On the Sufferings of the Savior (3)

The word about the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but for us, who are being saved, it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Holy Gospel has now revealed before our mind's eye a stunning picture of the terrible sufferings and death of the God-Man – Christ the Savior. What Christian heart will not shudder and be moved when it hears of such painful sufferings of our Lord? All the more must we be crushed in our hearts by the realization that each of those standing here is in some degree guilty of the Divine Sufferer's torments on Golgotha. Mankind raised Christ the Savior to the Cross. Before His Coming, the human race dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, sinking into the abyss of sin. Nothing could bring peace out of this abyss, except the descent from Heaven of the Only-begotten Son of God, who offered Himself as a Sacrifice for his salvation. Before the Coming of the Saviour, the world descended into the very depths of wickedness and sin. Rivers of lawlessness spilled over the whole earth, pride raised its head to the heavens, people served the devil, forgetting and forsaking their Creator. The Chalice, dissolved by the sins of the whole world, would have drowned this world if the Lord had not accepted it. Before His all-seeing gaze there was constantly presented this terrible cup - the cup of God's wrath, the inevitable curse, rejection and eternal destruction, ready to fall upon the criminal human race. For more than thirty years He carried within Himself the thought that He must suffer grievously for the salvation of the world. The predestined time was approaching. And this time was a time of sorrows and deprivations of the God-Man. But then the night came, the night when the fate of the whole world for all time was being decided. How many inner torments and what dying exhaustion He had to experience here at that time in order to finally decide to accomplish the great work that the Father had given Him to do!

It was a night of exhaustion and wailing, crowned with victory and triumph of the spirit over the flesh and unconditional devotion to the will of the Heavenly Father in the face of the terrifying ghosts of the torments of Golgotha. Who can measure the abyss of sorrows that then enveloped the most holy soul of the Savior of the world? They surpassed every human concept. Seeing around Him the disciples who were despondent and fearful, the Saviour Himself openly gave Himself over to the inner sorrow that devoured Him; He began to grieve, to grieve, to be terrified, saying: "My soul is sorrowful unto death" (Mark 14:34). Yes, at the sight of approaching death, He Himself is terrified and suffers as if He were mortal, for His pure and sinless human nature especially abhorred all kinds of violence and torment, and even more so death. The death of the Redeemer, which had to exude life and incorruption, is the mystery of the mysteries of God. It was not just death, but also a terrible slaughter on the altar of the cross, a sacrifice that combined in itself all possible horrors and torments, not only earthly, but also underground and hellish. Therefore, at the remembrance of them, the Savior comes to extreme exhaustion. His most pure hands were not yet nailed to the Cross, but His sufferings on Golgotha had already begun in the Garden of Gethsemane: His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44), and it was so abundant that it moistened His very garments. In the midst of these tormenting inner struggles, He remained alone, because His most faithful disciples, and those who were sorrowful, were burdened with sleep, and there was no one with whom He could share His heavy inner sorrows: He waited for him who sorrowed, and did not find them, and comforted them, and did not find them (Psalm 68:21). Then a painful cry burst out of His sorrowful soul: My Father! if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me (Matt. 26:39). The streams of human iniquity bent the Lord to the ground, He fell to the earth, protecting it from the punishing right hand of the Almighty, receiving into His heart the arrows of God's wrath. The horror, mortal anguish, and heavy sorrow that the Lord experienced at that time were aggravated by the fact that before His eyes there appeared before His eyes a gloomy picture of the terrible sins of mankind that He had taken upon Himself. What the whole world had to endure for its sins - all this burden - now fell on Him alone. He clearly saw all the crimes, all the iniquities and wickedness of people from Adam to the end of the world in all their ugliness and vileness; before His eyes appeared the coldness, the indifference and impenitence of many people, with which they would repay Him for His love; He foresaw the hardness of their hearts, in which they would not appreciate the greatest Sacrifice offered by Him as an Atonement for them, and would reject it. He also foresaw the terrible wrath of the Heavenly Father that would burst out upon them, and this more and more depressed the Divine Sufferer and added bitterness to bitterness. But bodily suffering is added to spiritual suffering. One of the twelve disciples of the Savior, Judas, comes to the Garden of Gethsemane and with a kiss betrays his Teacher to the soldiers and servants, who, having tightly bound Him, drag Him like a lamb to the slaughter, to the chief priests Anna and Caiaphas, where He meekly accepts innumerable insults and insults. And finally, He is led to the Place of the Skull for crucifixion. Exhausted, tormented and bloodied, He falls three times on His way to Golgotha. And then, sinless, he is nailed to the Cross, experiencing indescribable suffering. During His Way of the Cross, some Jerusalem women, moved by a sense of compassion for the grievous torments and impending death of the Redeemer of the world, wept for Him, but the Lord answered their tears: Daughters of Jerusalem! weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children, for the days are coming in which they will say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not begotten, and the breasts that have not suckled. Then they will begin to say to the mountains: Fall on us! and to the hills: cover us! For if this is done with a verdant tree, then what will happen to a dry one? (Luke 23:28-31). Beloved brothers and sisters, these words were spoken by the Lord to the Jewish people, but they are valid at all times for every nation and directly for every Christian. Let us examine ourselves, do not sinful inclinations and desires prevail over us, disturbing the peace and tranquility of the soul? The Lord brought us Redemption, granted His Divine grace for the healing of our vices and sinful wounds, but this saving grace works on the condition of our diligence, on the condition that we fulfill God's commandments. As is known, the main commandment bequeathed to us by the Savior is the commandment of love, about which He spoke so much with His disciples on the eve of His sufferings: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:34 and 35).

Today's touching Gospel reading about the sufferings of Christ first of all calls us to clothe ourselves with humility, meekness, longsuffering, kindness, and above all, with all-forgiving love for our neighbors. In this way we will show our love for the Lord, and He, in response to our love, will love us too, and will lead us into His Eternal Kingdom of goodness, truth, peace and love, and will make us heirs of eternal bliss. Amen. 1963

Homily on the Passion on the 5th Sunday of Great LentOn the Necessity of Prayer in the Midst of Temptations

Watch and pray that you do not fall into temptation: the spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak. (Matt. 26:41) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Terrible was the night, beloved brothers and sisters, which began with the sorrows of our Lord Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. That night He endured an agonizing inner struggle with Himself, terrible spiritual sufferings, which were a foretaste of the torments of the cross. He grieved that night and was terrified of the mournful cup that He was about to drink. This night ended with the initial sufferings of the God-Man in the courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas. The morning and the day of Friday that came after the night were also terrible: it was the morning and the day of the most suffering and the terrible and at the same time humiliating death of the God-Man. But Christ the Savior was not the only one who was subjected to heavy temptations in this terrible time. Great temptations then awaited both the friends and enemies of Christ. The friends had to either overcome the temptation and share with their Divine Teacher the dangers that awaited Him, or, succumbing to cowardice, change their love for Him and leave Him alone in the midst of enemies and sufferings. His enemies were faced with another temptation: to take advantage of a favorable opportunity to carry out their evil plans and, having achieved their fulfillment, to commit the greatest crime in the history of mankind - murder of God. All who had been subjected to temptations needed the greatest vigilance and the protection of themselves with the most reliable shield against temptations - prayer. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in anticipation of the coming temptations and sufferings that night, was more awake than ever, and prayed with an unusual intensity for Him, and inspired His disciples: Watch and pray, that ye may not enter into trouble: for the spirit is cheerful, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). But unfortunately, He alone was awake and praying that night, and repelled all temptations with glory. On the contrary, both His friends and enemies fell under the blows of temptation. Therefore, pray, my beloved, that you may not enter into the attack. In prayer, the Lord Himself shows us the most reliable means for repelling temptations and successfully struggling with them. And indeed, prayer is the surest weapon for repelling and overcoming temptations.

Like the Apostles, who in Gethsemane could not even watch and pray for one hour with the Lord, who was preparing for suffering and death, we are for the most part immersed in a heavy sleep – not in a bodily sleep, like the Apostles, but in a spiritual sleep, a heavy sleep of carelessness and negligence, so that, when faced with temptations, we find ourselves not at all able to pray. And therefore, when we meet temptation without prayerful preparation, without a prayerful spirit, we, like the Apostles, fall under the weight of the misfortune that has come upon us. From this we should understand how we should take care to acquire this most reliable means in the struggle against temptations, indicated by the Lord Himself – prayer – and how we should try to learn to pray fervently and constantly. There are many means and aids for arousing the spirit of prayer in oneself, and they are diverse, but the best of them is the remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ. With this remembrance, zeal and fervor for prayer are aroused by itself, there arises an awareness of the need for prayer for us and confidence in its success. The need for supreme help, and at the same time prayer to ask for this help from God, is most strongly realized by the soul of a Christian, when he represents, with extreme clarity and vividness, on the one hand, the gravity and danger of temptations that befall him on the path of earthly life, especially in difficult moments of cross-bearing, and, on the other hand, the extreme weakness of our nature, which is doomed to this cross-bearing. In the remembrance of the sufferings and the Cross of Christ, the Christian's eyes are clearly revealed to the grave and danger of his temptations, and the impotence of human nature, doomed to struggle with them; and these temptations themselves speak with indisputable force about the need for higher help, as well as prayer to ask for it from God. During the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of prayer and fervent fervent prayer were never so strongly aroused in Him as at the thought of the sufferings of the Cross. When He thought about their heaviness, His prayer was so fervent that on Tabor it illumined His face like the sun; and in Gethsemane, preparing to drink the cup of the sufferings of the cross, He prayed until He perspired like drops of blood. Thus, the severity of the impending sufferings impelled Jesus Christ to fervent, fervent prayer. It is the same with every true Christian. With greater force than ever, a prayerful mood is aroused in the soul of a Christian at the remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ. Only he learns to pray fervently and acquires the gift of constant fervent prayer who often and attentively fixes his mental gaze on the sufferings of Christ. And the reason for this phenomenon is clear. The Way of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the prototype of our Way of the Cross. The entire earthly life of the Savior is the prototype of life on earth of His Church and of every true Christian soul. Therefore, just as the Lord had especially difficult and sorrowful days, the days of His sufferings, from Gethsemane to Golgotha, so every Christian has and will have his own Gethsemane and his own Golgotha. As these sufferings were terrible and heavy for the Lord, so they will be severe for His follower. For every true Christian, sooner or later, whether in the middle or at the end of the race, but without fail, according to the determination of God's Providence, the time will come when everything will rise up against him: both heavy external temptations and painful internal temptations will unite together and fall with their force upon the crusader of Christ, and then his position will be especially difficult and dangerous.

Yes, if we remembered the sufferings of the Lord more often, we would certainly acquire the spirit of constant and fervent prayer. Fervor for prayer, aroused by the need for it for us, is aroused with no less force and is supported in us by confidence in its success, confidence that it will certainly be heard. For even in ordinary life our petition is firm and daring when we are sure that it will be fulfilled. And on the contrary, he can be weak if we do not expect success from him. It is the same in prayer: it is fervent and fervent when we are sure that it will be heard. If the power of prayer depends so much on the certainty of its success, then what a powerful prayer should be aroused in a Christian at the remembrance of the sufferings of Christ, who so resolutely vouch for this success, assuring us that the Lord Jesus Christ both wants and can help us, and will certainly hear our petitions to Him. The main reason for our willingness to help someone is to sympathize with the petitioner, to love him, and to understand the situation that threatens him. And when the supplicant finds this readiness in our love and compassion for him, then he is sure of the success of his petition for deliverance from misfortune. What a strong confidence in the readiness of our Lord Jesus Christ to listen to our prayers and help us should be filled with in the remembrance of the sufferings and the Cross of Christ! Are there more reliable testimonies of His boundless love for us than the testimonies presented by His sufferings on the Cross for us, the unworthy? Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). In remembrance of Christ's sufferings, what other assurances are needed that Jesus Christ can both understand the full severity of our cross-bearing and skillfully help us? He knows the severity of our cross-bearing not only from His Divine Omniscience, but also from His own experience. He walked such a thorny path of the cross, which no one has ever passed and no one will ever pass, because no one can do it. He endured such terrible sufferings that at the mere memory of them a person shudders. Will not He Who Himself, hanging on the Cross, cried out to His Heavenly Father with love and sorrow respond to our supplication: "My God, My God, Thou hast forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). Will not He Who Himself calls to Himself those who mourn and says: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)? Thus, dear ones, we must only remember the severity of Christ's sufferings, and this remembrance will teach us to pray with faith and strength, to pray successfully always, in the most difficult moments of our lives. Therefore, Christian, boldly turn to Jesus Christ with your prayer for help in the midst of temptations and dangers, and trust without hesitation on your way of the cross to the guidance of the Divine Crusader. Remember the scourgings, beatings, spitting, beating with a reed on the head, crowning with a crown of thorns, the wounds of nails (John 20:25) on His hands and feet, the unbearably painful hanging on the Cross, the terrible thirst in the hours of suffering on the Cross, the pierced rib – remember all this, and you will understand that He knows the weakness of our flesh suffering under the Cross. If you are exhausted under the weight of the inner cross, then in this struggle no one will help you better than Him, because the inner cross is known to Him to the highest degree. What a difficult spiritual struggle He endured with Himself is evident from the fact that He prayed to His Heavenly Father that the cup of suffering, the cup for the sake of which He came to earth, pass from Him. What an inner cross He endured at the sight of the traitorous disciple, at the sight of Peter, who had sworn allegiance to Him, abandoned Him by the other disciples and renounced Him, at the sight of the raging people demanding His crucifixion, the people to whom He had done so much good, at the brutality of the crucifiers and the inhumanity of the blasphemers who mocked His torments, and, finally, at the abandonment of Him by the Heavenly Father Himself! Remember all this, Christian, and there will appear in you an unshakable conviction that the Sufferer of Golgotha can help all those who are tempted, and this grace-filled confidence will arouse in you with all its power fervor for prayer, and you will acquire the most reliable means of overcoming temptations and misfortunes. And Thou, merciful Lord, look mercifully upon us, though unworthy, but faithful to Thy love, children who have gathered here to honor the memory of Thy sufferings, and be merciful, be merciful to our sins and iniquities, and vouchsafe to cry out to Thee together with the wise thief: Jesus, Son of God, remember us when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom. Amen. 1964

Homily on the Lord's Entry into JerusalemOn the Lord's Meeting

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Today, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Holy Church, and together with her, festively commemorates the solemn greeting of our Lord Jesus Christ at His entry into Jerusalem, arranged for Him by the best part of the people of Israel. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of the prophecy about Him as a meek and righteous King after the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, six days before His death, reveals Himself to the Jews, resolutely allowing them to understand that He is truly the Messiah and King Whom they are waiting for. He enters the capital of the kingdom of Israel, the holy city of Jerusalem, sitting on a young donkey, accompanied by a multitude of people. Everything came together to make this meeting the most solemn: crowds of people followed Jesus Christ from Bethany to Jerusalem; some spread their garments on the road, others cut green palm branches and threw them along the path of the Savior's procession or waved them in the air. The picture was very solemn and touching: it was one of the best and most joyful events in the earthly life of the Savior. Those who accompanied and met Jesus Christ greeted Him with enthusiastic exclamations, exclaiming: Hosanna to the Son of David! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (cf. Matt. 21:9; Lk. 19:38). Thus solemnly and joyfully did the people of Israel greet the Messiah, whom they had been waiting for so long. And the people of Israel had something to rejoice about, meeting their King. He was not an ordinary earthly king who subjugated peoples by force of arms. But this was the King of Whom the holy prophet Zechariah prophesied in ancient times, saying: "Rejoice with joy, O daughter of Zion, rejoice, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee, righteous and saving, meek, sitting on an ass, and on a colt, the son of a foal" (Zech. 9:9). A righteous King entered Jerusalem, not only righteous in Himself, but also bearing with Him eternal righteousness for all mankind, bringing justification for them from the sin that torments them. A meek King entered, not only personally meek, but also coming to teach people meekness, to establish a kingdom of peace for mankind and to draw people to Himself with humility and love. Entering Jerusalem was the Saving King, the Savior of the world, Who is coming to redeem people from heavy punishments for sins, to free them from the evil reigning in the world. Therefore, brothers and sisters, it is understandable why the greeting that the people of Israel arranged for the Lord at His entry into Jerusalem was so joyful. This great joy of the people of Israel will be even more understandable to us if we remember the conditions in which the Jews found themselves at that time. Even before the birth of Jesus Christ, the people of Israel were enslaved by the Romans, who gave them under the rule of the cruel and unjust Herod. Similar to Herod in their cruelty were the Roman governors. The moral and religious state of the people was extremely deplorable. The religious leaders of the Jews were distinguished by depravity, unbelief, greed, and other base qualities. Therefore, it was natural for the Jews to expect a Savior-King, Who would deliver them from troubles and destroy iniquities among them. And when this King appeared among them, it is not surprising that the people received Him with such great joy and exultation. It is this joyous meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ that we solemnly celebrate every year, but this event should not have for us only a historical significance. It must remain for us a significant event, having a direct significance for our soul and for our salvation. The Savior of the world is the King not only of the Israelites, but of all people, and He came not only to the Jewish people, but to all the peoples of the world. Meek and righteous, He constantly goes to each of us, constantly knocks at the doors of our hearts, and we must always meet our Lord with great joy. That is why in the Epistle reading that we have heard today, the holy Apostle Paul tells us: "Rejoice always in the Lord: and pour out the river, rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). And our joy in the Lord should be more conscious and perfect than the joy of the people of Israel, because not all of the Israelites understood well the significance of the Savior's entry into Jerusalem, but we already know why Christ descended from Heaven to earth and what He did for us. But how to express our joy at meeting the Lord - this is what we must learn from the people of Israel. The Jews, meeting the Lord, spread their garments for Him. In order to understand the mysterious meaning of this symbolic action, it is necessary to recall that in ancient times clothing signified this or that state of mind of a person, expressed his spirit. Therefore, if someone took off his clothes and spread them before a person, then in this way he showed that he was overthrowing his most sublime feelings - love, respect and reverence - before this person. So the Jews expressed their readiness to renounce themselves and dedicate their souls and bodies to the King of Israel, Whom they met. This is exactly what we should do when we meet the Lord.

Such our meeting with Christ will be the best and most pleasant for the Lord. The people of Israel, when they met the Savior, cut off palm branches and spread them on His path. In order to understand the inner meaning of this action, it is necessary to know that in the Holy Scriptures a tree is very often understood as a person. Thus, for example, a good tree is a good person, and a dry tree is a bad person who does not bear fruit or good deeds. The palm tree, distinguished by its strength and beauty, signified the moral beauty of man. Therefore, when the Israelites cut palm branches and spread them under the feet of the Savior, they expressed a good mood of spirit and readiness to follow their King. In the same way, when we meet the Lord, we must manifest in ourselves the good qualities of the palm tree; Our good moral activity must be based on the firm convictions of faith, so that our good life never withers and does not give way to corruption and decay, but is always fresh and flourishing. Finally, when they met the Savior, the Israelites praised and glorified Him, exclaiming: Hosanna in the highest! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! (cf. Matt. 21:9). In this way the people of Israel wished to express their joyful feeling before the Lord. In the same way, we must glorify the Lord: both with our lips – verbally, and silently – with our very life, so that our Saviour Jesus Christ may be glorified in everything. Just as heaven, which, although it has no lips, by its beauty makes others glorify the Creator, so everyone should glorify the Lord with his good behavior and life. We must glorify the Lord with our lips in every spiritual singing and prayer – for His wondrous deeds and His ineffable love and mercy for us. If in this way we serve the Lord with all our hearts and meet Him with joy and devotion to Him, then He will fill our hearts with spiritual joy even in this earthly life, and what is even more important, He will exchange this temporary joy for eternal joy in the Life to come, which will have no end. Amen. 1964

Homily for Great TuesdayOn the Need to Be Vigilant

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, approaching the days of His sufferings, the Lord was especially close and frank with His disciples. I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you all that I have heard from My Father (John 15:15), the Savior said to the Apostles. Now He no longer secretly, but with special clarity, announced to them that He had to suffer in order to prepare them for His sufferings: "Ye know that in two days there shall be the Passover, and the Son of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified" (Matt. 26:2). Seeing the sorrow that seized the Apostles, He comforted the disciples with the promise that He would not abandon them. But at the same time, the Lord does not hide from them the fact that the same fate awaits them and all Christians in general as Him, their Divine Teacher: Remember the word that I have spoken to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also; if you have kept my word, they will keep yours also. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:20, 18 and 19). And again, seeing them in sorrow, the Lord comforts them: In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, and I Myself will be with you to the end of the age. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you... Let not your heart be troubled, and let it not be afraid (cf. John 16:33; 14:16; cf. Matt. 28:20; John 14:27). The Lord asks His disciples to abide in Him and fulfill His commandments, for without Him they can do nothing: Abide in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of its own accord unless it be on the vine, so also are you, unless you are in Me. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And... I will come again (John 15:4, 7; 14:2, 3). The Lord comforts them, revealing that sorrows will be followed by joy, that a reward is prepared for them in the Kingdom to come.

When will it be? (Matt. 24:3) - asked the disciples. But the Lord answered them, "Of that day and hour no one knoweth, not even the angels of heaven, but only My Father alone" (Matt. 24:36). In this way, the Holy Scriptures keep in deep secrecy and do not reveal to us the exact time of the Second Coming, so that we may always keep ourselves pure and chaste and be ready to meet the Lord at all times. That is why the Lord warns the disciples: Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. But as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, drank, married, and were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. So it will be in the day that the Son of Man appears. Watch therefore (Matt. 24:42; cf. Lk. 17:26 and 27:30; Matt. 25:13). In our time more than ever, this warning must be remembered, for now there are especially many who are slumbering and sleeping. Spiritual sleep is not a bodily sleep that strengthens the body, but on the contrary, an unhealthy sleep, a painful slumber, in which people chase after vanity and think that they are living a real life, forgetting about the soul, about God and about the Future Eternal Life. In order to impress more deeply on us a sense of danger, the need to be awake, and to awaken our conscience from spiritual slumber, the Lord told the parable of the ten virgins, which we heard in today's Gospel reading. Then the kingdom of heaven will be like unto the ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish took their lamps, and did not take oil with them. And the wise ones, together with their lamps, took the oil in their vessels. And when the bridegroom tarried, they all dozed off and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry: "Behold, the bridegroom is coming, come out to meet him." Then all the virgins arose, and straightened their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us your oil, for our lamps are going out. And the wise answered, "In order that there may be no shortage both among us and among you, it is better to go to those who sell and buy for yourselves." And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. then the other virgins come and say: Lord! God! open to us. And he answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, I know ye not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man shall come (Matt. 25:1-13). This parable teaches us that, having accepted faith, we accompany it with good works, which alone can sustain our spiritual life. The foolish virgins who came out to meet the Bridegroom did not prepare good works for their lamps of oil. The wise, together with the lamps, also stored up good deeds in order to meet the Bridegroom worthily. In the same way, our entire life must be a preparation for the encounter with the Lord, and for this we must constantly take care throughout it to acquire and preserve a living faith and ardent love for God, the Source of love, and for our neighbors. The cares of this age overshadow the most essential concern and goal of our life – the illumination of the soul by the light of Christ, its salvation and preparation for the Eternal Kingdom. Let us be sober in order to enter the Heavenly palace with the wise virgins and be vouchsafed eternal blessings from the Lord. Amen. 1962