О том, что христиане не должны предаваться забавам

We all know that Christians should not indulge in amusements, hearing about this in the Divine Scriptures, and especially hearing that the Lord in the Gospel says with a threat: “Woe to you who laugh now: for you will mourn and weep” there (Luke 6:25). And he also says: “Do not be exalted” (Luke 12:29), because all this is done by the pagans. And the prophet Isaiah, or better yet, God Himself through the prophet says: “Woe to those who drink wine with tambourines and pipes and harps” (Is. 5:12). Blessed David, as if abhorring arrogance and boasting in the Lord, said: “Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are lifted up lower” (Ps. 131:1). And James, the brother of the Lord, says: “...get down and weep: let your laughter be turned to weeping, and your joy to mourning” (James 4:9). And the blessed Apostle Paul calls those who indulge in amusements idolaters, saying: “Neither be idolaters... as it is written” (1 Cor. 10:7), and also says: “Let not every corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but rather a good word...”. (Eph.4:29); “Whether you eat, or drink, or do anything else, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). And he also says: “Be... imitator of God, brethren, and walk in love... Let fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness below be called among you... and foul language, and blasphemies, or blasphemy, even such things as disgraceful, but rather thanksgiving” (Eph. 5:1-4). And there are many other places in the Divine Scriptures where this is spoken about. But there is no one who understands; on the contrary, the word of the Master has been fulfilled on us: “You are deceived, not knowing the Scripture” (Matthew 22:29). Paul’s prophecy is also being fulfilled for us, which says: “The time will come when they will not listen to sound teaching, but according to their own lusts they will choose for themselves teachers with their ears scratched; they will also turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). This very thing has befallen us, beloved; and now we see that the words were justified by deeds. Who now adheres to the Divine Scripture? Who diligently heeds the commandments of Christ? “Who is wise and will preserve this?” (Ps. 106:43). Who will prove that we are not criminals of the law? They say there are many strong, many wise according to the flesh, many noble, many learned scribes and lawyers, teachers; rich, poor, slaves and free, monastics and virgins and living virginally without a vow, old and young, but who of all these can prove that it is proper for Christians to play the harp, or dance, or jump in the streets, or pipe, or make noise, or tell fortunes, or make so-called storehouses, or carry them, or question demons, or get drunk, or tolerate others doing such things? lawless deeds? Who, as I said, will prove that this is characteristic of Christians? What prophet, what Gospel, what Apostolic book will confirm this? If it is completely proper for Christians to do this, then all is vanity and error: the Law, the prophets, the apostles, and the Gospels. If they are God-verbal, true and inspired by God, as indeed they are, then it is indecent for Christians to do any of the above. For from east to west and throughout the universe, in churches and in every place, God’s Scripture is read, which was spoken by: the Law, the prophets, the apostles and the Lord of all, and all the God-bearing fathers are read; and nowhere will you find that it is proper for Christians to do this; on the contrary, according to the word of Scripture, each of us has gone astray from his path (Ps. 5:5-6), has transgressed the law, remains lawbreaking, deceitful and atheist, “by transgressing the law of God” he is dishonored (Rom. 2:23). And may it not seem cruel to you that I called him godless; This is not my word, but that of John the Theologian, who says: “Whoever transgresses and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God” (2 John 1:9). Who is more unfortunate and abominable than the one who dishonors God, who gave and spoke His commandment in the law through the prophets and apostles, and who already bears the grief announced by the Lord through the Prophet: “Woe to them for their sake... My name is blasphemed among the nations?” (Isa.52:5). No, my brothers, I beg you, let us not thus ruin the days of our repentance, but let us listen to the prophet David, who cries out, exhorts us and says: “Come, let us rejoice in the Lord...”. and immediately adds: “let us precede His face in confession” (Ps. 95:1-2); let's get ahead before the market is over; let us anticipate before He Himself came in a visible way and found us idle in negligence, while there is still no cry: “Behold, the bridegroom is coming” (Matthew 25:6). Then those who are ready will rejoice; then the merciful will rejoice; the humiliated will be sad, and the worthy will rejoice with unspeakable joy. But let us get ahead, brethren, let us hasten while there is time, before thrones are set, before we are separated from each other. “Let us precede His face in confession, and let us shout to Him in psalms” (Ps. 94:2). The Prophet said: “in the psalm,” and not in what excites laughter; “in psalms”, and not in demonic songs. He said: “Come, let us worship and fall down to Him and weep” (Ps. 94:6); and we will not jump around or play the harp, but we will “weep” in psalms and songs. Psalm – driving away demons. The psalm is a weapon against nightly fear. Psalm - peace from the daily labors. Psalm - safety of babies. The psalm is a consolation for the elderly, the most decent decoration for women. He makes the holidays bright, he produces sorrow for God. The psalm also brings tears from a heart of stone. Psalm is the work of Angels, heavenly residence, spiritual censer. It enlightens the mind, it lifts people to heaven, it makes people interlocutors with God, it delights the soul, it stops idle talk, drives out laughter, reminds the Court, and pacifies those at war. Where there is a psalm of contrition, there is God with the Angels. And where the enemy’s song is, there is the wrath of God and grief - the reward for laughter. Where there are sacred books and readings, there is the joy of the righteous, the salvation of the listeners and the shame of the devil. And where there is harp, and choirs, and applause, there is the darkening of husbands, the destruction of wives, and sadness to the Angels and the holiday of the devil. Oh, what an evil invention of the devil! How skillfully he entices and seduces everyone, and convinces everyone to do evil as if they were good! Today, apparently, they sing psalms, as God commanded, and in the morning they dance with zeal, as Satan taught. Today Satan is denied, and in the morning he will be followed. Today they unite with Christ, and the next morning they retreat from Him, deny and dishonor Him. Today Christians, and the next morning pagans; pious today, and wicked in the morning; today they are faithful and servants of Christ, and in the morning they are apostates and enemies of God. Do not be deceived, do not be deceived, my brethren; no servant “can work for two masters,” as the Lord Christ said (Matthew 6:24); because no one can work for God and mammon and dance with the devil. Created in the image of God, let us not dishonor the image of God, but as soldiers of Christ we will follow Christ and work for Him. Don’t do it in such a way as to sing with the Angels today and dance with the demons the next morning. Today, listen to the Divine readings as a Christ-loving listener, and the next morning play the harp as a criminal and a Christ-hater. Today to repent of your sins, and in the morning to dance to your destruction; today to fast and abstain, and the next morning to walk around drunk, spinning here and there and serving as a laughing stock for everyone. No, my brothers, I beg you, let’s not waste the time that God gave us for repentance and salvation. Let us remember the Lord, who says with a threat: “Woe to you who laugh now: for you will mourn and mourn” after this (Luke 6:25). And he also says: “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). Let no one deceive you, my Christ-loving brothers; this is not the apostolic teaching. The apostles say: if anyone teaches you anything that we have not taught, “let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). This is not characteristic of Christians, but of unfaithful pagans who have not submitted to the Gospel, as the Lord said, that all this is done by pagans (Matthew 5:47), who have no hope of salvation. You know, my brothers, that “as many as you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). How then, having put Christ aside, serve the Antichrist? We have a commandment from the Apostle: “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), “...do all things for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). But you do not look at this, but, on the contrary, you turn away your ears and close your eyes. Your end will be hotter than gall and sharper than a two-edged sword. I also say: do not be deceived, Christ-loving brethren! This is not characteristic of Christians, but of pagans who do not have God. Let us consider, brethren, that “man is like vanity” (Ps. 143:4): “...his days are like a field flower” (Ps. 102:15), will pass away in an instant, and everything will pass. Why are you worrying in vain, man? One attack of fever will stop your dancing and jumping. One hour will separate you from those dancing with you. One night - and your flesh will wither, your feet will stand still; flowing towards evil, your hands will weaken, your eyes will darken, your tongue will suddenly pass into silence, your voice will suddenly become impoverished, your sighs will multiply, useless tears will flow from you, your thoughts will be upset. And no one will be able to help you; you have dishonored and dishonored God, and everyone will leave you and go away, and no one will remain with you except the invisible demons whom you pleased. The inexorable Angel sent, standing in the distance, with downcast eyes, will await the Master's beck, so that, having snatched away your poor soul, he will take it to the place prepared for it, where it will reap what it sows, where weeping, sorrow, crampedness, gnashing of teeth and grief grow, abound, and even abound. Why are you worrying in vain, unfortunate one? There the eyes of those who get drunk will darken, there the flesh of those who dance will wither, there those who drink wine with harps and pipes will be tormented and hungrier, there will weep with great sorrow, gnash their teeth and beat themselves in the face fornicators, adulterers, thieves, murderers, soothsayers, poisoners, sorcerers, deceivers, homosexuals, child molesters, predators, bloodsuckers. All of them and those like them, who sin unrepentantly to the end and follow the broad and spacious path that leads to destruction, will no doubt find a decent home there, for it is impossible to dance with demons here, and there to have fun with the Angels, as the Lord said: “Woe to you who laugh now: for you will mourn and weep” there (Luke 6:25). It is impossible, brothers, sometimes to be a Christian and sometimes to become a pagan. So, according to what was said above, nowhere is a Christian allowed to do anything similar to this, for our Lord and Savior, having come, abolished all this, that is, these devilish teachings, which, unfortunately, man learned, breaking the commandment of the God who created him, becoming an exile from paradise and learning every evil that is named under heaven. All this, as it is said, the Lord, having come, stopped and expelled, both Himself and through His disciples, saying: “You went and taught all languages, baptizing them and teaching them to keep all the commandments given to you” (Matthew 28:19-20), that is, tell them: “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near” (Matthew 3:2). Do not get drunk, do not dance, but repent, cry, watch, pray, always be ready, because the coming of the Lord is near, the Kingdom of the Lord is at our door. Let us be ready and worthy, so that our Lord, having come, will find us ready for repentance, and will not condemn any of us, but will make us all heirs of His Kingdom. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. You might be interested in: