Слово 29. О незлобии, злотерпении и злопамятовании.

Who else, beloved, should we point to as an example, intending to speak to you about meekness, if not one who has received a testimony from above and who is especially admired for this very reason? “I have found,” they say, “a man after My heart, David the son of Jesse” (Acts 13:22), who not only fed and watered his enemies, but often delivered them even from death when they were in danger. Saul, for example, after the countless benefits shown to him by David, after the brilliant victories and salvation from Goliath, hated and did not tolerate him to such an extent that he could not even calmly remember his name. So one day during a holiday, having conceived a cunning and insidious plan against him, he asked, not seeing him among those present: “Where is the son of Jesse?” (1 Samuel 20:27). Unable to point out any shameful deed, he exposes his low origins, thinking by this to darken his glory. Meanwhile, David, finding him sleeping in a cave, did not call him the son of Kish, but by the name of his rank: “Let me not lay my hand,” he says, “against the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 26:10). So he was alien to all anger and rancor: he calls the Lord’s anointed man who caused him so many insults, who thirsted for his blood, who, after countless good deeds, repeatedly plotted to kill him! He looked not at what he deserved, but at what should have been done and said to him. What is this? Having captured the enemy, as it were, in a prison, bound by triple bonds - the tightness of the place, the absence of defenders, and the bonds of sleep - you do not subject him to either vengeance or punishment, but say: “Let me not lay my hand on the Lord’s anointed”? Yes, he says, because I now look not at what he deserves, but at what I should do. You may be surprised at David because he did not remember any of the past disasters, but I am amazed at him for another, much more important, circumstance. For what reason exactly? Because even fear for the future did not force him to raise his hand against the enemy. He knew very well that Saul, having escaped his hands, was again rising against him; however, he preferred to expose himself to danger by releasing his persecutor rather than kill the enemy, taking care of his own safety. And neither the memory of past grievances, nor fear for the future, nor the impulse on the part of the military leader, nor the desolation of the area, nor the ease of killing, nor anything else prompted him to bloodshed; on the contrary, he spared his enemy and persecutor, as if he were some benefactor who had rendered him great services; and cutting off the hem of his clothing and taking a vessel with water, he went a long distance and, standing there, loudly called the rescued man and showed him these objects; and he did this not for show or for the sake of ambition, but wishing by the very deed to convince him that he was completely in vain to look at him as an enemy, and thereby trying to win him over to a friendly attitude. Not simply taking revenge on an enemy who has caused us trouble is not surprising; but, having captured in one’s hands and having the full opportunity to kill a person who was blessed by numerous and great benefits, and then, in retribution for these benefits, not once or twice, but many times, plotted to kill the benefactor - having captured such a person, release him and save him from the evil intentions of others, and, moreover, when he intends to act again in the same insidious manner - can wisdom extend beyond this? On the contrary, could there be anything more criminal than the relationship that Saul showed towards David? When the enemies had just been repelled by the last, when the people came to their senses and everyone was offering thanksgiving sacrifices for the victory, he planned to kill the benefactor and the savior, and the culprit of all these blessings. And even the benefit shown did not tame this angry madman, and not once, not twice, but many times he threw a spear at him, wanting to kill him: these were the rewards he gave him for the dangers to which he exposed himself. “And an evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he sat in his house, and his spear was in his hand, and David played with his hand on the strings. And Saul wanted to nail David to the wall with a spear, but David jumped away from Saul, and the spear pierced the wall” (1 Samuel 19:9-10, 18:11). Which of the people, even those very accustomed to philosophizing, would not be enraged by this? But this one preferred to flee, to lose his father’s home, to be a wanderer and a fugitive, and with difficulty to obtain the necessary food for himself, than to become the culprit of murder for the king. He cared not about avenging himself, but about ridding the enemy of his passion. For this reason, he hid from the eyes of the enemy, in order to ease his anger, cool his ardor and calm his envy. It is better for me, he said, to be in need and endure thousands of evils than for him to be judged by God for unjust murder. So, what can be equal to this noble and adamantine soul, which chose poverty instead of wealth, the loneliness of the desert instead of its homeland, labor and danger instead of a calm and safe life, just to save its enemy from self-hatred? What brutal and cruel person would not be forced by this to give up enmity and envy? But nothing could force that cruel and heartless man to incline towards benevolence: on the contrary, he pursued and sought everywhere the one who had not caused him any offense, and, on the contrary, being offended to the highest degree, did him instead an infinite amount of good. Finally, quite unexpectedly, he falls into David's very snare. “There,” they say, “there was a cave, and Saul went there to need; David and his men were sitting in the depths of the cave. And his men said to David, “This is the day about which the Lord spoke to you: “Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you will do with him what you please.” David stood up and quietly cut off the edge of Saul's outer garment. But after this it pained David’s heart that he cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. And he said to his people: May the Lord not allow me to do this to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to lay my hand on him, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:4-7). May God be merciful, as he says, to me; Even if I myself wanted to, may He never allow me to do this, may He not allow me to reach such a sin. What could be gentler than this soul? Shall we call this man a man, who in human nature showed the life of an angel? But Divine laws would not allow this. In fact, tell me, who could soon decide to turn to God with such a prayer? What am I saying – make such a prayer? Who, on the contrary, would easily agree not to curse the one who offended him? Do you see the stretched nets of David, you see the caught prey, you see the hunter standing, and how everyone is forcing him to plunge a knife into the chest of the enemy? Look now at wisdom, look at the battle, the victory and the crown. Truly, this cave was a battlefield, and here a wondrous and unheard-of struggle took place. David fought, the enemy was anger, Saul served as a reward for victory, and God was the judge of the competition. He fought not only with himself and his passion, but also with the soldiers present. Even if he himself wanted to show wisdom and spare the offender, he should still be wary of them, lest they kill him in the cave, as a traitor and destroyer of their salvation, as a man who saves their common enemy. Naturally, they could tell him with indignation: we became wanderers and fugitives, lost our home, our homeland, and everything else, and shared all the hardships with you; and you, having captured the culprit of these troubles in your hands, are thinking of letting him go so that we will never have rest from these disasters, and, trying to save the enemy, you betray your friends? Where is the justice here? If you neglect your own salvation, then spare our lives. Are you not saddened by the past, and do you not remember the evils that you suffered from it? So at least for the sake of the future, kill him, so that we are not subjected to even greater and more serious disasters. But this righteous man did not think about anything like that, but looked only at one thing, how he could be adorned with the crown of kindness. It would not be so, after all, it would be surprising if he spared his offender, being alone only with himself, how surprising now that he did the same in the presence of others, and, moreover, others - not meek and modest people, but warriors accustomed to fight, who came to despair from many labors and wanted to take a little rest from them, and, moreover, who knew that the solution to all evils then consisted in killing the enemy, and not only the resolution of evils, but also the acquisition countless benefits, because after his murder nothing prevented royal power from passing immediately to David. And despite the fact that there were so many circumstances that irritated the warriors, this valiant man was able to defeat them all and convince them to spare the enemy. It is a great thing if someone himself conquers his own passions; but much more when he can convince others to have the same thoughts as him. There are, of course, many enemies, and, apparently, wise men who, although they themselves will not allow themselves to kill their enemies, will not, however, interfere when others are going to kill them. But David did not do this; but, as if accepting some kind of pledge and preparing to give an answer for it, he not only did not touch the enemy himself, but also restrained others who wanted to kill him, thus being the best bodyguard and guard instead of the enemy. So, it will not be wrong to say that David was then in more danger than Saul. Indeed, he endured a considerable struggle when he tried in every possible way to save him from the evil intentions of the soldiers, and he would not have been so afraid if he himself were to be killed as he was afraid that one of the soldiers, carried away by anger, would not kill a man. That is why he said such a word in his defense. They accused, and the sleeper was accused; defended by the enemy; God judged and confirmed David's sentence by His power. Indeed, without God’s help he would not have been able to defeat the extremely excited warriors; but the grace of God, inherent in his lips, imparted a certain power of conviction to his words at that time. Who would not marvel at his generosity to the highest degree, and in view of this circumstance, that, having captured the enemy in his hands when he was asleep, motionless and could do nothing, he not only did not kill him himself, but also restrained others who wanted to do it? After this, how should the soldiers have been devoted to him, and with what disposition should they have treated him? If they had thousands of souls, would they not have readily given them all up for their leader, when by their very deed, out of concern for the enemy, they learned his disposition towards people close to him? Indeed, whoever turns out to be meek and friendly towards those who have done him harm, shouldn’t he much more treat people who treat him kindly in the same way? Would it not be opportune for someone to show here that David, by sparing Saul, erected a more majestic trophy than when he overthrew Goliath and cut off the head of this foreigner? This particular victory is more brilliant than that, and the trophy is more glorious. In fact, a sling, and stones, and confrontation were needed there; here everything was accomplished by thought, victory was won without weapons, and a trophy was erected without shedding blood. So, when David won this beautiful and wondrous victory, the one over whom the competition was going on, Saul, finally arose from sleep and left the cave, not knowing anything about what had happened to him. David followed him out, looking with the eyes of a free man at heaven; he came out not with the head of a foreigner in his hands, but with mortified passion, with exhausted anger, inflicting thousands of wounds on the enemy and saving Saul, and striking the real enemy - the devil with many blows; came out, having his right hand and head crowned - that right hand that could draw a clean sword, show God a dagger not stained with blood and resist such a fit of anger; came out with the same glory with which the three youths came out of the cave. Just as the fire did not burn them, so the fire of wrath did not kindle him; however, the fire that surrounded them from the outside did nothing, but this one, having burning coals inside it, and the devil, who kindled the furnace from the outside - the sight of the enemy, the exhortation of the soldiers, the ease of committing murder, the absence of defenders, the memory of previous disasters, fear for the future (indeed, this kindled a stronger flame than brushwood, tar, tow and everything else that was kindled by the Babylonian furnace), - did not burn with anger and did not suffer anything that could be tolerated by a person in his position, but came out clean and undamaged. So, “David also arose and came out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying: My lord, the king! Saul looked back, and David fell face down on the ground and worshiped [him]" (1 Samuel 24:9). Is this less worthy of praise than saving the enemy? It is precisely that the very one who saved bows before the saved one, calls him a king, and calls himself a slave, and does everything just to console his pride and arrogance, calm his anger and stop envy. But let's listen to the justification itself. “Why do you listen to the speeches of people who say: “Behold, David is plotting evil against you”? Behold, today your eyes see that the Lord has today delivered you into my hands in the cave; and they told me to kill you; but I spared you and said: “I will not lift my hand against my master, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” My father! look at the hem of your garment in my hand; I cut off the hem of your garment, but I did not kill you” (1 Samuel 24:10–12). If I, he says, had not been close to you, had not stood near your body, I would not have cut off the edges of the garment. Indeed, if he had not cut off, he would not have been able to convince the enemy with anything else. In fact, how could one who, after so many good deeds, was at enmity against a person who had not offended him in the least, believe that another, who had suffered an insult, would spare his offender, taking him into his own hands? Now David has presented undoubted proof of his care for him, and calls the enemy himself as a judge and witness of his care, saying: “Find out and make sure that there is no evil or deceit in my hand, and I have not sinned against you; but you seek my life to take it away” (1 Samuel 24:12). So he was alien to arrogance and free from all vanity, and looked at only one thing - at the Judgment of God: “Let the Lord judge between me and you,” he says (1 Samuel 24:13). He said these words, not wanting Saul to be punished or to receive execution from him, but so that he would be frightened by a reminder of the future Judgment - because he would not have dared to call on the Omniscient Judge and incur condemnation on himself if he had not been completely sure that he was pure and not involved in any evil intent. Who will not be amazed, who will not be surprised by this noble and adamantine soul (when you think) that, having the right to calculate numerous and great benefits to Saul, for example, he could, if he wanted, tell him: when the invasion of foreigners, like some kind of flood, was ready to crush the entire state, when you were hiding in fear and horror, and every day you were expecting death for yourself, I came; and without any coercion, on the contrary, even despite the fact that you interfered and held back, I could not stand it and, first of all, rushed at the enemy, took the fight to him and cut off his head and, like some rushing stream, repelled the invasion of foreigners and established the wavering state; thanks to me, you own the kingdom and life, and everyone else, along with life, owns the city, dwellings, children and wives - he could then again point out other wars that he waged with success, no less than the first; could point out that, despite the fact that Saul not once, not twice, but many times plotted to kill him and threw a spear at his head, he did not remember the evil; could have pointed out numerous other matters, much more important, - and yet he said nothing of the kind, but cites in his justification only what happened that day, saying: “Find out and make sure that there is no evil or deceit in my hand, and I have not sinned against you; and you are looking for my soul to take it away.” Who wouldn't be touched by such words? After all, he did not want to reproach him for his good deeds, but only to convince him that he belonged to the number of those who loved and cared for him, and not to attackers and enemies. So you, when you capture an enemy in your hands, try not to take revenge on him and shower him with thousands of curses, but to win him over by helpfulness, in order to bring him to meekness, and until then do not lag behind and do everything and exhort him until with your meekness you defeat his cruelty. This is exactly what David did. Seeing that the enemy was arming himself against his own salvation and doing everything for this, he not only did not become furious, but was imbued with even greater compassion for him, and the more criminal the latter’s intentions were, the more he cried for him, and did not stop taking all sorts of measures until he forced him to make an excuse with tears and cries. In fact, when Saul heard David say: “My lord, the king,” he was unable to hear these words without tears, but began to sob, let out a bitter cry, and exclaimed with sorrow: “You are more just than me, for you repaid me with good, for intrigues, for murder, for countless atrocities, but I repaid you with evil” (1 Samuel 24:18), - and still he did not become better, but after all the good deeds he persisted in his anger. And yet you have not changed, but continue to act as before, and again show us, who are plotting against you, a benefit. “You showed this today by dealing kindly with me, when the Lord delivered me into your hands, you did not kill me” (1 Samuel 24:19). What could be more blessed than David, who in one brief moment so transformed the enemy and unexpectedly plunged a soul thirsting for blood and murder into crying and sobbing? I am not as surprised at Moses that he brought down springs of water from a steep rock as I am at this righteous man that he brought down springs of tears from such eyes. This one defeated nature, and this one defeated free will; he hit the stone with a rod, and this one struck the heart with a word, not in order to upset, but to make it pure and meek. So, no matter how much I praise him for his own meekness, I am much more amazed at him because of the change that happened to Saul. Mastering one's own passions is far from being such a feat as conquering the fury of others, calming a heart burning with anger, making such a calm out of such a storm, and filling the eyes turned to murder with hot tears. And it is full of amazement and wonder. Indeed, if Saul had been one of the meek and self-controlled people, then it would not have been particularly difficult to lead him to his characteristic virtue; But a person who has reached the state of bestiality, who has reached extreme malice and who strives with all his being to kill, is forced in one short moment to spew out all this bitterness - which of the people who have ever been famous for their knowledge of philosophy will not be eclipsed by such an act? Undoubtedly, the fact that he did not thrust the sword and did not cut off the enemy’s head deserves the greatest praise and surprise; but when he also changed his very mood, made him better and raised him to the meekness appropriate to him, then can anything be higher than such wisdom? Meanwhile, many people not only distance themselves from communication with their enemies, but do not even want to see their gaze or hear their voices. Not so David: on the contrary, he saved the enemy, and was the first to honor him by addressing him with the words: “My lord, the king.” And what’s more, he even fell prostrate before him, bowed to him, and being honored by the latter when he said: “my son David” (1 Sam. 24:17), he again gave him even greater honor on his part, saying: “your servant, my lord, is a king.” Who can indicate more than this kindness? He who has been blessed right up to his very life elevates the benefactor into kinship with himself; this one, the one who has benefited, calls the one who has benefited master. He called me, he says, son; for me it is quite pleasant and sufficient if you consider me a slave, as long as you put aside your anger, as long as you do not suspect anything bad about me and do not consider me an intruder and enemy. And look what he achieved. When he said this, he was no longer able to hear his speech without tears, but sobbed bitterly, showing with his tears both his mental health and the wisdom that David had imparted to him. What crowns is David not worthy of because with his meekness and humility he defeated Saul to such an extent that he forced him to condemn his own cruelty and praise his virtue? “Who,” he says, “having found his enemy, would send him on his way? The Lord will reward you with goodness for what you did to me today. And now I know that you will surely reign, and the kingdom of Israel will be firmly in your hand. So swear to me by the Lord that you will not uproot my descendants after me, nor destroy my name in my father’s house” (1 Samuel 24:20–22). And how, tell me, do you know this? You have an army, you have money, weapons, cities, horses, warriors, all the strength of the royal weapons; and he is abandoned by everyone and naked, has neither a city, nor a valley, nor a native shelter. On what basis, tell me, do you say this? Based on the very modus operandi of David. Deprived of everything and abandoned by everyone, the exile would not have defeated me, armed and possessing such strength, if he had not had God with him; and he who has God with him is stronger than all. Do you see how Saul waxes wise after his evil intentions? Do you see how you can reject all wickedness, change and move on to the best? What crowns does David deserve for each of these words? For although Saul's mouth spoke them, the wisdom of David planted them in his soul. “Swear to me,” he says, “by the Lord, that you will not uproot my descendants after me and will not destroy my name in my father’s house.” This is how the king makes a request to a simple man, and the one wearing a diadem begs and asks the fugitive for his children, and demands an oath, not because he does not believe his character, but thinking about how much evil he has caused him. “Swear to me... that you will not uproot my descendants after me”: he leaves the enemy as the guardian of his children and entrusts his offspring into his hands, as if taking him by the right hand with these words and putting God as a mediator. What about David? Did you treat this with at least some mockery? Not at all, but he immediately expressed his consent and full readiness to fulfill what was asked, and after the death of Saul not only did not kill them, but did even more for them than he promised. It was his grandson, lame and with dry feet, that he took into his house, made him his table companion and awarded him the greatest honor (2 Samuel 9); and was not ashamed, did not blush, did not consider the youth’s injury a disgrace for the royal table, but, on the contrary, even boasted and was proud of it. Seeing how much David held in esteem the grandson of Saul, who caused him so much evil, who of those sitting at his table, even if he was fiercer than all the animals, would not make peace with all his enemies, being ashamed and blushing for himself? Even if he had ordered food to be given to him from some other place and assigned a certain allowance, then this would have been a great thing; but to be admitted to the royal meal itself is the height of wisdom. In fact, many people not only take revenge on their enemies during their lifetime, but after their death they pour out the anger they harbor against them on their children. David, on the contrary, saved the enemy during his life, and after his death he showed the favor that he had towards him in relation to his children. What could be more blessed than this man? Seeing the enemy lying at his feet worse than a prisoner, he not only spared him, but, having captured him in his hands a second time - when after this rescue he attacked him and wanted to kill him - and having the opportunity to defeat him along with the entire army, he released him healthy and whole; and realizing that he was incurably ill, and in no case would cease his enmity towards him, he disappeared from his sight and lived among foreigners in slavery, in dishonor, in shame, obtaining the necessary food through hard work and effort. And not only this is amazing, but also the fact that, having heard that Saul had fallen in battle, he tore his clothes, sprinkled ashes on his head, and cried as someone would cry after losing his only natural son, constantly called out his name along with his son, composed a song in his honor, wept bitterly, remained until the evening without food and cursed those places where Saul’s blood was shed. “Mountains,” he says, “Gelboa!” let neither dew nor rain fall upon you” (2 Samuel 1:21), the mountains of death, because there the tents of the mighty are broken in pieces. I hate, he says, even the place itself for the sake of the dead who fell there; Let you not be watered by heavenly rains, because you have once and for all been criminally watered with the blood of my friends. He constantly repeats their names, saying: “Saul and Jonathan, amiable and agreeable in their lives, were not separated in their death” (2 Sam. 1:23). Since he did not have the opportunity to hug their bodies, due to the latter’s absence, he seemed to embrace their names, thereby softening, as far as possible, his grief and alleviating the severity of the misfortune. It is impossible, he says, to say that the son mourned his orphanhood, or the father mourned his childlessness: but what, he says, did not happen to anyone, happened to them: they ended their lives together on the same day, and, not having survived each other, each of them considered his life unbearable in separation from the other. Let now, while the soul is still burning with sorrow, let everyone remember his enemy and distresser, and let him take care of him during his life and grieve for him after death; and even if you need to endure something, just so as not to upset the offender, let him endure everything and do everything, expecting great reward from God. Truly, there is nothing safer than sparing enemies, just as there is nothing more unreliable than wanting to repay and avenge oneself. In fact, someone who has destroyed another can often condemn himself and will have a bad conscience, being wounded by his sin every day and hour; the one who spares the enemy and courageously endures for a while, after that rejoices and is glad, being in good hopes and expecting reward from God for his kindness; and if he ever suffers any misfortune, then with great boldness he will ask God for reward for himself. And this can be seen from what happened to David and Saul. The latter, wanting to kill David, helpless, without weapons, deprived of everything, like a betrayed captive, lay in a cave; the first, yielding and withdrawing everywhere, and not even wanting to fairly subject him to punishment, without tools and weapons, without horses and warriors, captured the enemy into his hands; and, most importantly, he attracted greater favor from God, and subsequently received a great and amazing reward for his concern for the enemy. What kind of forgiveness will we have, remembering past sins and taking revenge on those who offended us, when this innocent, despite the fact that he suffered so much, and expected even greater and graver evils for himself from saving the enemy, so spared him that he preferred to expose himself to danger and live in fear and trembling, rather than rightly even kill the one who had to cause him thousands of grief? It is wonderful, of course, not to offend others; but it serves much more as proof of a wise soul when the offended does not take revenge. That's what David was like. Despite the fact that the law then allowed such a measure, commanding to tear out “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Deut. 19:21), and this was not a crime; David, however, was so wise that he not only did not break the law, but also far exceeded it, and jumped, so to speak, its boundaries. He considered it insufficient for himself in the matter of virtue if he did not yet surpass the given commandments. Meanwhile, what is required of us is not only that we not take revenge, but that we also do good. “Pray,” they say, “for those who use you... do good to those who hate you” (Matthew 5:44). What kind of forgiveness will we have, what kind of justification will we have if even after the coming of Christ we do not reach the measure of those who lived in the Old Testament, and this is when a great excess is required of us? “Unless,” it is said, “your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Just as those who demonstrate the same virtue under the law or before the law are unequal among themselves, so are those who during the time of grace or [before the law, or rather] under the law, but depending on the time there is a great difference between them. When I think about the goodness, mercy and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am amazed, trembling and amazed, as He prayed even on the Cross for the crucifiers. What can compare to this? Even both thieves at first reviled Him: but when the prudent thief, having regained consciousness, said: “Remember me, Lord” (Luke 23:42), then He opened Paradise to him before everyone else. He weeps for those who were preparing to crucify Him and is embarrassed when he sees the traitor, not because He was about to be crucified, but because this last one was dying. He was embarrassed, precisely, foreseeing his strangulation and the punishment after the strangulation, and, knowing his wickedness, until the very last minute he took care of him and did not reject him. Moreover, the Most Gracious Lord even kissed the traitor, giving us a model and example of kindness and long-suffering. “Judas,” he says, “do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss” (Luke 22:48)? Who would not be softened, who would not be touched by these words? What beast, what stone soul? But not this unfortunate one! In fact, He did not say: “Oh, vile and most despicable traitor, is this the reward you repay Me for so many good deeds?” How? “Judas,” calling him by his own name, which rather indicated that He pitied him and called him back to Himself, rather than being angry. Likewise, he did not say: “Your Teacher, your Lord, your Benefactor,” but: “Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” If He were neither Teacher nor Lord, how would you betray Him Who is so meekly, so sincerely disposed towards you that He kisses you even during the very betrayal? This is how He deals with a traitor; But what about those who came against Him with swords and stakes? But what could be more gentle than the words that were spoken to them? Being able to destroy all of them in an instant, He did nothing of the kind, but with the intention of shaming He says to them: “It was as if you came out against a thief with swords and staves” (Luke 22:52), and, having cast them on their faces, again voluntarily - since they remained insensible - betrayed Himself and patiently watched as His holy hands imprisoned them, although He could have terrified them all and thrown them on their faces. “Whoever speaks of the power of the Lord will declare all His praises” (Ps. 106:2)? Let us also, brethren, imitate His gentleness, meekness, and humility. “Learn,” he says, “from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). That is why Paul commands this, saying: “Bless those who persecute you” (Rom. 12:14), i.e. causing you grief in any way. And he did not say: “do not bear grudge,” or: “do not take revenge,” but demands much more, saying: “bless.” The first - not to bear grudges and not to take revenge - is characteristic of a wise man, and the last is characteristic of an angel. Having then said: “bless,” he added: “and do not curse,” so that we do not do both, but only the first. And this is because persecutors are the makers of rewards for us. If you stay awake, then along with them you will also provide yourself with a reward: the persecutor will provide you with a reward from persecution, and you yourself - from his blessing, presenting the greatest proof of your love for Christ. That is why this spiritual teacher commands to repay with kindness those who inflict any kind of offense on us, those who persecute us, those who cause harm by deeds, and, having commanded first to bless them, then he exhorts and do good to them by deed itself: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Since you can bless and not curse, but do it not out of love, he wants us to burn with love. That’s why he added these words, so that we would not only bless, but also condole and have compassion if we ever see them in misfortune. Nothing, after all, unites love more than if we share both joy and sorrow with each other. Listen to what Peter says to Christ: “How many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? up to seven times? (Matthew 18:21). He asks and at the same time promises, and before he finds out, he shows his generosity. Knowing very well the Teacher’s way of thinking, that He is inclined more towards philanthropy, he wants to please the Teacher and says: “Is it up to seven times?” . Then, so that you know that man and that God, and how the generosity of a disciple, no matter how far it extends, in comparison with the wealth of the Teacher turns out to be meager than any poverty, and that a drop in comparison with the boundless sea, so is our goodness in comparison with His ineffable love for mankind, Christ, when he said: “seven times”, and thought that he showed very great generosity and magnanimity, says: “I do not tell you: up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), which is four hundred and ninety. And do not think that this commandment is difficult to fulfill; if you have decided to ignore the sins against you so many times, then, having learned from one, another, third experience of forgiveness, you will no longer feel any labor in such wisdom, once and for all acquiring the skill of repeated forgiveness, and you will not be amazed by the sins of your neighbor. But, in the same way, if someone suffers unjust theft and thanks God for such unrighteousness, he will receive countless rewards through this gratitude. Nothing pleases God more than not returning evil for evil. If someone says: “How could I take revenge on the offender when I am weaker than him?”, then I will answer that you could do this, namely, if you began to grumble, be indignant, pray against the offender, send him thousands of curses, accuse him in front of everyone: all this is in our power. That is why the one who did not do this will receive a reward for not taking revenge, since it is obvious that, even if he was able to take revenge, he would not have done it. So, when the enemy falls into your hands, do not think that it is a time of vengeance, but consider it a time of salvation. It is then that we especially need to spare our enemies when they find themselves in our power. And if we arrange ourselves in this way and try to save our neighbors, then we will soon become desirable and kind to them, and - what is most important - we will achieve the prepared blessings, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and power, with the Father and the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the endless ages of ages. 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. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: