Глава 13

"Ch. 13. About the Sower” [1, 71]. “There is still hope. For example, someone asks a person known for his kindness and generosity to help himself. He promises with pleasure and says: now is not the time for me to give it to you, or - now I’m not with me, but come to me at such and such a time, at such and such an hour: I will be in such and such a place and will give it to you. With full confidence that the promise will be fulfilled, I wait for the appointed hour or day and come to this generous man - and he, I see, has already prepared what he promised me and gives it to me with a cheerful face. Shouldn’t something similar be said about Christian hope? The Lord God is this Generous Householder, whose treasuries of the Kingdom are filled with spiritual, eternal blessings, exceeding all description and measure, because of their indescribable beauty, life-giving and limitless nature, and await us. Take the Gospel and read the parables of Christ about the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1–52; Matthew 18:23–35; Matthew 20:1–16; Matthew 21:28–44; Matthew 22:1–14; Matthew 25)” [8, 154]. Matthew 13:5. “Others fell on rocky places where there was little soil, and soon sprang up, because the soil was shallow.” “Remember that if during prayer you do not talk idlely, but speak the words of prayer with feeling, then your words will not return to you thinly, without strength (like a husk without grain), but will certainly bring you the very fruits that are contained in the word, like a fruit in a shell. This is the most natural thing, just as the fruit and its shell are natural and ordinary in nature. But if you throw words in vain, without faith, without feeling their power, like a husk without a kernel, then they will return to you empty: you throw a husk, the husk will return to you; you throw the seed, the whole ear will bring you, and the better, the fatter the seed, the more abundant the ear. So it is with our prayers: the more sincerely and heartily you pronounce each word, the more fruit from the prayer: each word, like a grain, will bring you spiritual fruit, like a ripe ear. Who among those praying has not experienced this? It was not in vain that the Savior compared the seed with the word, and the human heart with the earth [See. Matt. 13:5]. The same must be said about the words of prayer. Also: who doesn’t know that rain irrigates the earth and plants and gives them water? So the word of God, and even our word, spoken with faith, will not return to us without watering our souls or the souls of obedient and believing souls. This is just as natural as it is natural for rain to water and nourish the earth and plants and promote their growth” [5, vol. 2, 396]. Matthew 13:9. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” “In order to wean our corrupt nature from being seduced by the temporary sweetness of sin, the Lord arranged it in such a way that the most pleasant sensual pleasures, to which we greedily rush, are harmful both by their very nature and because of our greed and immoderation; Such are all almost delicious dishes, all pleasant drinks, such are the pleasures of voluptuousness. Glory to the goodness and wisdom of the Heavenly Father, who by all means diverts us from falling into sensuality or into the crude pleasures of sensuality. He who has spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear, let him see and hear all this [Cf.: Matt. 13:9]. So, Christian, the very harm from sensual pleasures that are destructive to our body shows that we were not created for them and live on earth, but for higher, spiritual, eternal pleasures! So rest and enjoy in God, my soul! This is such perfect, harmless, true, eternal pleasure! You've experienced it many times already. But all earthly pleasures are charming, harmful, transitory, and at their very beginning bear the germs of corruption, as soon as we touch them. Pain and illness from them serve as proof of this” [5, vol. 2, 404]. Matthew 13:11. “He answered and said to them: Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Matthew 13:12. “For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” Matthew 13:13. “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand;” “The treasure of treasures in the field is the Church (See: Matt. 13:44); This treasure is hidden by the truth of God from those who pretend to be wise - the scientists of this age. They walk around and around this Divine treasure, but do not find it, or even seeing, as if they do not see, and hearing, they do not understand... (Cf.: Matthew 13:13) Give a sermon on this topic” [4, 44]. “Human alms are fearful: they fear not to give to those who have, or not to give much; But the mercy of the Lord is not like this: the Lord is good to everyone, and His compassion is upon all His deeds (Ps. 144:9). Whatever he has, says the Lord, will be given to him, and he will have it in abundance; but whatever he does not have, and thinks he has, will be taken from him (Matt. 13:12; Matt. 25:29)” [10, 236]. Matthew 13:14. “And the prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled over them, which says: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and will not see.” Matthew 13:15. “For the heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, that I may heal them.” Matthew 13:16. “Blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear” “In petitionary prayer, the main thing is faith in God and a sincere, firm desire for the blessings for which we ask, and future reluctance or aversion from those sins of which we repent. – Otherwise, we wish with our tongue and thought, but our heart remains insensitive, or we seem to turn away with our tongue, but not with our heart; let us become stagnant in the very sins for which we pray daily for deliverance. And the prophecy of Isain comes true for us (Matthew 13:14): these people draw near to Me with their lips... but their heart is far from Me (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13). A living sense of one’s sins is necessary in prayer, as at any time” [11, 148]. "St. 16. Blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear” [1, 71]. Matthew 13:17. “For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear.” “Verse 17. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear” [1, 71]. Matthew 13:18. “Listen to the meaning of the parable of the sower:” Matthew 13:19. “To everyone who hears the word about the Kingdom and does not understand, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart - this is what is sown along the way.” Matthew 13:20. “And what is sown on rocky places is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;” Matthew 13:21. “But it has no root in itself and is fickle: when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, it is immediately offended.” Matthew 13:22. “And what was sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Matthew 13:23. “What is sown on good ground means one who hears the word and understands, and who bears fruit, so that some bear fruit a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” "Verse 23. What is sown on good soil means one who hears the word and understands, who is fruitful, so that some bear fruit a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty (Matthew 13:23). The Word of God, like the rays of the sun falling on fruitful soil, having been heard and understood by a good person, certainly makes a person’s soul fruitful, because it is alive and active and sharper than any sword, in the earthly soil there are God-given powers to grow certain plants according to their kind and in their likeness; the sun only awakens these forces with its light and warmth. and the strongest ability to bear fruit is one hundred, one is sixty, one is thirty” [1, 71]. “Are we indignant at those who, seeing that we are standing over an abyss on a rotten plank, show us a strong bridge built over this abyss, along which travelers can safely pass on their way to the mountain dwelling? - No. And these are precisely those who take our perishable property - our money, food and drink, to which we become attached in this life and on which we rely, like on a rotten board thrown over an abyss. Through pity and hardness of heart due to the loss of our property, they lead us out of the blindness in which we were, hoping for money, food and drink, and show us a reliable bridge to the eternally blessed, mountainous dwelling - the commandment of the Gospel. Truly, money, food and drink, property are rotten planks lying over the abyss, on which we walk, on which we rely, instead of relying on the one Lord, and which are soon, soon ready to break and cast us into the abyss of hell. Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened with gluttony and drunkenness and the sorrows of this life... (Luke 21:34), but this is what was sown among thorns... The sorrows of this age, and the flattery of riches, and other lusts that come in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful (cf. Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:18, 19). – Do you see what a disaster comes from wealth: addictions to food and drink suppress God’s word? - Whose? - God is the word of the eternal Life (Wed: John 6:68). Aren’t money, food and drink the worst enemies if we are partial to them, and all the more dangerous because they are flattering” [10, 497]. “Remember that if during prayer you do not idle talk, but say the words of prayer with feeling, then your words will not return to you empty (cf. Is. 55:11), without power (like a husk of bread without grain), but will certainly bring you the very fruits that are contained in the word, like fruit in a shell. - This is the most natural thing, just as the fruit and its shell are natural and ordinary in nature. But if you throw words in vain, without faith and without feeling their power, like a husk without a kernel, then they will return to you empty: you throw a husk - the husk will come back to you, you throw a seed - a whole ear will bring you, and the better, the fatter the seed, the more abundant the ear; so it is with our prayers: the more sincerely and heartily you pronounce each word, the more fruit from the prayer: each word, like a grain, will bring you spiritual fruit, like a ripe ear. Who among those who pray has not experienced this? – It was not in vain that the Savior compared the seed with the word, and human hearts with the earth (See: Matthew 13:19–23). The same must be said about the words of prayer. Also: whoever does not know that rain waters the earth and plants and gives them water, then the word of God, and even our word, spoken with faith, will not return to us without watering our souls or the souls of those who are obedient and believing. This is natural, just as it is natural for rain to water and nourish the earth and plants - and promote growth" [10, 161]. Matt. 13:24. He proposed another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; Matthew 13:25. “While the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away;” Matthew 13:26. “When the greenery came up and the fruit appeared, then the tares also appeared.” Matthew 13:27. “When the householder’s servants came, they said to him: Master! did you not sow good seed in your field? where does the tares come from?” Matthew 13:28. “He said to them: The enemy of man has done this. And the slaves said to him: Do you want us to go and choose them? “Didn’t you sow good seed in your village (Thy Church); where should we get the tares (Matthew 13:27): heresies, schisms, the admission of new dogmas; all sorts of vices: pride, hypocrisy, vanity, desire for domination, supremacy in the Catholic Church; distortion of Divine services, Sacraments, rituals (unleavened bread)? The Lord answered: the enemy is man (Matt. 13:28), pride and human malice. Do you want, say the Angels, we will go and weed out the bad grass? No, says the Master of the field (of the Church and the heart of man), leave both to grow until the harvest, etc.; burn with unquenchable fire (cf. Matthew 3:12). It speaks about the Churches, Orthodox and heretical, and about the morals of Christians” [4, 60]. “Didn’t you sow good seed in your field (Thy Church)? Where did the tares come from (Matthew 13:27): heresies, schisms, the admission of new dogmas, all sorts of vices, the desire to dominate, supremacy in the Catholic Church, distortion of worship, sacraments, rituals (unleavened bread)? The Lord answers: the enemy man did this (Matthew 13:28), pride and human malice, but the Lord allows everything to grow to the end, and in the next century he will evaluate everyone according to his deeds” [6, 36]. Matthew 13:29. “But he said: no, so that when you choose the tares, you do not uproot the wheat along with them.” Matthew 13:30. “Let both grow together until the harvest; And at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares and bind them in sheaves to burn them, and put the wheat into my barn.” "Verse 30. Leave both (wheat and tares) to grow together until the harvest; and during the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather the tares first and bind them in sheaves to burn them, and put the wheat into my granary. I must certainly be wheat, because for this I was born, for this they are all born. What use are the tares to the lord of the house, our Lord? They are only fit for the oven. But if I am a sinner, then I am tares. God grant that I may be wheat" [1, 71]. Matthew 13:31. “He set another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.” Matthew 13:32. “which, although smaller than all seeds, yet when it grows, is greater than all herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches.” “Matt. Ch. 13, [31–32] art. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which, although smaller than all the seeds, when it grows, is larger than all the grains and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches. It speaks of the inner kingdom in man, which is the Heavenly Kingdom according to the heavenly gifts that the soul of a faithful Christian receives. At first, it really is like an imperceptible mustard seed and gradually grows more and more, so that finally it becomes like a large hay-leaved tree, under which many can take refuge. Examples: The Most Holy Virgin Mother of God, Who covers the whole world with Her cover; the apostles, in whose godly messages, full of spirit and strength and universal suitability, all pious people take refuge, like birds in the branches of a large tree, finding in them both food and peace; saints of God, for example Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great, Anthony and Macarius of Egypt and others, whose writings and deeds serve as a refuge for souls thirsting for piety, to spiritual pleasure and salvation” [1, 72]. “August 11. Christian logic, it seems, is not difficult and can easily be understood and studied, and is too vital to love and study, and assimilate it with all your heart; and yet it is this, this Christian logic, that almost everyone has forgotten: both simple and learned (pseudo-scientists), they do not delve into it and do not study it with diligence, like other earthly and utilitarian sciences, arts and artistic skills; and this heavenly logic and wisdom is justified by her children (cf. Matthew 11:19), like Seraphim of Sarov, Theodosius of Chernigov, Tikhon of Zadonsk, Mitrofan of Voronezh and all the ancient, medieval and new holy saints of God. Which of the laity is now looking for this pearl of great price (a soul in the image and likeness of God), this treasure hidden in the field, this mustard seed, this leaven, which the woman put in three measures of flour (See: Matt. 13:45, 44, 31–32, 33)” [4, 42]. "Our Father - Thy kingdom come (Matthew 6:9–10). The Kingdom of Heaven (in man) is like the grain of a pea, which a man takes up in his village, even if he eats the least of all the seeds: when it grows, there is more than all the potions and there is a tree, as if the birds of the air could come and fly on its branches (Matthew 13:31-32). Just as every tree at the beginning is an insignificant seed and then, under favorable conditions of the soil of the earth, light, warmth, humidity, it gradually develops and grows, receiving everything it needs not from itself, but from the earth, water, air, light and heat source, so the Kingdom of God in man at first is only barely noticeable, like a small grain, everything in it is sin and the domain of the devil. Man does the will of his sinful flesh and the lust of his father the devil (Cf.: Jn. 8:44); but when a person surrenders himself to the guidance of the grace of God, then the Kingdom of God will begin to grow in him and spread more and more, and finally embrace the entire area of ​​his thoughts, desires, intentions, words and activities - so that finally Christ completely reigns in the heart of a person and he says about himself: I live not for anyone, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). – And in this blessed kingdom, just as in the kingdom of nature, a person receives all the conditions for his spiritual growth solely not from himself, but from God: all good thoughts, desires, dispositions, intentions, the gift of a gracious word, all the virtues - faith, hope and love, meekness, humility, mercy, abstinence. Jesus Christ is for a grace-filled person both nourishing earth, or the bread of life (John 6:35), and water, quenching his spiritual thirst, and air, and light, and life-giving warmth. Just as a tree, rooted in the earth, grows, dresses with leaves and bears fruit, so a Christian, confirmed by heartfelt faith in Christ, grows spiritually and bears the fruits of virtues for eternal life. - Therefore, every Christian needs to place all his hope in Christ, to breathe in Him constantly, to drink in His grace, to constantly establish his heart in Him, as a tree establishes its roots in the earth - and to let his heart roots grow in Him as widely and deeply as possible. – Dig and deepen (Luke 6:48). - From here it is obvious that every shadow of pride in a Christian is disgusting: for what does he have, according to the Apostle, that is not accepted (cf. 1 Cor. 4:7)? – Blessed are the poor in spirit: for of them is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3). Spiritual poverty, or humility, is primarily an attribute of a Christian, his best adornment and a solid foundation for all virtues; a Christian always vividly remembers that the Kingdom of God in him was at first barely noticeable, like a mustard seed, and then only by the grace of God it grew into a tree, that everything he has is God’s and nothing is his own. “By the grace of God,” he says, “I am what I am (1 Cor. 15:10)” [8, 263]. Matthew 13:33. “He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.” "Verse 33. He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and put in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened (Matthew 13:33). The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which is capable of leavening with its insignificant quantity a great deal of dissolved flour. And so it was, and is. The Twelve Apostles (a very insignificant leaven for such a number of people as the whole world) turned the whole world to the Kingdom of Christ” [1, 72]. “August 20. Holy Prophet Samuel. I thank the Lord with all my heart for the speedy, merciful, benevolent, sovereign deliverance of me from spiritual death, sorrow and hardship that befell me righteously for irritation and anger at the priest Sukin (from St. Petersburg), who invited me to confess his sins. I said: go away and go to another priest; I'm sick and can't study with you. – I deeply and strongly repented to the Lord in secret - and the Lord, seeing the depth of repentance, forgave and revived me, and I served the Liturgy in peace and said an animated, reasonable sermon on Christ’s parable about leaven: The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven (Matthew 13:33). I thank the Lord, who makes me wise and gives me the word to preach. Continue to become wise for Your glory and for the salvation of Your faithful people. Amen. Evening. 9 hours" [4, 54]. Matthew 13:37. “He answered and said to them, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man.” "37 Art. and further. He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age: the Son of Man will send His angels, and from His kingdom they will gather all who offend and those who practice iniquity, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:37–43). How opposite is the fate of the righteous to the fate of sinners after the general Judgment. Some will be enlightened like the sun in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father, while others in pitch darkness will forever cry and gnash their teeth from terrible torment and in anger at themselves!” [1, 72]. Matthew 13:43. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” “You see how bright the sun and the stars are: the righteous will one day shine like the sun [Matt. 13:43 ], from the internal, immaterial light of God. – When Angels appear on earth, they are almost always illuminated with light. Strive for this enlightenment, discard dark things. We can elevate our nature to a participation of the divine Nature; and God is the uncreated Light, surpassing every created light” [5, vol. 1, 141]. “The whole present is only one shadow of the future: light is the shadow of the future ineffable light; earthly sweets are a faint shadow of future ineffable, endless sweets; fire is a faint shadow of the future fire of Gehenna, which will scorch sinners forever and ever; pure earthly joy is a shadow of future unspeakable joys; the embellished royal palaces are an insignificant shadow of the bright heavenly abodes prepared for those who love God and fulfill His commandments; the glorious garments of the men and daughters of men cannot be compared with the garment of glory in which the elect will put on, for they will put on Christ and shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father [Matt. 13:43], according to the false promise of the Savior” [5, vol. 1, 176]. “For the Lord to give flesh to any other creature, animal or plant, is the same as for us to sew, to put on clothes; I took it and sewed it and put it on. You clothed me with skin and flesh, and sewed me together with bones and sinews [Job. 10:11]. And what an infinite multitude and variety of substances the Lord has, from which He, the Creator, creates different clothes for different cuts for His creatures (animals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles)! And He will one day clothe us with light like the sun in His kingdom! The Queen appeared... in robes and gilded garments [Ps. 44:10]. The righteous will be enlightened like the sun [Matt. 13:43]. And now we are dressed with earth, water, air, warmth, these are our clothes. And how wisely and conveniently all these elements are made and combined in our being! It is neither heavy nor beautiful. Oh, all-wise and all-powerful Artist! life-giving Artist! How wonderful, comfortable, and lively everything is with you! With You even the dust is quickened, with You even the dust moves” [5, vol. 1, 194]. “We love everything shiny on earth: gold, silver, precious stones, crystal, shiny clothes - why don’t we love the future glory to which the Lord calls us? Why don’t we strive for enlightenment like the sun? The righteous, it is said, will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father [Matt. 13:43]. Because by sin they perverted the nature of their soul and, instead of heaven, clung to the earth, instead of incorruption to corruption, they fell in love with earthly splendor, temporary, corruptible and charming. But why do we have such a strong love for glitter? Because our soul was created for the heavenly light and in the beginning there was all light, all radiance; she has an innate light, an innate feeling and desire for light. Direct this desire to seek heavenly light” [5, vol. 2, 298]. “The expression of Christian hope in relation to earthly life is the forgiveness of sins in which we live all our lives: if anyone sins, the imams intercede with the Father... and He is the cleanser for our sins [1 John. 2:1, 2]. In relation to the future life: we will see Him as He is [1 John. 3:2]... They will be enlightened like the sun [Matt. 13:43]... And where I am, my servant will also be... I go to prepare a place for you [Jn. 12:26 ; In. 14:2]... Our life is in heaven, and from there we wait for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humility [Phil. 3:20, 21]" [5, vol. 2, 524]. “A lofty being is man, a wonderful creation of God, created in His image! If in a state of fall he is capable of many amazing deeds that he has performed and is producing, as we constantly see this both in history and in our modern world, then what is he capable of in a state of holiness and perfection? But most of all, what deserves attention, surprise, reverence, and heartfelt gratitude in him is that he can be like his Creator - God, that he is destined for immortality, for eternal bliss in God and with God, that he will one day be enlightened, like the sun, in the Kingdom of his Heavenly Father! The Lord, foreseeing this glory of His faithful elect, says: then, at the Second Coming, the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father [Matt. 13:43]" [5, vol. 2, 374]. “Reading with attention the church services to the saints for every day of the year and contemplating their deeds in spirit, I cannot be amazed at their selfless love for the Lord and the inexpressible condescension of God towards them, and the love of God for them. How many spiritual gifts did they receive from God? what miracles they performed, what gift of prophecy they had; both during their lives and after their death God glorified them, and dwelt in them, and honored them with unspeakable glory and honor. Some saints shone like the sun (cf. Matthew 13:43) at their very death, and angels were their companions to heaven! This is what it means to have a human soul, cleansed of sins and loving its Creator with all its heart! God does not remain a debtor” [4, 30]. Matt. 13:44 Again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Verse 44. The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a treasure hidden in a field, which, having found, a man hid, and out of joy over it he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. So it was and is: at all times and in all places on the globe there were many people who, having found the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven, joyfully left everything they had and took in this treasure. There were many rich people who, in order to buy it treasure, they sold everything they had, and bought this treasure with alms and donations. You need to look for virtue” [1, 73]. “What treasure is more precious than the treasure of the faith of Christ, the Orthodox faith? Truly, there is no more precious treasure than the treasure of true faith: because true faith gives us knowledge of the true God and unites us with God - and in uniting with God all good and bliss; That is why the Head of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, calls faith in Him both a treasure hidden in the field and priceless beads (cf. Matthew 13:44, 45). And this treasure of true faith was conveyed to us, in our native language, by the mentioned two equal-to-the-apostles and siblings, Saints Methodius and Cyril. - Our ancestors, like all Slavs - Moravians, Serbs, Czechs, Poles and others, in ancient times were idolaters, giving glory befitting the only living God - soulless idols; Thus, the Russians worshiped Svarog, or Perun, Dazhbog, or the sun and fire, and many other imaginary gods and idols, sacrificed living children to Perun, as the Jews once did to Moloch; They did not know about the sweetest Savior of men, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and about the eternal life given to those who believe in Him - and they perished in their polytheistic or godless faith. But the Lord Most High, in whose right hand is the destiny of the peoples, Who foresaw the readiness of the Slavic tribes to accept the light of truth and true faith, chose to convert them from the charms of paganism to the life-giving faith of Christ two brothers - the Slavs Methodius and Cyril, as once two brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John called from catching fish to catching people, and these new apostles are many they labored and endured sorrows during the enlightenment of the Slavic tribes with the faith of Christ; the Slavs did not know letters, did not have letters: it was necessary to invent letters or letters, and Saint Cyril invented letters for them; it was necessary to translate the Word of God and liturgical books into the language of the Slavs: and the two brothers accomplished this difficult task, taught the dark Slavs literacy, faith, prayer, the commandments of the Lord, built churches for them, gave them priests, and service to the true God began in the land, which until then had been defiled by idolatry and demonic sacrifices. From the Moravian Slavs, the Christian faith, Slavic literacy, sacred and liturgical books passed to the Russian Slavs, and the Russian land began to serve the true God, to be enlightened and sanctified and warmed by the faith of Christ. First Askold and Dir, then Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, the Russian star, and after her her grandson - Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the red sun of the Russian land, led the Russian people to the knowledge of the one living true God and His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit - the Holy Trinity, Consubstantial, Life-giving and Inseparable" [9, 144]. Matthew 13:45. “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for good pearls.” "The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a merchant looking for good pearls, who, having found one precious pearl, went and sold everything he had and bought it. Nowadays, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who enlightened Rus' with Baptism, is likened to this evangelical merchant looking for good beads. In order to buy the valuable beads of the faith of Christ, he suddenly rejected paganism and his violent passions and submitted to the easy yoke of Christ” [1, 73]. Matthew 13:47. “The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught fish of all kinds.” Matthew 13:48. “Which, when it was full, they pulled ashore and, sitting down, collected the good things in vessels, and threw the bad things out.” Matthew 13:49. “So it will be at the end of the age: angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous.” Matthew 13:50. “And they will throw them into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” "Vv. 47-50. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and captured fish of every kind, which, when it was full, they pulled ashore and, sitting down, gathered the good into vessels, and threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace. What a wonderful, incomparable comparison! Future spiritual events are presented so clearly and clearly in the simplest, most ordinary actions and objects! throw the evil ones out - into terrible Tartarus, to eternal destruction! Glory, Lord, to Your holy word" [1, 73]. Matthew 13:57. “And they were offended because of Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” “When reading or listening to truly sacred works, it is almost heartfelt in the people who produced them - images of God the Word or God the Word Himself speaking through them. Always remember when reading a book of spiritual or worldly content that man is the image of God and this image of God is in his thought, word and spirit with which he speaks. Accustom yourself to always look at every person with high respect, as the image of God, but especially when he speaks, and especially when he speaks about God. ABOUT! Then he is Divine. From the habit of people, from getting to know them, from their everyday life, from the habit of the gift of speech in ourselves and in people, we value the gift of speech little and sometimes despise it in others - and the devil, through our pride and inattention, thus blasphemes the image of God in people. We must humble ourselves in every possible way in our hearts and trample upon our proud minds, so as not to be like us to the contemporaries of the prophets, who looked at them as sweet-voiced, blessed singers - nothing more, they did not want to fulfill their commands, they even despised, persecuted, beat and killed them, so that we would not become like those people for whom the prophet is unpleasant in their own country (Cf.: Matt. 13:57; Mark 6:4; – No matter how small and insignificant a person may be, the image of God is almost in him, especially when he speaks, especially when he speaks with love; mainly when he speaks and does deeds of love” [8, 121]. You might be interested in: