Discourse on abstinence.

The word on abstinence always seems to me very useful and appropriate for Christ's servants; especially now it will be opportune for us to address it to you, since, having put on Christ, the children of the Church should most of all declare themselves by abstinence, preferably over other good qualities.  For if any one, at the sight of the athletes, who usually come to the Olympic Games and go down to the lists, spoke to them about struggle, self-control and victory, he would, according to the just judgment of all, do it in good time. So it is for us now, at the sight of the ascetics of the Saviour, who in the divine mysteries received power from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, whom we intend to send to a spiritual contest, it is natural to talk about abstinence. In human contests, crowns are given after victory, and in Christ's lists — before it. Why then does Christ send us to fight already in crowns? In order to inspire fear in our enemies, and to excite our feelings; so that, looking at the honor bestowed upon us by God, we should neither speak nor do anything unworthy of the Lord. If a king, dressed in scarlet, and adorned with a crown on his head, under the influence of natural passions, does anything unworthy of royal majesty, as soon as he looks at the royal garment, he corrects himself, and takes care that he does not find himself again in the power of vile passions. Likewise, you, who have put on Christ, having been saved from the shameful lust of your soul, unceasingly fix your gaze on the divine garment, and you will immediately become stronger and avoid danger from the wiles of the evil one. Thus, it is certainly a beautiful thing to approve and praise abstinence, but to possess it is even more beautiful. And, no doubt, those who talk much about it and listen to it are not a little encouraged to abstinence. For this reason it pleased God to glorify the virtues of holy men in the Holy Scriptures, so that all men would incline to imitate them, and that, carefully following in their footsteps, they should lead an abstinent life. If, during competitions in gymnastic schools, many people, at the sight of crowned athletes, are inflamed, undress, and endure much strenuous and strenuous labor in order to deserve wreaths of olive or laurel branches, then with what impetuosity, therefore, should we intensely care about abstinence, at the sight of others already crowned by God, so that we too may deserve this adornment of heavenly crowns by good salvific works. How painful and how does it not deserve great wrath that athletes are lured by the leaf of laurel or olive and the glory of this transitory life, while we are not in the least impelled by the gifts of Christ to abandon all lust and prefer the fear of God to lust? Further, it is not only men, we see, who imitate their own kind, but also irrational beings. Often the doves, at the sight of one of them flying away, immediately follow her, and the noble foal, frolicking in the horse herd, drags the whole herd with it. And among you, as in the flock of Christ, there is a beautiful young branch — the most temperate Joseph, who with his heavenly swiftness calls us, our fellow servants, to imitate him. And so, let us dance together with the handsome young man a spiritual dance, praising his abstinence not only in words, but also through imitation of his deeds. He was a diligent and constant guardian of abstinence, although he could give orders to the queen herself and lead a rich and pleasant life in splendor and luxury. Though he might have been the master of such and such great blessings, yet, having discussed that wealth, power, and fame pass away with the present life, and that the benefit of them is only temporary, and that there is no end to virtue alone, he therefore threw the fear of Christ upon pleasures, as it were, a kind of bridle. Wealth, pomp, and the promise of his mistress he ridiculed, considering suffering in prison more pleasant than life in beautiful palaces, although it is difficult for those who are excellently handsome in body to control pleasure. He also presented such an example of abstinence, that by the beauty of his soul he obscured the beauty of his body, that in view of the beauty of his body he should be likened to a certain beautiful star, and in view of the charm of his soul he should be likened to angels. And we ought to marvel not only at the abstinence of the young man, but also at the dangers to which he was exposed because of it, considering the work of serving pleasures more grievous and more terrible than even death. He will be amazed at him who carefully examines his virtue and who weighs the times in which he kept his soul pure. He preserved the freedom of mind before the appearance on earth of the Lord and Creator of the universe. He was brought up in the house of the wicked; many inclined him to very bad deeds; He had no temperance teacher. All were slaves of pleasure, indulging their belly, doing nothing pious, nothing holy; however, living among so many and such impious people, when he saw his intemperate mistress reclining, he did not turn out to be a traitor to the heavenly treasures, but preserved the church of St. John. Unemptied, preferring to die rather than serve pleasures. He had not yet heard Paul's words that our bodies are members of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15); but before he heard the divine voice, he, teaching us in the churches how we ought to struggle and keep our souls intact, showed himself not inferior in importance to those who were honored with heavenly promises. If I, Joseph may say, who lived before the birth of Christ, and who did not hear the exalted Apostle Paul, who exclaimed that our bodies are members of Christ, thought that it was fitting for God's servants to command pleasure, and did not prove to be a spendthrift of abstinence, although many dangers were prepared before my eyes, how far must you live in abstinence with fear and trembling, lest you be found unworthy of honor, and that the members of Christ should not become members of fornication? This word can protect every soul with abstinence; This word easily extinguishes flaming desires. The rain falling into the fire does not so easily suppress the flame as it causes the evil desires allowed into the soul to wither. The same words can be spoken to us by the great Job, who was not only a careful guardian of abstinence, but even laid down a law for his eyes, according to which they should not look at the face of a virgin, for fear that the sparkling beauty would somehow deceive his mind (Job 31:1).

Without a doubt, he thought that in the struggle with demons a courageous and courageous spirit is needed, and in the matter of concern for abstinence, victory is inferior not because of a man's association with maidens, but because of his separation from them. Thus, whoever gives the promise of virginity will receive advice from the most abstinent of all people, who himself, even before the incarnation of Christ, was such a zealous guardian of abstinence. One should not listen with disdain to the fact that even before the incarnation of Christ there were righteous men who represented such an example of abstinence. For at that time there was nothing that would have so forcefully impelled to this virtue, and even the virgins were not imputed to the crime of their negligence in preserving abstinence. How is that? Why, it is for this reason that the supreme God, the Creator of the universe, took our form in order to bring down from heaven the chastity of the angels. If, therefore, even after such an honor, men give themselves up to sensual pleasures, it is impossible to express the magnitude of their folly, by virtue of which, by making the members of Christ members members of the harlot, they weaken the manifestation of God's mercy towards them, and, as far as depends on them, render it useless to them. The demons listen and are afraid, since God does not allow them to unite with Himself, but He unites us with Himself. And after this, some of the faithful dare to break the bond with Christ and unite with harlots? It is not so great an evil to fall from heaven into the mud, as great is the evil, having become a member of Christ, to lose divine honor and become a member of fornication. Therefore, when vicious lust inflames the soul, immediately remember Christ, think that Paul stands before you, exhorting you and saying: Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take away the members of Christ, that I may make them the members of the harlot? (1 Corinthians 6:15). If you bring these words to mind, you will immediately see how lust will flee from you. If a chaste and well-behaved lady immediately makes chaste her maidservants, given over to a shameful passion, by her mere appearance, then what wonder if the remembrance of Christ immediately mortifies the lust that troubles you? Always have a shining cross before your eyes, and during this time you will leave clean from sins. Just as the pillar of cloud, the image of our cross, covered the Jewish people so that they would not suffer any evil from the Egyptians (Exodus 13:21), so the cross before our eyes, beheld by us, immediately drives away all evil lust. After all, it is the salvation of our souls and the salvific antidote to vile lusts. In fact, the infirmities of the body are healed by the art of doctors, and the sick soul is immediately healed by the sayings of Christ.

Amen.

ON THE CONSOLATION OF DEATH

The first word.

Homily 1 1. Listen, brethren, in silence, so that useful and sometimes necessary words do not fly by you. Then healing is especially needed when there is a serious illness; then it is necessary to carefully apply the healing lotion when the eye suffers from pain. However, even those who do not have this disease should not complain, but rather let them listen, because it is not superfluous for a healthy person to know useful medicine. And whoever at the present time has a disturbed mental eye and suffers from pain, let him be even more attentive in order to open his eye to receive the medicine of salvific conversation, from which one can receive not only consolation, but also relief. It is known that if someone has an eye ache and if the patient does not agree to open it to the doctor in order to pour a healing lotion, then the lotion will flow along the outer surface of the eyelid, and the eye will remain sick; so the mind of a person stricken with sorrow, if through excessive sorrow does not open itself to the word, then, not accepting the salvific admonition, it will begin to ache even more, and perhaps will be subjected to what is indicated in the Scriptures: "Worldly sorrow worketh death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). The blessed Apostle Paul, a teacher of believers and a beneficent physician, said that sorrow is of two kinds: one good and the other evil, one useful and the other useless, one salvific and the other pernicious. And so that my words do not seem doubtful to anyone, I will quote his words themselves. He says: Sorrow for God's sake produces unfailing repentance unto salvation; This is good sorrow. Then it follows: but worldly sorrow produces death; This is evil sorrow. 2.

This, without a doubt, is that which draws tears, causes weeping, and plunges the whole soul into deep sorrow! Against this, so strong, so strong weapon of sorrow, it is necessary, first of all, to put forward the idea that everything that is born in this world must necessarily die. This is the law of God and the immutable sentence that was pronounced to the forefather of the human race, after its fall, in the words of God: "Dust thou art and to dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19). What has happened new if a person, born for this, fulfills the law and the divine sentence? What is new if he who is born of mortals corresponds to his nature in that which he could not avoid? There is nothing unusual in that which has existed since ancient times; there is nothing unheard of in what happens every day; there is nothing special about what is universal. If we know that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers walked the same path of death, if we have heard that, finally, the patriarchs and prophets themselves, from the first-created Adam, did not migrate from this world without death, then let us raise our souls from the depths of sorrow; for here a man repays a debt to which he owed. How can one be sad when a debt is repaid? Truly, it is a debt which cannot be repaid by any money, a debt from which neither courage, nor wisdom, nor power can deliver, and which, finally, even the kings themselves cannot turn away. Of course, I would advise you to increase your sorrow, if this matter were due to negligence or avarice, whereas you could buy it off by your own means, or postpone it; but if this is God's decree, firm and unchangeable, then we grieve in vain and ask ourselves: why did so-and-so die, when it is written: "The Lord's, the Lord's gate of death" (Psalm 67:21)? Thus, if we take into account this general condition of our life, then the burdened eye of the heart will begin to feel relief, as if from the first lotion applied to it. 3. I know, you will say, that this is a common fate; I know that the one who died has paid the debt; but I imagine the pleasure that came from him, I remember his relations with others, I remember his conversion. If, therefore, you give yourself over to sorrow, then you act erroneously, and are not guided by reason. You must know that the Lord, Who gave you this pleasure, can also give you another, better one; and He who has brought you such an acquaintance has the power to reward you in another way. As for benefit, as you look at your own benefit, you should also think about the benefit of the deceased; perhaps it is more profitable for him, as it is written: he is raptured, so that malice does not change his mind; his soul was pleasing to the Lord, wherefore he hastened out of the midst of wickedness (Wisdom 4:11,14). And what can I say about the association with him, when the very time brings him into such oblivion, as if he had never existed? Therefore, what time and the change of days produce, reason and sound judgment should produce much more. It is especially necessary to reflect on what Divine wisdom said through the Apostle: "Worldly sorrow worketh death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). And so, if pleasure, real usefulness, and acquaintance are the objects of this world and the transient joys of the age, then, behold, is it not truly a fatal illness to lose heart and be broken in heart for their sake? Again and again I will repeat the same words: worldly sorrow produces death. Why does it produce death? Because excessive sorrow usually leads either to doubt or to pernicious blasphemy. 4. But, someone will say, how can you forbid mourning for the dead, when the forefathers wept, and Moses, the servant of God, and then many prophets, especially when the most righteous Job tore his garment on the occasion of the death of his sons (Job 1:20)? It is not I who forbid the mourning of the dead, but the enlightener of the nations, the Apostle, who says thus: "I do not want to leave you, brethren, ignorant of those who are asleep, lest you grieve like others who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). Those who lived before the law, or were under the shadow of the law, mourned for their dead; but the light of the Gospel cannot be so darkened. And they wept justly, because Christ had not yet come from heaven, Who had dried up this fountain of tears by His resurrection. They wept justly, because the death sentence was still in force. They rightly shed tears, because the resurrection had not yet been preached. Although at that time the saints awaited the coming of the Lord, they nevertheless mourned for the dead, because they had not yet seen Him Whom they were waiting for. Finally, Simeon, one of the Old Testament saints, who had previously also been anxious about his death, after having received the Lord Jesus in his arms as a child in the flesh, joyfully greets his death and says: "Now lettest Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation" (Luke 2:29,30). Oh, blessed Simeon! Seeing what he was waiting for, he began to look upon his death as peace and tranquillity. And here, you will say, it is read in the Gospel that they wept for the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue (Luke 8:52), and the sisters of Lazarus wept for Lazarus (John 11:31). But they reasoned according to the Old Testament law, because they had not yet seen the resurrection of Christ from the dead. True, the Lord Himself wept for Lazarus, who had already been buried, but not in order to set an example of mourning for the dead, but in order to show by His tears that He also took on a true body; or perhaps out of human love He wept over the Jews, who, in spite of such a miracle, did not have faith in Him. For the death of Lazarus, of whom Jesus Himself said that he fell asleep, and promised to awaken him, as He did, could not have been the cause of tears. 5. Thus, the ancients had their morals and their weaknesses, as those who lived before the coming of Christ. But when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), when the sentence pronounced on the first Adam was decreed by the last Adam, when the Lord destroyed our death by His death and rose from the dead on the third day, then death was no longer a fear for believers; the West is not afraid when the East has come from above. The Lord Himself, Who cannot tell lies, cries out thus: I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, shall live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die (John 11:25,26). Clearly, most beloved brethren, says the divine saying, that he who believes in Christ and keeps His commandments, though he dies, will live. Accepting and maintaining this saying with all the powers of faith, the blessed Apostle Paul offered the following exhortation: "But I do not want to leave you, brethren, ignorant of those who have fallen asleep, lest you grieve (1 Thess. 4:12). Oh, the wondrous saying of the Apostle! Even before he expounded his teaching, he already preached the resurrection in one word. He calls the dead departed in order to make their future resurrection certain, speaking of them as sleeping. Do not grieve, he says, for the departed, like others. Let those who have no hope grieve, and we, the children of hope, let us rejoice. And what our hope is, he himself reminds us of it in the following words: "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Jesus is salvation for us while we live here, and life when we move from here. For to me, says the Apostle, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Truly, it is gain, because death profitably puts an end to the calamities and sufferings that are associated with long-term life. Then the Apostle also describes in what order and in what way our hope should be fulfilled. For this, he says, we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep, because the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. then we, who are alive, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:15-17). His words mean that the Lord, having come, will find many Christians in bodies not yet having experienced death; and yet they will not be caught up into heaven before the dead saints arise from their graves, having been awakened by the trumpet of God and the voice of the archangel. But when they are awakened, then, united with the living, they will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ in the air, and thus they will reign with Him forever. Of course, there can be no doubt that bodies that have weight can rise into the air, when, by the command of the Lord, Peter, who had the same body, walked on the waves of the sea (Matt. 17:29), and Elijah, in order to confirm this hope, was also caught up in a fiery chariot through this air to heaven (2 Kings 2:11). 6. But perhaps you will ask: What will be those who have risen from the dead? Listen to your Lord Himself, Who says: "Then the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43). Do I need to mention the brightness of the sun? Since believers must be transfigured according to the brightness of Christ the Lord Himself, as the Apostle Paul testifies: "But our dwelling," he says, "is in heaven, whence we also await the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform our lowly body, so that it may be conformed to His glorious body" (Phil. 3:20,21), then this mortal flesh will undoubtedly be transfigured according to the brightness of Christ, the mortal shall put on immortality, and that which is sown in weakness shall then arise in power (1 Corinthians 15:43). Then the body will no longer be afraid of decay, will not suffer from hunger, thirst, disease, or accident, because there is reliable peace and lasting security of life; there is a different glory — heavenly; and the joy there will not be lacking. 7. Keeping this in mind and having it before his eyes, Blessed Paul said: "I would depart and be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23). And again, expounding his teaching openly, he says: we are always happy; and since we know that when we dwell in the body, we are separated from the Lord, for we walk by faith, and not by sight, we are pleased and desire better to go out of the body and dwell with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). What do we, those of little faith, give ourselves over to sorrow and despair, if one of our beloved moves to the Lord? What do we do, consoling ourselves with wandering in this world more than with standing before the face of Christ? Truly, and truly, our whole life is a pilgrimage: as pilgrims in this world, we have no sure abode, we work, we work to the point of sweat, traversing paths that are difficult and full of dangers; From all sides there are intrigues prepared for us — from spiritual and bodily enemies, everywhere are the paths of error. And, despite the fact that we are surrounded by so many dangers, we not only do not want to get rid of them, but even for those who have been delivered, we weep and weep as for the lost. What has God done for us through His Only-begotten Son, if we are still afraid of mortal events? Why do we boast that we have been reborn by water and the Spirit, if we are so grieved by the migration from this world? The Lord Himself cries: "Whosoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant be (John 12:26). When an earthly king invites someone to his palace, or to a feast, do you think that the invitee will not hasten with gratitude? One should strive with much greater zeal for the heavenly King, Who will make those whom He receives not only partakers of the feast, but even partakers of the reign, as it is written: If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we endure, we shall also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:11,12). And I do not say that someone should lay hands on himself, or kill himself against the will of the Creator God, or expel the soul from its temporary abode, his body; but I want to say that everyone, when he or his neighbor is called there, should go with joy and gladness and greet others who are coming. This is the essence of the Christian faith, to expect true life after death, to hope for a return after the exodus. Therefore, having accepted the words of the Apostle, let us give thanks with faith to God, Who has granted us victory over death through Christ our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion now and forever and ever. Amen.

The second word.

Homily 2 1. In the previous discourse we spoke briefly about the consolation at the sight of death and the hope of resurrection; now let us hasten to say the same thing more fully and thoroughly. If for believers what I have said is certain, then for unbelievers and doubters it seems fabulous; to these we shall now turn a few words relating to the subject. Thus, unbelievers, all your doubts concern the bodily constitution. To some, it seems incredible that a body that has turned to dust could rise again, come to life again. As for the soul, no one can doubt: even philosophers do not disagree about the immortality of the soul, although they were pagans. In fact, what is death if not the separation of the soul from the body? When the soul, which is always alive and cannot die, is separated, since it came from the breath of God, then only one body dies, because with us one part is mortal, and the other is immortal. When the soul, which is invisible to the eyes of the body, is separated, it is received by the angels and placed either in the bosom of Abraham, if it is a believer, or in the prison of hell, if it is a sinner, until a certain day comes, on which it will again take on its body and before the throne of Christ, the true Judge, give an account of its deeds. If in this way all doubt concerns the body, then it is necessary to defend its weakness and prove the resurrection. 2. Therefore, if any of the doubters and unbelievers ask me, How will the dead be resurrected, and in what body will they appear? — then I will answer him with the mouth and words of the Apostle: Foolish! what you sow will not come to life unless it dies. And when you sow, you do not sow the body to come, but the bare grain that will happen, wheat or any other seed, a grain that is dead and dry, without moisture (1 Corinthians 15:36,37); and when it decays, it rises again more fruitful, clothed with leaves, and supplied with ears of corn.

And so, God, who created you out of nothing, could it not be more convenient to recreate you from something? Believe me, it will be easier to renew what was already before for Him Who was able to create even that which was not there. Who commanded thee in thy mother's womb to sprout from a drop of ugly fluid, and to be clothed with nerves, sinews, and bones, believe me, is able to give birth to thee again from the womb of the earth. But are you afraid that your withered bones will not be able to put on their former flesh? Do not judge, do not judge the greatness of God by your own weakness. God, the Creator of all things, who dresses the trees with leaves and the meadows with flowers, can immediately clothe your bones at a certain time of spring, at the resurrection. The Prophet Ezekiel once doubted this very thing, and to the Lord's question whether the dry bones, which seemed to him scattered over the field, would come to life, he answered: Lord God! Thou knowest this (Ezekiel 37:3). But when he saw how the bones, according to God's command and his own prophecy, went to their places and compositions, when he saw that the dry bones began to be clothed with nerves, bound with sinews, covered with flesh, clothed with skin, then after this he pronounced a prophecy about the spirit, and the coming spirit of each one entered into the bodies lying on the ground; they rose and immediately arose. Thus convinced of the resurrection, the prophet described this vision so that the knowledge of such a subject would reach posterity. Therefore Isaiah justly cries: "Thy dead shall live, dead bodies shall arise!" Arise and rejoice, you who are cast down in the dust: for Your dew is the dew of plants, and the earth will vomit up the dead (Isaiah 26:19). Truly, as the seeds, moistened by the dew, vegetate and grow, so will the bones of believers grow from the dew of the Spirit. 3. But you doubt how a whole person can be restored from small bones? And you yourself produce a great flame from a small spark of fire: will God not be able to restore the full composition of your small body from the small leaven of your ashes? If you say: even the very remains of the body are nowhere to be seen, since perhaps they have been destroyed by fire, or devoured by wild beasts, then, first of all, know that everything that is destroyed is stored in the bowels of the earth, from whence by God's command it can again come. And you, when the fire is not yet visible, take a pebble and a piece of iron and from the depths of the stone you carve as much fire as you need. If, with the help of your intellect and art, with which God Himself has endowed you, you bring into being that which was invisible, then does not the majesty of God have the strength to produce that which is not yet visible? Believe me, for God all things are possible. 4. Ask only whether God has promised to accomplish the resurrection; and when you learn from so many testimonies that it is promised, when you have the most indubitable assurance of the Lord Christ Himself, then, having been confirmed in the faith, cease to fear death. Whoever still fears it does not believe; and whoever does not believe falls into incurable sin, since by his unbelief he dares to represent God as either powerless or a liar. But the blessed apostles prove not this, or the holy martyrs. The Apostles, in proof of this doctrine of the resurrection, preach that Christ is risen, and proclaim that in Him also the dead will be resurrected; moreover, they did not renounce death, torture, or crosses. If, however, in the testimony of two or three witnesses, every verb should be doubted, how can the resurrection of the dead, which has so many and such reliable witnesses, and of which they bear witness by shedding their blood? And what about the holy martyrs? Did they have a sure resurrection hope, or did they not? If they had not, they would not have accepted death as the greatest gain after so many tortures and executions. They did not think about the real executions, but about the rewards that followed; they knew that the visible is temporary, but the invisible is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Hearken, brethren, also to the example of courage. The mother (Maccabees) persuaded her seven sons, and did not weep, but rather rejoiced; she saw her sons torn with claws, cut with iron, roasted in a frying pan, and she shed no tears, no wailing, but diligently persuaded the children to patience. After all, she was not hard-hearted, but religious, she loved her sons, but not with pampering, but courageously. She stirred up her children to suffering, which she herself gladly accepted, because she was sure of her own resurrection and of her sons. They could have kept their present life if they had wanted to, because it depended on them to deny Christ and live, or to confess Him and die. But they chose rather to lose temporal life and gain eternal life, to leave the earth and dwell in heaven. 5. After this, brethren, is there any place for doubt? Can the fear of death still remain? If we are the sons of the martyrs, if we wish to be their communicators, then let us not grieve over death, let us not mourn those who are dear to us, who depart to the Lord before us. If we wish to grieve for them, then the blessed martyrs will reproach us and say: O you who believe and desire the kingdom of God, you who weep bitterly and weep for your beloved ones, who die peacefully on couches and soft beds — what would you do if you saw them tortured and killed by the pagans for the name of the Lord? Do you not have an ancient example? Forefather Abraham, sacrificing his only son, slew him with the sword of obedience to God (Gen. 20:10), and did not spare the one whom he loved with such love, in order to prove his obedience to the Lord. But if you say that he did so by God's command, then you also have a commandment not to grieve for the departed.

6. This, brethren, would suffice to learn the contempt of death and to be established in the hope of the future. But it remains for me to cite one example from antiquity, which can bring any consolation, and which let all hear with the ears of the heart, even if it is suffering. The great King David grieved very much when his beloved son, whom he loved as his own soul, was stricken with illness (2 Samuel 12:16 ff.); and since human means were no longer of any use, he turned to the Lord, putting aside the royal pomp, sat down on the ground, lay down in sackcloth, did not eat or drink, praying to God for seven whole days, in the hope that his son would not be returned to him. The elders of his house approached him with consolation, and begged him to partake of bread, fearing lest, desiring the life of his son, he himself should come to exhaustion before him; but they could neither persuade him nor force him, for impatient love usually despises the dangers themselves. The king lay in a gloomy sackcloth, and his son was sick; not words gave him consolation, nor did the need for food itself work; his soul was nourished by sorrow, his chest breathed sorrow, tears flowed from his eyes instead of drink. Meanwhile, what was predestined by God took place: the child died; the wife was in tears, the whole house was filled with groans, the servants were waiting in fear for what would happen; No one dared to inform his master of the death of his son, fearing that the king, who had so bitterly mourned his still living son, would take his own life when he heard of his death. While the servants were conferring among themselves, while they were in despondency now advising and now forbidding each other to speak, David understood and warned the messengers, asking if his son had died. Unable to deny it, they announced what had happened with tears. At the same time there was an extraordinary apprehension, a strong expectation and fear that the tender father would expose himself to danger. But King David immediately leaves his hairshirt, rises cheerfully, as if having received news of his son's safety, goes to the laver and washes his body, comes to the temple, prays to God, eats food together with those who are close to him, suppressing sighs, putting aside all lamentation, and with a cheerful face. His family is amazed, his attendants are amazed at this extraordinary and sudden change, and finally they dare to ask him what it means that during his son's lifetime he grieved so much, and after death he does not grieve. Then this man, extraordinary in his generosity, answered them: while the son was still alive, it was necessary to humble himself, and fast, and weep before the face of the Lord, because there was hope for his return to life; but when the will of the Lord has been done, it is foolish and impious to torment the soul with useless weeping; now, he says, I will go to him, and he will not return to me (2 Samuel 12:23). This is an example of generosity and courage! But if David, who was still under the law, had, I will not say permission, but necessity,

However, some of the brothers and sisters, whom their own faith and the commandment of the Lord could make firm, are weakened and crushed by the opinion of relatives and neighbors, lest they be considered stony and hard-hearted, if they do not change their clothes, if they do not give themselves over to mad weeping with frenzy. But how empty, how unseemly it is to think of the opinion of people who are in error, and not to be afraid lest we injure the faith which we have accepted! Why shouldn't such a person learn patience better? Why should not he who doubts learn faith from me? Even if there really were such sorrow in his chest, then even in this case it would be necessary to moderate the sorrow in silence with prudence, and not to divulge it with spiritual light-mindedness. 7. I want to offer another example for the correction of those who think to mourn the dead. This example is from pagan history. There was a certain pagan ruler who had an only and rather beloved son. When, according to a pagan error, he offered sacrifice to his idols in the Capitol, the news reaches him that his only son is gone. He did not leave the sacrifice that was in his hands, nor did he weep or even sigh, but listen to what he answered, "Let them," he said, "bury him; I remember that I bore a son to death. Look at this answer, look at the courage of the pagan: he did not even order to wait for himself to be buried in his presence.

Why? Because Thou didst deign to call them unto Thee, out of the darkness of the world. What will we, brethren, be able to answer to this? Will we not be overwhelmed with shame when we find ourselves inferior to the Gentiles in this respect? A pagan who does not know God must weep, because as soon as he dies, he goes straight to execution. A Jew must also be crushed, who, not believing in Christ, has doomed his soul to perdition. Our catechumens are also worthy of pity, if they, either through their own unbelief or through the negligence of their neighbors, die without saving baptism. But he who is sanctified by grace, sealed with faith, honest in conduct, or unchangeable in innocence, when he departs from this world, should be blessed, and not mourned, envious, and not grieved for him greatly, but envied moderately, since we know that in due time we ourselves will follow them. 8. And so, believer, wipe away your tears, restrain your sighs, cease your weeping, and instead of this sorrow take upon yourself that saving sorrow which the blessed Apostle called sorrow for God's sake, which usually brings certain salvation, i.e. repentance for the transgressions committed (2 Corinthians 7:10). Examine your heart, ask your conscience, and if you find anything that requires repentance — and you will find it as a man — then sigh at the confession of sins, shed tears in prayer, grieve for true death, for the punishment of the soul, grieve for sin, as David says: "I am conscious of my iniquities, and my sin is always before me" (Psalm 50:5); and do not fear the destruction of this body, which in due time, by the command of God, will be renewed for the better. See how both are ordained by God's decree: the time is coming, and it has already come, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and when they have heard, they shall live" (John 5:25,28). Here is the comfort, here is the inducement to despise death! And what next? And those who have done good will go out into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:29). This is the difference between the resurrected! Of course, every human body in general must be resurrected; but the good shall rise to life, and the evil shall rise to execution, as it is written, "The wicked shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous" (Psalm 1:5). Therefore, in order that we may not be resurrected to be condemned, let us cease to grieve over death, but take upon ourselves the sorrow of repentance, let us take care of good deeds and a better life, let us think of the dust and the dead, in order to remember that we too are mortal, and that, in such remembrance, we should not neglect our salvation while there is time, while it is still possible, that is, either to bring forth better fruits, or to be corrected, if we have sinned through ignorance, so that if the day of death overtakes us unexpectedly, we will not have to seek time for repentance, and not find it, ask for mercy and the opportunity to atone for sins, and not receive what we desire. 9.