321. Беседа пред обетом сердобольных вдов, в Мариинской церкви Императорского Вдовьего Дома

(Said on March 16; printed in the Works of the Holy Father, 1856 and in the collection, 1861) Repeatedly, under the guidance of the word of God, we have proposed here the doctrine of Christian love for mankind in general, and in relation to the duties of those who take upon themselves the vow of compassionate care for the sick. Now I want to offer you a story - not one of the fictional stories with which those who invent them waste time and labor, with which those who read or listen to them ruin time and upset their imagination, thoughts and feelings, but a true story, one of those about which an experienced sage speaks: “Do not despise the stories of the wise; – do not deviate from the story of the Elders” (Sir.8:9, 11); “The story of the pious is always wisdom” (Sir.27:11). After the apostolic and martyrdom, in the Church of Christ, especially in Egypt and Palestine, asceticism, separated from the world, flourished in individuals and in entire societies, which had its root in St. Anthony the Great. Having seen and heard great mentors, the ascetics cared to preserve and strengthen their instructions: and therefore they introduced the custom of recording the instructive sayings of the elders and edifying events. Thus, according to the words of an obvious witness, the story that we will now retell is also recorded. A certain Eulogius, a resident of Alexandria, a man of education and wealth, wished to renounce the world; he distributed his property to the poor, leaving a little for food, as he was unable to obtain food by work; and thought about how to better arrange his life. He saw a leper lying in the square, whose disease had damaged almost all his limbs except his tongue, and made a vow before God: Lord, in Your name I will take him and rest him until death, so that this will serve me as salvation; Lord, grant me patience. Having received the leper’s consent to this, he took him into his house and for fifteen years fed him, washed him, calmed him, not being embarrassed by his unclean and contagious disease. But after the gazer had enough patience for so long, the gazer’s lack of patience was revealed. He missed solitude: he was not satisfied with the food; reproached the benefactor; demanded that they put him back in the square. Eulogius was in difficulty. He was burdened by the sick man’s complaints and reproaches and did not want to remove him from himself, so as not to break the vow in which he believed the hope of his salvation. On the advice of neighboring monks, Eulogius, taking the leper, came with him to Anthony the Great, to the place where he from time to time came out of his cave for the edification of those who came. Anthony went out into the dark evening, and calling this unfamiliar stranger by name, he ordered him to tell him in the hearing of the others who came (for general edification, of course) what he had come for. Eulogius opened up his perplexed case and asked for advice. Then Anthony sternly told him: You can abandon the leper, but God who created him will not abandon him; if you abandon him, God will command the better of you to accept him. Then he also sternly said to the leper: was it not for the sake of Christ that he enslaved himself to you? Is it not Christ who serves you? How dare you grumble against Christ? Finally, calling both of them, especially from the others, Anthony said to them: hasten to return to the place of your feat; God is already sending for you; This is your last test. Both reconciled themselves; returned; Forty days later the leper died, and three days after him, Eulogius died too, without losing the fruit of his feat. This story could be considered an instructive parable about Christian love for mankind in general, and, in particular, about mercy for the sick, if we did not know that this is a real incident, almost contemporary told by the Nitrian presbyter, who was with Anthony the Great at the same time as Eulogius, heard their conversation, and then found out the end of the incident. But if a real incident is as instructive as a parable, it can be of great benefit. It not only provides edifying thoughts, but also reinforces them with the power of experience. What edifying thoughts does the life and adventure of Eulogius give us? It shows us with what zeal and with what selflessness the ancient Christians devoted themselves to the deeds of love for mankind. An educated person abandons the activities that education requires and in which he finds pleasure, in order to move on to activities that are far from curiosity and grace when he is sick. The rich give up wealth to gain freedom from the worries that come with it; and he voluntarily enslaves this freedom to the leper for the rest of his life. This example should comfort you, who have accepted and are accepting the vow of compassionate care for the sick. Your feat is not so strict: however, if you devote yourself to it with a sincere heart, in the name of the Lord, then you are on the path of the ancient Christian ascetics: you are on the path of the saints. The example of Eulogius also shows us how great power the ancient Christians attributed to the exploits of Christian love for mankind. He wanted to arrange his life safely for his eternal salvation. What remedy did you choose for this? - He considered one constant feat of love for the sick to be sufficient for this. And the godly Anthony did not reject this thought: for this, without a doubt, supported him in this feat, in order to strengthen his hope of salvation through this. In fact, the promise of bliss: “Come, blessed ones” (Matthew 25:34), was not the Judge of the world inextricably linked with an indication of the feat; “I was sick, and I visited you” (Matthew 25:36)? So, if, as a result of your feat, it is fair to say to you: “I am sick, and you have visited Me”: then this will certainly be said to you: “Come, blessed ones!” Strengthen yourself in feat with this hope. The adventure of Eulogius also teaches you how those who strive in love for mankind need constancy and patience, and how great the harm can be if, after entering into the feat of love for mankind, we grow cold or allow ourselves to weaken in the face of the difficulties encountered. If Eulogius, offended by the patient’s impatience, had yielded to his impatience and rejected him, he would have ruined a fifteen-year feat, would have become guilty of violating his vow, and would have endangered his salvation. If it were to happen to you that a person whose distress you are alleviating by your care for him becomes a burden to you with his impatience, exaggerated and difficult to fulfill demands, and ingratitude: beware that you do not respond to impatience with impatience, so as not to upset your achievement, so as not to shake your hope of salvation, so that, being irritated with someone who is irritated and annoying you out of grief, irritate God. Those called to care for the sick, especially many in one place, may be troubled by suspiciousness, an involuntary heavy feeling at the sight of serious painful conditions, and fear for their health. But we have now seen a man who served a leper for fifteen years; out of necessity, he often touched his wounds; with his hands he put food into his mouth; and was not embarrassed by either disgust or fear: and the providence of God justified his faith and love for mankind. Have faith and love for humanity: and serving your suffering neighbors will be both easy and safe for you. Lover of humanity, Lord Jesus Christ! Thy servants, called to this by the royal love for mankind, choose to serve You in the person of Your lesser brothers with a good desire. Bless the beginning, continuation and accomplishment of the feat they undertake; and through sincere service grant them the right to hear, on Your day, Your longed-for voice: “Come, blessed ones!” Amen. You might be interested in: