Проповедь на Господню притчу о блудном сыне

When a person suffers from hunger and thirst, he looks wherever possible for at least a piece of bread, at least a glass of water. Even if the bread found turns out to be moldy or baked from flour of the lowest quality, the hungry will still be extremely happy about it - after all, this bread can satisfy hunger. If a person is spiritually hungry, then, feeling what he is deprived of, he hungers for spiritual food and is ready to go around the whole world just to find someone who, having God within himself, can show Him. Yes, and here’s something else we must not forget: it is completely impossible for anyone who seeks the saving word of God not to find it. Christ said: “He who asks will receive, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks on the door, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8; Luke 11:10). And yet there are people who have lost their appetite for this spiritual food and do not understand the harm they suffer because of it. There are also those who, having found a person who can lead them to Christ, do not want to obey him. Such people lead lives more prodigal and sinful than the prodigal son himself. The prodigal son, finding himself without his father and master, at some point realized what he had done and returned back. Repentance filled him with joy, and he again received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now let's look at the Gospel parable itself (Luke 15:11–32). One man had two sons. Here Christ calls Himself a man, because for the sake of all of us, He truly became a Man. For our sake, God created everything out of nothing: from ministering spirits, angels, and ending with animals. The Lord took care of the human body, creating earth, water, fire, air, and stars. He gave the soul an unerring mentor - conscience, and besides it, many other mentors: guardian angels, fathers and prophets, the Law. And the most visible world serves a person as a mirror in which the invisible world is reflected. But since we despised all this and even forgot about God Himself, He, out of love for us, took upon Himself our nature. And so the Lord in the parable compares Himself with a father, whose love for his sons cites as an example of His love for mankind. So, the father, in his good nature, divided the wealth among his sons. The youngest son, having received his share, left for a distant country. Let's remember how often the crafty enemy of our salvation cunningly whispers in our ears: “You yourself, without going to church and not heeding the words of Christ’s teaching, can, without His help, understand what is good and what is bad.” However, brothers, if we open the door to passions even a little, then we will then have to wander in the thickets of passions, immersed in the material, in passionate thoughts and thoughts. Some time will pass, and we will begin to feel that our brains no longer think rationally, but, scattered, rush to the first carnal sin that comes across, and the mind thirsts for lust and impatiently turns to it. The soul loves God weaker and weaker, and as a result of this it itself becomes weak. Finally, love for God completely disappears, and not a drop of strength remains in the soul. When this happens, a person is not himself: he, like a madman, is ready to do anything just to feed his lust, be it excess food, or useless things, or worldly fame. It’s as if the person was chopped into small pieces inside, and he feels completely damned. And besides, he lives immersed in the worries of this world and can no longer look at the sun or take a deep breath of air, although we should even breathe in the air with gratitude. Yes, in short, no matter what he looks at now, he perceives nothing with good will. If our mind is not nailed to the commandments of God, then it turns into a wild beast and wants to tear to pieces all those who do not agree with its insane aspirations. So, the youngest son spent everything he had and began to starve. To find at least some food, he even went to herd pigs. By pigs, Christ means any uncleanness, any passion in which people can wallow, just as pigs love to wallow in mud. However, having descended even into the very mud of passion and wallowing in it, it is impossible to get enough of it. How is it that it turns out that the human body itself is not enough to satiate the shameless impulses of bodily lust? It turns out that it is not enough: the stronger the aspiration for passion flares up, the more impossible and impossible it is to get enough of it. The degree of unsatisfaction with lust increases because the devil wants shameful lusts to remain unsatisfied. That is why the prodigal son, working as a swineherd, could not get enough of the horns that the pigs ate. But one fine day he came to his senses. I understood everything and started crying. “Many of my father’s workers eat their fill and need nothing,” he said then, “but I am perishing from hunger.” Having found himself in a terrible state, this young man humbles himself, repents and makes the decision: “I will get up and go. I will fall on my knees before my father and tell him: “Father, I have sinned. And I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But when he approached his father’s house, his father, seeing him from afar, had mercy on him and ran to meet him. He hugged him and kissed him. The father ordered his son to be dressed in his former clothes, that is, the filial dignity received in holy baptism. By slaves dressing the son, the Lord means priests. A ring on a son’s hand is a guarantee of a future inheritance in eternal life. Shoes signify the ability to step on invisible scorpions and snakes. The well-fed calf, which the father ordered to be slaughtered in order to arrange a feast, is Christ Himself, Who is slaughtered for the sake of all of us sinners, and gives Himself to us so that we can eat His Flesh and live. With this parable, Christ says to all of us: “My children! Come here, let's eat and have fun. Enjoy My love for you." And the eldest son is angry. He did not understand the miracle of his father’s love, nor the greatness of repentance and the return of his prodigal younger brother. So let us, brothers, realize and begin the work of repentance! Let's despise our passions, gluttony, and greed. Our Father is waiting for us - let us run to Him as fast as we can! With humility and chastity, let us remain with Him forever and carefully preserve the invaluable treasure that He again and generously gives to us.