And in all this we will need an account, beloved, as those who know good and do evil. Neglecting here the love of God and the Kingdom of God, we preferred the earth and everything on it. Silver and gold will not snatch us from the terrible fire; clothing and luxury will serve there to our condemnation. “A brother will not deliver” his brother (Ps. 48:8), and also a father will not deliver his own child, but everyone will stand in his own rank, in life or in fire. Many saints, righteous and reverend people have been put off from this world and its works by the good will of freedom, and by good trust in the commandments of God, they are convinced that they will enjoy God’s blessings in the sweet paradise; for, having loved Christ, they preferred Him to everything corruptible, therefore they rejoice in God daily, are enlightened in Christ, constantly rejoicing in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity rejoices over them, the Angels and Archangels rejoice over them, the heaven of sweetness rejoices over them. They are truly worthy of praise, glory, and are always blessed. Angels and men please them, because they preferred the love of God to the whole world. And the holy, righteous, true God gave them His Kingdom, and also gave them great glory, together with the holy Angels, to always look at Him in joy. Many of the people loved the earth and everything that is perishable on it. Their mind is always nailed to the perishable and, almost like the dumb, they nourish their bodies with food, as if this vain life is immortal. What are you doing, man, living your life like a dumb person? God created you to be reasonable and prudent, so do not liken yourself to your unreasonable beasts through recklessness. Sober up a little, man, come to your senses and, like a reasonable person, know that the Almighty God came from heaven for you to lift you from earth to heaven. You have been invited to the marriage of the Heavenly Bridegroom: why are you neglectful? Why are you delaying? Tell me, how will you go to a wedding without having expensive clothes suitable for a wedding celebration? You don't have a lamp, how can you get in? Will you really come in with disdain? You will immediately hear the terrible words: “Friend, how did you come” to a marriage, “not wearing a wedding garment” (Matthew 22:12), suitable for My Kingdom? Have you really entered with disdain, so that by your nakedness you may offend My fellow-feasts?” And the King will say to His servants: “Bind the unfortunate man’s hands and feet, and throw him into the fiery furnace to suffer forever and ever. Since I Myself came a long time ago and invited everyone to marriage, and this one, neglecting My call, did not prepare clothes for marriage, I command you to punish the unfortunate man for neglecting My Kingdom.” Are you really not afraid of this, are you not trembling, O man, and that the time is near for the Bridegroom to appear in His glory? Don't you know that everything is already ready? The heavenly trumpet is waiting to be waved! And what will you do at that hour if you do not prepare for this hour of God’s pleasure? God pleases the worthy. The heavenly trumpet will sound from heaven and say: “Awake, beloved of Christ! Behold, the Heavenly King has come to give you peace and joy in eternal life for the work of your asceticism. Awake, see Christ - the King, the Immortal Bridegroom, Whom you loved. For having loved Him, you became strangers on earth. Wake up and see His Kingdom, which He has prepared for you. Awake, behold the longed-for Christ. Awake, look with an insatiable eye on the Lord, Whom you loved, for whose sake you endured sorrows, for whom you fought. Come now, and with great boldness look at Him, the Desired One, and rejoice with Him with unspeakable joy; “and no one will take away your joy from you” (John 16:22). Come, enjoy the blessings “for which no eye has seen, nor an ear heard, nor has the heart of man conceived” (1 Cor. 2:9); the blessings that the Desired One Himself gives you, for the saints will be caught up “into the clouds”, the bright ones to “meet” Him (1 Thess. 4:17). The righteous and worthy of God will soar to the heights of the air in inscrutable glory to see the Heavenly Immortal Bridegroom. Who is worthy to be caught up at that hour in the clouds, with great joy, to meet Christ? All the worthy will be caught up in glory; and all the wicked will remain below with great shame. Bliss and joy to those who have worked here! Punishment and shame for all sinners! Blessed is he who has labored here to prove himself worthy at this hour. Pity is the one who made himself unworthy at that hour. The clouds will carry all the saints from earth to heaven. The wicked will be taken away by angels to be thrown into a furnace burning with unquenchable fire. Who will “give my head” abundant water and “we will comb the spring”, which would always and continuously pour out tears? May I weep for myself day and night, begging God, so as not to prove unworthy to me at the hour of His appearance, and not to hear from the Lord that terrible sentence: “Depart from Me, you who practice iniquity. We don’t know where you come from” (Matthew 7:23; Luke 13:27). Almighty God, One, Immortal, show the sinner Your great bounties at this hour, so that my secret wickedness will not be revealed before the audience - Angels, Archangels, prophets, apostles, righteous and saints! Save the wicked with grace and bounty, and lead him into the paradise of sweetness with the perfect righteous! Accept, O Lord, the petition of Your servant, through the prayers of the saints who have pleased You. Glory to Christ! Amen. You might be interested in: