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(Phil. 2, 12–16; Luke 6, 24–30) Woe to the rich, the rich, the laughing, the praised; on the contrary, good for those who endure all kinds of lies, beatings, robberies, forced labor - completely contrary to how people usually judge and feel! The thoughts of God are as distant from the thoughts of men as heaven is from earth (Isa. 55:9). And how could it be otherwise? We are in exile, and exiles are no stranger to insults and insults. We are under penance, and penance consists of hardships and labors. We are sick; and bitter medicines are more beneficial for the sick. And the Savior Himself throughout His entire life “did not have where to lay His head” (Luke 9:58) and ended it on the cross - why should His followers have a better fate? The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of readiness to endure everything and complacently bear everything sorrowful (2 Cor. 12:10). Comfort, arrogance, pomp, contentment are alien to his quests and tastes. His path lies along barren, joyless desert. The example is the forty-year wandering of the Israelites in the desert. Who follows this path? Everyone who sees Canaan beyond the desert, “boiling with honey and milk” (Gen. 17:8, Ex. 3 and many others). During his wandering, he also receives manna, but not from the earth, but from heaven, not physically, but spiritually. All the glory is within. You might be interested in: