However, even in this case, it is not the same. Suppose you think that after death they will be in the same state, but here some of them have spent all their time in peace, and others in suffering.

And if anyone asks you, Who came from the other world and declared what was done there? - answer him thus: none of the people (and even if someone came from there, most of the people would not believe him, thinking that he boasts and exaggerates what he tells about); but the Lord of the angels has announced all these things to us with full assurance. And so, what need do we have of human witness, when He Himself, Who will demand an answer from us, preaches daily that He has prepared both hell and the kingdom, and gives us clear proofs of all this? In fact, if He did not have to judge us, He would not have sent punishments here either. Further, how can we explain the fact that some of the evil people are punished here, and others are not? If God is no respecter of persons, as He really is, then why does He punish one and allow another to die without punishment? This is even more incomprehensible than what has been said before. But if you kindly wish to listen to me, then I will resolve this perplexity as well. How? God does not punish everyone here, so that you do not despair of the resurrection, and do not cease to await judgment, since everyone has already received recompense here; nor does he leave everyone unpunished, lest you again think that the universe is not governed by Providence. He both punishes and does not punish. When He punishes, He gives it to be understood that from those who have not been punished here, He will demand an account there; but when He does not punish, He makes you believe that after your departure from this life there will be a Last Judgment. If He did not want to give everyone his own at all, then here He would not punish or reward anyone. And now you see. that He stretched out the heavens for you, and kindled the sun, and founded the earth, poured out the sea and the air, established the course of the moon, appointed unchangeable laws for the seasons, and causes everything else to flow unswervingly with His beckoning.

This is clearer than the very rays of the sun; and if we remain silent, the stones will cry out for it.

Amen.

CONVERSATION 14

1. Why does He withdraw again? In order to teach us not to meet temptations ourselves, but to retreat and evade them. He is not guilty who does not rush into danger, but he who does not have courage in danger. And so, in order to teach this and to tame the hatred of the Jews, Christ withdrew to Capernaum, fulfilling the prophecy, and, at the same time, hastening, like a fisherman, to catch the teachers of the universe, who, engaged in their art, lived in this city. Notice here how every time Christ intends to withdraw to the Gentiles, He takes the motives for this from the Jews. So in the present case, the Jews, having devised evil against the Forerunner and put him in prison, drive Jesus Himself into pagan Galilee. And that by the name of Galilee is meant not only any part of the Jewish people, nor all the tribes in general, you can see from the words by which the prophet defines this country: "The land of Naphtali; he will magnify the seaside road, the country beyond the Jordan, and the pagan Galilee. A people that walk in darkness shall see a great light" (Isa. 9:1-2). Darkness here he does not call sensual darkness, but error and wickedness, which is why he added: "On those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, light shall shine" (Isaiah 9:2). And in order to make it clear that he is not speaking of sensual light and darkness, for this, speaking of light, the prophet calls it not just light, but great light, which in another place he calls "true light" (John 1:9); and, speaking of darkness, he calls it the shadow of death. Wishing to show, then, that the inhabitants of this country did not seek and find this light themselves, but God revealed it to them from above, the Evangelist says: "The light shone upon them" (Matt. 4:16), i.e. the light itself shone and illuminated them, and not they themselves came to the light beforehand. In fact, the human race before the coming of Christ was in the most miserable state; people no longer walked, but sat in darkness; And this means that they did not even hope to free themselves from this darkness. They did not even know where to go, and enveloped in darkness, they sat, no longer able to stand.

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). "From that time": when is it? From the time that John was put in prison. Why did Christ not preach to them first? Why did He need John, when His very deeds clearly testified about Him? On the one hand, in order that His dignity might be seen from this, when He, like the Father, has prophets, of which Zechariah also said: "And thou, little child, shalt be called a prophet of the Most High" (Luke 1:76); on the other hand, in order not to leave any excuse for the shameless Jews. Christ Himself pointed to this latter when He said: "John came, neither eating nor drinking; And they say, 'A demon is in him.' The Son of Man has come, eating and drinking; And they say, Behold a man who loves to eat and drink wine, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children" (Matt. 11:18-19). Moreover, it was necessary that someone else should speak about Christ beforehand, and not He Himself. If, after so many and so strong proofs and testimonies, they said: "Thou bearest witness of Thyself, Thy testimony is not true" (John 8:13), then what would not have been said if John had said nothing about Him, and He Himself had been the first to bear witness about Himself to the people? That is why He did not preach before John, and did not perform miracles until the latter was put in prison. He did not want to cause divisions among the people by His preaching. For the same reason, John did not perform a single miracle in order to bring to Christ the people drawn to Him by the power of His miracles. And indeed, if even after so many and great miracles, John's disciples, both before and after his imprisonment, looked upon Jesus with zeal, and if many revered not Him as Christ, but John, what would have happened if things had been otherwise? That is why the Evangelist Matthew shows that Christ "began to preach from that time"; and at the beginning of His preaching He taught the same thing that John also preached, but He did not yet say anything about Himself, but only continued the preaching of the Baptist, because while they did not yet have a proper understanding of Him, it would be good if this teaching were also accepted.

2. For the same reason, at the beginning of His preaching, Christ does not offer anything painful and sorrowful, as John did. He mentioned the axe, the tree to be cut, the shovel, the threshing floor, the unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:10,12); on the contrary, Christ begins His preaching with the joyful gospel of heaven and the "kingdom of heaven" prepared for those who hear Him. "And as he passed by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting their nets into the sea, for they were fishermen, and he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And straightway they left their nets, and followed him" (Matt. 4:18-20). The Evangelist John describes their calling differently. From his words it is evident that this vocation was already the second, as can be concluded from many signs. Namely, John says that they came to Jesus before John was in prison; and here - that they came after his imprisonment. There Andrew calls Peter (John 1:41-42), and here Christ Himself calls both of them. Moreover, John says that when Jesus saw Simon coming to him, he said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which means, Peter the rock" (John 1:42). And Matthew asserts that Simon was already called by this name; it is he who says, "I saw Simon called Peter." The same is shown by the very place from which they were called, and by many other circumstances, for example, that they easily obeyed Him, and that they forsook everything: it means that they were well prepared for this beforehand. And indeed, from John's narrative it is clear that Andrew came to the house of Jesus and heard many things from Him (John 1:39); but here we see that they, having heard only one word, immediately followed Him. It is probable that they first followed Jesus, then left Him, and when they saw that John was put in prison, they withdrew and returned to their occupation; therefore Jesus finds them fishing. Nor did He prevent them from departing from Him at first when they desired it, nor did He forsake them altogether when they departed; but, having given freedom to depart from Himself, He again goes to return them to Himself. This is the best way to catch.

See what their faith and obedience are. They were busy with their own business (and you know how alluring fishing is); but, as soon as they heard the call of the Saviour, they did not delay, did not postpone it until another time, did not say: "Let us go home and consult with our relatives"; but, forsaking everything, they followed Him just as Elisha followed Elijah (1 Kings 19:20). Christ desires such obedience from us that we do not delay for the slightest time, even if the most extreme necessity demands it. That is why, when someone else came to Him and asked permission to "bury his father" (Matt. 8:21), He did not allow him to do this either, showing that following Him should be preferred to everything. You will say that much was promised to them. But that is why I am especially surprised at them, that they, having not yet seen a single sign, believed so great a promise, and preferred to follow Christ to everything. They believed that they too would be able to catch others with the same words with which they themselves had been caught. And even this was promised only to Peter and Andrew; but James and John were not told even this; only the example of obedience of the former paved the way for them; however, they had heard much about Jesus before. Further, see with what detail the Evangelist points out their poverty: Jesus found them mending their nets (Matt. 15:21). They were poor to such an extent that they had no money to buy new nets, and therefore repaired dilapidated ones. Meanwhile, no small proof of their virtue is the fact that they easily endure their poverty, are nourished by righteous labors, are bound to each other by bonds of love, live together with their father and serve him. When, therefore, Christ has caught them, He begins to work miracles in their presence, confirming by His deeds what John said about Him. He began to visit the synagogues frequently, thus teaching His disciples that He was not an adversary of God or a deceiver of any kind, but had come according to the will of the Father; and when He visited the synagogues, He not only preached, but also worked miracles.

