Слово 15. О корыстолюбии

Why, man, do you want to get rich from greed, so that others will get gold and silver, and you will get curses and accusations, and so that the one from whom you stole will be tormented and lamented from the lack of necessary food and bring thousands of accusers upon you? And, what is even more terrible, when someone who has suffered evil from you and has lost all his wealth appears on that day before the Last Judgment Seat, and you do not have a single defender, what will you say to the Judge? Now you can still bribe this human court; but then that Court can no longer be bribed. Or rather, you cannot bribe even this, because God sees what is happening and is close to the offended, even without being called upon. The one who has suffered evil, even if he himself was unworthy to receive any kind of vengeance for himself, nevertheless certainly has an avenger, because what is happening is not pleasing to God. And don’t tell me: how does such and such enjoy happiness while being wicked? If he enjoys it, it is not to the fullest. “Do not be jealous,” they say, “of evildoers” (Ps. 36:1), because they, like grass, will soon dry up and, like green grass, they will soon wither. Covetousness is a kind of old leaven, and wherever it penetrates, whatever house it enters, it makes it unclean; and even though you have gained a little from unrighteousness, it leavens all your possessions. That is why often a little, poorly introduced, deprived a lot, collected well. But why, you say, when there are many who are enriched by greed, do they not suffer the same punishment? They will certainly endure, although they will not endure immediately; if now they escape punishment, then be all the more afraid, because they are being observed for greater punishment. Yes, even if they themselves avoid it, then those who inherited their property will suffer the same. But how is this fair, you say? Quite fair indeed. In fact, the one who received an inheritance full of untruth, although he did not steal it himself, nevertheless knew very well that he owned someone else’s property, and therefore rightly deserved punishment. Civil laws also know this, which, while leaving those who kidnapped and stole, order to demand everything from those from whom someone finds their property. So, if you know those who are offended, then give them with great interest, following the example of Zacchaeus; If you don’t know, divide it among those in need, and in this way you will alleviate the evil. If we only give away everything that belongs to others, there is no benefit to us. And this is proclaimed by Zacchaeus, who said that only then did he appease God when he gave back four times what was taken away. Meanwhile, we, who rob endlessly and give little, think that we are appeasing God. If Cain, having brought to God something less important (from his property), and, moreover, without offending another, was subjected to extreme punishment, then how can we not endure the most severe punishment when we bring from theft and covetousness? Why do you insult the Lord by bringing Him unclean gifts? Christ does not want to feed from covetousness; He does not accept such food. It is better to despise one who is tormented by hunger than to feed him with such means; It is better not to give anything to others than someone else's. Tell me: if you saw some two people, one naked and the other having clothes, and then, having undressed the one who had clothes, and clothed the naked one, would you not act unfairly? This is obvious to everyone. If, by giving to another everything that you took, you caused offense and did not show mercy, then when you barely give the smallest part of what you steal and call it alms, what kind of punishment will you not be subject to? If Lazarus, who did not suffer any offense from the rich man, but only did not benefit from his property, becomes a severe accuser against him, then what excuse will those have who, in addition to not giving alms from their own funds, also seize someone else’s? If those who did not feed the hungry Christ are condemned together with the devil to unquenchable fire, then what kind of punishment will be subjected to those who, with their thefts, even expose Him to hunger, expose Him naked, not only do not accept Him as a stranger, but also persecute Him, not only do not visit His sick person, but are even more depressing, not only do not visit the one imprisoned, but they try to throw Him into prison dungeon? If the one who loves those who love him finds himself in a position no better than the pagans, then what forgiveness will he have who offends those who have not done him any harm? If the one who does not give away from his property has an accuser in the person of the one whom he did not spare, then what forgiveness will he receive who also steals someone else’s property? Truly, not only to steal someone else’s property, but also not to give others from one’s property is theft, covetousness and robbery. If those who did not feed the hungry Christ bring such fire on their heads, then what kind of leniency will those who also steal what does not belong to them, unrighteously appropriate for themselves the property of others and overthrow the homes of orphans and widows? Let us be afraid of such a thing; Let's run away from sin. And we will avoid it if we remember those who before us committed injustice, indulged in greed, and passed on to the next world: don’t others use their money and labor, while they themselves suffer torment, punishment and unbearable disasters? So, is it not extreme madness to exhaust yourself and suffer, so that both during life you will be exhausted from labor, and in death you will be subjected to unbearable executions and torments? What could be more pitiful than a predator, when all the wealth he has collected is often divided among himself by enemies and enemies, and he himself leaves from here, taking with him the sins accumulated from them, in order to give full justice for the iniquities that he committed because of them. What could be more miserable than the self-seeking people who make their life harder than any death, consuming and gradually exhausting it with worries, sorrows and constant insomnia, and as a result driving away from themselves all pleasure of both virtue and vice. While they are making money, even though they have received everything from everyone, they do not feel any pleasure, since they desire even more; when they suffer losses, even if they have lost a penny, they think that they have suffered the most severe disaster and even lost their very life. Whether such a person has a wife, or children, or friends, if he is not allowed to make money from anywhere, they seem to him more hostile than real enemies. Someone rightly said that there is nothing crueler than a lover of money. Such a person sells himself and is everywhere the common enemy of the universe: he grieves that the earth does not bring gold instead of ears of corn, springs instead of streams of water, and mountains instead of stones; he is annoyed at the successes of others, despondent at the common benefits; avoids any business from which it is impossible to obtain silver, endures everything if at least two pennies can be extracted from it; he hates everyone, both poor and rich, the former out of fear that they will not come to ask, the latter because he does not own their wealth; he thinks that everyone owns his property and treats everyone as if everyone has wronged him. What a knife is to a madman, so is wealth to a money lover, or even much worse. In fact, a person who is raging, having grabbed a knife and stumbled upon it, is freed from rage and will not receive another blow; Meanwhile, the lover of money, daily receiving more severe wounds, not only does not get rid of rage, but also strengthens it even more, and the more wounds he receives, the more reasons he gives himself to receive new, even more severe blows. So, what could be more miserable than a selfish man? In addition to the fact that he destroys his soul, he exhausts his body with countless worries, and is deprived of pleasures, pleasure, honor, and all glory, for the sake of which people especially sin a lot. And what is even more sad is that the lover of money, not being offended by anything, burns with rage and takes up arms against those who have not offended him in the least, and, throwing away everything good from his soul, becomes an enemy to everyone. People offended by him hate him, like those who have already suffered evil; those who have not yet suffered, fearing on the one hand, so as not to suffer, on the other hand, sympathizing with the victims, show him the same hostility; people greater and stronger, suffering in soul and indignant because of the humiliated, and also envying him, are also enemies and hate him. What am I saying about people? When he has God as his enemy, what hope or consolation remains for him? Is it wealth to do wrong, tell me? Isn't this worse than being convicted? The condemned man's body is bound, but this one's soul is bound. Do you see him as a prisoner and do not feel sorry for him? Because, you will say, I hate him, because he is not bound out of necessity, but put chains on himself of his own free will. Again you (say) against the rich; again (I’ll say) you too are against the plundered. You are not satisfied by eating and tormenting the poor; and I am not satisfied correcting you. You always (say) pester the rich; always (I will say) and you pester the poor. Get away from my sheep, get away from my flock; If you harm my flock, then why do you accuse me of persecuting you? It is not you I am pursuing; I'm chasing a wolf. If you are not a wolf, I am not chasing you; and if I pursue you, then blame yourself for becoming a wolf. If the king orders us not to take other people’s money, or even to give our own, we all readily bring it; and when God commands us not to rob, we disobey and thus prefer people to God. How is this not terrifying? After all, if we, by honoring man equally with God, offend God, how much more do we offend when we prefer people to Him? This word is hard and unpleasant. I know too. But show that it is difficult by avoiding the matter itself. If you are not afraid of action, then how can I believe you when you say: we are afraid of your words, you are depressing us? You depress yourself with your work, and that’s okay; And if I say in words what you are doing in practice, are you indignant? Isn't this reckless? Oh, that what I say were a lie! I would rather be a slanderer myself on that day, as someone who slandered you without cause or reason, than to see you accused of such things. He who digs a hole for his neighbor will himself fall into it. And just as women giving birth are torn apart by pain, so the one who commits deception, before offending his neighbor, himself is tormented and tormented, and not just in any way, but even very strongly. In fact, no matter how vicious someone may be, the judgment seat of conscience in him is not destroyed, because it is inherent in nature and put into us by God from the beginning, and no matter how much we drown it out, it stands, accusing us, executing us, condemning us. And there is no one who spends his life in vice who would not experience immeasurable torment, both at the time when he is planning evil deeds, and when he is carrying out his plan in practice. What is more wicked than Ahab? However, when you coveted someone else’s vineyard, remember what kind of torment you experienced? Despite the fact that he was a king who ruled over everyone and had no one who would contradict him, he, however, could not bear the judgment of his conscience and therefore entered saddened, with his head down, embarrassed, with a gloomy gaze, clearly reflecting on his face the reproach of a condemning conscience and being unable to hide the torment born of despondency. Do you want to know clearly how wealth does not allow people to be people, but makes them beasts and demons? Our city once suffered a drought. The sky became copper; everyone daily expected death, the worst of all deaths, and begged God to deliver from this fear. And by His mercy, contrary to all hope, a great and extremely abundant rain fell from the sky. And so, when everyone was celebrating a celebration and holiday, as if they had emerged from the very gates of death, one of the rich men walked everywhere sad, with a downcast gaze, dead from grief; and when many began to ask him about the reason, he was unable to conceal it, but, tormented by the heavy passion that overcame him, he announced this reason. “I have tens of thousands of measures of bread,” he said, “and I don’t know what to do with them now.” What are you saying? Are you sad that not everyone died so you could collect the gold? Have you not heard what Solomon says: “Whoever withholds bread, the people curse him” (Prov. 11:26)? But you go everywhere as a common enemy of the blessings of the universe, an enemy of the bounties of the Lords and a friend of mammon, or rather, her slave. Shouldn't this tongue have been cut out? Shouldn't the heart that gave birth to such words stop beating? In fact, what could be more unfortunate than a rich man who grieves, grumbles and considers himself lost because he owns immeasurable riches, and every day he prays that there will be a famine, which will increase his gold? How do you want me to portray to you the plight of the self-interested and predatory? What is more criminal than their hands? What is more shameless, more impudent and more vulgar than their eyes? A self-seeker does not see people as people, nor the sky as heaven, but considers everything as money. People's eyes usually see the poor, exhausted by work, and are touched by compassion for them; and the predators see the poor and become even more furious. People's eyes do not covet what is given to others, they even squander their own to others; and they will not rest until they take everything from everyone and appropriate it for themselves. People's eyes are not able to calmly see the naked body of their neighbor; and they will not be satisfied until they have stripped everyone and brought everyone’s property into their house; or rather, even then they are not satisfied. That is why their hands can be called not only the hands of animals, but also much more predatory and ferocious. In fact, bears and wolves, when they are full, lag behind food, but these do not know satiety. Meanwhile, God created our hands so that we could help others, and not so that we could plot them; otherwise, if we were to use them for this purpose, it would be better to cut them off and remain without them. When someone, at the sight of a sheep tormented by a beast, grieves and is wounded in soul, and when he does the same in relation to his fellow tribesman, he thinks that he is not doing anything special, then how can he be a man and not a beast, or even worse than a beast? After all, animals are like that by nature; Meanwhile, self-interested people, having a meek disposition by nature, contrary to nature, force themselves to the point of brutality. And their mouths are the mouths of beasts, or even crueler, because they utter words that emit poison worse than their teeth and cause death. If anyone examines the soul of such people, he will call them not only beasts, but also demons, because they are filled with extreme cruelty and hostility towards their fellow man. Demons have assistants in people themselves, against whom they plot intrigues, so that if the latter did not assist them, then most of their intrigues against us would not have any success; These same ones try to overcome the offended when the latter oppose them. And there is no love for the Kingdom of Heaven, no fear of Gehenna, no shame before people, no mercy, no compassion, but there is only shamelessness and arrogance, and contempt for the entire future, and the words of God seem to them like fables. Truly, only the most ferocious animals tend, without being offended by anyone, to be the first to inflict offense on others; or rather, this is not typical even for animals. Indeed, if you leave them to walk freely and do not force them to defend themselves by constraining them, then they will never harm you, will not come up and bite you, but will go their own way. Meanwhile, you, being a reasonable person, honored by such power, honor and glory, do not even imitate animals in your attitude towards your fellow tribesmen, but offend and devour your brother. And how will you be able to justify yourself? Don't you see the bee, whose labors are enjoyed by both kings and ordinary people, how nothing saves it from death if it does evil, but it dies along with the sting? From her example, learn not to upset your neighbors, because we ourselves are the first to die from this. We may upset those for a short time, but meanwhile we ourselves will no longer live, just like the bee. Money (χρήματα) is so called because we must use (χρώμεθα) it properly, and not store it, because this means no longer possessing it, but being possessed. If we care about increasing their number, and not about using them as they should, then the proper order is perverted, and then they possess us rather than we possess them. He who loves money will not only not love his enemies, but will also hate his friends. Such a person does not know kinship, does not remember friendship, does not spare age, does not have a single friend; he is hostile towards everyone, and above all others - towards himself, not only because he is destroying his soul, but also because he exhausts himself with countless worries. He who despises money stops the passion for it; the one who wants to get rich and save money constantly ignites it and can never stop; even if he received tens of thousands of talents, he wants to have the same amount more, and if he acquires them, he again wants twice as much; and, going further and further, he begins to wish that the mountains, and the earth, and the sea, and everything else would become gold for him, raging with some new and terrible madness that can never stop. When we, having been commanded to give others our own, steal someone else’s, what hope of salvation remains for us? If you are punished for not feeding the hungry, then what kind of forgiveness will you receive if you also strip the clothed person? Tell me, if someone took you to Persia to see what was there and return back, and then ordered you to build a house there: would you not condemn him for extreme foolishness, as the person who made you waste your money? How can you do the same on earth, which you will leave a little later? But I’ll leave it to the children, you say. But they also leave it a little later after you, and often even before you. Is this why you are covetous and rob from others, so that the bridle of your horse is thickly gilded, or the roof of your house and the tops of the columns? And what kind of hell does this not deserve - when you plunge your brother, whom your Master has honored with such honor, into countless disasters in order to decorate stones, floors and the bodies of foolish animals who do not even feel this decoration? The column is carefully taken care of, and man, or better yet, Christ, for the sake of this column and all the above things, is doomed to the most extreme hunger. If it is necessary to make a chair or a footstool, everything is made of gold and silver; Meanwhile, the member of Christ, the one for whom He came from Heaven, does not even have the necessary food: Christ has become more contemptible to you than anyone else. And what could be worse than such lawlessness? What rivers of fire will be sufficient for such a soul - when even animals love those of their own kind, and this affinity of nature is enough for them to love each other, and you, having besides nature thousands of other reasons for love, turn out to be more ferocious than them? Let us not irritate God with either one or the other, i.e. and collecting where it ought not, and squandering where it ought not. What kind of wrath are you not worthy of when you give to a harlot, passing by without the attention of the poor? If you give even from righteous labors, then isn’t such a thing worthy of reproach - giving a reward for a vice, rewarding for something that should be punished for; And when you, stripping orphans and offending widows, feed debauchery, then think, what kind of fire will there be for those who dare to do such things? Be afraid, all those of you who abuse the poor. You have power, and wealth, and money, and the favor of judges, but they have a weapon that is stronger than all this - groans and sobs, and the very insults that they endure, because all this attracts help from heaven. These weapons lay waste to houses, destroy foundations, destroy cities, destroy entire nations. God has such great care for the offended. A truly great and powerful weapon is the groan of offended people. When those who suffer evil do not utter a single bad word, but only groan and mourn their misfortunes, God bows to their kindness and is merciful to them, and punishes those who offend. Let us avoid doing offense, so that God may be merciful to us, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Ἐκλογαί άπό διαφόρων λόγων . Under this name are known collections of conversations compiled by various persons after the death of Chrysostom on certain topics, from those related to the topics and especially liked by the compilers of the works of the saint. The passages are given partly in a literal presentation, partly in a free retelling and are borrowed both from the original works of Chrysostom, and from works only attributed to Chrysostom, which have not only survived to this day, but have also been lost. These Eclogues (selections) were widespread and were used by both private individuals and kings. Known, for example, is the luxurious collection of Eclogues, owned by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Botaniatus (1078–1081), registered among the codices of the Koalene Library under No. LXXIX. 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