Слово в Великий пяток на вечерне

“All the people who came to this shame, seeing what happened, smiting their breasts, returned” (Luke 23:48). What was the spectacle that left the audience completely bewildered? What was that spectacle that captured the lips of the spectators in silence and at the same time shook their souls? They came to the spectacle to satisfy their curiosity; they left the spectacle, hitting their chests and taking with them terrible bewilderment... What was this spectacle like? Not only people looked at this spectacle - all the angels of God looked at it with horror and deepest reverence; celestial objects no longer attracted their attention; their gazes were directed, riveted to the spectacle that opened on the ground. The sun saw something it had never seen and, unable to bear what it saw, hid its rays, like a man closes his eyes at a sight unbearable to them; it was dressed in deep darkness, expressing with darkness a sadness as bitter as death is bitter. The earth shook and shook under the event that took place on it. The Old Testament Church tore its magnificent veil to pieces; This is how the most precious clothes are tormented and not spared in the face of an inevitable, decisive disaster. “All the people who came to this shame, seeing it happen, beating their breasts, returning” ... What kind of spectacle was that? There was a spectacle that we now contemplate in memory, in the church service performed, in the sacred Image before our eyes. The spectacle was the Son of God, descending from heaven, becoming human to save men, cursed, killed by men. What feeling, if not the feeling of horror, should completely embrace the heart at this sight? What state, if not a state of complete bewilderment, should be the state of mind? What word can be uttered at this sight? Will not every human word die in the mouth before it comes out of the mouth? “All the people who came to this shame, seeing it happen, smiting their heart, I return.” Those who came to look at the Savior, hanging on the tree of the cross, like ripe and scarlet fruit, returned in bewilderment and horror, returning in bewilderment and horror, out of pompous and false conceit. Faith was silent in them. The darkened sun cried out to them, the trembling earth called out to them, the stones called out to them, parting with a crash and rising above the graves of the dead, suddenly revived by the death of the Savior. Those who were vainly curious returned in horror: in horror not from the perfect Deicide, but in horror from the menacing gaze and voice of the shuddering, insensitive nature, which expressed its knowledge of God before humanity that did not recognize Him. “My heart beats, I return” in fear for myself, for my flesh and blood, for the sake of which the blood was shed and the body of the God-Man was tormented. While the Jews, who rested on the Law, boasting of an extensive and accurate knowledge of the Law, were perplexed, looking at the event predicted by the Law and the Prophets, looking at the spontaneous Sacrifice of which they were unconscious priests; while the Jews were perplexed and returned, agitated by fear and a gloomy premonition of their own disaster, a pagan centurion stood before the cross and the Sacrifice, standing without retreat. It was impossible for him to leave, because he was in charge of the guard guarding the Victim; This happy impossibility was given to him because hidden in his heart was faith, obvious to the Knower of the Heart. When nature proclaimed her confession of God, the centurion gave an answer to the mysterious voice of nature, gave an answer to the mysterious confession with a confession open and public. “Truly this is the Son of God,” he said about the executed stranger hanging before his eyes, recognizing God in the executed stranger (Matthew 27:54). The Jews, proud of their knowledge of the letter of the Law and their ritual outward righteousness, were perplexed before the Son of Man and the Son of God crucified on the tree. On the one hand, they were amazed by the signs: an earthquake, the tearing of the church veil, deep darkness that came at noon; on the other hand, they were blinded and hardened by the carnal mind and proud self-delusion, representing the Messiah in the blaze of earthly glory, a magnificent king, conqueror of the universe, at the head of a large army, among a host of luxurious courtiers. At this time, the warrior, a pagan, confessed the executed wanderer to God; At this time, a criminal confessed Him as God. “Come down from the cross! - the blind Jewish bishops and scribes mockingly said to the God-man, not understanding what an all-holy Sacrifice, what an all-holy and all-powerful Burnt Offering they offered to God, “come down from the cross, that we may see and have faith” (Mark 15:30, 32). At this time, the rude, ignorant thief recognized Him as God as having ascended to the cross because of His Divine righteousness, and not because of His sin. With his bodily eyes he saw naked, crucified near him, subject to the same fate as himself, a helpless beggar, condemned by both spiritual and civil authorities, tormented, executed and still tormented and executed by all expressions of hatred; with the eyes of a humble heart he saw God. The strong, glorious, intelligent, righteous of the world showered God with curses and ridicule; the thief turned to Him with a timely and successful prayer: “Remember me, Lord, when you come into this kingdom” (Luke 23:42). The Ever-Virgin Mother of God stood at the cross and the Lord crucified on it. Her heart was pierced like a sword with sadness: the prediction of the holy elder Simeon was fulfilled, 99 the holy God-Receiver said to the Blessed Virgin (Luke 2:35). But She knew that the redemption of the human race was accomplished on the cross, She knew that Her Son, the Son of God, deigned to ascend to the cross and offer Himself as a sacrifice of peace for rejected humanity; She knew that the Lord, having completed the redemption of people by death, would resurrect and co-resurrect humanity with Himself; She knew this - and was silent. She was silent before the greatness of the event; she was silent from the abundance of sorrow; was silent before the will of God that was taking place, against the definitions of which there is no voice. The beloved disciple of the Lord stood at the cross. He looked at the height of the cross - in the incomprehensible love of a voluntary Sacrifice he contemplated the love of Divine. Divine love is the source of Theology. She is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and theology is the gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). She revealed to the apostles the mysterious meaning of atonement. “The love of God will sustain us,” the disciple and messenger of Christ theologizes, “who have judged this: if one die for all, then we all die” (2 Cor. 5:14). Because of the infinite love that the Lord has for humanity and which the Lord alone is capable of having, all humanity suffered on the cross in the person of the Lord and died in the person of the Lord. If humanity suffered in Him, then it was justified in Him; if it died in Him, it was also made alive in Him. The death of the Lord became the source of life. Suddenly the voice of the crucified Lord came from the cross to the Ever-Virgin: “Woman, behold your son,” then a voice to the beloved disciple: “Behold your Mother” (John 19:26–27). Destroying on the tree of the cross the sin of the forefathers, committed by them at the tree of paradise, giving birth to humanity into a new life through life-giving death, the Lord enters into the rights of the Forefather of man and declares His Mother according to humanity the mother of the disciple and all His disciples, the Christian tribe. The Old Adam is replaced by the New Adam, the fallen Eve is replaced by the immaculate Mary. “By the sin of one,” said the apostle, “many have died: the grace of God is multiplied and the gift of the grace of the one man Jesus Christ is abundant in many” (Rom. 5:15). Through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, countless and ineffable benefits have been poured out on the human race: not only has the redemption of men been accomplished, but their adoption as sons to God has been accomplished. Enlightened by the contemplation of the great event, let us return, beloved brethren, to our homes and take with us deep, saving thoughts, striking these thoughts into our hearts. We remembered, we vividly contemplated the act of divine love, an act that surpassed words, surpassed comprehension. The martyrs responded to this love with streams of their blood, which they shed like water; The saints responded to this love by mortifying the flesh “with passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24); Many sinners responded to this love with streams of tears, heartfelt sighs, confession of their sins, and drew healing for their souls from it; Many oppressed by sorrows and illnesses responded to this love, and this love dissolved their sorrows with Divine consolation. Let us also respond to our Lord’s love for us with the sympathy of His love: by living according to His all-holy commandments. This is the sign of love He requires from us, and only this sign of love He accepts from us. “If anyone loves me,” He said, “he will keep my word; if you do not love me, you will not keep my words” (John 14:23–24). If we do not respond to the Lord’s love for us with love for Him, then the blood of the God-man was not shed for us in vain? Was it not in vain that His all-holy Body was tormented for us? Is it not in vain that the great Sacrifice was placed on the altar of the cross and slain? Her intercession for us is omnipotent for salvation; Her complaint against those who neglect Her is omnipotent. The voice of the blood of righteous Abel ascended from earth to heaven and appeared before God with an accusation against the one who shed this blood; the voice of the great Sacrifice is heard in the midst of heaven itself, on the very throne of the Divine, on which the great Sacrifice sits. The voice of Her complaint is at the same time God’s decree, pronouncing eternal punishment on the enemies and despisers of the Son of God. “What is the use of my blood if I never go into decay?” (Ps. 29:10) the all-holy Sacrifice speaks, accusing the Christians redeemed by Her, who took Her price into themselves, and cast Her along with themselves into the stench of sin. This terrible crime is committed by anyone who “takes the hooks of Christ, their soul and body, redeemed by Christ and belonging to Christ, and creates their hooks as harlots” (1 Cor. 6:15) through various copulations with sin. “Do you not know,” says the apostle, “that you are the church of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone corrupts the church of God, God will corrupt him” (1 Cor. 3:16–17). Amen. “A weapon will pierce your very soul.” You might be interested in: