In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! All of us are now with you, dear ones, deeply experiencing what is happening around us. Everyone feels anxious and is gripped by anxiety and embarrassment. But it must be said that all people are to blame for all these alarming events and dangers. We are also guilty. They have ceased to live in a Christian way. They have ceased to live according to the commandments of Christ. Therefore, God's long-suffering and mercy have been exhausted, and the Lord allows such bloody internecine wars. Therefore, we need to pay special attention to ourselves, to our lives, so that our life may be accomplished in the spirit of the Gospel, in the spirit of the teaching of Christ the Savior. We have departed from Christ, do not fulfill His commands, and live according to our own will. That is why such disasters come upon us. And it can be worse. Therefore, we must heed the teaching of the Savior, live the life to which our Lord Jesus Christ calls us in His Divine Gospel. The time before last, we already talked about the sin of condemnation. That this sin is very common among the people. And although it seems insignificant in appearance, it brings with it a lot of evil. Therefore, this sin must be avoided in every possible way. It was also said that this habit, this passion stems from an unkind heart - the habit of condemning, dissenting the actions of one's neighbor. It was said that the sin of condemnation was forbidden by the Saviour Himself, that the Lord, knowing the weakness of our human nature, strictly forbade: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1). We have no right to judge our neighbor in any way. Because we did not give him life, we did not bring him up, he is not accountable to us, and therefore we have no right, no power to condemn or judge the actions of other people. The Lord is the judge of all of us. Therefore, the judgment of people who love to condemn their neighbor is the most unrighteous judgment, because it does not really reflect the state of the condemned. According to the words and actions of neighbors, which often have nothing criminal and sinful in them, but are subject to reinterpretation by slanderers, lovers of condemnation often ascribe grave, gross sins to the innocent, and tell everyone about these "sins," and secretly and openly condemn, condemn, and humiliate their neighbor. For example, a person became rich by his honest work, his diligent, reasonable activity and thrift. And so lovers of condemnation accuse him without any grounds of embezzlement. People who are in friendly relations with each other are also condemned without any grounds, in their friendship outsiders see some impure motives and goals. Even the most pious people who love God, love churches, prayer, and they are very often subjected to various slanders and reproaches. Not to mention the fact that if a real sin is really seen, then lovers of condemnation exaggerate this sin several times. Perhaps there was some inclination to sin, or some sinful thought arose, or an outward manifestation of this sinful thought appeared, but lovers of condemnation already see in this grave, great, gross crimes and vices, and loudly announce it to everyone. And at the same time, they do not take into account at all, do not take into account the repentance and correction of the sinner. Perhaps a person who sinned, in the silence of his solitude before God, wept over his sins, condemned himself. And before the Lord he already stands more justified than those blasphemers who judge him, just as the publican came out of the temple more justified than the Pharisee who condemned him. And therefore the Pharisaic judgment of slanderers is always unrighteous, always criminal, always self-appointed and condemning. The sin of condemning one's neighbor is grave. After all, we are commanded to love one another, we are commanded to love, brotherly love. And all lovers of this slander, this gossip, sin gravely against this commandment. And to whom are such slanderers likened, such slanderers, who maliciously, slanderously condemn their neighbor? Such people are likened to the primordial murderer - the devil, who hates all truth and love, who always rejoices in evil and seeks it, tries to bring it triumph. They are likened to the wicked slanderer who slandered the most righteous Job before God. And much, much evil is done by such slanderers, who slander those around them. And, of course, a bad fate awaits them. For their punishment will be together with the slanderer devil. After all, thanks to this slander and slander, how many worthy people are deprived of the respect and honor they deserve from their neighbors! And sometimes they even lose their very lives. How much this slander and slander has brought and continues to bring discord into good families! Spouses, sincere friends, are made enemies, distrust of trustworthy people; they do not allow worthy, talented people to high service, but open the way for such service to insignificant, untalented people. That is how criminal, how harmful to society and to the state is sin - slander, slander, condemnation. Therefore, we must be afraid of this sin. Always remember the commandment of Christ: do not judge, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned... (Luke 6:37). We ourselves need to look after ourselves, our sins, our vices and correct them, but not to judge the actions of our neighbors. Denouncing the passion to condemn one's neighbors because of moral decay, one preacher says this: "One of our neighbors has fallen. But you who condemn him, have you never fallen yourselves? Would you be pleased if someone began to talk about your bad past, which you have already forgotten? You will say that your life was free from big mistakes. I agree. But do you ascribe this virtue to yourself? If you lacked an opportunity to fall, then how many times did you mentally strive for it. How many desires and dispositions to this particular sin did you have in your soul? Show us, if you dare, your inner life. Tell us about your secret thoughts that people do not know and do not see. About his shameful passions, about his unworthy desires. And so, when this sinful abyss wandered through your soul and mind, your outward life was seemingly irreproachable. You were respected, and not a single human eye matured, did not see what was happening in your soul. And suppose that at one of these moments passion has set your heart aflame, captivated your conscience, temptation has appeared, the most vivid one... And what would have happened to you at that time if someone had noticed your fall and began to tell people about it? Would you like it? Therefore, if God's mercy protects you, it is only by the goodness of God that the Lord does not allow you to fall, the Lord preserves. And if He had left you to your own instincts, your passions, you would have perished long ago." And then he continues: "Behold, the neighbor has fallen. But do you know its history? The story of his birth? His environment, his environment? Was his past a grace-filled upbringing, in a good environment? Did he feel tears, a warning from a Christian mother? Was it a Christian environment? Was the gospel revealed to him from the very beginning? The most righteous Lord will righteously judge in His scales which of you should be more responsible and guilty: are you, who have received more talent and knowledge, or the one who has known nothing?" And secondly, to deep compassion for a person who has fallen into evil. We see that the Angels are perfect, holy, pure, close to God, they are the first to rejoice and bless God for the salvation of fallen humanity. They are more capable of compassion and mercy for the fallen. And the Lord Himself is called by the Angels the Lord of mercy and compassion for fallen beings. Therefore, if the angels are holy, perfect, if they have compassion for the fallen sinner, then how can we not humble ourselves, not have compassion – we who fall into innumerable sins, into innumerable transgressions and errors? Judgment is inaccessible to us, true judgment. Why? Because we can judge only by external appearances, but what happens in the soul of a person is revealed only to God, the Knower of the Heart. Apparently, it is impossible to judge by appearance. Sometimes it happens that a person is outwardly pious, but on the inside he can be the greatest sinner. And, on the contrary, a person who is a great sinner in the eyes of people is a great saint of God in the eyes of the Lord. For example, if a person has done some good deed, and people praise him for it, they believe that his deed is noble. But if this person has done this good deed in order to be praised, to be glorified, then such a good deed has no moral value in the eyes of God. His act is low, a mercenary act. And there are a lot of such examples. The Monk Vitaly of Alexandria, living in Alexandria, was hired by day, and at night he went to the homes of fallen women. And all the inhabitants of the city, both in front of their eyes and behind their eyes, considered him a libertine. And yet he gave the money he earned to these women for food, in order to warn them against sin. Andrew, the fool-for-Christ, was considered mad by the inhabitants of the city, spat on him, even beat him, and laughed at him in every possible way. But nevertheless, he was a great saint before God. Therefore, it is impossible for us, sinners, to judge the actions of our neighbor. One time the brothers turned to the Monk Pimen and asked whether, if they saw their brother's sin, they should keep silent and cover up his sin. The monk says: "It follows. If you cover your brother's sin, the Lord will cover your sin." And another said to the same father, "I hear unseemly things about a certain brother. It seduces me. I want to get out of this place." The monk asks: "Is it true that you have heard about your brother?" "Yes," he said, "it is true that a faithful man told me so." The monk objected to him: "If he had been faithful, then he would not have said evil to you about his brother. He's an unfaithful man." And when the brothers turned to him, asking: "What answer will you give to God, when you see your neighbor sinning and do not convict him?", the monk answered: "I will say to the Lord: "Lord, Thou hast commanded first to remove the beam from thy own eye, and only then to remove the mote from the eye of my neighbor." In this way I will fulfill His command." This is how holy people looked and condescended to the infirmities of their neighbors, covered the infirmities of their neighbors! They did not rant, did not divulge, but covered everything with love. And also - how grave is the sin of condemnation. In the Lives of the Saints, such an incident is narrated. Once an elder from another monastery came to a certain ascetic John to take a blessing from him. And John asked: "Well, how do my brethren live there?" He answered: "Glory to God, through your prayers" - "And how does such and such a monk, about whom there was a bad rumor?" - "He lives badly and does not improve, he still lives badly." Then John exclaimed, "Oh! woe to him!" and with these words he fell into oblivion, fell into a kind of sleep. In a dream he saw that he was standing before Golgotha. On Golgotha the Saviour is among the two thieves. When he wanted to approach and worship the Saviour, the Saviour said to the Angels: "Cast him out, for he is the Antichrist, he condemned his brother before My judgment." And when the Angels began to drive him out, his mantle caught on and remained there. He woke up quickly, awe, in fear. He sighed and said: "Yes, this day is hard for me!" And he tells him about this dream: "The fact that my mantle remained there indicates that I have lost the protection and grace of God for the sin of condemnation." And he prayed for the forgiveness of this sin for seven years. He did not eat bread, did not enter the cell, did not receive anyone, did not talk to anyone. And so, after seven years, the Lord appeared to him in a dream vision, returned his mantle, from which he learned that the Lord had forgiven him this sin. Such are the sacred traditions and examples, and the instructions of God. We should only condemn ourselves, we should only reproach ourselves. They say: "We condemn others because we do not know ourselves. If we knew ourselves, we would never dare to condemn our neighbors." And this, dear brothers and sisters, may serve us as an edification, instruction, and moral teaching, so that we may fulfill God's commandments in practice. To condemn ourselves and correct our infirmities, our sins, our habits, our vices, of which we all have an innumerable number - this is a good deed, this is our sacred duty. And we must do it, otherwise we will not be saved. We must gradually rise from strength to strength. And only through such self-correction, purification, correction of oneself and one's sins can a free entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven be opened, which the Lord promised to reveal to all those who love Him. Amen.

On the Sin of Condemnation (III)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Giving instructions to Christians, the holy Apostle Paul commands us to edify one another with the word of God, to direct them to every good while there is time. Although we all know what God's will requires of us, and we try to protect ourselves from grave sins, we do not fully recognize some of our sins, do not attach all importance to them, and do not try to free ourselves from them. For all these sins, each of us will have to answer before God's justice. Among these sins is the sin of condemnation. To condemn one's neighbor, to ridicule his weaknesses and shortcomings, to see and discover only the evil in one's neighbor, is a great pleasure for some, and this is a general weakness of the human race, including Christians. We often do not have a single day that we do not condemn someone. We condemn relatives, friends, and neighbors. We condemn both the elders and the younger, and the pastors of the Church, and our own parents. Sometimes we do not condemn only ourselves. And for all this, this disease, so universal and universal, is hardly recognized as a disease: either it is not considered a sin at all, or it is recognized as a sin that is too insignificant. Apart from condemnation for sin, we do not even think of protecting ourselves from this sin. And yet the sin of condemnation is grievous - it deprives us of the Lord's mercies and brings God's wrath upon us. We have no right to condemn our neighbor, because God alone is both the Lawgiver and the Judge, Who can both save and destroy. Only He has the power to judge the ungrateful sinner. Who art thou, who condemn another man's servant? Before his Lord he stands, or falls. And he will be raised, for God is able to raise him up (Romans 14:4), says the holy Apostle Paul. To condemn and ridicule one's neighbor for his deeds and actions means to take up something that is not one's own business, it means to anticipate the judgment of Christ. What does our neighbor owe us, in what does it depend on us? Everything that he has: bodily health, beauty, wealth, spiritual abilities and knowledge - all this is not given by us. He received this from the merciful God, Who alone has the right to demand from man an account of the use of the talents granted to him. Whether he uses these talents for the benefit of himself and his neighbors or abuses them - for everything a person is accountable to the Lord alone. We, on the other hand, due to the limitations of our abilities, cannot justly evaluate and judge the actions of our neighbors. In most cases, we judge a person only by his external actions and signs, without entering into his inner state of mind. Who among men knows what is in man, except the spirit of man that dwells in him?.. (1 Corinthians 2:11), asks the Apostle Paul. Judging the actions of our neighbors, we can easily err in our judgments. Perhaps at a time when we condemn our neighbor, he repented before God in tears and contrition of heart and asked Him for forgiveness. And we put our judgment above the judgment of the Lord. And very often we condemn completely innocent people, because we see only their sins and do not want to see their repentance before God. And we must constantly remember that every person, due to the corruption of our nature by sin, is more inclined to evil. And not loving sin, and not wanting to commit it, a person sins solely because of his innate inclination. The Monk Abba Dorotheus tells how once two girls were brought to the slave market for sale. One of them was bought by a righteous woman and brought up in the spirit of piety - she taught her to be honest and to believe in God. The other girl was bought by a profligate woman and taught her all kinds of debauchery and vice. When the girls grew up, the first became an object of love and respect, and the second was despised and disgusted by everyone. Such was the judgment of man, but not so will the Lord judge, Who judges not only deeds and words, but penetrates into the curves of our hearts and, as the Knower of the Heart, justly rewards each one according to his deeds. The strength of natural heredity, innate inclinations, the environment in which a person lived in childhood, the character of his parents or educators, the knowledge that a person received - all this has a huge influence on the choice of this or that life path, in the commission of this or that act. And we should not judge our neighbors harshly, so as not to fall into the sin of condemning the innocent. What would we have done with the Apostle Peter if we had seen him in those moments when he denied Christ three times? And with the Apostle Paul, when he was a fierce persecutor of Christians? What would we do with St. Mary of Egypt or with St. Eudoxia if we saw them at a time when they were doing evil deeds? Perhaps we would condemn them harshly. But their sincere, true repentance and righteous deeds interceded with the Lord's forgiveness, and they now rejoice in the palaces of the King of Heaven. And our neighbors, neighbors, acquaintances, whom we condemn - can they not become virtuous and righteous? Of course, they can. And the sinner can become righteous, and the righteous can lose his righteousness. In the Holy Gospel it is narrated that two people entered the temple to pray: the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee had good works, and in appearance, in his outward appearance, he was a righteous man. But he exalted and praised himself, and condemned and humiliated the publican, for which he himself was condemned by God. The publican had nothing but sins, but he was aware of them and was crushed. And the Lord justified him (cf. Luke 18:10-14). By condemning our neighbors, we thereby show that in our hearts there is neither Christian love nor mercy either for sinners or for virtuous people, but there is only one bad, unkind feeling towards them. With our evil words and mockery, we blacken the honor of our neighbor, who may be more worthy of us before God, and this is a great sin. The Holy Fathers, who clearly saw all the plagues of men, were more lenient than we do towards human falls. One time the brethren came to the Monk Pimen the Great and asked him: "Is it necessary, seeing the sins of a brother, to keep silent about them and thus cover his sins?" - "It should," answered the monk, "if thou coverest thy brother's sin, then God also will cover thy sin." "I hear unseemly things about a certain brother," a certain monk once said to the same Father, "and therefore I am tempted by his life and want to leave the monastery." "And is it true that you hear about your brother?" – asked the Monk Pimen. "Yes, it's true, because a faithful man gave it to me." "No, he is not a faithful man," retorted the monk, "if he had been faithful, he would never have said evil to you about his brother. And what you have not seen yourself, do not believe it. Even if you see it yourself, don't believe it right away." "What answer will you give to God, if, when you see your brother sinning, you do not rebuke him? The monk was asked again. "I will say: Lord! You ordered first to take the beam out of your own eye, and then to remove the mote from your brother's eye... I have fulfilled Thy command." And here is another example from the life of another holy ascetic. Once the monks came to him and accused a certain brother who was upset in his behavior: they asserted that there was a woman in his cell. But the monk did not believe it. Then they led him to this cell. The brother, who really had a woman at that time, was frightened and hid her under an empty tub. And the monk saw this in spirit and, not wishing to rebuke his brother, he approached and sat down in the tub, commanding the monks to search the entire cell. When they found no one, he, having given them a severe reprimand, dismissed them, and said to the inhabitant of the cell with love and meekness: "Brother, take care of your soul." The sinner was crushed, fell at the feet of the monk, and after this incident he became a most exemplary monk. And the Lord Himself, dear brothers and sisters, condescends to our weakness and covers our sins. Remember the Gospel account of how the Pharisees brought to Christ a woman who had been taken in adultery and demanded that the Lord pronounce His judgment on her. But the Lord said to them: "He that is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone upon her" (John 8:7). The woman was not stoned or condemned, because the Pharisees, convicted by their conscience, hastened to hide. For leniency and mercy towards others, God will be lenient and merciful to our sins. It is narrated that once a certain monk died, who lived carelessly and lazily. All the brethren gathered at his bedside. To everyone's surprise, the monk died very calmly and even with a happy smile on his face. The brethren began to beseech him to explain to them why he died so easily, although he had lived negligently. Rising slightly, the monk answered: "Yes, fathers and brethren. I really lived lazily and negligently, and I was very afraid of God's strict judgment for this. But an angel appeared to me and said: "The Lord sent me to tell you that although you lived negligently, you were not malicious and did not condemn anyone in your life - for this all your sins are forgiven," - and the angel tore up all the handwriting of my sins. That's why I'm dying so peacefully." And having said this, the monk gave up his soul to God in peace. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven" (Luke 6:37) – this commandment, understandable to all, can lead each of us into the Kingdom of God. Dear brothers and sisters! Great is the reward for those who do not condemn. And therefore we must guard ourselves from the sin of condemnation and more often remember the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which we read during Great Lent: O Lord, the King! Grant me to see my sins and not to condemn my brother, for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

On the Sin of Condemnation (IV)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Do not be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, that we are compelled to continue to speak about the sin of condemnation. The fact is that this sin has become so ingrained in the flesh and blood of our human race that, although it is considered an insignificant fall, it is in fact very dangerous and grave. Old wounds must be healed longer, and greater diligence must be applied to their healing. People who like to condemn and judge their neighbors usually demand a lot from others. They say that "they could not do this. They should be ashamed that they have fallen into such a sin." And they consider themselves righteous, saints, condemning and humiliating others. And if they had looked at themselves well, it would have turned out that they too are sinners like all mankind. A very good example of this is given in Bishop Herman's book "In the Hours of Pastoral Leisure." He tells how once an old man and his wife came to church to pray, and at the Liturgy the priest delivered a sermon about how Adam and Eve sinned. At the end of the sermon, they went out and talked about it on the way. The husband said: "There would not have been so much sin in the world if Eve had not listened to the devil and had not forced her husband to eat the forbidden fruit." The wife agrees: "Yes, because of one thing everyone suffers. If I were Eve, I would not touch the forbidden fruit. God be with him!" The husband added: "And if I were Adam, if you had touched me and decided to seduce me, I would have given you such a thrashing that you would have forgotten how to seduce your husband." The woman said: "So it is, Eve did badly, that she broke the commandment of God, and so did Adam..." That was the way they walked, reasoned, and condemned Adam and Eve. At that time they were passing by the manor's garden, where the kind, pious lord was sitting. He heard the conversation and decided to invite them to his house for dinner to eat bread and salt. They were surprised at this unexpected proposal and obeyed. They were led into the manor's mansion, then after a while they were led to the dining room, where a table was laid for them with two utensils with different dishes and wines. The master enters, sits them down and says: "Eat everything in good health, but do not touch this dish, covered with a lid, it is not for you." And immediately he went to his room. They sat down and began to eat delicious dishes, washed down with wines at once, and at the end of dinner the wife turned to her husband and said: "What is in this dish? Probably some unusual dish at the master's. Let's see, open the lid a little and see. After all, no one will see, no one will know." The husband objects: "Why, you can't." "Why," the wife persists, "it's some kind of unusual dish!" And by the way, when he says these words, he himself burns with a great desire to see what kind of food is there. My wife noticed this and put her hand on the dish, looked at it herself so attentively and said: "Well, let me just open it a little." The husband finally agreed. She opened the lid a little and said: "There's nothing there, it's empty." The husband asks: "Then open even more." When she opened the lid a little more, a mouse jumped out from under it and ran into the basement. At first, the guests did not understand what this meant. But then the master came to them and asked: "Well, how are you, well-fed, satisfied?" "Yes, we humbly thank you for your mercy," was the reply. He lifted the lid and said: "But there is no mouse! Why did you lack human food, that you envied cat food?" Then he said to them: "Remember, fools, how you condemned Adam and Eve as you went, forgetting the words of the Scriptures, 'Judge not, that ye be not judged.' Go now before God, and in the future do not judge your neighbor, it is better to watch yourself more strictly and do not rely on your own firmness." And they left the master with tears. Only to one's own sins should the attention of a Christian always be directed. Only for your own, but not for other people's sins, weaknesses and vices. Grant me to see my sins and not to condemn my brother, – prays St. Ephraim the Syrian. When there is a lot of work and a lot of care in the house, then a person will not go to other people's houses and see what is happening there. Otherwise, he will not do his job. People who like to gossip and judge know themselves badly. And not knowing themselves and constantly paying attention to the sins of others, they fall into self-deception. And they think that they are better than others. That is why such people, according to the word of the Savior, see the mote in the eye of their neighbor, but do not feel the beam in their own. And not knowing their sinful wounds, they do not heal them. And wounds that are not healed then grow old, stagnate and become incurable. Such was the state of the Pharisees in the time of our Lord Jesus Christ. They considered others to be the greatest sinners, judged them, but never looked into their own hearts. Therefore, although the Lord, the Heavenly Physician, was always near them, they remained unhealed. And when some of the Pharisees asked the Saviour: "Are we also blind?", the Lord answered them: "If you were blind, you would not have sin on you; but as ye say that ye see, the sin remains upon you (John 9:40-41). The sins of one's neighbor must be covered, and not divulged. Ham, who uncovered the nakedness of his father, subjected himself to a curse, lost his good fate with his brothers, and was condemned. How much the greatest punishment will be inflicted on all those who reveal the sins of their neighbor! - says St. John Chrysostom. Because, by discovering the sins of their neighbor and not only not covering them up, but trying to make them even more known, such people do not contribute to the correction of anyone, they only increase the sins even more. An attentive person after his fall (when he has no witnesses to his fall) can easily heal his wounds. But when his sin is revealed, becomes known to everyone, then a person loses shame and loses the ability to return to the true path, does not want to return to the path of virtue. For then a person seems to fall into a deep lake and, under the influence of the waves, sinks deeper and deeper, falls into despair and loses the ability to heal himself, says the same St. John Chrysostom. That is why we should not only not reveal the sins of our neighbors, our brother, but even if we hear from someone something bad or bad about someone, we should not seek to see his nakedness, but, like the good sons of Noah, cover up these sins and heal the fallen soul with exhortations and good advice, presenting the great love of God, the boundless goodness and love of the Lord, Who desires salvation for all, for all to come to true understanding, does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he may be converted and live (cf. Ezekiel 33:11). All righteous, pious souls flee from this sin of condemnation. The Patericon tells how once in a certain monastery a monk fell grievously. And the brethren gathered for a conference, for a council on this occasion, and summoned the pious elder Moses, but he refused to come to this council. Then the skete presbyter sent for him a second time, demanding that he appear at the council. He walks, but what does he do? He took an old basket, poured sand into it, went with it, the sand was pouring down. The monks who met him asked him: what does this mean, father? He says: "Behold, I have as many sins as this sand, and I do not see my sins, but I go to judge another." Then the brethren realized their mistake and, without making any remark to this monk, they let him go, leaving him in peace. It is necessary, it is necessary, my dear, to protect ourselves in every possible way from this sin. Let us also say a few instructions on how one should try to protect oneself from condemnation and gossip. First of all, when such an evil thought comes to us – to condemn, slander our neighbor, to denigrate him – then first of all let us ask ourselves: do we also have shortcomings? Do we not also have our own weaknesses, that we condemn others? One must carefully and strictly observe one's moral behavior, one's actions, one's deeds. Know thyself - this is the great rule that even the ancient sages had. And the Holy Church also suggests that at the end of each day we also check what we have done during the day, what we have done that is pleasing to God, what we have done that is useful to ourselves, what we have done for the good of our neighbor. And it is then that we come to know our spiritual poverty. We recognize all our weaknesses and infirmities, we know that we have no virtue, that we are incapable people. It is then that we will close our mouths to condemn and slander our neighbors. So we are strict judges for our neighbors only because we do not know ourselves, we do not take care of ourselves. It has been accurately noted that people who carefully watch over their morality, their spiritual life, their actions and thoughts, these people are always more lenient towards the actions of their neighbors. On the contrary, people who are frivolous, empty, who do not take care of their lives, are the strictest judges, cruel judges in relation to others. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention in general to bridling one's tongue, to abstinence. The fact is that the language, the word, is a priceless gift of God. And we must treasure it, because through the word we communicate with one another. This is the greatest treasure that God has given to people. Through the word we pray, we turn to God, through the word we connect with each other. We receive instruction, exhortation, advice, we share our joys and sorrows with each other, and we write to friends who are far away from us. And if you take away the word from people, then the human race will cease to exist. This is the greatest significance of this priceless gift that God has given to people - this word. Therefore, we must protect ourselves from talkativeness. Do not give me the spirit of idle talk, - we pray during Great Lent. And finally, in conclusion, we will cite a few words of St. Basil the Great about when and why it is permissible to say evil things about one's neighbor. This is only in two cases. First, if we want to convert, save a sinning brother and come to an experienced mentor for advice, then we can tell him all the bad things about the brother. And secondly, when we want to warn someone against the evil influence of this sinning brother. Because being in association with him and considering him a good person, another person can fall under his bad influence. In this case, in order to save him, you can say all the bad things about this brother, in whom he hopes and has a friend. In other cases, if a person speaks with the intention of condemning, denigrating, humiliating his neighbor, even if this is the truth, this is already slander and condemnation. And a person himself is condemned for this. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us remember the Christian teaching: to abstain from one's tongue in every possible way, not to interfere in the affairs of one's neighbors, not to touch them and not to talk about them. Remember that we have our own weaknesses, sins, and delusions. It is better to direct all our attention to ourselves, to the correction of our errors. This will be salvific and pleasing to God. Let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: "Who art thou, that condemn another man's servant? He stands before his Lord, or falls. And he will be raised, for the Lord is able to raise him up (Romans 14:4). Let us remember the words of the Savior, let us write them on the tablets of our hearts: Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). Amen. And glory to our God!

On the Power of a Humble and Meek Word

You and I, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have now entered the field of the Dormition Fast. And although this is a short-term fast, it is very strict. Therefore, these days we are required to pay great attention to ourselves and to our behavior, to our actions. Especially in these days, which remain before the feast of the Dormition, we must pay attention to our language. We sin in nothing so much and often as with our intemperate tongue. Therefore, first of all, rein in this unrestrained horse. If we defeat him, refrain from idle talk, overcome his stubbornness, then we will conquer our whole body. Of the many virtues of St. Sergius known to us, the writer of his life speaks of one more, which especially attracted the respect of his listeners. These are his meek, touching words and speeches. Thus, it is narrated that the monk had the custom every night to go on patrol around the cells of the brethren and with a light knock on the window or door to remind the idlers that there is a better occupation for a monk – how to spend his free time. And in the morning, with cautious hints, without directly denouncing the guilty, with his quiet and gentle speeches, he evoked repentance from the guilty without any annoyance. Thanks to his gentle words, the monk evoked from the depths of people's hearts good feelings and won them over to himself. Thus, under the grace-filled influence of his words, the most severe Ryazan prince Oleg, for whose reconciliation the monk came to Ryazan, could not resist. The quiet and meek words of the elder softened his heart, and he was reconciled with the Moscow prince Dimitri Donskoy. Therefore, the word is very important. The Word is a gift of God that we have from the Lord. And therefore you need to be very careful about it. Our word is the imprint of the word of God. God has the Word, and man has the Word. For God, the Word is the very image of His being, the Only-begotten Son of God. For man, the word is not an empty sound, but also an imprint and image of his spirit. If our words were put together, we would see our own image. The Word is a gift of God, which only man is endowed with, and this is what distinguishes him from other creatures of God. The word is a conductor of our feelings, desires, thoughts, joy, and sorrow. The word upholds the union and strength of the human race. Take away the word, and everything will be overthrown in the human race. When the Lord wanted to punish the ancient people for their prideful thoughts, who intended to build a tower to heaven, He resorted to a very simple means: He confused their languages and thereby destroyed their vain attempt. Therefore, the word has a very, very great significance in our human society. A person can be killed with a word and bring the greatest evil and calamity to human society. And a word can resurrect a person and save entire cities and states. "For every idle word," says the Saviour, "which men speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-37). The word was given to us for the edification of our neighbors, for perfection, for the glorification of the name of God. And not so that rotten, idle, vain, insulting words come out of our mouths. Therefore, extreme caution and moderation in words have always been revered not only as a great Christian virtue, but also as the best means of preserving a peaceful and happy life in human society. Our spoken word is never wasted, does not disappear without a trace. It doesn't go back. But it passes into the minds, hearts, lips of other people and gives rise to numerous feelings, wishes, deeds, and deeds. And, having grown into a great tree with its fruits, it will certainly meet us at the Dread Judgment of God. You need to be able to master your language. To have abstinence in the word. An intemperate, thoughtless word of a proud person can cause irritation. To seduce the weak. A talkative person can lead to condemnation and slander. A person who is intemperate in speech, when he is in anger, always pours from his mouth innumerable all kinds of reproaches, reproaches against people - even neighbors, even innocent ones. A person who is intemperate in speech, when he finds himself in trouble, pours out torrents of murmurs and complaints against everyone and everything. In contentment, on the contrary, an innumerable amount of boasting, self-boasting, self-satisfaction and arrogance are poured out. The Apostle James says: the tongue is a small member, but it does much... It is full of deadly poison. With it we bless God and the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God. From the same lips proceed blessing and curse: "My brethren, it must not be so." Does sweet and bitter water flow from the same opening of the spring? (James 3:5, 8-12). Therefore, we need to pay close attention to what we say. And what are we talking about. Our word should be only good, only for edification, only for the glorification of the name of God. It is for the edification and creation of the spiritual salvation of one's neighbor. At all times, people have paid great attention to this. And although people sometimes tolerate idle talk for the sake of entertainment, still those who love idle talk lose respect in the eyes of people. And the ancient sages, when they received their disciples, were not in a hurry, but first tested them in a long silence and only then kept them with them. They were so attentive to the selection and reception of their students. A good word always bears abundant fruit. An evil, rotten word always has evil consequences. The history of the Church knows many such examples: examples of the disastrous consequences of an idle evil word, and vice versa, examples of the beneficial influence of a kind and gentle word. Thus, for example, not far from the monastery of the Monk Benedict, who lived in the fifth century, there lived two fasting women, virgins, who served God by fasting and prayer. But in spite of these feats of theirs, they had one drawback - they were not restrained in their tongues. They loved to reproach and talk to their neighbors. The Monk Benedict repeatedly reprimanded them and threatened them: "I will excommunicate you from communion if you do not reform." But they never recovered, and death found them in this state. They died. They were buried in the narthex as fasting women, women of prayer. But pious people saw during the Liturgy, when the deacon exclaimed, "Catechumens, depart," they rose from the coffins and left the church. This was reported to the monk, and with regret he offered prayer for them and the Bloodless Sacrifice, and only after this did these visions cease. And here is another example of consoling edification: the beneficial influence of the word, which proceeds from a meek pious heart, when a good word humbles the proud and softens hardened hearts. In the days of St. Pope Leo, the Huns, a savage, warlike people, led by the ferocious Attila, conquered all Europe. On their way they destroyed, burned everything, and without any pity exterminated the entire people. Having destroyed 500 cities of Europe, they approached the capital of the Roman state - Rome. All the people were in fear and confusion, unable to find the strength to resist these hordes. Only Pope Leo was not afraid. At the command of the emperor, he went out to meet the formidable conqueror Attila, taking with him not a military weapon, but a weapon of a gentle, kind word. "Attila," the Pope said to him, "you have conquered the whole universe. Now we ask you - defeat yourself. Don't destroy our city. Have mercy on us." These persuasive, gentle words did more than an army. Attila replied, "Your words have touched my heart. I do not know who you are, a man or an angel, but Rome owes her salvation only to you. Elder, in one minute, in a few words, you have done more than my numerous soldiers. I confess that I have been defeated by you." These are examples of the beneficial influence of a gentle and kind word that proceeds from a godly heart. Therefore, dear ones, when you feel that your heart is indignant at some kind of grief, agitated, keep your word and do not enter into a quarrel, but try to hasten to quench your anger with a kind word. And you will do more than irritation and vexation. To refrain from verbosity is the best way to avoid all evils and troubles both in family life and in social life. By refraining from anger in this way, we will thereby avoid many quarrels, often, perhaps, even very dangerous and cruel quarrels, we will avoid prolonged enmity. So great is the significance of a kind, gentle word. It is narrated that a certain hermit, who lived in the desert, when robbers came to him with the aim of robbing and killing him, full of love, brought a laver and offered them to wash their feet. And, ashamed of his attention and love, the robbers turned away from their evil intentions, and in general after that they repented, and abandoned their robbery and their evil deeds. Here is another example of the beneficial influence of a kind, gentle word and a bad word. Once the Monk Macarius the Great was walking with his disciple to Mount Nitria. He sent the disciple ahead of him. And when the disciple was walking, he met him with a certain pagan priest, who was in a hurry somewhere, carrying a log with him. Seeing him, this monk cried out: "Demon, where are you in a hurry?" The angry priest beat the monk so that he barely remained alive. Continuing his journey further, the priest met with Saint Macarius. The monk, when he saw him, greeted him from afar: "Hello, industrious! Hello!". Surprised by this greeting, the priest asks him: "Why do you greet me so warmly?" The monk says: "I see you toiling and hurrying somewhere. That's why I greeted you." And then the priest said: "My heart has been pacified by your greeting. I see that you are a great servant of God. But in front of you was a black man who cursed me, I beat him." And he said to the monk: "I will not leave thee until thou hast made me a monk." Then they went and, taking the body of the beaten monk, brought it to the church. The brethren, seeing that the monk was going with the priest, were greatly astonished. But after a while, this priest accepted the Christian faith, then took monastic vows. And many of the idolaters who worshipped him, seeing that their priest had accepted the Christian faith, forsook their impiety and accepted Christianity. That is why one of the monks says: "A proud and evil word inclines a good man to evil. But a humble and good word makes an evil man good." And so, dear brothers and sisters, bearing in mind these examples, these instructions, let us try to spend the remaining days of the Dormition Fast first of all not in verbosity, but in abstaining from all superfluous speeches, remembering the folk proverb: "The word is silver, and silence is gold." We must spend these days in quietness, humility, meekness, forbearance towards one another, and love. This will be the best sacrifice for the glorification of the Mother of God, in Whose honor the Holy Church established this short-lived but strict Dormition Fast. Let us fast with a pleasant fast, pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is the alienation of evil, the abstinence of the tongue, the postponement of rage, the excommunication of lusts (1st sticheron for Vespers on Monday of the 1st week of Great Lent). This is a true and pleasant fast, pleasing to the Lord. Let us be kind and attentive to each other. Let us not condemn, slander, slander. Let us guard our lips from every kind of rottenness, remembering that the word is a gift of God. Let us use our word only for the glory of the name of God and for the edification and benefit of our neighbors. In which may the Lord our God Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and honor now and ever, and unto the ages of ages, help us. Amen.

On True Fasting and Love for Your Neighbor

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! We, dear ones, have entered the days of the strict Dormition Fast. The Holy Church, in order to prepare us for the worthy celebration of the great Christian feast – the Dormition of the Mother of God, specially establishes fasts. I want to remind you of the words of the stichera, a hymn in which the Church teaches us what fasting is, how it should be celebrated: Let us fast with a pleasant fast, pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is the alienation of the wicked, the abstinence of the tongue, the deferral of wrath, the excommunication of lusts, the reproach, the falsehood, and the transgression of perjury. This is a true impoverishment, and an auspicious one (2nd sticheron for Vespers on Monday of the 1st week of Great Lent). This is a true and favorable fast for the Lord. Removal from these vices, from the vicious state, constitutes true fasting. And first of all, we need to pay attention to the retention and curbing of our language. This is a small member, but if we do not restrain it, then it will drag us through the thickets of all kinds of lies, slander, condemnation and backbiting during the days of fasting. It is also necessary to pay attention to trying to remove from one's heart all hatred and hostility towards one's neighbor, to try to be quiet, meek, humble-minded, gracious and loving in everything and to everyone. In particular, it is necessary to acquire love as the mother of all virtues. Once, in the previous conversation, I already spoke about this virtue, about how important this virtue is, how necessary it is for our salvation. Because love is the highest good in our Christian life, and without love, all our deeds of piety, such as fasting, prayer, abstinence, chastity, charity, will have no moral value. All this has no true dignity if there is no love for one's neighbor. And all the difference of a Christian is precisely in love for one's neighbor. Without love, a Christian is not a Christian. And Christianity is not Christianity. Love is the law of the human heart, the law of every moral, rational being. This law unites all living things, all creatures into a single whole, harmony. And if humanity does not submit itself to this law, then it condemns itself to suffering, error, and death. Why? Because God by nature, in essence, is a God of love and a God of peace. And the holy Apostle Paul in the 13th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians sang a hymn of Christian love. He pointed to the greatness of Christian love, to those unearthly qualities of Christian love, which our Lord Jesus Christ commanded to the world. In the Epistle he writes that love is long-suffering, merciful, love is not envious, love is not exalted, is not proud, does not riot, does not seek its own, is not irritated, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Love is long-suffering. That is, he complacently endures all troubles, all insults, all vain, not succumbing to the movements of anger and revenge. Long-suffering is the root of all prudence. And so, according to the word of the Most Wise, a long-suffering man is much in understanding. But the weak are strong for foolishness. And, extending the thought further, the Most Wise compares this virtue with the fortress of a city, saying that it is stronger than even the strongest city. Love is merciful, it endures many troubles from others, but it does not do any harm to its neighbor at all. On the contrary, it accepts all the sorrows of its neighbors as its own. And, having compassion for his neighbor, he tries to console and help in trouble. It pours itself like oil on wounds in order to console and calm one's neighbor in sorrow and misfortune. And he does not rest until he has done it, until he has brought comfort to the grieving. Love envies neither talents nor distinctions, nor the success of one's neighbor in his affairs, nor his external well-being. She does not envy any good and perfection of her neighbor, because it is contrary to her nature. On the contrary, the essence of love is to desire and do only good, good to all people. She does not want to be happy alone, but strives, wants all people to be happy. Such is the quality of true Christian love. Love is not exalted, that is, it is not arrogant, it is not boasted. It is love that makes a person prudent, sedate, decent. Arrogance and frivolity are characteristic only of those people who love others with carnal love. And whoever loves with truly spiritual love is free from it. Love is not proud. No matter how gifted a person may be, if he has truly Christian love, he never dreams of himself having something better in comparison with another living being. And no matter how many good deeds he has done, he still believes that he has not done anything special. Such is the quality of true Christian love. Love is not irritated, does not think evil. That is, even if the one to whom a Christian does good causes him some trouble, Christian love is still not upset. She still tries to do good deeds, regardless of any, perhaps, bad behavior on the part of the person to whom love has been given. Love does not even think evil. She thinks no evil in evil. Just as love itself is alien to all deceit, to all evil, so it does not see this evil in others, in the loved one. Others, perhaps, see this evil in a person, but love does not see it in him - because it loves. Love endures everything, covers everything, all shortcomings, all weaknesses, infirmities. A person has to endure all sorts of troubles, perhaps even reproach, beatings. But a loving person covers all this. An example can be given from the Old Testament - the life of the holy king and prophet David. David was a very loving man, possessed the gift of love. And when his own son Absalom rebelled against him, who planned to seize power and destroy his father for the sake of lust for power, David endured all this very calmly. He did not utter a single reproachful word to his son. And even after his commander had killed Absalom, the prophet David wept for him like a child: "My son Absalom! (2 Samuel 18:33), - not remembering the evil that his own son had done him. Love believes everything. Love believes a loved one, no matter what he says, not suspecting, perhaps, that there is some slyness in the words. But love believes everything, endures everything and hopes everything. In short, these are the qualities of true Christian love, which the Lord commanded us. One must acquire it and love one's neighbor with this love. And by neighbor one must understand every person, whoever he may be. I have already said that all our deeds of outward piety – fasting, prayer, chastity, mercy – will have no moral value if they are not combined with love for one's neighbor. Among these works of piety, prayer stands in the first place. But prayer is pleasing to God only when it is combined with love. If, on the contrary, hatred, rancor, ill-will towards our neighbor live in our hearts, then let a person be both pious and pious, the Lord will not accept such a prayer. God, our Father, is also the God of the world. Therefore, alien to love and peace, they only offend God with their prayers. They are not even allowed to go to church until they are reconciled with their neighbor. And how can they ask God for forgiveness, forgiveness of their sins, their debts, but they themselves do not yet forgive their neighbor! And until they forgive their neighbors for their sin, until they are reconciled with them, the Lord does not forgive them and does not accept their prayers. Not only prayer, but even suffering for the faith is not pleasing to God if the suffering person does not forgive the sins of his neighbor. The history of the Christian Church knows many such examples. One of them is the example of Sapricius the presbyter. In the first centuries of Christianity, during the persecution of Christians, he endured much torment and suffering for the faith in Christ. And the crown of martyrdom was already being prepared for him. But just before the execution, his friend Nikifor, who quarreled with him because of something, turned to him. Now he asked him for forgiveness. But Sapricius did not forgive him. And immediately the grace of God departed from him. And he was afraid of the death penalty, renounced the cross and deprived himself of the crown of martyrdom, which was received by the same Nicephorus, who confessed himself a Christian, and was immediately executed. The deeds of our chastity, our fasting, our asceticism will have no value in the eyes of God, if they are not connected, united with love for our neighbor. Again, let us turn to the Gospel narrative. A rich young man who asked the Savior: "What should I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). The Savior pointed out to him the fulfillment of the commandments. The young man replied that he fulfilled these commandments. The Saviour, seeing in his soul that he is greedy, that he is addicted to riches, says: "All that thou hast sell and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me" (Luke 18:22). The young man was greedy, he had an addiction to wealth, and greed cannot be combined with love for one's neighbor. A covetous person, on the contrary, often acts unjustly in order to acquire his illegal wealth to the detriment of truth, to the detriment of love for one's neighbor. That is why the young man departed with sorrow, and was deprived of eternal life, although he seemed to have fulfilled all the other commandments. The main commandment was and still is love for one's neighbor. Therefore, it must be remembered that in Christianity there are two basic commandments: to love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul, with all one's being, with all one's mind, and one's neighbor as oneself (cf. Matt. 22:37-40; Mk. 12:28-32; Lk. 10:25-27). There are no commandments greater than these.

Without this, our retreat will not bring us success. 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, saith the Lord (John 13:34-35). So let us try to spend these days of fasting to the best of our ability in abstinence and in Christian perfection, purity and piety, trying not to offend our neighbor either in word or deed, trying to gain love for one another. Let us imitate the first Christians, who, as I have already said, although they endured terrible persecution: they were robbed, their property was taken away, Christian blood was shed, but they were united by such a strong union of love that they had one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). And therefore they endured all kinds of misfortunes and persecutions from the pagan world. May the Lord help us to spend these days as it pleases Him, our God. Glory to our God for ever! Amen.

On the Struggle Against Temptations

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Thanks be to the Lord God, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that the Lord preserves us, that the Lord loves us. Two weeks of the Great Lenten race have already passed, two weeks since we are here, in this holy place, meeting our salvation and bringing repentance. In the days of Great Lent, the Holy Church offers us remembrance of Christ's sufferings for the deepening of our repentance, for our zeal for the correction of ourselves. For nothing is more conducive and conducive to sincere repentance than the remembrance of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because it was nothing else but our sins that led the God-Man to the Cross, to death. And today, dear ones, you have heard how the Holy Gospel has painted us a terrible picture of the terrible torments, sufferings and death of the God-Man, Who took all these unbearable, grievous sufferings and torments for you and me. Terrible was the night that began for our Lord Jesus Christ with the sorrows of Gethsemane. Both the morning and the afternoon of Friday were terrible... Yes, this night began for the God-Man with terrible, heavy temptations. First of all, He endured a fierce inner struggle with Himself, painful spiritual sufferings, which were a foretaste of His torments and sufferings on the cross. He grieved, He was terrified before the cup of His sufferings. And this night ended with His foreboding sufferings in the courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas. Friday morning and afternoon were already the morning and afternoon of His most terrible sufferings and His most humiliating, most grievous death. But that night, dear ones, it was not only the Savior who was subjected to a heavy temptation. On that terrible night, His beloved disciples, the apostles, as well as His enemies, were subjected to heavy temptations. His disciples were faced with the question: either to overcome temptations and share the fate of their Divine teacher, that is, to accept suffering and death together with Him, or to succumb to fear and change their love for Him, to leave Him alone in the midst of sufferings, sorrows, and among His enemies. And before His enemies there was another temptation: either to heed their common sense, the voice of conscience and to renounce their evil plans - to betray Him to death, or to take advantage of the opportunity and satisfy all possible passions and deliver up the Savior to death, thus becoming the perpetrators of the monstrous crime - murder of God. So that on this terrible night, this terrible time, the greatest temptation and trial awaited everyone, and everyone had to watch and protect themselves with the shield of prayer, in order to triumph over temptations with its help. That is why on this night the Saviour Himself was spiritually awake as never before, and He prayed intensely as never before, and He inspired His disciples to watch and pray in the same way, saying: watch and pray, that ye may not fall into temptation: the spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). But none of them, except the Savior, was awake or praying. His disciples did not pray because they were burdened with sleep. They were asleep. The enemies were also not spiritually awake. If they were awake, it was sinful. They built their own shackles: how to betray the Savior to death, how to satisfy their various passions. Therefore, all of them fell that night under the burden of temptation - both the apostles and the enemies - they fell. And only the Saviour, who was spiritually awake and tirelessly prayed to His Heavenly Father, gained victory over these temptations. The course and outcome of this temptation, to which the Savior, His disciples, and enemies were subjected on this terrible night, are very instructive for you and me, dear ones, and must always be before our eyes, so that we may gain victory over our temptations. First of all, the history of this trial shows us that under certain circumstances, sometimes even slight temptations prevail over those who are tempted. And vice versa: it happens that even the strongest temptations are overcome by a person. And this is what a Christian