Поучение на Воздвижение честного и животворящего Креста. (О том, что мы не должны предаваться страстям и считать сладострастие истинною сладостью). Преподобного Феодора, игумена Студийского и исповедника

Brothers and fathers! We are in great joy when the Master's Feast comes, and quite rightly so: for we are then enlightened, reflecting and considering its mystery, as now in the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross. Its mystery is immeasurably joyful and incomparable, for we were not only privileged to see the tree where we stood (Psalm 131:7) of our Lord Jesus Christ, on which He was crucified and shed His life-giving blood. How much does someone work to acquire perishing gold?! And we received the gift in one hour: for together we kissed the Cross and acquired enlightenment, illumination and remission of our sins. Grace is so close! And whoever comes with faith receives the gift without difficulty. However, we must pray so that we can preserve this grace inalienably: for we will soon again lose what is given to us without merit. But we, brothers, will guard the gift with great care, we will not defile our sacred lips with false, nasty and difficult words; Let us not darken our enlightened eyes with prodigal glances, let us not defile our enlightened heart with sinful thoughts. And let not, as the Apostle says, sin reign in your dead body, so as to obey it in its lusts: present your oats as weapons of unrighteousness to sin: but present to yourselves the oaths of God as from the dead the body of the living, but unto God, and your ouds as weapons of God’s righteousness. Let sin not possess you: for you are not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:12–14). You see that in the time of law, sin prevailed, but the grace of the Gospel, which reigns in righteousness, delivers us from all sin, as the Divine Scripture speaks about this. For we were baptized, and sanctified, and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11). I beg you, brothers, let us reverence the gift of purification and preserve the sacred. Why do we, having received honor and glory from Christ the Savior, cast ourselves into dishonor? Why do we calm the body and take a lot of care of it, especially if it is healthy, when we should leave it in the grave? Why do we consider voluptuousness sweet, which, in truth, is sorrow and mortal illness? For voluptuousness is the bait of the devil; voluptuousness is the burning of an unquenchable fire, and yet we all, like captive slaves, strive for this flame in order to burn in it. I heard one, enslaved by carnal passion, say that it was better for him to be hanged and put to a cruel death than to be left behind from sin. Lust is like an evil ruler who commands his servant and says: “Go,” and he goes; “Come,” and he comes; “Do this,” and he does. Thus, sin does even worse to those who are enslaved by it, for it commands him and says: “Say a bad word,” and says; “Do evil,” and he does. Such a one is like Cain, groaning and shaking (Gen. 4:12); if he swims on the sea, he is afraid so as not to drown; if he passes through a deserted place, he imagines in his mind that robbers are chasing him; if the sky thunders, he thinks that the thunder is for his sake; lightning flashes, he is afraid that it will burn him; He neither sees nor hears when he hears, for sin has corrupted his feelings. What is worse and more sorrowful than such a life? It seems to me that it would be better for that person to be given over to wild animals than to destructive passions: for animals eat up the body, and passions destroy both body and soul. But a virtuous person is not like one who is free from sin, and not only from voluptuousness, but also from any other passion. He only rejoices and has fun, reigns for the sake of righteousness and is not afraid, whether he is on earth or on the sea, for he has God with him, to whom he calls in times of sorrow, saying: I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 22:4); I will not be afraid of those people around who attack me (Psalm 3:7); Let us not fear; the earth is always troubled, and the mountains are cut into the hearts of the sea (Psalm 45:3). Do you see a good and holy life? This is a blessed life. Let us hold fast to it by the grace of God; Let us abide in this and strive to acquire it, fearing everything for reverence. Let us have obedience in everything, let us assimilate all purity, mental and physical, and let us have death imminent before our eyes, so that we may be deemed worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen 16. See Catechetical Teachings - Rev. Theodore, abbot of the Studite monastery and confessor, in Russian. translation Ed. 2nd. Kaluga, 1896, pp. 301–304. You might be interested in: