Поучение на день памяти святого праведного Симеона Богоприимца, месяца февраля, в 3 день

“The memory of the righteous is with praise,” says Scripture (Prov. 10:7). And what praise for a righteous man can be better than that with which God Himself praises him? Today we honor the memory of the holy righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, but we, sinners, cannot praise this righteous man according to his dignity. Let God Himself be in our place, praising him in the Holy Gospel, for we believe that the words of the Gospel are the words of God, as spoken by the evangelists from the Holy Spirit. Let us listen to how God praises the now revered righteous man in the Holy Gospel, and let us grasp the power of these praiseworthy words in our favor. The Gospel of Luke in memory of the now celebrated saint of God reads like this: “There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25). What could be better than such praise! What is more beautiful and what is more glorious! God created such praise, the Holy Spirit proclaimed it, the evangelist wrote it down, and the Holy Church preaches throughout the universe: “Simeon was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him." Gather together, wise and benevolent spirits, from the whole universe and compose, from the wisdom of your wisdom, praise for some person who is the highest in earthly glory. If the one whom you praise is not pleasing to God, does not have praise from Him, if he is not righteous and pious, if there is no hope in him for the consolation of Israel, and if the Holy Spirit does not live in him, then all your praise is in vain; You only fill the air with your words and pollute the charters with your writings. He is worthy of the highest praise in heaven and on earth who pleases God with truth and piety. He is worthy of immortal glory in whom there is the hope of eternal consolation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Simeon, a righteous man. This is the title, the first of all titles, the most honorable of all honorable titles, for God Himself is called by this title in the Holy Scriptures. In Deuteronomy, Moses exclaims: “Righteous and holy is the Lord!” (Deut. 32:4). And David says: “The Lord is righteous in all His ways” (Ps. 144:17). Righteous honor is higher than the highest royal honor, for in royal honor there is no assurance of salvation. Christians had many kings, but not all received salvation, but in righteousness there was undoubted salvation. “I have not seen the righteous forsaken,” says the Psalmist (Ps. 36:25). If in temporary life God does not abandon the righteous, then much less in eternal life will he not abandon him and grant him salvation. If someone is righteous, then there is an undoubted hope that he will receive a crown in the kingdom of heaven. David once asked the Lord: “Lord, who dwells in Your habitation? Or who will dwell on Your holy mountain?” And he heard the answer of the Holy Spirit speaking in his heart: “He who walks blamelessly and does righteousness speaks the truth in his heart, who has not flattered his tongue or done evil to his neighbor,” as it is said in the fourteenth psalm (Ps. 14:1-3). From here it is clear who is destined to enter the heavenly kingdom: the one who does and speaks the truth, does not flatter with his tongue and does not do evil to his neighbor, who spends his life in righteousness. We are surprised at the holy righteous forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that the Holy Scripture calls them not only righteous, but also not sinners: “You did not ordain repentance for your righteous Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against you” (2 Chronicles 36:23). How did they please God so much that they even became friends with Him, the Sinless One? Was it because they built the churches of God with great care and decorated them? But then there were no churches of God. Or by the fact that they mortified their body with fasts, all-night vigils and many bows? But we don’t read this about them, because then no one had heard of fasting, or killing, or other spiritual exploits, and Friday, Wednesday and Monday did not even exist by name. They also did not practice reading books, because at that time not only books, but even the alphabet did not exist in the heavenly world. Perhaps they were pleased because they kept all the commandments of the Lord? But then the Law had not yet been given on the tablets, and the legislator Moses had not yet been born, and people had no other law than that natural one: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31), otherwise: what is unpleasant for you, do not do to others. They neither observed their virginity, nor rejected the world, nor endured torment for Christ. How did they please God so much that repentance was not due to them, as sinners: “Thou hast not prescribed repentance for Thy righteous?” And the fact that with their faith in God, which they had, they did not do, did not say, did not think untruth. They had many households, like Abraham, who had three hundred and eighteen military men alone, not counting their wives and children. They had neighbors nearby, had a lot of property in different villages, and never offended anyone, did not slander, did not lie, and did not do any untruth in word or deed to anyone: neither their own nor someone else’s, and they never thought about untruth. And with such a righteous life they pleased God so much that hardly any of the great saints can compare with them. Is it not into Abraham’s bosom, as it is said, that the souls of other saints go? What do our posts mean? What are our exploits? What are our sacrifices for the building of the churches of the Lord? What are our labors against their righteousness alone, which they easily preserved? For what work is there in not offending anyone, not slandering, not deceiving, not lying? We try with great difficulty to preserve our truth and do not have time at all. We fast and eat people: where is our truth? We strive for virtue, but embitter our neighbor: where is our truth? We build the churches of the Lord, but we rob and plunder the property of others: where is our truth? We are merciful to the poor, we give them alms, but we hate our brother: where is our truth? We ask for forgiveness, but we bear a grudge: where is our truth? We speak and lie, we flatter and deceive: where is our truth? This is not how the holy forefathers performed their truth: there was not a trace of untruth in them. All their deeds and words and thoughts were righteous, and through their righteousness they were honored to be friends of God and to be called sinless. Oh, how great is the honor of righteousness! How great is his bliss! Who is supplied with the sinless? Righteous. Who enters the kingdom of heaven without much labor? Righteous. Who is God's dearest friend? Righteous, for “the Lord loves the righteous” (Ps. 145:8). When St. The Gospel called Simeon righteous: “Simeon, a righteous man,” thereby showing his high honor, great bliss, for if he is righteous, then he is sinless; if he is righteous, then he is a dear friend to God; if he is righteous, then he is the heir to the kingdom of heaven. Along with righteousness, the Gospel ascribes to him piety: “He was a righteous and pious man” (Luke 2:25), - it is not enough for a righteous man to be just a righteous man, but it is fitting for him to have piety, for truth is manifested in relation to others, and piety is revealed in relation to God. Truth commands not to offend anyone, but piety teaches us to work hard for God. Truth loves one's neighbor, and godliness loves God. However, both are as necessary for a person as two eyes, two hands, two legs, or two wings for a bird. And just as one eye sees worse without the other, one hand cannot work well without the other and one leg cannot walk correctly without the other, just as with one wing a bird cannot fly, so righteousness without piety cannot be perfect. Only then is righteousness perfect when it is combined with piety. Many of those of other faiths observe the truth, but since there is no piety in them, their truth does not justify them before God. Cornelius, the centurion mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, was also a righteous man who feared God, but until he accepted Christian piety, he could not have a lot among the saints and righteous. When he accepted piety, he became completely holy and righteous (see Acts 10). Piety is the top and crown of righteousness. What is piety? Piety by its very name means good, that is, good, reverence for the Lord God, for the word “piety” is composed of two words: good and honest. Good and honest combined together made “godliness.” In fact, piety is revealed in good, true, unfalse, unfeigned worship of God. For there are many of us Christians, but not all of us honor His goodness; more often we honor Him in an evil way: “we honor Him only with our lips, but in our hearts we are far from Him” (Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8; Mark 7:6); We show “only a form of godliness, but deny His power” (2 Tim. 3:5); We are called Christians only by name, but we do the works of pagans. Is it piety to be called true believers and follow evil believers? To confess the true faith with our lips, but through a lawless life to reject Him in Whom we believe? Worship Christ to the ground with your forehead, and crucify Him again with bad deeds, mock Him? Is this what worship is about? Is this what Christianity is about? The words of the Lord in the Apocalypse apply to each of these: “I know your works; You bear a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1). You are alive in body, but dead in soul; You bear the name of Christ, but your deeds are demonic; You pray to Christ, but you please the demon and always anger Christ! Is this piety? True piety is recognized and actually exists in one who honors God by the name of piety and by deeds, directing his life towards virtue. Saint Simeon the God-Receiver, according to the testimony of the Gospel, combined piety with righteousness in his life, for just as, while living with people, he was righteous in all his deeds and words: he did not offend anyone, did not lie, did not slander, did not condemn, did not abuse anyone, so, cohabiting with God, he honorably and honestly honored Him with his mind, diligently fulfilling His commandments, carefully protecting himself from any doing something displeasing to Him and not even thinking about any sin in your thoughts. For this he is honored and praised in the Holy Gospel, and moreover, he is honored by God Himself with a double title: the title of righteousness and piety: “Simeon, a righteous and pious man.” In his righteousness and piety, the saint of God “looked forward to the consolation of Israel.” What consolation? The coming of our Savior into the world, for he was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw Christ the Lord. Let us think about the fact that in whatever person there is righteousness and piety, there is also an expectation of the consolation of Israel, that is, the future life of the saints, which consists in saturation with the sight of God. For all the consolation, all the joy and joy of the new Israel, that is, the Church triumphant in heaven, will consist in this, that the saints will openly, face to face, contemplate God. Who among those living on earth desires to see God there? The expectation of this consolation lies in those who are righteous and pious here; In an unrighteous person who dishonestly worships God, what expectation and what consolation can there be? Is it only the expectation of weeping and gnashing of teeth, which can be clearly known even now. If we see someone living according to God, not breaking God’s commandments, keeping church traditions, then we say: in him truly there is a hope for the consolation of Israel, that is, the joy of the saints in heaven. If we see someone living their life not in God’s way, not caring about the Lord’s commandments and putting church traditions at nothing, then we say: what can such a person expect except eternal sadness instead of consolation? If we see someone abstinent, sober, fasting, ascetic, warm towards God, then we have no doubt that in him there is a hope for the consolation of Israel. And on the contrary, if we see someone intemperate, drunk all day long, scolding fasts, spending his days in laziness and negligence, not zealous for God, then will any of us say about such a person that he has the hope of salvation? No! Is it just that despair has strengthened within him? And then, if we see someone of merciful disposition, peaceful, meek, loving, merciful to everyone and generous, we say without a doubt that he has the hope of consolation and eternal deliverance. And on the contrary, if we see someone merciless, cruel, angry, robbing others, unjustly insulting, then who can believe that he has the hope of eternal blessings? No, unless it's hopelessness. Through a righteous and pious life, adorned with virtues, the hope of the kingdom of heaven, filled with eternal consolation, is recognized in a person, as this was revealed in reality in the holy God-Receiver Simeon, for righteousness and piety were followed in him by the hope of the consolation of Israel. If he had not been righteous and pious, this aspiration and the very fulfillment of the aspiration, that is, Christ, the Savior of the world, reclining in the arms of his righteous, would not have been given to him. O people enlightened by holy faith in Christ! If any of you wishes to receive this consolation in the future life, in order to see Christ face to face in the heavenly kingdom, be righteous and pious in this present life. For the hope of the righteous will not perish, the pious will not miss the reward, which is Christ Himself, our Savior, the inheritance of all those who love Him, as He Himself says in the Holy Scripture: “I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel” (Num. 18:20). But let us again turn our minds to Saint Simeon the Receiver of God. The praise to this great saint of God, written in the Holy Gospel in the story of the Meeting of the Lord, ascending in degrees to heights, as if on a ladder, finally reaches the highest degree - the communion of the Holy Spirit. It indicated first his righteousness, then his piety, then his hope for the consolation of Israel and, finally, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in him: “The Holy Spirit,” it says, “was upon him.” So, Simeon was the temple of the Holy Spirit. What could be higher than such praise? What is more honorable and more glorious? For where the Holy Spirit lives, there all His gifts are deposited, as it were, in a treasury, according to the words of Scripture: “The Spirit of God will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of God” (Is. 11:2-3). The Holy Spirit dwelt in Saint Simeon, therefore, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit had their presence in him, and his holy soul was a treasury of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Oh, how great is this bliss! What priceless wealth! Let us say to ourselves: blessed and blessed is he who takes care to have the Holy Spirit abiding within himself, for he is filled with His many gifts. The one who does not care about the presence of the Holy Spirit in himself and even drives Him away from himself with vile deeds is wretched and damned, for such a person comes into extreme poverty, into that poverty about which the Lord Himself speaks to a certain person in the Apocalypse of John: “You say: “I am rich, I have become rich and have need of nothing”; but you do not know that you are miserable, and pitiful, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). He who has the Holy Spirit in him is rich without silver and gold, full of abundance without possessions, without high honors, honorable, for he has everything in the Holy Spirit and desires nothing more than the Spirit of God living within him. He who does not have the Holy Spirit in him, even if he has countless treasures of silver and gold, is still a beggar. Even if everyone praises and glorifies him, he is still damned. At least one was honored with all the highest honors and ranks that exist in the kingdom, but he is still dishonorable. Even if he owned the entire universe, he was still poor. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). For without the Holy Spirit and with the acquisition of the whole world, he is “miserable, and pitiful, and poor, and blind, and naked.” The holy righteous Simeon had the Holy Spirit within himself, and what was he worthy of? What wealth, what honor, what bliss? He was worthy to receive into the arms of Christ, his Lord, who of all riches is the richest Wealth, of all honors the most honorable, of all bliss the most blessed Bliss. He accepted Christ and at the same time accepted heavenly, incorruptible riches. He accepted Christ and at the same time accepted the royal honor in order to co-reign with Christ forever. The elder accepted Christ - he accepted endless bliss, he also accepted ageless, heavenly life, taking Christ into his arms. The reason for all this was that from his youth he tried to have the Holy Spirit abiding within him: “And the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Let us also imitate this great saint of God, O beloved! At least in part, as far as our weak strength can, let us imitate his righteousness, not offending anyone, not slandering anyone, not telling lies, not thinking of evil. Let us imitate his piety, honoring God not only with true faith, but also with good deeds, and denying evil and displeasing deeds to God. Let us imitate his hope for the consolation of Israel, placing all our hope and hope in God. Let us also take care to have the Holy Spirit within us through a pure life, for the Holy Spirit does not dwell in people except where it sees a pure, chaste, undefiled life; Where there is unfeigned friendliness, meekness and peace with everyone, there is the Holy Spirit. You, holy and righteous God-receiving Simeon, help us to be your imitators and sharers of your bliss. You will help when you pray to the Lord for all of us, for your prayers are pleasing to Him. Pray for us, we humbly pray. Stretch out your hands to Christ for us, with which you once carried Christ. Move your lips to God and the Mother of God to pray for us, with which you blessed God and the Mother of God. Raise your eyes to our Savior, Whom you stand before, with which you saw salvation embodied on earth, and implore His goodness to be merciful and merciful to us in the century to come. Amen.