О истинном и ложном смиренномудрии

“Let no one deceive you with the humbleness of mind that is bestowed upon him” (Col. 2:18), said the Holy Apostle Paul. True humility consists of obedience and following Christ (Phil. 2:5-8). True humility is spiritual intelligence. It is a gift from God; it is the action of Divine grace in the mind and heart of man. There can also be arbitrary humility: it is created for itself by a vain soul, a soul seduced and deceived by false teaching, a soul that flatters itself, a soul seeking flattery from the world, a soul that is entirely striving for earthly prosperity and earthly pleasures, a soul that has forgotten about eternity, about God. Arbitrary, self-created humility consists of countless varied tricks with which human pride tries to capture the glory of humility from a blind world, from a world that loves its own, from a world that exalts vice, when vice is clothed in the guise of virtue, from a world that hates virtue, when virtue stands before its eyes in its holy simplicity, holy and firm. obedience to the Gospel. Nothing is more hostile to the humility of Christ than self-willed humility, which rejects the yoke of obedience to Christ and, under the cover of hypocritical service to God, sacrilegiously serves Satan. If we constantly look at our sin, if we try to see it in detail, then we will not find any virtue in ourselves, we will not find humility. True, holy virtue is covered with true humility: thus a chaste virgin covers her beauty with a veil; Thus the Holy of Holies is closed with a veil from the eyes of the people. True humility is an evangelical character, an evangelical disposition, an evangelical way of thinking. True humility is a Divine mystery: it is inaccessible to human comprehension. Being the highest wisdom, it seems like a riot to the carnal mind. The Divine mystery of humility is revealed by the Lord Jesus to His faithful disciple, who continually sits at His feet and listens to His life-giving words. And open, it remains hidden: it is inexplicable by word and earthly language. It is incomprehensible to the carnal mind; incomprehensibly is comprehended by the spiritual mind, and, comprehended, remains incomprehensible. Humility is heavenly life on earth. The gracious, wondrous vision of the greatness of God and the countless benefits of God to man, the gracious knowledge of the Redeemer, following Him with selflessness, the vision of the pernicious abyss into which the human race has fallen - these are the invisible signs of humility, these are the original palaces of this spiritual chamber created by the God-man. Humility does not see oneself as humble. On the contrary, it sees a lot of pride in itself. It takes care of finding all its branches; looking for them, he sees that there is a lot more to look for. The Monk Macarius of Egypt, named the Great by the Church, for the excellence of his virtues, especially for his deep humility, the standard-bearing and Spirit-bearing Father, said in his sublime, holy, mysterious conversations that the purest and most perfect person has something proud in himself 534. This saint of God reached the highest degree of Christian perfection, lived in times abundant with saints, saw the greatest of the holy monks, Anthony the Great, and said that he had not seen a single person who could be called perfect in the exact sense of the word 535. False humility sees itself as humble: it is funny and pitifully comforted by this deceptive, soul-destroying spectacle. Satan takes the form of a bright Angel; his apostles take on the image of the Apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:13–14); his teaching takes on the form of the teaching of Christ; the states produced by his deceptions take the form of spiritual, grace-filled states: his pride and vanity, the self-delusion and delusion they produce, take the form of the humility of Christ. Oh! where they hide from unfortunate dreamers, from dreamers who are wretchedly satisfied with themselves, their states of self-delusion, from dreamers who think to enjoy and be blissful, where they hide from them the words of the Savior: “Blessed are those who weep now, blessed are those who hunger now,” and “woe to you who are now full, woe to you who laugh now” (Luke 6:21, 25). Look more closely, look impartially at your soul, beloved brother! Isn’t repentance better for her than pleasure! Isn’t it better for her to cry on earth, in this vale of sorrows, designated specifically for crying, than to invent for herself untimely, seductive, absurd, destructive pleasures! Repentance and mourning for sins bring eternal bliss: this is known; it is authentic; this has been declared by the Lord. Why don’t you immerse yourself in these holy states, not abide in them, but create pleasures for yourself, be satiated with them, be satisfied with them, with them destroy in yourself the blessed hunger and thirst for God’s truth, the blessed and saving sadness about your sins and sinfulness. Hunger and thirst for God's truth are witnesses of poverty of spirit: crying is an expression of humility, its voice. The absence of crying, saturation with oneself and enjoyment of one’s pseudo-spiritual state expose the pride of the heart. Be afraid that, for empty, seductive pleasure, you do not inherit the eternal grief promised by God for those who are now saturated without permission, contrary to the will of God. Vanity and its children - false spiritual pleasures, acting in a soul not imbued with repentance, create the ghost of humility. This ghost replaces true humility for the soul. The ghost of truth, having occupied the church of the soul, blocks all entrances to the spiritual church for Truth itself. Alas, my soul, God-created church of truth! - having accepted the ghost of truth into yourself, bowing to lies instead of Truth, you become a church! An idol was erected in the church: the “opinion” of humility. “The opinion of humility” is the most terrible kind of pride. Pride is driven out with difficulty when a person recognizes it as pride; but how can he cast her out when she seems to him his humility? In this church there is a woeful abomination of desolation! In this church the incense of idolatry is poured out, chants are sung, with which hell is amused. There, the thoughts and feelings of the soul eat forbidden food sacrificed to idols, and get drunk with wine mixed with deadly poison. The church, the dwelling of idols and all uncleanness, is inaccessible not only to Divine grace, to the gift of spirituality, but also inaccessible to any true virtue, or to any gospel commandment. False humility blinds a person so much that it forces him not only to think about himself, to hint to others that he is humble, but to say it openly, to preach loudly 536. Lies cruelly mock us when, deceived by them, we recognize them as truth. Grace-filled humility is invisible, just as God who gives it is invisible. It is closed by silence, simplicity, sincerity, ease, freedom. False humility always has an artificial appearance: it publishes itself with it. False humility loves scenes: with them it deceives and is deceived. The humility of Christ is clothed in a tunic and robe (John 19:24), in clothing, the most artless: covered with this clothing, it is not recognized and not noticed by people. Humility is a guarantee in the heart, a sacred, nameless heart quality, a Divine skill, born in an inconspicuous way in the soul, from the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments 537. The action of humility can be likened to the action of the passion of love of money. Infected with the disease of faith and love for perishable treasures, the more he accumulates them, the more greedy and insatiable he becomes towards them. The richer he gets, the poorer and more insufficient he appears to himself. So, guided by humility, the more rich he becomes in virtues and spiritual gifts, the more meager and insignificant he becomes before his own eyes. This is natural. When a person has not yet tasted the highest good, then his own good, defiled by sin, has value before him. When he partakes of the Divine, spiritual good, then his own good, combined and mixed with evil, is priceless before him. Precious for the beggar is the mesh of coppers collected by him over a long period of time with difficulty and fatigue. The rich man unexpectedly poured a countless number of pure ducats into its bowels, and the beggar threw the bag of copper coins with contempt, as if it were a burden that was only weighing him down. The righteous, long-suffering Job, after enduring fierce temptations, was honored with the vision of God. Then he said to God in inspired prayer: “By the ear of the ear I heard Thee first, but now my eye has seen Thee.” – What fruit has vegetated in the soul of the righteous from the vision of God? “In the same way,” Job continues and concludes his prayer: “I reproach myself, and cease; and I think of earth and ashes” (Job 42:5–6). Do you want to acquire humility? – Fulfill the Gospel commandments: together with them, holy humility will dwell in your heart and be assimilated to it, i.e. properties of our Lord Jesus Christ. The beginning of humility is poverty of spirit; - the middle of success in it is the world of Christ, which surpasses all understanding and comprehension; the end and perfection is the love of Christ. Humility never gets angry, does not please people, does not indulge in sadness, and is not afraid of anything. Can one who has recognized himself in advance as worthy of all sorrow indulge in sorrow? Can one who has doomed himself to sorrow in advance, who looks at them as a means of salvation, be afraid of disasters? The saints of God loved the words of the prudent thief, who was crucified near the Lord. During their sorrows they used to say: “We will accept what is worthy according to our deeds; remember us, O Lord... in Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:41–42). They meet any sorrow with the recognition that they are worthy of it 538. Holy peace enters their hearts behind words of humility! he brings the cup of spiritual consolation to the bed of the sick, and to the prisoner, to those imprisoned in it, to those persecuted by men, and to those persecuted by demons. The cup of consolation is offered by the hand of humility to the one crucified on the cross; the world can only bring him “cete mixed with gall” (Matthew 27:34). A humble person is incapable of having malice and hatred: he has no enemies. If one of the people offends him, he sees in this person an instrument of justice, or the providence of God. The humble surrenders himself entirely to the will of God. The humble does not live by his own life, but by God. The humble person is free from arrogance, and therefore he constantly seeks God’s help and constantly remains in prayer. A fruitful branch bends towards the ground, weighed down by the multitude and weight of its fruits. A barren branch grows upward, multiplying its barren shoots. A soul rich in gospel virtues sinks deeper and deeper into humility and in the depths of this sea finds precious pearls: the gifts of the Spirit. Pride is a sure sign of an empty person, a slave of passions, a sign of a soul to which the teaching of Christ has not found any access. Don't judge a person by his appearance; Based on his appearance, do not conclude that he is proud or humble. “Do not judge by their appearance, but by their fruit you will know them” (John 7:24; Matt. 7:16). The Lord ordered to know people from their actions, from their behavior, from the consequences that follow from their actions. “I know your pride and the malice of your heart” (1 Sam. 17:28), his neighbor said to David; but God testified about David: “I found My servant David, and anointed him with My holy oil” (Ps. 89:21). “Man does not see as God sees: as man sees on the outward appearance, but God sees on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Blind judges often recognize a hypocrite and a low people-pleaser as humble: he is an abyss of vanity. On the contrary, for these ignorant judges, he appears proud, not seeking praise and rewards from people, and therefore not groveling before people, but he is a true servant of God; he felt the glory of God, revealed only to the humble, felt the stench of human glory, and turned away from it both the eyes and the sense of smell of his soul. What does it mean to believe? They asked one great saint of God. He answered: “To believe means to be in humility and mercy” 539. Humility relies on God - not on itself and not on people: and therefore in its behavior it is simple, direct, firm, majestic. The blind sons of the world call it pride. Humility does not place any value on earthly goods; in his eyes, God is great, and the Gospel is great. It strives for them, not deigning decay and vanity with either attention or gaze. The sons of corruption, the servants of vanity, call holy coldness towards corruption and vanity pride. There is a holy bow out of humility, out of respect for one’s neighbor, out of respect for the image of God, out of respect for Christ in one’s neighbor. And there is a vicious bow, a selfish bow, a man-pleasing and at the same time misanthropic bow, a godly and godless bow: Satan asked the God-man for it, offering for him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory (Luke 4:7). How many people still worship today to gain earthly benefits! Those they worship praise their humility. Be careful, observe: does the one who worships you worship out of respect for the person, out of feelings of love and humility? or does his bow only amuse your pride, luring you out of some temporary benefit? Great of the earth! Take a closer look: vanity, flattery, and meanness are crawling before you! When they achieve their goal, they will mock you and betray you at the first opportunity. Never pour out your generosity on the vain: the vain is as low as he is before his superiors, as arrogant, impudent, and inhumane he is with his inferiors 540 . You recognize a vain person by his special ability for flattery, helpfulness, lies, and everything base and base. Pilate was offended by Christ’s silence, which seemed proud to him. Are you not answering me, he said? or you do not know that I have authority to let you go and authority to crucify you (John 19:10). The Lord explained his silence by the manifestation of the will of God, of which Pilate, who thought to act independently, was only a blind instrument. Pilate, from his own pride, was unable to understand that he was faced with all-perfect humility: God incarnate. A lofty soul, a soul with heavenly hope, with contempt for the corruptible goods of the world, is incapable of petty people-pleasing and sycophancy. You mistakenly call this soul proud, because it does not satisfy the demands of your passions. Haman! Almost blessed, Godly pride of Mordecai! This pride, in your eyes, is holy humility 541. Humility is the teaching of the Gospel, the virtue of the Gospel, the mysterious clothing of Christ, the mysterious power of Christ. God, clothed in humility, appeared to men, and whoever is clothed in humility becomes God-like 542. “If anyone wants to walk after Me, proclaims Holy Humility: let him deny himself and take up his cross, and come after Me” (Matthew 16:24). Otherwise, it is impossible to be a disciple and follower of the One who humbled himself to death, to death on the cross. He sat down at the right hand of the Father. He is the New Adam, the Founder of the holy tribe of the chosen ones. Faith in Him enters into the number of the chosen: election is accepted by holy humility, sealed by holy love. Amen. Imitation, Book III, Ch. 2. Venerable Abba Dorotheos, Teaching 2. Alphabetical Patericon. About Abba Pimen the Great. Ladder, Word 22, ch. 22. (Esther 4–7). Haman, a Macedonian, was the favorite and first noble of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. Mordecai, a Judean, belonged to the courtiers, and, being of deep piety, did not allow himself to please people, did not grovel before a temporary worker. This behavior of Mordecai infuriated Haman; he prepared a high gallows to execute on it the hated exception to general servility. Due to the vicissitudes of earthly situations, circumstances changed, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had erected for Mordecai. Saint Isaac of Syria, Homily 33. You might be interested in: