It is not in vain that the word of God and the Holy Fathers, speaking of the impurity of the soul, compare it with the impurity of the body, and it is not in vain, speaking of the repentance of the sinner and the cleansing of sinful defilements by repentance, that this cleansing is compared to the washing of the body. In fact, how bodily impurity is harmful to health, unpleasant to the outside eye, and can be painfully contagious to others; In the same way, sinful impurity is both fatal to the soul, and repugnant to virtuous people, and can also be harmful to many. And just as bodily washing contributes to the health of the body and makes its appearance bright and pleasant; In the same way, the washing of the soul from the filth of sin contributes to the salvation of the soul and is beneficial for outsiders as well, giving them a salvific example, arousing in them a good emulation. Let us also add: the washing of the body can be done quickly; Likewise, when the grace of God touches the heart of the sinner, the washing of the soul is soon accomplished. We will show the latter by an example. Blessed Father Paul, called the Simple, related the following incident from his life. Once he went to a certain monastery to visit the brethren and came at the time when they were entering the church for divine services. Since he possessed the gift of clairvoyance, he learned who entered the church in what form and with what spiritual disposition. He saw that everyone was coming in with a bright face, and the Guardian Angels were happy to accompany them. But immediately he saw a certain brother entering the church in black, demons abusing the unfortunate man, and an Angel following him from afar. Seeing this, Paul was saddened and wept bitterly. The brethren noticed this and began to beseech that the monk would reveal to them the cause of their weeping and enter the church. But Paul did not give them an answer and remained as before at the gates of the church. The service was over, everyone left the church, and the sinner brother with them. But what was Paul's surprise when he saw him pure and bright, the demons far away from him, and the Angel of God accompanying him with great joy! Paul began to glorify God aloud; The monks surrounded him, and he told them in what state he had seen the said brother entering, and in what state he was leaving. After this, the brother himself was questioned and reported the following: "I am a sinful man, and all the days of my life, even until now, I have spent in vile deeds. But when I entered the church now, I heard a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah: "Wash yourselves, cleanse yourselves, remove your evil deeds from my eyes, cease to do evil; learn to do good, seek the truth. Then, if your sins be as scarlet, as white as snow. And if you obey, you will eat the good things of the earth" (1:16-19). Hearing this, I was pricked in my soul and said to God in my thoughts: "Thou art the only one, O God, who came to earth to save sinners! As the prophet said before, "Behold, now, end in deed for me, a sinner and unworthy." For behold, I give Thee my word, I promised Thee with my lips and confessed with my heart, that I am not in this way to do evil, but I reject all iniquity, and I will work for Thee with a clear conscience. Today, O Lord, receive me who repent and abstain from all evil." And with these thoughts, the monk finished his speech, I left the church, condemning my soul and making a promise before God not to sin again." Everyone glorified God.

Thus, brethren, the Lord hastened to mercy on those who truly repent! Let us glorify His ineffable mercy and let us not fail to make use of it. Let us hasten to the grace-filled spring and wash away the impurity of our souls. For when the body is very polluted, it must be washed quickly, so that the impurity does not produce disease. But we must be incomparably more concerned about the cleansing of the soul from the impurity of sin, so that sins do not prevail over us, do not turn into a deadly illness and do not deprive the soul of grace-filled life. Let us arise from the sleep of sin and open our hearts to Christ. In His ineffable mercy, He will surely come and cleanse us and make a dwelling place in us, and then we will rejoice with great joy, and no one will take this joy from us. Amen.

Weapons against enemies

(A sermon from Limonar about the robbers who took the elder's belongings)

Be not overcome by evil, says the Apostle, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). What do these words indicate? That the fire is not poured with oil, i.e. that evil cannot be stopped and stopped by evil, and that the evil that we suffer from our enemies and offenders can only be stopped and stopped by good.

What are the means to overcome evil with good?

The first means is to do some good to your enemy. Once robbers came to a certain elder and said to him: "What you have in your cell, we will take everything" And they took everything, forgetting only sackcloth. The elder took out this sackcloth, caught up with them and, handing it to them, in turn said: "My children, you have forgotten this else." This act touched the robbers so much that they returned to the elder everything they had taken from him, repented and said: "Verily, this man is God" (Prol. Apr. 2, p. 5 on ob.)

The second remedy is to humble oneself before the enemy. Two, the bishops quarreled with each other. One of them was rich, and the other was poor. The rich sought an opportunity to do evil to the poor. The poor man, learning of this, said to his clergy: "We will overcome him." The clergy answered: "Who can, Vladyka, stand against him?" - "Wait and see," said the poor bishop to them. And so, when the rich bishop was marching accompanied by a multitude of people, the poor bishop fell at his feet with all the clergy and exclaimed: "Forgive us, Vladyka, we are your servants!"

The third means is mental self-accusation before the enemy. A certain monk, insulted by his brother, came to him to reconcile with him, but he did not receive him and did not open the door to him. The rejected monk then went to a certain experienced elder and told him about it. "Do you know," said the elder to him, "why the brother who offended you did not want to be reconciled with you? You, going to him to reconcile, justified yourself in your soul, and mentally accused him. I advise you to do this: although your brother has sinned against you, yet confirm in your soul the thought that you have sinned against him, and not he against you; blame yourself, and justify him." The monk acted on the advice of the elder, went to his brother, and what happened? No sooner had he pushed at the door than he opened them immediately and met him with open arms (Prol. Sept. 17).

Четвертое средство - кроткое вразумление врага. Был в Александрии вельможа, который, несмотря на все увещания святителя Иоанна Милостивого, не хотел и слышать о примирении со своим врагом. Раз святитель пригласил его в свою домовую церковь на Божественную Литургию. Вельможа пришел. В церкви никого не было из богомольцев; сам патриарх служил, а на клиросе был только один певец, которому вельможа и стал помогать в пении. Когда они начали петь молитву Господню: "Отче наш," запел ее и святитель; но на словах: "хлеб наш насущный даждь нам днесь," св. Иоанн вдруг замолчал сам и остановил певца; так что вельможа один пропел слова молитвы: "и остави нам долги наша, якоже и мы оставляем должником нашим" Тут святитель сказал ему: "смотри, сын мой, в какой страшный час и что говоришь ты Богу: остави мне, как и я оставляю! Правду ли ты говоришь? Оставляешь ли?" Эти слова так поразили вельможу, что он весь в слезах, бросился к ногам архипастыря и воскликнул: "все, что ни повелишь, владыко, все исполнит раб твой". И исполнил: он в тот же день помирился со своим врагом и от всего сердца простил ему все, обиды (Житие Иоанна Милостивого).

Пятое, наконец, средство - терпение. Никоторый инок имел пребывание в общежительном монастыре, и здесь пять братий любили его, а один оскорблял. Инок не стерпел оскорблений и ушел, думая найти спокойствие, в другую обитель. Тут восемь братий стали любить его, а двое ненавидеть. Он побежал в третью. Здесь семь возлюбили его, а пять возненавидели. Что делать? "Пойду, сказал монах, еще куда-нибудь, там мне лучше будет" И отправился в монастырь четвертый. На пути в оный, севши однажды отдохнуть, инок задумался. Что же выйдет, сказал он самому себе, если я буду бегать с места на место? Ведь тогда я и в целом мире не найду себе спокойствия. Стану лучше терпеть". И с этими словами взял хартию и написал: "буду все терпеть ради Иисуса Христа Сына Божия!" Привязавши это написание к поясу, он пришел в новый монастырь и остался жить. Как в прежних было, так случилось и здесь. Спустя самое малое время, опять начали обижать его. Но он уже не унывал. Как только получал от кого оскорбление, он тут же прочитывал свое написание и тотчас успокаивался. Напоследок терпение его совершенно восторжествовало. Оскорблявшие испросили у него прощение и перестали обижать его (Прол. Февр. 15).

Довольно, кажется, теперь средств указали мы вам, братие, для побеждения врагов, если только таковые у вас есть. Что показывают эти средства? Чему научают? Показывают и научают, что зло, как мы сказали в начале слова, побуждается не злом, а добром, не ненавистью, а любовью. Тому же, вслед за словом Божьим, учат св. отцы: "Аще кто имать, говорит святитель Димитрий Ростовский, - какового себе недруга, гневающегося и ярящегося ныне всуе, он же, того врага своего любя и благодетельствуя ему, помалу претворяет его из недруга в друга, из гневного в любовного" (Том 2. Слово в нед. 19, стр. 519). И св. Амвросий: "Та суть оружия праведного, да уступая победить, якоже искуснии в стрелянии обыкоша бегуще гонящих их уязвляти крепчае" (там же, стр. 521). Прибавлять к этому нечего, ибо вы сами знаете, что и слово Божие учит так же. Остается только просить Господа, чтобы Он Сам Своею вседействующею благодатью удалил из сердец наших гнев и злобу и настроил сердца наши так, чтобы мы со всеми всегда жили в мире и никогда не имели нужды мириться. Аминь.

О вечных мучениях грешников

(Слово св. Иоанна Златоуста о глаголющих, яко несть грешным муки. Прол. Апр. 3)