3. Whenever something special and extraordinary happens, or when any new way of life is introduced, God usually gives signs, as if to pledge His power to those who are to accept His laws. Thus, intending to create man, He first created the whole world, and then gave him a certain law in Paradise. Thus, when He wanted to give the law to Noah, He again performed great miracles, changed all creation in its foundations, commanded a terrible flood to hold the earth for a whole year, and in the midst of such a great storm He preserved the righteous unharmed. In the same way He protected Abraham with many signs; He granted him victory in battle, struck Pharaoh with blows, and delivered the forefather from danger. In the same way, before the promulgation of the law to the Jews, He showed wondrous and great miracles, and then He gave the law. So here, intending to give the highest rules of life and to offer people what they have never heard, He confirms His words with miracles. Since the kingdom he proclaimed was not visible, He made the invisible visible visible by visible signs. And note what brevity the Evangelist observes; he does not speak in detail about each one who was healed, but in a few words he mentions a multitude of signs: "They brought unto Him," he says, "all the weak, afflicted with various diseases and fits, and demoniacs, and lunatics, and paralytics, and He healed them" (Matt. 4:24). But the question arises: why did Christ not demand faith from any of these healed people? Why did He not tell them what He said afterwards: "Do you believe that I am able to do this" (Matt. 9:28)? This is because He did not yet show evidence of His power. However, their considerable faith was also proved by the fact that they approached Him and brought the sick down. They would not have brought them from afar if they had not had great faith in Him. Let us also follow Christ. And we have many spiritual illnesses, and it is these illnesses that he primarily wishes to heal. For this reason He heals bodily illnesses, in order to destroy spiritual ones as well. Let us draw near to Him and ask not for any worldly blessings, but for the remission of sins; Even now he gives (everything that is necessary), if only we ask diligently. Then the rumor of Him spread throughout all Syria, and now throughout the whole world. At that time the inhabitants of various countries flocked to Him, hearing that He healed the possessed, but you, having before your eyes the much more numerous and important experiments of His power, do not want to rise up and rush to Him? They left their fatherland, friends, and relatives, and you do not want to leave home to approach Him and receive much better? But we do not demand this from you either. Leave only evil habits, and you can, by staying at home with your own, be comfortably saved. Having some bodily illness, we try with all our might to free ourselves from it, but when we suffer greatly from spiritual illnesses, we hesitate and refuse to be cured. That is why we do not get rid of bodily illnesses, because we consider what is necessary for us to be of little importance, and what is unimportant is necessary, and, leaving the very source of evil, we want to purify the streams. And that the depravity of the soul is the cause of bodily illnesses is proved by the paralytic who was ill for thirty-eight years, and by the one who was lowered on his bed, having dismantled the roof, and, first of all, by Cain. And many other examples show the same thing. So, let us destroy the source of evil, and then all the streams of diseases will dry up by themselves. Not only bodily weakness is a disease, but also a sin; and the latter is even more than the first, since the soul is better than the body. And so, let us now approach Christ, let us ask Him to heal our paralyzed soul, and leaving behind all worldly things, let us be concerned only with spiritual things. Having acquired this, you can then worry about the rest. Do not consider yourself safe if you do not grieve for your sins; but especially groan about this, that you do not feel contrite for your iniquities. Your tranquility comes not from the fact that sin does not bite, but from the insensibility of the soul given over to sin. Imagine how those who feel the weight of their sins are tormented, how bitterly they cry out, more sorrowfully than those who are cut or burned! What do they do, how do they suffer, how many tears do they shed, how many lamentations do they utter in order to be freed from the torments of conscience? They would not have done this if they had not suffered greatly in their souls.

4. It is best not to sin at all; And if someone has sinned, then he must feel his sin and be corrected.

Having insulted a person, you beg friends, neighbors, and gatekeepers themselves, spend money, lose many days going to him and begging for forgiveness. And even though the offended one drives you away once, and another time, and a thousand times, you do not lag behind, but all the more zealously you intensify your prayers. And having provoked the God of all things, we neglect this, we remain cold, we luxurious, we get drunk, and we do all that we are accustomed to: when shall we propitiate Him?... On the contrary, if we continue to live in this way, do we not irritate Him even more? And indeed, unrepentance of sins arouses His anger and indignation much more than sin itself. We ought to hide ourselves under the earth, not to see the sun, and not even to use the air, because, having such a merciful Lord, we irritate Him, and in irritating Him, we do not even repent of it. Even in His wrath, He not only has no hatred or abhorrence towards us, but is angry in order to draw us to Himself at least in this way; for if He, being offended, repaid you only with good deeds, then you would despise Him all the more. In order to prevent this from happening, He hides His face from you for a while, in order to unite you with Himself forever. And so, let us be inspired by the hope of his love for mankind, let us bring fervent repentance before the day comes when repentance itself will not bring us any benefit. Now everything depends on us; and then the judgment over us will be in the power of one Judge. Thus, "let us stand before His face with praise" (Psalm 94:2), let us weep and weep. If we propitiate the Judge before the day of the Lord, so that He will forgive us our sins, then we will not be subject to judgment. Otherwise, each of us, in the face of the entire universe, will be brought to judgment, and we will have no hope of receiving forgiveness. No one living on earth, who has not received absolution of sins, after passing into the next life, can escape torture for them. But just as here criminals are brought to trial in chains, so after departing from this life, all souls will be brought to the Last Judgment, burdened with various bonds of sins. Truly, real life is no better than prison. Just as when we enter a prison house we see all those burdened with fetters, so now, if we remove all external splendor and enter into the life of each one, we will see that the soul of each is bound with chains heavier than iron, and especially if we ascend into the souls of the rich. Truly, the more wealth they possess, the more they are bound to them. Just as when you see a prisoner whose neck and arms, and often his legs are covered with iron, you consider him extremely unhappy, so when you see a rich man who possesses innumerable treasures, do not call him happy, but for this very reason consider him the most unfortunate. In fact, in addition to the fact that he is in chains, there is also a cruel prison guard with him - an evil covetousness, which does not allow him to leave the prison, but prepares for him a thousand new fetters, prisons, doors and locks; and having thrown him into an inner prison, he still forces him to delight in his bonds, so that he cannot even find any hope of freeing himself from the evil that oppresses him. And if you penetrate with thought into the interior of his soul, you will see it not only bound, but also extremely ugly, defiled and filled with worms. The pleasures of a voluptuous life are no better, but even more disgusting, because they corrupt both body and soul, and afflict them with an innumerable multitude of diseases. Imagining all this, let us pray to the Redeemer of our souls, that He may break the fetters, and drive away from us that cruel guardian, and, freeing our spirit from the heavy iron bonds, make it lighter than a pen; and with prayer to Him let us combine our own diligence and diligence and good readiness. In this way we will be able in a short time to free ourselves from the evil that possesses us, and to know our former state, and to receive the freedom previously granted to us, which may we all be vouchsafed to be vouchsafed, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

CONVERSATION 15

1. See how far Christ was from ambition and pride! He did not lead the people after Him, but when it was necessary to heal, He Himself went everywhere, visiting cities and villages. And when a great multitude has gathered, he sits down in one place, not in the city, not in the middle of the square, but on a mountain, in the desert, teaching us not to do anything for show, to keep away from noise, especially when it is necessary to be curious and to reason about important things. When He ascended and sat down, the disciples approached. Do you see how they progress in virtue, and how soon they became the best? The people looked at the miracles, and the disciples wanted to hear something high and great. This is what prompted Christ to offer a doctrine and begin preaching. He not only healed bodies, but also healed souls, and again passed from the care of souls to the care of bodies, diversifying the benefits, and combining with verbal teaching the manifestation of signs. With this care, both for the soul and for the body, he stops the shameless mouths of heretics, showing that He is the author of the whole life. That is why He took great care of the body and soul, healing the first and the last. And so He did now. "He opened His mouth," says the Evangelist, "and taught them." Why is this added, "He opened His mouth"? That thou mayest know that He taught even when He was silent, not only when He spoke; He taught, now opening His mouth, now speaking by His works. But when you hear the words, "He taught them," do not think that He speaks only to His disciples, but that He speaks through His disciples also to all. But since the crowd was uneducated, consisting of people who were still crawling in the valley, He, having gathered His disciples before Him, addressed His speech to them, and in conversation with them He spoke in such a way that the teaching of wisdom becomes entertaining even for all the others, who were almost completely incapable of listening to Him. Hinting at this, Luke also said; that He addressed His speech to His disciples. And Matthew, showing this, wrote: "His disciples came to Him, and taught them." In view of this, the others should have listened more attentively than when He had addressed His speech to all. So, where does Christ begin, and what are the foundations of a new life for us? Let us listen attentively to His words. It was spoken to the disciples, and it was written for all who would come after them. That is why Christ, although He addresses His disciples with a sermon, does not address His words to them, but speaks of all the Beatitudes vaguely. He did not say, "Blessed are ye if ye be poor," but, "Blessed are the poor." Even if He had spoken to them alone, then His preaching would have applied to all. For when He says, for example, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20), He is not speaking to them alone, but through them to the whole universe. In the same way, when He blesses them for enduring persecution, persecution, and cruel suffering, He weaves a crown not only for them, but also for all those who live in this way. But in order that this may be clearer, and that you may know that His words have great relevance both to you and to the whole human race, if anyone is attentive, listen to how He begins His wondrous word: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." What does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and brokenhearted. He called the soul and disposition of a person by the Spirit. Since there are many who are humble not because of their disposition, but because of the necessity of circumstances, He, keeping silent about such (because there is not great glory in this), calls blessed, first of all, those who of their own free will humble themselves and humble themselves. Why did He not say, "Humble," but said, "Poor"? Because the latter is more expressive than the former; Poor here He calls those who fear and tremble at the commandments of God, whom God calls acceptable to Himself through the prophet Isaiah, saying: "On whom will I look, on him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and on him who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2)?