22. Жених и невеста

What the bride and groom are to each other, so is Christ and the Christian soul. The bride gets engaged to the groom. So the human soul is betrothed to Christ, the Son of God, by faith and is washed in the bath of Baptism. The bride leaves home and parents and cleaves to her groom alone. So the Christian soul, betrothed to Christ, the Son of God, must leave the world and worldly desires and cleave to its one Bridegroom, Jesus Christ; to which the Holy Spirit exhorts her through the prophet: “Hear, daughter, and see, and incline thine ear, and forget thy people and thy father’s house. And the King will desire your beauty” (Ps. 45:11–12). The bride dresses in a colorful dress and decorates herself to please her groom. Likewise, the Christian soul must dress in the attire appropriate for it and decorate itself inside in order to please its Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. The garment of the soul is indicated by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle: “Put on, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col 3:12). A good bride remains faithful to her groom. Likewise, the Christian soul must be faithful to Jesus Christ until death, about which Christ Himself tells it: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). A good bride loves no one as much or more than her groom. Likewise, the Christian soul should not love anyone equally, and even more so, than Christ, its Bridegroom. The groom does not like the bride when she is equal to him, and especially when she gives great love to another. Likewise, the Christian soul is not pleasing to Christ when something else is equal to Christ, or, worse, loves Him more. “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves a son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me,” says Christ (Matthew 10:37). The nobility, honor and dignity of the bride depends on the groom. Likewise, the honor, nobility and dignity of the Christian soul depends on Christ. The nobler the groom, the nobler the bride betrothed to him. But since there is no one more honest, noble and worthy than Christ, the Son of God, then for the Christian soul there can be no greater honor and dignity than to be the betrothed bride of Christ, the Son of God. The honor, nobility and dignity of the bride are not visible until she is united with the groom through marriage. Likewise, the honor and glory of a Christian soul is not visible until it is united by marriage with Jesus Christ in the next century. “Beloved,” says the apostle, “... it has not yet been revealed what we will do” (1 John 3:2). The glory and dignity of the bride will be revealed when she unites with the groom in her noblest marriage. This is how the great glory of the Christian soul will be revealed when, at His Second Coming, it is united with Him in marriage. Then she will be like her most beautiful Bridegroom. “We only know that when it is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). After marriage, the bride is brought to the groom's house with joy. So the Christian soul will be introduced into the house and chamber of its Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, with joy and gladness (Ps. 44:16). “The Lord will bring them back, and they will come to Zion with joy and everlasting gladness; for at the head... their gladness and praise and joy will take them, sorrow and sighing will be removed” (Is. 51:11). After marriage there is feasting and merrymaking. So at this marriage there will be a great supper, joy and gladness. Then they will eat, they will drink, they will rejoice, they will be glad with gladness of heart (Isa. 65:13-14). This was revealed to the holy Apostle John: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great people, as it were the sound of many waters, as it were the voice of mighty thunderbolts, saying: Alleluia! For the Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory; For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And it was given to her to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright; and the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints” (Rev. 19:6–8). The groom rejoices over his bride, and the bride over her groom. So Christ, the Heavenly Bridegroom, will rejoice over the souls saved and glorified. “And as the groom rejoices over the bride, so will the Lord rejoice over you” (Is. 62:5). And souls will rejoice in their sweet and beautiful Bridegroom forever and ever. “Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; For He has clothed me with the robe of salvation, He has clothed me with the robe of gladness, as He has placed a crown on me as a bridegroom, and He has adorned me with ornaments like a bride” (Isaiah 61:10). The Lord speaks about this mysterious betrothal and marriage through the prophet: “I will betroth you to Myself forever, and I will betroth you to Myself in righteousness and judgment, in mercy and bounty. And I will betroth you to myself in faith, and you will know the Lord” (Hosea 2:19–20). And the apostle says to Christians: “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you to Christ as a pure virgin” (2 Cor. 11:2). Let us try, beloved Christian, to cleanse ourselves with repentance and adorn our souls with the robe of virtues. May we please our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and accept us into His heavenly and eternal chamber. 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