18. Слово в неделю Ваий (Что значит быть как дети? – Начинать работать Господу с юных лет, как только осознаем свои обязательства, данные в крещении. В дела Богоугождения предать все сердце с детскою верою и простотою)

The now remembered event of the solemn Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem was, one might say, the last admonition to the foolish synagogue. The Jewish leaders decided long ago to put the Lord to death. But here He, humbly entering Jerusalem on a donkey, shakes the whole city, is loudly welcomed by everyone, showing that His desire alone is enough to destroy all their plans, and that if He surrenders to death, He surrenders voluntarily. He immediately reminds them of a self-fulfilling prophecy: “Behold, your King is coming” (Zechariah 9:9), in order to bring them to their senses, and with the very event he offers a new prophecy about calling the pagans in their place, in order to shame them and irritate their jealousy. The blinded ones did not heed the admonition. The Lord foresaw this and shed tears for those who were perishing. There is triumph all around, and the Lord Himself has tears! ... What could console Him?.. Is it only the praising voices of children. The Lord saw that these people, now crying out: “Hosanna,” would in four days shout: “Crucify, crucify Him” (John 12:13, 19:15)... But these children and all those who cleave to Him with childish simplicity will remain unfailingly faithful to Him. His blood will be shed, and it will moisten this earth, and give birth to a new generation on it - fresh and full of life, like branches (branches) from dates, and with unthinking faith devoted to Him, like children crying out: "Hosanna" ... Thus, brothers, the blood of the Lord has already been shed and has brought forth its fruit. Instead of one nation, all nations are already crying out: “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:9), - instead of one church in one holy city, how many true churches have been erected on earth and how many cities remain faithful to the Lord! But the law of the Lord’s consolations and hopes is one. Only those His Spirit rests on are those who, like the Vaiyas, are full of life and, like children, are turned with all their hearts to the Lord. We read this law in the words of the Lord: “Let the children come to Me and do not scold them: such is the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). It is not children’s weakness that is taken as a model here, but the freshness of their children’s strength, the liveliness of their actions and simplicity. Have we also adopted this law? – Of course, it was accepted, along with the entire law of Christ. And if accepted, then all obligations associated with it are accepted. What does this oblige us to?! – Obliges: 1. Start working for the Lord from a young age, as soon as we realize our obligations given in baptism, and not put off this work until old age, meanwhile indulging in passions and working in the world... Shall we offer the infirmities of old age and dry bones to the Lord, who shed His blood for us?! Will we bring more? - God knows. Passions will certainly subside in old age, but will the Lord be pleased with a life in which passionate deeds are not visible simply because there is no strength to satisfy passions, while the whole being is saturated with passions?! This does not mean that conversion in old age is impossible. God, who is able to raise up children for Abraham from stones, will send the Spirit, and the old bones will come to life, and the old man will begin to work for the Lord with youthful vigor... But how many such examples do you know?! – Don’t almost all elders who have spent their lives in passions languish with boredom, grumble and are consumed by despair (despair). Blessed is only that old age to which one has lived continuously through a life pleasing to God! 2. But for this it is necessary, having begun from a young age to work for the Lord, to carry out all the works of this service with youthful liveliness and vigor. In the Old Testament it is commanded to offer fat (fat, a fattened animal) to the Lord. Why, thanking and bowing to the Lord for mercy, David sang: “I will offer you a burnt offering richly” (Ps. 65:15). This is an image of the fact that in deeds of pleasing God, one must bring to the Lord all the disposition, all the heart, all the fullness of feeling, and not just external, coldly done deeds... Let the heart first burn with love for the Lord, and then let all the bones say: Lord, Lord! He who reads prayers to the Lord, but is distant from Him in his heart, who stands in the church, but with his thoughts sets up a marketplace in his soul, who gives alms - let it be seen, and in general does all the works of piety regularly, but without the participation of the heart, that deed is not a matter of dates, but dry courage, ready to be burned... “Son, give me a heart” (Proverbs 23, 26), says Lord. He who does not give his heart to the Lord does not give anything. Even though he has things to do, he does them according to routine, coldly, like a machine, or like a lazy mule or ox, reluctantly, forcedly, like a bound slave. Look how children, when they do something, are all in the action - inseparably, and act with enthusiasm. This is how we need to work for the Lord! 3. Do not think that it is difficult to maintain such liveliness. No; The Lord is near: He is working in us. You just need to surrender your heart to Him with childlike faith and simplicity. Blessed is the heart that nourishes this unthinking faith, one in which the thought and feeling of the heart are not doubled, in which conviction in the truth is inseparable from the readiness to act on it, in which every word of God is accepted inseparably by the whole being... The mind does not play tricks there, trying to undermine the foundations of truth with various questions made up of its unreason and short-sightedness in the knowledge of spiritual things, the heart does not cover the commandment with a passionate fog thoughts by which our desires are tempted, deviating from what is commanded, either completely or temporarily. Every word there is accepted entirely, as it is, absorbed like water by a sponge or drops of rain by thirsty earth... This is why there is a lot of life, liveliness and strength, where there is unthinking faith. There they will hear, for example, give - and they give, forgive - and they forgive, look for this and that - and they are looking, look at things this way - and they look like this... No thought, no feeling, no desire is allowed to arise in the consciousness contrary to what comes from the mouth of God, everything is accepted without hesitation, like children from the lips of the father or mother they love, or from the teacher to whom they have clung. Let us arouse and confirm such dispositions in the heart!.. And thus now we will bring to the Lord three-branched fronds - spiritual ones, pleasing to the Lord. The Lord, who sees the heart, will see them and bless them... Our song - “hosanna to the Son of David” - will reach His ears, and He will protect us from the reproachful cries of foolish wise men: look, what are they doing?! - From the mouth of the baby and the living (feeding on mother’s milk) He arranges His own praise... And does not want to accept another... May God grant us all to be so constituted. Amen. You might be interested in: