Слово 17. Сказанное встревоженным жителям Назианза и прогневанному градоначальнику

1. My belly, my belly hurts me, and the feelings of my heart are troubled (Jeremiah 4:19), says Jeremiah, the most compassionate of the prophets, in one of his speeches, mourning the rebellious Israel, which removes God’s love for mankind from itself. He allegorically calls his soul “womb” (which I find in many places in Scripture), either because it is hidden and invisible (and hiddenness is a common property of the soul and the womb), or because it accepts and, so to speak, digests verbal food (for what food is for the body, the word is for the soul). And perhaps he refers to feelings as those mental movements and thoughts, especially those excited by sensuality, by which the righteous man is tormented, inflamed and carried away, so that he cannot restrain himself from the ardor of the spirit. For this very thing is called by the prophet embarrassment (τὸ μαιμάσσειν), that is, some kind of zeal mixed with irritability. If anyone understands by feelings also external feelings, he will not be in error, because both eyes and ears are not only offended by the worst objects of sight and hearing, but out of compassion they even desire to see and hear the best. However, no matter how one understands this, the righteous man is sick, embarrassed and not indifferently endures the misfortunes of Israel, whatever you can imagine: whether physical, when you look at Israel sensually, or spiritual, when you understand it spiritually. For the same prophet asks for a source of tears (Jer. 9:1-2), desires the last vitality, kisses the desert in order to be freed from most of the sorrows and receive some relief from internal illness, mourning Israel in silence. 2. The divine David expresses the same thing long before, saying: who will give me a krill like a dove, and I will fly and rest (Ps. 54:7)? He asks for the wings of a dove, either because they are light and fast (like every righteous person) or because they represent the spirit with which we alone avoid disasters - he asks to be as far away from real evils as possible; then it shows healing in difficult circumstances - hope. Hope, he says, for God to save me from cowardice and from the storm (Ps. 54:9). He apparently does the same thing in another place, very quickly giving medicine to the grieving, and in word and deed offering us a good lesson in generosity in adversity. My soul, having refused, will be comforted (Ps. 76:3), he says. You see carelessness and despair in this. Was he not even afraid that David was incurable? What are you saying? Do you not accept consolation? Don't you hope for joy? No one will heal you - not a word, not a friend, not a relative, not an adviser, not one who is compassionate, not one who talks about his misfortunes, not one who recalls the ancients, nor one who presents current examples of how many have been saved from much more painful misfortunes. But have all the means been exhausted, disappeared, cut off? Is all hope lost? Is there really only one thing left to do - wait for the end in inaction? Thus says the great David, who is overcome by sorrow (Ps. 4:2) and, surrounded by the shadow of death, rises with God (Ps. 22:4)! What should I do, small, weak, earthly, who does not have such a spirit? David hesitates, who will be saved? What help will I find in suffering or what consolation? Whom shall I resort to, oppressed? David, the great physician and exorcist of evil spirits, answers you to this by the spirit that is in him. Who should I resort to? Do you want to know this from me, but you don’t know it yourself? To the One who strengthens weak hands, strengthens weakened knees (Isa. 35:3), leads through fire and saves in water (Is. 43:2; Ps. 66:12). You do not need, he says, no troops, no weapons, no archers, no cavalry, no advisers, no friends, no external help. You have within yourself the reinforcement that I and everyone who wants it have. You just need to wish, you just have to strive. Consolation is close - in your mouth, in your heart. He remembered, he says, God and rejoiced (Ps. 77:4). What is easier than memories? Remember, too, and you will rejoice. What convenient medicine! What a quick cure! What a great gift! Remember God, and He not only calms cowardice and sorrow, but also produces joy. 3. Do you want to hear other words about (God’s) love for mankind? If, it is said, when you turn, you sigh to the Lord, you will be saved (Ezek. 33:19). See how salvation is connected with groaning. Before you even have time to utter the words, He will say: I’m here! and he says to your soul: I am your salvation (Ps. 34:3). Nothing comes between asking and receiving: neither gold, nor silver, nor shiny and expensive stones, nor everything else with which people bow to mercy. When Zephaniah, as if on behalf of God, angry and saddened, said: I will devastate their paths so much that they cannot pass through: having disappeared, they have disappeared, without any being or living (Zeph. 3:6), when he struck with horror, crushed with sadness, brought darkness with his threat, he immediately brings down the light of good hope and restores me with these words: reh: otherwise fear me and accept punishment, and do not be consumed before His sight (Zeph. 3:7). And a little lower he says even more joyfully and humanely: At this time the Lord says: Be of good cheer, O Zion, let not your hands weaken. The Lord your God is in you, powerful to save you, will bring joy to you and renew you in His love... and he will gather those who have been scattered... and will save those who are oppressed and will receive those who are rejected (Zeph. 3:16–19). This is what both the saints and reason itself demand, and this is what my word desires. Accept the word of wisdom, so that when you come to the depths of evil, you do not become negligent, as the divine Solomon says (Prov. 18:3), and do not perish from your own ignorance, and not from the overwhelming sorrow. 4. There is, brethren, a certain circle in human affairs, and God teaches us the very opposites, who organizes everything and everyone, and in everything our affairs, according to His incomprehensible and unsearchable destinies, just as wisely as He wisely composed and connected everything. For everything, so to speak, moves and sways around the motionless, but it does not move in the foundation, which is solid and motionless in everything (although this is hidden from our weakness), but in that which meets and happens every day. And this is the ancient and constant determination of God, so that the darkness spread before our eyes should be His covering (Ps. 17:12). And therefore, we can see much in the government of the world only in dark fortune-telling and ideas, either because God humbles our arrogance, so that we recognize ourselves as insignificant before the true and first wisdom, strive for Him alone and always try to be enlightened by the insights there, or because through the impermanence of the visible, the perverse, He leads us to the constant and eternal. However, nothing, as I said, is motionless, not equal to itself, not self-satisfied and not the same to the end - neither joy nor sorrow, nor wealth nor poverty, nor strength, nor powerlessness, nor humiliation, nor power, neither the present nor the future, neither ours nor someone else’s, nor small nor great, nor everything else that we name. And in impermanence, only one thing remains constant - change in everything. For everything quickly spins and moves and contradicts itself, so that you can trust the wind and writing on the water more than human well-being, because envy poses an obstacle to happiness, and mercy - misfortune. And this, in my opinion, is wise and amazing, because sorrow does not remain without consolation, and happiness does not remain without admonition. 5. Those act prudently who (since the knowledge of justifications is born from humility) are admonished by misfortunes and, purified like gold by fire, say: it is good for me, for you have humbled me (Ps. 119:71), with whom the same thing happens as with Peter, who called for salvation when he was already drowned, and who through illness draw closer to God and through sorrow acquire a benefactor, because the sick the soul is close to God and with poverty turns to Him who can give, whereas it could despise Him with the abundance of gifts. Therefore, brethren, let us turn our gaze to grief at all times and on every occasion, let us protect ourselves with good hope, so that we do not lose fear in joy, and hope in sorrow. Let us remember in a clear sky about bad weather and during a storm about the helmsman; Let us not lose heart in sorrows, let us not be evil slaves who confess the Master when He does good to them (Ps. 48:19), and do not turn to Him when He punishes; while sometimes illness is better than health, patience is better, visitation is better than neglect, punishment is better than forgiveness. Let me say briefly: let us not lose heart from adversity, nor become puffed up from contentment. 6. Let us submit to God, and to each other, and to those in authority on earth: to God - for all reasons, to each other - for brotherly love; to those in charge - for the sake of improvement, and to a greater extent, the more meek and condescending they are. It is dangerous to exhaust the mercy of our superiors, hoping for frequent forgiveness, because, having exhausted them, we ourselves will be held accountable for their severity, who disturb the silence with the wind, bring darkness into the light and mix wormwood with honey. And among our laws there is one law - a laudable law and beautifully established by the Spirit, Who gave His laws, comparing the possible and the best. According to this law, just as slaves must be obedient to their masters (Eph. 6:5), wives - to their husbands, the Church - to the Lord, disciples - to shepherds and teachers, and everyone who is obliged to give tribute - obey all the powers that be, not only for anger, but also for conscience (Rom. 13:5-6) and not to make the law hateful, doing evil, not to bring yourself to the sword, but, purifying yourself with fear, deserve praise from the authorities. 7. The same rule, but it spares the direct and cuts off the superfluous. There is only one sun, but it shines for healthy vision and darkens weak vision. Do you want me to boldly say something from my teaching? There is one Christ, but He lies for the fall and for the rising (Luke 2:34) - for the fall of the unbelievers, for the rising of the believers. For some He is a stone of stumbling and a stone of temptation (1 Pet. 2:7), namely for those who have not known, have understood less, but walk in darkness, or serve idols, or do not see beyond writing, and do not want and cannot be enlightened by anything other than writing. For others He is the corner stone and the stone of praise, namely for those who are bridled by the word and established themselves on this stone. Or, if you want, He is the pearl that a good merchant buys with all his property (Matthew 13:45–46). But we, brethren, who do not fulfill our duties, but are indignant at the authorities, act almost the same as the one who, himself sinning against the laws of struggle, accuses the distributor of rewards of injustice, or who, himself suffering from a serious illness and having the need for healing no less painful, blames the ignorance and recklessness of the doctor who uses incisions and cauterizations. This is my consolation and, at the same time, instruction for my subordinates! This poor shepherd returns his small flock to the true path, with whom the law of my pastoral ministry commands me to rejoice in joy and groan in sorrow! 8. What about you, rulers and leaders? The word is already addressed to you so that we will not be considered completely unjust if, convincing our subordinates to fulfill their duty, we yield to your power, as if ashamed or afraid to use our freedom, if we care more about them, and neglect you, about whom it is all the more necessary to take care, the more useful this is for both sides, the more important success is. And let nothing contrary to this happen to us and to our word. So what are you saying? What can we make peace with? Will you accept my bold word and will the law of Christ subject you to my authority and my throne? And we have greater and more perfect power, otherwise the spirit must yield to the flesh and the heavenly to the earthly. I know that you too will listen to the bold word, because you too are the sacred sheep of my sacred flock, the pet of the great shepherd 114, truly brought from above by the Spirit and, like us, enlightened by the light of the Holy and Blessed Trinity. Therefore, my word to you will be short and brief. 9. You rule with Christ, and you govern with Christ. He gave you a sword - not to act, but to threaten; and may this sword be kept to the Giver as a pure gift. You yourself are the image of God and guide the image that must be taken care of here and with which you must move into another life; and we will all move into it through a short-term game in this life, whether we call it a prison, or a field, or destiny, or the shadow of true life. Almost kinship, respect the prototype, abide with God, and not with the ruler of the world, with Christ the Lord, and not with the fierce tormentor. He is a murderer from time immemorial (John 8:44). He even struck the first man, bringing him to the point of disobedience, and caused a miserable life; He introduced the law through sin - to punish and endure punishment. And you, man of God, remember whose creation you are and where you are called, what you have and what you owe, from whom you have the Law, the word, the prophets, the very knowledge of God and the hope of receiving what you expect. Therefore, imitate God’s love for mankind. The most divine thing about a person is that he can do good. You can become a god without doing anything: don’t miss the opportunity to become deified. 10. For the Spirit, some exhaust their possessions, others exhaust their flesh, die for Christ and completely withdraw from the world. Others dedicate to God what is most precious to them. And you, no doubt, have heard about the sacrifice of Abraham, who, when the promise was contained in him, gave his only begotten son to God more willingly than he first received from God. But we do not demand anything like that from you: instead of everything, bring one thing - bring love for mankind, with which God is pleased more than all the others together - bring the only gift, the immaculate gift, the gift that calls on the bounty of God. Add meekness to fear, dissolve threat with hope. I know how much goodness can do, which makes us pay tribute out of shame, when, having the opportunity to force, we forgive and with our favor we bring the favored to shame. Let nothing convince you to be unworthy of power, let nothing turn you away from mercy and meekness - neither circumstances, nor the ruler, nor fear, nor the apprehension of the highest authorities, nor overwhelming insolence. Try to obtain favor from above in difficult circumstances. Give God mercy in return. None of those who offered anything to God repented. He is generous in reward, especially with local benefits. He rewards those who brought something here and gave Him something in return; sometimes, in order to assure of future blessings, He rewards with local blessings. 11. It’s still a little while—the world will pass away and the shadow will disappear. Let us take advantage of time and redeem the impermanent eternal. Each of us is in penance (Sir. 8:6), and the earth bears a lot of other people's debts. Let us forgive so that we too may be forgiven; Let us let you go so that we can ask for forgiveness ourselves. You see in the Gospel: they bring a debtor with many talents and forgive him his debt (because he was brought to a good ruler); but whoever is forgiven does not forgive himself (for he is a slave and in his own will), and whatever kindness is shown to him in the greater, he does not show the same to his comrade in the lesser, which he should have done, if for nothing else, then by imitating the shown example of generosity. And the gentleman gets angry, but I’ll keep silent about what follows. I will only say that it is better for everyone to show mercy here than to give an account there. 12. What do you say? Have you been convinced by these words, which, according to your repeated confession, you love, the best of rulers and, if it were possible to add, the most loving of mankind, or is it necessary to present to you, instead of a request, this gray hair 115, the number of years and a long-term priesthood, an immaculate priesthood, which, perhaps, even the Angels serving the Purest One respect as worthy of their own service? Does this convince you or dare you to do more? And sorrow makes me bold. I present to you Christ, and Christ’s exhaustion for us, and the Passion of the Impassive, and the cross, and the nails with which I am freed from sin, and the blood, and the burial, and the resurrection, and the ascension, and this meal, which we are approaching together, and the images of my salvation, performed by the same lips with which I intercede before you - this is a sacred and sorrowful mystery that exalts us. 13. If not for one of these, then at least for all, show mercy to us and to yourself, mercy to your home church and to this beautiful fullness of Christ, which (so imagine) itself intercedes with us (although it grants intercession to us, as venerable for the sake of the One who has honored) and at the same time is subject to the law of authority. Let yourself be conquered in one thing—defeat us with your love for humanity! Here I bring to you my petitioners before God, and the Angels, and the Kingdom of Heaven, and the rewards there. Respect my faith, which I had for you and which I assured others of, so that they also respect it in greater and more perfect ways. I will say briefly: you yourself have a Lord in heaven, who will be the same judge for you as you will be for those under your control. But may we all receive both this mercy and the condescension there in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, to whom honor and the Kingdom with the Father and the Holy Spirit belonged, as they belonged in former times and before time itself, belong now and to the ages of ages. Amen.