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We are now living in a difficult time, which is written in the Word of God that it is the last. And God give us last warnings too, for soon fertile time will end and sorrow will come, also the last. We must survive this crisis, stand firm in order to be among the saved. Everything is coming to an end very quickly, and we are afraid of what is happening in the world and what else will happen.

Christ said that people would die of fear and expectation of disasters coming to the universe (Luke 21, 26) which is happening now.

But the Word of God not only describes the coming horrors, not only warns, but also comforts, strengthens, gives hope, strengthens faith, and promises a great reward to those who love God and keep His word. It gives peace, peace in the heart and joy that those who do not love God do not know. “The eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and it has not entered the heart of man that God has prepared loving Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

To comfort His despondent disciples, Christ promises them to return and take them to Himself in the Father's abode. "I'm going to prepare a place for you. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that you too may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

It was a long time ago. The return time is near. So what has God prepared? And let's look at everything in order, from the very beginning.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis 1:1). The Lord created a beautiful planet, adorned it with forests, rivers, hills, and planted a beautiful garden. Flowers of amazing beauty bloomed everywhere, beautiful birds sang beautiful songs, fearless animals walked. Everything was very good. And everything was prepared for man. Man was the crown of God's creation - holy, beautiful, endowed with intellect - he was created in the image and likeness of God. Everything was placed under his control. “And God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1, 28).

But not only that. Man was given free will so that he could make a choice: voluntarily, out of love for God, serve Him, or choose his own path away from God. And since a person could make any choice, it was necessary to secure him in case of an erroneous choice. And God has prepared something else grandiose, “into which the angels desire to penetrate” (1 Peter 1:12) – a plan for the salvation of man. The center of this plan, its main protagonist was Jesus Christ - the Son of God, who was to become the Savior of mankind, a substitutionary sacrifice for sin, Mediator and Intercessor for man before God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

Man nevertheless made the wrong choice, and thereby sinned, violating the will of God. And then immediately the plan of salvation went into action. Sin closed man's access to heaven, eternity was lost. The wages of sin is death. But didn't God's plans come true? Oh no. God knew the end from the beginning. But God did not deprive a person of hope, did not leave him in a hopeless state. The Lord gave man the promise of a Messiah who would come and save them from sin. He will come to die for man and enable him to return home to God. In the meantime, the first animal died, and the law of sacrifice was given to man, which constantly reminded man of the coming Messiah. These sacrifices pointed to the Lamb that God Himself had prepared as a sacrifice for fallen man—the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

We talk about what God has prepared loving His. So, those who loved God, aspired to Him, gratefully accepted this type of ministry, because. look to Christ by faith. They thanked God for His great mercy that God had not let them die forever. And those who did not love God opposed Him, saying that God is cruel. They did not believe in Him and did not understand His ways, because "the God of this age has blinded their minds so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, does not shine on them." (Cor. 4, 4).

So God prepared everything on His part to save man. The people were waiting for the Messiah. And now the time has come. The apostle Paul writes with inspiration about this event: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his only begotten Son, who was born of a woman, who was subject to the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4, 4-5). Oh, how great is the love of God! It truly transcends all understanding. God - the Creator of the universe humbled himself, diminished in order to enter this microscopic world in order to save it.

The Evangelist Luke describes this event in this way, the first coming of Christ, His birth.

“In that country there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and feared with great fear. And the angel said to them: "Don't be afraid, I proclaim to you great joy, which will be for all people for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:8-11).

God has prepared great joy for all people. The Savior was born for all people. But not everyone rejoiced, but only those who loved and expected Him. And to them this joyful, good news was proclaimed in plain text. And God even gave them a sign by which they could recognize the Savior, so that their joy would be perfect.

And from what can we know that they loved God and looked forward to the coming of Christ? From their behavior, their reaction to this news. Probably, they were sitting by the fire at night, thinking about it among themselves, lamenting that the people of Israel were again enslaved for their sins, now by the Romans, but there is still no Savior. Has God completely abandoned them? And now God sends them His Angel with glad tidings, He did not forget His promise, did not leave His people, but sent them great consolation. It was like an urgent telegram from God, a lightning telegram.

And here we see their reaction. “When the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other: “Let's go to Bethlehem and see what happened there, about which the Lord announced to us.” AND, hurried, they came and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in the manger ... And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them. (Luke 15-16, 20). Why did they rejoice and praise God so much? Yes, because God gave them a direct answer to their expectation. Their joy was fulfilled.

And if they did not expect the Messiah, did not think about Him, but thought about how they would sell their sheep and oxen and make a profit, and how not to sell too cheap, because. The dollar appreciated and prices rose. Would they rejoice if they received the news of His birth? I don't think.

Just imagine that someone else's telegram was brought to you by mistake, in which it is reported that a son was born, height, weight, everything is fine, do not worry. Will you be happy with such a telegram? No. Just bewildered to think that the mail has the wrong address. And somewhere there lives a man who is waiting for this telegram. Maybe grandparents are waiting for the birth of a grandson. Knowing that this should already happen, they are worried, why is there no telegram, is everything all right? And now you bring them their telegram. Oh, how glad they are, how they thank you. You are like an angel to them. And all because they expected. But we can be sure that God never misses an address. He knows exactly who is waiting for His "telegram" and who will glorify Him.

Let's look at another example from the Gospel of Matthew. We will see exactly these two categories of people. When the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem to see the newborn King, they said: "... for we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him" ​​(Mat. 2:2). Magos in the original are called "Magos". These were magicians, astrologers, or astrologers, in general, wise men who in those days were in the service of the kings. We know that they were in Egypt under the pharaohs, in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, and so on. That is, they had their own kings, whom they served. There is another version that these magi themselves were kings from the east. And now they see a star, which was a supernatural phenomenon, and they understand that some great king, the King of kings, has been born. They leave everything and go on a long journey to bow to this King and express their respect to Him by offering rich gifts. And here they are at the target. They came to Jerusalem believing that the King should be born in the palace. The news of this spread throughout the city, reached King Herod. Then we see different reactions of different people to the same event.

Matthew 2, 3 - Hearing this, King Herod was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Quite a strange reaction of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They were not happy, but worried. For thousands of years they have been waiting for this event, the birth of the King-Savior, but when it happened, they are not happy. But what is interesting is that Herod, the protege of Rome, immediately realized who he was talking about, because. turned to the chief priests and scribes with the question “Where should Christ be born?” Did he expect it, no. But since this is the King, it means that he will have to give up his place on the throne to Him, and he did not want to do this. He makes up a cunning plan to destroy the Infant, realizing that he is raising his hand against the Messiah, against the Son of God.

And what about the chief priests and scribes? When they learned that the long-awaited Messiah had finally been born, did they rejoice, told the magi that they would show them the way and go with them to worship Him? No. They, having heard the news that the greatest long-awaited prophecy has been fulfilled before their eyes, do not budge. The whole city learned about this news, God prepared joy for all people, but the Word of God does not mention a single soul that would go along with the Magi to bow to the King. Scripture mentions different people who believed in God, who seek Him, and the nameless magicians, and the nameless shepherds, and the nameless thief on the cross, and even the despised harlot Mary Magdalene, then even if there were some homeless person sleeping at the walls of Jerusalem who would wish to go along with the magicians to bow to the King, probably, would not be forgotten by God on the pages Holy Scripture. The chief priests and scribes, who boast of the law and love to interpret it, the servants of God, received this message with indifference. Their answer was correct - "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophets." They knew the Scriptures, but they did not know God. They didn't love Him. They loved themselves. Of them Christ said: "the hypocrites." They like to walk in long clothes, preside over meetings, sit in the first places, pray for a long time to show off and be called “teacher, teacher.” But there is no God in the heart, there is my “I” on the throne. If then they would have gone with the Magi to Bethlehem and worshiped Jesus, then they would have known Him, for the Angel said about Him that He is Christ the Lord, then they would not have demanded proof from Him later and would not have crucified Him.

But we see that the Magi just as they came themselves, so they themselves went further, and their only guide was the star. God Himself led those who went to Him.

"When you see a star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And having entered the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and, falling down, worshiped Him, and, opening their treasures, brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Mat. 2, 10-11). Their joy was also fulfilled. Although this joy was offered to all people, not everyone accepted it.

Likewise now. God has prepared a kingdom for us from the foundation of the world. He invites everyone to this Kingdom, but will everyone take advantage of the good news? No. "Who believed what they heard from us?" And although it is written that the eye did not see, the ear did not hear, and what God had prepared did not enter the heart of man, He still slightly opens the veil of the future and allows us to see it, as the prophets saw, to whom God revealed the future, and how they write down their visions in a book.

The Apostle John sees the new heaven and new land, the new city of Jerusalem, whose splendor surpasses the wildest imagination. And the last two chapters of the book of Revelation are devoted to describing the new earth, the new life that awaits the saved. God is all in all, He is the beginning and the end. The Bible begins with a description of creation - the first two chapters, and ends with a description of the new creation - the last two chapters. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, no more mourning, no outcry, no more pain, for the former is gone. And He who sits on the throne said: “Behold, I make all things new.” And he says to me: "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And he said to me: “It is done! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end…” (Rev. 21:4-6). The Lord Himself says that these words are true, and they will soon be fulfilled.

The prophet Isaiah also describes life on the new earth, and we can also see this with him and rejoice with great joy. “Then the wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat, and the young lion and the ox will be together, and the little child will lead them. And the cow will graze with the bear, and their cubs will lie down together, and the lion, like the ox, will eat straw. And the baby will play over the hole of the asp, and the child will stretch out his hand to the snake's nest. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Is.11, 6-9). “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Then the lame one will spring up like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb one will sing; for waters will break through in the desert, and streams in the steppe. And the phantom of the waters will turn into a lake, and the thirsty earth into fountains of waters…” (Is. 35:5-7). “And not one of the inhabitants will say: “I am sick”, the people living there will be forgiven of sins (Is.33, 24).

Our Lord will re-create everything, He will correct everything affected by sin - both the animal and plant world, and man. There will be no more deserts, barren salt marshes and swamps on earth. Mirages will not mislead travelers, but there will be springs of water. Everything will bloom and triumph. We are waiting for the end of the age-old struggle between Christ and Satan, and we even know the outcome of this struggle, and we know that the time is very close, almost all prophecies have been fulfilled. Christ returns. He has prepared mansions, everything is ready for His saved, and soon, very soon He Himself will come to take His own. And then He will say to those who love and expect His coming and do His word: “Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mat. 25:34). And if we remain faithful to Christ, then we will be among the saved, our joy will also be fulfilled and will be perfect.

God has prepared all this for those who love Him. And even all of the above is only a weak description of what we will see with our own eyes. “Now we see, as it were, through a dim glass, guessingly, then - face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Let us always be grateful to God for His love and for all that He has done for us. Let the love of God fill our hearts with the joy of His soon return, and then all this will be ours.

Elena Volodchenkova

Today's Sunday after the feast of Holy Pascha is called the week of the paralytic. We heard the gospel story about how in Jerusalem there was such a sheep's font, it was called Bethesda. Sick and weak people gathered near this font, because once a year the Angel of the Lord descended into this font. And when he went down there, the water was indignant and whoever plunged into this font first received healing from any illness. And near this font there was a relaxed (in our opinion - paralyzed), who has been near this font for thirty-eight years and does not have time to go down there first. The Lord, passing by, seeing this paralytic, asks him, and he explains that "... there is no person who would help me go down there, when I get there, they are already ahead of me." And out of His philanthropy, the Lord heals this paralytic, says to him: "Get up, take your bed and go." After that, the paralytic, who has not known feelings in his limbs for thirty-eight years, suddenly feels them, gets up on his feet, takes the bed on which he lay and goes. The Jews, seeing this, especially the Pharisees, begin to reproach him, because it was on the Sabbath. To which the paralytic replies to the Jews: "Who healed me, He told me to do this." And who healed him, the paralytic did not know, since the Lord immediately departed. And on another day, the paralytic accidentally meets Christ, the Lord says to him: “You are healed, go sin no more, so that the worst does not happen to you.”

Here we, brothers and sisters, see that our bodily ailments are often connected with our spiritual ailments. After all, we are people created by God both spiritually and bodily. Both our soul and body are equally called to salvation, and with soul and body we either glorify God or sin against Him, with soul and body we will rejoice in paradise or suffer in hell after doomsday God, the Second Coming of Christ. Soul and body are connected together. When a person is damaged by his soul, when a person’s soul hurts, the body inevitably begins to hurt. Many of us have seen examples in our lives in the lives of our loved ones, when a person neglects his health. For example, a drunkard. You can see it from the outside as well. His illness, first of all, mental, inevitably affects his health. But there are less obvious links between sin and sickness.

And it happens that by illness the Lord prevents a person from a great sin, a great atrocity in his life. It happens that a person does not walk, lies relaxed, or the temperature struck for a week and the person cannot get out of bed. Is this God's punishment for any sins or not? It happens that it is not a punishment at all, and maybe even a reward, in some sense. After all, the Lord with this disease protects us from something worse, greater evil. Either we could somehow sin, or find even greater sorrows.

Relaxed, having lain for thirty-eight years, finding healing, despite the fact that such things cannot be done on the Sabbath and that the Pharisees reproach him, nevertheless he rejoices and carries his bed. After healing, he does not remember the grief that he endured for 38 years, all his life, he rejoices. Likewise, we, brothers and sisters, despite the fact that we are much painful and much mournful in our lives, let us remember that the main thing is not to sin, so that nothing more happens. The saints say, if you want something good to linger in you, constantly thank God for it. If you want the mournful to go away as soon as possible, thank God for it. And St. John Chrysostom also says: “You will learn to thank God in illness, you will become a saint.”

No matter how long our sorrows in our lives are, we clearly remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard; and that which the Lord has prepared for those who love Him has not entered into the heart of man.” What joy will be the reward for patience and fidelity to God, we do not know, we can only guess, but we must definitely understand that when we become worthy of this joy, those sorrows, sufferings and illnesses that we met in our earthly life will seem completely insignificant to us. and our sorrow will surely leave us. For faithfulness, the Lord will cleanse our souls and bodies from sins and vouchsafe a blissful life.

92. I received your letter, with which you made me happy, and more than God Himself, that you obeyed His will. The angels of God will also rejoice in including you among them; Your Heavenly Bridegroom will enter into His chamber with wise virgins. Then your soul will rejoice in the Lord, and no one will take your joy from you forever. We must believe what the Lord has promised to those who love Him, and fulfill it. Grant God that you follow the Angels of God, humility, meekness, obedience. To endure a little in this life, but what a reward will be that surpasses the human mind.

106). Grant, God, that you and your sisters spend life not on earth, but in paradise, or rather heavenly, rejoice in the Lord, forget the past, and stretch to the future, or sigh, as the apostle Paul says: (2 Cor. 5:2). Here we spend our lives as if sleeping and seeing something impermanent: but we must imagine the true future life, where it is not a sleepy dream, but a perfect stay, according to the same ap. Paul: "our life is in heaven" (Philipp. 20). God grant that we all receive it and be there, where our Advocate Christ the Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father, on the throne of His glory. I wish you and your sisters to receive what God has prepared for those who love Him.

110. Glory to the Lord God that we have waited for the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, and we are already celebrating it. The Holy Church reveals the sacrament of this feast to us. What it consists of, we hear. The Virgin today gives birth to the Substantial, and so on. Wonderful are thy works, Lord! What mercy He has shown to us unworthy! What condescension! What humility! He descended from heaven, from the height of His glory, deigned to be born from the Most Pure Virgin in a wretched den, and not in royal palaces. O depth of riches and wisdom and mind of God, as if His ways were not explored! “Who knows the mind of the Lord, or who is his counselor” (Rom. 11:33:34)? To the Lord God, purity of soul and body is the throne of the Cherubim, and not the walls studded with gold. Yes, and we are told: “or you don’t know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit living in you, you have it from God, and carry your own, for you are bought at a price; glorify God therefore in your bodies and in your souls” (1 Cor. 6:19:20). And in another place it is said, “Let no sin reign in your dead flesh; You are the Church of God who lives, as God said, as if I would dwell in them and resemble them, and I will be God, and these people will be to Me ”(2 Cor. Oh, 16). “For those who have the promise, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, creating holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7, 1). So I wish your reverend that your life be a favorable sacrifice to God. He is so merciful to us that He does not disdain to abide in us! What thanksgiving we should send for all His mercies, that He has provided us with all the blessings in this life, and even more excellent than this, promised to reign with us forever in heaven.

111. God grant that you are in the house Mother of God, as if in the earthly sky they were calm, peaceful; let them say whatever they want, those who do not heed their salvation, to your chagrin, and you in spirit bring your prayers to the Lord God for their salvation, according to the word of Christ our Savior: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who do you to attack and you will daughter of the King of Heaven, heir to His Kingdom."

112. Mother abbess, I ask you to declare my bow and with all the sisters. May the God of peace be between the mother abbess and the sisters, so that life is spent according to the will of His saint! This is required of us, both in heaven and on earth. Thank you all for your diligence. My only desire is that everyone lead a life pleasing to the Lord God, peaceful and calm. It would be a great thing if living saints in heaven could lead such a life: in useful thoughts, in prayer, in thanksgiving for all His Divine and inexpressible mercies.

113. I wish you to put off the old man and put on the new, as we daily ask Christ the Son of God: command, we will reach eternal rest where there is a home for all those who rejoice. Thou art in truth the true joy and joy of those who love Thee, Christ our God." What to do! Although we do the opposite of this and not wanting it, we don’t need to grieve unnecessarily, but we should ask His goodness to show mercy to us and arrange our life according to His holy will; God, where he desires, is defeated by the order of nature; He makes humble sinners saints. We must not despair of His mercy. He deigns to do everything useful for us, and we must with St. David to say: "Turn, my soul, to your resting place, for the Lord has been good to you." And so, strengthen yourself with the grace of God. If you acquire humility of wisdom, then you will also be calm, according to the word of our holy Savior, as He deigned to say: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find peace for your souls.”

114. Glory to the Lord God that we have waited for the great feast of the Nativity of Christ our Savior, and we are already celebrating it. The Holy Church reveals to us the sacrament of this feast, what this feast consists of, as we hear: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Substantial, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable; The angels with the shepherds glorify, the wizards travel with the star: for the sake of the Young Child, the Eternal God was born. Wonderful are Thy works, O Lord, what mercy He showed us to the unworthy, what condescension, what humility, descending from heaven, from the height of His glory, deigned to be born from the Most Pure Virgin, in a wretched den, and not in royal palaces. O! the depth of wealth, and the wisdom and mind of God! For his ways are not searchable: for who understands the mind of the Lord, or who is his adviser? Purity of soul and body to the Lord God The Throne of the Cherubim, and not walls studded with gold, and we are also told: : therefore glorify God in your bodies and in your souls. And in another place it is said: “Let sin not reign in your dead flesh, you are the churches of God who lives, as God said, I will dwell in them and walk, and I will be like God, and these will be people to Me. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, creating the Holy thing in the fear of God.” So, I wish your reverend that your life be a favorable sacrifice to God. He is so merciful to us. does not disdain to abide in us; what thanksgiving we should send for all His great mercies, that He provided us with all the blessings in this life, and even more excellent than this, promised to reign with Him forever in heaven.

115. If we please God, we will always see something new, one more pleasant and more amusing than the other; let us be in unceasing admiration, in joy and thanksgiving to God; We will move from bliss to bliss.

116. We should always live in God, always in silence, in peace, outside the world, outside worldly life. "Rejoice in righteousness in the Lord!" We must rejoice in what God has promised us; the human mind cannot comprehend it.

117. Thank God that we have waited for this feast of the Nativity of Christ, and we are already celebrating. “Great is the mystery of godliness, God has appeared in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). For whom? for our salvation. The human mind cannot comprehend His indulgence towards us. The impregnable Seraphim accepts the specter of a slave, and has become like a man, so as not to frighten us with his divine presence. He came to bring peace to us, as the holy Apostle Paul writes to Ephesians, ch. 2, Art. 17, even the angels of God sang on his birthday: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth”; but He himself deigned to say to his disciples: “I will leave you peace, My peace I give you, not as the world gives, I give you.” So, we must fulfill this heavenly virtue with zeal, imitating the heavenly inhabitants, and ask His divine goodness that He save us from discord, hatred, envy, enmity and malice, and establish us in peace, silence, tranquility, humility, patience. and then in love among themselves; on this depends the love of God. And for these virtues, He will look upon us with His fatherly mercy, and will not leave us, both in this life, and even more so in the next life.

The words of St. Simeon the New Theologian. Volume 1

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word fifty two

1. The Master of all, Christ, teaches us every day through the Holy Gospels, where he speaks differently in secret, so that many do not understand Him, when He speaks in parables, from which, again, He explains in private to His disciples, saying: it has been given to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables (Luke 8:10); other things he says without hesitation, clearly for all, as the Apostles said to Him: now you speak without hesitation, but you never speak parables (John 16:29). Why is it our duty to investigate and find out in which words the Lord taught without hesitation and openly, and in which he taught covertly and inflow. Thus, for example, He explicitly proclaimed the following: love your enemies ... do good to those who hate you (Matthew 5:44) ; blessed are those who weep ... woe to those who laugh (Luke 6:21) (Luke 6:25) ; repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). And again: soul loving he will destroy his own: and he who hates his own life in this world will keep it in eternal life (John 12:25). AND: if anyone wants to follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24). There are many other similar places in which Jesus Christ offers His teaching, not veiled and in parables, but openly and without any veiled thought. In addition, they said, for example, the following: The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden; and grew and became a great tree (Luke 13:19). Again: like there is a kingdom Heavenly man to a merchant looking for good beads (Matthew 13:45). And further: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman takes and puts into three measures of meal until it is all sour. (Matthew 13:33). This and much like this the Lord speaks in passing, likening the Kingdom of Heaven to such objects, and calls it parables.

From this think, I ask you, how great is the wisdom of God, that with such sensual examples, which seem so low to us, He depicts before us and, like a painter, draws in our mind the unthinkable and incomprehensible. He does this so that the unbelievers remain blind, deprived of the knowledge of such blessings, since they have become unworthy of it because of their unbelief, while the believers, on the contrary, hearing and accepting the inflowing word with faith, see the truth and clearly recognize the event in themselves signified parables of things. For parables are images of spiritual things, and how and what things they are images, listen. The mustard seed is the Holy Spirit; man is every believer who wishes to receive this seed by doing the commandments; the garden is the heart of the believer, into which that grain is thrown (one, he says, and not many, because naturally indivisible and indivisible cannot be divided into many parts, but always remains one). Then, when we keep ourselves with all attention and observance, then the grain sprouts; when the sprout rises, it becomes obvious; when he grows up and becomes quite great, then we are cognizable by those in whom he has grown so much; and when, finally, it becomes like a tree and lets out many branches from itself, then it fills the one who is worthy to receive it in himself with joy inexpressible. Therefore, just as a garden without a seed sown does not produce any useful potions, except only thorns and wild herbs, and the seed, not being sown, does not germinate and does not bear fruit, but remains one as it is, in exactly the same way our souls, if they will not receive the divine seed into themselves, they remain barren, full of thorns, that is, sins; likewise, the divine seed, before it is cast into our souls, remains in itself as it is, accepts neither multiplication nor diminution, and in us does not give a sprout, nor grows into a tree. For how is it possible that that divine seed, not being sown in our hearts and united with us, but remaining apart from us, as apart from the garden is the seed not sown in it - how, I say, is it possible that it has grown in us, as it grows in those in whose hearts it is sown and with whom it is united? This is by no means impossible, just as it is also impossible for fire to ignite firewood without being placed under it, or for firewood to ignite without contact with fire.

But just as some words of the Holy Gospels are spoken to us obscurely and in parables, while others are spoken clearly without concealment, so the words of the Apostles are not all spoken clearly without concealment, but some of them need to be big interpretation and explanation, because they contain the innermost depth of thoughts. And if you recognize it as blessed, let us take into consideration one saying of the holy Apostle Paul and see what depths of the Spirit are hidden there, for, according to the word of God, The Holy Spirit searches everything, and the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10). What sentence do we have to consider? —About the unspeakable words that the divine Paul heard when he was caught up to the third heaven.

But first we need to explain what the verb means in order to correctly understand the meaning of the apostolic words. A verb means a word, and, conversely, a word is called a verb. So the centurion said to the Lord: rtsy word and my boy will be healed and Job's wife said: rtsy a certain verb to the Lord and die. - The verbs and words of men are spoken by human lips and heard by human ears. But the word of God and the word that proceeds from His mouth is completely ineffable and inexpressible for the human tongue and incomprehensible for the human ear, and it is even impossible for the word of God to enter into human feeling, because feeling cannot feel that which is higher than any feeling. - Further, by the word and the verb in God, according to the first contemplation, we mean the Word of God and the Father, Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the true God; but under His mouth, with which He speaks inexpressible words, we mean the Holy Spirit, as the Prophet says: for the mouth of the Lord speaks (Is. 1:20), which is the Spirit of the Lord. Why is the Holy Spirit called the Mouth of God, while the Son is called the Verb and the Word? For just as our own word, which is in our soul, is spoken and made manifest to others through our mouths, and it is impossible to pronounce or make it manifest in any other way than by the speaking of the mouth, so the Son of God and the Word cannot be known or be heard. unless revealed through the Holy Spirit. - What we say: cannot, then we say it in relation to God instead (it doesn’t happen that, - it’s inappropriate, it’s not appropriate) and instead of - doesn’t want, as they say, for example, it’s impossible to lie to God, and it is not possible to do many signs. And just as it happens with us that if we do not open our own mouth, then our word cannot go out, so if the mouth of God (that is, the Holy Spirit) is not opened through the illumination and illumination that are in us (I do not say that the Spirit opened, but our mind, when it shines and is enlightened by the Spirit), the Son and the Word of God is not seen and is not manifest in our sense of sight and hearing (intelligent).

Having explained this, we conclude that these inexpressible verbs, which the divine Paul heard, are nothing else (in my stupid opinion), as hidden and truly inexplicable and invisible, through the illumination from the Holy Spirit, there are contemplations, and godly and unthinkable understandings of the brightest and most unfamiliar the glory and divinity of the Son and the Word of God, which, being revealed, appear clearer and purer to those who are worthy of it. This, I say, is the essence of those unheard-of hearings of unspeakable verbs, that incomprehensible comprehension of incomprehensible things. If the Apostle said that he heard the verbs (that is, by hearing), and we, explaining these verbs, said that this is the Son of God and the Father, who speaks through the Holy Spirit, and at the same time through His radiance is revealed to the worthy, and such radiance, or revelation, happens, we said, through contemplation, and not through hearing, then let this not seem to you strange and untrue. But listen to the resolution of this perplexity and know the matter as it is, so that you will not be unfaithful, but faithful. The permission is this. Attention!

God, who is the first cause of everything else, is one. And this is one - there is Light and Life, Spirit and Word, Mouth and Verb, Wisdom and Knowledge, Joy and Love, the Kingdom of Heaven and Paradise, the Sky of heavens, as well as the Sun of suns, and the God of gods, and any other good, whatever you neither said, borrowing the thought of it from these visible things, or from the fact that it is higher than all of them, you will find that it is this one thing about which I said, and you will make sure that it exists and is called all-encompassing, essential and dominant - Good . It has no complete resemblance to the visible, but is higher than any visible good, incomparable and inexpressible. And this is inseparably one, just as the visible is divided one from the other, but remains one and the same, without any change. It is the all-good, the highest of all good. – On the other hand, man, created in the image and likeness of God, is revered by the same way of being, and has in one soul and mind, and word, and one feeling, although it, according to the five natural needs of the body, is divided into five senses. In relation to the corporeal, it is inseparably divided by means of five particular senses - sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and, being changeable and unchanging, it manifests its effectiveness, and sees (not the sense itself, but the soul through it), and hears, and smells, and tastes, and distinguishes things by touch. In relation to the spiritual, there is no need for this general feeling to be divided into five senses, as if into five windows - it is not required, I say, neither eyes to open them to see things there, nor ears to hear the word, nor the organ of smell to smell the goodness there, neither lips and tongue to taste and distinguish between sweet and bitter, nor hands to distinguish between hard and soft, heavy and light. But it goes beyond all this that we have said, and naturally follows the mind, without being separated from it, and rushing wholly with it; but, being wholly one sense, it has with it and in itself five senses (or, more precisely, more), since they are all one essence. Now consider, I ask you, more precisely what my word states. The soul, the mind, the word are one, in the one essence and one nature of man - and this one feels, reasons, like a rational being, understands, remembers, consults with himself, wants or does not want, chooses or does not choose, loves or hates, and, - in order not to lengthen the words, - it is one living (being or force), which at the same time sees, and hears, and smells, and tastes, and touches, and understands, and knows, and speaks. “Listen attentively and delve into the power of what is being said to you, so that you can understand what these inexpressible verbs are and how Saint Paul heard them—what were revealed to him and were visible to him in the Holy Spirit.

God - the Creator of all things - is one, and this is one, as we said before, there is every good. On the other hand, the soul, rational and immortal, is also one. And she is one and all - a feeling that combines all the feelings, whatever they are. So, when the one God of all appears through revelation to a single rational soul, then every good thing is revealed to it and at the same time is contemplated (felt) by all its senses together. This one and all good together is both visible and audible, and delights the taste, and fragrant with the sense of smell, is touched, known, speaks and is said, knows and is known, and that he knows, this is recognized. For whoever is known by God knows that he is known, and whoever sees God knows that God also sees him. But whoever does not see God does not know that God sees him, because he himself does not see Him, although he sees everything else well. So, those who have been rewarded to see at once with all the senses together, as one of many senses, this all-good, which is one and many, insofar as there is all-good, those, I say, have known and every day know with different feelings of one feeling, different good things together, as one, they do not recognize any difference in everything that has been said, but contemplation is called knowledge and knowledge is contemplation, hearing by sight and sight by hearing, as the prophet Habakkuk says: Lord, I have heard Your ears, and I have fear. Lord, I have understood Your works and have been terrified (Hab. 3:2). From whom else did he hear it? By prophesying, he preached about the Lord. As he says: Lord, can I hear Your ears? And what does he want to reveal through double hearing when he says: hear your ears? What else, except that through the radiance of the Holy Spirit, or revelation from Him, I came to know our Lord Jesus Christ as a witness, and again, through the secret saying of the same Holy Spirit we teach, I came to know all the incarnate economy of the Lord; And then this teaching about the Lord, which he received from the Holy Spirit, he assimilated to himself as if it were his own, and as if seeing the Lord, as he really saw Him for certain through the radiance from the Holy Spirit, he said to Him: in the midst of two living creatures you will be known; (Hab. 3:2). So he calls the teaching together with the knowledge that comes through contemplation, the action of the Spirit, the hearing that he heard about the incarnate dispensation of the Lord. And the fact that he said: Lord! , shows that he saw Him before him and conversed with Him, for what kind of person converses with one whom he does not see? Can anyone, not seeing the earthly king before him, say to him: O king! Have I heard the definitions that your royal power has put? No way. And the Prophet says, and says not only - I hear your hearing but also - you will be known, and - you will be known, and - you will appear; wherefore, as having known with all satisfaction all the advice of the Lord, he says, as it were to Him: You want to do this and that, O Lord, as Your kingdom has ordained. Yes, and all the prophetic sayings mostly mean the same thing.

So it is customary in Divine Scripture thus to call hearing the contemplation of God, and contemplation the hearing of God. So the divine Paul unusually called the inexplicable contemplations and illuminations of the Holy Spirit, teachings and revelations, which surpass the measure of human nature and power, verbs, saying and writing that he had heard inexpressible verbs. But after that he wrote: and for many revelations And so on. So, if the divine Paul said before that he had heard, then why, after he heard, does he call these revelations, when revelations come through contemplation, and not through hearing, as David also says: open my eyes and I will understand wonders from your law (Ps. 119:18)? Why else, if not because, as we said, he uses hearing instead of contemplation and contemplation instead of hearing? The Apostle Paul also mentioned that he was caught up to the third heaven. And again the question - how did he say later what he heard? And this is not for any other reason than the one we have just indicated. From this we conclude that by admiration he designated, firstly, the contemplation which he saw, then the sacraments that were in this contemplation - and that the most clear revealed this glory and the Divinity that shone upon him, he said that he heard that - insofar as this communicated knowledge, taught the one who saw this and revealed to him that which is inexpressible and unthinkable for everyone.

So, in relation to spiritual things, as we said, both the hearing and the visual sense are one, and from what one contemplates or hears here, he cannot definitely say what exactly this or that is, judging by the way he sees or hears. Why did the Apostle say that it is impossible to state human language. However, we must strive to purify ourselves through repentance and humility, in order to unite with the one Good and Most Good God all our feelings as one, and then everything that we cannot imagine and explain in many words, we will all at once recognize and understand hearing by sight and seeing by hearing, learning by contemplation and listening by revelation. However, there is also another kind of hearing in relation to the most spiritual things. What is it? That by which the promise of blessings is received, which are to be given to us. As the prophets who prophesied about the first coming of the Lord, although they contemplated Him and knew exactly, but as it was not yet realized in their days, but had to be after, then they said about what was revealed to them and shown regarding it, they said that they heard then, as it was to be afterwards. So also Saint Paul, inasmuch as he saw the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, which are to be bestowed upon the righteous, and inasmuch as he knew and was convinced to the point that God-loving with all their hearts and those who keep His commandments have no doubt to receive these blessings at the second coming of the Lord and after the resurrection of the dead, according to the promise of the Lord, he said: I heard unspeakable verbs, I can’t fly to eat a human verb. But why did he first call them goods, and then call them verbs? Because these blessings are truly some wondrous and amazing words, through which every rational nature will be delighted with inexhaustible, eternally living and life-giving delight, will be taken out (always - ed.) Enlivened by Divine revival and cheered. For as the Word of God and the Father is God, it is just that the illuminations and revelations of God the Word are called verbs. The Word is God, and His words are the rays and brilliance of the Divinity, which shine from God like lightning and are most clearly revealed to us.

I cannot explain or interpret these verbs, but the beloved disciple of Christ, John the Theologian, according to the grace given to him from God, said something in explanation of what St. Paul heard, saying: beloved! We are now children of God; but it has not yet been revealed that we will. We only know that when it is revealed, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2). Saint Paul said that he heard unspeakable words that no man could utter. And John the Evangelist says: We only know that when it is revealed, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.. What is the same and St. Paul says in another place: now I know in part, but then I will know, just as I am known (1 Cor. 13:12). Do you see how, in relation to spiritual things, knowledge and likeness, vision and knowledge are one and the same? For Christ is everything to us, both in knowledge, and in wisdom, and in words, and in radiance, and in contemplation, and in knowledge, and gives to those who love Him to taste of His blessings and in real life in part, it also gives them mysteriously to hear certain inexpressible verbs, which are hidden from the greater part. For if Christ is not all together for us, then it will follow that the Kingdom of Heaven and His blessedness are incomplete and imperfect. That is, if Christ will not be for all the righteous, along with what we said above, also a robe, and a crown, and shoes, and joy, and sweetness, food, drink, a meal, a bed, repose, indescribable beauty, and everything else that is suitable for delight, glory and joy, but will be insufficient even for one of any good and for only one of those who dwell there, then the deprivation of this missing good will give place to sadness, and, consequently, sadness will enter the midst of inexpressible joy. rejoicing, and from this it will become manifest that the word of Scripture is false, which says: run away sickness, sadness and sighing (Isaiah 51:11). But this will not happen in any way, but everything will be there in everyone, and every good will abound along with all the blessings, and will saturate beyond measure all the feelings of those called and sitting on the marriage of Christ the King, and Christ God Himself will eat and drink, since He Himself is every kind of food, drink and sweets. Christ will then be seen by all, and Christ Himself will see all the countless myriads of saints, without taking his eyes off anyone, so that it will seem to each of them that He is looking at him, conversing with him and greeting him; and no one will be sad that Christ did not pay attention to him and despised him.

Christ, as we have said, will then also be the crown, having to crown the heads of all the saints. Accepting no change, but remaining unchanged, He will show Himself different to one and different to another; will give Himself to each one, as it befits and as he deserves it. Christ Himself then has to be for all and a garment, such a garment, with which, having put on, each one struggled and put on, while still in this life; and it is by no means possible that anyone should enter that mysterious marriage without being clothed in this most radiant garment. If, however, it should happen that such a person, having mingled with the worthy, enter there secretly (which, however, is by no means impossible), then he will immediately be expelled. And the Lord Christ, wanting to show us that it is impossible for anyone dressed in dark robes to be married, he interpreted this with a parable in which, saying: friend! How did you come in here not in wedding clothes, then added: bind his hands and feet, take him and cast him into outer darkness (Matthew 22:12-13). I believe that the Lord spoke in this way not because that darkly dressed one entered the marriages, hiding from God, before Whom nothing is hidden, but because the time had not yet come to reveal such a sacrament, and He did not want to say directly what was going on there. It is impossible for anyone to enter into marriages who is not dressed in the robe of My Divinity, which is why I covered up the word about that under this way. But the Apostle Paul has already explicitly revealed this, saying: and just as we bore the image of the earthly, let us also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49). And what is the image of the heavenly, about this listen to what the same divine Paul says: This one, being the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis (Heb. 1:3), - the most accurate image of God and the Father. So the image of the Father is the Son, and the image of the Son is the Holy Spirit. He who has seen the Son has seen the Father, and he who has seen the Holy Spirit has seen the Son. The apostle says: The Lord Spirit is (2 Cor. 3:17), and again: The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. (Rom. 8:26), crying: Abba, Father! The Spirit calls: Abba, Father! Not because the Spirit is the Son - let such blasphemy pass from us! – but because the Son of God is seen and contemplated by the Holy Spirit, and that neither the Son is revealed to anyone without the Spirit, nor the Spirit without the Son; but together with the Spirit the Son is revealed and Himself through the Spirit calls out: Abba, Father!

2. But you, beloved, if you still don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t despair and don’t say: I don’t know what you’re talking about at all, and I can’t learn it, and I don’t have tea that I could ever or to reach the height of such knowledge, contemplation and purity. But again, don’t say it like that: if it’s impossible for someone to enter the Kingdom of God who still in this life doesn’t put on Christ, like God, doesn’t ascend to contemplate Him and doesn’t achieve that He dwells inside him (I can’t have time nothing like that), then what is the use for me to strive for this, to deprive myself of the enjoyment of real blessings because of these exploits? “Look, don’t say that word and don’t even think like that. But if you please and if you wish to listen to my advice, I, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will explain to you what the real way and method of salvation is.

Therefore, first of all, believe with all your heart that everything I have said is the most perfect truth, testified by the Divine Scriptures, and that everyone who believes in the Son of God has a duty to be just that, for we were given a region to be the children of God and if we ascend, there is no obstacle to it. For this was all the incarnate dispensation and the descent of the Son of God to earth - that is, in order to make us partners and heirs of the Divinity and His Kingdom through faith in Him and keeping His commandments. For if you do not believe that it happens exactly as I said above, then, of course, you will not even seek it, but if you do not seek it, you will not receive it. And the Lord says: seek and you shall find; ask and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7). But after you believe, follow the Divine Scriptures and do whatever they tell you. Doing so, you will find all this, as I have written, infallible. And not only this, but you will find many other things, more than this, - you will find it written in the Divine Scriptures. What is it? What the eye has not seen, what the ear has not heard about, and what has not entered the heart of man, are the blessings prepared by God for those who love Him. And if you unquestioningly believe what I have said, then you will certainly see it, just like Paul, and you will be caught up into paradise, where the thief entered with Christ, and you will hear inexpressible words there.

Do you want me to explain to you in some other way what good things are, but their eye has not seen, and their ear has not heard, and it has not risen in the heart of a man? “I believe that it is desirable for you to hear in every way what Paul himself, who saw it, did not say and did not expound. Why didn't he say this? Therefore, I think, in order not to expose people to the sin of unbelief - that they will hear and not believe; so if you are not sure that you will believe what I have to tell you, then it is better for you not to hear about it. For if you hear and do not believe, but you disobey my words, or, rather, the words of God, then this very word will condemn you on the day of judgment - what you heard and did not believe. Why, without hesitating doubts, listen to my words or, as I said before, the words of God. “Know, then, the solution we seek to the question of the inexpressible verbs heard by St. Paul in Paradise, that these are eternal blessings, and that these blessings, which the eye has not seen, which the ear has not heard of and the human mind has never thought of, which, however, God has prepared for those who love Him, - these blessings are not hidden on high, not locked up in any place, not hidden in the depths, and not found in the last reaches of the earth or the sea - but the essence is before your eyes. – What are they? – Together with the blessings sanctified in heaven, there is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we see, eat and drink every day. That is the essence of the blessings thereof! - And besides them, go through the whole creation, nowhere will you find any of those blessings of which I spoke. If you want to be convinced of the truth of my words, first become a saint through the doing of the commandments of God, then partake of the Holy and Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, and then by experience you will definitely know the power of my words. And to make it more convenient for you to believe these words of mine, listen to the Lord’s own words, which He said to the Jews, and also to His disciples: Amen, Amen I say to you: it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, but My Father gives you true bread from heaven; For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. To this they said to Him: Lord! give us always such bread. Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life; He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst... The Jews murmured against Him because He said: I am the bread that came down from heaven. And they said: Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He say: I came down from heaven? (John 6:32-35) ; (John 6:41-42). Listen to yourself, too, so as not to grumble, like the Jews, and not to say: is this not bread, what is on the paten, and is this not wine that is in the cup? How then does this one say that this visible bread and this visible wine are goods that the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard of and the human mind has never thought of? But listen to what the Lord said to those who murmured then and spoke these words: Jesus answered and said to them: Do not grumble among yourselves: no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day (John 6:43-44). As if He were saying to them: Why do you not believe and doubt it? No one can know My Divinity (for this is what the words mean: No one can come to Me), unless My Father draws him and raises him to this knowledge. But the attraction here does not show any violence or coercion, but a vocation through revelation. whom He foreknew He also predestined to be...them He also called through the revelation of His Son (Rom. 8:29-30), admiring them, in a certain way, by the love of His Son, revealed to them. This is shown more clearly by the following words of the Lord: it is written in the prophets: and all shall be taught by God. Everyone who has heard from the Father and learned comes to Me. It is not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He saw the Father (John 6:45-46). So, only those who have been taught by God can believe in the Son of God. And again the Lord says: amen, amen, I say to you, he who believes in me has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and died; The bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats this bread will live forever; but the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews began to argue among themselves, saying: How can He give us His Flesh to eat? Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you; Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day; For my flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink. (John 6:47-55). Have you heard that the communion of the Divine and Most Pure Mysteries is an eternal life, and that those who have this eternal life in themselves, the Lord will resurrect on the last day? It is not so that others remain in the tombs, but so that those who have life in them will be raised for eternal life and the rest will be resurrected for eternal torment. And in order for you to understand that this is true, listen to what follows: he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him; as the living Father sent me, and I live by the Father, so he who eats me will live by me (John 6:56-57). Do you see what he says? Do you hear how clearly and clearly the Son of God cries out that, through the communion of the Most Pure Mysteries, we have the same unity and life with Christ, what unity and life He Himself has with the Father? For just as He is one with God and His Father by nature, so, he says, we are one with Him by grace when we eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. And lest we should think that the visible bread accomplishes all this, He said: I am bread come down from heaven. He did not only say, Descended (for that would mean that He descended only once), but what does he say? - descend from heaven, that is, I always descend and come to those who partake worthily. At the same time, wanting to divert our mind from the visible, or, to put it better, wanting to lead us through the visible to the contemplation of the invisible glory of His hypostatic Divinity, Christ the Lord said: I am the bread of the animal, and again: My Father will give you true bread not from earth, but from heaven. Saying: true bread from heaven, showed by the fact that bread, which is from the earth, is not true, as it does not bring the necessary benefit. And to make it clearer, he says: the bread of God is come down from heaven and give life to the world. Again he says: go, and again: give me your belly. For what? So that you do not think that He is talking about something bodily and, when taking communion, did not represent anything earthly, but with the intelligent eyes of his soul, he contemplated this very small part, which you partake of, burnt, becoming completely like bread descending from heaven who is the true God, the bread and drink of immortal life; so that you do not remain in unbelief, with only bread, which you see with your feelings, and thus, do not eat only earthly bread, and not heavenly, and not lose your stomach for that, as if you have not tasted spiritually heavenly bread, as Christ Himself says: The spirit gives life, the flesh does not benefit at all (John 6:63). What does it not use? The ones that say He's just a man and not God. And you, faithful, if you partake of bread only, and not of the burnt Body, and if you do not believe that with this you receive Christ of all into yourself, how do you hope to receive life from Him and have Him in you perceptibly for the feelings of your soul? For do you hear what He says? Poison Mya, that is, bread descending from heaven, will live forever. And five: the flesh does not use, the Spirit gives life. Truly there is a Spirit who purifies us and makes us worthy of the communion of the Body of the Lord. For those who partake unworthily, eat judgment for themselves, and drink, not judging the Body of the Lord, as the Apostle says.

And so, the fiefs of faith, the fiefs knew the power of the sacraments, of which we have spoken and are speaking, the firs have tasted the heavenly bread and with it acquired eternal life, given by this heavenly bread, that is, the Son of God, and began to abide in Him and with Him - come, spiritually and mentally, and we will be up to the third heaven, or, rather, to the very sky Holy Trinity let us see and hear everything that has been spoken and that, however, remains unspoken, and let us taste, smell and touch it well with the hands of our soul, that is, let us know it with a truly intelligent feeling, and then we will thank and glorify the philanthropic God, saying: be glorified, Lord, who deigned to appear and be revealed in us, and in all, let's say, our brethren.

Fathers and brothers, monks together and laymen, rich and poor, slaves and freemen, youths and elders, and every age and generation, listen! God is not false and is not powerless to do what He promised. He will not oblige to visit all languages, and it is impossible for anyone to hide from His eyes or endure the manifestation of His glory on the Day of Judgment. For when the heavens will pass away with a noise, the elements, having flared up, will collapse as Saint Peter says (2 Peter 3:10) then it is impossible for a person to endure the day of the advent of the impregnable God, who lives in the impregnable light, Who, always abiding in it (the light) and coming into the world with it, so has to be seen by every person. Then truly great fear and trembling will seize the sinners, and there will be no sorrow and sorrow, no sickness and torment that could equal those that the sinners will then experience. But those who believe this and desire salvation for themselves, listen to what the Holy Spirit says: may each of you turn back from the evil path that he is on, that is, may he leave the sins that he does; learn to do good; deliver the offended; seek the Lord with difficulty, and your soul shall live; turn away from evil, and do good; kings, love to clothe yourself more in chastity, truth, truth and pious faith, rather than adorn yourself with a royal crown and royal clothes; patriarchs, if you are not friends of God and not His sons, come down from your thrones and go, first teach yourselves from the Divine Scriptures, and when you become an image of God and become like Him, then approach with fear and trembling, and touch the divine; if not, then when God appears, then you will know that He eats fire not those who loved Him, but those who did not want to receive Him when He came to enlighten them. Rulers, submit and humble yourself; and the rich become better than the poor, because it is inconvenient for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And if it is inconvenient for the rich to get in, then it is completely impossible for the ruler to get in. Yes, it is impossible, for the Lord says to His disciples: the princes of the nations rule over you... But let it not be so among you: and whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant; And who wants to be the first between you, let him be your slave (Matthew 20:25-27). The Prince of Scripture calls the one who seeks only his own honor and glory and by the power of his power creates only his own will. But if our Lord and God, who descended to earth for our salvation and gave us a saving example in everything, said: for I came down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of the Father who sent me (John 6:38), then which of those who believe in Him can be saved without doing the will of God, but only their own? And what do I say - be saved? It is impossible for such a person to be faithful and to be called a true Christian. This is declared by Christ Himself, our God, when He says: how can you believe when you receive glory from one another, but do not seek the glory that is from the one God? (John 5:44). Why does everyone who seeks the glory of God and in every deed strive in every way to do not his own, but the Lord's will, never dreams of ruling over anyone else, or presenting himself as the highest of someone, small or large, but the more they give him the presidency and the more extensive they entrust management, the more he will have himself sincerely inferior and lesser, and consider himself a servant of those whom he has under his power. But those who do not have such a disposition, but seek human glory and thirst for wealth and comfort, such (it is truly a shame to say) are pagans, and not true Christians, as the Divine voice of Jesus, our Lord and God, said: because the people of this world are looking for all this; but you seek the Kingdom of God most of all, and all this will be added to you (Luke 12:30-31) .

3. But do you know what kingdom He tells us to seek? Is it the one that is on high in heaven and is about to be revealed after the resurrection of all the dead? And when He commands us to seek it, how far does He make it from us? Listen carefully, so that you will know what kind of kingdom the Lord tells us to look for. God - the Creator and Organizer of all things - reigns over everything, both heavenly and earthly, and the underworld; above all, He reigns over us in righteousness, knowledge, and truth. And the Lord tells us to seek this kingdom, that is, to seek, may God also reign over us. How can he reign? May He sit on top of us, as on a chariot, may He hold with His hands the desires of our souls, like reins, and, finding us obedient, may He direct us where He wants, controlling our desires, like horses, according to His will, so that we willingly obey the commandments and His commandments, and did them. In this way God reigns in those whom he never reigned after they have been cleansed by tears and repentance and made perfect in spiritual wisdom and understanding. So people in this world are like Cherubim in heaven, having God on the shoulders of their souls. Who, then, is so foolish and insensitive as not to desire to see such divine glory and not to use all the efforts and exploits to acquire it, but rather to acquire wealth, or glory, or worldly power? Or, rather, who is so damned and insane that he thinks that besides the Kingdom and glory of God there is something else, something greater, be it glory, or kingdom, or wealth, or honor, or power, or pleasure, or any other of these. what is called and revered as good on earth or in heaven, so that, by comparing, it is better for him to choose this, and not that? For those who have understanding, there is truly no other good than the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, let no one dare to foolishly drive away from himself Christ, Who goes everywhere, seeking, and reigns over all of us. No one, I beg you, deprives himself of this great and longed-for gift. Let no one fall from this true glory. Let no one leave the Generous God, the Creator of all things, because of temporary wealth. Let no one be denied by the Lord of all because of the addiction of love to parents, friends and relatives. Let no one destroy the sweetness of the true life because of the lust of the flesh. Let no one alienate himself from eternal and unending glory because of temporal glory. O come, let us all join together and seek, that He who is above every beginning and power and every named name will come and reign in each of us; let each of us take into himself all of Him and have Him inseparable from us day and night, so that He enlightens him with His bright and impregnable light (that light that then has to burn the enemies of God when He comes to do judgment on them, unbelievers in Him, who do not receive Him and do not want Him, may He reign over them), went with him into the interior of his dwelling, rested with him on his bed, embraced him with His invisible arms and kissed him with an inexpressible kiss; to console him in illness, drive away sorrows and sorrows, cast out demons, every hour give him joy and tears, the sweetest honey and honeycomb, heal spiritual and bodily passions, destroy the fear of death, torment the ineffable sources of life and after death raise each of us to the heavens of heaven .

...

. And when I came to you, brethren, I came to proclaim to you the testimony of God, not in the excellence of word or wisdom.

"And I came to you, brethren, I did not come in excellent speech or wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God". The apostle calls eloquence a word, and wisdom - art in a word and says: "I, having come to you, did not use either one or the other."

. For I determined that I should know nothing among you but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

“Judge not, for you know that it is in you, like Jesus Christ, and Him crucified”. By the way, he used the word: "do not judge," letting them know that he could offer them a word about theology, but he taught one doctrine about Dispensation, boasting of the Lord's suffering.

. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in great trembling.

“And I am in weakness and fear and trembling, many were in you”. He was subjected to abuse, torture, imprisonment.

. And my word and my preaching is not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the manifestation of the spirit and power.

“And my word and my preaching is not in the preposterous human wisdom of words, but in the manifestation of the Spirit and power”. Because the miracle-working of the Spirit served as evidence of the sermon. Quite decently, the Apostle, along with the infirmity of suffering, also placed the power of the Spirit.

. So that your faith is not based on human wisdom, but on the power of God.

“Let your faith be not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God”. It was precisely for this that the Lord did not allow us to use eloquence, so that your faith would turn out not to be suspected, as if not carried away by the power of the word, but guided by the power of the Spirit.

. Wisdom, however, we preach among the perfect, but wisdom is not of this age, and not of the powers of this transitory age.

“Wisdom is spoken in the perfect: but wisdom is not of this age, nor of the princes of this age who pass away”. inasmuch as in what was said before this sermon he called riot, using the name given by the infidels, he necessarily shows that for those who have received the true and perfect faith it really is and is called wisdom. The "princes" of the "age" he calls sophists, poets, philosophers and rhetoricians, as having acquired a celebrity in real life by eloquence.

. But we preach the wisdom of God, secret, hidden, which God intended before the ages for our glory.

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a hidden mystery, God foresaw before the age for our glory”. The Apostle does not say that we speak in secret, but that we communicate to people the wisdom hidden in the mystery, which, not out of any repentance, God has built today, but from ancient times and from the beginning provided, thus arranging our glory, because not only salvation, but also gives glory to believers.

. Which none of the powers of this world knew; for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

“Southern none of the princes of this world understand: if they had understood, they had not crucified the Lord of glory”. He called Pilate, Herod, Anna, Caiaphas and other leaders of the Jews the princes of this age; says that they did not know God's secret and therefore they crucified the Lord. That is why the crucified Lord said: “Father, let them go, they don’t know what they are doing”(). And if they knew that saving suffering would scatter them throughout the universe, but would grant salvation to the pagans, they would not dare to betray the Lord to suffering. Therefore, the Lord recognized them as worthy of indulgence. But when, after His Resurrection from the dead, after His Ascension to heaven, after the Descent of the All-Holy Spirit, after the various wonder-workings of the apostles, they remained in unbelief, then they besieged. He called the Crucified Lord of glory, not because he ascribes suffering to the Divine, but because he wants to show the excess of the lawlessness of those who have sinned.

. But, as it is written, eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and it has not entered the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him.

“But as it is written: their eye has not seen, and their ear has not heard, and it has not risen in the heart of a man, even though God has prepared for those who love Him”(). Since the Apostle mentioned the ignorance of the Jews and said that the mystery of the Dispensation was hidden, then of necessity he added that what no one had heard of, what no one had ever seen or thought of with the most insatiable mind, then God prepared all kinds of people who had ardent love for Him. But there should be no doubt about the testimony, for it is enough that the blessed tongue said: "as if it is written". And the book of Chronicles informs us that many other prophecies were written.

. But God revealed it to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

"But God has revealed to us to eat by His Spirit". This is enough to prove the truth of the testimony, for he who received the revelation of the Spirit of God in the same revelation received the knowledge of the testimony.

“For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God”. He said: "tests," meaning not ignorance, but accurate knowledge. For soon he says the same thing about God: "Test Hearts". But if ignorance is signified in the second place, so also in the first. And if in the second there is knowledge, then likewise in the first. As knowledge shows equality, so ignorance shows inequality. For it will turn out that God does not guide human hearts, and the Spirit does not guide the depths of God. And one more thing: if testing is a sign of ignorance, and He tests everything, it will mean that He does not know everything. But we have talked about this more extensively in other places. Therefore, let us turn to the interpretation.

. For who among men knows what is in a man, except for the human spirit that lives in him? So no one knows God, except the Spirit of God.

“Who knows from a man, even in a man, like the spirit of a man living in him? So even God's no one knows, just the Spirit of God ". The apostle showed that testing is not a sign of ignorance, for he added that He is also "the message of God," as we know our own thoughts.

. But we did not receive the spirit of this world, but the Spirit from God, in order to know what was given to us from God.

“We did not receive the spirit of this world, but the Spirit Who is from God, so that we may even be given to us by God”. The apostle showed that the All-Holy Spirit is not a part of creation, but has existence from God. For this is expressed by the words: “We do not receive the Spirit of the world”, that is, they did not receive the created spirit and not through an angel the revelation of mysteries was communicated to us, but the Spirit who proceeded from the Father Himself taught us the hidden mysteries.

. That we proclaim not from human wisdom with learned words, but learned from the Holy Spirit, considering the spiritual with the spiritual.

“I even speak not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit”. Therefore, we have no need for human wisdom; the teaching of the Spirit is sufficient for us.

"Spiritual by Spiritual Discussing". For we have evidence Old Testament and with it we confirm the New Testament, because the Old is also spiritual. In order to indicate the types of our mysteries, we present on the Wednesday of the lamb and the blood with which Prague is anointed, the passage through the sea, currents from stone, alms of manna and thousands of similar events, and by these types we prove the truth.

. The natural man does not accept what is from the Spirit of God, because he considers it foolishness; and cannot understand, because this must be judged spiritually.

“A sincere man does not even accept the Spirit of God, for he has foolishness: and he cannot understand, he does not aspire spiritually”. The apostle calls a person “of the soul” one who is content with his own thoughts alone, does not allow the teaching of the Spirit and cannot know it.

. But the spiritual one judges everything, and no one can judge him.

“The spiritual one claims the whole thing, but he himself claims not from a single one”. For whoever has been made worthy of the grace of the Spirit, he himself is able to teach others, but he does not need to be taught by others.

. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may judge him? And we have the mind of Christ.

“Who knows the mind of the Lord, who will explain and?” “We are the mind of Christ imams”. The apostle sufficiently proved that the Divine teaching has no need for anything. For if not only the God of all has no need of anything, but also His wisdom is incomprehensible, and He has communicated this wisdom to us, then we also have no need for the teaching of the so-called wise men.