Каков бывает принявший таинства и тщанием к себе сохранивший благодать, полученную от таинств

After it has been said what one who receives the sacraments becomes and in what way he can preserve what he has received from the sacraments, it is necessary to consider what he will be like when he preserves this, and what kind of character he will receive when he adds his own to what he received from God. For life consists in that which served for us as the subject of previous words, i.e. on the one hand, in the grace of the sacraments, on the other hand, in the care of those who received them to preserve the gift. Now all that remains is to examine the whole of life, which has been structured in this way, and to show both together and to indicate to what extent human virtue can be achieved with the help of grace. And this can be if we consider a person who combines both in himself, as I think, even if someone wants to show what health is and what its benefits are, this will be most clearly visible when he brings into the environment a person who is fully enjoying health. And we, putting a person living like this before our eyes, will recognize his well-being, and examine his beauty from all sides. Let us look not at what he is decorated with, nor at whether he shines with miracles and whether he has other similar grace, but let us look only at himself and at his inner beauty, at the virtue of his soul. For if jealousy is compared with these gifts, it alone will be a proof of virtue, and to examine the very way of life means to know the person himself. Therefore, if you need to know the very essence, why look for evidence and signs when you only need to examine the things themselves? Because even a sign is not enough for virtue. For they are not given to all who are zealous, and not all who have them are doers of virtue. For many who have great power before God do not reveal anything like this, but meanwhile, sometimes this is possible for some of us, and for those who call on Christ, nothing is impossible, since it is not morals that give this, but that the one being called is revealed. And therefore, for virtue, both the sacraments and all work have been established, but in order to obtain this power, no one can invent anything known about how one should work. So what am I saying? When these signs did not exist, they had no desire for them, did not look for them, and when they appeared, they were not even allowed to rejoice at them. “Do not rejoice,” it is said, “for the souls obey you; rejoice, for your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). And if this does not give virtue and does not indicate its presence, then the one who seeks this cares a lot about unnecessary things. But if someone had visions and revelations and knew all the secrets, on this basis one should not recognize him as virtuous and be surprised at him. For even this sometimes happens to those who live in Christ, but it does not constitute or produce life, since nothing contributes to virtue for those who look only at this. And Blessed Paul pointed this out when he wrote to the Corinthians: “Although... we have all mysteries and all our understanding,... we are not imams of love, we are nothing, and... there would be a ringing brass or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1-2). Therefore, leaving aside other things, let us look at the very desire of the soul, which consists of a person’s good and evil, true health and illness, and in general life or death; to have it good, directed towards God alone, constitutes a blessed life. For this is the purpose of the sacraments and the care of man, so that the will cleaves to the one truly good thing. For the entire divine providence for the human race has this one goal, and to this end all the promises of blessings and every threat of disasters are directed, and for this purpose God created this world for us, and laid down laws, and endowed us with countless blessings, and visited us with many sorrows, in order to turn us to Himself, and convince us to desire and love Himself alone. It is obvious that for everything He has done to benefit us, He desires only one offering from us, so that we would desire good and have a good will. And all the commandments testify to this, praises testify, and in general, all scripture that is useful to people is directed towards this. For, humbling arrogance and punishing the lust of the flesh, and restraining anger, and driving out rancor, what else does it require if not kindness and rightness of will? And vice versa, spiritual poverty and crying, and mercy, and meekness, and everything else in which Christ called those who succeeded blessed, are undoubtedly works of will. Even clinging to right dogmas and truly believing in God is the work of the well-meaning, and, in general, for the sake of love, he says, God laid down the whole law, and love is a virtue of the will. When God, with all admonition and wisdom, demands from us the fruits of our will, it is clear that he infuses and invests in him all the strength and disposition for good. So He granted baptism for this purpose and completed us with other sacraments in order to create good will in us; and all the power of the sacraments and new life in it. In general, what power do the sacraments have for us? They prepare for the future life, for, as Paul says, they are “the powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:5). What alone can we be prepared for? By preserving the commandments of Him who can crown and punish in the future, for this infuses God himself into us. “For if anyone loves Me,” it is said, “he will keep My commandments, and My Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). And preserving laws is entirely a matter of will. For rewards are laid down for those who fear the lawgiver, and punishment for those who do not respect Him, but this is a matter of arbitrariness. For it is the work of the soul to examine everything, and in everything it is a matter of arbitrariness, whether someone will choose a crown or punishment; So, if we reveal the will of someone who lives according to God, we will enter into it the radiance of a blessed life; when we recognize all its strength, we will see it in its very abundance, just as the strength of the body is visible in adulthood. An excess of desire is pleasure and sadness, one upon achievement, the other upon rejection, therefore in this it is revealed what a person is, and this shows the way of life of each and distinguishes the bad from the good. And thus, the life of people is twofold, because the evil are comforted by shameful and vain things, and the good by good, some are burdened with seeming troubles, others with true disasters, and this distinguishes not only evil and kindness, but also the well-being and difficulty of life, misfortune and its well-being. And how not to consider it necessary to reason about what is the basis of a blessed life, through which it is possible to recognize the type of life and well-being? Because sorrow comes before pleasure, since the latter is the fruit of the former, those who cry, it is said, will be comforted, and it is fitting to begin a word about it. In addition, to grieve over something means to flee evil, and joy, on the other hand, is a desire for good, therefore the first precedes this second: for it is said, turn away from evil and do good. And although the preceding words speak of sorrow for God, the content of which is what can be said about one cry, but as for the other and for everything that is akin to passion, not enough has been said about that. Now we must consider (may God guide the word, and what a zealous person should grieve about, and how, and about other things, what, that is, the difference between laudable sorrow and bad. What and how one who lives in God should grieve is clear to everyone, but why it should be, and what is the proper way in this regard, is not clear to everyone and those who reflect; Therefore, it will not be superfluous to consider this within our power. Sadness depends on hatred, and hatred depends on the consciousness of evil. For we turn away from what seems evil, and what someone considers harmful and is burdened with, he opposes when it comes; Therefore, he who lives correctly and is occupied with true wisdom knows, firstly, what evil really is, he knows what he should hate, and resists what he can be burdened with. Therefore, let us look for what really constitutes evil for a person. The things that bear this name are numerous and varied, and some are difficult for all people in general, others only for some, but none of this constitutes, in the proper sense, evil for the soul or disease of the will. For the fall of stars, and the confusion of times, and the barrenness of countries, and failures, and earthquakes, and famine, and again poverty and illness, and insults, and prisons, and wounds, and the like, may in themselves be evil, but for a person it is in no way evil. For this harms the external, and does not concern anything beyond the body and property, but a person is not a body, so that when he is sick, the whole person will be sick, the less human nature itself suffers harm when it loses what is necessary for the life of the body. And the opinions of many do not make a person worse, even if someone thinks badly of him. For if one agreed to this, then a person would have to do both evil and be better in himself, be evil and good, unhappy and blessed, judging by what one or the other thinks about him. Man, in fact, consists of will and reason, and besides this, nothing else is essential for him, and this can sometimes bring virtue to a person, sometimes evil. And if we happen to be exposed to misfortune or to do well, to be exposed to illness or to be healthy, to live in oppression or to enjoy, then one thing happens when we withdraw, another when we remain in what we should. Since the error of the mind is a lie, and the error of the will is evil, it remains to consider by what clear sign we can recognize the error of both. Of the multitude of them all, the most definite is the judgment of God himself, and therefore what is good and true is what is pleasing to Him, and evil and falsehood is what does not deserve His approval; and what He is worthy of teaching a person is truth, what He commands to desire is good, and the opposite of this is full of lies, full of evil. And of the divine broadcasts, some reached the earth by preaching to people, the messenger of others was God himself, clothed in human nature, and as with a voice, he explained his duty to man. What could be more useful than rules, or more true than dogmas, of which God Himself was both the lawmaker and the Herald, He is the only true and the only good. So, you need to find out what, constituting a perversion of nature, saddens a true person, and choose the opposite of this. For in truth, what is evil is what opposes this will, and when it is evil, it is fitting for those who care about good to hate it, and hating not to desire it when it is not there, and to resist when it is there. The existing evil will sadden them when either they themselves deviate somewhat from the law, or others, with whom they strive for the best, and they wish for all people to resort to God’s love for mankind and desire to see the glory of God shining in each of them. And thus, one sin brings sorrow to those living in Christ, firstly, because it is evil, and they are good in their morals, secondly, because it opposes the laws of God, with whom they strive to unite by will, and, thirdly, because it is least fitting for those who live according to the right word to be upset in vain; then grief is not in vain, when sadness brings the greatest benefit. For in any other way nothing will happen from someone who grieves; and poverty, and illness, and other similar things will not be removed by tears, but for spiritual evil, sadness is a cure, it pre-destroys future evil, and stops the present, and can resolve the guilt of what has been done. For this reason, it seems to me, it was inherent in nature from the beginning, since it cannot help us in anything else. For it is not for nothing that we commit sin, but are excited by the reward of some pleasure and deceived by the pleasantness of spiritual well-being (for we would not choose the death of the soul and the inflammation of the mind for this very reason); and clearly knowing all this, then repenting of what we have sinned, we grieve, abhorring this pleasure, and, obviously, we drive out one passion with another, rejecting what we accepted and accepting what we rejected. And along with grief, the punishment of what we dared is carried out in us, and for those who are thus cleansed, other wounds are no longer needed; why, from the beginning, God punishes with his laws when they have been violated, imposing on the person who transgressed the law the punishment of sorrow and labor, which he would not consider sufficient punishment if this did not reward guilt and could not free him from responsibility. In the same way, He Himself subsequently came and helped man against sin; and the sin that needed to be expelled from human nature was expelled by undergoing tribulation. On the other hand, it is not in vain that someone grieves over something related to the body, but the harm of this is obvious. For this means that God prefers something else. The extreme of such wickedness is the fury of Judas, who exchanged God and the Savior for small silver, and the reason and seed is that he sinned against remembering Him, and his disposition towards Him was driven out by love for something else. For when this passion intensified, and the oblivion of God took possession of the region of the soul, love for Him faded, therefore the opposite of constant remembrance is born, and when love fades away, indifference to His commandments and lawlessness are immediately encountered. Just as he who loves me, it is said, will keep my commandments, so for those who trample on the commandments of God and are daring in this, there is nothing incongruous in betraying the word of faith if they need to gain benefit. For “having rejected a good conscience, he has fallen away from the faith” (1 Tim. 1:19), said Blessed Paul, for the faith of those who do not care about the deeds corresponding to it is dead, as it is said (James 2:17, 20), and why, if it is convenient, they are corrupted, there is nothing strange. For since three objects preserve in us reverence for God - the fear of disasters threatening the wicked, the good hope of the pious, love for God Himself and for good, then nothing effective remains in the souls of people who have learned lawlessness; but just as in those whose lives are arranged according to the laws of God, fear of Him increases, in the same way in those who despise His commandments it gradually weakens, and it is not surprising if in people who prefer this passion to good, it is completely destroyed; but when everything that can hold back evil disappears, and the thoughts that attract goodness become completely silent due to frequent silence, it is not at all difficult for them to reach the most extreme evil. Therefore, the zealous remain careful and from the beginning resist the source of evil and preserve their hearts for the one God, as if some treasure, preserving the memory of Him. For they know that in sacred houses it is impermissible to touch many things, and it is wicked to use vessels and clothes assigned for it for anything else, and nothing sacred is equal to a soul dedicated to God, why, all the more, it is not permissible to sell and buy it, and meals and feasts and similar matters must be avoided. For if this is how one should honor a house of prayer, how should one respect the One to whom one prays, for whom one should cleanse the place from impurities? Moreover, the name of that one does not always correspond to it, and it was not always a house of prayer, being deprived of those praying, and Paul’s law commands Christians to be diligent in communion with God at all times, praying unceasingly. And let us pay attention to the fact that the Savior, in words diverting from other sins, here uses tongue, and anger, and hand, and a whip, making it clear what kind of care this matter is worthy of. For this is characteristic not only of the desire to honor that church, which was neglected during His destruction, but of the desire to show each believer, with whom He promised to always abide, how much He honors the distance from worries and cares, and at the same time how daring passion is, and how necessary is vigor, and constancy of the soul, and wakeful thoughts, and most of all the very hand of the Savior, without grasping which it is impossible to escape from the noise. Therefore, the law established that blasphemers should be punished by death, and a veil was needed for the Holy of Holies. Uzzah died, stretching out an unclean hand to the swaying ark, and Uzziah received leprosy from the sanctuary, and many similar things were established so that the baptized soul, this true sanctuary of God, would be truly inviolable. Therefore, for those who live in Christ, is not the most important concern to have a pure soul? And even if the will is occupied by something that seems useful, it does not distract the thoughts, just as Peter was not at all bothered by what was in His hands, as soon as He heard the calling of the Savior. For these too are called by a certain calling, permanent, and uninterrupted by grace, imprinted in the soul from the sacraments, which, as Paul said, is the Spirit of the Son of God, crying in their hearts: Abba, Father. And thus, every time they reject everything, so that every time they can follow Christ. Because “it is not good for us to eat,” it is said, “for us who have forsaken the word of God, to serve tables” (Acts 6:2), and firstly, because nothing is more important for them than God, then because they expect to receive everything else from God, since He is the dispenser of all good things. For to those who seek first the kingdom of God, according to a false promise, everything else will be added. The Savior, turning away those who cling to Him from all concern for this, great pays attention to this law, so that they do not lose the best, and so that those who care about that, before they need to take care of Him, do not work in vain. If care about this is harmful, where do we place grief, which consists not only in the fact that the soul moves away from the memory of God, but also the mind is completely darkened and blinded, so that it has great convenience for falling in various ways? For when the mind is weakened because it is subject to crashes and falls, it uses the worst for itself, very quickly abandoning its activity and dignity and what it has acquired, just as those possessed by deep sleep drop what is in their hands, and like slaves, carried away by the passions that they should command; and thus, nothing prevents a soul from dying that has received thousands of wounds, when there are many who fight against it from on high, but there is no one who helps, as David said. Therefore, Paul says: “The sorrow of the world works death” (2 Cor. 7:10); Looking at this, those who want the soul to dominate and live in them not only avoid grief, but also refrain from worries, pushing evil far away. Although many of the zealous, living in cities and communities, happen to be busy with cares and affairs, nevertheless, they are not carried away by worries, and their thoughts do not deviate from a solid foundation. We care when it is unknown whether we will get what we want and what we are trying to make happen, since we have some disposition towards it. For one thing can constitute a concern and disturb the soul, when there is nothing known either about the desired love or about the end that care for it will receive. For if we do not know anything about what we love or, in accordance with our desire, we know about what we love, there is no work for us in caring; if, while looking for what we love, we clearly know that we will not receive it, there will be no room left for caring. For there is no anxiety or fear here, which is the essence of care, but suffering remains, as if evil had already arrived. Since nothing that causes care upsets the souls of those living in Christ, it is obvious that they are free from the disasters that care causes. For they are not attached to anything real, and if they do something for the needs of the body, then the purpose of each care indicates its measure. For they set the limit of their work to what is pleasing to God, and they know very clearly how quickly that which they desire can be deceived. Those who care are either those of the poor who, desiring more proper pleasures, seek what is necessary for life, or those of the rich for whom there is nothing higher than money, who, when they have money, are afraid that it will not be lost, and when they are spent, they grieve, even if they were wasted on the most necessary for the body, and, moreover, they love them so immoderately that they would rather want to keep them for eternity, although they cannot bring any benefit there, than by renouncing them, get what treasures you need. And that they are afraid of costs, this does not happen to them in vain, because they cannot hope at all for the end of their labors, since they do not place their hopes in the hand of God, which is always unshakable and firm, but they turn everything to themselves, and to their thoughts with which they do things, and these thoughts are fearful and sinful (Wis. 9:14), says Solomon. But for those who hate all pleasure, despise everything visible, in everything they do for themselves or for others, they use the guidance of the lamp of the law of God and do everything with trust in Him, and with the hope that everything will be useful to them, for such, what need is there to care? Why should they worry about this when they consider this to be already received? For they do not in every possible way search for a goal corresponding to their efforts, but being satisfied with what will happen, they do not care about the future, but knowing well that they will get what they want, and that the most useful thing of all will happen to those who love, they believe that what they desire will happen. And just as for travelers, when they have a leader who knows well how to lead them where they need to go, there is no fear of getting lost and there is no worry about the hotel, in the same way they, having entrusted the care of everything to the One who is able to do everything, and to Him alone to entrust life and care for it, they themselves keep the soul free from all care, so that, paying attention to the one truly good, they take care of the Lord, so that if they need to be afraid, then only for what is pleasant to Him and feel only like that this. For here they are useful not only to themselves, but also to others: and in this case, shouldn’t we be surprised at the goodness of God, since no one can be freed from illness if another takes medicine, but we are freed from punishment when others grieve? That those who want to live in Christ grieve, this is clear from what has been said, but how they grieve, and with what thoughts, something should be offered about this. Not everyone grieves over sin for the same reason, but some are moved to weep by exaltation, namely, that, considering themselves worthy of much, they act beyond expectations; others, I think, are saddened by the loss of rewards; For just as among the successful those who lead the best lives are those in whom it is not the fear of disasters or the hope of rewards, but only love for God who works in virtue, so among those who sin and therefore lament, those in whom crying is aroused by love for God are better than others. For the former themselves produce suffering in themselves and begin to cry for themselves and cry because they love themselves, but the latter are moved by God himself. Since the movement is necessarily in accordance with the mover, this latter is as much better as the means of mover are better, just as the flight of an arrow reaches its target better and more accurately from the hands of those who know how to shoot arrows well. Therefore, you need to know not only what and how, but also how much you should grieve; for it is possible to grieve less than what is appropriate for those who have sinned, and one can succumb to more grief than is due, and those who cry with such thoughts know the measure of tears. For just as with a wound to the body, while the member still hurts, to cleanse the flesh, either nothing at all can be used, or an abscess larger than the natural and ordinary one can be produced, and when nature is cleansed in itself and from the disease, it immediately comes to order and is then healed, without making up for anything lost, in the same way it happens with the infirmities of the soul. For since sadness about sins and suffering, and tears, and everything like this, has the goal of destroying sin, restoring the good of the soul, so much so is this possible, then the sadness that comes from divine love, one of all being true, is the only one that leads rationally, the only one that sets the measure for other things. For, even if they fall, if the love of God remains in them, they will not go crookedly, will not change direction, will not remain ignorant of the path, but where they should stop. For to go to God correctly means to go with love. This is the way of the blameless, as the Psalmist said, for they, he says, will seek Him with all their hearts, thereby showing their strong desire. For those who walk in the law of the Lord are those who live in love, in which the whole law hangs. But as soon as all sin, which alone darkens the eye of the soul, is cleared away, nothing prevents them, even with lusts, from looking at the right word and clearly knowing how much they should cry. For since the essence of human virtue, as stated above, is to communicate with God by will, and the essence of evil is the opposite of this, and in the first case a person achieves the goal, and in the latter he sins, then those who talk about reward, and succeeding in virtue, do not love it for its own sake, and, falling, grieve over evil not because of itself, but the first produces in them a love for rewards, the other - loss. Why, hating too little, so to speak, the essence of sin, do not completely move away from it by the disposition of their will, although, it happens, they cease in sinful action. For just as a person who hates evil people because of their morals cannot be called a misanthrope, so hatred of evil, which comes not from the fact that it is contrary to the law of God, but from the fact that it brings harm to those who do it, is characteristic of those who fear harm, and not of those who abhor evil itself. They obviously would not flee from evil if they could sin without danger; those whom the love of God aroused to wisdom and who respect the law because they love the Lawgiver, when they realize that they have offended God, blame and mourn the sin itself in themselves, not because they have lost the rewards for virtue, but because they do not correspond to God with their will. Why are the first to know what they have sinned in, but have a soul that is not entirely pure from evil and therefore should desire sorrow, and tears, and labors for sins, necessary to achieve a certain measure of health; while others can only calm down when they have thrown out all the illness. For since the sin is twofold, they avoid both parts, for they stop the action itself by repenting, and no bad passion or any disposition towards sin remains in them, since the desire for good and for God, implanted in their souls, does not cease. This is about sadness. And rejoicing also happens when what we love is already inherent in us; It happens to rejoice in the expected. For “we rejoice with hope,” as Paul said (Rom. 12:12). Since love consists in joy in this, and therefore we rejoice in ourselves, insofar as we love us, and in others for our own sake. There are those who are pleasant in themselves, because they are good in life and have good morals. Therefore, the zealous, knowing that he should love only good things, for His sake rejoices in himself, for His sake and in others, partly because they are worthy of this by rights, partly because they help him for the good. And besides this, a good person rejoices in the good of others, and the limit of his desires and aspirations is if someone does well. And this is the purest way of pleasure, when there is a general pleasure of the soul, and not only oneself, and not only one’s own desires, and does not love one’s own selfishness, but leads others to the crown. For in this a person excels. nature and is likened to God, Who is the common good. Thus, it will be obvious that a person loves good for its own sake, and not for the sake of benefit, when he will rejoice no less when he sees it in others, and the fruit of something else can be something else, and for good men, to wish the good of everyone and rejoice over the well-behaved, and this can be put as a sign of completely good people, just as the fruitfulness of a growing plant makes its strength evident. For just as nature, if it is not first perfect in itself, will not produce the birth of similar ones, so none of the people will be good for others if they are not first perfect in themselves. For he exists for himself before others, he is close to himself, and first of all he uses himself and desires and asks for useful things for himself. What prevents him from helping himself first, if he rejoices in goodness, and nature first of all turns him and his care to himself, as she does in relation to each of the existing ones. For it exists for itself, for itself, first of all, it is good, and for everyone to be the same is the first and common desire of all. Therefore, it is clear that if someone loves the well-being of others and rejoices in their happiness, he himself is not deprived of the same and does not lack it, for he would not think about others, forgetting about himself and his own benefit, if he himself had a need for it. For how would he wish to see in the hands of others what is not in his own hand? Although it happens that some of the people who are little disposed towards goodness and virtue, taking on the guise of the best people, hide behind virtue, and what they themselves do not know at all, they want to be leaders of others, and they do this, wanting to acquire some fame and false fame, and not for the sake of virtue and goodness, but for those who want this against the teaching of the right word, it is absolutely impossible for them to be good. For this is characteristic of men who are free from all envy and jealousy, and who have sincere and perfect love for their own kind, which is the acquisition of the highest wisdom. Therefore, it is necessary that those who wish to participate in this pleasure should be the most wise of all, and that the best and most wise of all should be participants in this pleasure. For it is appropriate for those who participate in good to show in their souls the nature of good, and the nature of this good is to be poured out and communicated. For just as she strives for everything that is hers, so she allows everything to strive for herself. For she would not have wanted to receive all of hers if she had not offered herself to everyone; But if such a general desire were in vain, what is the consistency in this? Therefore, the concept of goodness requires that a good person offer himself both to himself and to everyone, and that he grieve and rejoice, and in general, endure in his soul something similar to this in relation to others no less than to himself. And truly the love of God produces the same joy. For a lover needs to rejoice not only about his beloved, but also about those in whom he rejoices. Let us move on to the most perfect and pure pleasure. And since he who lives in God loves Him most of all and rejoices in the joy corresponding to this love, it is necessary to examine much more carefully what it is and in what relation to those who have it. And firstly, he does not put himself as the cause of joy, and God is not pleasant to him because he is good for him. For this is not characteristic of someone who truly loves God himself, but who loves himself more, and in what he does, he looks at himself as the goal. What good is there in a person if he does not truly love his benefactor? What truth is there in him if he assigns a lesser measure of love to the highest of the desired? What wisdom is there in him if he posits anything beyond the last end? Since he should be kind, and just, and wise, then he should love God and rejoice in Him in the best possible way, therefore joy should be constant and firm, and moreover, above natural and surprising. Constantly, because he often comes into contact with what belongs to his beloved, he always has it, uses it throughout the body, and thinks about it, and lives with it, and exists, and acts, in everything that he has and what happens. For he knows all the works of God, they are all constantly before him, why everything preserves a reminder of Him for him, everything preserves unquenchable love, everything consoles, and he himself does not leave Him, and does not cease to be with Him, and there is no way to take away this joy. For we rejoice not only when we live together with our loved ones, but also about their deeds, and about everything that in any way has in common with them. Truly, in what is characteristic of themselves, there is some great joy, and it can very much console in itself, and it is firm. For one who rejoices cannot renounce it while living with such pleasure, and joyful things cannot cease while being joyful in themselves. For he will not demand anything from passion, will not lie to himself, being obsessed with such pleasure, which is inconvenient to talk about, and it is higher than the nature of the word, and runs away from the word itself, but what is joyful exists and should not be afraid for it, nor suspect its changes, nor the shadow of its changes. The greatness of pleasure can be understood by those who look at the most joyful things, for joy must correspond to the greatness of what is pleasant. For just as nothing can surpass Him, so for people nothing can be like joy in Him, when the strength of desire corresponds to the beloved. For what is desired is not so great and what is desired is not so bad that it is not sufficient for such a wealth of grace, but it exists for this infinity and is prepared for it. For although they determine that it is commensurate with nature, we see that nothing created corresponds to it, but everything is less than it, and it strives further than all, any good, even if all in totality, and, looking at what eternally exists, it does not desire the present, and this desire is not satisfied with anything else, and does not feel in fullness, and the power of joy in the soul never fully acts. Whence is it clear that the desiring power is limited by this, but is prepared for infinite good, and that nature has a limit, but action and striving have no limit, just as we generally know that the whole life of the soul has no end in created things. And the reason is that God adapted the life of the soul, and joy, and everything that is ours to Himself, and the soul is then immortal, so that after death we may enjoy Him, and knows no limit, so that in Him alone we can rejoice with complete pleasure. When both are united, and the infinite good, which has no boundaries, and the fulfillment of the ultimate desire, what other pleasure is possible? But no one knows such an excess, because he does not receive what he would like. For he rejoices as much as he can receive, and as much as he is deprived, he loses pleasure, but now he rejoices because of all the bliss of God, and because he knows everything in God, everything gives him pleasure, for he desires not himself, but Him. For just as he has life not for himself, so he has desire not for his own good, but having it directed towards Him, and he rejoices in divine blessings, not because he himself enjoys them, but because God is present in them, and considers himself blessed not in what he himself has received, but in everything he desires. And he leaves himself, and goes to God with all his desire, and forgets about his poverty, desires this wealth, and looks at the first as an alien fate, while he considers the other as his own acquisition. And he does not think that he is unhappy because of the first, but recognizes himself as rich and blessed because of the other. For the power of love assimilates to those who love what is characteristic of the beloved, for the power of the will and desire of the saints is all directed towards God, and they consider Him alone to be their own good, and neither the body, nor the goods of the soul, nor anything else akin to and characteristic of nature can console them, because none of them in themselves constitutes the object of their love, but as having once already renounced themselves, and transferred their life and everything to another place desire, they no longer know themselves. And there is nothing incredible in this, for love for people convinces one to despise acquisitions and bodies, and don’t you see that those who passionately love do not prosper, even if they feel healthy, when they see their loved ones sick, they do not turn away from those who are sick because of their weakness, although they have better bodies than them, and many of those who love, being rejected, die with pleasure, preferring to betray their bodies rather than see themselves despised. And love for God is as much higher than love for people as it is higher than the quality of the loved one. And so what remains that we could sacrifice for Him, or what more would we give Him, if the one possessed by love does not despise the very soul? But the one who truly despises the soul is not the one who mortifies the body, but the one who betrays it itself and its benefits; he betrays like a depraved person, selling all of himself for the pleasures of the body, so he who loves God transfers all activity and desire to God, leaving nothing to the soul. For although he talks about what kind of well-being he has, he does not talk about seeking his soul and its goods, but about loving God and taking care of His commandments, how to preserve them. Just as when we speak of a tool because of the work, or of tongs because of the cart, we do not desire the tongs, but the cart. And how this happens is clear. For what else disposes the soul to cleave and love greatly? Nothing more than the desire to exist. But we want to exist in order to exist well, for those who are in trouble do not want to exist, and many therefore kill themselves, and the Savior said: “It would have been good for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). Since it is impossible to exist well except by loving God, it is clear that by nature we exist in order to love God, when we love the soul itself. Many, not knowing where their well-being comes from, have love for another, and sinning in the goal of their aspiration, they often take up what makes them worse, and do not respect the soul in what it should, and do not despise it according to its conformity. Those who are zealous, who have disposed themselves to God, as knowing where to look for being and how to use themselves, consider God to be the only author of love, they love Him alone for His own sake, and for His sake they love the soul, and being, and everything else, and thus loving the soul, in fact they love not it, but Him for whose sake they love it. If we love the soul as something of our own, then the Savior is more our own than our very soul, and those who only pay attention to this throughout their lives know that the Savior is connected with all of them by affinity, and that for His sake only the soul and being itself are pleasant and akin to them. Even if someone tries to take care of himself, he still finds himself at odds with himself and will not receive peace because he has not found God. Moreover, the right judges of things, which should be considered to be those living in Christ, do not distinguish God from what is characteristic of Him. And this happens when we love a perfect good with imperfect love, but we love imperfectly when we love something else, sharing love. Therefore, the law says: “with all your soul and with all your mind you shall love your God” (Deut. 6:5). And so, because they strive for Him, they turn all their love to Him, and do not leave any particle of friendship either to others or to themselves, then they withdraw from themselves and from everyone by their own will. For love unites everything. Thus, directing themselves everywhere towards God alone, they live by Him alone. They love Him alone, they rejoice in Him alone. And when we desire, and cohabit, and rejoice in what is characteristic of us, this happens not because it is ours, but because we love it, even if it is not ours, since property cannot in itself bring us closer to it, or induce us to rejoice about it. For many of our things sadden us, and even in ourselves there are things for which we reproach ourselves, and some, obviously, hate themselves and want to run away from themselves, and kill themselves. There are also those who were daring and died before their time, taking a violent death with a sword or strangulation. Whence it is clear that in relation to everyone with whom we live and in whom we rejoice, and in relation to the soul, and to our property, and to ourselves, love produces both cohabitation and joy. So, if someone desires the blessings of another and loves them no less than his own, he must both conform to his will and rejoice at others in their blessings more than he does at himself in his own. Therefore, to the one who loves God, when nature has not yet been transformed and changed into the divine, so that it remains in his very nature, when desire and love are transferred from his own to God, nothing prevents him from having perfect joy in Him, as if he had already changed. For although the nature is still human, and by nature is not united with the divine, as with one’s own, it has all its desire already there, and it is so essential that one can truly rejoice, and it has such strength in us to retain this pleasure. And just as someone who loves himself rejoices, thinking about the good that is in him, so those who love God alone receive pleasure from His blessings, and boast of His wealth, and are magnified and crowned with His glory when they worship Him, and deserve respect when they are amazed at Him. And those who live for themselves, even if they rejoice over true blessings, will not receive pure pleasure, but just as they rejoice over the good that is present, so they need to grieve over the good that is absent, or about the evil that is present, and for those who have laid down their life in God, the pleasure is pure, and there is no sadness, since the former is produced by many, and there is nothing that grieves. For in the God by whom they live there is nothing unpleasant, nor in relation to the present do they have any feeling that could sadden them, for the law of perfect love does not allow them to seek their own, “for it does not seek,” it is said, “their own” (1 Cor. 13:5). But also those who love, since blessed is the beloved, the passion is extraordinary and supernatural, earth and dust are used as their own to God and become His neighbors, just as if poor and unfortunate people, having invaded the royal house, suddenly freed themselves from the misery that accompanied them and were clothed with all the lordship there. That is why, I think, they are called needy and those who delight in the kingdom, because they do not wait for those who would give them, and do not pay attention to those who would choose them, but they autocratically take the throne, and by their own decision they put on a diadem. For, although they receive, they do not place their well-being in this, and do not have pleasure in this, but in their beloved they have come to know the kingdom, and they rejoice not because He imparts good things to them, but because He himself is in good, and they have it on their own and according to their own good judgment, so that if they had nothing in common with the kingdom, and the beloved would not make them participants in bliss, nevertheless, they would be blissful and reigned, and were crowned, and enjoyed this kingdom. Why is it right for this reason that they are called delighters and needers of divine blessings, pushing themselves into their pleasures? These are those who hate and destroy souls, and in their place have received into themselves the Lord of souls. What could be higher and stronger than this joy! For for those who rejoice in themselves, losing something joyful is not an unforeseen matter, for in nothing real there is an unshakable good, which is why they do not so much rejoice in what they enjoy as they are saddened in what they fear in relation to wealth. But with these, the treasure of blessings is inviolable, and pleasure is not mixed with sadness, and there is no fear due to the constancy and firmness of the matter. Some themselves are thoroughly afraid for joy, lest it lead them to exaltation, when they pay great attention to themselves (which most of all suppresses pleasure), while others are not bothered by anything like this, for they do not turn to themselves, since they place their strength in God, they boast in Him, and in general they do not triumph like those, and do not rejoice in the way that people tend to rejoice, but they bear fruit in some kind of supernatural and divine pleasure. For if someone were to change a dwelling for a dwelling, a worse one for a better one, and instead of receiving pleasure, instead of the one with which he was consoled while living in the first dwelling, he would receive another, with which it is natural for someone using another dwelling to be consoled, just as if by some art a better body was produced, then, throwing away the present, he would leave the joy of it, and would rejoice as much more as he uses a better body. So, as a person, having rejected not only his body and home, but also himself, goes to God, who replaces for him both body, and soul, and property, and friends, and everything, then it is necessary that pleasure should surpass all human pleasure, it is necessary to receive such pleasure that would be in accordance with divine bliss and correspond to such a change. Therefore, it is said that they rejoice in the joy of Christ, for what He rejoices in, the same joy he gives them; for he rejoices in himself; and when what can amuse is one and the same, it follows that the pleasure is one and the same, and one cannot only guess and reason about this, but thoroughly know this, according to the clear word of the Savior. For when He laid down laws about love, and convinced the disciples to maintain unchanging love for Him to the end, He said to them: “These words are spoken to you, that my joy may abide in you, and that your joy may be fulfilled” (John 15:11). “For this,” it is said, “I command you to love, so that when love becomes universal for you, you will have exactly the same pleasure with Me about Me and Mine.” “For when you die,” it is said, “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), as well as joy and everything else, and there is nothing human in them. And explaining all this in brief words, blessed Paul says: “bring your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and the one who is sold looks not at himself, but at the one who bought him, and lives according to his will. But he who works for people with only his body is obliged to live according to the will of the master, and with his will and mind he is free to use everything he wants, and whoever Christ bought, it is impossible for him to remain his own. And since no one buys a whole person, and there is no such price for which a human soul could be obtained, no one ransomed a person or enslaved him, except for the body, but the Savior bought the whole person. That’s why people give only money for a slave, but He offered Himself, and gave up body and soul for our freedom, and put one to death, the other left its own body, one suffered, being wounded, the other grieved not only at the time when the body was killed, but also before the wounds; “My soul is sorrowful,” it is said, “to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). And thus, having betrayed all of himself, He bought the whole person, therefore, he bought the desire, and mainly him. For He was the ruler of everything else and owned our entire nature, and in what we can escape slavery is desire, and in order to buy it, He did everything. For because He was looking for freedom, He did not do anything violent, did not kidnap, but bought. Why is it that none of those who were bought, using their desires for themselves, can act justly, but will be unfair to the Buyer, depriving him of property. The one who desires himself and rejoices in his own will also harm himself. And so it follows that none of the good and righteous loves himself, but only the One who bought him, therefore it is necessary that some of them, if not all, be bought, for what is the reason for this terrible purchase to be in vain? Those who love Him alone should enjoy pleasure, free from any grief, because the beloved does nothing against their desire, moreover, with the highest and supernatural and divine pleasure, because here they exhaust all the power of joy, and because what is pleasant for them exceeds all the excess of benefits. And in fact, just as a servant of people needs to grieve, so a servant of Christ needs to rejoice. For the first one achieves not his own joy, but the joy of the one who bought him, moreover, by following a person subject to sorrow, sorrow and labor, but why will he receive sorrow when true joy guides him? For there the one who paid money for the slave did not pay it in order to do good to the purchased one, but in order to receive benefit himself, using at least his labors; why the slave, as bought for the benefit of those who purchased it, while he is subjected to labor in order to give them pleasure, is himself subject to continuous sorrows. And here it’s the opposite; for everything was done for the well-being of the slaves, and He gave the ransom not in order for Himself to enjoy anything that belonged to the redeemed, but to make what was theirs their property, and the Master himself and the works of the Master serve as the profit of the slaves, and the one who bought it himself accepted everything bought. Therefore, those who did not reject this slavery, but accepted His bonds, better than any freedom, must rejoice, since they exchanged poverty for wealth and prison for a kingdom, and the most extreme dishonor for the highest glory. For what the rulers of people are allowed to do according to the laws in relation to slaves, this, according to the philanthropy of the Master, is allowed for slaves in relation to the common ruler. For the law makes them rulers of slaves and of the property of slaves, so that they do not run away from domination and leave slavery, but these will possess their Master and inherit what belongs to Him, only if they love His yoke and are reconciled to the purchase. And Paul commanded this, saying: “Rejoice... in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4), pointing to those who were purchased by the Lord, and the Savior, indicating to us even more clearly the reason for the joy, calls the one who partook of His joy a good servant, and himself a master; “Go down,” he says, “the good servant, into the joy of the Lord your God” (Matthew 25:21, 23), while remaining a slave, and without destroying the record of the purchase, go up into the joy of him who purchased you. For the same joy is possible not only because the object of joy is the same, but also because the image of good thoughts is the same. For how He did not please himself, but lived and died and was born for slaves in the beginning; and having ascended to himself and sat on the throne of the Father, he sits there for us and forever intercedes with Him for us, and of the slaves whose ruler he was before their souls were, only those who love Him alone are those who do not pay attention to themselves. Such was John, and when with His appearance he lost honor, not only was he not upset, but he himself proclaimed and pointed Him out to those who did not know, and for him there was nothing more pleasant than that tongue, from which he had to receive a diminishment of glory, and he was content to turn his eyes to Him, and to convince all the people about Him, and to turn everyone’s thoughts to Him, like the thoughts of a bride to the groom, and he himself would be pleased if, standing, will hear His voice, and as a reward for all his efforts will receive the voice of his beloved (John 3:29, 30). But Paul, desiring His glory, not only despised, but even betrayed himself: for he plunged himself into Gehenna for His sake, and asked for suffering, and was, as it were, reproached, and because he loved Him so much, he wanted to be separated from Him whom he loved, and it seems that this love not only burned him more than Gehenna, but was more powerful than the very joy of being with his beloved. For, just as he agreed to neglect this joy, he could so conveniently despise Gehenna, although he already had clear evidence of the beauty of the Lord and had already tasted Him, but since it was also his own well-being to abide, and cohabitate, and co-reign with Him, and he did not seek his own for the sake of His glory, he was ready to leave this too. And so, wanting, he wanted not for himself, but for Him, and what needed to be avoided, he avoided for His sake. And if he did not desire the only thing he desired for himself, what was left for him to desire out of everything else? For if for the sake of Whom he did everything, endured everything, Whom he sought, not looking at himself, not in order to enjoy himself, much less could he seek other things that he despised. Why is it clear that, completely running away from himself and denying all his will, he was active only in relation to Christ. Since there is nothing repulsive in Him, nothing contrary to desire, it follows that the pleasure in which he shared Him and cohabited with Him is worthy of surprise, and there was no unpleasantness in her soul. For although there was something about which he was sick and worried, the sadness did not overcome the pleasure, and nothing could take it away, because the sight of this grief was full of joy; for sadness was the fruit of love and greatness of soul, and nothing sad, or heavy, or faint-hearted entered his heart. For that he rejoiced constantly, this is clear from the fact that he convinced others to rejoice constantly, for he says: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again rejoice” (Phil. 4:4), and, of course, he would not offer to others what he himself had not actually shown before. Such is the life of the saints and so blessed even now, when they receive bliss through hope and faith, and when they are resolved, it will be as much better as the real is more perfect than hope, and the pure contemplation of the Good is more perfect than faith, as much as the spirit of sonship that exists in God is more perfect than this life, whence is perfect love, by which life is blessed. For this spirit has given the gift of receiving the sacraments of Christ, “and to those who received it, it is said, they will become children of God” (John 1:12), and the love of children is perfect, all fear is far from it. For a truly loving person cannot be afraid of either deprivation of rewards or wounds, for one is characteristic of mercenaries, the other of slaves, and so perfect love is characteristic of only sons. And thus grace puts true love into the souls of those who receive the sacraments. And what it produces in them and what experience it brings, the learned know this; one can say in general that it imparts a feeling of divine blessings and gives those who have tasted much hope for more, and from the present puts firm hope in what has not yet been revealed. And our job is to preserve love, for it is not enough just to love and receive favor, but we must also preserve it and add substance to the fire to support it. For this means to abide in love, which is all bliss, to abide in God and have Him abiding in oneself; “For to abide in love,” it is said, “abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16), and this happens, and we have love rooted in the heart when we achieve this through the commandments and preserve the laws of the beloved. For the soul, through actions, is disposed towards one or another skill, judging by whether they will have goodness or evil, just as we acquire and learn from arts that we are accustomed to through action. And the laws of God, laid down regarding human actions and determining them, and directing them to Him alone, impart in those who perform the corresponding skill, i.e. to desire what is pleasing to the legislator, and to Him alone to subjugate the whole will, and to desire nothing besides Him, and this means being able to truly love Him alone. And therefore the Savior said: “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love” (John 15:10). And the fruit of such love is a blessed life, for, collecting desire from everywhere and distracting it from everything else, it concentrates the desirer himself on Christ alone, and everything we have follows the desire, and where it leads, the impulses of the body, and the movement of the mind, and every action, and everything human are directed there; in a word, desire controls and carries away everything in us, and when it is curbed, everything is connected, and the one who owns it has a completely sound mind. Therefore, in whom the will is entirely directed towards Christ and is directed towards Him alone, and all that they desire, that they love, and that they seek is He alone, they have all their being and life in Him, therefore the very desire cannot live and be effective if it does not abide in Christ, to whom all good is in Him, just as the eye could not fulfill its purpose if it did not use the light. For in it light alone produces sight, and only goodness constitutes that in relation to which will can act. Therefore, since He is the dispenser of all good things, if we do not direct all our will towards Him, but a few desires are directed towards something outside this treasure, it will remain ineffective and dead. If anyone does not remain in Me, He says, He will be cast out like a rod and dry up: “They gather it and put it in the fire, and it is burned up” (John 15:6). Therefore, to imitate Christ and live according to Him means to live in Christ, and this is a matter of the will, when it is obedient to the commands of God. For just as He subjugated the human from His desires to the Divine, and in order to teach this and leave us a model of the right life, He did not ask for death for the world, although He had to die before the time had come, He even prayed for its aversion, showing that He did not choose Himself, which is why He restrained Himself, but, as Paul said, being obedient, He went to the cross, not as having one only or one of two desires, but the agreement of two desires. Thus, from everything it is clearly revealed that the blessed life consists in the perfection of will. I say this in relation to the present time. Since man has two main powers: mind and will, in order for him to be completely blessed in the future, it is necessary that he draw close to God with both powers and unite with Him, purely contemplate Him with his mind, loving Him completely with his will. But it is impossible for anyone living in a corruptible body to be blessed in either respect, but such people are accepted only by that life that is free from corruption, and in real life, in relation to the will, the blessed are perfect in the divine, but in terms of acting with the mind they cannot in any way be perfect; perfect love can be found in them, but pure contemplation of God cannot be found. For although while they are living in the body, a future life is inherent in them, and they already have experiences of rewards, but not constantly, not continuously, not completely, since life does not allow this, and therefore we rejoice in hope, says Paul, and “we walk by faith, and not by sight,” and we know in part (2 Cor. 5:7), and although he saw Christ, he did not constantly remain in this contemplation. For he always only predicted that he would see the future, and he showed this himself when, speaking about this coming, he added: and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, if anyone, being in the body, lives in Christ, and can, as Paul says, here receive eternal life, he has it in the will, through love achieving inexpressible joy, while pure contemplation of the mind is preserved for the future, and faith leads to love. Pointing to this, blessed Peter says: “Now you do not look at him, but believe, you rejoice with joy unspoken and glorified” (1 Pet. 1:8). In this love and joy consists a blessed life, and life itself, on the one hand, is hidden, according to the words of Paul, “for our life,” he says, “is hidden” (Col. 3:3), on the other hand, it is revealed, and as the Lord said: “Where the spirit breathes, and you hear its voice, but do not consider where it comes from and where it goes, for everyone is born of the Spirit” ( John 3:8). For in relation to how grace comes for its birth and formation, what grace itself is, and in what way it forms it, this life is hidden; but is revealed in the merits of the living, in indescribable love for God and joy in Him. This is obvious in itself and indicates hidden grace, firstly, because it is the fruit of grace; “Spiritual fruit,” it is said, “is love, joy” (Gal. 5:22), and from the fruit the tree is known; further, because the spirit testifies to the grace of sonship, and love to their very kinship, and that they are the sons of God, having nothing mercenary or servile. In the same way, Solomon found the mother of a living baby, and with a sign capable of revealing her, he recognized his strong love for the newborn, why there is nothing incongruous and the children of the living God can be recognized by this testimony. For just as this mother, since she had nothing in common with the dead baby, clearly indicated love for the living and care for him, so in these reverence for the living God and love for Him serve as an obvious indication that they do not have dead fathers, whom the Savior did not allow the living to bury: “leave,” it is said, “the dead to bury their dead” (Matthew 8:22). Because they prove their sonship not only by love, that they honor God and love Him as a Father, but by the fact that by love they become like Him, because they are filled with love, and God is loved, and they are alive because of love. For those in whom this wonderful passion is nurtured are truly alive, just as those who do not have it are completely dead. For, since they are sons, they honor the Father by what they do, and living themselves, they proclaim the living God, by whom they were born and the ineffable birth, confident that by the renewal of life, in which, according to the word of Paul, they walk (Rom. 6:5), they glorify the heavenly Father. So they rejoice inexpressibly and humanely, and therefore it follows that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, since He finds His own glory in them. Why did He say to the evil ones: If I am your God, where is My glory? Showing this, David said: “The dead will not praise you, O Lord... but we are the living” (Ps. 113:25–26). This is life in Christ, and this is how it is hidden, and this is how it is revealed by the light of good deeds, and this is love. For in it is the lordship of every virtue, and it, as far as human zeal is possible, supports life in Christ. Therefore, the one who calls it life itself will not sin, for it is unity with God, and this is life, just as by death we recognize separation from God. Therefore, speaking about love, the Savior himself said “that his commandment is eternal life” (John 12:50). “The verbs that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63), and their essence is love, “and abide in love; God abides in God, and God is in him” (1 John 4:16), or what is the same thing, life abides in life, for “I am...,” it is said, “life” (John 11:25). If life is the force that moves the living, what what moves truly living people, whom God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living, if not love itself, which not only captivates and guides them, but also easily leads them out of themselves, and thus can make more of any life in them, so that it turns out to be stronger than life? For she convinces us to despise not only fleeting life, but also permanent life. Therefore, what can be called life more just than love? Moreover, more important than all that has been said; life is that which does not allow the living to die, and this is love. For when everything else, according to Paul, is abolished in the future life, love alone, which remains, will be sufficient for this life in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due eternal glory. Amen. You might be interested in: