Письмо 121

Please accept my mutual congratulations on the joyful holiday of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, Merry Christmas. The gifts sent down by this coming to the human race are quite familiar to you. We are unable to repay Him for such great benefits; but His mercy also extends with long-suffering to sinners, awaiting their repentance. Of course, we should devote all the activity of our heart to His love: but we repay those who are opposed, but He endures everything; but when the measure of His patience is fulfilled, He will punish according to its worth. We can also consider the blinding of our hearts, our evil will and our will, to be a punishment. You desire to love one sweet Jesus. Your desire is commendable: but desire alone is not enough to fulfill the measure of God’s love: faith and deeds achieve it; by faith we must accept all the changes in life and troubles that are sent from God to the test that are allowed from God to test, and deeds prove that we care about the love of God, according to the unfaithful word of His most pure lips: he who loves Me keeps My commandments; but he who does not love Me does not keep My commandments (John 14:21), and according to the apostolic teaching: faith without works is dead (James 2:20), and works without faith are dead. What commandments and deeds must one fulfill? Every Christian should experience this in St. Gospel and learn from the shepherds of the Church: for we are all in the Holy. At baptism we make vows to Christ to fulfill all His commandments, and we deny Satan and all his pride and all his ministry. May the Lord enlighten your mind, and may your heart be strengthened in fulfillment of His holy commandments, from which may His love dwell in you richly: however, this is the height of perfection, and we, not daring to dream about ourselves, escaping into the stronghold of humility, will remain untouchable from the snares and snares of the enemy. The sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1836. You might be interested in: