From the publisher

The time of earthly life - a short segment on the way to Eternity - is given to man for repentance. But human memory is weak, and man himself is weak and changeable, and therefore often needs to be reminded: for what purpose he was created, whence he fell, to what he was called. His soul sleeps more and more, while the days pass like raindrops disappearing without a trace, and the end of the long journey is inevitably approaching. It is for this reason that the Church has established a special period from the general flow of days, unlike anything else, the time of Great Lent, the time of the awakening of the soul, weeping over sins, when, thinking about the imminent and terrible judgment and as if in vain before the Almighty Judge, a person comes to heartfelt contrition and repentance. But even this, however, holy time can be stolen from us by the vanity of life and concern for transient things, if we do not take care to dispose our souls to listen to good and salvific thoughts, which touch and enliven the heart. In the days of Great Lent, pious and God-pleasing reflections are needed, forcing us to forget about the perishable and direct our gaze to the incorruptible, the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. An example of such reflections is in the sermons of the fraternal spiritual father of the monastery of St. Sergius, Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), from which this small collection was compiled. The preacher's speech is unspeakable, the words are quiet and benevolent, but you read them carefully, and gradually slows down, the fleeting time stops, it is resolved from the weight of insensibility, as if a frozen soul is warmed up, and tears are shed from a contrite and humble heart...

Homily on Forgiveness SundayOn the Forgiveness of Offenses

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, from tomorrow we enter upon the great feat of Holy Lent. What and how is the best way to begin this great feat? The Holy Church guides us to the holy field of fasting and repentance with the Gospel commandment to be reconciled with all our brethren in Christ Jesus, to forgive and forgive them all their sins before us. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you also, – says the Lord Himself in the Gospel now read, – if ye do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses (Matt. 6:14 and 15). This is the first and necessary condition for our reconciliation with God, cleansing and justification from sins. Without this all-hearted reconciliation with all, without this extinguishment of mutual sorrows and enmity, it is impossible to approach the Lord, and it is impossible to begin the very field of fasting and repentance. Why? Because, firstly, the Lord our God Himself is a God of peace, and not of disorder (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:33). How then can one appear before His face who harbors enmity and malice in his heart, who does not have peace, love, and holiness with all? Have peace and holiness with all, without which no one will see the Lord (cf. Heb. 12:14). Secondly, because the Kingdom of God is a bright society of the sons of God. The Holy Family of the Heavenly Father is the kingdom of peace, love and unanimity, the kingdom of goodness, mercy, meekness, humility and longsuffering; Can he belong to it who harbors in his heart bitterness, vexation and rancor against his brother, who does not have unanimity and peace with his neighbors - co-heirs of this Kingdom? Peace is the highest good, which the Lord Jesus Christ bequeathed as a precious inheritance to His disciples, when He departed from them to suffering: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). Peace is the highest happiness, which He first of all gave to His friends, greeting them after His Resurrection from the dead, standing in their midst and saying to them: Peace be unto you! (John 20:19). Whoever deprives himself of this spiritual treasure through enmity and rancor, deprives himself of the eternal inheritance – the Kingdom of God, which the Lord bequeathed to those who love Him. The world is a grace-filled gift of the Holy Spirit, and therefore its presence or absence in the heart of man testifies to who dwells in it: whether it is the Spirit of God or the evil spirit. And since the latter is primarily a spirit of malice and enmity, so the place for a man who harbors malice and ill-will towards his brother is not in the Kingdom of Peace, but with all the spirits that are outcast. It is obvious that without a sincere all-hearted reconciliation with all our brethren in Christ, the grace-filled course of holy Lent will pass fruitless for us, even if we try to spend the fast according to the rules of the Church Ustav. What is the use of fasting, when we, strictly abstaining from bodily food, by our anger and obstinacy devour the souls and hearts of our neighbors; when, fearing to defile our lips with some forbidden food, we do not fear, however, that from these same lips continue to proceed, like stinking smoke from the furnace, words of condemnation, slander and backbiting, sarcastic mockery, full of infection and temptation of the soul. "I have not chosen such a fast," says the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, "but loose every covenant of unrighteousness, take away evil from your souls, cease from your wickedness, learn to do good (cf. Isaiah 58:6; 1:16-17). Not only no fast, but even the most martyric feat can replace true love for one's neighbor, that love which is longsuffering, merciful, not envious, not arrogant, not proud, not disorderly, not irritated, not thinking evil, but loves everyone and endures everything (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). If we come to church for prayer not with a reconciled heart, then what will we hear from the Lord? When you stand in prayer, forgive if you have anything against anyone, that your Heavenly Father also may forgive you your trespasses (Mark 11:25). Otherwise, what is the use of prayer, when with the same lips with which we glorify the Lord, we curse our brother, when we call God our Father, and our neighbors, whom the Heavenly Father called His children, we slander, hate and trouble with rancor? What is the use of prayer, when outwardly we humble ourselves, calling ourselves the last, but inwardly we say, like the Pharisee: "Not like other people, predators, adulterers, or like this publican" (cf. Luke 18:11); when we pronounce the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian with our lips: Grant me to see my sins and not to condemn my brother, but in fact we set ourselves up as implacable judges of everyone and everything, we notice the mote in our brother's eye, not noticing the beam in our own eye? Of such men of prayer the Lord said long ago through the Prophet: "These people draw near to Me with their lips, and with their lips they worship Me, but their hearts are far from Me, they worship Me in vain" (cf. Isaiah 29:13). Lord!", will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21). What is the use, finally, if we repent before the Throne of God, asking forgiveness of our sins, but with a hardened heart, without forgiving our neighbor and not being reconciled to him? If you forgive men their trespasses, says the Lord, your heavenly Father will forgive you also, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses (cf. Matt. 6:14-15). What is the use of repentance, when some prostrate themselves in the church, asking for forgiveness of sins, and when they leave the church, they are ready to persecute their neighbors, bring repentance with their lips, and harbor malice and vengeance in their hearts? They ask forgiveness from the Lord, without humbling their pride, without trampling on their self-love and vanity, and without asking forgiveness from their offended brother! Whoever wants his repentance to be accepted as a sacrifice acceptable to God, must not only forgive the sins of his neighbor from the bottom of his heart, so that he does not remember them, but must also try to dispose this neighbor to the same forgiveness, to make him from an enemy his brother, of one mind and of one mind with himself. Without this, no matter how much our spiritual father allows us to go to confession, our spirit will not be resolved in enmity, and the Heavenly Father will not absolve us of our sins. The Lord says: "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath something against thee, leave thy gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matt. 5:23-24). If we dare to approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the Sacrifice, which was offered primarily out of the love of the Only-begotten Son of God for the human race, without true love for one another, then would this not be an insult to the highest love of God? Having a spirit of malice, vengeance, enmity towards our neighbors, we trample on the Holy Things and impute the Blood of the Lord to nothing. Dear brothers and sisters, the ancient Christians had a good and pious custom on the present, Forgiveness, Sunday to ask forgiveness of each other. Let us follow this good custom at the call of our Mother Church, and we will ask forgiveness from each other, especially from those who have been offended in any way. Due to the weakness of our nature, due to the circumstances of life in our conditions, clashes and sorrows are inevitable, and therefore we will try to soften our souls and mutual relations through mutual forgiveness. Once upon a time in the Kievo-Pechersk monastery there lived two monks, bound together by close ties of mutual love and friendship. Through the envy of the devil, this friendship between them disappeared, and such enmity and hatred reigned in its place that they did not even want to look at each other: in church one did not burn incense for the other, but passed by. But then one of them, the presbyter Titus, fell grievously ill and, sensing the approach of death, through the messengers began to ask forgiveness from his brother, the deacon Evagrius, but he would not hear anything. Then he was forcibly brought to the bedside of the dying man. Titus got up from his bed and said: "Forgive me, my brother, perhaps I have offended you in some way as a person." But Evagrius answered: "I will not forgive you either in this life or in the Life to come." And with these words he fell down dead, and the brethren could not even bend his hands or straighten their mouths, so soon did his body become stiff. Titus immediately arose well. And to the question of the brethren how this event had happened, he replied that when Evagrius had said these words, the angel of the Lord struck the unfortunate man, and he, Titus, was raised from his bed of sickness. And so, dear brothers and sisters, let us forgive all from the bottom of our hearts, and with a reconciled heart let us enter the field of holy fasting, asking the Lord to forgive our sins. At the same time, let us always remember the words of the holy Apostle Paul: If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people... and the God of love and peace will be with you (Romans 12:18; 2 Corinthians 13:11). Amen. 1963

Sermon on Tuesday of the 1st Week of Great Lent at Great ComplineOn Fasting and Its Benefits

Behold, now is the time of acceptance, behold, now are the days of salvation. (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:2) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, we have entered upon the podvig of the Great Salvific Lent, which was established by the Church in imitation of the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, for for the sake of our salvation He fasted for forty days, without eating any food or taking any drink during this time. In the same way, the Holy Orthodox Church has strictly commanded us, His followers, to preserve holy abstinence, spiritual and physical, for forty days, beginning yesterday, called Clean Monday, and until Friday of the sixth, or Palm Week. That is why this fast that has come is called by us the Holy and Great Forty Days. In these great days of repentance, the Holy Church has clothed herself in mourning garments, and by a special service, prayers, hymns, and the ringing of bells, she expresses that in these days she is grieving, lamenting, weeping for her children, calling upon us to do the same. Just as the Jews, who lost their homeland, wept on the rivers of Babylon, so we are called in these holy days to mourn the loss of our Heavenly Fatherland, which we have lost because of our sins and iniquities. The Church has combined the lamentation of sins with fasting, for it inspires our repentance and lifts it up to the Throne of God. The feat of fasting is a holy and very ancient deed. "Fasting is an ancient gift, unfading, ageless, but directly renewed, blossoming in all its beauty," says St. Basil the Great. Do you think that its antiquity is reckoned from the time of the origin of the Law? Fasting is older than the Law. Fasting is not a new invention, but a treasure of the Fathers. Everything that is distinguished by antiquity is venerable. Respect the gray hair of fasting, it is contemporary with humanity. Fasting is legalized in paradise. Adam accepted the first commandment: "But from the tree, if you understand good and evil, you shall not take away" (Gen. 2:17). And do not bear this, it is the legalization of fasting and abstinence. If Eve had fasted and had not eaten from the tree, then we would not have had need of this fast now. We, who are damaged by sin, will be healed by repentance, and repentance without fasting is not effective. Cursed is the earth: thorns and thistles shall grow up for thee (cf. Gen. 3:17-18) – it is commanded to be contrite in spirit, and not to indulge in luxury. By fasting be justified before God. But the very sojourn in paradise is an image of fasting, because, being content with little, those who lived in paradise did not consume either wine or animal flesh, which makes the human mind clouded. After the flood, people learned wine and meat, but before the flood this did not exist. When there was no hope of perfection, then pleasure was permitted. All the saints observed fasting as a kind of paternal inheritance, handed down from father to son and received in succession, so that this acquisition in the order of succession has been preserved to this day. Moses fasted for forty days on Sinai, and fasting made the holy Prophet a lawgiver, and he was vouchsafed to dwell with God and received from Him the Law for the people of Israel. But thanks to the intemperance, the insatiability of the belly of the Israelites, this same Law, written on tablets by God Himself, was crushed by the holy prophet Moses. Thanks to the insatiability of their belly, the people of Israel gave themselves over to idolatry, and thereby lost the favor of God. Esau's intemperance made him a slave to his brother, because he sold his primacy for one meal. The prayer of the Nun Anna, combined with fasting, gave her a grace-filled child: the holy Prophet Samuel. Fasting made Samson invincible, and until he was separated from him, the enemies fell by the thousands, the city gates were torn up, and the lions could not withstand the strength of his hands. But when drunkenness and fornication took possession of him, he was caught by the enemy and, deprived of eyes, exposed to the ridicule of the children of foreigners. Elijah, who fasted, shut up heaven for three years and six months. Since he saw that from satiety is born in the people much impudence and evil, then, out of necessity, in order to heal them from the vice of luxury and dissolute life, he imposed on them an involuntary fast - hunger, which stopped the sin that had already spread beyond measure; By fasting, as if by cauterization or cutting, he interrupted the further spread of evil. Fasting made the holy Prophet Elijah a spectator of a great vision, for, having cleansed his soul by fasting for forty days, he was vouchsafed to see the Lord on Horeb. Through fasting, the holy Prophet Elijah returned to the widow her dead son. "Fasting," says St. Basil the Great, "gives birth to prophets, strengthens the strong, fasting makes legislators wiser." Fasting is a good guardian of souls, a reliable cohabitant of the body, a school for ascetics. He repels temptations, he is a cohabitant of sobriety and chastity. Fasting precedes prayer to Heaven, becoming for it as if wings during the ascent of mountains!e. Fasting is the mother of health, the educator of youth, the adornment of the elderly, the good companion of travelers, a reliable cohabitant of spouses. The husband does not suspect adultery of marital fidelity, seeing that his wife has become accustomed to fasting. The wife is not consumed with jealousy, noticing that her husband has loved fasting. A man of desires, the holy Prophet Daniel, who did not eat bread or drink water for three weeks, stopped the mouths of lions with his fasting; they could not do him any harm when he was thrown into their pit. The benefits of fasting are open to every kind of life, to every state of the body: fasting is proper everywhere and at any time. Fasting protects infants, chastes the young, makes the elder venerable, for gray hair adorned with fasting is more worthy of respect. Fasting is the most decent adornment of women, a bridle in the flower of years, the protection of marriage, the educator of virginity. By fasting immodest speeches, songs, and ridicule are banished.

Now, people who pursue luxury as the bliss of life have introduced this great swarm of evils. The rich man's luxurious life plunged him into hell of fire, and Lazarus ascended to Heaven through fasting, resting in the bosom of Abraham. The fasting person has a venerable complexion (it does not turn into shameless crimson), his gaze is meek, his gait is sedate, his face is meaningful, and his heart is pure. All the saints, glorified from time immemorial, loved fasting and observed it. The life of St. John the Baptist was one of continuous fasting. The holy Apostle Paul fasted, and fasting elevated him to the third Heaven. But for us the most important thing is that this fast was sanctified by the Lord Himself, Who fasted for forty days. Our spirit is constantly opposed to the flesh, they oppose each other, so if you want your spirit to be strong, restrain the flesh by fasting. The Apostle Paul says: "If our outer man decays, the inner one is renewed from day to day (2 Corinthians 4:16). No one, with abundant food and unceasing luxury, accepted a spiritual gift. If the Ninevites had not fasted, they would not have escaped the punishment that threatened them. The Jews, when they ate manna and water from the stone, defeated their enemies and were all healthy, but when their hearts longed for meat and they remembered the cauldrons of Egypt, they did not see the Promised Land. Fasting is a weapon for the militia against demons. But fasting should not be limited to abstinence from food alone, because true fasting is the removal from evil deeds. Forgive your neighbor's insults, refrain from offending your neighbor, refrain from irritation, from senseless sorrow, from fear, anger, etc. You will forgive others offenses, faults, annoyances, unnecessary worries, and your sins will be forgiven you. The Lord will forgive your faults, and you will be vouchsafed great mercies from Him. You will forgive a few sins of your neighbor, and God will forgive you countless sins. You will forgive a hundred denarii, and He will forgive you a thousand talents. Thus, let us not listen to the devil, who teaches us to hold evil against our neighbor in our souls, but let us in simplicity of heart forgive our neighbor the offenses that he also inflicts at the instigation of the devil. Let no one think evil against one another, let no one be carried away by evil suspicion of his brother, for this is the charm of the enemy of our salvation, who in every way tries to destroy in us the union of love and brotherhood and to implant demonic enmity and enmity. Let us remember the commandment of the Saviour: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another" (John 13:34), and also that he who loves another has fulfilled the law; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8, 10). We must, according to the Lord's commandment (cf. Matt. 6:16), enter upon the podvig of fasting, not with a gloomy face, but with vigorous faces, as true warriors of Christ, going out to fight sin and our flesh with the help and assistance of God's grace. Anoint thy head with the oil of almsgiving, and wash thy soul with the water of purity, and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (Matt. 6:17, 18). At the same time, the Lord teaches us to detach our hearts from earthly treasures and earthly attachments, and encourages us to desire and seek the treasures of Heaven. They are of heavenly origin and therefore immortal, and earthly goods, as coarse, perishable and transitory, are unworthy of us, created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed by the priceless Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the enjoyment of spiritual and eternal blessings. By clinging to earthly goods with our hearts, we thereby make our hearts earthly, coarse, lowly, passionate, and ourselves incapable of loving God and our neighbor, whereas in love lies the main goal and duty of our life. Amen. 1961

Homily for Wednesday of the 1st Week of Great Lent at Great ComplineOn Fasting and Repentance

Behold, now is the time of acceptance, behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! Entering upon the podvig of the Holy Forty Days, we must thank the Lord with all our hearts that He, the Merciful, Who desires salvation for all, has vouchsafed us this year to live to the holy days of Great Lent, and here, under the arches of this ancient church, to pray and be edified by the touching Lenten hymns, and, testing ourselves, to bring repentance of our sins to God. The Holy Church has now clothed herself in mourning garments, and with the slow, drawn-out ringing of bells, touching Lenten hymns and prayers, she calls us to repentance, trying to awaken our sleeping conscience and arouse in us a zeal for correction. Just as in the spring the whole nature of animals, birds, and trees strips off its old veil and puts on a new beautiful garment, so we must in these holy days cleanse ourselves, put off the filthy rags of sin - by fasting, prayer and repentance - and clothe our souls in clean garments acceptable to the Lord. O my soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end draws nigh, and you are troubled. Arise, that Christ God may have mercy on thee, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things... [1] Thus St. Andrew of Crete addresses his soul in his touching Canon, which we heard at the evening service. With the same words, dear ones, let us turn to our sleeping soul and try to awaken it from its heavy, sinful sleep. O my soul, my soul, arise! Arise from your attraction and addiction to earthly things. After all, you were created not for earth, but for Heaven, not for enslaving yourself to passions, but for glorifying your Creator and Redeemer. O my soul, my soul, arise, that thou sleepest! See how your Redeemer and Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, your Guide, the Heavenly Mother, the Most Blessed Mother of God, your Guardian Angel and all the saints are waiting for your awakening! They say to you, poor soul: "Lift up your eyes from earth to Heaven, arise from the sleep of sin! Can you sleep now, when your tender, sincere friends show such concern for you and want to heal you, a sick woman, with prayers and Sacraments, while your enemy puts you to sleep and tries to destroy you!" O my soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end is approaching! Why do you not take care of yourself, my poor soul, why do you spend a few days of your life in the diaspora? Do you not know that soon, soon you will be called to the test that will take place at the Dread Judgment of God? Terrible, truly terrible will be this Judgment, although the Lord is good and merciful. For the same Jesus, Who now mercifully calls all to Himself, will then send away from Himself all unrepentant sinners, saying: "I do not know you, depart from Me, all you who do iniquity" (cf. Matt. 7:23; Lk. 13:27). The end is approaching. Do you not know, my poor soul, that a man, as soon as he has time to enter this world with one foot, is already standing in the grave with the other? The first hour of earthly life is already a step that brings us closer to death. A day passed, and we came closer to death, and a year passed, and we came even closer to the limit of our lives. Time now flies with terrifying rapidity, not only hours and days, but also months and years flash, and you, poor soul, are dozing and do not feel that death is imperceptibly approaching you with swift steps. If the souls of the righteous did not think without fear and confusion about the coming death, then what confusion will you feel when the time comes for you to be separated from the body! That terrible day and hour will come when you will really be embarrassed; then no one will protect you: neither your relatives, nor your brother, nor your father, but then only your deeds will appear with you. And then you will be frightened and confused by your abominable earthly deeds, which will be revealed to you with all clarity. If you wish to reform, but it will be too late, you will cry out for mercy, but then the doors of repentance will be closed, and you will be tormented forever. But arise, that Christ God may have mercy on thee, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things! While the doors of repentance are open for us, let us, dear ones, hasten to this Mystery and make use of its grace-filled healings. There is no other way to salvation for us than repentance! We are all sinners. There is not a single person who would live and not sin. We sin hourly in word, deed, thought, and all feelings, will and bondage, knowledge and ignorance, day and night. The Sacrament of Repentance is a ladder that leads us to where we have fallen. We should be disposed to repentance not by blind imitation of the example of others, not by unaccountable adherence to a long-established custom, but by the awareness of our sinfulness and abhorrence of sin. Whoever turns to repentance, following a long-established custom, imitating the example of others, his repentance always turns out to be fruitless, such a person repents every time, but in his life he does not correct himself in the least: as soon as he comes out of this font, he again plunges into sinful mire and takes up his lawless deeds. The one who resorts to repentance from the awareness of the perniciousness of his sinful state and abhorrence of sin burns with the desire to untie himself from sin, to abandon the path of vice and to take the path of virtue. What, for example, prompted the prodigal son to return from a foreign land to his compassionate father? Was it not the consciousness of his hopeless situation, was he not disgusted with his depraved life, which had made him languish from hunger? Yes. When he came to his senses, the Gospel relates, he said: "How many of my father's hired men have bread in abundance, and I am dying of hunger; I will arise, and go to my father, and say to him, Father, forgive him! I have sinned against heaven and against thee (Luke 15:17-18). "Know that you have sinned and that sin is a terrible evil, and you will have a desire to atone for it," teaches St. Nilus of Sinai. Having recognized ourselves as great sinners, we should not blame others for our falls, but only ourselves. Our forefathers tried to lay the blame on one another: Adam on Eve, Eve on the serpent and the devil, but God did not take into account their justifications and gave each of them the punishment they deserved. Neither the temptations of the world, nor the seductions of evil people, nor the temptations of the devil can draw us into sin, unless there is our evil will to do so. In vain do some justify themselves in their falls by the weakness of their own nature and the general weakness of man, or by the fact that "everyone does so." Holy Scripture assures us that the weaker we are, the better we are and the more capable we are of doing good, then grace abounds more. My strength is made perfect in weakness, – said the Lord to the holy Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9), while depravity reigns when physical strength abounds, as it was before the flood during the time of the sojourn of the giants on earth. Sin is not made less by the fact that it is common; on the contrary, it is then that the wrath of God is more kindled. If Noah had lived as his contemporaries lived, then he too would have perished in the waters of the flood: there will be a place in hell for all the wicked. It is best and most reliable in one's sins to condemn only oneself in everything, to reproach oneself alone for everything. Self-condemnation will turn away from us the severity of God's judgment, incline His mercy to us, and intercede for our forgiveness of sins. "He is on a good path and can expect forgiveness for his sins who is dissatisfied with himself: with the Righteous and Merciful Judge, he excuses himself who accuses himself," writes Blessed Augustine. "If the soul accuses itself before God, the Lord will love it," says St. Pimen the Great. Why was the Pharisee condemned by God? Isn't it for self-justification? How did the publican gain favor for himself? Is it not self-condemnation? In condemning ourselves for our sins, we must heartily grieve over them and shed bitter tears in proportion to our iniquities. "Whoever wants to be cleansed from his sins is cleansed from them with tears," teaches Abba Pimen. By temporary weeping we can save ourselves from eternal weeping. "Whoever does not weep for himself here will weep forever there. Thus, it is necessary to weep: either here - voluntarily, or there - from torment," says the same great Father. If our fall is small, a few tears are enough for us, but if the fall is great, then there must be a stream of tears. Blessed is he who constantly weeps over his sins. As after a pouring rain the air becomes pure and pleasant, so after the shedding of tears there comes silence and clarity, and the darkness of sin is dispelled. And how can we not weep over our sins, when through sin we incur the wrath of the Heavenly Father, become crucifiers of Christ, insult the Holy Spirit, arm against us the Heavenly Angels and all creation, heaven and earth, enslave ourselves to the age-old enemy the devil, destroy soul and body, become communicants with demons and prepare for ourselves hell with eternal and endless torment! Is it possible not to mourn one's sins after this? The Apostle Peter in all the time following his renunciation could not indifferently hear the midnight crowing of a rooster, but immediately got up and shed bitter tears, beseeching the Lord not to remember his grave sin. Being in such a mood, he preserved himself faithful and devoted to the Lord until his very martyr's death. On the contrary, our insensitivity to sin directly speaks of our unwillingness to part with it. St. Mark the Ascetic writes: "If anyone falls into any sin and does not grieve according to it, then he will easily fall into the same snare again." That is why the Lord does not so much turn away from sinners as from those who, having committed a sin, do not want to be reformed. "God is irritated not so much by the sins we have committed as by our unwillingness to change," says St. John Chrysostom. However, when we are grieving over our sins, we should not give ourselves over to sorrow immoderately, because even immoderate sorrow for sins becomes fatal. We should not reach despair from the idea of the multitude and greatness of our sins: despair is a satanic deed – it can lead us into the very abyss of evil, settle hell in the soul before it brings it down to hell. No matter how many sins there are and no matter how grave they are, God has even more mercy. Even if our sins are equal to the sins of the whole world, then we should not despair, because our Savior is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the whole world. The blood of Jesus Christ is powerful to cleanse us from all sin, if only our repentance is accompanied by firm faith in the divinity of Him, Who was crucified for us, and a strong hope in the redemptive power of His death on the cross for human sins. How were robbers, fornicators, tax collectors and other grievous sinners saved? Is it not tearful repentance, combined with faith in the Redeemer and hope in God's mercy? On the contrary, why did the fratricide Cain and Judas the traitor die? Because they despaired of the forgiveness of their sins. This means that it is not the greatness of sins that destroys a person, but an unrepentant and hardened heart. Having recognized our sins, condemning only ourselves in them and weeping over them, we must confess our weeping, combined with faith in the Redeemer of the world, before the priest, who received from God the authority to be a mediator between Him and people and to bind and absolve sins. Through confession before the priest, we seem to spew out of ourselves the poison of sin, with which the serpent has bitten us. On the contrary, unrepentant sin remains unresolved and nests in our soul to its greater corruption. As cancer eats away at all the limbs, if the tumor is not removed at the very beginning, so does unrepentant sin corrode the soul. There is no need to be ashamed to confess one's sins before the priest, because the priest is also a weak person and also has weaknesses. Moreover, the priest should not reveal the sin confessed to him to anyone. According to the rules, this remains a mystery to everyone. Having confessed our sins before the priest and received through him their forgiveness by God, we must try not to repeat them again, otherwise our repentance will be nothing more than hypocrisy and deceit before the Lord. Blessed Augustine writes: "It is good to confess sins, when correction follows. In this case, the Lord will act with us in the same way as the king did in the Gospel with the unmerciful debtor (cf. Matt. 18:23-34), and will deprive us of the forgiveness granted to us, and we will remain unrepayable debtors before Him. When, after confession, we feel such disgust for sin and disgust that we agree to die rather than sin again before the Lord, then we can believe that our sins are really forgiven, teaches St. Basil the Great. In order for us to preserve ourselves more faithfully after confession from repeating our sins, let us try, especially at first, while we have not yet become morally strong, to avoid encountering sin: to avoid those persons and those places that can give us a reason for falling. The Nun Mary of Egypt, after confessing her sins in Jerusalem, did not return back to Egypt, but went and settled in the wilderness beyond the Jordan, fearing that she would fall again into the same sins. Everyone should act in the same way. But if, through our weakness, we have to fall again into the same sins of which God's mercy has forgiven us, then we must not despair. For if we sin a thousand times, and then again resort to repentance, then we will again be cleansed from the defilements and from the iniquities we have committed. The Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to forgive his brother seventy times a week (cf. Matt. 18:22), all the more so would He Himself do so. A certain brother once asked Abba Sisoi: "Abba, what should I do, I have fallen?" The brother said, "I got up and fell again." "And get up again," the elder answered again. The brother asked: "How long will this be?" - "Until you are taken from this life good or vicious," said the elder, "for whoever then turns out to be what he is, he will go like that." The hope of repentance will not do us any good when we find ourselves in hell. That's where this medicine will be powerless. And as long as we live, then, even if we resort to repentance in extreme old age, or even at the gates of death itself, with our last breath, the Lord will not reject our repentance, teaches St. John Chrysostom. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, earnestly striving in the field of struggle against sin through repentance, we will become merciful to the Heavenly Father, we will be accepted into the number of friends of His Only-begotten Son, and, cleansed of vice and iniquity, we will be able to exclaim together with the Most-Pure Virgin Mother of God: My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Saviour! (cf. Luke 1:46-47). Grant, O Lord, that we all prudently and salvific spend the holy days of fasting and, having lived, greet the Radiant Resurrection of Christ with spiritual joy and glorify the Resurrected Savior, to Whom may honor and glory be from us forever and ever. Amen. 1964 Kontakion of the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, tone 6. ^

Homily for Thursday of the 1st Week of Great Lent after Great ComplineOn Fasting and Its Meaning

Do not be afraid, little flock! for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters of God, as we embark on the podvig of Great Lent, we must thank the Lord with all our hearts that He, Who desires salvation for all, has vouchsafed us to live this year to the holy days of Great Lent. We must consider it a blessing and a great mercy of God that we have the opportunity to pray to God under the arches of this holy church, to be edified by touching Lenten hymns and prayers, and, examining ourselves, to bring repentance to God for our sins. The Holy Church, our tender, child-loving mother, is now clothed in mourning garb, and with the slow, mournful ringing of bells, the touching Lenten service, calls us to repentance, trying to awaken in us our sleeping conscience and arouse zeal for correction. Just as in the spring the whole nature of animals, birds, and trees strips off its old veil and puts on a new and beautiful garment, so we must in these holy days purify ourselves, strip our souls of the filthy rags of sin by fasting, prayer, and repentance, and clothe our souls in clean garments acceptable to the Lord. O my soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end draws nigh, and you are troubled. Arise, that Christ God may have mercy on thee, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things... Thus St. Andrew of Crete addresses his soul in his touching Canon of Repentance, which we heard at the evening service. Let us, dear brothers and sisters, turn with these words to our souls and try to awaken it from its heavy, painful, sinful sleep. O my soul, my soul, arise! Arise from your attraction and attachment to earthly things! For you were created not for earth, but for Heaven, not for enslavement to corruptible things, but for serving Your Creator and Redeemer and glorifying Him. O my soul, my soul, arise, that thou sleepest! See how your Creator and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, your Guide, the Heavenly Mother, the Most Blessed Mother of God, your Guardian Angel and all the saints are waiting for your awakening. They say to you: "Lift up your gaze, poor soul, from earth to Heaven; Arise from the sleep of sin! Can you sleep now, when your sincere friends show such tender care for you and want to heal you, weak and sick, with prayers and the Sacraments, while your enemy puts you to sleep and tries to destroy you!" O my soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end is approaching! Why do you not care, my poor soul, about your fate, why do you spend a few days of your life in the diaspora? Don't you know that you're about to be called? They will be called to a test open to the whole world, to the Dread Judgment of God. Terrible, truly terrible will be this Judgment, although the Lord is good, although He is merciful. For the same Jesus, Who now calls all to Himself, will then send away from Himself all unrepentant sinners, saying: "I do not know you, depart from Me, all you who practice iniquity" (cf. Matt. 7:23; Lk. 13:27). The end is approaching. Do you not know, my poor soul, that a man, as soon as he has time to enter this world with one foot, is already standing in the grave with the other? The first hour of earthly life is already a step that brings us closer to death. A day passed, and we came closer to our death, and a year passed, and we came even closer to the limit of our lives. Time now flies with terrifying rapidity, not only hours flash, but also days, months, and years. You are asleep, soul, and death is imperceptibly approaching you with rapid steps. After all, in this way you lose precious time that you need for your correction! If the souls of the righteous did not think about death without confusion, then what confusion will you experience when the time comes to separate from the body! The day and hour will come when you will really be embarrassed. That terrible hour will come when no one will protect you: neither brother, nor kinsman, nor authority, nor wealth, nor fame, nor honor, but then only man and his deeds will be brought to the Judgment. That's when you will be troubled, poor soul, you will be confused and frightened. You will be afraid of the fruits of what you have sown on the earth, you will be afraid of the fiery Gehenna. All your earthly deeds will seem abominable to you, which you will then remember to the smallest detail. If you wish to reform, but it will be too late, you will cry out for mercy, but then the doors of repentance will be closed, and you will be tormented forever. But you, poor soul, can avoid all this. Arise! Wake up, shake off your sinful impurity, and repent sincerely. For there is no other way to correction than repentance. Do not postpone your correction until tomorrow, because the enemy, who is always on guard, will certainly take advantage of your slowness, but begin repentance immediately. If you truly arise, then may Christ God have mercy on you. May your sins be like purple, and then the Lord will cleanse them in the abyss of His mercy. And then the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things, will penetrate into your being and reign in you. If you do not rise up and rise up, then such grief and such a fate will befall you, all the horror of which you cannot even imagine now... Dear brothers and sisters! The Holy Church has united the podvig of repentance with the field of fasting, as with the time that makes our soul cheerful and light. We have now entered the great field of the Great Lent of the Lord, established in imitation of the forty-day fast of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Saviour, out of His love for us, before preaching the Gospel to the people and His sufferings on the Cross, fasted for forty days, did not eat or drink anything. And since the life of Jesus Christ is for us the rule of a pious life, His forty-day fast cannot but be an indispensable rule for us, unless we bear the name of Christians in vain. The Lord Himself legalized fasting for His disciples. When some came to Him, asking, "Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples do not fast?" (Mark 2:18), then in response to this the Lord said: Can the sons of the bridal chamber fast when the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days (Mark 2:19-20). With these words, the Lord says that whoever sincerely loves Him, who shares with Him participation in His great work and shares His feelings, will be crushed and fast, when His Lord is taken to suffering and death, he will sanctify the time of separation from the Lord with a touching fast. This is what the Holy Orthodox Church does, sanctifying the time of Christ's sufferings with a special fast. Fasting is a holy deed, because it curbs the passions that live in our body. Fasting is a means to acquire holiness, for just as intemperance opens the door to depravity of thoughts and deeds, so abstinence imparts light to thoughts, purity to feelings, freedom and strength to the spirit. One of the Holy Fathers says: "When a king wants to take an enemy city, he first of all withholds water and food, and the enemies, dying of hunger and thirst, submit to him. So it is with our carnal passions. If a person lives in hunger and fasting, then the enemies, weakened, will leave the soul." According to the words of St. John Chrysostom, whoever fasts extinguishes his evil passions. Fasting makes the soul cheerful, elevates it above the earthly and draws it to the Heavenly. All the saints respected fasting and revered it as the most favorable time for their correction and perfection. The great ascetics came into close contact with the Divinity and were vouchsafed great Revelations and visions precisely through strict fasting, which spiritualized them, weakened their attraction to earthly things, facilitated this contact for them, and brought down upon them the great mercies of God. Thus, for example, the holy prophet Moses, during his forty-day stay on Mount Sinai, during a strict fast, was vouchsafed to receive from the Lord stone tablets, on which was inscribed the God-given Law for the people of Israel. The holy Prophet Elijah, after a forty-day fast, was vouchsafed the Revelation of God on Mount Horeb. The Ninevites imposed a fast on themselves and through this they were pardoned. The people of Israel very often resorted to fasting when they wanted to be worthy of some mercy from the Lord or to escape His righteous wrath. St. Basil the Great says that fasting is contemporary with humanity, because already in paradise the commandment about fasting was given. By the commandment not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord established a fast in paradise, and if our forefathers had observed it, then we would not have had to observe it. Fasting is the mother of chastity, the protection and adornment of virginity of youth. With such a meaning of fasting, should we, sinners, not observe it! Let us cleanse our souls by fasting and repentance from all sinful defilement, and then the Lord will come to us and bring with Him the radiant Kingdom of the grace of Christian virtues, and with joy we will exclaim, as the Most-Pure Virgin exclaimed: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour! (cf. Luke 1:46-47). Grant us all, O Lord, to spend salvific times of fasting and repentance, and, having survived, to greet the Radiant Resurrection of Christ with spiritual joy. Amen. 1963

Homily on the Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

Do not be afraid, little flock! for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters of God, as we embark on the podvig of Great Lent, we must thank the Lord with all our hearts that He, Who desires salvation for all, has vouchsafed us to live this year to the holy days of Great Lent. We must consider it a blessing and a great mercy of God that we have the opportunity to pray to God under the arches of this holy church, to be edified by touching Lenten hymns and prayers, and, examining ourselves, to bring repentance to God for our sins. The Holy Church, our tender, child-loving mother, is now clothed in mourning garb, and with the slow, mournful ringing of bells, the touching Lenten service, calls us to repentance, trying to awaken in us our sleeping conscience and arouse zeal for correction. Just as in the spring the whole nature of animals, birds, and trees strips off its old veil and puts on a new and beautiful garment, so we must in these holy days purify ourselves, strip our souls of the filthy rags of sin by fasting, prayer, and repentance, and clothe our souls in clean garments acceptable to the Lord. O my soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end draws nigh, and you are troubled. Arise, that Christ God may have mercy on thee, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things... Thus St. Andrew of Crete addresses his soul in his touching Canon of Repentance, which we heard at the evening service. Let us, dear brothers and sisters, turn with these words to our souls and try to awaken it from its heavy, painful, sinful sleep. O my soul, my soul, arise! Arise from your attraction and attachment to earthly things! For you were created not for earth, but for Heaven, not for enslavement to corruptible things, but for serving Your Creator and Redeemer and glorifying Him. O my soul, my soul, arise, that thou sleepest! See how your Creator and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, your Guide, the Heavenly Mother, the Most Blessed Mother of God, your Guardian Angel and all the saints are waiting for your awakening. They say to you: "Lift up your gaze, poor soul, from earth to Heaven; Arise from the sleep of sin! Can you sleep now, when your sincere friends show such tender care for you and want to heal you, weak and sick, with prayers and the Sacraments, while your enemy puts you to sleep and tries to destroy you!" O my soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end is approaching! Why do you not care, my poor soul, about your fate, why do you spend a few days of your life in the diaspora? Don't you know that you're about to be called? They will be called to a test open to the whole world, to the Dread Judgment of God. Terrible, truly terrible will be this Judgment, although the Lord is good, although He is merciful. For the same Jesus, Who now calls all to Himself, will then send away from Himself all unrepentant sinners, saying: "I do not know you, depart from Me, all you who practice iniquity" (cf. Matt. 7:23; Lk. 13:27). The end is approaching. Do you not know, my poor soul, that a man, as soon as he has time to enter this world with one foot, is already standing in the grave with the other? The first hour of earthly life is already a step that brings us closer to death. A day passed, and we came closer to our death, and a year passed, and we came even closer to the limit of our lives. Time now flies with terrifying rapidity, not only hours flash, but also days, months, and years. You are asleep, soul, and death is imperceptibly approaching you with rapid steps. After all, in this way you lose precious time that you need for your correction! If the souls of the righteous did not think about death without confusion, then what confusion will you experience when the time comes to separate from the body! The day and hour will come when you will really be embarrassed. That terrible hour will come when no one will protect you: neither brother, nor kinsman, nor authority, nor wealth, nor fame, nor honor, but then only man and his deeds will be brought to the Judgment. That's when you will be troubled, poor soul, you will be confused and frightened. You will be afraid of the fruits of what you have sown on the earth, you will be afraid of the fiery Gehenna. All your earthly deeds will seem abominable to you, which you will then remember to the smallest detail. If you wish to reform, but it will be too late, you will cry out for mercy, but then the doors of repentance will be closed, and you will be tormented forever. But you, poor soul, can avoid all this. Arise! Wake up, shake off your sinful impurity, and repent sincerely. For there is no other way to correction than repentance. Do not postpone your correction until tomorrow, because the enemy, who is always on guard, will certainly take advantage of your slowness, but begin repentance immediately. If you truly arise, then may Christ God have mercy on you. May your sins be like purple, and then the Lord will cleanse them in the abyss of His mercy. And then the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things, will penetrate into your being and reign in you. If you do not rise up and rise up, then such grief and such a fate will befall you, all the horror of which you cannot even imagine now... Dear brothers and sisters! The Holy Church has united the podvig of repentance with the field of fasting, as with the time that makes our soul cheerful and light. We have now entered the great field of the Great Lent of the Lord, established in imitation of the forty-day fast of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Saviour, out of His love for us, before preaching the Gospel to the people and His sufferings on the Cross, fasted for forty days, did not eat or drink anything. And since the life of Jesus Christ is for us the rule of a pious life, His forty-day fast cannot but be an indispensable rule for us, unless we bear the name of Christians in vain. The Lord Himself legalized fasting for His disciples. When some came to Him, asking, "Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples do not fast?" (Mark 2:18), then in response to this the Lord said: Can the sons of the bridal chamber fast when the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days (Mark 2:19-20). With these words, the Lord says that whoever sincerely loves Him, who shares with Him participation in His great work and shares His feelings, will be crushed and fast, when His Lord is taken to suffering and death, he will sanctify the time of separation from the Lord with a touching fast. This is what the Holy Orthodox Church does, sanctifying the time of Christ's sufferings with a special fast. Fasting is a holy deed, because it curbs the passions that live in our body. Fasting is a means to acquire holiness, for just as intemperance opens the door to depravity of thoughts and deeds, so abstinence imparts light to thoughts, purity to feelings, freedom and strength to the spirit. One of the Holy Fathers says: "When a king wants to take an enemy city, he first of all withholds water and food, and the enemies, dying of hunger and thirst, submit to him. So it is with our carnal passions. If a person lives in hunger and fasting, then the enemies, weakened, will leave the soul." According to the words of St. John Chrysostom, whoever fasts extinguishes his evil passions. Fasting makes the soul cheerful, elevates it above the earthly and draws it to the Heavenly. All the saints respected fasting and revered it as the most favorable time for their correction and perfection. The great ascetics came into close contact with the Divinity and were vouchsafed great Revelations and visions precisely through strict fasting, which spiritualized them, weakened their attraction to earthly things, facilitated this contact for them, and brought down upon them the great mercies of God. Thus, for example, the holy prophet Moses, during his forty-day stay on Mount Sinai, during a strict fast, was vouchsafed to receive from the Lord stone tablets, on which was inscribed the God-given Law for the people of Israel. The holy Prophet Elijah, after a forty-day fast, was vouchsafed the Revelation of God on Mount Horeb. The Ninevites imposed a fast on themselves and through this they were pardoned. The people of Israel very often resorted to fasting when they wanted to be worthy of some mercy from the Lord or to escape His righteous wrath. St. Basil the Great says that fasting is contemporary with humanity, because already in paradise the commandment about fasting was given. By the commandment not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord established a fast in paradise, and if our forefathers had observed it, then we would not have had to observe it. Fasting is the mother of chastity, the protection and adornment of virginity of youth. With such a meaning of fasting, should we, sinners, not observe it! Let us cleanse our souls by fasting and repentance from all sinful defilement, and then the Lord will come to us and bring with Him the radiant Kingdom of the grace of Christian virtues, and with joy we will exclaim, as the Most-Pure Virgin exclaimed: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour! (cf. Luke 1:46-47). Grant us all, O Lord, to spend salvific times of fasting and repentance, and, having survived, to greet the Radiant Resurrection of Christ with spiritual joy. Amen. 1963

"Do not give me the spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk"