Иисус – свет мира

“Light has come to the righteous, and joy to the upright in heart” (Ps. 97:11). Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to us from the bosom of the Father; He came and brought us out of darkness and illuminated us with His glorious light. The day has dawned on the sons of men and ended the dominion of darkness. Light has shone for us from His light and illuminated our darkened eyes. His glory appeared in the universe and illuminated the depths of the abyss. Death has been destroyed, darkness has been dispelled, the gates of hell have been crushed, and all creatures that were previously in darkness have been illuminated with light. The dead rose from the dust and praised Him, their Savior. He gave us life and ascended to His Heavenly Father, and will again come in His great glory. Let us light our lamps and go out to meet Him. Let us rejoice in Him, just as He rejoiced in us, for He makes us glad with His glorious light. Let us glorify His greatness, let us thank the Heavenly Father, Who, according to His many bounties, sent Him to us and gave us hope and deliverance. On that day when He suddenly appears and the saints and all who have prepared themselves with exploits and labors come out to meet Him with burning lamps, and the Angels and heavenly guards rejoice at the glory of the righteous and saints, the Lord will place crowns on their heads, and everyone will rejoice and praise. Arise, brothers, and get ready, we will glorify our King and Savior, who will come in great glory and will rejoice us in His Kingdom with the light of glory. The life of a wanderer is very painful. This is a difficult path for the ignorant, unbearable for every young man, sorrowful for the simple-hearted. For the wise this is a feat, for the poor - torment, for the noble - disgrace, for the rich - humiliation. Whoever enters a wandering life must lay aside and leave his greatness, and choose only humiliation for himself; This is how it is commanded, and this is proper. The earth will be its bed, a stone will be placed at its head, and on the day of cold and frost (frost) it will hit every door, seeking refuge for itself. When everyone is satisfied on earth, he is constantly hungry. When anyone has a lot of water, he is thirsty. When everyone is happy and at peace in his home, his soul languishes, he suffers ridicule as a person worthless; and although he does not do anything bad, everyone blames him. One calls him tatem, the other calls him a crafty slave; one is a beggar, the other is accustomed to wandering. One calls him a deceiver, the other an enemy of his fatherland; one for those who love to find out, the other for those who dig up houses. One calls him possessed, another calls him senseless; one is completely stupid, the other is unreasonable. Such and similar censures await everyone in the pilgrim life. And whoever wants to enter this life must be prepared for everything bad, must endure every sorrow and attack. But dear, brethren, is the stranger to the servants of Christ. Whoever follows this path is, without a doubt, one of those who reverently honor God. The glory of him precedes him, the brethren come out to meet him and greet him with peace. They hug him on the way, everyone falls in front of him and bows, carries him on their shoulders, and leads him into their homes. They anoint him with oil and kiss his feet; prepare a meal, offer the best and satisfy hunger; quench his thirst, rest his soul. He who seeks Christ, let him enter into a pilgrim life and seek Him. And he will really find God in this life, God will joyfully accept him and will not leave him. Кто желает совершенства, тот пусть изберет странническую жизнь; in her he will find perfection, he will know the path to perfection. Очистится от скверн, освободится от всякого лукавства, совлечется всего, облечется же в сокрушение и смирение. Although he is still on earth, his heart is already in heaven. Whoever wants to succeed must learn this outside his homeland. There he will acquire wisdom, in a wandering life he will learn humility, and learn good rules. According to what is written, “the heavens will tell the glory of God,” and “the firmament will proclaim” that it is the creation of the unsearchable Creator (Ps. 18:1). The sea gives Him praise from the serpents that are in His depths. The earth sends praise to him from the righteous who are on its borders. The mountains sing a song of praise to him through the lips of those who inhabit their caves. Isaiah also predicted: “They will cry from the edges of the mountains” (Is. 42:11). So the son of Amos prophesied about dens and crevices, but I am afraid to talk about how those who live in caves and dens struggle. Tall men lived there: Elijah lived in a cave, Elisha lived on the top of the mountain, John lived in the desert, and our Lord prayed in a secluded place. Whoever considers what his glory is, the desert is better than a quiet life. He who understands what his good is, mountains are better than cities. Consider the most insignificant things and take an example from them, delve into what is most common, and learn understanding. While the animals are in the deserts, the blows of the wands do not fall on them. While wild goats are in the mountains, they do not bow to the shearers. Look at the wild donkey in the desert; no one sits on its back. Look at the chamois in the desert - no one cuts its hair. Look at the deer that are on the heights; no yoke is placed on them. Pay attention to predatory animals; they eat without weight. Look at the partridge living in the crevices; she brings herself food without measure. Pay attention to the wild ram; it does not enter an inhabited country. Look at the lion while he is in the desert; he has everything. And as soon as he enters the city, he becomes the laughing stock of those who look at him. If an eagle builds a nest for itself on a house, the smoke will deprive it of its sight. If a wild ass and chamois enter an inhabited area, they will be in danger. A predatory animal, as soon as it approaches a village, may lose its skin. The deer that goes down into the plain loses the crown on its head. Aries, surrounded by dogs, loses his clothes. If a partridge approaches the net, the catchers will not spare its feathers. Every bird, if caught in a net, becomes a game for the catchers. Beautiful animals in inhabited places lose their beauty. And the powerful lions among the villages lose their strength and become humble. Look at the animals and run into the desert. And don't leave her! Take birds as an example for yourself, and do not break your vow of hermitage. Do not seek inhabited places, lest you bring death upon your soul. Do not leave caves and dens, lest the dead become more blessed than you. Do not love cities and do not despise the wilds. Do not desire temporary peace, lest you find yourself torment. Do not love gold and silver, so that the evil one does not block your flow. Do not have a ligament or a vagina with you, lest you walk willfully. Hold nothing in your hand, and you will easily free yourself from the hands of the world. Do not be attached to the beauty given to you for a while, lest you appear before God deprived of all beauty. Do not love earthly wealth, lest you inherit poverty. Do not purchase anything here, lest arrogance prevail over you. If you are reasonable, then desire and seek poverty for yourself: it will enrich you. Continue in misery, and the whole earth will be your inheritance. Love sackcloth; with it the righteous gained victory in their battles. Hate silver; for him, princes died in battle. Love to walk barefoot in order to trample on the heads of the serpents. Untie and put away your shoes so that your heel does not get stuck in the net. Do not build for yourself high dwellings, lest you descend into the abyss. Do not like to decorate the inside of the palace, lest pitch darkness become your inheritance. Love the desert dwelling, so that paradise may become your dwelling. Drink water from the stream, so that the River of Eden may give you its water to drink. Eat of the leaves of the tree, that you may taste the fruit of the tree of life. Feed on the seeds of herbs so that your wings will carry you to the heavenly palace. Humble your soul to the dust, so that your dust will rise and rise. Restrain your belly so that the path to life will be open to you. The stone crevices in which you are imprisoned will bring you bliss. The caves that served as your refuge will prepare a palace for you in heaven. The hair you grow will serve as an eagle's wings to soar into the sky. The wretched clothes you put on will suit you for a bright robe. Beyond the heat that scorched you at noon, you will delight in the palace of light. For the painful cold, new wine will cheer you up. The hunger with which you exhausted your flesh will bring you heavenly bliss. For the thirst that tormented your insides, a source of life will flow for you. The fast with which you withered your face will meet you with a bright face. The vigil, which has weighed down your judgment, will, with its wave, justify you at the Judgment. Because your flesh has dried to your bones, your body will be filled with good things. For the illnesses that your members suffered, you will become like a young eagle. For the abstinence with which you have exhausted yourself, your beauty will shine in the bridal chamber. The sorrow that bowed you to the ground will lift up your brow before the throne of the Judge. Every sorrow that meets you will prepare you for high dignity. If temptations bother you, then know that they will level your path to heaven. If sorrows surround you, then know that they will open the door of heaven to you. If misfortunes oppress you, then know that Edem opens its arms to you. Those stones on which your foot stumbled would speak loudly in your defense if you were rejected. Do not doubt, the Merciful will not reject you. You might be interested in: