Both the prophet and the seer, seeing eternity, saw Him: it was not the radiance of the sun, nor the glow of the moon or stars, but nevertheless some ineffable Light penetrated everywhere and illuminated everything (Isaiah 60:19; Rev. 21:23). Do you know what kind of Light it is, you educated ones? Yes, you guessed it, this is the eternal Light of the face of the Almighty. This is the Light of the eternal Parent, and the Light of the eternal Son, and the Light of the eternal Holy Spirit – one Light, one Divinity, one Beauty.The Holy Nicene Fathers, enlightened by this eternal heavenly Light, defined the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Heavenly Father and His relationship to creation in six words. Four words define the first, and the next two define the second.The first word is Light of Light. The great seer said: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5). If the Parent is the Light, what can His Son be if not the Light? If the eternal Father is Light, then His Son is Light. The Son's testimony about Himself says: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). Blessed are you if you can call yourselves enlightened by this Light!The second word is true of God, true of God. Once the Apostle Philip dared to ask the Lord: Lord! show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us, to which the Lord answered him: "He who has seen Me has seen the Father," and added: "Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me" (John 14:8-11). And again He said: "All that the Father has is Mine" (John 16:15), and again: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), He said when the Jews wanted to stone Him, saying to Him: "Because You, being a man, make Yourself God" (John 10:33). As they, blinded by sin, saw, so they spoke. And they saw in Christ only the human body, and that which was hidden behind the bodily veil, behind the scarlet robe of the flesh, was hidden from their eyes. After all, a copper wire that conducts electricity, carries thought and voice, and an ordinary copper wire that lies on the ground, look the same to inexperienced and unreasonable people. A veil covered their spiritual vision, and they did not see the Divine nature behind human nature. Only the baptized, consecrated and cleansed could see it. It was seen by the holy apostles and all spiritual people throughout the centuries, such as the Holy Nicene Fathers. God is in Christ... - the Apostle Paul testifies (2 Corinthians 5:19). This is God's revelation. But the fact that He who is born of God is true, that God is true, is true from God, becomes evident from the phenomenon of parenthood in the kingdom of living nature. The true God could only give birth to the true God. That is, the Son of God is born of God. Light is born of Light, Truth is born of Truth, Life is born of Life, Glory is of Glory, God is true of God is true. The human mind is able to understand to some extent the bodily birth of the flesh from the flesh, but it is difficult for it to understand the birth of the spirit from the spirit. Know, you who are educated, that bodily birth is only a shadow or a symbol of spiritual birth. It is enough for you, Christ-bearers, to know that our Messiah and Saviour is not death by death, nor darkness by darkness, nor corruptible by corruption, nor weakness by weakness, but Light by Light, true God, born of true God. And since He was born in eternity, when you leave this world and its gates are closed behind you, He will appear to you in eternity.It was said to you once that your Messiah is the Son of God, the Only-begotten, the only one born of God the Father, may you have full joy to hear of Him again as begotten. For birth means love. It was told to you before that He is the only one born of God by nature, the Most High of the Highest, born of the Most High before all the world. He may resemble creation, but He is uncreated.The fourth word is of one essence with the Father, that is, of one nature with the Father. Is this not self-evident after all that has been said about Him? For if it is said that He is the Son of the Father, these words already imply that He is of one being, of one nature with the Father. And if it is said: Light from Light, then this again confirms that the Light born of Light is equal in essence and nature to the Light that gives birth. And when it is said, "True of God, true of God," these words confirm the truth that the Son is of one essence with the Father. Finally, when we say: begotten, uncreated, this emphasizes what has been said before. For that which is born is always of the same nature as the parent, while that which is created is of a different being and nature than that of the one who created it. Look and see that the child that is born is of the same nature as its father, and the sword is of a different nature than the smith who forged it.These are the two words by which the Holy Fathers of Nicaea defined the relationship in eternity of the Son of God Jesus Christ to His Father. And here are two words by which they defined the relationship of the Son of God to creation.The first word is uncreated. The heavens and the earth, and all that is visible and invisible in it, everything that is outside the essence of God, the one, the living, all this is created. Only the Creator is uncreated. And just as the Father is uncreated, so is the Son. Born, not created. From the beginning He is the doer and not the deed, the author of creation, and not the creature. He is co-existent with the Father and of one essence with the Father. The Father is the Alpha and the Omega, and He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Father is beginningless, and He is beginningless. Beyond time, outside of space, eternal and immortal. His being is inseparable from the essence of the Father; His light and glory are inseparable from the light and glory of the Father. The power of the Father and His power. Does it not follow from this that the Son of the Most High is uncreated? For how can He be created who is eternal? Just as it is impossible to speak of the sun without light, or of a fountain without water, it is impossible to speak of the Father without the Son, or of the Son without the Father. Therefore it is said, you who are educated, that your Saviour is uncreated. For if He were created, then He, like all of us of created beings, would need a Savior. If He were created, He would not be the Son, but one of the sons, He would not be the Son, but one of the adopted ones. But He is truly the Son, not the stepson. And if He had been a stepson, then the Father would not have had a native Son, could not have been called the Father, and there would have been no eternal parenthood. Eternal love would not exist then. There would be no eternal sonship, and there would be no eternal parenthood - the two pillars of eternal love. But let your hearts rejoice, O children of God, for there is parenthood, sonship, and love. May the rays of eternal love warm you! Through Him, all creation came into being. According to the word of God: "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). The Son of God, the Only-begotten, is therefore not only uncreated, but He is the Creator. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing would have been made that was made. Creation, in which everything in heaven and on earth has come into existence, is equally the work of the Father and the Son, just as everything that happens is equally in the power of both the Father and the Son. Thus, on the basis of the written revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the unwritten revelation of the Holy Spirit of God, they clothed their faith and our faith in words. But know that He Who cannot be contained in the universe cannot be contained in the word of man.Everything that is said about Him, Christ-bearers, is said about the Most High God, it is said about the eternally secret Father and about the manifested Son: about the eternal Being, Who begets and sons with Himself, and has no need of anything outside of Himself. It is said about the miracle of existence - unchangeably and immortally, about the unquenchable Divine Flame, on which all light in the world, visible or invisible, causally depends. Just as a mother bows down to a child crying in the cradle, so the Creator of man bowed down and descended to people, into the valley of tears. It is difficult for souls to accept it sensual and covered with worldly dust. Thoughtful people sincerely recognize the limitations of the human mind in comparison with the ever-higher and higher cliffs of mystery that grow one after another. We have just climbed to the top with such an effort and breathed a sigh of joy and relief, and a new, even higher rock grows in front of our eyes. And so on endlessly, from generation to generation.They look and see that none of the already solved mysteries is still a "messiah", but only a "forerunner" - a forerunner of new mysteries. Everything new, unraveled, known, is not yet a discovery, but still a veil that hides new miracles - unspeakable, innumerable, infinite. That is why they prayerfully lift up their minds to the Most High and sensitively accept in their hearts the revelations of new and lofty mysteries, which He, in love and wisdom, deigns to reveal to the human race. They receive them with joy and confess them with boldness. What can prayerful people expect from sensual ones? And what can the sensual, together with the prayerful wanderers, tell of the Divine mysteries, unheard-of, unseen, unapproachable, hidden behind the innumerable rocks of the mysteries of nature? What can they hear from those who are sensual and covered with worldly dust? Nothing but what they have already heard and rejected. That is why they love so much the Messiah, the only and true one, Who, as a personal witness, came from the Kingdom of the last mysteries and revealed as much as the human soul can contain and bear. Let it become the faith of your children, from generation to generation, to the end of the journey. Truly, this is the faith of truly educated people, those who carry the image of God within themselves. On the day of God's Judgment they will endure and be justified by faith, and purity, and by their good works. And they will be called blessed. The truth. Word.

For our sake and for our salvation, He came down from Heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man

Just as a mother bows down to a child crying in the cradle, so the Creator bowed down and descended to people, into the valley of tears. The miraculous existence of the Son of God in eternity corresponds to the miraculous image of His descent into this visible, temporal world. The purpose of His descent is we, people, and our salvation, and the image of His descent is the birth of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Who said that? If we, people, had said, one could have doubts. But this was said by Him Himself, in Whom none of those who bear the image of God in themselves can doubt.He Himself, the true one, said of Himself that He came to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). To serve, of course, people and give Himself as a ransom for people. That's the purpose of His coming. And the image of His coming was not revealed by man. Who would believe him? The Archangel of God Gabriel revealed to the Virgin Mary in Nazareth: "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call His name Jesus." To Her question, "How shall this be, since I know no man?" - the archangel answered: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; wherefore also the Holy One who is born shall be called the Son of God. Will someone ask you in wonder: "How will this be?" and the evangelist of God will answer him as he answered the Most Holy Virgin, saying: "With God no word will remain powerless" (cf. Luke 1:28-37). Silence and joy are more appropriate here than questions and questions. Silence from the greatness of the mystery and joy from the almighty power of our Creator and God.The Son of God and the Son of the Virgin are Born in heaven and on earth. Abiding in eternity and in time. This is your Messiah, the educated ones, and your Savior. Born in eternity from the Father without a mother. Born in time of a Mother without a father, let him tell us whether he understands the mystery of a grain of sand under his feet, or a leaf on a tree, or a star in the firmament... Does he understand the smallest of God's creations: which he steps, looks at, or touches? Has the human mind, which for thousands and thousands of years has been investigating, calculating, measuring, comparing, describing, fully understanding at least one single work of God? It is full of secrets, it is all shrouded, as if with incense, in a terrible and sublime mystery. But how much more wonderful is the Creator of this world Himself! At every point where eternity and time meet, there is a wondrous, ineffable light, and even if it is incomprehensible to you, it is not darkness but light. The Holy Virgin has become such a blessed point of contact between time and eternity, heaven and earth. And from their contact shone such a great Light that rose over the whole world. It is a Light incomprehensible to you, you who are blessed, but it is Light, not darkness.Examine with humility and trembling, examine with your mind all that the Lord has created, and believe in what He has revealed about Himself and His great being. For we walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Is God a man, so that his birth should be the same as man's? Human parenthood and birth are but a symbol and a shadow, a pale image of divine parenthood and birth. It is hidden from us, and therefore we cannot know what the action of the Holy Spirit is at the eternal birth of the Son of God. What is the use of investigating what the Lord is silent about and does not want to reveal anything? But through the Archangel Gabriel, the Lord revealed to us something about the action of the Spirit at the temporary birth of the Son of God. And this is the only thing that the Almighty deigned to reveal to us through His bodiless messenger. And this is the only thing we know. We know that the Holy Spirit descended on the Virgin Mary in Nazareth and that the power of the Most High overshadowed Her. Thus eternity came into contact with time, heaven with earth, the spiritual with the corporeal, and the greatest Light shone, illuminating the whole world. Thus the Holy Virgin conceived in Her womb and gave flesh to Him Who deigned to be the Messiah and Saviour, and to appear in a human body among men.... And became man. Why did the Holy Fathers of Nicaea use this word, if earlier they had already said "incarnate"? Was this word not enough or was it incomprehensible? Incarnate - gained flesh and appeared in the flesh, isn't it clear? No. There are many different bodies in the universe. The Lord appeared to ancient Israel in the form of a pillar of fire and in the form of a cloud. The Holy Spirit appeared on the Jordan in the form of a dove. It was necessary to emphasize in what body the Son of God appeared to the world. And He appeared in a human body. Not in the form of a man, as the Holy Spirit once did in the form of a dove, but let it not be! But as a real bodily person. He appeared not as the appearance of man, but as a true man. That is why the Fathers used two words - incarnate and incarnate.He bestowed upon us honor, the greatest honor that is possible, when, the Lover of mankind, descended to us as one of us. From eternal glory and joy and beauty He descended into our vale of infamy, sorrow and misery, for the sake of people and for the sake of our salvation.Just as a king sends ambassadors to a certain country to announce his arrival, so the King of Heaven, Who out of love for mankind wanted to come to earth, sent His messengers to the human race and announced His arrival. Finally, He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming like men (Phil. 2:7). And all this humiliation He voluntarily took upon Himself: for our sake and for our salvation.This faith is given by God to all people, to all nations, to all generations. But the unclean will not be able to accept it until they repent and are cleansed of unrighteousness, pride and cruelty. How can those in whom the image of God is corrupted, in whose souls the heavenly strings are torn and do not respond with an echo to the voice of heaven, accept it? When the King of Heaven completely draws back the veil of mystery and appears surrounded by angels to judge the world, it will be hard, oh, how hard it will be for the stubborn atheists! And for pure and virgin souls - blissful and joyful! A thousand times blessed will be those who have been cleansed of defilement in due time and have accepted the faith of God and kept it in themselves – the heavenly myrrh in the pure hearts and souls of the righteous. They will not be ashamed in heaven from the presence of the Most-Pure Virgin Mother of God, but from Her Son they will receive blessing and eternal life. Let it become the faith of your children, from generation to generation, to the end. The faith is unashamed, Orthodox, the faith of light, truth and consolation. The faith of the greatest, the best, the most worthy in your generation and in every generation, from generation to generation. On the day of the Judgment of God they will be called blessed. Virgin. A lover of mankind.

And he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried

The flame of eternal Divine love burns in the hearth of God's parenthood with the same intensity as in the hearth of God's sonship. The wind of time does not reach it. Bizarre changes do not touch this flame, do not spread, fan or reduce it. Divine love bestows fullness of life, purity of joy and boundless power. With such a miraculous flame in His hands and in His heart and in His whole being, the King of Heaven miraculously descended to fulfill a wonderful mission among people. And He spoke the blessed words: "I have come to bring fire down upon the earth, and how I languish until this is done" (cf. Luke 12:49). Even if a single spark of this holy fire falls into your heart, it will be enough to illumine your long journey to the eternal Hearth. Do not extinguish it, but hide it and preserve it as a most precious inheritance, O educated ones who bear within themselves the image of God.The Son of God, the Only-begotten, the Beloved, bowed down to heaven and descended to earth for our sake and for our salvation. He did not pass from throne to throne, but descended from the throne to a cold stone. He suffered much for our sake. When we only pronounce these words: "I suffered much," it is already enough to feel shame for ourselves and joy from His love. But for the truth to be complete, more must be said. The Messiah of the human race endured slander, malice, conspiracy, spitting, scolding, mockery, scourging. And this does not say everything: condemnation with robbers, crucifixion, crucifixion, painful death, burial. He did not reject the overflowing cup of suffering, He did not remove the crown of thorns from His head, He did not lay down the heavy cross from His shoulders. And do you, educated ones, know why the Holy Fathers inscribed in our Faith the name of Pontius Pilate, the God-killer? Let not doubt it, so did the Holy Spirit of God, Who inspired and made the Holy Fathers wise. And the Holy Spirit of God willed that the faithful should know exactly and forever in which Christ they believe. For false Christs, false messiahs, have appeared and will appear in the world to seduce and confuse. That is why the Holy Spirit, loving mankind and all-seeing, wanted to protect those faithful to Christ with His wings forever from every temptation and all confusion. That is why He, through the mouth of the Holy Fathers of Nicaea, pointed out exactly which Christ was meant, which Messiah and Savior of the world. We are talking, educated, solely and exclusively about Christ, crucified under Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman Caesar of that time. This Christ is the only true Christ, the only true Messiah, the only humane Saviour. All the others who introduced themselves and those who will be presented by this great name, until the end of time, until the Day of Judgment, are false Christs.And the name of Pilate is also mentioned in order to emphasize and confirm the personality of the Savior of the world as a historical, and not an invented person. At the mention of the name of Pontius Pilate, the time and place of the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world is determined. For even according to the testimony of pagan Roman historians and Christ-fighters, it is known exactly when and where Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor. Do you know human weakness? Because of this weakness, many, too many, are inclined to forget their benefactor, but do not forget the villain. Because of this weakness, many to this day - and there will be many in the future - doubt the historicity of Christ, but no one doubts the historical existence of a man named Pontius Pilate, a man who during the reign of the Roman Caesar Tiberius was his viceroy in the city of Jerusalem. Consequently, by including the name of Pontius Pilate in the Symbol of Faith, the Holy Fathers of Nicaea wanted to emphasize the historicity of the person of Christ, Who at a certain time and in a certain place appeared in the world and lived among people. Roman laws, which are considered to be the most perfect, were written by pagans. However, an innocent Man was condemned to death at the time of these vaunted laws by one of their executors, Pontius Pilate. When applied to the Righteous of the Righteous, these "perfect laws" of the Gentiles turned out to be a complete insignificance. This is another obvious reason why the Lord of Heaven Himself had to come down to earth to save the world from the all-consuming darkness of paganism. Therefore, the mention of Pilate's name in the Creed sounds like an eternal condemnation not only of the executors of pagan laws, but also of these laws themselves.... And suffered, and buried, - wrote the Holy Fathers. You may ask: why were these words needed, if it has already been said, "He who was crucified?" If a person is crucified and chained to the cross with nails, how can one doubt his suffering? And when he dies on the cross, is it not customary to bury the dead? Verbal people do not doubt this. This is clear and clear to the verbal, but doubts gnaw at the dumb. They think that if they humiliate Christ, they themselves will be exalted, and by condemning their Judge, they will escape condemnation. There were those among the dumb who asserted that the Lord did not suffer on the cross. It was said that Christ was only a visible man and, like a ghost, could not feel either suffering or torment. As if they had not heard the prayer of the Son of God in Gethsemane: My Father! if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me (Matt. 26:39)! As if petrified, their hearts did not tremble at His cry on the cross: My God, My God! why hast thou forsaken me? (Matt. 27:46). O unrighteous ones, do you not believe in the suffering of the greatest Sufferer? Do you deny the torment that made the earth shake and the sun darkened? Are your hearts hardened to believe in the suffering that has shattered the stones? Behold, stones shall bear witness against you in the day of retribution, in the dreadful day.Blessed are the two men, Joseph and Nicodemus. They took care of the dead body of the Lord. With trepidation they took Him down from the cross, carefully wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and performed the burial. And the Jews came to the tomb and sealed it. And they begged Pilate for a guard, so that no one would steal the dead Christ. That is how it was, and that is how the verbal believe. But there were dumb ones, who spread the tale that the Lord's body was not buried, but only covered. From this fairy tale the dishonest writers invented other fairy tales, false and unrighteous.All these lies and untruths against the Saviour of the world were foreseen by the Holy Spirit, Who inspired and enlightened the holy fathers of Nicaea. Therefore He moved them to put the words "both suffered and buried" after the word of the crucified. So that you, the educated, and your descendants may know the truth about your Lord Saviour, and so that, armed with the truth, you may be able to refute the lie.With these words the Holy Fathers of Nicaea expounded our faith in the Lord our Saviour, the Redeemer and Transfigurer of the human race, Who suffered for the sake of love for sinners. This faith is open and given to all. But it cannot be accepted by the ungrateful and the selfish, the self-satisfied and the heartless. How can it be accepted by those who have covered the image of God with earthly dust in their souls and have become a grave alive? Verily, the graves will not enter the eternal Kingdom of God; the perishable will be given over to the unquenchable fire.This is the faith of grateful souls. They live in a valley of pain and bitterness and do good without expecting retribution. They have come to know the thorny field of this world and are trying with all their might not to grow thorns from their footprints. They are silent in response to the prickly words: "There are only thorns around, and you want to remain roses!" - and secretly weep over their brethren, who zealously plant thorns with every step they take. Only thorns are dear to grateful hearts - the one on which the light foot of the Son of God stepped and on which roses blossomed. Grateful hearts, looking at these roses, delight in their fragrance, the only beautiful and life-giving fragrance amidst the stench of decay and death. They see thorns of bitterness, the garden of the Most Holy Theotokos abundantly watered with tears, in which beautiful white roses blossomed from each tear. They also see many other gardens of the righteous and martyrs for the truth, in which thorns have blossomed with miraculous flowers. They inhale the fragrance and know that these flowers are from the Lord and they smell of His fragrance, holy and life-giving. And the feeling of gratitude to the heavenly Gardener overwhelms their hearts. And with all their strength they work to turn their lives and the lives of their neighbors into flowers grafted by Christ crucified. Let it become the faith of your children, from generation to generation, to the end, until the day of the judgment of Christ, in which the flowers will blossom, and the barren thorns will be cast into the fire. This is a faith that is not shameful, Orthodox, and salvific. Truly, the faith of educated people, who bear the image of God in themselves. On the Day of Retribution, their faces will shine like suns and will be like the Lord. And they will be called blessed. Cross. Death.

And rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures

Christ is risen, you who are educated! Neither the earth will harm Him, nor the grave will hold Him. May your souls be resurrected, beloved of Christ! May the image of God shine in you, cleansed from the dust of the earth and saved from the decay of death! Rejoice and be glad, for your Messiah, the one and only, has conquered death, which frightened all the earth-born! It is in accordance with His miraculous birth from the Most-Pure Virgin, and with His miracles performed on earth, and with His heavenly wisdom and mercy, with His superhuman patience and dignity in enduring injustice and suffering, with His Divine forgiveness from the cross of His murderers. Everything is in harmony with one another, everything corresponds to and befits one another. Just as by a drop of sea water one can know the composition and quality of the whole sea, so by the Lord's act alone one can know His entire character. And His character is a heavenly miracle, organically woven from a multitude of miracles. He is your almighty Messiah, O educated ones, whom He has blessed from the cross, from the tomb, and after the resurrection. This treasure is as beautiful, as priceless, as comforting as all the treasures on the divine necklace of Christ's works. His resurrection is completely natural from the point of view of the eternal reality that He revealed by His deeds and His entire personality. On the third day, at dawn, the Almighty Lord rose from the dead and appeared alive to His Holy Mother, the myrrh-bearing women and the apostles (cf. Matt. 28; Mk. 16; Lk. 24; Jn. 20 and 21; 1 Cor. 15:6). And then, for forty days, He appeared to His disciples and friends (see: Acts 1), and appeared both to His enemy and persecutor Saul (see: Acts. 9). Thus, first the Lord appeared to His friends and followers, as the first members of His Holy Church, in order to strengthen and educate them, and then to His enemies He appeared in order to defend His Church and to show mercy to them also. For He "loves the righteous and has mercy on sinners" and wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He appeared to the monks, saints and wonderworkers throughout the history of the Church of God and is to this day. He appeared in dreams and in reality, on the battlefields and in prisons, at the bed of sickness and in troubles, when human power is powerless. He appeared in the orphanages and in the shining altars to the saints, His servants, to repentant sinners in the dens of sin. He appeared where fervent faith and tearful prayer called Him and where His appearance was necessary. Why should we list? His living presence is constantly felt by truly educated people who keep the image of God within themselves. The resurrected and living Lord spoke His last word as His heirs: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen (Matt. 28:20). Amen, Lord... According to the Scriptures. Everything was fulfilled according to the Scriptures, as the inspired writers of God wrote, as the prophets of God prophesied. It is written in the prophet: "For thou hast not left my soul in hell, let Thy saint see corruption below" (Psalm 15:10); it is promised: God will rise, and His enemies will be scattered (Psalm 67:1). But, in addition to many prophecies about the resurrection of Christ in the Old Testament, this great event is symbolically and figuratively expressed in the fates of many righteous men. We see the prototype of the same victory in the rescue of Isaac from the slaughter by his own father. A symbol of the resurrection of Christ in the three-day stay of the prophet Jonah in the belly of the whale and in his miraculous salvation. In the fates of many other righteous men: Moses, Noah, Joseph, King David, the prophet Elijah, the prophet Daniel, the three youths in the fiery furnace, the long-suffering Job - all those who, under the burden of satanic and human unrighteousness, overcame all trials and came to glory, preserving in themselves the image of God intact. Therefore, the Holy Fathers of Nicaea emphasized that our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead according to the Scriptures. For a predicted event convinces a person more easily than an unpredicted one.And the holy Evangelists testified in the Gospels that the Lord more than once predicted His resurrection to His disciples. It was precisely when the Saviour foretold His sufferings and death that He also foretold His glorious resurrection (cf. Matt. 16:21; 20:19; 26:32; Mk. 8:31; 9:12, 31; 10:34; 14:28; Luke 9:22; 18:33; Jn. 2:19-22). And everything was as predicted, so it was. Your Lord and Redeemer suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, and on the third day rose gloriously from the dead. Her homeland is in heaven, her kingdom is in eternity, her shadow is on earth, her absence is hell. But how strong is even her shadow! And love itself, burning in the hearth of eternal parenthood and sonship of God, the one that Christ the Lord brought to earth, is all-powerful! The devil and sinners rejoiced over the dead Messiah, the devil's foolishness went so far that he completely destroyed the image of God in himself. How could he know, how could he remember that Divine love is all-powerful? Its strength has no measure, no comparison, no limits. The earth would have been torn asunder: if Christ had not risen, it would not have been able to hold Him within itself. This is the power of true, heavenly, eternal love. Its power is ineffable. By the power of this ardent love, the King of Heaven descended to earth, endured all the humiliations and torments, and was resurrected. By its power, ailments are healed, demons are scattered, storms subside, and all nature becomes meek and obedient. Wherever she appears, in every place and at any time, she works a miracle.This is the faith of the children of God, the children of the King, adopted by God by the power of Christ's love. It cannot be accepted by haters and evildoers, atheists and non-humans, who weave chains from their own sins, and give their ends into the claws of hellish spirits. This is the faith of bright and pure souls, God-loving and brotherly-loving. They accept it and suffer for it similar to Christ's. Love eases their suffering and softens their bitterness. Their vision is clouded for the illusory treasures of this world, but their spiritual eyes, washed and enlightened by tears, clearly see the Fatherland of eternal love. Blessed will they be on the day of judgment, on the dreadful day of God's retribution. They will stand on that day and be warmed by the hearth of eternal love.Is this not your faith, Christ-bearers, and your glorious ancestors? Let it become the faith of your children. Faith is unashamed, Orthodox, bitter as death, but healing as heavenly oil, and bright as resurrection. Truly, this is the faith of great souls, people who are truly educated, who carry the image of God within themselves. On the day of the Judgment of the risen Messiah, they will be pardoned and called blessed. Resurrection. Joy.

And ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of the Father

The most amazing of the guests once visited the earth and returned to His borders. And the wonder at His coming remained and spread throughout the whole world. And hundreds of generations over nineteen centuries have spoken of this Visitor more than of anyone else in the world. But the greatest miracle is that all these generations spoke of Him not only as having once visited the earth, but as their contemporary. And to this day it is said of Him not as having come once, but as of a contemporary. Ever Who Came and Ever Sovremennik! A unique miracle in the history of the human race. The personality of this Visitor is exceptional, incomparable to any earthly one, and cannot be explained by anything earthly. Many in amazement ask: Who is He? And we know Him and we don't know Him. We look at Him from afar and see Him near. His Spirit is among us. We are in His power. His name brings us hope, comfort, and joy. He is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven, clothed in a man, an ordinary man, this is who this unusual Visitor to the world is. And just as the resurrection from the tomb was befitting His power, so the ascension into heaven was according to His greatness. I came forth from the Father and came into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father (John 16:28).

Завершив дело Свое, исполнив миссию Свою в этом мире, Он вернулся в вечное Царство Небесное, из которого пришел к людям.Победоносное вхождение Господа на небеса было таким же чудесным, как и Его сошествие с небес! Чудесно рожденный от Святой Девы и силы Божией, Он чудесно вознесся на небеса силой Божественной, на глазах у Своей Святой Матери и учеников Своих. Вознесение Его словесно. Вознесение Его засвидетельствовано. Словесно по высшей словесности небесной; засвидетельствовано очевидцами, добровольно принявшими страдания за свидетельство свое.Множество свидетелей: кто сочтет их? Святой апостол и евангелист Марк пишет о вознесении Господа: И так Господь, после беседования с ними, вознесся на небо и воссел одесную Бога (Мк. 16, 19). Подробнее повествует об этом великом событии святой Лука, врач, говоря: Он поднялся в глазах их, и облако взяло Его из вида их. И когда они смотрели на небо, во время восхождения Его, вдруг предстали им два мужа в белой одежде и сказали: мужи Галилейские! что вы стоите и смотрите на небо? Сей Иисус, вознесшийся от вас на небо, придет таким же образом, как вы видели Его восходящим на небо (Деян. 1, 9-11). Мы видим, что и при этом событии присутствуют ангелы Божии, как и при зачатии и рождении Спасителя, как при Его сорокадневном посте после крещения, и во время Его страданий в Гефсиманском саду, и при славном воскресении Его. Воины небесные всюду следуют за своим Царем и являют себя людям видимым образом, когда Царь сочтет это полезным.Еще древний псалмопевец пророчески говорил: Возмите врата князи ваша, и возмитеся врата вечная, и внидет Царь славы. Кто есть сей Царь славы? Господь крепок и силен, Господь силен в брани. Господь сил, Той есть Царь славы (ср.: Пс. 23, 7-8, 10). И еще говорил: Рече Господь Господеви моему: седи одесную Мене, дондеже положу враги Твоя подножие ног Твоих (Пс. 109, 1). И Сам Господь - Свидетель над свидетелями - пророчествовал Свое вознесение на небеса и Свою будущую славу. Пророчествовал о ней в час Своего наибольшего унижения, когда евреи во дворце первосвященника заушали и бичевали Его. Он изрек Свои святые слова: даже сказываю вам: отныне узрите Сына Человеческого, сидящего одесную силы и грядущего на облаках небесных (Мф. 26, 64). Какое еще свидетельство нужно людям, кроме Его собственного? В устах Мессии нет лжи ни о прошлом, ни о будущем.Но вот еще свидетельства, подтвержденные кровью свидетелей-мучеников, чтобы еще больше напитать души ваши истиной о Нем. Святой апостол Павел свидетельствует о Христе: Который, восшед на небо, пребывает одесную Бога и Которому покорились Ангелы и Власти и Силы (1 Пет. 3, 22). Святой апостол Павел, будучи восхищен до третьего неба и узрев чудеса небесного мира, свидетельствует, что Отец, посадив (Сына.- Авт.) одесную Себя на небесах, превыше всякого Начальства, и Власти, и Силы, и Господства, и всякого имени, именуемого не только в сем веке, но и в будущем, и все покорил под ноги Его, и поставил Его выше всего (Еф. 1, 20-22; ср.: Евр. 12, 2; Кол. 3, 1). Свидетель тому и святой архидиакон Стефан, первомученик: Стефан же, будучи исполнен Духа Святаго, воззрев на небо, увидел славу Божию и Иисуса, стоящего одесную Бога, и сказал: вот, я вижу небеса отверстые и Сына Человеческого, стоящего одесную Бога (Деян. 7, 55-56). И святой Андрей Константинопольский видел Господа в славе на небесах. Так же как многие и многие святые, особенно мученики, которым являлся Господь, чтобы облегчить мучения.Мессия и Спаситель ваш, один-единственный, вознесся на небеса, откуда прежде сошел как Посетитель. Вознесся в Царство Свое, вечное и бессмертное, в котором Он приготовил место наследникам Своим из другого Своего царства, из Своей земной Церкви.Посему, образованные, не ожидайте другого мессию, который пообещает вам так называемое земное царство и на земле воцарится. Такого мессию ждут неверные и необразованные, которые не сохранили в себе образ Божий. Не знают они, несчастные, что ложный это мессия, а не истинный. Ибо сколько бы ни продолжалось царство земное, каким бы великим и прочным оно ни было, и ему, как всему временному и земному, должен прийти конец. А конец ведет к печали и отчаянию.Разве может такое царство насытить ваши души и успокоить сердца? Разве такой мессия по душе вам? Истинный Мессия, единственный и истинный, сказал: Царство Мое не от мира сего (Ин. 18, 36). Истинный Мессия возвышеннее и чудеснее всех ожиданий человеческих, а потому прекраснее и невыразимее любых желаний. Царство Его вне времени, вне перемен и тлена - Царство вечное, бескрайнее, бессмертное.Такой Мессия один только - Господь наш Иисус Христос, Сын Божий, Единородный, Царь и Посетитель, рожденный в пещере от Пречистой Девы Марии, нас ради человек и нашего ради спасения, при Понтии Пилате распятый, страдавший и погребенный, воскресший и вознесшийся на небеса и во славе сидящий одесную Отца.Это вера святых, вера победивших себя и вознесших ум и сердце к светлым небесам. С помощью веры презрели они нижняя, и вознесли свои сердца горе, и освятились. Они принесли плод веры, прекраснейший из всех плодов земных. Веру эту не могут принять разнузданные, чьи сердца и души влачатся по земле. Только те, кто обуздывает и утесняет себя и упражняется в добродетели, возрастают до небесных высот. Те, кто знает сладость молитвы, радуются этой вере. Те, кто творит милостыню и прощает, радуются этой вере; кто творит милостыню и прощает падшим, веселятся верой этой. Они постоянно памятуют о Страшном Суде, и потому Суд не будет им страшен. Чадами Божиими будут названы они, детьми Царскими. И царствовать вечно будут с вознесшимся Господом. И обогреются у очага вечной любви, вечного родительства Божиего.Не ваша ли это вера, христоносцы, и святых предков ваших? Пусть станет она и верой детей ваших, из рода в род. Вера непостыдная, православная, спасительная, глубокая, как могила, и высокая, как небеса,- вера воскресших и вознесенных душ. Она исповедует покаяние и очищение. Ее принимают и в нее облекаются люди, истинно образованные, носящие в себе образ Божий. Они в день Судный, когда вознесшийся Господь станет судить, будут помилованы и названы благословенными.Вознесение. Благословление. Мир.

И паки грядущаго со славою судити живым и мертвым, Егоже Царствию не будет конца

Бдительность заповедана вам. А бдительность - это бодрствование. Бодрствование и чуткое ожидание. Бдительность над собой: над своими помыслами, желаниями и делами - строгое правило вашей веры. Бдительность обостряет духовное зрение, чтобы вы могли отличить доброе от злого, чтобы знали, кто входит в сердце ваше и от кого приходят помыслы. Бодрствование отпугивает врага и встречает друга. Чуткое ожидание усиливает любовь и очищает совесть. На кого устремлено ваше самое чуткое ожидание? На Возлюбленного, на самого Любимого. На Того, любовь Которого привела вас в этот мир и Чья любовь встретит вас в ином мире. Се, обещал Он прийти. И души человеческие трепещут от обещания Его, так же как любящее сердце трепещет в ожидании любимого.Ожидание усиливает любовь и очищает совесть. Итак, бодрствуйте, потому что не знаете ни дня, ни часа, в который приидет Сын Человеческий (Мф. 25, 13). Это Его слова, предостерегающие слова. Да не будете подобны пяти неразумным девам, которые были в беспечности своей застигнуты и отвергнуты Женихом. Се, Жених грядет, трезвитесь и бодрствуйте!Он приходил однажды и придет вновь. Первый раз пришел Он в унижении, а второй раз в славе приидет. Первый раз пришел как Искупитель мира, а другой раз приидет как Судия его. Разница между Первым и Вторым пришествиями Его огромна; при Первом пришествии Своем Он оставался на земле тридцать три года, а Второе пришествие Его будет равно мгновению: как молния исходит от востока и видна бывает даже до запада, так будет пришествие Сына Человеческого (Мф. 24, 27). Таким внезапным и молниеносным будет пришествие Господа. Потому Он и напоминает верным Своим: бодрствуйте, потому что не знаете, в который час Господь ваш приидет (Мф. 24, 42). Первый раз пришел Он как сеятель-труженик, а второй раз придет как стремительный собиратель жатвы. И так же как жатва не требует много времени по сравнению с полевыми работами, от посева до сбора урожая, так же и Второе пришествие Его по сравнению с Первым будет быстрым и кратким. И внезапным! Потому и заповеданы бдительность, бодрость духа, трезвение и чуткое ожидание.Величественным будет Второе пришествие Господа в блеске славы невиданной: тогда явится знамение Сына Человеческого на небе; и тогда восплачутся все племена земные и увидят Сына Человеческого, грядущего на облаках небесных с силою и славою великою (Мф. 24, 30). Его пришествие воистину будет достойным Царя царей. Пред Ним, под Ним, вокруг Него будут кружиться лучезарные воинства ангелов. Будут трубить трубы и огненные молнии вспыхивать впереди шествия их: и пошлет Ангелов Своих с трубою громогласною, и соберут избранных Его от четырех ветров, от края небес до края их (Мф. 24, 31). Так говорил Господь о Своем грядущем пришествии. А прозорливый пророк, которого даже евреи не отвергают, писал: престол Его - как пламя огня, колеса Его - пылающий огонь. Огненная река выходила и проходила пред Ним; тысячи тысяч служили Ему, и тьмы тем предстояли пред Ним; судьи сели, и раскрылись книги (Дан. 7, 9-10). Так писал пророк, которого даже евреи не отвергают.Внезапным будет пришествие Судии в силе и славе. А Cуд его таким будет, как Сам Он описал его: Когда же приидет Сын Человеческий во славе Своей и все святые Ангелы с Ним, тогда сядет на престоле славы Своей, и соберутся пред Ним все народы; и отделит одних от других, как пастырь отделяет овец от козлов; и поставит овец по правую Свою сторону, а козлов - по левую (Мф. 25, 31-33). Разделит Он людей на две стороны - на правую и на левую, так же как пастырь разделяет овец и козлов. Тем, что по правую сторону, скажет Праведный Судия: приидите, благословенные Отца Моего, наследуйте Царство, уготованное вам от создания мира. А тем, что по левую сторону: идите от Меня, проклятые, в огонь вечный, уготованный диаволу и ангелам его. Простым и ясным будет праведное мерило Его. Тем, первым, уготованы жизнь вечная и блаженство. Поэтому Он говорит им: ибо алкал Я, и вы дали Мне есть; жаждал, и вы напоили Меня; был наг, и вы одели Меня; был болен, и вы посетили Меня; в темнице был, и вы пришли ко Мне. Спросят Его благословенные, когда они видели Его в беде и помогли Ему, ответит им праведный Судия: истинно говорю вам: так как вы сделали это одному из сих братьев Моих меньших, то сделали Мне.А тех, других, что по левую сторону останутся, прогонит в муку вечную, уготованную диаволу и ангелам его. Спросят Его изгнанные: когда они видели Его страждущим и не помогли Ему? Ответит им праведный Судия: истинно говорю вам: так как вы не сделали этого одному из сих меньших, то не сделали Мне (ср.: Мф. 25, 34-45).Видите, образованные, что Господь уравнивает Себя с теми, кто страдает в этом мире. Он ласково называет их братьями Своими. Разве откажете вы в хлебе братьям Христа? Знайте, кто им отказывает, отказывает Ему. На Суде это откроется, и Он будет судить по правде.А когда суд окончится, наступят ликование и бесконечное царство праведников: тогда праведники воссияют, как солнце, в Царстве Отца их (Мф. 13, 43). Все временные царства падут, и всякая земная власть растает, как туман при солнечном свете; одно только Царство останется, без границ и соседних царств. Как провидел и предсказал пророк, которого и евреи признают: владычество Его - владычество вечное, которое не прейдет, и царство Его не разрушится (Дан. 7, 14). И продолжится Царство Его дольше видимого неба и тленной земли, ибо сказано: увидел я новое небо и новую землю, ибо прежнее небо и прежняя земля миновали (Откр. 21, 1), а Царство останется.С таким блеском, и силой, и славой, и величием завершится богочеловеческая драма, начавшаяся в холодной вифлеемской пещере. Так будет расти и возрастать зерно горчичное (см.: Мф. 13, 31) и разовьется в древо жизни, крона которого покроет весь мир, видимый и невидимый. Да возрадуются этому души ваши, праведники, если за имя Христово терпите в этом мире притеснения.Каждый день вашей скорби, ваших страданий и унижений принесет вам века и века радости, ибо ангельским гражданством награждены будете в Царстве Его. Каждый, кто хоть на толику подобен Ему в страдании, будет подобен Ему и в славе. Слезы ваши и раны ваши, днесь невидимые, осветит солнце незакатное. Видимые поражения ваши Евангелия Его ради обратятся в торжество победы, о которой объявят не люди, пером и чернилами, а ангелы Божии гласом трубным.Лучше было бы неправедным ныне трепетать и каяться ныне, чем на Суде Его. А вы, христоносцы, радуйтесь, что Мессия ваш - Судия мира. Ибо по правде судить будет.

Приидет как высший Судия и будет судить живых и мертвых. Приидет как Царь бессмертный, чтобы открыть Царство бессмертия для праведников, и воссияют праведники в том Царстве, словно солнце.Это вера праведных, смиренных и кротких, но неустрашимых на пути к истине. Не могут принять веру эту те, чьи сердца следуют за похотью очей. Ее любят знающие величие Божие и правду вечную. С радостью думают они о величии бессмертного Бога среди окружающего их смрада смертного. С радостью они, окруженные ложью, творят дела истины. Высота Божия влечет их и пленяет красота истины. Они творят дела истины, но надеются не на дела свои, а на милость Божию. Чем праведнее они, тем с большим страхом ожидают они Суда Христова. А неправедные потому и творят неправду, что не имеют страха Божия.Блаженны ожидающие пришествия Господа в силе и славе, помогающие меньшим братьям, как Самому Христу.Блаженны бодрствующие, бдительно и чутко ожидающие Возлюбленного, самого Любимого. Они дождутся Его воистину, встретят они Его, как пять дев разумных. И Он введет их в рай и воцарится с ними вовеки.Не ваша ли это вера, христоносцы, и вера самых праведных из предков ваших? Пусть станет она и верой детей ваших, из рода в род. Вера непостыдная, православная, спасительная. Вера воистину образованных людей, носящих в себе образ Божий. Они в день Христов будут названы благословенными.Судия. Суд. Правда.

И в Духа Святаго, Господа, Животворящаго, Иже от Отца исходящаго, Иже со Отцем и Сыном спокланяема и сславима, глаголавшаго пророки