Поучение о страхе Божием, который должно иметь всякому человеку («Придите, чада, послушайте меня, страху Господню научу вас» (Пс. 33:12))

For a blessed and evangelical life, we all, blessed Christians, need a teaching by which we could be saved in this worldly sea from all misfortunes and receive the original appearance of our building, which we lost after being expelled from a beautiful paradise, when we fell into the power of omnivorous death for our sins. And the holy Apostle Paul teaches us this, saying to the holy Apostle Timothy: “Pay attention to yourself and to the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you” (1 Tim. 4:16). And where there is no teaching, says Scripture, there is no good. What should this teaching be about? About understanding and knowing the Lord God, the Creator of all visible and invisible buildings, and thanking Him for the entire structure of this world. Who should have it? To every rational-verbal soul, that is, to man. When? Every day and hour, with every breath, pray and glorify God. Where should it be performed? In every place, sitting and on the road, and lying down, we must remember God very much. Why is this necessary? Because He created us, and we are His people and the sheep of His pasture (Ps. 94:7). How should we practice this teaching? With prudence and love, and not in madness and sin. With the fear of the Lord, for God is “terrible to the kings of the earth” (Ps. 76:13) and “in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). And all of us, whether we live in good or in evil, will stand before Him at the Judgment, according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul: “We must all appear before the Judgment Court of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10). Everyone who wants to learn any craft or science tries in every possible way to find a good and skillful teacher. How much more appropriate is it for us, O people of God, to seek salvation so that, having avoided sins, we can live righteously, in anticipation of the inheritance of an eternal and all-joyful stay in heaven! But we, poor, careless ones, forget about ourselves, do not look for a teacher, do not act well, do not fear the Lord our God, but foolishly deviate into sins, have deprived our spiritual image of the vision of God and have become corrupted, clinging to vain things and deeds. Therefore, the Holy Spirit says through the mouth of the holy prophet David: “Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 33:12). “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord,” as Ecclesiastes says (Prov. 1:7). The fear of God is also counted among the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and whoever has it in his heart will truly succeed in every virtue, for at any time and hour he is ready to please God, moving away from every evil and tempting thing. If we have the fear of God, remembering His commandments and the fact that Christ, our Savior, has wrought salvation for us, showing in His person the path of patience leading us to the kingdom of heaven, then we will sooner and more successfully follow in the footsteps of Jesus and will fulfill the words He spoke: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Saint Gregory the Theologian also teaches about this, saying: “We must ascend to heights through the fear of the Lord, taught by it, purified and refined. For where there is fear, there is keeping the commandments; where there is keeping the commandments, there is cleansing of the flesh; where there is purification, there is enlightenment; enlightenment is the fulfillment of desire, that is, approaching God and eternal stay with Him.” Saint John Chrysostom says this: “It is impossible for someone who lives without fear to show anything valiant and wonderful. For has anyone learned to read and write without fear? Has anyone become skilled in art without fear? In the case when it is not the devil, but only laziness that hinders a person, then we need such fear in order to overcome this natural laziness and turn to some kind of science. But when there is a great war ahead, when there are many obstacles on the path to salvation, then how can you be saved without fear? How does this fear settle in people? If we think that God is present everywhere, that He sees and hears everything, not only what is done and said, but also what lies in the depths of the hearts - all thoughts, for He judges “the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12) - if we set ourselves up in this way, then we will not create, say, or think any evil or wickedness. Having learned, as the Apostle Paul says, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (see Phil. 2:12), we will be worthy of the love of God by His grace, by the intercession of the Ever-Virgin Mother of God Mary and by our diligence. About such love of God, the same holy universal teacher, John Chrysostom, says: “Everyone who sees a loved one or remembers him is excited in the soul and elevated in thoughts, endures everything with patience and, enjoying the memory, will not be embarrassed by anything sorrowful in life.” All our misadventures come from the fact that we do not remember God, as it should be, we do not constantly have Him in our thoughts, so that He seems to say to us: “You have forgotten Me, I will forget you too.” In accordance with this, the Venerable Father Isaac the Syrian instructs us: “Wise yourself, every person, to place the fear of God as the foundation of your path, and then in a few days you will establish yourself at the gates of the kingdom, bypassing the long and difficult path. May your whole life be renewed by it, so that on every path you will not be surprised at what is not, do not despise what is, and then you will not touch what crumbles in your hands.” In the same sense, Saint Chrysostom says: “Every day we teach you, saying: do not think highly, O man! Human nature is fleeting and changeable: youth is replaced by old age, beauty by ugliness, strength by weakness, honor by contempt, health by illness, glory by dishonor, wealth by poverty! Our life is like a stream, stopping nowhere and rushing downhill.” For both in the will of man himself, and in prayer, and in the impermanence of things pleasant to us, we have great labor and sorrow in order to receive the kingdom of heaven that was promised and “prepared from the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Whether someone fasts, or constantly prays, or maintains abstinence, or is engaged in handicrafts and some kind of work and endures various sorrows, everyone should have one hope, one mood of heart and thoughts in that they go to God and for His sake endure everything that happens in their life. For through work peace is known. St. Augustine says: “All Christians, while they live in the body, cannot be in this world without sorrow, sadness and distress.” Why this happens, St. John Chrysostom teaches us about this. “For this reason,” he says, “God made our sinful life difficult, so that we, purified by that sadness, would have a desire for the future. For no matter how much with such sadness we experience troubles and fears from everywhere, surrounded by constant misfortunes, we nevertheless fit into real life with love. And if our whole life had none of this, if it were carefree and unrepentant, would we really think about future eternal bliss?” In accordance with this, wise men wrote the following verses: There is a fair amount of God's Providence for people, From the impurity of bodies to work, poverty attracts. In the poverty of art, everyone gets used to it, Having sold on a penalty, their needs are fulfilled. Seeing our short life, full of work and sorrow, we will strive to the beautiful heavenly Jerusalem, to eternal and all-joyful repose. “For we have no permanent city here, but we are looking for one to come” (Heb. 13:14). This city was seen in Revelation by the Evangelist John, the apostle and confidant of Jesus. “I, John,” he says, “saw the holy city of Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.” Its walls are made of gold and precious stones, and its golden streets shine like bright glass. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself will be God with them.” and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain. And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to illuminate it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:2-4, 23). To hasten to this city, to strive and work in good deeds is appropriate for every rational and verbal soul. But great fear and trembling surrounds those who do not enter this holy heavenly city. The same beloved disciple of Christ says: “And nothing unclean and no one devoted to abomination and lies will enter it (that city)” (Rev. 21:27). “But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). Therefore, the Holy Fathers and teachers command us to remember Gehenna, so as not to fall into Gehenna, that is, into a place of torment, and so as not to lose this heavenly and holy city, where the faces of the saints in indescribable joy and sweetness constantly sing the praises of the Trinitarian Divine Unit with reverent voices. For this, according to the psalmist David, we must, brothers, have “the fear of the Lord pure, abiding forever and ever” (Ps. 19:10). It is appropriate to learn to have it, and to seek a teacher, and to listen, and to obey him, as God’s builder, leading to the love of the Lord. According to the definition of the holy apostles in the seventh book, chapter ten, it is commanded to honor that teacher more than a parent. “Glorify and remember the one who speaks the word of God to you,” the holy apostles teach, “day and night.” Honor him not as the reason for your existence, but as a mentor in good behavior and wisdom and as an intercessor and guide to endless life. For where there is teaching about God, God is present. Therefore, every day turn to the face of the saints to find peace in their words. And for fathers there is great glory when children are reverent, and for rulers there is considerable honor when slaves are filled with fear, and dishonor and anarchy are very disgusting to everyone, because the natural path of people is the image of God, finding a beautiful life and receiving benefits, and the path brought from outside is the evil path that was the cause of death. As a result of this, through our ungodly lusts and failure to consider with our minds God’s works and demonic machinations against us, we indulge in vanity and temptations, we fall and die. For when we darken our spiritual eye with the darkness of sinful heaviness, then we fall into extreme despondency. Therefore, while the darkness of passions has not yet completely covered the eyes of the heart, while the spiritual strength in conscience prompts to repentance, let each of us, whether a master, or a father, or a prudent person, or rising from the depths of sin, from indecent vanities and from submission to evil, or by power, or by good advice, or by a legal proposal - let each of us, people of God, try and strive to cleanse every unclean darkness with prayer, fasting and abstinence, as the apostle teaches: “Ascetics abstain from everything” (1 Cor. 9:25). Saint Abba Mark, teaching how to avoid harmful passions and have peace in our hearts, said: “It is good for a person to have silence in order to take care only of what is necessary and to do more for his own good and soul-saving benefit, because then he does not see what is vain and false, and he does not accept what he has not seen. And what does not come to mind does not stimulate dreaming, and when memory is not awakened, the God-loving soul has deep peace within itself, for God communicates with such people and is comforted in His love. For he performs service in accordance with love, and extends hope, and continually exercises himself in works pleasing to God.” Such a person can truly say in the words of the prophet Isaiah to the shame of demons: “We will not be afraid of your charming and evil fear and will not be embarrassed, for God is with us” (Is. 8:10). In this situation, even if someone threatens a prudent soul with death, let him answer: “I have been taught by Christ the Lord not to be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul (Matthew 10:28).” If he threatens to plunder the estate, tell him: “Naked I came from the womb, naked I will go away” (Job 1:21). “We brought nothing into the world; It is obvious that we cannot take anything out of it” (1 Tim. 6:7), except the virtues done for God. And if you don’t take it, then the coming death will take it. If you do not put to death, natural law will bring an end. So, it is appropriate for a virtuous person to have the fear of God, so as not to anger the Lord God in any way, so that the soul does not cling to the earth with any carnal passion and evil thoughts. The Reverend Father Isaiah teaches: “Everyone who is baptized has the need to nail to the cross everything contrary to nature and reason, by which Adam was defeated and cast down from glory to eternal dishonor.” Therefore, it is appropriate in the vigor of the heart to fight and despise everything that people have in honor, for all this enslaves the sons of Adam, that is, acquisition, honor, idleness, glory, bodily beauty and other things like that, arousing lust, which the serpent plunged into the mouth of Eve. That is why Saint Chrysostom says: “If we have the fear of God, we do not need anything. If we do not have it, then at least we possessed the whole kingdom, we are the poorest of all.” “The fear of the Lord surpasses everything,” says Sirach, “no one can compare with the one who has it” (Sir. 25:13–14). Let's buy it, we won't regret anything. If for this we need to give up our soul, we will not spare it; if we need to dissect the body, we will do everything to acquire this fear. Therefore let the fear of God befall us, O beloved! And then we won’t have anything deplorable. Whether we are in poverty, or illness, or in captivity from enemies, or in slavery, or in something else sad, all this will contribute to the opposite in us. Everyone should have great care to make himself wise in the preaching of the Gospel, to have great efforts to purify the soul, great care to enlighten the mind and subjugate the body to the spirit, restraining feelings that, without the fear of God, quickly deviate to the side. Therefore, being diligently filled with patience in the power of the cross of our Lord God Jesus and being wounded by His love, we will defeat through His Cross all the enemies who rise up against us and confuse our hearts and thoughts. Saint Gregory the Dvoeslov says: “Evil is created in three ways: by suppression, by consolation (consolation) and by permission; the first - through the enemy, the second - through the flesh and the third - through the spirit. For the demonic accuser encourages, the flesh experiences consolation, and, finally, the spirit, overcome by consolation, deigns.” Therefore, in such a struggle and in our situation, Christians, it is very necessary to heed the words of the church teacher: “If,” he says, “you love, O man, your Lord Christ, then die His death. Learn how great the power of the cross is: how many it has corrected, how many it corrects, as life affirms! For by him everything is accomplished: Baptism - by the cross (for it is appropriate to receive the seal), ordination - by the cross; whether we are on the road, or at home, or in another place, we will protect ourselves with a cross. The cross is a great blessing, a saving weapon, an insurmountable shield, opposed to the adversary the devil! Enmity with him, you wear a cross, not just being marked by it, but also experiencing the suffering of the cross. For “our struggle is no longer against blood,” to feed on unrighteous gains, “and against flesh,” to please it with voluptuousness, “but against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12), which are always ready to bruise our heels, in order to capsize the ship of our life with ungodly malice. Therefore, let us perceive the Divine Scriptures by reading them; let us spread out the sails of faith like a ship, and let the word of God be our helmsman, which will pacify the devilish waves of misfortunes, tear apart their nets and kill their harmful poison. We are saved and inherit blessings with all the saints in the bright heavens without any fear or embarrassment by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ and the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.