О евангельских блаженствах.

Borrowed from the Scriptures of the Fathers, mainly from the book of the Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus. Philokalia, part 3. From the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, sensations appear in the soul that are alien to the fallen nature and unfamiliar to it. “What is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6), and since the commandments of Christ “are Spirit” (John 6:63), then the sensations produced by them are “spiritual” sensations. What is the first feeling in your soul from fulfilling the Gospel commandments? - “Poverty of spirit.” As soon as a Christian wants to implement the Gospel commandments in his actions, external and internal, he will see his damaged nature, rebelling against the Gospel, stubbornly opposing the Gospel. The Christian, in the light of the Gospel, sees in himself the fall of humanity. From this view a humble concept of oneself is naturally born, which is called in the Gospel “poverty of spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Poverty of spirit is bliss, the first in the gospel order, the first in the order of spiritual prosperity, the first spiritual state, the first step in the ladder of bliss. Every sensation and state that belongs to a renewed nature necessarily constitutes bliss, as a manifestation in the soul of the heavenly kingdom, as a guarantee of salvation, as a foretaste of eternal bliss. Saint David said about poverty of spirit: “The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a contrite and humble heart God will not despise” (Ps. 50:19). Poverty of spirit is the salt of all spiritual sacrifices and burnt offerings. If they are not salted with this salt, God rejects them. The sight of one's fall is already bliss for fallen man. He who sees his own fall is able to recognize the need for salvation, the Savior, is able to believe in the Gospel with living faith. This state is a gift of grace, an action of grace, its fruit, and therefore bliss. It is common for a beggar to grieve over his poverty. Poverty of spirit gives rise to the next bliss: “crying.” “Lamentation” is the pious sadness of a faithful soul looking into the mirror of the Gospel, seeing in this mirror its countless sinful stains. Such a soul washes its stains with holy water - with tears; erases stains with holy sadness. Unspeakable consolation, unspeakable lightness are shed in the heart after the shedding of saving tears about sins, about the fall - tears that appear due to a feeling of spiritual poverty. If here on earth, pious crying brings such incomparable spiritual consolation, what kind of bliss will it prepare in the next century? Christ pronounced a sentence about those who mourn piously: “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). Have you committed sins? - Shed some tears. He who is engaged in a deep examination of himself, who sees himself defiled by countless sins, who recognizes himself as worthy of eternal torment, and already mourns as if condemned to it: he sees little or no shortcomings in his neighbor, conveniently excuses those shortcomings that he sees, willingly, from the heart, forgives all insults and insults. The state of the soul in which anger, hatred, resentment and condemnation are eliminated from it is a new bliss: it is called “meekness.” “Blessed are the meek,” the Savior declared, “for these will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). What kind of land is this?... After the fall, God called Adam earth, and in Adam he called me earth: “you are earth and you will go back to earth” (Gen. 3:19). Being land, I am at the same time deprived of the possession of this land: various passions steal it from me, especially the fierce anger that rapes and carries me away; I am deprived of all power over myself. Meekness returns this power to me, brings me into possession of my inheritance, my land, me, my flesh, my blood, my impulses. “The meek will inherit the earth, and will rejoice in the abundance of the world” (Ps. 36:11). Having gained possession of the earth again, I begin to desire heaven: I enter a new state, created in me by grace, into a new bliss: I begin to “hunger and thirst for the righteousness” of God, not empty, human (Matthew 5:6). Divine truth appeared to humanity in Divine mercy, and commanded us to become like God with perfect mercy (Matthew 5:48), and not with any other virtue. Mercy does not condemn anyone, loves enemies, lays down one’s life for friends, and makes a person God-like. This state is again “bliss” (Matthew 5:7). A heart embraced by mercy cannot have any thoughts of evil; all his thoughts are goodness. That heart in which only good moves is a pure heart, capable of seeing God. “Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). What does a pure heart mean? They asked one great mentor of monastics. He answered: “a heart, in the likeness of the Divine, moved by an immeasurable feeling of mercy towards all creatures 520.” The world of God descends into a pure heart, unites the hitherto separated mind, soul and body, recreates a person, makes him a descendant of the New Adam. “The peace of God” is the lot of the saints of God: through the holy world, a Christian, having completed the race of repentance, is reconciled with God, with all circumstances, with all his neighbors, with himself; he is made the son of God by grace (Matthew 5:9). The peace of God is accompanied by the clear presence of the Holy Spirit in man; he is an action, a fruit of the Holy Spirit. He who has acquired the peace of God within himself is capable of other final bliss: complacent endurance, enduring with joy reproaches, slander, expulsions and other misfortunes. He who has acquired the peace of God is not afraid of external waves: on the scales of his heart, the consolation of grace has destroyed all the value of earthly great and sweet things, all the burden of earthly sorrow and bitterness. Examine the majestic spiritual staircase of the beatitudes of the Gospel, examine each step. It's good to be at the top of this ladder; but truly blessed is the one who is at least at its first stage. Jumping on this ladder is impossible: one must certainly ascend from step to step. Divine grace leads along them: it elevates a person to the next level not when he deserves it, but when she recognizes him as worthy. Those who are worthy of exaltation are the humble. Do not invent bliss for yourself: proud and stupid conceit can invent such bliss for a person, and throughout your entire life it will deceive you, flatter you, and deprive you of true good on earth and in heaven. Seek spiritual poverty. The search for this bliss is permissible and praiseworthy. It is the foundation, the giver of all other bliss. When the foundation is shaken, then the one who stood at the highest degree of spiritual success falls down, and is often broken to death. Poverty of spirit is found by studying the Gospel, fulfilling its commands, comparing one’s actions and qualities with the commands of the Gospel, forcing one’s heart to generously endure insults, self-reproach, and prayer to receive a contrite and humble heart. God rejects proud requests and does not fulfill unnecessary ones, but when His creation asks Him for a gift that is essentially useful and necessary, He sends it down from His inexhaustible treasures. An essentially useful and necessary spiritual gift from God for a person is “poverty of spirit.” Amen. Venerable Isaac of Syria, Sermon 48. You might be interested in: