Слово 35. О покаянии

Repentance, difficult and terrible for a sinner, is the healing of sins, the flow of tears, the destruction of untruth, boldness towards God, a weapon against the devil, a sword that cuts off his head, hope for salvation, the removal of despair. It opens the sky, leads you into Paradise, defeats the devil. Therefore, I will not cease to stir up words regarding him, so that you do not despair of your sins, and do not be proud when you do what is right. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands beware lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12)—excessive confidence does lead to a fall. Are you righteous? Don't fall. Sinner? Don't despair. I will not stop rubbing you with this medicine, because I do not know if there is any weapon against the devil so that you do not despair. If you are a sinner, do not despair. I will not stop telling you this: if you sin every day, repent every day. The same thing we do in dilapidated houses: when they fall apart, we remove what is falling apart and fix it with new ones, never ceasing to care. If today you have fallen into decay from sin, restore yourself tomorrow by repentance. But is it possible, they will say, to be saved by repentance? Yes, definitely. Will I, having spent my whole life in sin, if I repent, receive salvation? Yes. How can I prove this? By the love of the Lord. Can I have confidence in your repentance alone? Is your repentance able to destroy so much evil? If there was only repentance, then you really should tremble. But when God’s mercy is mixed with repentance, take heart. There is no measure of God's mercy; No word can express His goodness. There is a measure for your depravity, but there is no measure for healing remedies. Your depravity, whatever it may be, is still human depravity; God's mercy is inexpressible. Take heart, because your evil has been defeated. Imagine a spark falling into the sea. She can't hold on or shine. What a spark is to the sea, sins are to God’s mercy; and not even that, but much less. The sea, no matter how great it is, still has its measure, but God’s mercy is limitless. I say this not to make you more frivolous, but to make you more diligent. I often persuaded you not to go to the theater: you listened, but did not perform, and went to the theater again; I turned a deaf ear to my words so that I wouldn’t be ashamed to come and listen again. I listened to what they would say, but did not do it: how can I go and listen? Meanwhile, you know that you did not fulfill it, you are ashamed, you blush, you hold back, while no one denounces you; my word has taken root in you, my teaching purifies you even when I am not there. Didn't you fulfill it? But have you condemned yourself? You fulfilled half, if you did not fulfill, but said: “I did not fulfill.” He who condemns himself for not doing something is inclined to do it. Were you at the show? Committed a sin? Captured by a harlot? Back from the theater? Have you come to your senses? Did you feel ashamed? Come to church. Are you upset? Call to God. But don’t stop at this: “Woe is me! I listened and did not fulfill it! How should I go to church? How to listen again? Therefore, especially go to church that you have not fulfilled, so that after listening again, you will fulfill it. If you were offered a medicine and it did not cleanse your body, would you take it again the next day? Let's say a woodcutter wants to cut down an oak tree. He takes an ax and cuts the root; having given one blow, will he not give another if the tree does not fall? Wouldn't the third, fourth, fifth, tenth give? Do the same. The harlot is the oak, a barren tree that bears acorns, the food of foolish swine. He took root in your soul for a long time; entangling your conscience with his branches, he captured it. My word is an axe; You've heard it once before. But can something that has been rooted for so long fall in one day? If it doesn’t fall in two, three, or a hundred times, that’s not surprising. Cut down at least one bad thing that has power over you, at least one bad habit. The Jews ate manna and demanded onions, which were in Egypt: “it was good for us in Egypt” (Num. 11:18). That’s how strong and what a shameful thing habit is! If in ten days you do a worthy deed, if in twenty, in thirty, how can I not love you? How can you not be grateful? How not to hug? Just don’t get tired, but be ashamed and condemn yourself. I spoke again about love: you listened, but when you left, you committed theft, and did not justify your word with your deeds. However, do not be ashamed to come to church again; be ashamed when you sin; do not be ashamed, repenting, but sinning. Listen to what the devil did to you. There are two things: sin and repentance. Sin is a wound; repentance is the cure. In sin there is shame, in sin there is disgrace; in repentance there is boldness, in repentance there is freedom, in repentance there is cleansing from sin. Listen carefully. Shame follows sin; freedom is the companion of repentance. But Satan perverted the order and combined freedom with sin, and shame with repentance. I won't stop talking about this until tonight, until I destroy it. There is a wound and there is a cure. There is rot in the wound, the medicine has the ability to cleanse the rot. Is there rot in the medicine? Is there a life-saving remedy in a wound? Doesn’t this have its own order, and that has its own? Is it possible to change this to this, or that to that? But let us now turn to the sins of the soul. In sin there is shame, in sin there is disgrace, its destiny is dishonor. In repentance there is freedom, in repentance there is fasting and justification. “You have spoken first of your iniquities, so that you may be justified” (“You speak in order to be justified”) “The righteous man is a blasphemer to himself in the first word” (“The righteous man in his first speech exposes himself”) (Is. 43:26; Proverbs 18:18). The devil, seeing that in sin there is shame (and this is enough to turn a sinner away from sin), but in repentance there is freedom (which is able to attract the repentant), seeing this, he perverted the order, combining shame with repentance and freedom with sin. Here's the thing, I say. Strong lust attracts someone to a public woman. He becomes a captive of a harlot, comes to a brothel, without shame, without blushing, unites with a harlot, commits a sin. At this time there is no shame or reproach in him. But shame comes with the end of sin: he is ashamed to repent. Madman! When you married a harlot, you were not ashamed, but when you go to repentance, are you ashamed? He is ashamed to say that he committed adultery and blushes. When doing the deed itself, he doesn’t blush, but does he blush at the word? These are the wiles of the devil. He allows him, when he sins, not only not to be ashamed, but to do it in front of everyone, because he knows that he will run away from sin if he is ashamed; in repentance, he makes him feel ashamed, because he knows that, being ashamed, he will not repent. Both produce evil, delay repentance, and lead to sin. Why are you ashamed then? When you committed adultery, you were not ashamed, but when they offer medicine, are you ashamed? When you are cleansed of sin, are you ashamed? You should have been ashamed then; you should have been ashamed then when you sinned. When you became a sinner, you were not ashamed, but when you accept justification, are you ashamed? “You speak to justify yourself.” Oh, the mercy of the Lord! He did not say: “so that you do not accept punishment,” but: “in order to justify yourself.” Wonderful. But pay attention to the word: He justifies him. But how does He do this? But this is what happened to the thief: it was enough for him to say: “Or you do not fear God,” and then to his companion: “And we are justly condemned, because we received what is worthy of our deeds,” as He says: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:40–41, 43). He did not say: I free you from punishment and condemnation, but He introduces him to Paradise. Do you see how he was justified by confession? God is humane. He did not spare the Son to spare the servant; He betrayed the Only Begotten to redeem ungrateful slaves; He made the blood of His Son the price of their freedom. Oh, the love of the Lord! And do not say again: I have sinned a lot, how can I be saved? You can't, but the Lord will save you. He will destroy your sins so much that not even a trace will remain of them. This cannot be done with the body. If a doctor tried tens of thousands of times to do this; if he put medicine on the wounds, the wound would heal, but the scar would not be destroyed. This is prevented by the weakness of nature, the impotence of art, and the imperfection of medicines. But God, blotting out sins, does not leave a scar, does not allow any trace to remain; Along with health, He also gives beauty, freeing from punishment, He also bestows righteousness and makes the one who has sinned equal to the one who has not committed a sin. But can’t sin lead to despair or defeat God’s mercy? And how did Judas die? How? After all, repentance cannot be forced. Listen to what the Teacher says to him: “What should I do with you, Judas? You don't know what you're going to do. I know, but I don't want to. The quality of sins requires this, but the greatness of mercy restrains it. What should I do with you? Spare you? But you will become even more careless. Punish? But My mercy does not allow Me this. What should I do with you? Should I not treat you like Sodom, should I strike you like Gomorrah? But I am the Father, and the Merciful Father.” And we, knowing about this mercy, will not despair, but we will also not indulge in carelessness: both are destruction. Despair does not allow the one lying down to get up, carelessness makes the one standing up fall. This tends to deprive one of the bestowed benefits; this does not allow one to free oneself from the surrounding evil. Negligence casts you down from heaven itself, despair leads to the abyss of evil, just as maintaining courage forces you to immediately flee from there. Look at the power of both. The devil was previously good, but, due to negligence and despair, he fell into such an abyss of evil that he would never rise again. That he was good, listen to what is said: “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18). The likeness to lightning indicates the radiance of the former state and the speed of the fall. Paul was a detractor, a persecutor, a persecutor. But since he had zeal and did not despair, he rebelled and became equal to the Angels. Judas was an apostle, but through negligence he became a traitor. The thief then, because he did not despair, even after committing so much evil, entered Paradise first of all. The Pharisee, because he was arrogant, fell from the heights of virtue; The publican, since he did not fall into despair, was so exalted for this that he surpassed him. Do you want me to show you how the same thing happened to an entire city? Thus the entire city of Nineveh was saved. The verdict led them, of course, into despondency. After all, the prophet did not say that if they repent, they will be saved, but simply: “Three more days, and Nenevia will be destroyed.” And yet, despite the fact that the rebuke came from God, and what the prophet said, and the sentence was without delay or limitation, they did not lose heart and did not betray their good hopes. And therefore he did not add restrictions and did not say: “if they repent, they will be saved,” so that we, hearing God’s decision, which has no restrictions, would not fall into despair, looking at this example. Nothing gives the devil such a reliable weapon as despair. Therefore, we do not please him as much when we sin as when we despair. Listen, then, to how in the case of the man who committed fornication, Paul feared despair more than sin. Writing to the Corinthians, he said this: “There is a true rumor that fornication has appeared among you, and, moreover, such fornication that they do not dare and which is not heard even among the pagans” (1 Cor. 5:1). What is unbearable for those even to be called by name, you dared to do with your very deed: “And you became proud” (1 Cor. 5:2). He did not say: “and he became proud,” but, leaving the sinner, he speaks to the healthy, as doctors do, who, having left the sick, speak more to those who accompany them. But in any case, they were also guilty of his madness - in that they did not express any reproaches or reproaches to him. He made the accusation general so that the treatment of the wound would be easier. It is terrible to sin, but it is even more terrible to be proud of your sins. If being proud of the truth is deprivation of the truth, then even more so, when relating to sins, this pride will cause us the ultimate harm and will be a greater guilt than the sins themselves. That is why it is said: “When you have done all that is commanded you, say: We are worthless servants” (Luke 17:10). If those who have done everything must be humble, then all the more should they cry, considering themselves among the very last. Pointing precisely to this, the apostle said: “instead of weeping” (1 Cor. 5:2). What are you saying? Someone else has sinned and I have to cry? Yes, he says, we are all connected to each other in punishment in the body and in the members. On the body: if the leg gets wounded, we see how the head droops. What could be higher than her? However, during times of misfortune, she does not show her dignity. Do the same. Therefore, Paul urges us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. But look how Paul fears (as I have already said) despair, as the great weapon of the devil. Having said: “I ask you to show him love,” he also indicated the reason: “so that he would not be consumed by excessive sorrow” (2 Cor. 2:7-8). The sheep, he says, is in the mouth of the wolf. Let us hasten and recapture her before he devours her and destroys our member. The ship is now caught in the storm. Let us hasten to save him before the crash. Just as a ship is flooded when the sea is stormy and the waves rise on all sides, so the soul, when despondency comes upon it from everywhere, soon suffocates if it has no hand to support it. Sadness over sins is salutary, but it brings destruction if it is excessive. Paul, knowing what the devil had done to Judas, was afraid that the same thing would happen here. What did he do with Judas? Judas repented: “I have sinned,” they say, “by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). The devil heard these words. He saw that he was beginning the path to the better, heading towards salvation, and was afraid of the change. After all, he has a Merciful Lord: He cried for him when he had the intention of betraying Him, and convinced him countless times: all the more, will He not accept him now that he repents? When he did something unworthy, He attracted him and called him to Himself: much less will He call him to Himself now that he has corrected himself and recognized his sin? After all, He came for this purpose, to be nailed. What did the devil do? He terrified Judas, he blinded him with excessive despondency, he persecuted him, pursued him until he brought him to the noose, until he took this life away from him and deprived him of the desire to repent. And that he would have been saved if he had remained alive is proven by the example of those who nailed the Lord to the Cross. If He saved those who led Him to the Cross, and, being already on the Cross itself, prayed to the Father, asking to forgive them their crime, then it is obvious that He would have accepted the traitor with all good will if he had repented according to the established law. But he, suppressed by excessive grief, did not allow the medicine to work. Paul, fearing this, insists to the Corinthians to snatch the man from the jaws of the devil. But what about the case with the Corinthians? Peter, after participating in the Sacrament, denied three times, but made amends for everything with tears; the harlot acquired the favor of the Lord with her tears; Paul, after confessing his sins, became a teacher of the repentant. Using these means, let us begin to heal our wounds, saying: “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; heal my soul, because I have sinned.” Having received us, the Doctor will say: “I am the one who blots out your iniquities, and I will not remember them” (“I, I Myself, blot out your transgressions for My own sake and I will not remember your sins”) (Is. 43:25). Look how many medicinal remedies the Doctor has prepared for you, choose which one you want; He indicated a variety of help in relation to the variety of your wounds. If you cannot fast like the Ninevites, then, like the harlot, wash away your sins with tears. If you are unable to give alms, reveal your sins and resort to God’s mercy together with David, saying: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy” (Ps. 50:3). After all, this is not a viper’s bite, so that I begin to apply medicine to the bitten place, and it is not dirty uncleanness, so that I begin to wash it with water; This is a wound from the bite of the devil; it needs the compassion of Your love for mankind. Approach, asking for only one thing, may the Lover of Mankind send down His mercy, Who said: “If the wicked man turns from his evil way, I will not remember his iniquities that he has committed” (Ezek. 18:21-22). Let us also turn, cry out, wash away the impurity of sin with tears, let us beat ourselves on the chest and face, feel our sins, so that we too can hear from the Lord: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” To Him is due all glory, honor and worship, now and forever. 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: