Беседа 59

“Woe to the world because of temptations, for temptations must come; but woe to the man through whom temptation comes!” (Matthew 18:7) Exposition 18:7–14. Why does Christ speak about the coming of temptations? – The immutability of prophecy does not destroy free will. – Destruction does not depend on temptations. - The benefits of temptations. “Everyone is virtuous or vicious according to his own will.” – Evil is not co-eternal with God. – Evil is disobedience to God, resulting from carelessness. – The path to avoid temptations indicated by Christ. - We must care about the salvation of our neighbors. - Piety alone should strengthen the bonds of friendship. – In caring for the salvation of others one must be patient. – For salvation, one’s own virtue is not enough. – An exhortation to take care of the proper education of young men. 1. If temptations must come, perhaps one of the opponents will say, then why does Christ regret the world, then how should he deliver it from temptations and give a helping hand? This is the duty of the doctor and the intercessor; but anyone can regret. How should we respond to such shameless words? Can you find anything equivalent to healing? Being God, Christ became man for you, took the form of a servant, suffered all reproaches, and left nothing on His part that needed to be done. But since all this did not bring any benefit to ungrateful people, He regrets for them - regrets that even after such healing they did not get rid of their illness, just as if someone, feeling sorry for a sick person for whom they made great efforts, but who did not want to obey the doctor’s instructions, said: woe to this man from the illness that he aggravated with his own negligence! But there is no use in regret; and here it also serves as medicine, that Christ predicts the future and regrets the world. In fact, often many did not receive any benefit from advice, but were corrected out of regret. That is why the Savior especially said: “Woe to the world!” - to excite people, prepare them for exploits and force them to stay awake. At the same time, He reveals His love for them and meekness - by the fact that He also regrets those who resist, not only with indignation, but also correcting them with His regret and prediction in order to turn them to Himself. But how is this possible? - you say. If temptations must come, how can you avoid them? Temptations must come, but there is no need to perish from them. If, for example, some doctor said (nothing prevents him from presenting the same example again): such and such a disease must come, it does not follow from this that this disease must necessarily cause harm to a cautious person. The Savior said these words, as I noted above, in order, along with others, to awaken His disciples from sleep. So that they do not indulge in sleep, as if they were destined to lead a calm and serene life, He predicts the many internal and external battles that lie ahead for them. And Paul, pointing to this, said: “Without are attacks, within are fears... in dangers among false brethren” (2 Cor. 7:5, 11:26). Also reasoning with the Ephesian shepherds in Miletus, he said: “Of yourselves there will arise men who will speak perversely” (Acts 20:30). And Christ himself said: “A man’s enemies are his own household” (Matthew 10:36). When Christ speaks about the necessity of temptations, he does not thereby destroy either free will or free will, and does not subordinate our life to any necessity for action, but predicts only what must certainly happen. The Evangelist Luke expresses the same thing when he says: “It is impossible for temptations not to come” (Luke 17:1). What are temptations? Obstacles on the straight path. This is also the name in the theater for those who skillfully place obstacles and deftly turn bodies over. So, the Savior’s prediction is not the cause of temptations; No; and it is not because temptations exist that the Savior predicted them; but therefore he predicted that they would certainly happen. If the people from whom temptations arise had decided not to do evil, then the temptations would not have come; and if they had not come, they would not have been predicted. But since people gave themselves over to evil and fell into an incurable illness, temptations came, and the Savior predicted only what was about to happen. And if they reformed, you say, and no one introduced temptations, then wouldn’t this prediction turn out to be false? Not at all; he wouldn't exist then. If all people could correct themselves, then the Savior would not have said: “temptations must come.” But since He foresaw that some would not want to correct themselves, He said that temptations would certainly come. But why, you ask, did the Lord not destroy them? Why destroy them? Is it for those who receive harm from them? But they receive harm not from temptations, but from their negligence. This can be seen from the example of virtuous people, who not only do not suffer any harm from temptations, but also receive the greatest benefit. Such was Job, such was Joseph, such were all the righteous and apostles. If many died, they died from their carelessness. If it were not so, and destruction depended on temptations, then everyone would have to perish. If there are people who avoid temptations, then the one who does not avoid them should blame himself. Temptations, as I said, awaken people from their slumber, make them prudent and discerning, and not only the one who guards himself from them, but also the fallen one is soon restored; they teach him caution and make him elusive. So, if we are attentive, then we receive considerable benefit from temptations: we learn to be constantly awake. If, even with so many enemies and temptations, we give ourselves up to sleep, then what would happen to us if we lived in safety? Look at the first person, for example. If for a short time, perhaps less than one day, while living in paradise and enjoying pleasures, he became so damaged that he dreamed of being equal to God, considered the seducer as a benefactor, and could not keep one commandment, then what would he not have done if he had led a trouble-free life afterward? 2. But, hearing such words from us, our opponents again object to us, saying: why did God create him like this? No, God did not create him that way; otherwise He would not have punished him. If we do not blame our servants for what we ourselves are guilty of, much less can the God of all things do this. Why did man become like this? - you ask. From myself and my carelessness. How is it: from yourself? Ask yourself. If the evil are not evil from themselves, then do not punish your servant, do not blame your wife if she sins in any way, do not beat your son, do not blame a friend, do not hate the enemy who offends you: after all, they are all worthy of pity, and not punishment, if their mistakes are involuntary. But, you say, I can’t talk like that. No, when you realize that they became guilty not arbitrarily, but out of necessity, then you can reason. So, if a slave, due to illness, does not fulfill your orders, you not only do not blame him, but also willingly forgive him. Thus, you yourself testify that some things depend on him, and others do not depend on him. Likewise here: if the first man had been so vicious because he was created as such, then you not only would not have accused him, but you would have willingly forgiven him. If you forgive a slave because of illness, then of course you will not refuse forgiveness to someone who was created by God inclined towards evil, if only he was truly created as such. Those who make such objections can easily be silenced in another way: the truth is abundant in evidence. Why, for example, do you never blame your slave for the fact that he is ugly in face, short in stature, and cannot fly? Because it depends on nature. So, no one will contradict that a person cannot be blamed for what depends on nature. Consequently, when you accuse someone, you show that his crime does not depend on nature, but on his own will. If by not accusing others of crimes we show that their crimes depend on nature, then it is obvious that if we blame others for anything, we make it known that their crime depends on freedom. So, do not imagine perverse reasoning and intricacies that are weaker than a cobweb, but answer me again to the question: did God create all people? Certainly. Why is it not the same for everyone to be virtuous and vicious? Where do the kind, the good, the humble come from? Where do the wicked and the wicked come from? If this does not depend on the will, but on nature, then why are some virtuous and others vicious? If everyone is evil by nature, then no one could be good; If by nature everyone is good, then no one can be evil. If all people have the same nature, then they should all be the same - either all good or all evil. If we say that some are good by nature, and others are evil (which is unfair, as we have shown), then these properties should be unchanged, since natural properties do not change. For example, look: we are all mortal, subject to passions, and no one can free ourselves from them, even with a thousand efforts. Meanwhile, we see that many of the good become evil and of the evil - good: some through negligence, others through great care; from which it is especially clear that to be good or evil does not depend on nature. What is given by nature neither changes nor is acquired through effort. Just as in order to see or hear, we do not need to work, so in order to acquire virtue we would not need to use effort if it were given in nature itself. Why would God create evil people when he could create everyone good? So where does evil come from? Ask yourself; my business is only to show that it is neither from nature nor from God. So, you say, it appeared by itself? No way. What, or is it unborn? Shut up, oh man! Flee from such madness, and do not give evil the same honor as God, and the highest one at that. After all, if evil is unborn, then it is powerful, and one can neither ward off nor destroy it: everyone knows that the unborn cannot perish. 