Слово 25. О будущем Суде.

Many of the people among us, being captivated by the flesh and enslaved by the circumstances of present life, believe that then nothing will happen and, referring to God’s love for mankind, they say that there is no punishment or torment. So, if God loves mankind, which He really is, then He is certainly righteous; if he is righteous, then in what way would it not be fair that he should be punished who, having first enjoyed a thousand blessings, then committed something worthy of punishment and was not made better by either threats or good deeds? After all, if you delve into the truth, then (you will find that) according to the power of truth, we should rather have been punished from the very beginning and immediately, and it would even be humane if we suffered even that which did not happen. If someone offends an innocent person, then according to the law of truth he bears responsibility; and if someone not only offends, but daily by his actions upsets the Benefactor, who has shown thousands of benefits solely out of His own motive, and not as a reward for the good received, then what kind of leniency will he be worthy of? How, tell me, are you not afraid when you utter such insolence and claim that “God loves mankind and does not punish”? And if he punishes you, then, in your opinion, will he no longer be humane? Why, tell me, when you sin, would you not want to be punished? Didn't He warn you about everything? Didn't he threaten? Didn't you help? Haven't I done a lot for your salvation? If the wicked are not punished, then another may say that the good are not crowned; and in this case, where will be the love of mankind and the righteousness of God? So, people, do not deceive yourselves, being deceived by the devil, because all these are his (the devil’s) thoughts. If judges, masters and teachers reward the good and punish the bad, then how would it be consistent if God did the opposite, if the good and the evil were rewarded with the same thing? When would the evil ones leave behind evil? In fact, if even in anticipation of punishment they do not lag behind evil, then, being free from this fear, not only not falling into Gehenna, but also reaching the Kingdom, where would the evil ones stop? I have heard some sinners say that God threatened people with Gehenna as a warning, as if it were impossible for Him, being merciful, to punish anyone, especially someone who does not know Him. Tell me, you who expose God as a deceiver, who in the days of Noah poured out waves over the entire universe, caused that terrible shipwreck and caused the death of our entire race? Who sent down those lightning and thunder on the land of Sodom? Who drowned all of Egypt? Who destroyed six hundred thousand in the desert? Who burned down the Avironovo gathering? Who commanded the earth to open its mouth and swallow up the conspirators of Korah and Dathan? Who in the time of David smote seventy thousand in one instant? Who, during the prophecy of Isaiah, killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand in one night? But don’t you see the daily misfortunes that we endure when we sin? What would be the point if some were punished and others were not punished? Truly, if God is not unrighteous - and He is precisely not unrighteous - then you will certainly suffer punishment for your sins; if God does not punish because He loves mankind, then even those should not have been punished. Even for these very words conveyed by us, God punishes many in real life, so that if you do not believe the words of the threat, then at least believe the deeds of punishment. And how can we convince objectors that the doctrine of Gehenna is not a fable? How can we confirm its truth by the fact that we are not the only ones, but also poets, philosophers and rhetoricians who have philosophized about future reward and talked about the punishment of the wicked in hell. Indeed, although they could not speak about this in accordance with the truth, they nevertheless perceived some semblance of judgment, guided by conclusions and what they heard from us. So some speak of the Cocytus rivers and flaming rivers, of the water of the Styx and of Tartarus, as distant from the earth as the earth is from the sky, and they also speak of many types of punishment; they also (talk) about the Champs Elysees, and about the blessed islands, and about flowery meadows, and about the great fragrance, and about the pleasantness of the air; and also - about the choirs staying there, and about those dressed in light clothes, and about singing some kind of songs; in general - about the reward that awaits the good and the evil after leaving this life. Let us not disbelieve in Gehenna, lest we fall into Gehenna, because he who does not believe can be more careless, and he who is careless will undoubtedly go into it; on the contrary, let us believe without hesitation and talk about it incessantly, and then we will not sin soon. After all, the remembrance of such words, if only it is constantly inherent in our soul, like some bitter medicine, will be able to erase all evil. If you are hard-hearted and unmerciful, then remember those virgins who, having extinguished their lamps because they did not have oil, were cast out from the palace of the Bridegroom - and you will immediately become philanthropic. If you want to be predatory, then listen to what the Judge says: “Bind his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness” (Matthew 22:13) - and you will drive out this passion. If you strive to get drunk and overeat, then listen to how the rich man says: “Send Lazarus so that... with the end of his finger... he will cool the burning tongue” (Luke 16:24), and he does not receive what he asks for, and you will immediately be freed from the desire. If you have a fire of impure desire, then think about the fire of that punishment, and this (fire) will go away extinguished. And even if there was no fire, still think about how great the punishment is to be rejected by God and leave in shame: believe me, this disaster is impossible and impossible to express in words. And in fact, if those who do not see the light of the sun lead a life more pitiable than any death, then what, one must assume, do we endure when deprived of this light? Do we live, breathe and exist if we do not have this contemplation? If no one will allow us to see our Lord then? If a person who has received a noble upbringing, being thrown into prison, considers the stench alone, lying in darkness and imprisonment together with robbers, more difficult than any death, then think what will happen when we are burned there with the robbers of the universe, when we ourselves will not see, and will not be seen, but among such a multitude we will believe that we are alone. After all, darkness and darkness will not allow us to recognize our neighbors, and everyone will consider that he alone endures this, because although this is the so-called fire, it is gloomy and has no light. What is especially scary and terrible for us is that it burns strongly and does not go away, but has no light. If darkness only in itself so oppresses and confuses our souls, then what will happen when such suffering and burning are added to the darkness? Do not think, in fact, that if Gehenna is called fire, then it is similar to ordinary fire - this last one, which captures, burns and ceases, but once captured, it constantly burns and never ceases. That is why he is called unquenchable: it is desirable for him to clothe sinners with incorruptibility, but not for the sake of their honor, but in order to have a constant source of this torment. But this and something else even more difficult - in Gehenna; the very deprivation of goods is connected with such suffering, such sorrow and cramped conditions that if there were no torment for sinners here, this alone would be enough to sting and shake our souls more bitterly than the tortures of Gehenna. If we, entering the prison and seeing how some are covered with dirt, others are bound with iron bonds, others are enveloped in darkness, we groan, tremble and try in every possible way so as not to fall into the same need and misfortune, then what will we feel, what will we do when we ourselves, bound by bonds, are taken to the torment of Gehenna? And these bonds are not made of iron, but of fire, which never goes out, and we will be watched not by some creatures of equal honor with us, who can often be appeased, but by terrible and inaccessible to compassion Angels, whom it is impossible to even look at - they are so angry at the insults that we have caused to the Lord. There it will not be possible, as here, to see that some offer silver, others - provisions of life, others - justification speeches, and receive relief, but everyone there is inexorable: whether it is Noah, or Job, or Daniel - none of them will dare to intercede and extend a hand at the sight of their relatives experiencing torment, because natural kinship will then be destroyed. After all, when righteous fathers are found from sinful children, and good children from evil parents, then it is necessary that they have pure joy, and that contrition due to natural kinship should not be mixed with the enjoyment of those blessings: such, I repeat, will be destroyed, and they will be indignant together with the Lord at the offspring of their own womb. So, let no one expect good things if he himself has not done anything good, even if he has countless righteous ancestors. If we spend the time given to us on something we shouldn’t, then we will all go there and give a final account for the improper waste. After all, both the one who took money for trade and the one who squandered it will be held accountable by the creditor and will be punished: how much more (will he be punished) who has wasted this life? And just as we demand from our servants an account not only of the expenditure, but also of the receipt of money, where, how much, from whom and how the money was received, so God demands an account of the spending and acquisition of both the rich and the poor: from the rich - whether from righteous sources, whether he collected wealth from theft and covetousness, whether he spent the wealth on fornication or on the poor, on luxury, immoderation and drunkenness, or on helping the oppressed; and for the poor - did he endure poverty courageously and with gratitude, did he not become discouraged, did he not grumble, did he not blame the Providence of God, living in need himself and seeing how another lives luxuriously and does not spare property. However, not only the rich and the poor, but also the rulers and judges will be tested with great care - whether they violated justice, whether they sentenced the defendants out of bias or hatred, or whether they pronounced an improper judgment due to the fact that they were deceived by flattering. And each, the greater the height of power he has ascended, the more strictly he will be subject to accountability. The stupid pleasures of real life are no different from shadows and dreams: before sin ends, the pleasure fades away, and the punishment for it has no end, the sweetness is short-lived, but the torment is eternal. That is why God constantly talks to us about Gehenna, so that we will receive great fruit from the threat and from fear. After all, if He, intending to plunge sinners into it, had not expressed this threat in advance, then many would have fallen into it. If even now, when our souls are shaken by this fear, some sin with such ease, as if it were not there, then what horrors would we not have committed if nothing of the sort had been said and no threat had been uttered? Thus, this is not a matter of cruelty, but rather of mercy and philanthropy. And indeed, if collapse had not threatened under Jonah, then the collapse would not have been prevented; If it had not been said that Nineveh would be destroyed, then Nineveh would not have stood. So exactly, if Gehenna had not threatened, we would all have ended up in Gehenna. If God had no concern about whether we sin or live righteously, then there would still be some sense in saying that there is no punishment; and if He takes such care to ensure that we do not sin, and takes so much trouble to ensure that we fulfill the commandments, then it is clear that He punishes sinners and crowns the righteous. But pay attention to the incongruity of many: here they blame God for the fact that He is often long-suffering and neglects many evildoers, debauchees, covetous people who have not suffered punishment, and there they act as strong and strict accusers because He threatens them with punishment. If the latter is regrettable, then the former should be accepted with admiration. But, alas - madness, alas - a soul that loves sin and lust! The threat is ignored in words, but in reality they are punished. Indeed, no one who is freed from sins here will be able to escape retribution for them after going there; but just as from these dungeons they are brought in chains to the judgment seat, so those who depart from here with various chains of sins are led to the Last Judgment. Now, when you happen to be in a bathhouse, heated more than necessary, then remember the fire of Gehenna; and again, when you happen to be burning in a severe fever, transfer your thoughts to this flame, and then you will be able to tune in well. In fact, if baths and fever disturb and depress us so much, then when we fall into that fiery river leading us to the Last Judgment, how will we feel? And the one who goes there with good and bad deeds will receive some relief from punishment and these torments, but whoever is deprived of good deeds and only brings bad ones, it is impossible to say what he will endure, being sent to eternal torment. There will follow a weighing of evil and non-evil deeds; if the latter pull the scales, then they will provide considerable benefit to their culprit, but the harm from committing evil deeds will be as strong as they move the scales from their original place, and if they overweight, they will be taken into the fire of Gehenna, because the abundance of good deeds is not so great as to be able to withstand this strong onslaught. And not one of the good deeds, no matter how insignificant, will be left there by the judge in disdain. If we must repay for sins, words and thoughts with torment, then virtues, whether great or small, will be counted all the more. Therefore, liberation from evil is not enough, but great accomplishment of good is also required, because in order to get rid of Gehenna, one must refrain from vice, and in order to achieve the Kingdom, one must cleave to virtue. So in external affairs, it is customary to crown not the one who has not done any evil - this is suitable for him only to avoid punishment - but the one who has shown great good deeds. And when I think that avoiding evil is enough to avoid Gehenna, I imagine some terrible threat promising punishment not to those who dare to do evil, but punishing those who neglected to do good. What kind of threat is this? “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire... for I was hungry, and you did not give Me anything to eat” (Matthew 25:41–42). This means that we believe that those who do not give to those in need from what they themselves have will not only be punished by deprivation of goods, but will also be sent into the fire of Gehenna. So, we learn that those who have done good enjoy good things in heaven, and those who cannot be convicted of any vice, but who lack any of the virtues, will be led into the fire of Gehenna along with those who have done evil. After all, if on earth whoever transgresses the laws of the rulers is subject to inexorable punishment, then even more so will he who despises the commandments of the Heavenly Lord be given over to unbearable torment. I know that the conversation about Gehenna seems difficult to you and produces great sadness, but to the extent that the conscience pricks, the soul of those who are pricked receives benefit. If this were told to us there, like the rich man in the story of Lazarus, then we truly should have cried, sobbed and groaned because we no longer had time left for repentance, and since we hear this, being here, where it is possible to become sober, and to cleanse one’s sins, and to acquire great boldness, and to change, fearing the evils that have happened to others, then let us thank the man-loving God, who has awakened others by punishment us from laziness and who raised us from our sleep. Why are some punished here, others there, and not all here? Because if that were the case, then we would all die, because we all deserve punishment. Further, if no one were punished here, then many would become very careless, and many would say that there is no Providence. In fact, if now, when there are many punished sinners in sight, a lot of this is being talked about, then what would they say if none of this happened? What kind of madness would they reach? That is why God punishes some here and does not punish others. It punishes some, with the goal of destroying evil in them and easing the torment there, or even completely freeing them from it and making them, who lived in evil, more prudent by punishing them for evil; He does not punish the rest again, so that if they come to their senses and repent, they would honor God’s generosity and get rid of the punishment here and the torment there, but if they remain stubborn and do not take advantage of God’s kindness at all, then they would suffer greater torment for their extreme negligence. When we, by sinning, enjoy honor from God for something for which we should be punished, then this very thing can most of all plunge us into the fire. After all, if someone, having only generosity at his disposal, and not using it as he should, suffers a very heavy punishment, then if with generosity he also has the greatest honors, and yet remains in vice, by whom in this case will he be extricated from punishment? Just as not to suffer retribution for sins here means preparing for the gravest punishment there, so too, when sinners enjoy great indulgence and prosperity, this serves as the source and basis for sinners of greater punishment. [If he who calls his brother a fool is worthy of extreme punishment, then he who calls him a villain, an envious person, and many other similar names, what fire of Gehenna will not be brought upon himself? Indeed, from the point of view of insult, the word “stupid” is much easier than those just mentioned. That is why Christ, omitting these last ones, put the first one, so that you would know that if a more bearable expression brings Gehenna on the speaker, then much more difficult and unbearable expressions will do the same. If some, noticing the hyperbolic meaning of the word, believe that this threat was expressed only for the purpose of intimidation, then be careful not to exempt the adulterers and idolaters themselves from the said punishment. After all, if for the sake of intimidation He threatened the scolders, then it is clear that this was for the same reason, because, having united them all together, he thus brought about an ejection from the Kingdom for them. How, you say, can a slanderer fit in the same place as an adulterer and malachi? Whether the same punishment will be imposed on them, we will study this at another time, and that he will be equally ejected from the Kingdom, I am convinced of this by Paul, who says, or better yet, by Christ, who acts in him, that neither one nor the other will inherit the Kingdom of God. If one of us sees that his act, committed in secret, is today revealed in the church alone, would he not prefer to perish in the open earth than to have so many witnesses to his vice? What then will we endure when everything is brought out into the open before the universe, to a spectacle so glorious and brilliant, and everyone we know and don’t know will look at it? What will we be like when we are led bound into outer darkness? It’s better to say what we will do when we anger God—and that’s the worst thing of all? After all, for someone who has feeling and reason, to be deprived of the contemplation of God means to already endure Gehenna. After all, we should grieve not when we are punished, but when we sin, and it is harder to anger God than any punishment. Now we are in such a plight that if it weren’t for the fear of Gehenna, we probably wouldn’t even think of doing anything good. So, if not for any other reason, then we will be worthy of Gehenna because we fear Gehenna more than God]. Those who stumble in many ways and are not punished should be afraid and afraid, because their punishment is increased due to the impunity and generosity of God. So, when you see someone getting rich and prospering in the wrong way, do not consider him blessed, but mourn, because this wealth serves as an increase in punishment for him. Just as those who have sinned a lot and do not want to repent save for themselves the treasure of wrath, so those who, in addition to not being punished, also enjoy prosperity, will suffer greater punishment. Not all sins are punished with the same punishments, but many and different, depending on time, person, dignity and understanding. If there are two sinners who do not enjoy the same things in this life, but one lives in wealth, the other in poverty, then they will not be punished equally, but the one who is richer will be punished more severely. That is why God does not punish everyone in this life, so that you do not doubt the resurrection and do not despair in judgment, on the basis that everyone here has given an account; Equally, He does not allow everyone to leave unpunished, so that you do not again think that everything is devoid of Providence. Do not many now act like those who were previously punished for their sins? And very much so. In fact, when you kill a brother, not in a carnal way, like Cain, but in a spiritual way, are you not doing the same thing? There is no need, not with a sword, but in another way. Isn't anyone envious of their brother now? No one put him in danger? But here they (you might say) were not punished. But they will carry it. If he who has not heard either the written laws or the prophets, or who has not seen great signs, is punished so severely, then the one who has committed this subsequently and has not come to his senses, despite so many examples, will he really remain unpunished? Where is God's justice? So the sons of Elijah, for eating in front of the altar, suffered the most severe punishment along with their father. So, there was no (other) father who was careless about his children, and there were no criminal children? But no one was punished: when will they be punished if there is no Gehenna? What about Ananias and Sapphira, who stole some of what they put in and were immediately punished? Didn't anyone do this at that time? Why did (others) not suffer the same punishment? Will we be able to convince you of the existence of Gehenna if we use even more examples? I myself would like there to be no punishment, I, perhaps more than anyone else. Why is this so? Because each of you has the responsibility of caring for your own soul, and I bear responsibility in this position, so it is impossible for me more than anyone else to avoid it. So, God is good and philanthropic not only when he does good, but also when he punishes. Moreover, His punishments and punishments constitute the greatest share of good deeds. Likewise, the doctor, not only when he takes the patient out into the gardens and meadows, not only when he puts him in baths and pools, but also when he orders him to remain without food, when he cuts, when he gives bitter medicine, and then he equally remains a doctor and even reveals his philanthropy to a greater extent. Therefore, when you see that someone devoted to virtue endures thousands of trials, call him blessed, worthy of competition, since here too all his sins will be forgiven, and there great rewards will be prepared for his patience. Of the people, some are only punished here, others do not tolerate anything here and receive all the punishment there, and others are punished both here and there: which of these three generations do you consider blessed? I know well that the first, those who are punished here and put away their sins. And who will follow them? You, perhaps, are those who suffered nothing here and who will bear all the punishment there, and I - not these, but those who are punished both here and there - because for those who have suffered punishment here, the punishment there will seem easier, and whoever is forced to bear all the punishment there will suffer an inexorable execution. Why does God warn about the horrors he intends to commit? So that He does not have to do what He warns about. This is why He threatened Gehenna, so as not to cast him into Gehenna. Let words, he says, frighten you, but do not confuse you with deeds. Wonderful are Your promises, O Lord; Your expected Kingdom is wonderful, as is the threatening Gehenna; The Kingdom is a wonderful calling, but Gehenna is a useful frightening one. And God threatens Gehenna not in order to plunge us into Gehenna, but in order to free us from Gehenna, and if he wanted to punish, he would not threaten, thereby urging us to be more careful so that we can avoid what is threatened. He threatens punishment so that we may escape punishment by experience; intimidates in words so as not to punish in deeds. Whoever does not hope for the resurrection and does not mean that he will have to give an account for everything accomplished here, but believes that all our deeds are limited to this present life, and beyond it there will be nothing, he will not care about virtue and refrain from vice, but will indulge in vile desires and engage in every kind of evil; whoever is convinced of the future Judgment, has before his eyes that Terrible Judgment, an inexorable report and an irresistible sentence, will try in every way to succeed in chastity, modesty and other virtues, and to avoid immoderation, obstinacy and all other vices. Truly, it is not so much the word that can do what fear does; it is the fear of Gehenna that brings us the crown of the Kingdom. I know that many fear only Gehenna, but I say that deprivation of heavenly glory is a much more severe punishment than Gehenna. And if it is impossible to explain this with the help of words, there is nothing surprising in that: after all, we do not know the bliss of those blessings in order to clearly imagine the misery of their deprivation; Paul, who was clearly aware of this, knew that falling away from the glory of Christ is the most painful thing. And we will know this when we are exposed to the danger itself. But may this not happen to us, O Only Begotten Son of God, may no danger of such irreparable punishment ever befall us! Gehenna and that punishment are already unbearable; Meanwhile, even if there were myriads of Gehennas, you will not indicate anything such as being deprived of the bliss of this glory, how to be hated by Christ, how to hear: “I do not know you,” how to be accused of the fact that, seeing Him hungry, you did not feed. It is better to endure myriads of lightning than to see how this gentle face turns away from us and how this sweet eye cannot bear to look at us. And if He Himself, despite the fact that I was His enemy, hated Him and turned away, rushed towards me so much that He did not even spare Himself, but gave Himself up to death, then with what eyes will I look at Him, when after all this I do not even deserve His bread, the hungry one? Tell me: if someone, having grown old and living in poverty, suddenly promised to make you young, bring you to the most flourishing age, turn you into extremely strong and surpassing everyone in beauty, and, moreover, give you royal power over the whole world for thousands of years - why would you not undertake to make such an offer and endure it? And when Christ promises not this, but much more that He has prepared for those who love Him, what riches should not be sacrificed? It’s better to say - what souls should not be sacrificed? But since it is impossible to contemplate this with carnal eyes, then ascend in thought and, having become higher than this heaven, look at that Heaven, which is higher than the first, at the boundless height, at the unapproachable light, at the hordes of Angels, and again borrow a picture from us, come down from above and depict what happens around the king on earth, such as: gold-bearing men, a team of shiny, gold-decorated mules, a golden chariot with tablets carried on it, dragons inscribed on silk clothes, asps with golden eyes, gold-bearing horses, golden reins - and having carefully combined all this, transfer your thought from this again upward and think about the terrible day on which Christ will come. After all, you will then see not a team of mules, not golden chariots, not dragons and asps, but the whole sky open, and the Only Begotten Son of God descending, accompanied not by tens or hundreds of bodyguards, but by thousands and myriads of Angels and Archangels; everything will be filled with fear and trembling, while people who ever existed, from Adam until that day, will rise and be pulled out of the earth; and He Himself will appear with such glory that before its excellent radiance the sun and moon will hide their light, and He will reward everyone according to their deeds. But many of the most foolish think to find consolation in the fact that everyone will suffer punishment in Gehenna. This is an extremely awkward word when they say: like everyone else, so am I. Just imagine those obsessed with leg disease: when they suffer terrible pain, then even if you imagined tens of thousands suffering even more seriously, they wouldn’t even think about it; the intensity of suffering will not even give the mind a free minute to think about others and find consolation. Let us therefore not feed on these cold hopes. Receiving consolation from the misfortunes of one’s neighbor is possible even in mediocre suffering; and when the torment goes beyond boundaries, when the whole inside is filled with boiling, when, finally, the soul is not aware of itself, then where can we get consolation from? If someone brought you to a theater where everyone was sitting dressed in golden clothes, and among the crowd pointed out someone else who had both clothes and a crown on his head made of stones and pearls, then promised to enroll you in the ranks of this crowd, would you not do everything to achieve this promise? And when in heaven the theater is made for us not from such things, but from such things that it is impossible to express (about the King it is impossible to say), then will we really deprive ourselves of such benefits just because we do not work for a short time? If it were necessary to endure thousands of deaths every day, even Gehenna itself, in order to see the coming of Christ in His glory and be numbered among the choir of saints, then would it really not be necessary to endure all this? But many of the most foolish consider one thing desirable for themselves - to get rid of Gehenna. I consider it a punishment much more painful than Gehenna, not to be in the glory of Christ, and if someone is removed from here, such a person - I believe - should grieve not because of the evils of Gehenna, but because of falling away from the Master: in relation to punishment, this alone is the most painful. If we loved Christ as we should love, we would know how much more painful it is than hell to offend a loved one; and since we do not love, we do not know the greatness of this punishment - and this is what makes me weep and cry the most. If there were a person in the place of such a loving person, and a King in the place of the beloved, would you not be amazed at the greatness of love? And very much so. If the opposite happens, on the part of Him, who loves us, indescribable beauty, glory and wealth, and on our side - great insignificance, then how will we not be worthy of a thousand punishments, we, who are so insignificant and rejected, are loved beyond all measure by such a Great and Wonderful One, and we neglect His love, while He did not want to prefer anything to us? He had one Son, the Only Begotten and True, and did not spare Him for us, and we prefer the commandments of Satan to Him. Isn’t Gehenna, even doubled, tripled and countless times, just according to deserts? Do not judge me for lamenting, because it is difficult, beloved, not to lament, but to do something worthy of lamentation, not to cry is disgusting, but to cause weeping through actions. You will not be punished, and I will not grieve; You will not be cast into hell, and I will not cry. It is better for us to grieve over this now than to be punished at that time. You, when you are sick in body, call everyone together to sympathize with you, and consider those who do not sympathize with you to be heartless; and when my soul dies, do you demand that I not grieve? But I can’t: after all, I am a father, and a father who loves children. Oh, if you could see the ardor of my soul, if you knew how I burn more than any woman who has suffered untimely widowhood! It’s not like a wife mourns her husband, not like a father mourns his son, like me - this is the multitude gathered around us, because I don’t see any success in you. Everyone is given over to slander and accusations; all the time is spent on accusations. Have you ever seen someone being taken to death? What do you think is on their minds as they walk to the gate? How many deaths are no worse? What would they not want to do and endure in order to free themselves from this fog and cloud? I heard from many who were taken away and then called back out of the tsar’s love for mankind, they said that we didn’t even recognize people as people - the soul was so upset, stupefied and confused. If carnal death brings such horror to you, then what will we do when eternal death comes? When we see the earth being torn apart, the sky opening, the King of all things Himself descending, what will it be like in our souls then? If when others are put to death, because of this death, no different from a dream, people who are not concerned are adjusted in such a way that the soul from fear and anxiety comes into exhaustion and relaxation, then what will be the state when we ourselves are subjected to even greater punishment - eternal punishments? It is impossible, believe me, impossible to describe this disaster in words. Yes, they will say, but God loves mankind, and none of this will happen. So, what is written is in vain? No, they say, but with the purpose of threat, so that we come to our senses. So, if we do not come to our senses, but remain evil, He will not impose punishment? In this case, even the good will not be rewarded. Yes, they say, because it is a decent thing to do good beyond one’s merits. This means that this is quite true, but regarding punishments - not quite, they are only for threat and fear. So what? Have you heard about the flood? Isn’t he even mentioned as a threat? The event itself did not happen, did it not exist? And the people of that time said many such things, and while the ark was being built for a hundred years, and the righteous cried out, there was no one who believed; and since they did not believe the threat in words, they were punished in practice. Let us try to the best of our ability to avoid this danger, so that we can lead our present life safely and achieve future blessings, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Ἐκλογαί άπό διαφόρων λόγων . Under this name are known collections of conversations compiled by various persons after the death of Chrysostom on certain topics, from those related to the topics and especially liked by the compilers of the works of the saint. The passages are given partly in a literal presentation, partly in a free retelling and are borrowed both from the original works of Chrysostom, and from works only attributed to Chrysostom, which have not only survived to this day, but have also been lost. These Eclogues (selections) were widespread and were used by both private individuals and kings. Known, for example, is the luxurious collection of Eclogues, owned by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Botaniatus (1078–1081), registered among the codices of the Koalene Library under No. LXXIX. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: