Беседа 5

1. I want to speak to your love, brothers, about what concerns the contempt of the present life and the hope of the future life. If you want to know what should be despised, then look at the martyrs who despised this earthly life. If you want to know what you need to hope for, then I point you to the resurrection, since now the Lord has risen from the dead 3. And if you, man, hesitate now, then be firm in hope, and if labor troubles you, let reward encourage you. The Apostle calls us to this when he commands Timothy, saying: “Admonish those who are rich in this present age not to think highly of themselves and not to trust in unfaithful riches, but in the living God, who richly gives us everything for our enjoyment; that they may do good, be rich in good deeds, be generous and sociable, laying up for themselves treasure, a good foundation for the future, so that they may attain eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). The rich especially should remember this. Listen to this, the rich, who have gold and silver and are flaming with passion, the rich, to whom the poor sometimes look with hope, murmur, sigh, praise, envy, with whom they want to be equal, mourn their inequality with them, and among the praises of the rich they say only: “Behold, they alone are happy, they alone live.” But you rich people, beware lest you fall into pride because of these words with which poor people flatter you; listen rather to the apostle, the healer of the disease, and not to the flatterer in words. Your real life is a dream, and these riches flow as if in a dream. The Apostle Paul urges us to achieve eternal life. Listen to Paul and do not be proud. Listen to the psalmist, you rich man and poor man at the same time. What do you have if you don’t have God? And what do you not have, if God is with you? The psalmist says about the rich: “they fell asleep in their sleep, and all the men did not find the strength of their hands” (Ps. 75:6). Sometimes a beggar, lying on the ground and shivering from the cold, sees treasures in a dream, rejoices, is delighted, proud, and even neglects his father in rags. A dream is what you, a beggar, see when you sleep and rejoice. However, until he wakes up, he feels like a rich man. When he falls asleep, he finds something that he apparently grieves over. Likewise, a rich man who is about to die is like a poor man who sleeps and sees treasures in his dreams. After all, that rich man, who dressed in purple and fine linen, and remained unknown by name, despised the poor man lying at the gate, feasted brilliantly every day, then, having died and being buried, he woke up and saw himself in the flames (Luke 16:19-24). He spent the time of his sleep and after sleep found nothing, because he did not give any reasonable use to his wealth. 2. Wealth is sought for life, but not life for wealth. How many reconcile with their enemies, reprimanding themselves only for life? And whatever they have, they give everything in order to save life. Have you given everything, brother, to your enemies? He gave everything, he says, and remained naked, and although naked, he was still alive. Why? Therefore, he gave everything so as not to be killed himself. And how did this happen to you? Do you want me to tell you how? That is why it happened that before the enemy came to you, you yourself did not help the poor so that your alms would ascend through the poor to Christ. You did not give a little to Christ, but you gave everything you had to the enemy, and gave it forever. Christ asks and does not receive. He demands and takes everything. If you pay so dearly for this transitory life, then how should eternal life be valued? Give what you give to the enemy so that he can live even as a beggar, give at least something to Christ so he can live happily. In order to live for a few days, you give what your enemy demands, but what Christ wants, you do not do. The number of days in a person’s life from childhood to old age is not great; and if Adam were dying today, all the same, his days would be few, because all of them would have already been ended by him: let him live six thousand years, and yet the number of days of his life would not be great, in view of the fact that they would all be lived. In your power are a large number of days full of work and temptations, you have a little land and a villa. Behold, the enemy who captured you says: “Give me everything you have”; and in order to live, you give everything, you, today freed from death, and tomorrow dying, freed from one thing, perhaps having to accept death from another. That’s how much people endure because of this present temporary life and do not want to suffer even a little for eternal life! Let these constant dangers enlighten us, brothers. Now you have given everything, renounced everything, and you rejoice that you are alive, and you say: “Although I am poor, naked, although I am in need, a beggar, I nevertheless rejoice that I am alive and have not lost this joyful light.” Let Christ appear, let Him be reconciled with you, not the barbarian who captured you, but the One who Himself was captured and was even deigned to die for you. He who gave Himself for you calls you to peace with Himself. “Do you want to live?!” Live with Me, He says. “You just have to hate yourself and love Me.” By losing your life, you will find it, and by protecting it, you will destroy it.” 3. As for your wealth, which you are pleased to own, and which you are ready to give for real life, then I give you advice on what to do with it. If you love him, then don't lose him. However, if you love wealth only on earth, here, then it will perish with you. If you love treasures, then transfer them to where you yourself will go, so as not to lose them here on earth, despite all your attachment to them, either during life or after death. So I gave you advice: I didn’t say “destroy”, but “keep.” Do you want to collect treasures? Fine. I don’t say, “don’t collect,” but I indicate the place where to collect. Look at me as an advisor, and not as your enemy. It is written: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20). But perhaps you will say: I don’t see a place in the sky where to put it. What mountain, what car should I find to touch the sky, to see where to put my money? But what are you saying?! Do you know a place on earth where to hide? I know, you say. Okay, that's enough. If you are calm when you are hiding on earth, then how come you do not trust God, Who created heaven and earth? Give to God boldly, entrust yourself to Him, for He is storing up treasure for you in heaven. He provides for you on earth as long as you live. Do you want to save money? Save as you please. If you find a better guard than Christ, entrust your money to him. I entrust, you say, to my servant. Fine. How much more should you trust your Lord? And do you really prefer a slave to the Lord? O Christian! Your slave may steal and disappear. But will Christ do this? Many slaves unexpectedly became enemies of their masters and betrayed them along with their gold. So, who do you entrust your treasures to? My slave, you say. I know the faithfulness of my servant and therefore I trust him. Fine. You highly honor your servant, you entrust your gold to him. And who wants your soul? I entrust my soul to my Lord. But isn’t it much better, man, to entrust your gold to the One to whom you entrust your soul? Or maybe He is faithful in keeping your soul and unfaithful in keeping your money?! But He who preserves you will preserve them for you. Do you praise the loyalty of your servant?! Yes, I know, you say, the faithfulness of my servant. But all this loyalty consists in the fact that he does not deceive, does not take what is yours, but is unable not to lose it. But, behold, he laid your treasures, failed to hide them, another finds them and takes them away. Can this already happen to Christ? Leave your negligence and accept the advice. Give to Christ the hungry, lay up treasure in heaven. And what work is it to lay up for oneself treasure in heaven? Even if it was difficult, it was still necessary to place the treasures in a safe place, from where no one could take them. And when Christ says: “Gather up treasures in heaven,” he does not say to you: “Look for mountains, build cars, forge wings,” but says only: “Give to Me on earth, and I will save for you in heaven. This is why I appear on earth in poverty, so that you may appear rich in heaven. Make a crossing for yourself." Perhaps you are afraid of deceivers, so as not to lose yours, and you are looking for someone who could carry it, who could transport it. Behold, Christ is your helper. He will not deceive and will endure. 4. But where, someone will ask, can I find Christ on earth? Where to find Him to give to Him. As my faith teaches me, what I hear and what I learned in church, He suffered, died and was buried, rose again on the third day, and on the fortieth day after His resurrection He ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of God the Father, and at the end of the world will come again. When can I see Him here? To whom can I give some of my property so that he can take it to Him? Don't worry! Have you not read or never heard what Saul said to Saul, when he was still persecuting the Church, proud and cruel, burning with hatred of Christians, what He whom you confess to be seated in heaven said to him? Remember what He told him? “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4). Whom Paul did not see or touch, He says from heaven: “Why are you persecuting Me?” He does not say: “Why do you persecute My relatives, My servants, the saints, or My brothers?” He doesn't say anything like that. What did he say? “Why are you persecuting Me?” , i.e. you torment the members of My body. For them, trampled on earth, the Head speaks from heaven. Because with you, if someone steps on your foot, your tongue says: “You stepped on me.” So, why are you doubting, why are you bickering? Who said to Paul: “Why are you persecuting Me?” , says to you: “Feed me.” Paul raged on earth and persecuted Christ in heaven; so you give on earth and thereby you will feed Christ in heaven. After all, this question that confuses you has been resolved by the Lord. The Holy Gospel tells that those who stand on the right side will be embarrassed at the general judgment, when the Lord says to them: “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat,” they will say to Him: “Lord! when did we see you hungry? – And they will immediately hear in response to this: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:35-40). If you have heard this, say openly that you do not want to give, and then you will have no excuse and will condemn yourself with your voice. The Lord your God teaches you about your wealth and gave you advice on how to deal with it. Do you love wealth? “I love you,” you say. Cross it over, and when you have crossed over, follow it with your heart as long as you live, because “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). If you tie your heart to the earth, be ashamed when you lie, answering the words: “Woe is our heart” (Sursum cor). Because in response to these words it is said: “Imams to the Lord” (habemus ad Dominum). You are lying before God. Even for one hour in church you don’t want to tell the truth, you lie before God, as you always do before people. You say: “Imams to the Lord,” but your heart is hidden in the ground, because “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 5. If you do with your wealth as you have heard, if you are such a rich man as the apostle speaks of, you will not think highly of yourself and rely on unfaithful wealth, so as to lay up for yourself treasure - a good foundation for the future, in order to achieve eternal life, then have boldness towards the Lord your God and say to Him: “Behold, I, Lord, have transferred to heaven what I had, or, if I have anything, I have it, as if I had not.” had." Is the kingdom of heaven as valuable as your property? Of course it's more valuable. And it is not such that it should be assessed in such a way. This is what your Lord says to you, Whom you ask about your property. Only for a time will you live, and then you will die; In My kingdom, says the Lord, you will never die, but you will live forever. There you will be truly rich, where you will never have need. For this is why you seek animals for riding, abundant food for food, and precious garments for clothing, so as not to weaken. But is it really true that, having a lot, you are rich, and an angel, for example, is poor? After all, he has nothing, neither a horse nor a chariot, nor a table full of rich dishes, nor clothes are made for him, because he is clothed with eternal light. Try, rich man, to acquire true wealth. You want to have these earthly riches so that you have enough food, because without it you become weak. God truly makes you rich, because He makes you well-fed forever. After all, no matter how much you have, still when it’s time for lunch, before lunch you feel hungry and weaken, because you are weak. But is this also what angels experience? Of course not. The angel does not experience hunger or weakness. Eventually, you begin to indulge in luxury with your dinners; this is no longer the satisfaction of a need, but unnecessary labor (funus curarum). And do you sleep peacefully when you think about increasing your wealth? If I am not deceived, then as soon as you gained wealth, you also lost your peace. When you are awake, you think about increasing your wealth; When you sleep, robbers appear to you. There is restlessness during the day, fear at night, you are constantly unhappy. Only He who promises you the kingdom of heaven wants to make you a true rich man. But do you think it is as expensive to buy those true riches, that true, blissful life, as you are ready to buy these unhappy and labor-filled days? Of course, what should mean much more is that which is much greater in itself, namely, the Kingdom of Heaven. 6. But what should I do? - you are perplexed. Behold, holy bishop, I listened to your admonition, obeyed your advice, and did not neglect the command of God. What I had, I gave to the poor, and what I have, I share with those in need. What more can I do?! But you also have something else, you have yourself. You yourself are still greater. Let you remain without your property, but you must also give yourself. Have you followed the advice of your Lord? Fulfilled, you answer. But why are you lying? You haven't accomplished everything. On the one hand, he did it, but on the other, he didn’t even try. Listen to what the Lord commands: “go, sell what you have and give to the poor.” Is that all? No. So that the one who gives his property to the poor would not imagine that he was thereby harming himself, the Lord immediately reassured him, saying: “And you will have treasure in heaven.” But is that all there is to it? No. What else? “And come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). Do you love and want to follow the One you love? But He (the Lord) departed, ascended, and no one knows where he is now?! O Christian! Do you not know where your Lord has gone? Shall I tell you how to follow Him? Through persecution, through reproach, through suffering from false accusations, through spitting, through blows on the cheeks and lashes, through the crown of thorns, through the cross and through death. Why are you delaying? Here, I showed you the way. This path is hard, you say. Who can follow it? But be ashamed, be ashamed, brave one, you who are called a man from courage (a virtute vir diceris). Behold, even the wives followed, whose sufferings we glorify today. We celebrate the celebration of the wives of the martyrs of Suburbitant 4. This narrow and thorny path has been made smooth, safe and reliable for you by previous passages along it by our Lord and yours, the Lord our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who reigns forever and ever. Amen. The Word appears to have been spoken on Sunday or Easter Day the wives of the Suburbitant martyrs - as some think, Perpetua and Felicata. – Editor's note You might be interested in: