Слово в пяток недели 3-й Великого поста

“The Light of Christ enlightens everyone”! One of the most significant ceremonies in the Lenten liturgy is when, in the midst of a reading from the Old Testament parimia, the royal doors suddenly open, the celebrant appears among them with a candle and censer in his hand and, using them to signify those present in the image of the cross, proclaims: “The light of Christ enlightens everyone!” It is not surprising if at the same time each of those present bows his head to the ground: for the opening of the royal gates forms the opening of heaven itself; the lamp and censer signify the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; and the appearance of the celebrant is like the appearance of an Angel from heaven. Who would be so arrogant as not to bow before these signs of God’s grace? But it is not just simple bowing of heads or prostrating oneself before the light of Christ that the Holy Church seeks from us. No, in a spiritual sense, she wants the opposite - the lifting of our heads before this light, the opening of our entire being before it, so that in this way we, from toe to head, are illuminated by this Divine light, filled with it completely, and through this we ourselves become luminous, which were the first Christians, about whom the Apostle Paul writes that they were like “lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). In order to better understand the intention of this Holy Church, let us consider the power and meaning of the words spoken by the celebrant. “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!” These words suggest, firstly, the lack of true light in all of us. For if we were bright in ourselves, then there would be no need to enlighten us. And indeed, a person who is not illuminated by the Gospel is darkness, and deep darkness, as St. Paul teaches. Not suddenly those who are illuminated by the light of science and are called enlightened people will agree with this. But this is because these people, having taken up the sciences, in the hope of the twinkling they shed, rarely and little pay attention to the inside of their spirit and heart, and do not see what is there, in what darkness their soul and conscience are. If, however, one of them delves well into the nature of his knowledge, and on the other hand, delves with attention into the true needs of his soul, then he soon begins to see that the light borrowed from the sciences, no matter how great it may be, is far from sufficient to satisfy them; that in relation to some of the most important subjects, without knowledge of which a person can be said to be a non-human, they are as ignorant as the last commoner, and therefore, along with him, they need insight from above. “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!” With these words, secondly, the fullness and abundance of the light of Christ is assumed for everyone. Indeed, there is no shortage of it for anyone. He enlightens the wisest, revealing to them the secrets of the Kingdom of God, which no mind could open on its own, and the most powerful, revealing to them, instead of the elemental mind, the searching of the heart, with which they see what is hidden from the wise and reasonable of this age. It also enlightens the richest, teaching not to be arrogant for the sake of perishable goods, to grow rich not in oneself, but in God, and to hide treasure there, where neither aphids corrupt nor thieves dig up and steal; and the poorest, showing them within themselves a wealth that the whole world is not worth, teaching them to be poor not only in body, but also in spirit, so that they may acquire the Kingdom. It enlightens the very first ruler, bringing to mind that there is a Master above him, who will demand a strict account of every tear shed from him; and the very last slave, consoling him with the fact that no one can take away the inner freedom of spirit and conscience from him, that a virtuous man in his very bonds is above all the fortunate people of the world and closer to the Savior, Who, being the Son of God, for our sake took on the form not of a king, but of a slave and servant of all; enlightens the elders, opening before them an ageless life, calling them from their earthly wanderings to where there is peace from all their labors. Enlightens young men, disposing them to fight passions and lusts; enlightens the very infants, opening their mouths to praise the Lord. Pronouncing these words through the mouth of her servant, the Holy Church seems to say: perhaps some, whether by the lot of birth or the circumstances of life, being removed from the light of science and earthly wisdom, condemn their supposedly unhappy position, and think that they, being with only natural meaning, cannot, like enlightened people, achieve the goal of their existence, and must forever remain behind them not only in time, but also in eternity. May such people not lose heart in vain, and may they not lose courage! He who hung the sun and moon in the sky in the sensory world, so that they illuminate everyone equally, did not forget to pour light into the spiritual world to illuminate everyone, without exception. Attend church, listen to the Gospel - Prophets and Apostles; and whoever you are: a farmer or a warrior, a child or an old man, a servant or a day laborer - you will learn everything that a person needs to know for his salvation, that is, in order to appear in eternity, where we all must go, capable of our great destiny. Perhaps some, as the Church still says, having been filled with the radiance of the lamp of science and earthly wisdom, imagine that they no longer need any enlightenment, that they know everything they need, and can calmly remain with their stock of knowledge. Let them come out of their dangerous prejudices! Until they studied the Gospel and the Cross of Christ, they did not understand, as they should, what the prophets and apostles say about man; Until now, they do not know the most necessary things. Only in the light of Christ can one see God, oneself and the world in their true form; only by the direction of heavenly revelation can one find the path leading to the eternal belly. Therefore, as the Church would say, everyone should walk in the light and do works of light. The poor pagan can also say that he did not know how to behave in this world, for he did not have the Gospel in his hands: a Christian is irresponsible! The light of Christ illuminated everything for him, showed him his own poverty, and the richness of God’s mercy to him, and our past state in paradise, and our future state in the Kingdom of Heaven, and the narrow path leading to the eternal life, and the wide path leading to destruction, and the power of the Cross of Christ, and the need to bear the cross of one’s own. Everything is illuminated, revealed, indicated to everyone and forever! Therefore, everyone should walk in the light, avoid the works of darkness, and not indulge in sleep and carelessness. This, my brothers, is the meaning of the sacred words: “The light of Christ enlightens everyone! The Church repeats them, both as a teaching and as a warning to us. Our job, after this, is to look around and find out what kind of light we are led in life - Christ’s, or some other? Whatever this light may be, if it is not Christ’s, then in relation to our eternal salvation it is the same as darkness and sometimes even worse than darkness. For a person caught in darkness, at least, either stops, or walks quietly and gropingly, and tries, if possible, to come out into the light. And when the false light shines, a person is calm, walks without stopping, allows himself all kinds of movements, boldly changes paths and directions; and since he is led by a false light, like a swimmer on the sea, he is either exposed to imminent dangers, or goes to a place from which there is no return. Isn’t this the same thing that happens to many wise men who, in the hope of worldly wisdom, neglect the light of Christ? Where do they usually come at last and lead those who follow them? They come and lead into such an abyss of wickedness and depravity, at which one glance fills with trembling a heart that has not lost human feelings. Beware, my brothers, of this false light, which in our times has especially begun to blind the eyes of many. Remember firmly that Christ alone is our true Light, enlightening every person coming into the world and coming out of the world; and if you meet any mentor, then first of all try to find out what kind of light he is. If not Christ’s, then whoever he is, block your ears and your heart from him. For, just as in the sensory world there is one sun, and there is no other light besides it, so in the spiritual world there is one true and life-giving luminary - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Him be glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. 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