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Christ, the Son of God, taught us in His holy Gospel what we must do in order to be saved. And what he taught in word, he showed in action. He taught humility, and humbled Himself: He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross (Phil. 2:8), says the apostle. He then showed us an image of deepest humility when he was not ashamed to wash the feet of His holy disciples and apostles (see John 13:5-7). He taught poverty: and He Himself, being rich, made us poor for our sake, so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9), says the same apostle; and He testifies of Himself that the Son of Man has no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20). He taught patience and endured it himself. For His entire holy life from birth to death was nothing but patience, as one who reads the Holy Gospel can see. He taught us to love our enemies and He Himself loved us, His enemies, so much that He did not even refuse to die for us. He taught everyone to wear their own cross: if anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24) - and He Himself carried the cross throughout His entire life. So in everything else that he taught, he showed the image in himself. Whatever good deed you do, do it for the glory of God, for God’s sake, since God commands you to do good. Also, when you turn away from evil, turn away for God’s sake, because God hates evil and commands us to run away from it, saying: Turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15). Otherwise, a good deed is discredited when it is done either for the sake of vain glory, or for the sake of some other similar reason. For example, loving your neighbor, showing mercy, being patient, forgiving your neighbor’s offense, and so on for the sake of God should be done, because God ordered it so. Also, avoiding evil, for example, not being angry, not being angry with your neighbor, not slandering, not condemning, not slandering, not stealing, not committing fornication and other things for the sake of God is necessary, since God has forbidden all this and is irritated by evil. Avoid evil deeds and do good, but place all hope of salvation in Christ and in God’s mercy, since we are saved by the grace of Christ and God’s mercy, and not by our good deeds. Our consolation, joy and hope is that Christ, the Son of God, is our Savior. Hope in this Savior will not put you to shame. However, He saves those who believe in Him and follow Him with love, humility, patience, meekness and other virtues. Attribute every good deed that you have done or are doing to God alone - so that you do not appropriate His work for yourself, and do not steal His glory, and thus do not sin seriously. It happens that when criminals and villains are brought to trial, they are brought in the shackles with which they are shackled. So poor sinners will be brought to the judgment of God with their sins, which they are bound by, like bonds, and with them they will appear before the righteous Judge and before the whole world. And what they did in a secret place or thought evil in their hearts, then everything will become known to all Angels and people. Then with the fornicator and adulterer - fornication and adultery, with the thief and extortioner - all theft and theft, with the flatterer, deceiver and deceiver - flattery and lies, with the cunning, crafty and hypocrite - all cunning plans and hypocritical deeds, with the slanderer, scolder and slanderer - all his defamatory and destructive words will appear at that judgment. Also, with every guilty person his evil deeds will appear. With all power there will be negligence about those under power and its other iniquities. With the shepherd - negligence about the flock and his other sins. With the judge - unjust trials and his other iniquities. With the master - the insults and evil that he caused to his servants and peasants, and his other iniquities. In a word, with every sinner, all his deeds, words and ungodly thoughts will appear as rivals and accusers in that terrible test, if he does not get rid of them here, in this world, through true repentance, contrition of heart and tears. Then it will be said about every sinner: here is the man and his deeds! Here is a man who was called a Christian, but did not do Christian deeds; he was called a servant of God, but served the devil. Here is the man and his deeds! O poor sinner! Woe will befall you there if you don’t get rid of these fierce rivals and slanderers here in this world! Try, beloved, in advance, now, to get rid of them, so that they will not go with you into that age. Free your soul from them, so that they will not surround you and put you to shame. Leave them and they will leave you. Leave them alone and retreat, and they will leave you behind and retreat, and so you will be free from them. And for what you have done, repent and submit yourself before the merciful eyes of Jesus, so that His Blood, shed for you, will cleanse you from them. Then you will be truly pure and free! If the Son frees you, then you will be truly free (John 8:36). Godly deeds and a holy offer are followed by temptation from both the devil and evil people. This is done by God’s permission to test man: is he doing for God’s sake what he started, and is he standing firm in the work he has begun? Therefore, everything that happens that is contrary to him must be accepted and generously endured, as if sent from the hand of the Lord, and not weaken in what he has begun, but become more successful. Trust in the Lord, be of good courage, and let your heart be strong, and trust in the Lord (Ps. 26:14), the prophet exhorts. God, commanding us to avoid evil, also commands us to do good: avoid evil and do good (Ps. 33:15); prohibiting stealing and kidnapping, he also commands to give: give to him who asks you (Matthew 5:42). 1. We are equally obliged to avoid evil and to do good. 2. It follows from this that both doing what is forbidden and what is commanded not to do is contrary to God’s holy law, and therefore is a sin. For everything that is done against the law of God is sin. Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4), according to the testimony of the apostle. Christ sends us not only for evil deeds, but also for neglect of good deeds, into eternal fire. “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” he will say to those who will be on the left side on the day of His judgment. Why? For I was hungry, and you did not give me food, and so on (Matthew 25:41-42). This is taught by both Saint Basil the Great in his word on the judgment of God, and Saint Chrysostom in the 13th conversation on the 3rd chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. From this it follows that those rich people sin who do not give from their property to the poor who ask them; Also, others sin, who hide the gifts of God in themselves and do not benefit their neighbors, although they could. But these gifts are the very talents for which we should give an answer to our Lord on the day of His righteous judgment (see Matt. 25: 14-30). You see an apple or a flower that is beautiful on the outside, but damaged on the inside by a poisonous worm, which is not only not useful to humans, but also harmful. So it is with human affairs: although on the outside it seems good, but if it comes from the heart, filled with pride, vanity and pride, it not only does not benefit him, but also harms him. For such a one does not give glory to God, from whom all good things come; and what belongs to God alone, he appropriates to himself; He uses God's gifts not for God's glory, but for his own evil, and so in the place in which he should place God, he places himself as an animated idol - and so he falls away from God and retreats in heart and falls into the godless vice of spiritual idolatry. Such are those who give abundant alms, build churches of God, almshouses, but from there they seek human glory and praise; who teach and instruct people in order to be considered wise and reasonable, and so on. And this is the devil’s intrigue and self-love of a senseless and blind heart. What God gives to man for His glory and for the benefit of his neighbor, he, blinded by pride, turns into his own glory. But what does a person have of his own, except sin? Truly nothing. Possession, wealth, intelligence, our wisdom and so on are God's gifts. How shameful is it to turn God’s goodness to one’s own, and not to God’s, glory? Oh, how much we sin before God and in our supposed “good deeds”! Where we think to be good, there true evil is hidden, so who can understand the Fall (Ps. 18:13)? This case and reasoning teaches you not to seek your glory and praise in good deeds, but to give back to God what is God (Matthew 22:21), and not to appropriate it to yourself. If you are looking for glory for yourself, then know that, just as a flower is beautiful on the outside, but stinking on the inside is good for nothing, so your deeds outwardly seem to be something, but on the inside they are good for nothing, but moreover, they are abominations before God, who looks at your heart and intention, and not at your deeds. You see two apples, on the outside they are equally beautiful and pleasant, but on the inside they are not the same: one is rotten and stinking on the inside, the other is the same on the inside as on the outside. Understand that this is how human affairs are. For many, deeds seem equally commendable on the outside, but differ on the inside, since they do not come from equal hearts and intentions. For example, one judge does not accept bribery and does the truth, and another also avoids bribery and acts righteously. And so their external deeds are equally commendable, but internally they can be unequal, if one does it, fearing the wrath of God, which will follow because of unrighteousness, while the other, fearing civil judgment and the fear of man or being ashamed of honest people, shuns evil: such a judge is a politician and a hypocrite, but he who fears God is a true Christian. One gives alms for the sake of the love of God and neighbor, the other - for the sake of pride and vanity: the latter is vain and self-loving, but the one who loves God and neighbor is truly merciful. One asks the offended person for forgiveness, regretting that he has saddened his neighbor; and the other also asks for forgiveness from the offended one, but in order to do so, he asks that he not be brought to justice and thus cause no harm to him: such a person is ill with pride, but he who regrets the sadness of his neighbor has true love. One treats his neighbor kindly and courteously, not wanting to offend him, and the other does the same, but in his heart he thinks to deceive him: the first loves truly and sincerely; the latter is cunning and of the same disposition as the devil, who tries in every possible way to deceive a person. One cries that he has either lost wealth or honor or cannot take revenge on his enemy; another cries that he has angered God, his Creator and Benefactor: such sadness is Christian and saving; the other’s sadness is worldly and destructive (2 Cor. 7:10). So in other respects, human deeds may be equal outwardly, but internally, in the heart, they are not equal. We, in our opinion, judge them as equals, since we only look at the external; but God, Who sees and tests the depths of the heart, judges differently, as the Lord says to Samuel, when he came to Bethlehem to anoint one of the sons of Jesse to the kingdom and wanted to anoint Eliab: do not look at his appearance and at the height of his stature; I rejected him; I don't look the way a person looks; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). This case and reasoning teaches you that your deeds, which seem praiseworthy outwardly, should also be good inside, in your heart, and that every outwardly good deed should come from a good heart, if you want to please God. Where there are no good deeds, but instead evil ones, there is no true faith, but a deluded and false faith. Those who have such false faith are just as deceived as those who walk in the night and think that they are following the path that leads to the intended place, but when the dawn breaks, they recognize their error and regret it. Likewise, those who have a false faith, dead and fruitless, think that they are Christians, follow a pious and saving path, but later they will recognize their error and repent. And blessed are those for whom, while still on the way, the dawn of grace will shine in their hearts; Blessed are those who, before their end, see their error and repent. Such knowledge is the beginning of salvation: for in this way they can leave the path of destruction and ascend by faith onto the path of salvation, which leads to eternal life. Man is lazy by nature for good deeds and lustful for evil, and therefore must convince himself and force himself to do good deeds, conquer himself and turn himself away from every evil deed. For example, if your heart does not want to love your neighbor, have mercy, forgive, humble yourself, be chaste, etc. - convince yourself to do so. If your heart wants to hate your neighbor, be angry, be angry, take revenge, slander, etc., forcefully turn yourself away from that and conquer yourself in that. This is a glorious victory and much better than defeating people! To defeat yourself is no more glorious victory. Not everything is a good deed that seems good to human eyes. A good deed is judged by a good end. Therefore, although good is done, it cannot be good not for the sake of good. Hypocrites often do their good deeds: they pray often, they sigh, they also cry, they give abundant alms, they show signs of humility, they put on rags, bow their heads, speak quietly, call themselves sinners and show piety in a visible manner - but they deny its power (2 Tim. 3:5). For they do their deeds so that people can see them (Matthew 23:5), therefore their deeds are rejected by God, who knows the heart and intention of everyone and judges every deed by it. Therefore, it is only a good deed, a truly good one, that is done correctly. It is done correctly when it is done out of faith and for the sake of good, for a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 7:18), says Christ. Therefore, one must not only do good, but also do right. 1. We must do good deeds in order to show obedience and obedience to our God, who tells us: turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15). For if we call Him Father: Our Father, who art in heaven, as we pray every day in the Lord’s Prayer, then, like sons, out of love we must show filial obedience to Him. If He is our Lord, then, as slaves, we must serve Him with fear and not be slaves to sin, not allow it to possess us... 2. We must avoid evil and do good to glorify the holy name of God. Christians should not do good deeds as the pagans once and now hypocrites do - for the sake of their own praise and glory, but for the sake of the praise and glory of Him from Whom they come, that is, God. For without God we cannot do anything good (see John 15:5). So, since good comes from God, we must turn to God’s glory, according to Christ’s word: so let your light shine before people, so that they see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16)... 3. We must do good deeds in order to testify to God, our Benefactor, our heartfelt gratitude. True gratitude requires not only verbal confession and glorification of the benefactor, but also heartfelt love for him. Love is known by fulfilling the commandments of His saints. He who loves Me, says Christ, will keep My word (John 14:23). And verbal thanksgiving without heartfelt love is nothing more than hypocrisy; about such God says through the prophet: these people draw near to Me with their lips, and with their lips they honor Me, but their heart is far from Me (Is. 29:13). Therefore, one must show gratitude to God not only with the lips, but also with the heart and good deeds that come from the heart... 4. This is what the faith we have in God and His Son Jesus Christ requires of us, so that we may show our faith by our works, as the apostle says: show me your faith by your works (James 2:18). And although faith alone in Christ, the Son of God, who died for us and rose again, will justify us without looking at our deeds, this faith cannot be empty, but has love associated with it. Love is the source of good deeds. Therefore, the holy apostles, preaching Christ to all creation, place faith in Christ as their foundation, but they teach us this faith and exhort us to testify with love and other good deeds, as can be seen from their epistles. Show in your faith virtue, in virtue prudence, in prudence self-control, in self-control patience, in patience godliness, in godliness brotherly kindness, in brotherly kindness love (2 Pet. 1:5-7), says St. Peter. For true faith is like a spark ignited by the Holy Spirit in the human heart, which emits the warmth of love... Know for sure that there is no saving faith in those in whom there are no good works, but there is some kind of oral, hypocritical or, as the Apostle teaches, dead: for just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Therefore, Christ says: not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! Lord!”, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Heavenly Father (Matthew 7:21). The will of the Heavenly Father is that we should repent of our sins, believe in Christ and listen to His holy teaching, as He Himself says: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him (Matthew 17:5). And what this Heavenly and preached Teacher to the whole world teaches us, His holy Gospel presents to us. 5. We must avoid evil and do good (see Ps. 33:15) so as not to discredit and dishonor the high Christian title and name. Christians should reason and remember that the apostle writes: God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness (1 Thess. 4:7); remember and heed what Saint Peter ascribes to them: you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people taken for His own inheritance, in order to proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light; not once not a people, but now the people of God, and so on (1 Pet. 2:9-10 et seq.); remember that they call upon, honor and pray to the Heavenly God: Our Father who art in heaven (Matthew 6:9); diligently heed what the Theologian writes: see what love the Father has given us, that we should be called and be children of God (1 John 3:1); and one more thing: and our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3); remember and reflect that they, according to the Apostle, are the church of God, and the Spirit of God lives in them; for the church of God is holy (1 Cor. 3:16-17)… This also includes the fact that they teach us to crucify our flesh, which desires what is contrary to the spirit (Gal. 5:17), to crucify with passions and lusts, to put off the old man and put on the new (Gal. 5:24; Col. 3:9-10; Eph. 4:22-24). So, oh, how much this heavenly title is dishonored by those who not only do not do deeds worthy of it, but also defile themselves with sinful vices, like stinking rubbish! So they clearly show that they moved away from him and turned into that darkness from which they were called by the grace of God into the wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore, they must, while the time is favorable, until the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2), recognizing their error, return again with a pure heart to God who called them and now calls everyone and pray to Him to accept His first mercy. 6. Christians should also note and remember what Christ says: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 7:19), and what the Apostle says: if you live according to the flesh, you will die (Rom. 8:13). As if a certain spiritual tree - a person who, although he confesses the name of Christ and by that confession, like a leafy tree, is decorated and magnified, but does not create the fruits worthy of his confession, that is, good deeds, why will he be handed over to nothing other than the eternal fire of Gehenna, like a barren tree to be burned, by the righteous judgment of God. That is why the apostle says: if you live according to the flesh, that is, follow the lusts of the flesh, you will die - here this means not temporary death, but eternal death, for both the righteous and sinners die a temporary death, but those will be resurrected in the resurrection of eternal life, and these - in the resurrection of judgment (eternal condemnation) (John 5:29). May this terrible end frighten us away from the evil and bitter fruits of sin, which are consigned to eternal fire, and may it move us to repentance and its sweet fruits. But if we look at the temporary disaster, we will see that it does not come from anywhere but from the lawless and unrepentant life of man. Hence the fires, famine, shortage of bread and other worldly goods; hence the pestilences and earthquakes; hence the wars, terrible battles, bloodshed, the fall of many thousands of people and from this the subsequent lamentable cries of wives, parents, children, the ruin and devastation of cities and states, and so on. So the truth of God, irritated by human iniquities, sends the terrible sword of His judgment and strikes the lawless! Let us fear this terrible sword and create fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8). 7. The Apostle says: godliness is beneficial for everything, having the promise of the present and future life (1 Tim. 4:8). God promises to reward piety mercifully and graciously not only in the future, but also in the present age with His blessing. If you walk in My commandments, and keep My commandments, and do them, I will give you rain in its season, and the earth will yield its fruit, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. and the threshing of grain will reach your harvest of grapes, and the harvest of grapes will reach your sowing, and you will eat your bread to the full, and you will live safely in your land, and there will be no war in your land; And I will give peace in your land; Psalm 36 pretty much brings to our eyes the blessing of God, which is given to the pious: how the wicked, although they ascend and stand tall like the cedars of Lebanon, nevertheless disappear, so that you cannot find their place, even if you look. Piety helps the pious even on the day of death. It will be good for him who fears the Lord, and on the day of his death he will find grace (Sir. 1:13). In the next century, all the blessings that the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, that have not entered the heart of man, await those who love God (1 Cor. 2:9), according to His false promise. However, this should not be understood as if our deeds deserved anything from God, since our good deeds should be attributed to God, who works them in us by His grace; They are called ours because we obey the calling and acting grace of God and, enlightened and strengthened by this grace, we mortify the deeds of the flesh and bring the fruits of faith, which is the gift of God, we fear and love God and show deeds of love to our neighbor. For God owes no one, and whatever good he gives us, he gives freely, out of His goodness alone. Therefore, just as He promises His blessings and with this promise arouses in us faith and a desire for piety, so He gives what He promised to those who listened to Him and believers freely, based on His goodness alone. In this case, we must remember the word of Christ: when you have fulfilled everything commanded to you, say: we are worthless slaves, because we did what we had to do (Luke 17:10). But who would fulfill all the commands? Christ alone, the Fulfillment of the law and the prophets, fulfilled everything and earned grace and glory for everyone from God, His Heavenly Father. Glory and praise befit him, but we must always admit with humility: You, Lord, have truth, but we have shame on our faces (Dan. 9:7), and pray: not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory according to Your mercy and Thy truth (Ps. 113:9). However, one should not conclude from this based on carnal wisdom that if one receives benefits from God freely, through faith alone, and not through good deeds, then good deeds are not required. This opinion is erroneous. Whoever has such an opinion has no faith, because where there are no good deeds, there is no faith, which is known from good deeds, like a tree from its fruit... Therefore, we must have faith and testify to it with good deeds, so that by faith we may receive God’s promise. 8. Brotherly Christian love requires this, so that we help our neighbor in his needs... and build him up spiritually by example of Christian life and decent treatment. This is said again not so that we do good deeds for the sake of being seen by people (Matthew 23:5) - this goal and intention, like Pharisaic hypocrisy, is condemned by God's holy word - but because the good life of one can give another a reason for either more zealous deeds in the Christian cause, or for those who are exhausted - to rebel from despondency and powerlessness. For true piety is like a light shining in the night of this world, which, although hidden, cannot be hidden, but is visible from afar... 9 . The evil end of an unstable life, that is, temptation, should prompt us to a pious life and decent behavior. The rule of good deeds is God's Word. A lamp for my din is Your law, O Lord, and a light for my ways (Ps. 119:105), says the psalmist. This lamp shines for us, walking in the darkness of this world, and shows us how to walk, live and handle ourselves, what to do and what to avoid. Therefore, temptation primarily occurs in two ways: firstly, through corrupt teaching that is contrary to the Word of God, as heretics and other superstitions do; secondly, he who lives contrary to the Word of God and behaves corruptly among his brethren also gives temptation. For both the good and the evil example of one strikes the heart of the other through hearing or sight: the one to good, and the other to evil, induces the one who sees or hears... 10. We must take care of a virtuous life in order to stop the mouths of our opponents and enemies, who sharpen their poisonous tongue to reproach and slander us and are watching how to turn their speech against us. So, when they see our life is not what it is considered and denounced, they will be ashamed and stop their mouths and remain silent. And although it is the nature of slanderers to find the reason for reproach and slander there, where there is no reason, their slander as false and unrighteous will be in vain when the Lord brings out, like light, the truth of the innocent, and their fate like the noonday, and then their sword, which they draw against the innocent, will enter their hearts (Ps. 36:6,15). 11. We must lead our life piously so that, seeing our good life, those who do not know and do not profess the name of Christ turn to Christ and become one with us and glorify our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). Thus, the ancient Christians gained many for Christ, as we read in church history. Contempt and abandonment of Christian virtues are signs of unbelief. For as a tree is known by its fruit, so faith is known by good works (Luke 6:44; James 2:18). Every good tree bears good fruit, but every evil tree bears evil fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (Matthew 7:18). Consequently, where there are no fruits of faith, that is, good deeds, there is no faith itself. Faith cannot be idle and fruitless. The faithful servants of Christ must seek the glory of their Lord, turn away from evil and do good in order for the name of their Lord to be glorified from this, so that their deeds may be pleasing to their Lord, otherwise they cannot be pleasing. How can Christ please a work that is not done for the sake of Christ? Every deed, whatever it is, good or evil, is judged according to its purpose. Although a deed seems good in appearance, when it is not done for a good purpose, it cannot be good, but evil. For example, you give alms in order to receive praise from a person: you do a good deed outwardly, but inside it is evil, because you do it for the sake of your vain glory, and not for the sake of Christ. Therefore, one must not only do good deeds, but also do good, that is, for a good purpose, which is the glory of God. Let us try to examine ourselves in our good deeds, so that they are not worthless before God and we do not appear indecent with them. Whatever we do, let us do it for the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbor. A good deed is recognized from the goal, and not from the deed itself. When the goal of a good deed is good, then the deed is good, and when the goal is evil, then the deed is defamed, even if it seems good. You must first correct your heart so that it thinks about the glory of God, and not about your own, and about the benefit of your neighbor, and then from a right heart, like from a good tree, good fruits and good deeds will come. May Jesus, the Mirror of all virtues and Helper of all who yearn for Him, help us. When starting any task, call on the name of the Lord your God and begin with prayer - may the Lord help you to begin and complete it. And from this it is clear that a Christian should not begin anything that is contrary to the law of God, but only what is in accordance with it. Anyone who wants to be saved certainly needs to maintain Orthodoxy or the right faith. But this alone is not enough for salvation. For even demons believe and tremble (James 2:19), according to the words of the apostle. They believe that there is one God, that Christ came into the world, and they fear His holy name. Therefore, the apostle demands that we show faith by works: show me faith by your works (James 2:18). For just as a good tree comes from good fruits, so true and heartfelt faith is known from good deeds. Many are called faithful Christians, but their deeds show otherwise; they show faith in their lips, but by their deeds they are pagans or even worse than they are: they say that they know God, but by their deeds they deny Him (Titus 1:16). Therefore, it is necessary to have a living faith with Orthodoxy, which will certainly be followed by similar deeds. Try to have such faith - and you will be saved. Whatever a person does in this world, God sees everything and writes it in His book. Everything worldly in the world will remain, but with a person only his deeds will go into the next world, and the more deeds he does here, good or evil, the more he will appear there. Whatever a man sows here, he will also reap there (Gal. 6:7). Everyone's labors and fruits will appear there: with the good the good, with the evil the evil will appear. Woe to the poor man will be when all his evil deeds, which he did from his youth to his death, appear before the Righteous Judge and before the whole world, and it will be said about him: “Here is the man and his deeds!” What God Himself now says to the sinner: I will reprove you and bring your sins before your face (Ps. 49:21). The more a person twists the rope, the longer it becomes; and the more he imposes on himself, the heavier the burden becomes; and the more entangled in the net, the more difficult it is to free himself from there; and the more black it becomes, the more difficult it is to wash it off... It’s time to twist the rope, but it’s time to break it; It’s enough to burden yourself, but it’s time to throw off the burden; It’s enough to get entangled in a network, but it’s time to break the network and free yourself; It’s enough to become more vilified, but it’s time to wash off. God is a Helper in everything. Just rise up and God will raise you up; start - and God will help you; take heart - and God will strengthen you; awaken - and Christ will enlighten you; take the path of the pious - and Christ will lead you. Arise, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will illuminate you (Eph. 5:14). It's time, it's time, oh it's time! It is time for the Lord to act (Ps. 119, 126).