should strive for: to gain victory over the temptations that await him. First of all, it should be noted that the enemies of Christ were subjected to the weakest temptation that night. They cannot give any valid reason for their fall. There was no danger to their personal lives, to public order, and there could be no fear of losing their property or losing their legal rights. Nothing compelled them to commit such a villainous deed. In these evil intentions they were guided exclusively by inexcusable passions and vices. None of them could, hand on heart, without remorse of conscience, directly say that by committing murder, he was thereby doing a God-pleasing deed. Although the enemies of Christ justified their evil deeds by the fact that they were allegedly protecting the Jewish people from a dangerous false teacher and disturber of the people's peace, this was a lie, a slander. They could justify themselves in this way before strangers, but not before their conscience. Their conscience, undoubtedly, cried out to them about the innocence of the Saviour they were giving up to death, about the purity of His life and about the salvific nature of His Divine teaching. Therefore, it was not this that prompted them to betray the Savior to death, but namely the passions that seized their souls. Malice, envy, revenge - this was what agitated their souls, this was the reason that prompted them to lay hands on Christ the Savior and give Him over to death. There were many circumstances that seemed to help them change their minds and not become God-killers. First of all, the very horror of this matter is to put a man to death for no reason. So is the betrayal of Judas. Not some danger, but his low self-interest, addiction to money, desire to get 30 pieces of silver, to take possession of money - these are the passions that took possession of his soul. These passions were the reason why he became a traitor. And the wrong sentence of Pilate... Nothing threatened Pilate. What he was frightened with that he would not be a friend of Caesar is all a phantom danger. But his contemptible servility before the people, this mad crowd, his self-interest, his cowardice - this was the true reason that from his lips came the sentence to deliver the Savior into the hands of the Sanhedrin. And despite the fact that his wife also sent a messenger and begged and asked him not to do any harm to the Righteous One, the Lord's betrayal to death was accomplished. In a word, the enemies had no valid reasons not to fall. They might well have resisted their temptations, but they fell. Why did they fall? Because their souls were possessed of many different passions, but none of them sought a cure for their passions, no one struggled with their passions. The passionate impulses of the soul are prevented only by constant, vigilant observation, by constant struggle with them, but none of the enemies was awake, no one tried to struggle with his passions. On the contrary: their vigilance, all their attention, was directed to finding the means to satisfy their passions. And now the passions have received complete freedom, and they go from one crime to another. Thus, they roll into perdition. In addition, human strength is weak - they are strengthened only by grace-filled help from above, which is requested only through prayer. And a person who asks for God's help triumphs over temptations. Because it is impossible to overcome temptations on your own. And the enemies of Christ - they did not pray. And how could they pray when their souls were drowning in all kinds of malice, in all kinds of passions? Therefore, it is not surprising that with their weak human powers, moreover, perverted passions, they could not resist temptation, and under the blow of temptation they fell, and fell irrevocably. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! There are many people among us who are also subject to various passions and vices, people for whom for this reason any slight temptation, which inevitably happens to everyone, can turn out to be fatal in the matter of their salvation, disastrous. It can very easily happen that we, too, will begin to act evil, like the enemies of Christ, become traitors to our friends and acquaintances, and destroy our neighbor, and in general cause much trouble to our neighbors, if we do not watch over ourselves and protect ourselves. In order to avoid such an outcome, it is necessary to constantly cleanse your soul of various passions that live and fight in it, to strengthen your soul morally, thereby giving it strength to fight temptations. And if temptation befalls our uncleansed soul, then in this case it is imperative to redouble our vigilance and intensify our prayerful feat. Only through these virtues can we save ourselves from temptations and gain victory over them, extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Of course, the disciples, the apostles of Christ, were subjected to a stronger temptation, although they loved the Savior, loved sincerely, loved with all their hearts. When they promised to be faithful to Him, they were sincere and ready to lay down their lives for Him. But the enemy of the human race has reserved for them a great temptation to test them. He exposes them to danger, the danger of death together with the God-man. And with the fear of death, of suffering, it shakes their courage, their patience, their faithfulness, their love for the Savior. And so, unprotected by prayer and vigilance, the disciples of Christ fell. Although, of course, they did not fall irretrievably, not without restoration, like the enemies of Christ. This is also a good lesson for us - not to be presumptuous, not to meet temptations and dangers, if we rely only on our own strength. The less hope there is in ourselves, the less spiritual slumber, the greater the hope for God's help, the greater the success in repelling temptations. And let this be a lesson for everyone! And, finally, our Lord Jesus Christ was subjected to the most powerful temptation, Who victoriously repelled all these temptations. All the arrows of the evil one, all the evil of hell were concentrated, directed at the Savior. He had to endure the most severe, terrible mental and physical suffering. First of all, the infidelity, the cowardice of His beloved disciples, the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter. He had such love for his disciples, brought them up for apostolic ministry! And they turned out to be so wrong! And, of course, in doing so, they caused deep pain to the loving heart of the Savior. And many other temptations awaited the Saviour, when unrighteous judges accused Him, the Judge of the entire universe, when impious slaves condemned Him, accused Him, crucified Him. Of course, He could, as the Creator of all creation, reveal His Divine power, put to shame all His enemies. But, obedient to the will of His Heavenly Father, He accomplishes the salvation of the human race not with glory, not in power, but with self-abasement, with the humble endurance of sufferings and His death. Thus, the Lord triumphantly repelled all temptations. He repelled it because He was preparing for His temptations: He watched, prayed to His Heavenly Father. And it was with this all-powerful Heavenly help that He repelled all these temptations. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Many temptations meet each of us. Especially now, in our troubled and anxious times, when a black cloud is approaching over the world, including our country and the Church. And we now stand in anticipation of all kinds of trials. Everyone should remember this and protect himself with vigilance and prayers. We must never forget the warning of our Saviour, Who will come a second time to earth: "Watch, for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man shall come" (Matt. 25:13). Watch, be sober and pray, because before the Coming of Christ the Savior there will be great fears on earth, terrible manifestations. As the Holy Gospel reveals to us: false Christs and false prophets will arise and give signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Be careful... (Mark 13:22-23). There will be great signs, wonders. And therefore the Saviour warns and says: "As lightning proceeds from the east and is visible even to the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:27). And to all these false prophets, who will come precisely for the purpose of deceiving and deceiving even the elect, the Lord says: "Do not believe" (Matt. 24:26). In a word, the great await the trial of every believer in Christ. The Lord calls: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of life, and lest that day come upon you suddenly" (Luke 21:34). And the Apostle Paul says: "As in the daytime, let us behave decently, not giving ourselves up to feasting and drunkenness, nor to sensuality and debauchery, nor to quarrels and envy" (Romans 13:13). But clothe yourselves, as God's elect, holy and beloved, in mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against anyone: as Christ has forgiven you, so have you. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which is the sum total of perfection. And let the peace of God reign in your hearts, to which you are also called in one body, and be friendly. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, with all wisdom; teach and admonish one another with psalms, doxology, and spiritual songs, singing in grace in your hearts to the Lord (Col. 3:12-16). Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, be vigilant, be sober, and keep your Orthodox faith in our Crucified and Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. And above all, say these words in your heart more often: Jesus, Son of God, remember us when you come into Your Kingdom. Amen.

Homily for Pascha

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Christ is Risen! I congratulate you, dear brothers and sisters, on the great, joyous feast, universal joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ! In the language of church hymns, the feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ is called the feast of all feasts and the triumph of all feasts. The radiant Resurrection of Christ is the triumph and affirmation of our Christian faith, the triumph of our Christian hope and the affirmation of Christian love. The triumph and affirmation of all that is good, bright and holy, dear to us. We have said that the Radiant Resurrection of Christ is the affirmation, the triumph of our Christian faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ, having become incarnate on earth, having taken upon Himself our human nature, taught the human race the true teaching about all that exists. And about God, about His essence, about His nature, and about His works; and about the origin of man, his nature, purpose, present state and future fate; and about the world, the origin of the world, its nature, purpose and future fate of the world. But what can be a firm guarantee that the true teaching about all that exists, handed down to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Divine teaching, the true revelation of God? The one who taught it is the true God. And for this reason the very teaching of Christ bears the stamp of Divine origin both in its character and in its content and dignity, and it is, of course, more sublime and holier, and fundamentally differs from the teaching of the sages of this world. It does not have the foreign admixture of truth, falsehood, and error that we notice in the writings of people with limited human intelligence. But in spite of this, in the teaching of Christ there are such mysteries that perplex and doubt some people who think humanly, that is, in a limited way. Therefore, His inner dignity cannot give a complete witness to the divinity of Christ's teaching, for confirmation a stronger external testimony of His Divinity and the Divinity of His teaching is required. Such external testimonies of the Divinity of Christ, of His Divine teaching, are, first of all, the miracles that the Saviour performs during the preaching of the Gospel. Announcing to people about His Divinity, announcing to them eternal life, the Lord at the same time opened the eyes of the blind, restored the hearing of the deaf, healed the paralytics, cast out demons from the possessed, fed the five thousand people, and resurrected those who were already decaying. And these testimonies fully confirm the truth that our Lord Jesus Christ is Almighty God and the teaching taught by Him is the Divine teaching. And these testimonies would have been quite sufficient, indisputable, if not for one event in the life of the God-Man, which for a time shook this truth. This event is the death of Christ the Savior. The Savior voluntarily went to it for our salvation. By the path of humility, by the path of extreme self-abasement – for the sake of our salvation, the Lord goes to the podvig of the cross, but those of little faith do not want to appreciate and understand this mystery of the redemption of the human race and see in Him Whom they revered as the Great Miracle-Worker and God, they see in Him only powerlessness. Evil and cunning enemies try to shake this truth with malicious ridicule. And if the life of the Saviour had been limited only to suffering and death, and if there had been no His Resurrection from the dead, then what could we say to these worst enemies and their malice? The Apostle Paul says: "If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14). Consequently, our faith stands in close connection with the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith stands if Christ is risen. It falls if Christ is not resurrected. This is how great is the significance of the Resurrection of Christ for our faith. But Christ rose from the dead. And He rose again by His own power. In this way He showed that He is the true God, because only God has power over death and life. And our Lord Jesus Christ, Who rose from the dead, revealed Himself to be Lord over life and death. Therefore, He is the true God. And since our Lord Jesus Christ is the true God, then the teaching taught by Him is the Divine teaching. And our faith in Him is salvific, but the distrust that Christ's enemies have shown is false. The miracles of Christ are also true. It was the Resurrection of Christ that resurrected this faith, this power of Christ's miracles, gave them meaning again, and people understood that the Lord Jesus Christ accepted suffering and death only for the sake of our salvation, condescended to extreme self-abasement, that He could, as Almighty God, both abolish and avoid this death, these sufferings, and descend from the Cross, and destroy His enemies. But He did not want to avoid the cup of suffering that was prepared for Him by the Heavenly Father. Thus, the Resurrection of Christ is a triumph, a confirmation of our Christian faith. It is also the affirmation of Christian hope. The good hope of every Christian in his life is the joyful hope that after temporary earthly sufferings, sorrows, deprivations, misfortunes, after bodily death at the time appointed by God, people who believe in Christ will rise from the dead and enter eternity for an endless blessed life. This good joyful hope delights the bitterness of earthly life, helps the believer to bravely and patiently endure all his sorrows and, without falling under their burden, courageously bear the cross laid upon each of us by God's providence. But what can be a firm guarantee that this hope for a future resurrection, for eternal blissful life, will not put to shame, that after death there will be a resurrection, a reunion of soul and body? In both the Old and New Testaments there are many indications that, in addition to temporal life, there is eternal life, that there will be a universal resurrection. Thus, the ancient prophets spoke about this: Thy dead shall live, dead bodies shall arise! (Isaiah 26:19). The prophet Ezekiel with his prophetic eye beheld the greatest miracle, when, by God's command, the bones approached each other, converged, then were covered with sinews, flesh, blood, and then the spirit entered them, they stood on their feet - the greatest multitude of people (cf. Ezekiel 37:1-10). In the Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ says that the time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that have done good shall go forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28-29). These words of the Divine Scripture give wings to the soul of a believer and, of course, inspire hope. But in order to preserve this hope, a strong faith in the word of God is required, because we constantly see death before us, when the body is destroyed, but we do not see anyone resurrected. Although we have examples of the resurrection of the dead – the prophets Elijah and Elisha raised the dead, and our Lord Jesus Christ raised the dead, and His disciples – this resurrection is not the universal resurrection that will take place at the end of the world. For here the resurrected people were resurrected in the same mortal form in which we live. And then they died again. And with the general resurrection, people will rise incorruptible, spiritual and immortal. But there is a stronger testimony from the life of Christ the Saviour, which fully confirms in the hope of our own universal resurrection and eternal blessed life – this is the resurrection from the dead of Christ the Saviour Himself. Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death, and death no longer has power over Him. Christ does not die. Christ was resurrected as the firstborn of the dead. And the time will come when all who believed in Christ will also be resurrected, but they will be resurrected in a new, glorified body, just as our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected. Consequently, the resurrection of Christ is both the affirmation and the triumph of our Christian hope. Finally, faith in the resurrection of Christ is also the greatest affirmation of Christian love. Love, especially truly Christian love, requires great sacrifices and self-denial from the believer; sometimes - up to self-sacrifice, to death. To love God means to devote one's whole life, all one's strength to serving God. This requires self-denial and self-sacrifice, a willingness to sacrifice one's life for the glory of the name of God, for the sake of holy faith, for the sake of the Law of God. Love for one's neighbor requires tireless labor, concern for their eternal spiritual salvation and well-being, for their bodily life, and also requires a willingness to sacrifice one's property and life for the good of one's neighbor. Such are the sacrifices that love requires. But how can we dare to make these sacrifices, when our selfish nature is always looking for benefit, benefit only for itself? When does our self-love instill in us that we should live only for our own pleasure, for our own benefit? Isn't it really better to live for your own pleasure? But no. What a man sows, that he will also reap. He who sows in his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but he who sows in the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit (Gal. 6:8). And the love of Christ is an example of this. The more selflessly a person sacrifices himself for the good of his neighbor, the more fruitful love is. And we see this in the example of Christ the Savior. The Lord loved God the Father with boundless love. For Him, food was to do the will of the Heavenly Father. And out of love for the Heavenly Father, out of obedience to Him, the Lord took upon Himself the greatest feat – redemption, the salvation of the sinful human race. And out of love for Him, the Lord laid down His life for His neighbor. The Lord also loved the sinful human race. He gave Himself up for his sake, for the sake of his salvation He went to all his sufferings and to a shameful death. And what is the result of His boundless love? The results are priceless. First of all, the Lord rose after suffering and death - also for people. He was resurrected in a new, glorified body and received from God the Father power in Heaven and on earth, ascended to Heaven with glory and sat down at the right hand of the Father. The Lord redeemed mankind from sin, curse and death, granted it freedom, opened for it a free entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, resurrected the human race. The Saviour glorified the Heavenly Father by His suffering: He founded His Heavenly Kingdom on earth – the Church of Christ. And many believers, following the example of Christ the Savior, in response to His love, kindled in their hearts the flame of love for God the Father, for the Savior, and for their neighbor. And this love brought joy to the whole world. Such are the priceless fruits of Christ's love. Therefore, the Resurrection of Christ is also the affirmation of our Christian love. May this day – the day of Christ's Resurrection – be a day of joy for us. And always remembering that this feast is precisely the affirmation of our Christian faith, let us love our holy faith, cherish it and try to govern our lives according to this faith. And remembering that the Resurrection of Christ is the affirmation of our hope, let us hope, and endure all the labors, sorrows, and deprivations with joy in the expectation of our future resurrection and our future eternal life. And remembering that the Resurrection of Christ is the triumph of our Christian love, let us clothe ourselves with the virtue of Christian love and bear abundant fruit, let us love one another. In this way we will show that we are real followers of Christ, Who came down to earth out of love for the human race. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another, saith the Lord Himself in His Gospel (John 13:35). May this radiant feast, the radiant Resurrection, always be for us a feast of joy, a feast of the victory of life over death. And may he help us patiently, without complaint, to endure all the hardships of earthly life in the hope that the time will come when we will hear the longed-for voice of our Saviour: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). Amen. Christ is risen!