3. Why are there so many good people when evil has such power? How can the born be stronger than the unborn? You will say: God will one day destroy evil. But how will He destroy evil if, like Him, it is beginningless, powerful and eternal? – will anyone say? Oh, devilish malice! How much evil she invented! What blasphemy she has reduced a person to! Under what pious pretext did she invent a new ungodly doctrine! Wanting to show that evil does not come from God, people introduced a new ungodly teaching, recognizing evil as unborn. So where does evil come from? From wanting and not wanting. But where does desire and unwillingness come from? From ourselves. Proposing such a question means the same as asking: why does a person see and not see? If I answered you: because he opens and closes his eyes, you would ask me again: why does he open and close his eyes? And then, when I told you that it depends on ourselves and on our desire, you would again begin to look for a new reason. Evil is nothing other than disobedience to God. Where, you say, did this disobedience come from in man? But tell me: was it difficult for him to happen? I am not saying what is difficult; I just ask, why did man want to disobey God? From carelessness. Having the power to obey and disobey God, he chose the latter. If after this you still doubt and are perplexed, then I will ask you a question that is not difficult or complicated, but simple and clear: has it ever happened to you that sometimes you acted badly, and sometimes well? For example, did you conquer some passion and again be subjected to it, indulge in drunkenness and refrain from it, get angry and subdue your anger, despise the poor and not despise him, commit adultery and again become chaste? So tell me: where does all this come from? Why? If you don’t tell me, then I’ll tell you: it’s because at first you tried (about virtue) and were zealous, and then you weakened and became careless. To people who are desperate and completely given over to evil, insensitive and insane, who do not even want to hear about what can correct them, I will not even talk about wisdom; and to those who act one way or another, I will say it with pleasure. You somehow stole property that did not belong to you, and then, prompted by mercy, you gave to the poor from your own goods: where did such a change come from in you? Isn't it obvious that it is from your will and disposition? This is so obvious that anyone can easily agree with it. Therefore, I ask you to be careful and adhere to virtue, and then you will not propose such questions. If we want, evil will exist in only one name. So, do not ask where evil comes from, and do not indulge in doubt; but having learned that it comes from carelessness alone, move away from it. If someone tells you that evil does not come from us ourselves, then when you see that he is angry with the slave, angry with his wife, blaming his son and condemning those who cause offense to others, tell him: how did you say that evil does not come from ourselves? If it is not from us, then why do you blame others? Ask him also: do you voluntarily reproach and reproach others? If not voluntarily, then no one should be angry with you; if it is voluntary, it means that evil comes from you and from your carelessness. Next: do you believe that there are good people? If there are no good ones, then where did you get this name from? Where do your praises come from? If there are good ones, then it is obvious that they can blame the evil ones. If the evil one does not become evil voluntarily, and not on his own, then the good ones will act unfairly, reproaching the evil ones, and through this they themselves will become evil. In fact, what could be worse than accusing an innocent person? If the good, even reproaching the evil, remain good, and this serves as the strongest proof of their kindness even for foolish people, then from here it is obvious that no one has ever been evil by necessity. If after this you ask where evil comes from, then I will tell you: from carelessness, from idleness, from treating the evil and from contempt for virtue. This is where evil comes from, and that some people ask where evil comes from. Of the virtuous people who love a humble and chaste life, no one asks about this; Only those who dare to do evil and want to introduce some harmful carelessness through this teaching weave cobwebs. But we will break these webs not only with words, but also with deeds themselves. Evil does not exist out of necessity. If it were necessary, then Christ would not have said: “Woe to that man through whom temptation comes.” He calls unfortunate only those who do evil of their own free will. And what he says: “through whom temptation comes,” then do not be surprised. These words of His do not mean that through this person someone else introduces temptation, but that he himself produces everything. In Scripture, instead of the preposition “from,” the preposition “through” is used, for example: “I have acquired a man from the Lord: (δια του Θεου)” (Gen. 4:1), i.e., the first reason is posited instead of the second. Also: “are not interpretations from God (δια του Θεου)” (Gen.40:8)? And again: “God is faithful, by whom (δι ου) you were called into the fellowship of His Son” (1 Cor. 1:9). 4. And in order to be convinced that evil does not depend on necessity, listen to what the Lord says next. Having expressed regret for those who introduce temptations, He continues: “If your hand or your foot offends you, cut them off and throw them away from you: it is better for you to enter into life without an arm or without a foot, than with two hands and two feet to be cast into eternal fire; and if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you: it is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than to be cast into fiery hell with two eyes” (Matthew 18:8–9). The Savior speaks here not about the members of the body, but about our friends and relatives, who constitute, as it were, members necessary for us. He spoke about this before, and He speaks about this now. Indeed, nothing is as harmful as communicating with vicious and depraved people. What necessity cannot produce, friendship often produces - both to harm and to benefit. That is why the Savior with special power commands us to avoid harmful people, meaning by them those who introduce temptations. Do you see how Christ prevented the harm that could come from temptations? First, He predicted that temptations would certainly occur, so that no one would indulge in carelessness, but everyone would watch in anticipation of them; secondly, he showed that temptations are a great evil (he said, not without reason: “Woe to the world from temptations,” but to show the great harm that comes from them); thirdly, and even more, he showed this by calling the one who introduces temptations unfortunate (with the words: “woe to that man,” the Savior means that this person will be subjected to severe punishment). And not only with these words, but also with the comparison attached to them, fear increases. But not content with this, He also shows the way to avoid temptations. What is this path? Stop, He says, friendship with wicked people, even if they were very kind to you, and He presents you with irrefutable proof of this. If, he says, they remain your friends, then you will not bring any benefit to them and you will destroy yourself. If you end your friendship with them, then at least you yourself will gain salvation. So, if friendship with someone is harmful to you, move away from him. If we often cut off members of our body when they are incurably sick and harmful to other members, then all the more should we do the same with friends. If evil depended on nature, then all this admonition and all advice would be unnecessary, and the warning contained in the above would be unnecessary; if it is not excessive, which it really is, then it is obvious that evil depends on the will. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). The Lord here calls small those who are truly small; but those whom many regard as such, that is, the poor, the despised and the lowly. How, in fact, can one be called small who is dearer than the whole world? The one who is a friend of God? The Savior calls those small who were so in the opinion of people. He does not say “many,” but “one,” and through this prevents harm from many temptations. Both avoiding the evil and honoring the good bring great benefit; and an attentive person protects himself from evil in two ways - by moving away from fellowship with people who seduce, and by giving respect and honor to holy men. Then he presents us with other motives to honor these men, saying: “that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Heavenly Father.” From this it is evident that all saints have angels in heaven. And the apostle says about the wife that she “should have on her head a sign of authority over her, for the Angels” (1 Cor. 11:10); and Moses says: “He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God” (Deut. 32:8). Here we are not only talking about angels, but also about the highest ranks of angels. And saying that they “see the face of My Heavenly Father” means nothing less than their great boldness and great honor. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11). Following this, he presents a new proof, stronger than the first, and adds a parable in which he shows that the Father himself wants us not to despise our lesser brothers. “What do you think? - He says - If someone had a hundred sheep, and one of them got lost, would he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go looking for the lost one? and if he happens to find her, then, truly, I tell you, he rejoices over her more than over the ninety-nine who were not lost. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:12–14). Do you see how many incentives the Lord presents to us, forcing us to care about our lowly brothers? So, do not say that such and such a blacksmith, shoemaker, or farmer is a stupid person and therefore worthy of contempt. To prevent you from being exposed to this evil, see how Christ convinces you with many proofs to moderate yourself and take care of those people. He placed a child in the middle and said: “You will be like little children,” and: “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me” (Matthew 18:3, 5). And whoever seduces will be subjected to the most severe punishment; and saying: “It would be better for him if they hung a millstone around his neck and drowned him in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6), he was not satisfied with this, but added: “Woe to that man through whom temptation comes” (Matthew 18:7), and commanded that such people should leave, even if they were for us instead of hands and eyes. Then, for the sake of the angels, to whom these lesser brothers are entrusted, he forces us to honor them, and by his own will and suffering encourages us to do so (because when he says: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost,” he points to the cross, just as Paul says about his brother: “Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died” - Rom. 14:15), and by the will of the Father, because and He is not pleased that any of the little ones should perish. And finally, he uses the general proof that the shepherd, having left the sheep he has preserved, looks for the lost one, and when he finds it, he rejoices greatly at finding it and saving it. 5. So, if God rejoices so much over the finding of a younger brother, then how do you despise those for whom God cares so much, then how should you lay down your soul for one of these little ones? “But he is weak and poor!” That is why you especially must do everything to save him. And the Lord himself, leaving ninety-nine sheep, went after one, and the salvation of so many sheep could not hide from him the death of one. Evangelist Luke says that He even took her on His shoulders, and that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people. Having left the unlost sheep for the one that had gone astray, and rejoicing in her acquisition more than in the preservation of those, He showed through this great care for her. So, let us not despise such souls. That's why all this was told to us. By threatening those who will not be like children with complete excommunication from the kingdom of heaven and mentioning the millstone, the Savior thereby overthrows the pride of arrogant people, since nothing is so contrary to love as pride. Saying: “temptations must come,” excites us to wakefulness; adding to these words: “woe to that person through whom temptation comes,” he warns each of us not to commit temptation; commanding us to move away from those who seduce, makes the path to salvation more convenient for us; and by forbidding to despise the lesser brothers, - and not just forbidding, but with special force, saying: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” and also: “that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Heavenly Father,” also: for this reason I came, and My Father wants this, - makes those who should care for them the most zealous. Do you see what a stronghold He protected them with, and what care He takes for people who are despised and perishing, threatening those who tempt them with grave disasters, and promising great benefits to those who serve them and care for them? This is confirmed both by his own example and by the example of the Father. Let us also imitate Him, and we will not refuse for our brothers any apparently humiliating and difficult tasks. But even though we had to serve an ignorant and poor person, even though it involved great labor, even though we had to cross mountains and rapids for this, we must endure all this to save our brother. God cares so much about the soul that He did not spare His Son. Therefore, I beg you, from the very morning, as soon as we leave our house, we will strive for this one goal, and first of all, we will take care of saving our brother from danger. I am talking here not so much about the physical danger - it can hardly be called danger - but about the spiritual one to which the devil exposes people. A merchant crosses the sea to increase his wealth, and an artist does everything to increase his property. Likewise, we must care not only about our own salvation (but also about the salvation of our neighbors); otherwise we ourselves will not receive salvation. A warrior who, during a battle, tries only to save himself by flight, destroys others along with himself; on the contrary, the courageous, fighting to protect others, saves himself along with others. And since our life is also a war, and, moreover, the most severe of all wars - a time of battle and battle - then we will enter into battle as our King commanded, with the readiness to defeat, kill and shed the blood of our enemies, taking care of the salvation of all, strengthening those who stand and raising the fallen. Many of our brethren in this battle lie wounded, bleeding, and there is no one to help them; neither the people, nor the priests, nor anyone else, nor a patron, nor a friend, nor a brother cares about them, but everyone cares only about himself. Through this we humiliate the dignity of our exploits, because the greatest boldness (towards God) and praise belongs to the one who is not concerned about his own benefit. That is why we are weak and conveniently defeated both by people and by the devil, because we seek only our own, and do not strengthen each other, do not protect each other with the love of God, but look for other opportunities for friendship: some in kinship, others in partnership, others in acquaintance, others in neighborhood - and all other ties confirm us in friendship much more than piety, whereas this alone should bind us together. friendship. But the opposite is happening to us. Sometimes we are more willing to enter into friendship with Jews and Greeks than with the sons of the Church. 6. But one, you say, is angry, and the other is kind and meek. What are you saying? Do you call your brother evil, the one to whom you are forbidden to say “raka”? And you are not ashamed, do not blush, reproaching your brother, who is your member, who participates in the same birth with you, and partakes of the same meal? If your brother in the flesh commits countless evils, you try to cover him up, and consider his dishonor to be your own dishonor; and you blaspheme your spiritual brother, whom you should protect from slander, in every possible way? He is angry and obnoxious, you say. But that is why you must become his friend, so that he ceases to be such, changes and turns to virtue. But you say: he does not obey and does not accept advice. How do you know this? Did you admonish him and try to correct him? You will say: I admonished him many times. How much? Twice? And that means a lot! If you had been doing this all your life, then you should not weaken and give up on this matter. Don't you see how God constantly exhorts us through the prophets, apostles, and evangelists? Well, do we do everything, obey everything? No. But has He stopped admonishing us? Has he fallen silent? Doesn’t it say, on the contrary, every day: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13), and, meanwhile, the passion for wealth and cruelty increases among many? Doesn’t He cry to us every day: “Let us go, and it will be let go to you” (Matthew 6:14), and we become even more hardened? Does He not exhort us continually to rule over lust and conquer evil pleasures, and yet many, worse than swine, wallow in this sin? And yet He does not cease to admonish us. So, why don’t we reflect and tell ourselves that God exhorts us too and does not cease to exhort us, although we often disobey His admonitions? That is why He said that few are saved (Luke 13:23). If our own virtue alone is not enough for salvation, but we must leave this life, turning others to virtue, then what will we have to endure when we do not lead either ourselves or others to salvation? For what can we hope to be saved? But what do I blame for negligence about the salvation of our neighbors, when we do not care at all about those who live with us, that is, about our wife, children and slaves, but, like drunken people, we do not do what we should - we take care that we have more slaves and that they serve us with great zeal, in order to leave a rich inheritance for our children, so that the wife wears gold jewelry and precious clothes - and we never care about themselves, but only about their property. In fact, we do not care about the wife, but about the things that adorn her, and not about the children, but about their property, and we act like a man who, seeing that his house is dilapidated and the walls are ready to collapse, instead of supporting them, surrounds it with a large fence; or like one who, not caring about the healing of his sick body, prepares expensive clothes for it; or, during the mistress’s illness, he takes care of the slaves, their occupation, vessels and other household items, leaving her to suffer and cry. That's what we do. While our soul suffers from a cruel illness, indulges in anger, slander, reckless desires, vanity, indignation, clings to the earth and is tormented by so many beasts, we, not caring about delivering it from passions, care about the house and slaves. If a bear secretly escapes from somewhere, then we lock the house and hide so as not to meet her; and here, despite the fact that not one beast, but many of them, that is, unclean thoughts, torment our soul, we do not even feel them. Living in the city, we watch the animals very strictly, we imprison them in deserted places and in caves, and keep them on a chain not in the city square, or near the judgment seat and royal palaces, but somewhere in the distance. And into the soul - this place of council, these royal palaces, this judgment seat - animals invade and make screams and noise near the very mind and the royal throne. This is why everything is in disarray, there is indignation everywhere, both inside and outside of us, and each of us is very similar to the city that the barbarians who attacked it brought into indignation. The same thing happens to us as to birds when a snake takes over their nest. Emitting a plaintive squeak, they fly everywhere in fear and confusion, not knowing how to free themselves from danger. 7. Therefore, I beg you, let us destroy the serpent, let us imprison the animals, kill them, and cut off evil thoughts with the sword of the Spirit, so that the prophet does not threaten us with the same thing that he threatened the land of Judea: “But the beasts of the desert will dwell in it, the houses will be filled with eagle owls; ostriches will settle, and shaggy ones will gallop there. Jackals will howl in their palaces, and hyenas in their houses of pleasure" 19 (Isa. 13:22, 21; Is. 14 - "And I will make it a land of hedgehogs and a swamp, and I will sweep it with a destroying broom"). Indeed, people can be worse than jackals 20. They are unbridled like beasts living in the desert. Mostly young men are like this. Devoted to fierce passions, they gallop and jump, rushing unbridled everywhere and not caring in the least about what is due. And their fathers are to blame for this. They force their grooms to tame horses with great care, and do not allow young horses to remain untamed for a long time, but at the very beginning they bridle them and use all other means to tame them, and for a long time they look at their children with indifference when they live unbridled, lacking chastity, dishonoring themselves, indulging in fornication, games, attending dishonorable spectacles - while for warning fornication, it would be necessary to unite the son in marriage with a chaste and wise wife; she will keep her husband from a reckless lifestyle and curb him. Fornication and adultery occur because young men are given freedom. If he had a reasonable wife, he would take care of the house, fame and honor. But you will say: he is still young. And I know it. But if Isaac entered into marriage in the fortieth year from birth, and until that time kept his virginity (Gen. 25:20), then all the more so should young men in a state of grace have this virtue. But what should I do? Not only do you not want to take care of their chastity, but you look indifferently when they dishonor, defile themselves and indulge in various vices, not knowing that the benefits of marriage depend on maintaining the purity of the body, without which there is no benefit from marriage. But with you it happens the opposite. When your children have already desecrated themselves with countless vices, then unite them by marriage; but it is already in vain and in vain. But you say: we must wait for the time when the son becomes famous and glorifies himself with state affairs, but you do not care at all about the soul, but look indifferently at its fall; This is why we have such confusion, disorder and disorder in everything, that we do not care about the soul, we neglect the necessary, and we direct all our care to unimportant matters. Don’t you know that there is nothing better you can do to benefit your son than by preserving him from the uncleanness of fornication? After all, there is nothing more precious than the soul: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul” (Matthew 16:26)? But the love of wealth transformed and overthrew everything, and destroyed the true fear of God. Just as a tyrant destroys a fortress, so it overthrew the souls of people. That is why we do not care about the salvation of our children or our own, caring only about becoming rich and leaving wealth to our heirs, and those to their own, and so on; and thus we only transfer our property to others, and do not possess it ourselves. This is where the madness comes from; This is why free people become worse than slaves. Indeed, we punish slaves, if not for them, then at least for ourselves; but the free do not enjoy such care, and among us they turn out to be worse than even slaves. And what am I talking about slaves? The fate of our children is worse than even cattle; We care more about donkeys and horses than about children. If anyone has a horse, he tries in every possible way to find the best groom, who would be honest, not a thief, not a drunkard, and who knows his business. If we need to give a mentor to our son, then we simply, without any choice, take whoever happens to be. Meanwhile, there is nothing more difficult than art to educate. Indeed, what art can compare with the art of educating the soul and enlightening the mind of a young man? A person who knows this art should be more attentive than any painter or sculptor. But we don’t worry about this at all, and only pay attention to ensuring that the student learns to speak. And we only care about this for wealth. He learns to speak not in order to be able to speak well, but in order to get rich, so if it were possible to acquire wealth without knowing how to speak, then we would not worry about this either. Do you see what power the passion for money has over us? How did she subjugate everything under her power and bind us like slaves and cattle, and drag us wherever she wants? But what good does such denunciation benefit us? We arm ourselves against this passion with words, but it defeats us with deeds. However, we will not stop, even so – with the words of our mouths – to amaze her. If there is any benefit from this, it will extend to both us and you. If you do not abandon your previous vices, at least we have done everything on our part. May God free you from this illness, and may He give us an opportunity to gain praise through you. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Tserkslav. : Onocentaurs will move in there, and hedgehogs and snakes. Tserkslav. : onocentaurs. You might be interested in: