Проповедь, произнесённая во время жатвы, в которой говорится и о жатве духовной

The Creator of all is incomprehensible. According to the riches of His wisdom He created man. He created it in such an amazing way that in such a small creature as man the entire creation was concentrated. Man was created last of all creation, and he participates in both worlds - the visible and the invisible. Man has mind, feeling, imagination, intellect and will. That is, God created one living being both speculative and visible. By the way of their creation, man and the world belong to the One and the Same Creator. God has adorned man's nature and honored him with manifold abilities. God gave man the power of knowledge, giving him intelligence and feeling. Man, created by God, was destined to become the garment of God, since Christ God put on human nature, receiving it from the virgin blood of the Most Pure Mary. The Lord healed our nature and raised it to the Divine heights, above every principle and power, and every name, both in this and in the next age. Now is the time of harvest, which comes every year. I encourage you to direct your mind upward and think about the mental and spiritual harvest. It is about this harvest that I will say a few words addressed to your love. Every year, when the harvest comes, I see how most of the townspeople rush from the city to the fields, I see how some work, collecting the harvest and sorting the fruits... These pictures lead me to the following thoughts: I begin to think that there is another harvest - the harvest of people. This harvest reaps each person from this fleeing life and transfers him to a future and permanent life. At the same time, I think about this: which of those people who reap soulless ears of corn or hire workers to harvest the harvest remembers this spiritual harvest? After all, it will come for each of us. But which of us cares about being acceptable to the Cultivator of our souls and worthy of being in Heavenly granaries and abodes? Isn't it happening that each of us is crushed to the earth, as if glued to it, and never rises above the earthly? If this happens, then we are no different from those who did not believe in Christ. Usually we see people around us who, with all their strength of soul and body, are attached to earthly affairs and concerns. The reason for this is that they do not take into account at all what is to come, because they have no faith and do not think about the heavenly reality. Thus, all human life is wickedly and indifferently wasted on caring for surrounding things, and these things are temporary and perishable. That is why Christ told us in the Gospel: “Do not worry about your life, about what you will eat and what you will drink. Not about your body, what you put on” (Matthew 6:25). With these words, Christ does not encourage a person to neglect his duties and affairs, but helps him get rid of excessive worries, teaching him to place his hope in God. By obeying this commandment of Christ, a person becomes able to work with hope, but at the same time not relying solely on his labors. What happens to a person moving in this spiritual direction? Even when a person is tired, but goes somewhere or does something, he is able to keep his thoughts on important things. That is, we can work with our bodies to provide ourselves with what is necessary for our earthly existence, but at the same time, turning to God with our souls, we can ask Him for heavenly things. That is why Christ told us: “Seek first the kingdom of God and everything on earth will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33). With these words, Christ shows that you are able to turn your soul to divine teaching and at the same time you will not lose anything that your body needs. But that's not all. A person moving towards God, along with the salvation of his soul, will simultaneously and continuously receive material benefits - after all, God gives both the first and the second to man. So, brothers, we see that during the harvest we have the opportunity to think not only about the material harvest, but also about the spiritual harvest. The farmer of the spiritual field is God Himself. The word of spiritual teaching is a spiritual seed. In order for this grain to bear a rich harvest, faith is required. Just as ears of corn, drying out under the heat of the sun, lose their green color and become white and ready for the harvest and gathering of grain, so the souls of people become white, purified in feat. This is how the darkness and discord that arise in souls from the transitory and pleasure-filled earthly life are dispelled. This is how people’s souls prepare for spiritual harvest. This preparation helps people to move away from wickedness and unbelief and join true faith in eternal life. All this has been happening since the very day when God became Man. By the power of His presence, He can make the hearts of people responsive to true faith and godliness. Let's think about the fact that in the era of Christ, no one except the Jews recognized the One God as the Creator of the whole world. Everyone worshiped the sun, moon, stars and other creations, considering idols to be gods. The power of Christ's coming convinced all people who accepted Him to confess the One God. Those people from different nations who believed in Him, the True God, rush to Him, listen carefully to His word and the preaching of His apostles, and study the Scriptures. People living indifferently and wickedly have not kept the commandments of God and have not cleansed themselves from the insane lusts of the flesh. They will not be able to understand in which direction their life should move unless, of course, they receive remission of sins through repentance and confession. Gluttony and drunkenness, the animal striving for pleasure are sources of uncontrolled lust of passions rooted in the substomach, the products of which will then become fornication, adultery and fornication of various types. All this turns into uncontrollable lusts. From the mouths of such people come vile words, songs and jokes. They either smear different colors on their faces, or use various tricks to decorate their bodies and can no longer live without it. All of the above sins and passions require considerable expenses. People enslaved by him are forced to turn into thieves and money-grubbers, unjust and predators. Should I also mention how many quarrels, feuds and squabbles lead to unfair collections of money? About what immeasurable multitude of spiritual passions and dishonest thoughts are these people enslaved to? Those who did not preserve themselves from the passions mentioned above, or who fell into them and then did not appease God with confession and repentance, will live a life worse than death itself. They will be given over to sadness, grief, frustration and eternal shame. They will be engulfed by that dark and unquenchable flame, which, according to the prophet, no one can extinguish (Isa. 66:24). Those who correctly believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, prove faith by deeds and purify themselves by confession and repentance, are not left without protection from the passions that we mentioned above. On the contrary, such people live in abstinence, chastity, love, charity and truth. All of them will co-reign with Christ, inheriting His unshakable heavenly joy and forever living in the indescribable light that always shines, and which no night interrupts. These people will live forever with the saints, in the indescribable pleasure of heavenly life, where there is no pain, sorrow or sighing. For soulless ears of corn, harvest comes once a year. For the intelligent ears, that is, for the human race, the reapers are the apostles and their successors, the teachers of the Church in every historical era. They will receive reward from God, since they gather into eternal life those who accept it. The death of every person is the time of harvest. After the harvest, the wheat is separated from the chaff. Let us pray that we too may gain this eternal life, that we may become grains separated from the chaff and united with our Lord Jesus Christ.