Слово 79

(1) About the life-giving mortification, which the Holy Spirit gives to those who strive for their salvation. – (2) That those who are freed from the work of the law consciously accept the grace of divine light. – (3) What kind of priest should he be who has received the power from above to decide and bind? – (4) To the one who truly performs sacred acts and is illuminated by the divine light, all people are visible. 1. My beloved brethren, pay good attention to the Divine Scriptures which you hear. For our Lord commands us to study the Scriptures in order to truly know the path leading to salvation, and so that, then walking this path through the fulfillment of the commandments of Christ, without turning back, we will truly achieve this salvation of our souls, which is Jesus Christ, as at the hour of His birth the Angel announced to the shepherds: Behold the great joy that is brought to you that is good news, which will be to all people: for to you is born this day the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city David (Luke 2:10–11). Let us all, my beloved brethren, accept zeal and quickly, with all diligence, flow along this path, not burdening ourselves with any burden, or any worldly things, usually inconvenient, so that it does not prevent us from quickly and on time to reach the city of David and see our Savior Christ there. I beg you, take diligent care for your salvation through the grace operating in you and do not allow yourself to care even a little about it. But as soon as we awaken, as if rising from sleep, from the evil opinion (that everything is fine with us) and negligence, we will not allow ourselves to stand or sit down until we run outside the world and outside it we find and see our Savior and God, and, having fallen, we worship Him; but even here we will not allow ourselves to stop, but will flow further and further until the Savior Himself tells us: you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world (John 15:19). How is it possible to no longer be of the world? When someone crucifies himself to the world and peace to himself, as the Apostle Paul says: peace has been crucified to me, and to the world (Gal. 6:14). But what similarity, you ask, do these words of the Apostle have with those words of Christ the Savior? - The words are different, but the thought is the same for both. For just as someone who is outside the house does not see those locked inside, so someone who was crucified, or died to the world, has no feeling for worldly things; also: just as a dead body has no feeling either for the living or dead bodies lying next to it, so the one who, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, comes out of the world and begins to be with God, cannot have any feeling for the world or the things of the world. This is how, brethren, there is death, or mortification, before the death of the body, and before the resurrection of bodies there is a resurrection of souls - real, experientially conscious, true. For when mortal wisdom is destroyed by the immortal mind and deadness is cast out by life, then the soul clearly sees itself resurrected, just as those awakened from sleep see themselves awake - with the consciousness that it was God who resurrected it - having come to know Him and having given thanks, worship Him and glorify His boundless goodness. After this, the body no longer has any movement or memory of its lusts and aspirations, but is completely dead and lifeless for them. It even often happens that a person forgets the most natural needs, because his soul is always mentally instilled in that which is above nature, as it befits, for the Scripture says: walk in the Spirit and do not commit carnal lust (Gal. 5:16). When in this way the flesh becomes dead, as we said, by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, then it leaves us to live the rest without any besetting or hindering us on its part. Then what the Apostle Paul said is fulfilled: the law is not for the righteous (1 Tim. 1:9), since he already lives a life that is above the law (that is, grace-filled), for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17), freedom, of course, from slavery to the law. The law is a mentor, a leader and teacher of truth, for it says: do this, and don’t do that. Grace and truth do not speak like this, but how? – You will do and say everything according to the grace given to you and speaking in you, as it is written: and they will all be taught by God (John 6:45). Such people do not know from writing what is good, but are taught this by the grace of the Holy Spirit; and they do not learn the divine word only, but by the light of the word and the word of light mysteriously. Having achieved this, they become teachers both to themselves and to their neighbors, the light of the world and the salt of the earth. 2. Those who, before the grace of the Gospel, were under the law, sat righteously under the canopy of the law. But those who, after the manifestation of grace, entered into the light and day, were freed from the shadow, that is, from slavery to the law, and became above the law, since they rose high through the gospel life, and live with God, the giver of the law, being themselves the givers of the law rather than keepers of the law. But is there anyone now who has ears to hear, and hears and comprehends the power of what is spoken from the Holy Spirit? Is there anyone who even now has the mind of Christ and understands what is written by Him as good and godly? Is there anyone who even now has Christ speaking within himself, so that he can well explain the mysteries hidden within His words? For, says the Apostle, wisdom is not the verb of this world, which ceases, but wisdom hidden in mystery (1 Cor. 2:6-7) from many, but generously revealed to us and understood by those who are well led by the fear of God and always looking to Him. For we do not say what we do not know, but what we know we testify to. The Light already shines in the darkness, both in the night and in the days, and in our hearts, and in our minds, and illuminates us unevenly, immutably, unchangeably, unveiled - it speaks, acts, lives and gives life, and makes light those who are illuminated by It. God is Light, and those who are worthy to see Him all see Him as light, and those who receive Him receive Him as light. For the light of His glory will go before His face, and without light it is impossible for Him to reveal Himself. Those who did not see His light did not see Him either, because God is Light; and those who have not received His light have not yet received grace, because those who receive grace receive the light of God and God, as the Light of Christ Himself said: I will dwell in them and walk around (2 Cor. 6:16). But those who have not yet been worthy to accept or taste this are still under the yoke of the law, are still under the shadow and images, are still the children of the slave woman. Let them be kings, let them be patriarchs, let them be bishops or priests, let them be chiefs or subordinates, let them be laymen or monks. They all still sit in darkness and walk in darkness, and do not want to repent as they should. Repentance is the door that leads a person out of darkness and into the light. Why, whoever has not yet entered the light, obviously has not passed through the door of repentance kindly and properly. For if he had passed through it well, he would certainly have entered the light. He who does not repent sins because he does not repent. To the one who leads, let him do good and to the one who does not commit sin. He who commits sin is a slave of sin and hates the light, so that his deeds will not be revealed. But they will be convicted in every way. There are two convictions: one here, for salvation, and the other there, for condemnation. Now, in this life, entering into the light through repentance, self-willingly and spontaneously, although we are convicted and condemned, but, by the goodness and love of God, we are convicted and condemned secretly and intimately, in the depths of our soul, for the cleansing and forgiveness of our sins. And only God alone, together with us, knows and sees the secrets of our hearts. And whoever here, in real life, is judged by such a court, has nothing to fear from any other torture. But then, at the second coming of the Lord, on those who now do not want to enter into the light and be judged and condemned by it, but hate it, the light that is now hidden will be revealed and will make all their secrets clear. And all of us, who are now hiding ourselves and do not want to reveal the secrets of our hearts through repentance, will then be revealed by the action of light before the face of God and before everything else - what we are now. And think, what great shame will cover us then? Like someone who, hiding in a house behind locked doors and not being seen by anyone from the outside, sins without any fear or contempt, commits fornication and commits other disgraces and abominations, then, suddenly being discovered for such evil deeds, is covered with great shame and disgrace; or, in another comparison, how someone who has conceived an uprising against the king, while hiding in the house, fearlessly builds his fortresses, and then, when the king, having learned about this, comes with his entire synclite, surrounds the house with an army and orders it to be demolished to the ground, so that the accuser appears open before everyone and with all his fortresses, he is struck with fear and shame, and indulges in deserved executions, then the same thing will happen to everyone who exists now on earth, then everything will be revealed, and the night will be as bright as day. Then all those who did not put on Christ here, that is, did not enter the light, did not receive the light and did not become the light themselves, as we said, all such will find themselves naked, will come into great fear and trembling, into great oppression from everywhere. And not only this, but every deed, good and bad, every word and every thought of ours, from the time of birth to death, all gathered together, will then be manifest in every person. And that one shame that everyone will experience then can be compared with torment? What other torment could be greater than the shame and fear with which those who are now in darkness and not enlightened by the Holy Spirit will be struck? For this reason, my brothers, we strive, now, in this life, to pass through the narrow gates of repentance and see the light that is within it. To her, I pray to you, we will not retreat, pushing and searching, until our Lord hears us and opens the doors for us and we go inside and receive the light in order to keep it unquenchable in our hearts. 3. Let us not deceive ourselves, and, following the will of our flesh, we will not move away from God and deviate from the straight path of piety, which we should all follow, especially priests, spiritual fathers, teachers, abbots, if we value dearly and highly honor the will of God and our own salvation. If Christ, when after He said to Nicodemus: unless one is born again, cannot see the kingdom of God, Nicodemus was amazed, saying: how can a man be born old? Can the second food enter its mother’s womb and be born? - if, I say, Christ reproached him, saying: “Thou art the teacher of Israel, and weigh not these?” (John 3:3-4,10), - despite the fact that he was still an unbeliever and did not know what grace is, then what condemnation are we worthy of, who are teachers after the manifestation of grace, receive such rich teaching and are still taught every day by the Apostles, Prophets, Church Fathers and Our Lord Himself - and do not know the mystery of grace? If we don’t know how we should lead our real life, how we should enrich ourselves with good deeds and show ourselves as slaves of God’s truth, how we promised to work impeccably for the living God, we don’t know what we should first become ourselves in order to then guide others, then tell me, how can we be worthy of taking care of the Lord’s flock and protecting it? How, then, is it possible for us to shepherd him according to the will of the Chief Shepherd Christ and be able to lead him to the ever-living pastures? But - oh blindness! O inattention to God and divine things! We have stopped our ears like asps, and have become like the dead, deaf, blind, voiceless - we do not understand what the Divine Scriptures say, and we do not know what Christianity is. But despite the fact that we do not know the sacrament of the incarnate economy, we do not know exactly the other Christian mysteries, without shame, however, we undertake to teach others about the light of knowledge. Knowledge is not light, but light is knowledge, for in this Light, and through It, and from It, everything came into being. If we are unfamiliar with the vision of this light, then we discover that we have not yet been born and have not come into God’s light, but are still in the womb, or, better said, we are stillborn miscarriages. Meanwhile, we ascend to sacred ranks without shame, and, worst of all, most of us, in the extreme fearlessness of God, buy the priesthood for money and seek leadership in the Lord’s flock, without yet becoming lambs. And we do all this for no other reason than because we want to. Were these, brothers, the Apostles? Were the successors of the Apostles like this? Were our God-bearing fathers and teachers like this? Woe to them because of their terrible insolence! For those who use money in this and mean only money are not only traitors and sacrileges of church things, but they dare to trade even in divine wealth, that is, to buy and sell even the very grace of the Holy Spirit. Why are they not ashamed to say: what is ours is to knit and decide - we have received this for this life from above from God. Oh shamelessness, not to say, oh extreme recklessness! Tell me, I ask you, you who speak such words, for what virtues did you receive such grace from above? Was it because he left everything and followed Christ? Why did you despise the glory of this world? Why have you become poor in spirit? That he sold everything he had and gave it to the poor? That he destroyed his soul, that is, he killed it for the world, and did not allow it to come to life for any desire of the flesh? But, they say, this is the power of the priests. I know this too, that it is the property of the priests, but not just all the priests, but those who perform the sacred evangelical, with a spirit of humility, and live an impeccable and virtuous life - those who first surrendered themselves to the Lord and spiritually presented to Him in the church of their body a pure heart, a perfect sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord - were accepted to the highest altar and were brought by the great Bishop Christ to God and the Father as a perfect offering, transformed and changed by the power of the Holy Spirit and transformed into Christ, who died for us and rose again in the glory of the Divine - those, I say, priests who repent, cry day and night with perfect humility and pray to God with tears not only for themselves, but also for the brethren whom they have in their care, and for all the saints in the world Churches of God, and weep a lot about the sins of others - those who do not eat anything except necessary food, and do nothing to please and rest the body, but walk, as it is written, by the Spirit and do not commit any carnal lust - and those who, for the sake of the truth and the commandment of God, do not prefer either the poor or the rich, neither the one who has power, nor the subject, nor even the king himself, just as they do not despise and do not transgress the commandments of God, neither under the pretext of alms, nor because of gifts, nor out of fear or love, nor because of any other thing, visible or invisible. Such people have the property of knitting and deciding, performing sacred acts and teaching, and not those who only accept election and ordination from people. No one, says Scripture, accepts honor to himself, but he who is called of God (Heb. 5:4). He did not say: the one to whom people give their vote, and who accepts consecration from people, but who is predestined and guaranteed for this by God. Those who come from people and through people are thieves and thieves, as the Lord said: I am the door... As many as they have come, they do not come through Me, but go elsewhere; they are thieves and thieves (John 10:7-8,1). 4. Do not be deceived, my brothers: whoever is in darkness is outside the door; who, it seems, entered, but did not enter through the light, is outside the inner courtyard and this one. For if Christ is the door and the light of the world, then in every way the door is light-like, and not just a door. And whoever entered it entered into the light of the world. The light of the world is Christ - not sensually visible, but mentally contemplated. This sensual sun enlightens the bodily eyes of not only people, but also dumb animals. And Christ, the intelligent Sun, who appeared in the world, enlightens only rational souls, but not all of them indiscriminately and not according to their dignity. He is not a creature or a slave, destined to serve others, like this sensual sun, shining on the righteous and the unjust, on the evil and the good. Although Christ is called Light and the Sun, he is above the light and the sun, as the Creator and Lord of the light and the sun. He is Life and Life-Giver, He is Truth, Truth and Sanctification, simple, uncomplicated, good - there is every good and above all good. As the Truth, by which He is and is called, He is the truth for those who repent and turn to Him truly; how Truth becomes righteousness to those who hate all evil and unrighteousness; as Sanctification, He sanctifies those who have washed and cleansed themselves with tears; how simple, simple He is found in those who do not hide any guile or malice within themselves; as uncomplicated, uncomplicated He appears in those who do not have any malice, or double-mindedness, or double-mindedness, or spiritual unbelief; as good, He is revealed to be good in those who do not hamper the spiritual works of repentance with physical affairs or worldly cares and troubles, and do not interfere with the worldly with the spiritual, but approach Him in kindness, naked and simple in the mood of the heart and the will of the soul, whose simplicity and inquisitiveness God accepts and in a short time fills them with all goodness, and as soon as He is revealed and revealed in them, immediately makes them partakers of such benefits that surpass every mind and every thought. Who can recognize such people, if they exist in these times? They are recognized by those who are enlightened from above by the grace of the Holy Spirit. But whoever says: I do not know such people, but accept the testimony of others, and on the basis of them I ordain, let him know that if in this order he lets a wolf into the flock of Christ, then although this will be done unconsciously, he is still guilty of the harm caused to the flock of Christ. Another will say: who knows that he is a wolf? And I’m human and I can’t know what lies in everyone’s heart. But if someone is not blind himself, then there is no way for him not to recognize such a person. For who, having eyes, cannot distinguish a sheep from a wolf and a thief from a shepherd? If someone is really blind to this, then let him look for a leader, or better yet, let him completely lag behind such a matter, so that he neither himself is the leader of others, nor appoints another as their leader, even if the whole world testifies that he is worthy. Whoever looks and listens spiritually, having seen a person and talked with him several times, sees his very soul, that is, he knows what it is like and in what state it is; even by the look of his face he knows whether he has been worthy to receive the Holy Spirit. If, although he has received grace, he is not yet perfect in grace and has not become God-like, then the spiritual one looking at him and talking with him will recognize this from his words, as our Lord Christ said: by their fruit you will know them (Matthew 7:16). Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so a man, what kind of man he is, is known by his words. This is learned, however, from those who themselves have sound minds and spiritual feelings. For those who are not such do not have the senses and reasoning to discern even the affairs of men. Why, seeing someone fasting out of vanity, they praise him, but the one who eats food as usual, but with humility, is condemned; again, the one who abstains with humility is considered a hypocrite, and the one who eats out of gluttony is considered simple and uncunning, loving and they themselves often eat with him in order to indulge their passions. Also, about those who pretend to be fools, speak untimely funny words, assume absurd positions and provoke others to laugh, they think that they hide their virtue and dispassion with such humorous appearances and inappropriate words, and are revered as dispassionate and saints, while those who behave reverently and virtuously in simplicity of heart are passed over without attention, considering them to be ordinary people. There are also those who consider a talkative and ostentatious person to be a teacher and spiritual, but they turn away from a silent person, who is wary of idle talk, as being highly intelligent and proud, and are more tempted by his lack of words than they are edified, while the one who is cunning in words because he is well-read or has learned a lot, although he says otherwise falsely to the detriment of their salvation, is praised and loved a lot. And among such people there is no one who could clearly see and distinguish things as they truly are. For he who is blind to one thing is blind to all, just as he who is deaf to one thing is deaf to everything. It does not happen that a blind man sees one thing and does not see another, or that a deaf voice hears one and does not hear another. But both the blind and the deaf usually have completely damaged vision and hearing. The same thing happens in relation to spiritual life, that a person who does not have feelings in relation to one thing does not have it in relation to everything of the same kind; and, on the contrary, whoever has a feeling for one thing, that is, for God, has a feeling for everything divine, and feels who is what in this regard. Being in God, he sees everything in Him - he sees himself, others and everything else. Anyone whose spiritual feelings have opened, so that he can see, hear, and feel spiritually, understands what is being said here, and whoever does not understand, his spiritual feelings are clearly not healthy, but damaged. Being in such a state, he does not understand, but he is likened to the foolish cattle and becomes like them. He who has become like dumb animals, if he does not turn, repent and return again to his former dignity - according to the grace acquired for us by our Master and Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God through His incarnate economy - will remain so. For he cannot cease to be such otherwise than by putting on the image of Christ the Lord. He who is like a foolish beast has not yet put on the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly man and God; and because he has not yet put on Him, with feeling and spiritual knowledge, he is still blood and flesh and cannot receive the feeling of spiritual glory through the word, just as those who are blind from birth cannot mentally imagine the light of the sun from just words about him. Therefore, let us beg God to open the eyes of our souls, so that we may see this intelligent light within ourselves, and thus glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. You might be interested in: