Огласительное поучение пятое

[To those preparing in Jerusalem for enlightenment, said without preparation, about faith, on the words from the Epistle to the Hebrews: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, etc. (Heb. 11:1).] 1. What dignity the Lord grants you, transferring you from the state of the catechumens to the state of the faithful, the Apostle Paul this time says: God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9). If God is called faithful, and you receive the same name, then you receive great dignity. For just as God is called good, just, Almighty and Creator of all things, so he is also called faithful. Judge to what degree of dignity you will ascend by becoming a participant in the name of God. 2. So, now try to find among you a husband who is faithful in conscience, for it is a great thing to find a husband who is faithful (Proverbs 20:6). It is not before me that you need to open your conscience (for you will not be judged by a human court), but you must show the purity of your faith to God, who searches the bellies and hearts and knows the thoughts of men - a faithful husband is something great, he is richer than any rich man: To the faithful, the whole world is wealth (Prov. 17:6), which he despises and tramples on. Those who are rich in visible blessings and have acquired a lot of them are poor in soul. For the more they collect, the more they are tormented by the desire for goods that they do not have. And the husband is faithful, which is especially surprising, and is rich in poverty. For, knowing that he only needs clothing and food, and being content with this (see 1 Tim. 6:8), he despises wealth. 3. And not only among us, who bear the name of Christ, faith is considered great, but also everything that is done in the world, even by people alien to the Church, is accomplished by faith: by faith, marriage laws unite persons distant from one another, and a stranger, through faith, which happens in marriage unions, becomes a participant in the ownership of other people's slaves and wealth. Farming is also based on faith, for whoever does not believe that he will reap the grown fruits will not endure the labor. Navigators are guided by faith when, having entrusted their fate to a small tree, they prefer the fickle impulse of the waves to the most solid element - the earth, betray themselves to unknown hopes and have with them only faith, which for them is more reliable than any anchor. So, very many human deeds are based on faith, and we are not the only ones who believe this, but those outside the Church also believe, as I said above. At least they do not accept the Holy Scriptures, but are guided by their own teachings, however, they also accept them by faith. 4. The reading that happened today also calls you to true faith, showing you the way to please God. For the apostle says that without faith it is impossible to please God (cf. Heb. 11:6). For will a person agree to serve God if he does not believe that He will reward him for it? Will a young woman keep her virginity or a young man live chastely if he does not believe that purity is crowned with an unfading crown? Faith is the eye that illuminates every conscience; it imparts knowledge to man. For the prophet says: If you do not believe, it is because you are not proven (Is. 7:9). Faith stops the mouths of lions, as it did with Daniel. Scripture says about him: and Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no harm was found on him, because he believed in his God (Dan.6:23). Is there anything more terrible than the devil? And against him we have no other weapon except faith, this immaterial shield against the invisible enemy. For he throws various arrows and strikes in the darkness those who do not watch. And against the fact that our enemy is an invisible enemy, we have a strong defense - faith, in the words of the apostle: the shield of faith, with which we can quench all the arrows of the evil one (cf. Eph. 6:16). The devil often shoots the kindled arrow of lust towards shameful pleasure, but faith, having pronounced judgment and cooled thought, quenches the arrow. 5. We can talk a lot about faith, so a whole day is not enough for us to talk about it. Let us be content with another Old Testament example of Abraham, since we became his sons through faith; he was justified not only by works, but also by faith. True, he did a lot, but he was not called a friend of God before he believed, and every deed he did was accomplished by faith. By faith, he left his parents. By faith he left his fatherland, his country, and his home. Therefore, just as he was justified, so you try to justify yourself. He already had a dead body for childbearing, since he himself was old, and his wife Sarah was old, and there was no hope left for childbearing. God promises the old man to give him a son. And Abraham did not faint in faith; He saw that his body was already dead, however, he did not look at the weakness of the body, but at the strength of the Promiser, for she knew (Sarah - Ed.) that the Promiser was faithful (Heb. 11:11), from bodies as if dead he miraculously acquired a son. After he acquired it, when he was commanded to sacrifice his son, although he heard the words: Your seed will be called Isaac (Gen. 21:12), but he offered his only begotten son to God, in the confidence that God is able to raise him from the dead (Heb. 11:19). Having bound his son and laid him on the firewood, he sacrificed him of his own free will, but by the goodness of God, Who gave him a lamb instead of a child, he again received a son alive. Being faithful in other cases, Abraham was sealed as a righteous man, and received circumcision as a seal of the faith that is in uncircumcision (Rom. 4:11), and the promise that he would be the father of many nations. 6. Let us consider why Abraham is the father of many nations. He is undoubtedly the father of the Jews by carnal succession. If we look at carnal succession, we will be forced to recognize God’s saying as false. For in the flesh he is by no means the father of us all, but the image of his faith makes us sons of Abraham. Just as it is incredible for people that anyone should rise from the dead, so in the same way it is incredible for them that children would be born from slain elders. But we believe when they preach about Christ that He was crucified on the tree, died and rose again. So, in the likeness of our faith to the faith of Abraham, we are made his sons, and then with faith we receive, like him, spiritual sealing, being circumcised by the Holy Spirit in baptism, not by circumcision of the flesh, but by circumcision of the heart, as Jeremiah says: Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and remove the foreskin from your heart (Jer. 4:4); and as the apostle says: circumcised with a circumcision made without hands... with the circumcision of Christ, and so on. ( Col. 2:11–12 ). 7. If we maintain such faith, then we will be innocent before God and adorn ourselves with all kinds of virtues. For faith is so strong that it makes it easy for people to walk on the sea. Peter was a man like us, having flesh and blood, and ate food like ours, but when Jesus said to him: Come (Matthew 14:31), he walked on the waters with faith; faith was more reliable for him on the water than any solid path, and the weight of the body was lifted with the ease of faith. As long as he believed, he walked safely on the water. When he doubted, he began to drown. For as faith began to weaken little by little, the body also became burdened. Having learned this illness, the Doctor of mental illnesses said: you of little faith! why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31). Peter, having been strengthened by Jesus Christ, who took him by the hand, after believing again, under the guidance of the Lord, again walked on the water in the same way. The Gospel immediately mentions this as follows: he entered the boat (Mark 8:13); It is not said that Peter, having swam across, boarded the ship, but it is given to know that he walked some distance to Jesus, and on the way back, having passed the same distance, he boarded the ship. 8. Faith has such power that not only the believer is saved, but some are saved because of the faith of others. The paralytic in Capernaum was not a believer, but those who brought him and lowered him through the roof had faith. And the patient’s soul was sick along with his body. And don’t think that I condemn him; the Gospel itself says: seeing Jesus’ faith, not his, but theirs, he said to the paralytic: stand up (cf. Matthew 9:2). Those who brought it believed, and the paralytic received healing. 9 . In the following example you will see even more clearly how others are saved by the faith of some. Lazarus died. A day passed, two and three, his veins were torn, and rottenness destroyed his body. How could a four-day dead man believe and plead with the Redeemer for himself? But what was lacking in the deceased was made up for by his own sisters. When the Lord came, the sister fell at His feet, and when asked where they laid him, she answered: Lord, he already stinks, for he has been in the tomb for four days, then the Lord says: if you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:34, 39-40); as if he said this: fill the lack of faith in the dead. And the faith of the sisters was so strong that they called the dead man out of the gates of hell. Thus, some, by their faith for other people, could raise those from the dead, but you, if you sincerely believe for yourself, will you really not have more time? Yes, even if you were unfaithful or of little faith, the Lord loves mankind. He will mercifully accept you, the repentant one, just say sincerely: I believe, Lord, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). If you recognize yourself as faithful, but do not have the fullness of faith, then you also need to say to Him with the apostles: Lord! Increase our faith (Luke 17:5). For if you have something on your own, you will receive it in greater measure from Him. 10. The word faith, one by its name, however, is divided into two types. The first type includes teaching faith, when the soul agrees to something. And it is good for the soul, as the Lord says: he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment (John 5:24); and in another place: He who believes in Him (the Son - Ed.) is not condemned and has eternal life (cf. John 3:18, 36). Great is God's love for mankind! The righteous could only please God after many years, but what they acquired through exploits over the course of many years, Jesus Christ now gives in one hour. For if you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved (Rom. 10:9) and you will be translated into paradise by Him who brought the thief into paradise. And don't doubt the possibility of this. For the same one who on this holy Golgotha ​​saved the thief who believed for one hour will save you too if you believe. 11. Another kind of faith is that which is given by grace by Christ. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healing (1 Cor. 12:8–9). So, this faith bestowed by grace by the Holy Spirit is not only teaching, but also acting beyond human strength. For whoever has this faith will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move (Matthew 17:20). If anyone says this by faith, being confident that it will be so, and does not doubt in his heart (Mark 11:23), he will receive grace. It is said about this faith: if you have faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20). For just as a mustard seed, small in size, is powerful in its effect, and, having been sown in a small space, sends out many branches, and when it grows, it can harbor birds, so faith in the soul very quickly creates the greatest deeds. For the soul ascends to God in thought and, being illuminated by the faith of God, as far as it is possible, it contemplates, flows around the limits of the world and, before the end of this age, already sees the judgment and the promised reward. So, for your part, have faith in Him, so that from Him you too can receive faith that acts beyond human strength. 12. Try to have and maintain faith, both in teaching and in confession, only that which is now communicated to you by the Church and which is confirmed by all Scripture. Since not everyone can read the Scriptures, but some are incapable of reading them, and others are prevented from knowing them by any occupation, so as not to destroy souls through ignorance, we conclude in a few verses the entire teaching of the faith, and it is advisable that you remember it while reading it and repeat it yourself with all care, not drawing it on paper, but imprinting it on your heart with memory and, when studying it, being careful that the catechumen somehow did not listen to what was communicated to you. It is advisable that you have this teaching as your parting guide throughout your life and do not accept anything other than it, even if we ourselves, having changed, began to say the opposite of what we now teach, or if a hostile angel, having transformed into the Angel of Light, wanted to seduce you. Even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach to you a gospel other than what you have now received, let you be accursed (Gal. 1:8-9). Now, from this reading, inscribe in your memory the truths of faith, and in due time, extract evidence for each of them from Divine Scripture, for the truths of faith are not compiled as people would like, but the most decent passages, being collected from all of Holy Scripture, constitute the teaching of faith. And just as a mustard seed from a small grain produces many branches, so these truths of faith in brief words contain all the knowledge of piety contained in the Old Testament and the New. See therefore, brothers, hold fast to the traditions which you now receive, and write them on your hearts. 13. Keep them with reverence, so that the enemy does not steal them when one of you becomes weak, so that some heretic does not transform what we have devoted. The work of faith is to put silver on the table, which we have now done. And God will demand an account from you for this pledge. I command, as the apostle says, before God, the giver of life, and Christ Jesus, who bore witness to the good confession before Pontius Pilate... to keep this faith delivered to you purely and blamelessly, even until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 5:21; 6:13-14). The treasure of life is now given to you; at His appearing, the Lord will require His pledge, which in due time will be revealed by the blessed and only strong King of kings and Lord of lords, the only one who has immortality, Who dwells in the unapproachable light, Whom no man has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:15-16). To him be glory, honor and power forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: