Поучение на Рождество Пресвятой Владычицы нашей Богородицы. Из Пролога

Brothers! The time has come for our salvation: for now the settlement of the mental Sun, Christ, has shone for us, sitting in sinful darkness. Now joy has dawned on the whole world; Now a grandson has been born to the forefather Adam and the Lady. Now the consumption of Eve’s oath and renewal to the whole world have been born; Now the old flattery has been destroyed and a new blessing has dawned on new people. Through the crime of a wife we fell from paradise, and again through the birth of a wife (the Mother of God) we return to paradise: for Eve accepted the advice of the serpent, and this (the Mother of God) gave birth to the killer of the serpent - Christ, who, not tolerating seeing us enslaved through shameless deeds to the enemy, bowed down to heaven as a generous one, and came down to our exaction, with the good pleasure of the Parent and by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, as the Evangelist Luke also obeys. So, God, the Hypostatic Wisdom of the Most High, the Son of God, who is consubstantial with the Father and equal in glorification with the Most Holy Spirit, indwelled, and together God and man were in order to save man. Man would not have been saved in any way if he had not accepted renewal from the Creator Himself: for He (the Lord) took upon Himself our infirmities, took on illnesses and deigned to become poor for our sake - to be strange and mocked, in order to enrich us with His poverty. So, brethren, when we see a beggar, or a naked person, or a hungry person, or a strange person, and walk away without having done them any good, let us know that we despise Christ Himself and deprive ourselves of eternal blessings: for the one who has or gives something is not his own, but God’s. Let us at least give him enough of ours: for he does not ask us for property, or anything else burdensome for us, but simple food and clothing. With that little excess we strive to obtain mercy from the Lord Himself, just as He Himself says: “Have mercy, that you may have mercy”; and again: judgment without mercy to him who has not shown mercy (James 2:13). Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, for through the Prophet the Lord says: Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (Rom. 12:19). And the Apostle Paul, urging us, says: do not get drunk with wine (Eph. 5:18), there is no salvation in it, but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing in psalms and spiritual songs, also, warning us from anger, says: be angry and do not sin: let not the sun go down on your anger (Eph. 4:26). Therefore, putting everything under our feet, let us gird ourselves with kindness, love and meekness, purity, sobriety and almsgiving, which covers the multitude of our sins in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen 207. Prologue. Moscow. 1877 p. 18; Monuments of ancient Russian church teaching literature. Vol. I. Slavic-Russian Prologue. Part 1. St. Petersburg. 1896, countries. 76–77. You might be interested in: