Беседа 22

Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Rom 12.14. Bless those who persecute: bless, and do not curse. Having taught the Romans how they should be disposed towards each other, and closely uniting the members (of the body of Christ) with each other, the apostle finally leads them to external warfare, having made it easier with his previous instructions. Just as it is very difficult for someone who has not sorted out his own household affairs to arrange those of others, so, having achieved experience in managing one’s own affairs, it is very easy to manage those of strangers. That is why Paul follows the same path and, after duties to his own, sets out duties to strangers and says: “Bless those who persecute you.” He didn’t say: don’t remember the insults, don’t take revenge, but he demanded much more; The former is also characteristic of a wise man, and the latter is characteristic only of an angel. And having said: “bless,” he added: “and do not curse,” so that we would not do both, but only bless. Persecutors are the culprits of rewards for us. And if you stay awake, then in addition to this reward you will prepare for yourself another one. He will give you the reward for the persecution, and you yourself will receive it for the blessing of the persecutor, thereby providing the surest proof of your love for Christ. Just as someone who curses a persecutor shows that he does not endure persecution for Christ with great joy, so someone who blesses shows strong love. So, do not reproach the persecutor, so that you yourself receive a greater reward, and teach him that this is a matter of desire, and not necessity, that this constitutes triumph and joy for you, and not disaster and humiliation. That is why Christ said: “Rejoice, when...they say all kinds of evil things against you lying” (Matthew 5.11–12). That is why the apostles returned, rejoicing that they not only heard bad things, but were also scourged. Moreover, you will gain another small benefit, since you will amaze your opponents and convince them with your deeds that you are preparing for a different life. As soon as your persecutor notices that you joyfully and willingly endure evil, then, based on your deeds, he will clearly understand that you have other hopes that surpass everything present. And if you begin to behave differently, you cry and grieve, then how can he know that you are expecting a different life? And at the same time you will correct the other, because your persecutor will see that you are not offended by insults, but still bless the offender, and he will stop persecuting you. So, this is how much good comes from this: your reward will increase, temptation will decrease, the persecutor will stop persecuting, God will be glorified, and your wisdom will become a lesson for the erring one, guiding him to piety. Therefore, not only the offenders, but also the persecutors and oppressors (the apostle) commanded to repay the opposite. And now he commands to bless them, and before he urged them to do good deeds. Rom.12:15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Since one can bless and not curse, but do it not out of love, then (the apostle) wants us to be warmed by friendship. That’s why he added that we should not only bless, but also sympathize and have compassion when we see that others have fallen into misfortune. Well, you will say: (the apostle) rightly ordered that we mourn with those who mourn, but why did he give another command, which does not contain any importance? On the contrary, in order to rejoice with those who rejoice, the soul needs more wisdom than in order to weep with those who weep. Nature itself draws us to the latter, and there is no such stony person who would not cry at the sight of the unfortunate; but in order to see a person in prosperity, not only not to envy him, but also to share joy with him, you need a very noble soul. That is why (the apostle) said this earlier. Nothing makes us more inclined to love than when we share joy and sadness with each other. Do not shun compassion on the grounds that you are far from misfortune. When your neighbor suffers evil, you must consider his misfortune to be common. Share tears with him to ease his sadness, share joy in order to strengthen joy, strengthen love, and benefit yourself before him, since through crying you become merciful, and through joy you are cleansed from envy and ill will. Look how light Paul's commandment is. After all, he did not say: deliver from trouble, so that you could not object that this is not possible in many cases, but he prescribed something easier, which is completely in your power. If you cannot ward off misfortune, then shed tears, and by doing this you will ward off a lot; if you cannot increase well-being, then bring your joy, and this will already make you a great relief. Therefore (the apostle) commands not only not to envy, but, what is much more important, to rejoice; this means much more than not being envious. Rom.12:16. Likewise, wisely towards each other: not high-minded, but carried on by the humble. Again the apostle, as at the beginning of his speech, is very concerned about humility; After all, the Romans, both by place of residence and for many other reasons, were naturally filled with pride, which is why the apostle constantly tries to remove the disease and put down arrogance. Nothing tears apart the body of the Church more than arrogance. What do the words mean: “to each other wisely?” A beggar came to your house? Be of the same mind with him, do not assume an arrogant appearance because of your wealth, because in Christ there is neither rich nor poor. Do not be ashamed of outer clothing, but accept it out of inner faith. In the same way, if you see someone crying, do not consider him unworthy of consolation; if you see someone prospering, do not be ashamed to join in his pleasure and rejoice, but as you think about yourself, so think about him. Be of the same mind among yourselves, says the apostle. For example, do you consider yourself an important person? Consider him the same. Do you suspect that he is an insignificant and small person? Make the same judgment about yourself, and discard all inequality. How can this be? If you put aside your arrogance. That is why (the apostle) added: “not high in wisdom, but in humble conduct,” that is, descend, apply, adapt to his baseness. Don’t just share his humble feelings, but also help, give him a hand, not someone else’s, but your own, as a father takes care of his son and his head takes care of his body. The apostle says the same thing in another place: “Remember those who are with you, as if you were connected with them” (Heb. 13.3). By the name “humble” (the apostle) here he means not just the humble, but the humiliated and despised. Don't be wise about yourself that is, do not think of being self-sufficient. And in another place the Scripture says: “Woe to those who are wise in themselves and understand themselves” (Isaiah 5.21). Therefore (the apostle) again undermines arrogance, overthrows arrogance and pride. Nothing turns us away and separates us from other people more than if someone thinks that he is self-sufficient, which is why God made us dependent on each other. Although you are smart, you have a need for others, and if you think that you do not need, then you have become more unreasonable and weaker than anyone. Whoever thinks this way will deprive himself of all help, and if he sins in anything, he will not seek any correction or apology, will anger God with his arrogance and commit many sins. It often, very often happens that a smart person does not see what is necessary, but a less smart person discovers what is needed. This happened to Moses and his father-in-law, to Saul and his servant, to Isaac and Rebecca. So, do not consider it a humiliation for yourself to need another. On the contrary, it elevates you more, makes you stronger, more famous and safer. Rom.12:17. Not a single person repays evil for evil. If you reproach another for malicious intent, then why do you make yourself responsible for this guilt? If he has done evil, then why do you not shy away from imitating him? Note that (the apostle) did not make any distinction here, but gave a general law. He did not say: do not repay evil for evil to a believer, but says: “Do not repay even one,” even if it were a villain or whoever. Providentially kind to all people. Rom.12:18. If possible, from you, have peace with all people, that is, “let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5.16). We must live not for vanity, but in order not to give reason to reproach us to those who desire this. Therefore (the apostle) says in another place: “be without offense, Jew and Greek and the church of God” (1 Cor 10.32). The apostle also said well what followed: “If it is possible, it is from you.” After all, sometimes it is impossible to be at peace, for example, when it comes to piety, when there is a struggle for the offended. And what is surprising if it is not always possible to be at peace with all people, how quickly (the apostle) eliminated the need for this between husband and wife, saying: “If an unbeliever is absent, let him be separated” (1 Cor 7.15)? The meaning of the words (of the apostle) is this: as far as it depends on you, do not give anyone a reason for enmity and quarrel - neither Jew nor pagan; if you see that piety is somehow violated, do not prefer agreement to truth, but stand up for it courageously, even to the point of death; but even in this case, do not be at enmity with your soul, do not be turned away by good disposition, but rebel only against actions. This is what the words mean: “from you, have peace with all people.” If the other did not keep peace, do not create a storm in your soul, but inwardly be his friend, but without in the least betraying the truth, as I noted above. Rom.12:19. Do not take vengeance on yourself, do not love it, but give place to anger: for it is written: Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. What kind of anger should we give room to? God's Since the offended person most of all wants to see and enjoy retribution for his offense, God gives the same thing to a greater extent: if you yourself do not take revenge, He will be your avenger. So, to Him, says (the apostle), leave vengeance. This is what the words mean: “give room for anger.” Then, for greater reassurance, (the apostle) brought testimony and, having thus further encouraged the listener, demands from him greater wisdom, saying: Rom.12:20–21. If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. When you do this, you gather coals of fire onto his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Proverbs 25.21–22). Why do I say, continues (the apostle), that we must live in peace with the enemy? I command and do good to him. “Feed him, ... give him something to drink,” it says. And since he commanded something very difficult and great, he added: “When you do this, you heap coals of fire on his head.” The apostle said this in order to humble the offender with fear, and to encourage the offended with the hope of retribution. When the offended person weakens (in spirit), he is supported not so much by his own benefits as by the punishment of the one who offended him. After all, nothing is as pleasant as seeing an enemy punished. And what a person desires, that (the apostle) gives him first; when the poison is extracted, he offers him more sublime admonitions, saying: “be not defeated by evil.” (The Apostle) knew that an enemy, even if he were a beast, having been fed, would not remain an enemy, and that the offended one, even if he was very cowardly, having fed and watered the enemy, would no longer desire his punishment. Therefore, being confident of the significance of the matter, he not only did not prohibit, but became generous with punishment. He doesn’t say that you will take revenge, but “you will heap coals of fire on his head.” And then he commanded him, saying: “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” And with this he seemed to slightly hint that one should not act with such an intention, since remembering the offense means already being defeated by evil. At first (the apostle) did not say this, because it was still untimely; when he exhausted the anger of the listener, then he added, saying: “conquer evil with good.” This is victory. After all, a fighter is more successful in winning not when he exposes himself to blows from the enemy, but when he puts himself in such a position that the enemy is forced to waste his strength on the air. Thus, he not only saves himself from blows, but also drains all the strength of the enemy. The same thing happens with those who are offended. When you, in turn, offend, then it is not a person who defeats you, but, what is much more shameful, a low passion, because anger has taken possession of you; when you are silent, you have won, you have easily erected a trophy for yourself, and you will have thousands of people ready to crown you and aware of the lies of slander. Whoever objects, by his objections shows that he is wounded, and whoever is offended inspires suspicion in the fact that he confesses to what was said about him, and if you respond with laughter, then with laughter you have already refuted the bad judgment about you. And if you want to receive clear proof of the justice of my words, then ask your enemy himself, what is more painful for him, either that you, inflamed by an insult, repay him with an insult, or that you laugh at the offender? You're more likely to hear the latter. He is not so much happy that he was not insulted in turn, but rather hurt that he cannot get you out of patience. Haven’t you seen that those who are in anger, not caring about the blows they inflict, rush with all the speed and angrier than a wild boar, they only try to inflict wounds on their neighbor, they pay attention to this alone and care about this more than about protecting themselves from pain? So, when you deprived the enemy of exactly what he especially desires, then you deprived him of everything, humiliated him and showed that he is worthy of contempt, that he is a child, not a husband, and you yourself, having gained fame as a wise man, will force others to think of him as a worthless beast. This is what we will do both when we are beaten and when we want to hit, and we will not pay blow for blow. But do you want to deal the fatal blow? Turn the other cheek to the one who hit you, and you will inflict thousands of wounds on him. Those who applaud and are surprised will become worse for him than those who stone him, but before these, his conscience will condemn him and sentence him to terrible punishment, and he will walk away in shame, as if condemned to death. If you also care about human glory, then you will achieve it to a greater extent by such an act. And in general, we have some compassion for those who are subject to misfortune, and when we see people who do not resist, but even betray themselves, we not only regret, but are also surprised at them. This is precisely what makes me cry now - that we, having the opportunity to receive both present blessings and achieve future ones, if we obeyed the commandments of Christ as we should, lose both because we do not follow what is commanded and are overly philosophic. Christ legitimized everything in due course, and showed what serves to our glory and what to our shame. And, of course, He did not order it in order to make His disciples ridiculous, but He commanded all this because not to slander when you hear slander, and not to do evil when you tolerate it - this exalts us before everyone. And if this is so, then it is much better to respond to slander with kindness, to praise those who insult us and to do good to those who plot evil against us. That is why Christ gave such a commandment. He spares His disciples and clearly knows what makes a person small and great. And if He spares and knows, then why do you persist and want to go a different way? After all, to win through evil is one of the devil’s laws, which is why all those who compete in the Olympic Games, which are dedicated to the devil, achieve victory in this way. This is not the case, but the order of rewards in the field of Christ is completely opposite: there it is legal to crown not the one who strikes, but the one who is struck. Such is the field of Christ, which all the decrees are completely opposite and not only by victory, but also by the very method of victory arouses even greater surprise; what is considered a defeat elsewhere is a victory here. This is the power of God, this is the heavenly stage, this is the angelic spectacle. I know that your hearts are now warmed, that you too have now become softer than wax; but you lose all this as soon as you leave here. That is why I grieve that we do not put into practice what was said, although we should gain the greatest benefits from this. If we have discovered meekness, we will become invincible to everyone and not a single person, small or large, will be able to harm us. If someone starts talking bad about you, he will not harm you at all, but he will cause the greatest harm to himself; if someone hurts you, all the harm will fall on the offender. Haven’t you also seen at the courts that the offended are calm, stand completely boldly and speak freely, while the offenders stand with their heads bowed, in shame and fear? But what should I say about slander and insults? If someone draws a sword against you and stains his hand in your throat, he will not do you any harm, but will kill himself. This can be testified by the one who first fell at the hands of his brother. He retreated to a serene haven, having acquired immortal glory, and the fratricide spent a life worse than any death, groaning and shaking and bearing the evidence of his crime on his very body. Of course, we do not wish for the latter, but the former. He who endures evil does not have evil living in him, because he did not produce it, but received it from outside and through patience turned it into good. And whoever has done evil, the plague of evil remains in him. Wasn't Joseph in prison, and the harlot wife who intended evil against him lived in a bright and magnificent house? However, which one would you like to be? Do not talk to me about retribution, but examine the matter in itself, and then you will a thousand times prefer the prison with Joseph to the palace that housed the harlot. And if you look into the soul of both, you will see that the soul of Joseph enjoys all the space and freedom, and the soul of the Egyptian woman remains in cramped conditions and shame, in humiliation and fear, in great anguish; although she apparently won, it was not a victory. So, knowing this, let us prepare ourselves for suffering, so that we can be freed from suffering and receive future benefits, which may it be given to all of us to achieve through grace and love for mankind, etc. You might be interested in: