Поучение на Преображение Господа нашего Иисуса Христа (О том, что должно хранить красоту и благообразие души и девство неоскверненным, и не медлить покаянием). Святого Феодора, игумена Студийского и исповедника

All the feasts of the Lord bring to our memory the mysteries of the coming in the flesh and the appearance of our Savior Jesus Christ; - exactly how He was born and baptized, was crucified and buried, rose again on the third day and ascended in glory. But the feast of His glorious Transfiguration reveals and transforms the state of the future century. For just as during the Transfiguration the face of the Lord shone like the sun, and His robe became white like the light of day: so again He will come from heaven like lightning, with great power and terrible glory to judge everyone. And just as at the time of the Transfiguration Peter, James and John were with Him on the holy Mount Tabor: so the elect will enjoy with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven, the ineffable Epiphany and inexplicable joy... And who is happy with this? Who is worthy to enter into this joy? Who else but one who does not have a pure and immaculate life? And truly, our God is pure, or, better, He is the highest and perfect Light, and He accepts only the pure and holy. Having put a pure soul into us, the Lord will demand it from us as pure: for if the soul is created in the image of God and likeness, then it is clear that, being a reflection of God’s original beauty, it also participates in this beauty. And having recognized this, the Psalmist says: You, Lord, by Your will give strength to my kindness (Ps. 29:8), that is, to the kindness and beauty of the soul, he says, do not allow me to turn to sinful, stinking passions, so that, having become ugly and dishonest, it does not fall away from God, from Divine gifts and rewards. Since, therefore, it is recognized that we have such a soul, comely and beautiful and such as a pledge and an entrusted property, we will have to present it to God on the last day of resurrection, then, I ask and pray, let us love this beauty of her virginity and preserve such goodness of her, not paying the attention of the heart to the beauty of this age and to the goodness of flesh and blood: since this is not beauty, but idols of beauty, or rather: corruption and ashes We see this in what happens before our eyes. In fact, whoever now shines with beauty and splendor is put in the grave tomorrow, stinks, and everyone runs away from him. So, there is nothing good or amiable here; only marvelous virtue is beautiful, which we must love with all our love. If, as often happens, the soul becomes black and ugly from unclean thoughts: for who can boast of having a pure heart (Prov. 20:9)? - then it is rather necessary to cleanse it and restore it to the previous good dispensation, so that otherwise evil does not become ossified and give birth to death. And no one says: “I cannot cleanse myself, being burdened with many sins.” Listen to what the Lord says: Though your sins are as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; but if they are like scarlet, I will make them as white as wool (Isa. 1:18). Do you see, brethren, the inexpressible love of God, by which He promises not only to cleanse the repentant, but also to elevate him to the height of beautiful beauty? And examples of this are before our eyes. David was a prophet, but fell into the sin of adultery and murder; however, he did not fall into despair, but soon resorted to repentance, and therefore again received the prophetic gift. King Manasseh did much evil, for for fifty-five years he turned Israel away from the true God; but he repented and received salvation. The Supreme of the Apostles, Peter, after denying the Lord three times, used the medicine of tears, and again accepted the primacy of Apostolic grace. Mary of Egypt - I pass in silence many other countless examples - did she not surpass all women in fornication? But since she brought wonderful and literal repentance and then ascended to the very top of virtue, she was granted such grace from God that she walked on the waters as if on earth. Thus, there is not a single excuse to refer to powerlessness and impossibility, as long as someone sincerely desired to be saved and set about this task with zeal. This is impossible only for someone who is completely insensitive and arbitrarily gives himself up to death - why do we hear: where are you dying, O house of Israel? says the Lord (Ezek. 18:31). But why do we, when immortal life is set before us, choose eternal death? Our good Lord cries out every day: come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28); we do not want to throw off the burden of our sins. He cries out: I am the light of the world: walk in Me, do not have to walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12); but we turn in the opposite direction, spewing out blasphemous speech by our very actions: Depart from us: we do not want to lead Your ways (Job 21:14). After this, we can only listen to the sentence of condemnation and rejection: walk by the light of your fire, and by the flame that you kindled (Isa. 50:11). Let us know, however, that those who do so will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21), as the Apostle says. But let this not happen to us. You are naturally my friends, and if you do, I will command you, says the Lord (John 15:14). Let us do everything commanded to us with all good zeal, so that we may be worthy to be friends of the Lord and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ our Lord Himself, to Whom belongs glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen 155. See St. Theodore the Studite 126 catechetical teachings entitled: “Small Catechism” - handicraft. (X century) Moscow. Synod, library. (374–CCCLXI), l.l. 47 vol.–l. 50 rev; compare "Philokalia", in Russian. transl., vol. IV. Moscow. 1889, 468–470 pp.: “Our venerable and God-bearing father Theodore, abbot of the Studite monastery and confessor, Catechetical teachings in Russian. Translation." Second ed. Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Dormitory. deserts. Kaluga. 1896, countries. 257–260. You might be interested in: