Поучение 42 47 . В неделю блуднаго сына. О воздержании и о предстоящем исповедничестве.

Brothers and Fathers! Many call these days holidays and days of pleasure, so that at this time they can eat more and drink more and get drunk, not knowing that these days are established here not for the sake of heavy eating and drunkenness, but more for the sake of pre-teaching and preparation for the upcoming Holy Pentecost. Soldiers, when they want to go to battle, before the onset of battle, are given instructions and orders so that they properly prepare and equip their weapons and everything necessary for the campaign, so that when the time comes for them to set out, there will be no delay or difficulty. Following this example, these days were established here (for preparation), and not for the sake of overeating and drunkenness and feasting, as we said. Eating a lot and drinking a lot, this is what pagan holidays consist of; and true Christians should eat and drink in moderation and orderly, with thanksgiving to God, and not create their belly with God, pleasing him and satiating him, as infidels do. And the Apostle teaches us and says: “Do not please the flesh through lusts” (Rom. 13, 14), However, the evil custom has become, as it were, a law, and the world carries with it as it wishes and as it wishes. But we, my brothers, since God has vouchsafed us to retire and renounce worldly evils and confusions, let us, as much as possible, abstain from eating and drinking heavily; for we all know for certain that intemperance in food and in drinking wine and too much sleep are the causes of all sin. For as long as our forefather Adam abstained and did not eat that fruit that God had forbidden him, he lived among those heavenly beauties, rejoicing and having fun within him; and as soon as he transgressed the commandment of God and tasted the fruit, he was immediately expelled from the paradise of pleasure and joy; and intemperance and evil desire became for him the parent of death. So these five cities of Sodom, because they indulged in excessive and disorderly gluttony and drunkenness, lived fornication and committed the vile sin of sodomy, were subjected to great and painful punishment from God both in this world and in the next, for a fiery rain rained down on them and burned them. This is how Esau suffered, the first son of the patriarch Isaac, who, because he indulged in guttural rage and ate a lot, beyond his allotted portion, gave his birthright to his brother Jacob, for he begged from him and ate the food he had prepared, for which he was hated and rejected by God. So are the people of God: “they sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Ex. 32:6), and howled uncontrollably. The same thing, brothers, is now being repeated in the world - drunkenness, demonic rejoicing, screams and cries, dancing and satanic fornication; and a day is not enough for them, but even until midnight they do not stop such satanic deeds. This kind of evil, my brothers, is intemperance, and from this, as we said, death entered the world. Therefore, we, humble monks, must give great thanks to God, who delivered us from this false path and stay, and led us to this blessed life, where instead of intemperance, moderation reigns, instead of drunkenness, fasting, instead of confusion, peace, instead of riots and cries, silence and fasting, instead of idle talk and profanity, singing and thanksgiving, instead of fornication and malaky, virginity, chastity and consecration. Through such residence and sojourn, our Divine Fathers and ascetics were raised and shone, who, with the help of God, conquered carnal passions, cast out demons, performed miracles, received glory and the kingdom of heaven, and became wondrous and glorious throughout the world. One of them is Anthony the Great, whose life we ​​read, and saw how God glorified him throughout the world, so that the kings themselves considered it something great to write and send letters to him, and receive back from him. We, too, who are unworthy, live in the image and life of these saints, and we love to imitate them and perform their virtues; and we must do so, as evidenced by this image that we wear, and the fact that we left the world and our homeland, renounced friends and relatives, and entered into obedience to the holy monastery and obedience to the father, abbot and holy elder for the sake of Christ, in order to receive salvation by obedience; This is evidenced by the very confession for the worship of holy icons, for which we were expelled from our monastery and were imprisoned. Therefore, let us rejoice in Christ and rejoice with each other, since the Lord has sent down such gifts to us, and since we lead a spiritual life, in which life and abiding, if we want, we will have daily joy and a holy, unceasing holiday. Therefore, I beg you all, children of the Lord and my spiritual brothers, as much as possible, let us work and strive even harder, and adhere to Orthodoxy and the confession of the holy icons. For again there was a rumor that the king wanted to inflict a new insult on us; and perhaps some messenger from the king will suddenly appear to us. But let us not be afraid of these rumors, for if we have God as our helper, then who can harm us? And if He helped us before, will He not save us now to the end? Only we will stand courageously, only we will listen vigilantly, and He will give us strength, strength, consolation and patience in sorrows and temptations, if they come upon us by God’s permission; and in this way we will please Him until the end of our lives, and will receive 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 ages of ages. Amen. See Patrology Greek, Minya edition. Volume 99. Paris. 1860, p. 575. You might be interested in: