Слово в неделю о мытаре и фарисее

From this day, brothers, the Holy Church begins preparations for the Holy and Great Pentecost, which is why it began to fill our ears with a touching appeal to repentance. The Church begins its work in advance; for great works and preparations require much. Whoever has the intention of fighting a strong and numerous enemy, gathers forces in advance to overthrow him; and what enemy is more dangerous and more cunning than our flesh, which constantly wars against our spirit? Whoever undertakes the healing of a persistent and long-standing illness takes the sick into his own hands in advance and separates them from many things; and what disease is older and more persistent than the sin living in our hearts? So, let us not be surprised and complain if, even before the onset of Lent, we hear more than once from the lips of the Church an appeal to repentance, this is the voice of spiritual health for the weak; a voice of victory for those who go out to battle! On the contrary, feeling all the tenderness of the Church’s motherly care for our salvation, let us intensify our attention and obedience, let us enter into her good intentions for us and follow her leadership, as the weak follow the advice of a doctor, warriors follow the instructions of an experienced commander. What does the Holy Church represent before our eyes, leading us now into the field of repentance? Represents two people: a Pharisee and a tax collector; the Pharisee, boasting of his perfections, condemning those who do not have them, and for this very reason he was condemned by God, and the repentant publican, humbly confessing his sins, and for this very reason going to his house justified. It is not without great intention, brethren, that these, and not other, persons are now brought to our attention. They should indicate what we need to do and what we should avoid when repenting. In fact, in relation to repentance, we are all divided into two types: some think that they have no need for repentance, and therefore either do not bring it, or repent superficially; The Church admonishes such people by the example of the Pharisee. Others of us find repentance necessary for ourselves, and would like to bring it, but do not know what is required of the repentant. The Church gives instruction to such in the person of the tax collector. Both instructions are very clear and understandable for everyone! Therefore, we should only draw your attention to the picture of the tax collector and the Pharisee, and say on behalf of the Church: look and learn! But since our carnal man, for whom repentance is death, knows how to make the clear dark in this case, we will try to stop his path to this. By the example of the condemned Pharisee, the Church wants, we said, to teach us that all our righteousness has no value before the God of righteousness if it is not combined with humility, that we all have one means to receive God’s mercy - repentance and faith in the Redeemer. But does anyone not believe these truths and decide to pose as an arrogant righteous person? Truly, brethren, clearly no one wants to be a Pharisee, but in their hearts many remain Pharisees, perhaps without noticing it themselves. Otherwise, tell me, why do some, without, however, rejecting faith in the Savior and the hope of eternal life, do not appear at the clinic of repentance? No matter how one judges it, there is something clearly pharisaical at the basis of such an act. Why do many, even when they appear at the spiritual judgment seat of repentance, seem to be judges rather than judged, giving rather than receiving? And here one cannot help but notice the spirit of the Pharisee. Why, finally, are the kindest, apparently Christians, for the most part, when they repent, so dry, cold, motionless, as if they were doing the most ordinary thing, which has neither important reasons nor important consequences? Isn’t this also the fruit of self-satisfaction with one’s condition, ignorance of the heaviness that one creates, the abyss from which one comes, the gift one accepts, that is, isn’t it the obvious fruit of secret pharisaism? So, do you see how many of us are spiritual Pharisees, and this is even with the most superficial consideration of our actions? What can keep people in the blindness of the Pharisees and prevent them from seeing their sinfulness? That it is possible to have (and many do have) all the appearance of righteousness without actually being truly righteous. They never felt strong and open attacks of evil living in the heart, they never had the misfortune of brazenly transgressing the limits of truth and duty, they never failed to obey the Charter of the Church; they kept order in their lives and affairs, tried to earn praise from people, they earned it, they often feel the approval of their conscience itself - and as a result of all these merits, virtues, praises, they think that they are completely sound in soul, and thinking in this way, naturally, they do not require a spiritual doctor. This is the origin of all pharisaism! It is established on imaginary virtues, and therefore it is all the more difficult for the human hand to shake it. The idol of righteousness seems so splendid that it involuntarily demands worship and sacrifice. But, whoever you are, arrogant with your truth, you must leave it! You see no evil in yourself, but can you say that you see everything in yourself? The Apostle Paul, without a doubt, labored no less than you on his heart and life; but what does he say? “We sow nothing in ourselves, but I am justified in nothing” (1 Cor. 4:4). Why is this not enough to justify? Is this not said out of excess humility? No, in essence of the matter itself, because “he is the pain of our hearts, who is all the news”! (1 John 3:20). - What is invisible to us is visible to Him. When He justifies us, then only we will be right. But what does He say to us? He says, and says to everyone, not just sinners, but also the most righteous: that “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and The truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8) After this, boast about your truth, and think a lot about it! “I believe,” you say, “God’s testimony about my uncleanness, that’s why I go to confession, but I cannot attribute to myself those sins that are not in me.” But is there at least one sin? Without a doubt there is. Listen, then, to what the Apostle says? “Whoever... sins... in one, is guilty of all” (James 2:10). How can this be? - you ask. – What happens to the body when one member hurts, but the whole body is unhealthy? If it is so in the body, how much more so in the soul; for the soul does not have the same complexity as the body, everything in it is one. Moreover, who gave one commandment that you violated? Is it not the One from Whom all the other commandments came? Since you do not respect the Lawgiver (and you do not respect it by violating His commandment), then you no longer respect the entire law. And what do all the commandments mean, if not the disclosure of one and the same commandment: to be holy, “as He is holy”? (1 Pet. 1:16). Therefore, having broken one commandment, you have broken all: “Whoever... sins... in one, is guilty of all” (James 2:10)! But your conscience cannot point out to you one sin you have committed? Thank the Lord, who saved you from obvious sins; but do not think to save the idol of your righteousness through this. There is another way to expose his shame and cast him down from above. Listen! If you often saw smoke coming out of a mountain over a mountain, and sometimes sparks, what would you conclude about this mountain? Isn't it like there's a volcano inside of it? And would you, despite all the beauty and apparent strength of the mountain, decide to found your home on it? Judge your soul and heart in the same way. You cannot, you cannot deny that from time to time the smoke of bad thoughts does not come out of this kind heart, that sparks of impure lusts do not sometimes appear in this honest soul. So, know that inside you there is a fire-breathing volcano of evil. He is calm for the time being, because there is a lack of shocks from the outside: but nevertheless, there is a whole hell of evil in him. And is it here, on this mountain, on this righteousness, that you think of founding the building of your eternal salvation? Temptation will appear, the enemy will approach, and what was lifted up to the clouds will be brought down to hell; what attracted the eye will appear as a pile of ruins. And isn’t this what is seen in the lives of some people with completely irreproachable behavior? From the heights of an honest life, they suddenly fall into the abyss of some grave vice, even indulge in all kinds of wickedness, and then despair and death itself. What does this mean? Does such a transformation suddenly occur? Does the omnipotent grace of God really so quickly give way and victory to sin and the devil? No, in this case exactly what happens with fire-breathing mountains happens: what has long been hidden inside comes out. If evil had not been in the heart for a long time, then it would not have burst out so suddenly and with such ferocity, it would not have occupied all the entrances and exits of life, it would not have suddenly killed souls and bodies. Let us not be proud of our truth. We all walk over the abyss, and without a Guardian Angel we can fall a hundred times and be broken into dust. Oh, what would happen to the most honest people, in the opinion of the world, if the grace of God left them to the power of the evil that lives in them! But we cannot deny that many Christians have real virtues and possess considerable spiritual perfection.” And who should have virtues if not Christians? What has not been done so that we can all be virtuous? How many talents is given to each person for this? And is everything put to use? Instead of counting for a long time what you have and what you have acquired, it is better to count how much you have received. There is no person who would do more than what was done for him, or acquire more than he received. What is there to be proud of? You have used five talents, but can you say that you have received only five? Can you even guarantee that all this is not fake gold, which you admire so much? How do we usually look at virtues? Almost always with a magnifying glass; on the contrary, our vices appear to us in diminutive glass. Throw away your attachment, and much will immediately change: where you saw only a blinding brilliance, you will see spots and darkness. The Prophet was once amazed at the beauty of the Temple of Jerusalem, presented to him in a vision, and suddenly heard a voice: “dig up the wall” (Ezek. 8:8–10). Having dug, he saw in the church abominations that can only be expected in houses of debauchery. Dig too, you who are sick with the spirit of vanity, dig through the wall of your pride, delve into the secret motives and purpose of your brilliant exploits - and perhaps you will be horrified by that church of your holiness, before which you now revere. Small virtues often seem great to us because we compare them with the vices of others, as the Pharisee did, saying that he was not a predator, not an adulterer, like others. Is this a fair comparison? Virtue should be compared not with vice, but with virtues. Now compare your fast with the fast of John the Baptist, your faith with the faith of Abraham, and so on. It is impossible that with this comparison you will not find many shortcomings in yourself. The Pharisee himself probably would not have extolled himself if, instead of the tax collector, he had taken for comparison one of the saints with whom the history of the people of God is so rich. Finally, a considerable help against the spirit of spiritual pride can be the idea of ​​the greatness of the destiny that awaits us. Your virtues are the subject of praise for people like you, but for a person should you be virtuous? In this world, even small things can seem big. But will it be like that in that new world, where you will go and everyone should go? We must once live with the Angels, enter into communication with God Himself. Is it clean enough for this? Will your virtue stand before the eyes of God? Isaiah spent his entire life in spiritual exploits and was awarded election as a prophet; but when he saw himself before the throne of God, he cried out in horror: “I am a wretched man... having unclean lips... and... I saw the Lord of hosts with my eyes” (Isa. 6:5), and not before he calmed down, as an angel cleansed him with the touch of coal from the altar. Place yourself, when the spirit of pride comes to you, place yourself quickly, not before a host of publicans or Pharisees, but before the throne of the All-Perfect God - and you will cry out with the voice of Isaiah about your poverty and uncleanness, and the all-purifying coal of the Body and Blood of the God-Man will become a necessity for you. But enough against the pharisaic righteousness. Something must be said for the instruction of those who feel their sinfulness and want to repent, but do not know how best to accomplish this great deed. You, brethren, no matter who you are, cannot be given better advice on how to look at the repentant publican and act as he did. His deep humility, his hope in God’s mercy, his confession of his unworthiness should always be before your eyes. If for this some new admonition was needed, then in the next Week the Holy Church will present another example of repentance in the prodigal son, who was completely dead in sins, but then came to life for God and eternal life. Follow his path, and you will come to your father's house! Amen. You might be interested in: