St. John Chrysostom. "Hallowed be Thy name," says in prayer the one adopted by grace to God. To ask nothing before the glory of the Heavenly Father, but to esteem everything below His praise – this is a prayer worthy of him who calls God Father. God has his own glory, full of all majesty and never changing. Contemplating it, the seraphim also glorify God, crying out: "Holy, holy, holy" (Isaiah 6:3). Let no one have the foolish thought that God is granted the addition of holiness with the words: Hallowed be Thy name. He is holy and all-holy, and holier than all the saints. And the seraphim bring Him this hymn, constantly crying out: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; fill heaven and earth with Thy glory" (Isaiah 6:3). Just as those who bring praise to kings and call them kings and autocrats, do not give them what they do not have, but glorify what they have, so we do not communicate to God the holiness that was not with Him, when we say: "Hallowed be Thy name," but glorify that which is with Him, for "let it be hallowed" is said here instead of "let it be glorified." "Hallowed be the name," i.e. let Thy name be glorified, saith Chrysostom. This means that we should seek nothing else but the glory of God. Worthy of the prayer, says Chrysostom, who calls God the Father, does not ask for anything before the glory of God, but prefers His praise to everything. The Name of God is holy and glorious without our glorification, but we must strive to glorify it in us as well. The second thought in the words "let it be sanctified" is - let it be reverently honored. For what is sacred, we surround with all reverence, we always revere it, we treat it with due fear. "Hallowed be Thy name" will be the same as "Plant Thy fear in the hearts of us who sing Thee!" And it is fitting for this petition to stand in the first place, for the reverent fear of God is the source of spiritual wisdom and God-pleasing life. Whoever has it has a guide, and a stimulator, and a sustainer. As long as it exists, the soul is filled with indestructible power against every sin and against every good. Since in this way he is the first in spiritual life, then the first prayer is for him. "Let him be sanctified" means - let him be glorified. That is, vouchsafe us to live so purely, so that through us all may glorify Thee, to manifest before all a life so irreproachable, that each of those who see it may give praise to the Lord. This is a sign of perfect wisdom.St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. The Name of God is glorified when His Word is preached purely, and we correct our life according to His Word, as Christ says: so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven. We cannot do this ourselves, without God's grace; for this reason we ask the Heavenly Father, that He may mercifully grant us this. From this is noted our weakness, that without God we cannot do any good, as Christ says: without Me you can do nothing. If we ask that the name of God be sanctified and glorified, then we should not seek glory for our name from good works. Whoever teaches or lives otherwise as the word of God teaches, does not glorify the name of God. For this reason, that God Himself may not allow us to do so, we pray to Him: "Hallowed be Thy name." Amen.In the manuscript of Metropolitan Benjamin there is no commentary on the first petition of the Lord's Prayer. In order to complete the necessary completeness, fragments from the book of St. Theophan the Recluse "Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer in the Words of the Holy Fathers" (Moscow, 1898) are placed here. -Red. ^

Second Petition: "Thy Kingdom Come"

"Thy kingdom come." This is the second petition.As we have seen, first of all we desire glory for God, that His name may be glorified. And now we pray that His kingdom will come to us. We do not say "to the earth," lest anyone think that the Kingdom of God is a prosperous life on this earth. No, this idea must first be resolutely rejected! Such a kingdom is not at all God's, but human, earthly. Meanwhile, some are inclined to understand the "Kingdom of God" in this way - as earthly well-being, which includes the moral state of society: love, purity, education, peace, economic contentment, the absence of wars, the improvement of culture, etc.; This means that then there will be no need for courts, prisons, or any other punishment, because there will be nothing to punish for - everyone will be good! There will be the Kingdom of God on earth! Faith in God will join this, but this is not the Kingdom of God at all. This is the kingdom of man, earthly, only prosperous and pious. God, in this understanding, will only be the means or organizer of such a blessed society, in fact, only an instrument for us, for our life on this earth. This means that God is not the goal of our striving, nor is it His communion with us, as we saw in the very first invocation of the Heavenly God the Father?.. From this it is already clear that such a kingdom is not God's, but ours, human, earthly. And not only non-religious people believed in this way, but also some believers, even learned clergymen... I knew such people personally. One of them, for example, said that there would be no prisons, but... Public libraries will remain... He, as a bookish man, was certainly interested in them, as others were interested in "daily bread". But such an understanding will satisfy no one: neither sincere believers, since their whole life is centered in God, nor non-religious people, since they do not need God at all, they hope to arrange this good without Him; and for them, God, faith in Him, even hinders such an arrangement, for He divides man and moreover humbles him, whereas for the earthly kingdom "new" people are needed: proud, confident, "strong" - as they think. No, of course, this is not what the Lord Jesus Christ understood when He commanded us to pray for the Kingdom of God... Let us not dwell on this any longer: it is clear to us that this is not what we are asking for! There is another understanding of the Kingdom of God, closer to the authentic, but not entirely clear: the Kingdom of God is called by many – the Kingdom of Heaven. Actually, this is true. But it remains unclear: what is the content of this concept - "Heavenly"? True, it is opposed to the "earthly" kingdom - and this is already good. But we want to know: what does it have to do with God? It is this ambiguity that needs to be revealed. I was the rector of the seminary in Tver. I was invited to serve in a parish church. It was painted everywhere. And at the top, under the dome, the Lord's Prayer was depicted in paintings. I look at the petition "Thy Kingdom come" and with joyful amazement I see how from above, from heaven, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove (as He appeared at the baptism of the Savior). This, I was surprised, was how the "Kingdom of God" was understood! And how did our priests and home painters choose such originals to copy in church! Another fact is of all-church significance. On the 2nd week of Great Lent, our Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (Thessalonica). St. Gregory actually acted in the fourteenth century, therefore, it was too late for the service to him to enter the circle of the Lenten Triodion. And here was the reason for this. On Athos, some ascetics saw a special light above their heads and considered it not an earthly natural light, but a heavenly, everlasting, grace-filled, divine light. An opponent of this view was the monk (later Catholic bishop) Barlaam of Calabria. Against him, the monastic St. Gregory Palamas spoke out on behalf of the ascetics. In order to denounce Barlaam, the defenders of the light referred to the light in which the Lord appeared during the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and therefore the light was called "Tabor." After long disputes and four Local Councils, this Orthodox teaching triumphed.In fact, two essential questions of Christian teaching were raised here: about the actual existence of the supernatural world; And the Church defended the supernaturalness of the light of Tabor and its reality. But at the same time it was established that the knowledge of it could not be the result of the mind, but was granted only by God's Revelation, or grace. That is why St. Gregory Palamas is called in divine services "a preacher of grace." Naturally, the question arises: why did the Church decide to celebrate the service to him on the 2nd week of Great Lent and precisely on the Sunday following the "Triumph of Orthodoxy"? It must be thought that this was not done by chance. A week before we glorified Orthodoxy, and now we affirm what it consists in and what is the path to it.The praise of St. Gregory Palamas has not only the particular significance of his victory over Barlaam - this would be unworthy for the celebration of the whole Church, but contains, as we see, an answer to the essential questions of all Orthodoxy. The struggle with all heretics ended (with the veneration of icons), and the Church overcame them. If we look closely at all the heresies, we can see that they sinned with two errors in their depths: they strove towards the human earthly ideal, reduced Christianity to an earthly goal, forgetting its heavenly origin, or, on the contrary, inappropriately (like Eutychianism) they tore it away from man, falsely teaching about the "absorption" in Christ of humanity by His Divinity; The second mistake was that the heretics wanted to "understand" everything with reason, to explain it naturally, or imaginarily understandable. Meanwhile, all our faith is divine, since all our salvation is accomplished by God, and it is incomprehensible to the mind, since the Grace of the Holy Spirit, sent for the redemptive feat of Christ, the Son of God, before the Heavenly Father (in the Trinity) acts at the heart of everything. And it was only for the sake of the real, immutable, inseparable union in Christ of these two natures – the Divinity and humanity – that redemption, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the salvation of man in general were possible. God was united with man: in Christ - in essence, and with people - by grace. And all this cannot be understood or even believed by the human mind. As the Apostle Paul says: God has manifested "the abundant riches of His grace in goodness to us in Christ Jesus (or through Him); For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, but the gift of God: not by works, lest any man should boast, for ye are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works" (Eph. 2:7-10). But now the question arises: what do all these considerations have to do with the question of the second petition of the Lord's Prayer – for the Kingdom of God? To answer this, we must turn to the light of Tabor, which appeared during the Transfiguration of the Lord.Before that there was a confession of the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and after that He revealed to His disciples about the cross - both His own and common Christian (Matt. 16:21-27). And immediately after this He said: "Verily I say unto you, there are some standing here that shall not taste death (that is, yet in this earthly life), till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (Matt. 16:28). And the Evangelist Mark says: "They shall see the Kingdom of God come in power" (Mark 9:1). The same is true of the Evangelist Luke: "The Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:27).And immediately it speaks of the Transfiguration of the Lord: and the disciples Peter, James and John standing here were vouchsafed to behold this glorious event and to hear the voice of the Father about Christ: "This is My Beloved Son, hear Him" (Luke 9:35). The Lord appeared in "His Kingdom," "come in power." And this glorification of Him was so blessed, so joyful, that Peter cried out to Jesus: "Rabbi (Teacher)! It's good for us to be here! Let us make three booths: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!" (Mark 9:5). And yet it was only six days ago that they persuaded the Lord not to allow Himself to suffer (cf. Matt. 16:22). But in response he heard from the Lord a terrible rebuke: "Get thee behind me, Satan! And then He said to His disciples, and in their person to us, that it is necessary, inevitable, necessary for the followers of Christ to "take up their cross," and the reward for this will be when "the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward each one according to his works" (Matt. 16:23-27). And "some of those who stand here," with the Lord, even during His lifetime and their own, will see this blessed state in "the Son of Man coming in His kingdom," and not in suffering and not killed, as He foretold them about Himself. And this same Apostle Peter, who heard such an answer - "Satan" - now says: "It is good for us to be here!" I completely forgot myself and the other two students. He was so happy and frightened that "he did not know what to say... for they were afraid" (Mk. 9:6; Lk. 9:33). And even though Peter spoke out of foolishness and fear, he was raptured at that time and wanted to prolong this blissful state - it was so extraordinarily joyful that he forgot the rest of the world, all humanity, all relatives, all people... It is incomprehensible to us, but it was so in Peter's soul! This is what Christ promised: for the cross - the Kingdom of God! And although it came "in power" in the Transfiguration, it was not yet in all of it. Thus the Church sings on the feast day: "As far as I can" Thy disciples have seen, "Thy glory, O Christ God, having seen." The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, appearing to His disciples after the Resurrection, taught them "about the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). And the book ends with the story that the Apostle Paul "lived two years on his own support... preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, with all boldness, without hindrance" (Acts 28:30-31). And this definition is considered to be the main preaching of the Gospel (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Mp. 1:14). The goal to which we must strive is the Kingdom of God (Matt. 25:34; Lk. 12:23; 22:29). All the Gospels and the Epistles of the Apostles speak of this. In our time, we, all Christians, live by this. This does not require proof by texts, as we all know. The only difference is that the Evangelists Mark and Luke use the word Kingdom with the addition of "God's", while Matthew adds the word "Heavenly". This is because the Gospels of Mark and Luke were directed not to the Jewish world, but to the pagan world, for which the word "God" was more acceptable, and the Jews, to whom the Evangelist Matthew wrote, were more accustomed to the word "heavenly." But in the latter we also encounter the words "Kingdom of God" or simply "Kingdom" (Matt. 4:23). And the final goal of the world will be that "the kingdom of the world may become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and shall reign forever and ever," says the seer John the Theologian (Rev. II, 15; 22:5). Now we come to the question: what is the Kingdom of God? In general, we will say that the Kingdom of God is not something external, for example, some, even the most ideal, form of state or social structure (peace between nations, cessation of wars, diseases, complete universal contentment, culture, etc.). All this would be only an external, material-spiritual earthly kingdom, a kingdom "of this world," a kingdom of man, but not the Kingdom of God." "My kingdom," said its Founder, the Lord Jesus Christ, to Pilate, "is not of this world... My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).If the Kingdom of God is not earthly, then what is it? This is difficult for a spiritually inexperienced person to understand, because there is nothing to compare it with, to put it in analogy. For example, sweet food, excellent nutrition, and even peace in the soul and earthly joy, it seems, could be an analogy for the Kingdom of God. But the Apostle Paul directly says that the Kingdom of God is "no meat and drink." And what happened? "Righteousness, and peace, and joy." What? Again, not earthly, but "in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). This is even wiser, and more incomprehensible to the inexperienced! And the Lord Himself says to His disciples at the Last Supper: "From now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink new wine with you in the Kingdom of My Father" (Matt. 26:29). The Lord takes the comparison from the earth, but adds the "new," i.e. the other, than the earthly, wine. And it will be in the "Kingdom of the Father." Not even His, Christ's, but in the "Kingdom of the Father". This word "Father" is often used by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. II, 10; Lux. 12, 23; 1 Cor. 15, 24; 1 Thess. 2, 12). The first is used as a comparison with the joy of wine (Psalm 103:15), but it is not at all earthly, but "new." The second word is much more incomprehensible: why is this Kingdom called the Kingdom of the Father? The Lord Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples as a Man, and He attributed all that is Divine and Heavenly to His Father; For the Jews, this was more acceptable, in contrast to the earthly one. Consequently, this "of My Father" is the same as "the Kingdom of God," not earthly, but Divine, eternal, supernatural. And all such things come from God the Father: from Him is born the Son Himself and proceeds the Holy Spirit. Especially for man: everything pours out from Him. By God, of course, the whole Trinity is understood, but first of all, God the Father: the source, the root of the Godhead and of all being. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the end, attributed everything to His Father, but even this does not clarify for us the content of the concept of the "Kingdom of God." So far, we have come to the point in a negative way that the Kingdom of God does not exist. The Kingdom of God, says St. Gregory Palamas, was not created. All creation is created, is created, and the Kingdom of God is not created, but is eternal, as being in God, as inseparable from Him, as light and warmth are inseparable from the sun. First of all, let us agree in our thoughts that this Kingdom really exists, truly exists. God exists. And therefore, His kingdom exists with Him. After the Last Judgment, the Lord will say to the righteous: "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). To this question we must answer ourselves that it is in no way simple, not scanty, not pale, as we can imagine it to ourselves, living on earth and not knowing it. On the contrary, it is extraordinarily complex, so to speak, extremely rich, incomprehensibly diverse. And it cannot be otherwise: if God created the world so diverse, then how much more must the Kingdom of God be diverse. What this diversity consists in, we cannot quite say, we do not know, but only partially. The Apostle Paul says, "We know in part, and prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect comes, then that which is in part shall cease" (1 Cor. 13:9-10). He even said of himself: "Now I know in part, and then I will know, even as I am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). And about the best Christians, the Apostle John says: "Beloved! we are now children of God; but it has not yet been revealed that we will. We only know that when He is revealed, we will be like Him, because we shall see Him (the Father) as He is" (1 John 3:2). Thus, the Kingdom of God from the positive side is not yet fully revealed to us, we do not fully know it. And we should not be curious: what is it?D. Only we are revealed that it is extraordinarily blissful! "Blessed is he who eateth bread in the Kingdom of God!" said "one of them that sat at table with Him" (Christ) at a banquet "with one of the rulers of the Pharisees" (cf. Luke 14:1-15). And the Lord did not stop him in the least, but only led him to the question of who is worthy of this feast (cf. Luke 14:16-24). And this was especially true of the Jews, but it also applies to all of us. "We... we preach the wisdom of God, secret, hidden, which God predestined before the ages for our glory... as it is written, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man, what God will prepare for those who love Him' (1 Corinthians 2:7, 9; cf. Isaiah 64:4). "But to us God has revealed these things by His Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:10). Thus, the things of God, although they surpass human knowledge, are revealed by the Holy Spirit to spiritual, grace-filled people. And can we, ordinary Christians, comprehend this? "Partially" we can. Sometimes our soul is sent down to experience such a spiritual state that no earthly happiness can be compared with it. St. Macarius the Great says that at such a time a person would want nothing but to sit in a corner of a cave and console himself with such spiritual pleasure. This is partly familiar to us from experience: then everything earthly seems almost non-existent. But this is only the beginning. And what should be said about the highest state that the saints of God have attained – and even attain – while still here on earth?! The Apostle Paul writes about himself (if I repeat, then for the glory of God!), although as if about someone else: "I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, whether out of the body I do not know: God knows) was caught up to the third heaven. And I know of such a man (only I do not know whether in the body or out of the body: God knows), that he was caught up into paradise, and heard ineffable words, which cannot be told to man" (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). Such was the condition of the Apostle that it could not even be "recounted," for there were not even enough words in human language for this. And it really was! We conclude this with certainty from the fact that the Apostle Paul says of this revelation: "I know," and what he does not know, whether he is in the body or not in the body, he says without shame: this "I do not know" he affirms the greater, and the lesser he does not understand! 2) and was vouchsafed this; but when he was asked about them, he humbly said: if the Apostle Paul himself could not "retell" what he saw, then how could I, poor Seraphim, convey it? And I think it's best to make brief extracts from there. Here they are.

Addition. On the Purpose of Christian Life (from a Discourse by St. Seraphim of Sarov)

"It was," Motovilov wrote, "at four. The day was cloudy. There was a quarter of the snow on the ground, and a rather large, thick cereal was falling on top, when Father Seraphim began a conversation with me on his nearest page, near his nearest hermitage, opposite the Sarovka River near the mountain, which came close to its very banks. said the great elder, "that in your childishness you fervently wished to know what the purpose of the Christian life was, and you repeatedly asked many great personages about it-... But no one, Fr. Seraphim continues, has told you about this definitely. They told you: go to church, pray to God, do God's commandments, do good - this is the goal of the Christian life for you... Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian deeds, however good they may be in themselves, are not the only goal of our Christian life, although they serve as the necessary means to achieve it. To do this, we must begin here with right faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who came into the world to save sinners, and with the acquisition for ourselves of the grace of the Holy Spirit, Who brings the Kingdom of God into our hearts and paves the way for us to acquire the blessedness of the life of the age to come. In the same way, in the acquisition of this Spirit of God lies the true goal of our Christian life, and prayer, vigil, fasting and almsgiving, and all virtues done for the sake of Christ, are the means to acquire the Spirit of God. I asked Father Seraphim. "Acquisition is like acquisition," he answered. "After all, you understand what it means to acquire money. So it is the same with the acquisition of the Spirit of God. After all, you, your love of God, understand what acquisition is in the worldly sense? The purpose of the worldly life of ordinary people is to acquire or make money, and for the nobility, in addition, to receive honors, distinctions and other awards for state services. The acquisition of the Spirit of God is also capital, but only grace-filled and eternal... God the Word, our Lord, the God-Man Jesus Christ, likens our life to a marketplace... Earthly goods are virtues done for Christ's sake and giving us the grace of the All-Holy Spirit..."Father," I said, "you all deign to talk about the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit as the goal of the Christian life: but how and where can I do it

The words of the Holy Scriptures seem strange to us now, when the Spirit of God through the mouth of Moses says: "And Adam saw the Lord going into paradise," or when we read in the Apostle Paul: "We went to Achaia, and the Spirit of God did not go with us, let us turn to Macedonia, and the Spirit of God went with us".... Remember the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. A great light enveloped Him, and "His garments shone like snow, and His disciples fell on their faces for fear"... And in this way, the grace of the All-Holy Spirit of God appears in an ineffable light to all, to whom God is its action.- How, then, - I asked Father Seraphim, - to know to me that I am in the grace of the Holy Spirit?- This, your love of God, is very simple, - he answered me, - that is why the Lord says: "All is simple to those who gain understanding..." And the apostles always saw whether the Spirit of God dwelled in them or not. This explains why they decided at the Apostolic Council: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." And it was only on these foundations that they offered their epistles, as an immutable truth, for the benefit of all the faithful, that the holy apostles were sensibly aware of the presence of the Spirit of God in themselves. Father Seraphim answered, "I have already told you, your love of God, that it is very simple, and I have told you in detail how people are in the Spirit of God and how His manifestation in us should be understood... Then Fr. Seraphim took me very firmly by the shoulders and said to me, "Father, we are both with you in the Spirit of God now! Why don't you look at me?" I answered:"Father, I can't look, because lightning is falling from your eyes. Your face has become lighter than the sun, and my eyes ache with pain... Father Seraphim said: "Do not be afraid, your love of God, and now you have become as bright as I myself. You yourselves are now in the fullness of the Spirit of God, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this.And bowing his head to me, he quietly said in my ear:- Thank the Lord God for His ineffable mercy to you. You saw that I did not even cross myself, but only in my heart, in my mind, prayed to the Lord God and said within myself: "Lord, vouchsafe him to see clearly and with bodily eyes that descent of Thy Spirit, with which Thou vouchsafest Thy servants, when Thou deignest to appear in the light of Thy glorious glory. And so, father, the Lord instantly fulfilled the humble request of the wretched Seraphim... How can we not thank Him for this ineffable gift to both of us? Thus, father, the Lord God does not always show His mercy to the great desert dwellers. It was the grace of God that deigned to console your broken heart, as a loving mother, through the intercession of the Mother of God Herself... Well, father, don't look me in the eye? Look simply, do not be afraid: the Lord is with us.I looked into his face after these words and fell upon me with even greater awe. Imagine in the middle of the sun, in the most brilliant brightness of its noonday rays, the face of a person talking to you.

Is it possible to imagine the situation in which I was then?.. "What do you feel?" Fr. Seraphim asked me. "Extraordinarily good," I said. I answered:- I feel such silence and peace in my soul that I cannot express it in any words.- This, your love of God, - said Father Seraphim, - is the peace about which the Lord said to His disciples: "My peace I give unto you, not as peace gives, I give unto you" - peace, according to the words of the Apostle, "every mind that prevails." The Apostle calls it so, because it is impossible to express in any word the well-being of the soul that it produces in those people in whose hearts the Lord God implants it. Christ the Saviour calls it peace from His own mercies, and not from the world, for no temporal earthly well-being can give it to the human heart: it is given from above from the Lord God Himself, which is why it is called the peace of God... What else do you feel? Fr. Seraphim asked me. "An extraordinary sweetness," I answered. And he continued, "This is the sweetness about which it is said in the Holy Scriptures: 'From the fat of Thy house they shall be drunk, and with the stream of Thy sweetness I shall give (them) to drink.'" It is from this sweetness that our hearts seem to melt, and we are both filled with such bliss that no language can express... And Father Seraphim continued: "When the Spirit of God descends upon a person and overshadows him with the fullness of His inspiration, then the human soul is filled with ineffable joy, for the Spirit of God joyfully creates everything He touches..." But no matter how comforting this joy may be, which you now feel in your hearts, it is still insignificant in comparison with that of which the Lord Himself, through the mouth of His Apostle, said, that "that joy has not been seen by eye, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the good which God has prepared for them that love Him." The prerequisites for this joy are given to us now, and if they make our souls feel so sweet, good, and joyful, then what can we say about the joy that is prepared for us there, in heaven, weeping here on earth?.. What else do you feel, your love of God?I answered: - Extraordinary warmth.- How, father, warmth? Why, we are sitting in the forest! Now it's winter outside, and there is snow under our feet, and there is more than a lot of snow on us, and cereal is falling from above... I answered: "And the kind of warmth that is in a bathhouse, when you put it on the stove, and when the steam pours out of it like a column." When, during my mother's lifetime, I loved to dance and went to balls and dance evenings, my mother used to sprinkle me with perfume that she bought in the best stores in Kazan, but even those perfumes do not emit such a fragrance. Is this how you feel about it? It is true, your love of God: no pleasantness of earthly fragrance can be compared with the fragrance that we feel now, because we are now surrounded by the fragrance of the Holy Spirit of God. What earthly thing can be like him? Notice, then, your love of God, that you have told me that it is as warm as in a bathhouse all around us, but look, the snow does not melt on you or on me, and neither does it melt under us. Therefore, this warmth is not in the air, but in ourselves. It is precisely this warmth about which the Holy Spirit, through the words of prayer, makes us cry out to the Lord: "Warm me with the warmth of the Holy Spirit!" This is how it should be in reality, because the grace of God must dwell within us, in our hearts, for the Lord said: "The Kingdom of God is within you." By the Kingdom of God the Lord means the grace of the Holy Spirit.It is this Kingdom of God that is now within us, and the grace of the Holy Spirit illuminates and warms us from without, and, filling the air around us with many different fragrances, delights our senses with heavenly delight, filling our hearts with ineffable joy... It is about this state that the Lord said: "The essence of those who stand here (the 12 disciples of Christ: they alone were with the Lord), who have not tasted death, until they see the Kingdom of God come in power." This is what it means to be in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, about which St. Macarius of Egypt writes: "I was in the fullness of the Holy Spirit..." It is with this fullness of the Holy Spirit that the Lord has now filled us, the poor. Well, now it seems that there is nothing more to ask, your love of God, how people are in the grace of the Holy Spirit. "I don't know, father," I said, "whether the Lord will vouchsafe me to remember me forever as vividly and clearly as I now feel God's mercy."And I think," Fr. Seraphim replied, "that the Lord will help you to keep this in your memory forever: His goodness would not have so instantly bowed down to my humble prayer and would not have preceded me so soon to listen to the wretched Seraphim, Moreover, it is not for you alone that it has been given to you to understand this, but through you for the whole world, so that you, having established yourself in the work of God, may be useful to others."With this we will conclude the excerpts from the "Revelation on the Purpose of Christian Life" by St. Seraphim of Sarov.As we see from here, the Kingdom of God, or the Grace of the Holy Spirit, is one and the same. And now we can say that the Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Grace (and not earthly). It is for this Kingdom that we pray in the second petition of the Lord's Prayer. Truly, it is "not of this world," but of God. But although the Kingdom of God, in its essence, is "not of this world," we all live in this earthly kingdom. And we must devote all the days of our lives to the search for the Kingdom of grace. This was clarified by St. Seraphim in his wondrous discourse on the goal of the Christian life: everything earthly is only a means to the basic Christian goal. That is why we are obliged to exercise all our strength to fulfill not only personal feats (prayer, fasting, almsgiving, etc.), but also to fulfill the duties of the state, society, family, etc., as the Apostle Paul says: "Whether you eat, drink, or do anything else you do, do all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31); we must all turn to the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, to growth in Christ, to the acquisition of the Kingdom of God, to preparation for the Kingdom of God, for the Kingdom of Heaven. But it - as we have seen - begins here.

The second petition: "Let him come..." (continued)

Now we need to dwell on the words: "Let him come."In the Lord's Prayer, the Kingdom of God is not seen as having already come, but as desired, asked, and future. What does that mean? [Does this mean that] it has not yet come to me personally [or] has not come to the world at all, and we pray that the Kingdom of God will now come to people? "..." He Himself, following John the Baptist, only said: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2; 4:17), but it has not already come. And the Evangelist Mark says: "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). The same is true of the Evangelist Luke (Luke 10:9-II). Therefore, it hasn't come yet, it hasn't come yet, not even with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even after His Resurrection, He appeared to His disciples for 40 days, and spoke to them "about the Kingdom of God." And the disciples were not yet able to renounce earthly, common worldly views and asked the Lord: "Is it not at this time, O Lord, that Thou dost restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). In response to this, He said to them clearly: "Ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit shall come upon you" (Acts 1:8). And this happened on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of tongues of fire, and they "began to speak with other tongues" (Acts 2:3-4). The Lord had foretold of Him before, on the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), saying: "Whosoever thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as it is said in the Scriptures, rivers of living water will flow out of his belly (cf. Isaiah 12:3; Watering 3:18). This He said about the Spirit, Whom those who believe in Him had to receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet upon them, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:37-39). And he even explains this: "We were enemies and sinners, we were deprived of the gift of God and became hateful to God, and grace is a testimony of reconciliation, and the gift is given not to enemies and hateful persons, but to friends and people who are well-pleased. Therefore, it was first necessary for the Sacrifice to be offered for us, to be destroyed by enmity in the flesh, and for us to become friends of God, and only then to receive this gift" (vol. 8, p. 336). And they came to people after the "Sacrifice" for us on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who thereby reconciled us to God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20). And therefore Christ the Lord was prophetically called the "Reconciler" by the forefather James (Gen. 49:10).But in this petition [the Lord's Prayer] one can see not only the coming of the Holy Spirit, or the Kingdom of God, common to all, but also His separate condescension for each person. This is what happens now in the sacrament of baptism, by which we renounce the kingdom of the devil, and – through faith in Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit – we enter the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity, in Whose name we are baptized: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." in each of us - in baptism. But since the Kingdom of God is very diverse, as we have said above, we can ask for its higher degrees in this petition, as we saw in Fr. Seraphim's wonderful conversation with Motovilov. I will report here on two cases of our recent past. The first was Fr. Hieroschemamonk Joseph, an Optina elder, who died on May 9, 1911. A wonderful saint of God. Here is what is said about him.One person devoted to the elder, who lived near the wilderness, succumbed to the thought that she had no reason to live near Fr. Joseph. And she went to him for the last time to say goodbye. And just as she was about to tell him about this, she was struck by the appearance of the elder: "Streams of rays poured from his eyes." She was stunned. And she stayed. (Life, p. 95).Another incident was reported by Archpriest Fr. Pavel Levashev, whom I knew personally." In 1907," he writes, "I visited the Optina Hermitage for the first time, somehow by accident, because I had not prepared for it. I've heard something about the elders before, but I've never seen them..." In the morning he went to Fr. Joseph's "hut." There was only one visitor, an official from St. Petersburg. "Soon the elder's cell-attendant came and invited the official to the priest, saying to me: "He has been waiting for a long time." The official stayed for three minutes and returned. I saw that shreds of extraordinary light were flying away from his head, and he, excited, with tears in his eyes, told me: in the morning the miraculous icon of the Kaluga Mother of God was taken out of the skete, the priest came out of the hut and prayed. Then he (the official) and others saw rays of light that radiated in all directions from him praying." "We greeted each other; In a moment I saw an extraordinary light around his head, a quarter and a half high, and also a wide ray of light falling on him from above, as if the ceiling of the cell had moved apart... The elder's face became grace-filled, and he smiled. I did not expect anything of the kind, and therefore I was so amazed that I completely forgot all the questions. He asked me to confess: "Father! I am a great sinner!" Then it shone, but now several times brighter and stronger. He refused to confess me, because of his illness... I could not tear myself away from such a wonderful vision. And 10 times I said goodbye to the priest, and kept looking at his grace-filled face, illuminated by an angelic smile and this unearthly light, with which I left him. The light that I saw above the elder bears no resemblance to any of the earthly lights. After this vision, I felt inexpressibly joyful... I convey all of the above as pure truth, there is not a shadow of exaggeration or invention here, which I testify in the name of God and with my priestly conscience" (Life, pp. 148-152). I had the good fortune to be with him. He made a great impression on me. By the way, at his behest, one artist - an academician - painted an icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord. And seeing shadows in the drawing, [the elder] said to him: "In the light of Tabor there are no shadows." Therefore, he knew this from experience! No one else would have thought of such a thing! It is not worth talking about his holiness and other miracles. And on Tabor only three of the best disciples were vouchsafed to see the Lord "in the Kingdom": Peter, James and John.But - I repeat - the Holy Spirit dwells in every baptized person, or God reigns, until "He cuts him asunder" (Matt. 24:51), i.e., according to the interpretation of St. Basil the Great, He separates the grace of God from man "and does not subject him to the same fate as the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth," i.e. torment without the grace of God. Or, as the Evangelist Luke says: "He shall cut him in pieces, and subject him to the same fate as the unbelievers" (Luke 12:46). This has already been done to the demons. In us, the Kingdom of God dwells in even lower levels. Namely. If there is in us at least faith in God and in Christ the Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3), for this also is from the Holy Spirit; if we see our sins, which is also a gift of God, for which we pray during Great Lent in the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian: "Lord... grant me to see my sins... and not to condemn my brother"; and this means the gift of God, if we ask for it, "grant," and the confession of our sins, in which the grace of forgiveness is given to us... Here I will dwell on one prayer that is read before the prayer of absolution to the penitent. It says: "Lord God of the salvation of Thy servants," forgive the sin of the penitent; and further: "Reconcile and unite him to Thy holy Church in Christ Jesus our Lord." Consequently, our sins separate us from the Church of God, and the forgiveness of sins again "reconciles and unites us with her." And moreover, it is added that this also is done for the sake of Christ ("in Christ"): He again counts us among His Church, in His Body. This means that the sinner by his sins forces the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, to sweep himself away, to exclude himself from the Church. It's scary to even think about it.. And do we think about it?.. I don't think so.. On the other hand, we are comforted by the fact that through confession and forgiveness of sins, Christ – or God (the Father) for Christ's sake – reconciles and reunites us with the Church. And the Church is a grace-filled society, or the Body of Christ, in which everything is from the Holy Spirit. The Church is the Kingdom of God, which has two parts: earthly and heavenly, which are disintegrated (divided) only in life and in the degree of perfection, but in essence they are one and the same Church. That is why images of saints are painted in our churches, headed by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. But let us go further.Here is Holy Communion is also a manifestation of the Kingdom of God, if we worthily partake of Communion. It is manifested either in ecstasy (as in the case of Fr. John of Kronstadt), or in joy (as in many others), or in peace (and for this we must thank God), or in repentance and tears (as it is said in the prayers after Communion), which is most useful for us and corresponds to our infirmities. That is why I will write about this here: "Most Holy Lady Theotokos... Grant me tenderness and contrition in my heart, and humility in my thoughts, and invocation in captivity (liberation from inspiration) of my thoughts... and give me tears of repentance and confession" (5th prayer). In the 3rd prayer we ask: "Nail me all to Thy fear." As for peace, rest (1st prayer), joy, health and joy (4th prayer) - it is better to keep silent... But this is what we all expect and hope: "At Thy dreadful and second coming, vouchsafe me, a sinner, to stand at the right hand of Thy glory," to enter into Thy Blessed Kingdom (Matt. 25:34)... Therefore, Christians hurry to take communion before death, and priests must satisfy the desire of the dying in every possible way. And the priest through whose fault these remain uncommunicated "sins mortally" and is subject to severe condemnation. But if this does not depend on the priest, then the guilt is removed from him; And then it is better to confess to your confessor. The desire of the dying to receive Communion, says St. Seraphim of Sarov, is imputed by the Lord for Communion itself.Suffering is also a gift of God, as the Apostle Paul says from a Roman prison: "It is given to you for Christ's sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him" (Phil. 1:29). "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, then you are blessed," says the Apostle Peter, "for the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of God, rests upon you." (1 Peter 4:14); where the Spirit is, there is the Kingdom of God.Poverty, accepted for the sake of Christ, also leads to the Kingdom of God... Let us remember the servants of old, whom the Apostle calls to obey their masters, as servants of Christ, [calling them] to serve "with diligence, as to the Lord, and not as to men, knowing that each one shall receive from the Lord according to the measure of the good that he shall do, whether slave or free" (Ephesians 6:5-8); "that in all things they may be an adornment to the teaching of our Saviour God" (Titus 2:10). A beautiful word is the "adornment" of Christianity, the Church of God... And this is truly so. And the martyrs for Christ are such an adornment of the Church; and therefore particles of their relics are always placed in the antimensions, like precious stones. Thus, the Church, as the Bride of Christ, is adorned with the relics of the saints, even with their garments, blessed by the Holy Spirit.Let us not speak much about [such] heavenly gifts from the Kingdom of God, as flowers from paradise, fruits from the gardens of Eden, about numerous visions from the Kingdom of God, which is often narrated in the lives of the saints. In conclusion, I will tell you only one case, which I heard about two weeks ago: one family was in an extreme state of collapse: their property had to go to auction. The owner even thinks about suicide. And the grandfather (on the mother's side) asked his parents to give his grandson to him for adoption and upbringing. Mother lay down to rest on the bed... Suddenly, she hears someone enter the dining room. She got up and suddenly saw the old woman Praskovya Dmitrievna Levashov, who had died long ago, and whom she had known for a long time. Before she had time to come to her senses properly, the hostess instantly asked: "Praskovya Dmitrievna! Is that you? But she did not answer her question, and only said: "You are discouraged! We (so it was said) cannot allow Simochka (the husband of the old woman who tells me about the revelation to be called Semyon Nikolaevich, or Simochka for short) to be in such trouble. Immediately let him go to St. Petersburg to my (son) Nikolai and tell him on my behalf to arrange everything. And don't give your son to anyone.- And she melted, - so the narrator finished about her vision.S.N., having learned about such a revelation, did not hesitate at all, immediately left for St. Petersburg to N. Levashov. And we know many such facts from the lives of saints. In general, the life of the earthly world and the Kingdom of Heaven are much more closely connected with each other than we think.But let me remind you of the Apostle Peter. Herod wanted to kill him too. They put him in prison; he slept in it between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and there were still guards at the door. And at night an angel appeared to him, "pushed Peter in the side," commanded him to gird himself and put on his shoes. And then he led him out of prison. "The chains fell from his hands. He thought he was seeing a vision. The gates opened of their own accord." Then the angel disappeared. And then "Peter came to himself, and said, 'Now I see verily that (God) the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod.' Then, "looking around, he came" to the house of Mary, the mother of the Evangelist Mark, and "knocked at the gate." A servant named Rhoda did not expect this and, frightened, ran back to the house and announced "that Peter was standing at the gate." - "Are you out of your mind?" - they said. Peter knocked. Then they let him in (Acts 12:1-16). And there are many such cases...

Third petition: "Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth"

The first two petitions referred, as we have seen, to God, to the Kingdom of God, and now we pass on to ourselves. And since all heavenly prayer is directed to people living on earth, and not to the saints, not to angels, not to the dead, we can say that further petitions of the Lord's Prayer will refer to the earth, that is, to us who live on it. for the Divine, for the Heavenly: only two petitions, and after that - four or even five petitions - relate to our earthly life. First of all, because about God, about the Divine in general, we, ordinary people, know very little: this is high for us; God grant that at least in the future life this will be revealed to us. Now, says the Apostle Paul himself, having ascended to the "third heaven," could not convey in human language what he heard and saw in the Kingdom of God, or in paradise; The "third heaven" is something heavenly, completely supernatural, different, different: here we see, he says, "as a mirror," and then we see "face to face," i.e., by experience. And what will happen there – no human eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the human heart that God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). And if this is incomprehensible to our human mind, then is it necessary and possible to say much about it?This Heavenly Kingdom of God will undoubtedly come: every one who has died, in part, and all the righteous in particular, need not worry about it, if only we live here in such a way as to be worthy of a blessed life in heaven in the age to come. of the Heavenly Kingdom of God, the Lord turns us to the earth, of which we are, alas, so many! -Value. And yet it [earthly life] is so short in comparison with infinite eternity! Is it about health? Is it about wealth? Is it about well-being? Is it about many years? We can say: in part, yes, and even then a little, as we will see in the fourth petition, but the Lord commands us to pray more about this. But even on earth the answer is divine, namely: do not think for yourself, but rely on the will of God! He knows better than we do what we need on earth, what is useful, what is salvific, what is pleasing to God, what leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven; And we don't know, we just dream and think. And moreover, we think about this with an earthly mind, fallen, distorted, and consequently incorrectly. We need to ask God! To pray to Him that He Himself would guide our earthly life, as He would guide our heavenly life – angels, saints, and in general everything in heaven, in the world invisible to us. And, of course, He wants to direct everything to the blessed Kingdom of God, to heaven. Therefore, it is better for us to surrender to His wisdom, to His will, to which everything in heaven is subordinated in perfection, in fullness, everything is in complete obedience. There in heaven, as in the Most Holy Trinity, there is one common mind, one will, as in the angels and the saints, the same will of God; And it cannot be otherwise: if anyone had thought or desired anything other than God, he would immediately have separated himself from God in spirit and had to fall away from Him, as it was with the devil. then they were immediately removed by God from paradise, which is called an "oath", "curse" (anathema - from the Greek language - means separation, separation, excommunication). And it was no longer possible for them to stay with God: it was hard for them. That is why the Bible says that when the Lord wanted to appear to Adam, he began to hide and hide from the face of God, so that the Lord had to "ask", look for him: "Adam! Where are you?" But if he had repented – that is, if he had again recognized the supremacy of God, and not the devil's – then the Lord, of course, would have accepted him. But he began to refer to his wife Eve, and Eve to the serpent-devil. Then, seeing Adam's depravity and impenitence, the Lord removed him from communion with Himself, or "expelled him from paradise", i.e. it was not Adam himself who left, but God worthily, in truth and even out of love for him, removed him from paradise... Out of love, because it would be difficult, even impossible, for the unrepentant Adam to remain with a loving God. But in truth - because Adam preferred the enemy, the devil, to the Great God and had to be removed from Him. Here both God's love and truth were united: the love was righteous, and the truth was loving, God's... People usually don't do that, but God always does. And it could not be otherwise: if there had been love without truth, then this could have seemed to Adam's corrupt soul to be connivance, weakness, and would have led to further evil in him, God would thus have turned out to be the cause of a greater evil. And if the Lord had acted only in righteousness, then this would have seemed to be the wrath of the Mighty One against the weak Adam and could have hardened him. Therefore, expelling him from paradise. The Lord promised the ancestors the "Seed" - the Redeemer, Who would smite the devil "at the head", i.e. completely: to strike the serpent on the head means to destroy its power, or to kill it. And this was said by Him without regret, authoritatively, coldly. Why? Because the expelled Adam, although he was justifying himself, was thereby aware of his guilt, i.e. he showed a kind of repentance, which gave hope for the best. But the devil, who spoke through the serpent, did not show anything of the kind, did not even say anything at all; and God did not say anything to him, for He knew his complete impenitence... It's scary to say it! It is completely incomprehensible to us! And only by analogy with the stubbornness of evil people can one guess at the impenitence of the enemy. But, although this is not entirely comprehensible, it is nevertheless certain: for these words were spoken by Love Itself, Who was crucified for us, the Son of God! This is the story of the Fall, known to all of us, and is remembered here because it is closely connected with the Lord's Prayer: "Thy will be done"!The Fall took place first in the devil, and then he tempted his forefathers to do the same. that the root of the fall is in our self-will, and we now ask God to do not our evil will, human, earthly, but God's will, heavenly, reasonable, perfect, good, holy. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ, when the scribe called Him "the Good Teacher," considering Him to be an ordinary man, said to him: "Why do you call Me (as a man) good? No one is good, only God!" Therefore, He Himself came into the world with the blessing of the Father and through His obedience to Him. And in the whole work of redemption He did not His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. And this idea of "obedience" is especially often repeated by the Redeemer Himself in the Gospel of John. And then it is expressed with force in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, especially to the Philippians (Phil., ch. 2) and to the Jews (Heb. 3:2; 5:5, 8, 9; 8:28). And there was an intermediate moment in Gethsemane, where He, as a man, prayed to the Heavenly Father "with a mighty cry" for deliverance from the cup of suffering, but even then they rely not on Their own will and desire, but on the will of the Heavenly Father. "If possible," He said, "bear the cup of (future, of course) sufferings on the cross. But not as I will, but as it pleases You." By this obedience Christ interceded for us, by His cross and death, forgiveness from the Heavenly Father, and in addition, He showed us the same path of salvation – through indispensable obedience. Everything that He said in the Gospel is unconditionally, without the slightest doubt, true and subject to obedience – this was taught to the Apostles by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, everything that the Church of Christ teaches us – through the Word of God, through the works of the Holy Fathers, through Tradition, through the canons, through the Spirit-bearing people – is obligatory for us and must be accepted without hesitation. In all this, obedience is required of us. Obedience to the clergy is required of all of us, obedience. And in all our life - simply earthly - everything stands on obedience: everywhere there are superiors and subordinates, fathers and sons. Even the creature has a queen and bees. Look at the ants - what discipline is there! But this can be especially observed in monasteries, these saving harbors! As is known, monastics are required to make three promises at tonsure: obedience, chastity and non-acquisitiveness. We all know that. And for a very simple reason: if our fall was accomplished by self-will, then salvation now requires the opposite, i.e. obedience, the cutting off of one's mind and will. Without this, there is no monasticism, not even Christianity. And in the spiritual life it is necessary to renounce one's opinion altogether. "The mother (reason) of everything is opinion; opinion is the second (after Adam) fall," said the Fathers. Even one word when a person speaks of himself is a sin. And indeed, our "I" is both irrational and even unpleasant. "And I think," we often say. It's unpleasant to even hear that! Or others often begin their speech with the word "no". This is a contradiction to others, self-will, but the main thing is the struggle against self-will. How it dominates the whole world! From childhood, we see passions in people: "I", "mine", "me". And up to the state, on a global scale, you see this "I", "we" everywhere. And this "I" is fallen, corrupt, bad! And on the contrary, how prudent and pleasant are people who are humble, meek, accommodating, and like children (unspoiled) pleasant! It was not for nothing that the Lord loved and blessed children; and to us, adults, He said forever: "Except you be as little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (cf. Matt. 18:1-6). Taking into account this self-depravity of ours, we now renounce it and ask the Lord: "Thy will be done, O Lord," and on earth, just as it is fulfilled "in heaven." We have a lot of questions, thoughts, worries: it is impossible to count them all. And we already ask Him in advance and in general: do not according to our will, but according to Your Divine will! Our will is bad, evil, unreasonable. Thou art the only good! And he is the only one who is wise! Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth! Do not listen to our petitions, our wishes, but let Thy will be done for everything! But this is not reasonable. This is also prompted by the Wisdom of God. And indeed: after all, with our little mind, and even now corrupted, we cannot know what is good for us? And what's bad? Often, after all, we wish ourselves something that is not useful, but we think that it is good for us. Each of us always wants to be healthy, and we consider this to be a blessing. Or another example is wealth. There is hardly one person out of a thousand people who would not want it or would refuse it when the opportunity presented itself. But in fact, sickness or poverty for the most part leads us to much good. In sickness and poverty, we are both humbler and more religious. And health and wealth, on the contrary, lead to arrogance and arrogance. It is not for nothing that the Lord said: it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is easier for a camel to pass through the "Eagle's Ears" (this was the name of the very low gate in the wall of Jerusalem, where sheep easily passed, but huge camels crawled on their knees with extreme difficulty), than for a rich man to humble himself and reach the Kingdom of Heaven of God. And even a proverb says: "Thunder will not roar, a man will not cross himself." The same can be said about all earthly "riches": intelligence, knowledge, leadership, satiety, well-being, and so on. It is known both from the history of Christianity and from our everyday life that the apostles were fishermen and the first Christians were mainly from the poor and low classes, while the rich and noble were few. And the well-known Gospel parable of the cruel rich man and the sick beggar Lazarus clearly tells us about the unbelief of the first and the God-pleasing nature of the second.All this is well known to each of us, and nevertheless, the entire human race strives to desire more and more.And only the Gospel teaches something different, the opposite: to be content with what we have. We did not bring anything into the world with us at birth, nor will we take anything out of it at death - teaches the Apostle Paul (1 Tim. 6:7). And knowing this, Christ Himself "had not where to lay His head" (Luke 9:58), and commanded others to bear the cross of infirmities and sorrows, to be content with little. And He Himself took upon Himself - and of His own free will [for this He descended to earth in a cave, for this He was crucified, and when Peter began to beg Him to "have pity" on Himself, He heard the terrible words: "Depart from Me, Satan! Thou art a stumbling block" (Matt. 16:23)] - crucifixion: I have the power to give up My soul and receive it again (cf. John 10:17-18). Not knowing even such simple things and not understanding where they lead us, we should not strive for them, but it would be wise to entrust them to the will of God. God knows everything and can do anything.. Or let's take another example about death. Everyone wants to live and live. But only God knows whether it is not better for us to end our lives. There are thousands of examples! That is why the Church sings at pannikhidas for the departed: "By the depth of wisdom, moreover, build all things with love for mankind and give benefit to all, give rest to Thy servants, O Lord!" After all, the goal of our life is not here on earth, but again "there", with Him in the Kingdom of God. And all earthly life is only the path to that heavenly one. If we look at the earth from this point of view - and as befits a Christian - then the answer may be completely different from ours. Yes, this must be said about such simple things. And if we ask ourselves about the vast, universal plans of God, then what can we say here with our small minds? Only one thing: we don't know! And another: God's will is for everything... even about the entire universe, and not about our planet Earth alone! What can we predict? What will happen to her? So is it not more prudent not to dream, but to rely on the will of God? The answer is yes! After all, these plans for the universe are not managed by us, but by the Almighty, God the Father alone... And this is undoubtedly true! This is an experienced fact! God governs everything! We think that our bosses rule, but in fact everything is ruled by the Almighty God. This is not only required by our faith, but it is sometimes revealed to our experience - clearly! Not to mention the revelation in the Word of God: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," says the Lord Jesus Christ. Even a small bird does not fall to the ground without the will of the Heavenly Father, and a hair does not tear off its head (Matt. 7:25-32). And we ought to entrust our whole lives to Him. This is what Christ the Lord teaches us: do not worry about what we eat or drink, so do the godless! And you live without this painful care, hope in the Providence! Example? Look at the birds: they do not plant, they do not gather them into barns, but the Lord nourishes them. Or look at the lilies: they do not work, they do not spin, but see how beautiful they are! What a wonderful smell! The luxurious Solomon himself did not dress as beautifully as any of them! And you eat yourself up with thousands of worries. Poor! Lay it all down to your Father. He knows all your needs even before you ask (cf. Matt. 6:25-32). Won't he give it? It can't be! If an earthly father gives bread to children who ask him, then will the Lord not give good things to people? What a comforting promise Christ the Lord has given us! I want to cry with joy! But we will talk about this later, in the next section. And now let us dwell on Christ's unfalse, indubitable, divinely revealed promise: "Seek ye first of all the Kingdom of God, and all other things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). This was said not by man, but by the Son of God. But our little mind can say: "This is difficult!" Of course, it is not easy! And Jesus Christ Himself called His teaching "a burden" and compared it to the yoke around the neck of oxen. But He also called this "yoke" good, good, and the "burden" light (Matt. II, 30). And He certainly knew what He was saying, but I will give two or three examples from life. On the advice of an elder, a man of holy life, I had to settle one unfortunate man for many years. He had a very difficult character: selfish, irritable, and perhaps also insincere, cunning; To this must be added his real misfortune: his right hand was completely torn off by a machine, and only his thumb and half of his index finger remained on his left, so that he could not even button himself, but had to ask someone else to do so. Was it all easy for him? And even with his difficult character, with his self-love and poverty? And on the way to the elder, I had already been irritated with him several times and quarreled with him. And this made him even angrier. And so it went on with him until I completely lost my patience. That's when he was definitely happy about it, that he brought me to the extreme, and even calmed down with a smile! We approached the cell... When I met the elder (and this unfortunate man was still cleaning the snow in the vestibule), I first of all said to him: "Father! How difficult it is!" To this the elder quietly said to me, while he was still in the vestibule: "Do you think any good is easy? Any good deed is difficult!" At this time the armless man came in and received a blessing from the elder; the latter sat him down, and said kindly, pitifully: "Ah! brother Ivan, brother Ivan! How did God humble you, and yet you still do not humble yourself!" If I had told him these words, he would have been even more upset. He was obediently silent before the elder. Yes, every good thing is a burden and a yoke for us, sinners, but it is necessary for us: "The Kingdom of God is taken by force, and those who force themselves to admire (what a beautiful word - to delight, delightful) it." The Elder blessed us to continue this work: in any case, it will be for our spiritual benefit. It was like this for 11 years.It is worthy of note that, at the direction of the elder, I found an armless man far from Moscow, in Kursk, in a tiny hut with a poor old woman. She had a granddaughter, Nadya, 5-6 years old, a humble, silent creature, of angelic meekness. The ceiling was so low that an armless person had to bend his head when getting up. There was also a kitten - all his ribs could be counted: he was so thin from hunger... The owners did not have enough bread... And it was with these beggars that the unfortunate Ivan found shelter, and we, the well-to-do, did not shelter him... Yes, all good things are hard! 11 years later, a worker, about thirty years old, married him. "Do you know his character?" - I ask her warningly. "I know. I feel sorry for him: he is superfluous to everyone!" I was invited to dinner. "How is it?" - I asked her when for some reason he went out into the hallway. "He will go mad, and I am silent - he will calm down." God, what other kind people there were... Yes, there is. Here is another case.In the summer, on weekdays, the second bell slowly rang. Someone is being buried. I went to church. And there is a coffin. There are children around him, about five people, a little less. The youngest was probably a year and a half old, and the eldest was 9-10 years old. It turned out that there were three left from the first wife, and two from the second (or vice versa). His father, his name was Konstantin, stood behind the coffin on the right, silent. The children, not understanding the tragedy, did not even cry, but only looked curiously at the deceased and at us. They stood in front of the coffin on the left. "What, Konstantin, is it hard for you?" - I ask him to say at least something. And the priest had not yet come to church. Konstantin was silent at first, probably ashamed that he could burst into tears, and men consider this inadmissible for themselves. At last he gathered his strength and with difficulty said only one word: "Hard!" And a sigh of relief escaped from his chest: "Evidently, such is God's will!" He was shot (though not without reason). When she found out about this, only a lamppost held her back, otherwise she would have fallen to the ground. After a short rest, she began to read the entire Bible. And from it I saw that God's Providence exists both over states and over individuals. And... Calmed down. And she never again blamed those who killed: "Everything is the will of God!" I have written down all these cases because in them one can see: although good, although difficult, is a good "yoke" in its spiritual content, and as a feat this "burden" is easy. And therefore it cannot be said that good is only difficult; No! it is easy, not to mention the fact that every good is good by nature and extremely important for the Kingdom of God. First of all, let us look at the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Usually they refer to His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: "But not mine, but Thine, Father, Father's will be done!" But we must not forget that in this prayer He suffered even to the point of sweating blood! And He said to His disciples: "My soul grieves even unto death!" And this is quite understandable: human nature, created for immortality, feared death as an abnormal, unnatural end. And in church services it is said more than once that Christ suffered not as God, but as a man: there are two natures in Him - and the human, the weak was tormented to the point of a bloody sweat.But here is what is more surprising: after this "struggle", as it is rightly said, the Lord Jesus Christ was amazingly calm: both during His arrest, and without sleep, and in mockery, and in the crucifixion on the cross. Surprisingly calm. It would seem that this is where you could suffer. But the Saviour still says to the weeping women: "Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves!" Only once did He cry out in sorrow on the cross, "My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?" These words are interpreted differently. But this is the understanding of them that I have now. The most terrible thing for man is his abandonment by the Source of life and bliss - God.And before the last breath of the Son, the Father gave Him to experience this burden of abandonment of a created being - man, and a sinful one at that - by God! And this, perhaps, was the reason for the bitter exclamation: "God! And of course, one cannot doubt the truth of these feelings and words about abandonment by God: in the moments before death there is no time for empty words! And how much they tortured Him! And he endured everything quietly. But for a believer, the hardest thing is to be left without God! Basil the Great would consider it the greatest misfortune for himself to be rejected from God, from His love. the Apostle Paul was ready to be rejected from Christ, if only his fellow Jews, would be saved through this (Rom. 9:1-5); but usually they sacrifice what is most dear.The following circumstance is also recalled from the life of the Holy Martyr Theodore. After cruel tortures, he finally cried out, turning to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Where art Thou, O Lord?!" - "I look at thy torment!" - He answered him. For example, mothers with children.There were cases when a mother who lost her children even committed suicide. So the Lord Jesus Christ, having suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and there relying on the will of His Father ("not as I will, but as Thou wilt"), then restrainedly, calmly went to meet Judas, to the trial before Annas, Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate - and to the crucifixion. He had already made up his mind to do this, having committed everything to God the Father. This explains His wondrous calmness during suffering. But just before the end, His Heavenly Father allowed Him to experience even greater suffering - abandonment by God. The human race deserved it by its sins. And our Redeemer had to experience everything for us. Perhaps the most eternal torments [are] those that consist in the abandonment of the creature by the Creator, albeit for its embittered stubborn abandonment of God. The Church commemorates [them] daily (the so-called "martyrs" in the first canon) in its services. Why? Because they wanted to respond to Christ's love with love, and to His sufferings for us with their own torments. And other ascetics, in fact, all their lives bore feats of suffering, spiritual martyrdom. This is known! Everyone is also familiar with the words of St. John Chrysostom: "Glory to God for everything," according to the instruction of the Apostle Paul: "Give thanks to God for everything" (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:18). And so it happened in the first centuries of Christianity, so that at the Council it was decreed not to be called to arbitrary martyrdom, but to suffer only when they were already arrested [for the name of Christ]. And just as Christ Himself "languished," waiting for His cup of suffering, desiring it (Luke 12:50), so it was commanded by Him to others (Matt. 14). And how could it be otherwise, if we ask His will, that God, the Most Blessed Nature, would leave us to torment, and not lead us to a blessed existence, as He Himself is blessed?! This is completely out of the question! It's just unthinkable! On the contrary, the more we trust in God's will, the easier it is for us to live even here on earth. Of course, not everyone and not always is able to say: Thy will be done, O Lord! But the Lord's Prayer was given not only to the apostles and saints, but to all Christians in general: therefore, at least to some extent, it is within the power of all of us, otherwise why would it be given? Well, we will not be able to immediately and completely surrender everything to the will of God, but we can at least condition our desires, just as Christ the Savior showed us an example, knowing our weakness: "If it is possible, do this, Lord, this and that." God the Father did not fulfill the request of the Son: He left the cup for Him and only sent Him an angel for consolation.This is already possible.Finally, if we cannot say these words from the heart - "Thy will be done" - we can say them even with our lips, even against our hearts, and it will be pleasing to God: "not as I, but as You." who did not want to ask anything of the Lord, relying entirely on His will, even if He deigned to send him into hell itself. Of course, this is impossible in practice, but a person can reach such a degree that he even agrees to this, if only the will of the Lord is fulfilled. That was the only thing he wanted! He did not even ask for forgiveness of his sins, he did not ask for anything, he only wanted one thing: let the will of God be done! Of course, such people are exceptional, but it is possible. When Venerable Seraphim of Sarov was asked how he answered questions so immediately and correctly, he answered: "I, like forging iron, have given myself over to the will of God. And what the first inspires me, I answer, believing that it is from God. And when I begin to think, I am often mistaken."On this topic, about the glorification of God for everything, there is a beautiful word in Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov) - to always say: "Glory to God for everything!" At first they seemed cold to her, but she kept repeating them. Then my heart warmed and was filled with faith. It ended with full hope: everything will end for good! And two weeks later - and so it happened. In any case, we can pronounce these wonderful words even in our minds or in our tongues. And there are such people even now, we have seen and heard them. And worldly people who are engaged in earthly affairs. And when you ask them how they live, you will hear the answer: "Thank God!" This means that it is possible not only for the saints, but also for others, ordinary ones. The simplest. And so it is. Of course, the Lord always does His will, if we at least do not resist Him. But in the usual way, He does not want to violate our freedom, but first waits for our consent. In this respect, the behavior of the Mother of God is striking, wondrous, and wonderful. Many times She had to marvel when the Archangel Gabriel brought Her the good news of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her. The Virgin - and the Archangel tells Her about the birth of the Son. Yes, not just a person, but... God, the Son of God. What mind could accept this? No! And what about Her? - I asked only one question: "How can it be, if I do not know a man?" - "The Holy Spirit will come upon You..." - also absolutely, absolutely incomprehensible! The Archangel refers to Elizabeth and her conception of John, the future Forerunner. But there is not a virgin, but a married woman, and she did not conceive God, but a man... All that remained was to believe. And the Mother of God asks nothing more, but only says: "I am a servant of God! May it be with me according to Thy word!" And the Archangel flew away from Her. The incarnation in her was accomplished. She Herself could not explain it either then or never. Thus it is read to Her in the akathist: "Rejoice, O thou who didst give birth to the Ineffable Light! Rejoice, O thou who didst teach not a single one!" From this greatest event in the world we learn that God requires our consent first in goodness. And He does the same with the saints. And if we surrender everything to His will in advance, then He already creates everything as it is salvific for us. And this path is the most beautiful and correct for us. If, in spite of God's calling, we want to do something according to our own will, then He does not oppose this, but allows it. However, even then, by His good Providence, He corrects our mistakes and directs the most evil to good consequences. Sometimes it seems that our events develop unexpectedly, as if by chance for us, and only then do we discover that they are salvific for us! And then you involuntarily say: glory to God! And you will believe more strongly in His good Providence. And you will have more hope in His will! And the further, the more! And gradually a person will come to the point where he himself will willingly ask: "Thy will be done." Even he will be afraid of his own will, will not want it, because he does not see the good in it. He will seek God's will in everything.Now the question naturally arises: how do we know what God's will is? Different answers are given by spiritual fathers. Others say: ask the holy elder. And if you can't see them? Ask not the saint, but only "do not remain alone," says Bishop Theophan the Recluse (see his book "What Does a Repentant and Enter the Path of Salvation Need?"). Others will say: pray, and the Lord will reveal His will to you. And this is good. I think: there is no need to torture the will of God! And only live as we live, to put it simply, because the Lord constantly cares for us and guides us. Live as life itself develops, its very environment. It is formed by God's Providence! Then you won't have to ask. Of course, if there is someone to ask, ask him. The only good thing here is that you don't rely on yourself, but ask someone else. Obedience itself is good for you. And for this humble question alone, God will do His will with you.The following example comes to mind from the history of the Fathers. One ascetic could not understand a certain question. I prayed - the Lord did not open it. I fasted - there was no shower. Then he decided to go to the nearest elder. And he had just closed the door of his cave when an angel from God appeared to him and explained something incomprehensible. "Why did you not come when I was praying and fasting?" - "Because," the angel answered, "God wants people to be saved together" (if only not alone). The will of God can also be known through moral consequences: repentance and sorrows. Sometimes the enemy, says St. Macarius of Egypt, imitates us for good: firmness, zeal; to the kind, warm-hearted - to his kindness, making him soft, weak; it is even imitated by prayer, humility... There are many examples. Therefore, it is better to ask the most experienced. But if there are no such people in the vicinity, then consult with one, or even two friends in God. The simplest thing is to ask the parish spiritual father; he may not be very holy and wise himself, but for the sake of your faith and humility the Lord will reveal His will through him. Sometimes the Lord reveals His will in this way, but this is a risky way: it should not be used. There is conscience, there is prayer, there is prudence, there is a friend - turn to these paths with hope. And even if you make a mistake in something, but sincerely and through your unreasonableness, the Lord will correct you. And it is better to make a mistake than to guess according to the word of God. The enemy will stumble you on this!Also, the Holy Fathers advise against believing visions, dreams, saints, imaginary prophets, and so on. Caution here will only be blessed by God, for it does not arise from distrust of divine things, but precisely from the opposite: how not to make a mistake? How could one not mistake darkness for light? the devil for a servant of God... And Satan himself, says the Apostle Paul, sometimes takes the form of an angel of light (2 Cor. II, 14). Nor is it necessary to cast lots for anything. Here is one of the surest ways to know the will of God: peace in the heart. If it is not there, then doubt the undertaking and refrain from doubt, advises St. Athanasius the Great. However, Bishop Theophan the Recluse warns: true good is preceded or accompanied by a certain sorrow, difficulty, temptation - this is from the enemy. Then, i.e. if there are no such sorrowful signs, do not trust your intention too much or "wait" for God's voice. For good things are almost always acquired with difficulty: "The Kingdom of God is needed," it is acquired with effort. However, the Holy Fathers give good advice from experience.Once the elders came to Anthony the Great. He asked them: what have they achieved in many years of podvig? One spoke of an extraordinary prayer, another of working miracles, a third of seeing angels. St. Anthony said to them: "It is not a great thing to work miracles, it is not a great thing to see angels, it is a great thing to see one's sins." And about sins - in the fifth petition.In conclusion of the interpretation of this petition, we can easily note that although it is required on earth, its goal is again heaven, God.By this petition we want the will of God to be done in us, and it consists in that we desire and do what God wants from us. And He may want us to be saved and prepare on earth for the Kingdom of Heaven, i.e. for life with God, with God, God's life - or in short: again to God! So in the Gospel it is said by the Lord Jesus Christ that He will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of the Father comes, when He will drink with His disciples "new wine", i.e. something Divine, not yet known to us (Matt. 26:29). Pascha is great and most sacred, O Christ! O Wisdom, and Skeleton of God, and Silo! Grant us more fully (the true: for all earthly things are not yet true, not present, but only a shadow of the future!) to partake of Communion, in the unfading days of Thy Kingdom."And the Apostle Paul says: this will be when the Son Himself, Christ the Lord, will submit to His Father, Who subdued Christ in all things! (1 Corinthians 15:28).

The fourth petition: "Give us this day our daily bread"

Let us move on to the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread."First of all, I would like to ask myself and my listeners the question: why, in what order is this petition placed in this place? That is, why is it in fourth place - after the previous three and before the fifth? The first three petitions, as well as the appeal to the Heavenly Father, can be called the heavenly part of the prayer. True, in the third - it is already reminiscent "and on earth"... Consequently, it would seem as if we had already passed from heaven to earth. But when we ask that on earth there be the will of God, the will of God, the will of heaven (and in heaven there is no other will but God's: in the One God, in the angels and the saints), then in the end we want it to be on earth, as in heaven, according to God. So, in essence, we want everything to be done here as it pleases God in heaven. And since it pleases God that we do everything for the glory of God and for the salvation of our souls, and our salvation consists in preparing for the Kingdom of Heaven, for the Kingdom of God, it means that earthly life is only a path there, a temporary, hospice for pilgrims, and the goal, the end of striving, also remains the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, Divine, or for creation - grace-filled. life in the Holy Spirit.In this way, the third petition also turns our soul to God – so it becomes, but only the place of God's will is no longer heaven, but earth.In the fourth petition the petition is set forth directly about earthly things, not only in the sense of action, but also about the subject of the petition: for earthly bread.The truth is an interpretation that bread can be understood as spiritual nourishment, i.e. Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. So Christ Himself said about Himself: "Moses did not give you bread from heaven (i.e. manna), but My Father gives you true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. To this they said to him: "Lord! Always give us such bread. And Jesus said to them (the Jews): I am the bread of life: he that cometh unto me shall never hunger, neither shall he that believeth on me ever thirst" (John 6:32-35)." The Jews murmured against Him because He said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." But the Lord said to them again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; he who eats this bread will live forever; but the bread which I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:47-48, 51). After these words, the Jews began to argue among themselves, saying, "How can He give us to eat His Flesh?" And Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in yourselves. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he who eats Me will live by Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:53-58). These words are wonderful.. And "many of His disciples" began to murmur among themselves: "What strange words," who can hear this? But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were murmuring about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? What then, if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? The Spirit gives life; the flesh profiteth nothing. The words which I speak unto you are spirit and life" (John 6:60-63).From that time many of His disciples departed from Him and walked no more with Him. But the Lord not only did not renounce His words, but did not make it clear by a single word that they had misunderstood His words. On the contrary, he spoke especially to the twelve and asked them, "Will ye also go away?" To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life: and we believed, and knew that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (John 6:66-69). But this time one of the twelve did not agree with them, although he did not say so: it was Judas Iscariot. He will remain an unbeliever at the Last Supper, although he will accept a "morsel", and, of course, eat it as simple bread. But because of this unbelief, "after this morsel Satan entered into him" (John 13:26-27).Despising all this, the Lord answered them: "Have I not chosen you twelve? but one of you is the devil." This (explains the Evangelist John) He spoke of Judas Iscariot of Simon, for he wanted to betray Him, being one of the twelve (John 6:70-71). And, of course, there can be no doubt about the truth of the words of the Lord Himself, that He is the Bread of life. And therefore we need to commune with faith and the fear of God "for the remission of sins and eternal life." And by this, with all his faith, he confirmed the truth of the words of Christ the Lord, that He is truly the Bread of life. And consequently, the "bread" in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer can undoubtedly be understood as the Lord Himself in the sacrament of His Body and Blood. As we have all understood up to now, the Lord Himself understood the word "daily bread" this time to mean ordinary bread and nourishment. And he called it "urgent" because we need it only to exist. And even then "today", only for today. Let's pay attention to this. People almost always strive to increase their possessions and, first of all, food. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the Lord Himself pointed this out: the rich man gave feasts every day. Job's children gathered each day in turn at one of the seven brothers for a joint feast, although Job himself did not participate in them. The Apostles also asked during the Lord's lifetime: "Behold, we have left everything and have followed you: what shall we do for this?" They still understood according to earthly things, and it was not for nothing that Christ the Lord reproached them for this: "You do not know what you ask!" When the Lord said of the rich: "It is difficult for them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven," Peter will ask: "If so, then who can be saved?" Why does he ask about it? After all, he himself was a poor man, a fisherman, a worker! After all, the Lord did not say: it is difficult for the poor to be saved! And they "left everything" even the little that they had - the boat and the nets. Why do they ask: Who can be saved? Peter was also thinking about something when he asked such a question. All these questions can be answered as follows: all people want better, more, and this desire for more should be considered the love of money, the desire for wealth. Do not the majority of the poor, the workers, the fishermen want more in their hearts? Did they not want to be rich? There are few of them. Hardly one in a thousand will find such a person. And even then it is doubtful. This is what Peter knew. And that is why he asked such a strange question for a fisherman: who can be saved? But abundance is very tempting. That is why the Lord warns against this temptation. And indeed: how much evil is there on earth because of property? How many quarrels, even wars? And how much anxiety does almost everyone have? The whole world, one might say, lives with these worries and torments. Everyone is looking for an outcome, and it is so simple! I should stop striving for more! We should be content with little. You need to take care only of the essentials in order to survive. And then, as it were, the whole life was simplified! But who would want that? Who will obey? The Lord Himself reproached the people for this search for abundance. When he fed 5000 people with five loaves of bread, then the people who saw the miracle done by Jesus said, "This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world." Naturally! He gives food freely, and in abundance. After 5000 people, they gathered and filled 12 boxes with pieces of 5 barley loaves, which remained with those who ate. According to the number of the 12 apostles: 12 boxes! And what happened? Did people believe in Christ as the Son of God? Have you thought about your sinfulness (love of money, love of the earth)? Did they even ask, as Peter did, who could be saved? Not at all! On the contrary, they only have an appetite, they want to come, accidentally take Him and make Him king. Did Christ really come for this? Is it possible that the root of the world's troubles lies in the lack of possessions? Is it possible that when the Jewish kingdom was restored under Christ (although this would obviously be doomed to a new failure in advance), the "blessed kingdom" would come? A person with his desires, passions, and lusts would remain the same as he was. No, he would even become worse: for having received more, he would soon become dissatisfied with it (for the appetite usually grows with food, say the French) and would want even more. His disciples went down to the sea in order to sail to Capernaum by night. The miracle was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. At night, the Lord caught up with them on the water. The rumor of the miracle of the five loaves spread quickly. Of course! Bread - free! And they multiply wonderfully: from five barley loaves - 5000 people are satisfied! People rushed to Capernaum, where the disciples sailed with 12 boxes! They see: Jesus is already here. And when the boat with the disciples sailed away, the people saw that He was not with them. How did it happen? But they were interested in something else! Not one or even two miracles, but the saturation with bread. And when they saw Jesus with the disciples on the other side of the sea, they asked Him out of curiosity, "Rabbi! When did you come here?" The Lord, without answering their question, answered them: "Verily, verily, I say to you, you seek me, not even because you have seen miracles, but because you have eaten bread and are satisfied. Strive not for perishable food, but for food that endures unto eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for the Father God has put His seal on Him." The people asked, "What shall we do?" Jesus Christ answered them, "This is the work of God, that you should believe in Him Whom He has sent!" And the people asked, "What sign wilt thou give, that we may see and believe thee? What are you doing? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written, Bread from heaven gave them to eat" (N. 77:24). Then the Lord began to speak of an even higher thing – of the sacrament of Communion (see Jn., ch. 6)." What a sign you will give..." How sorrowful is this petition! They have just seen the miracle of satiety, but they ask. What hypocrisy! What blindness! What an incapacity for spiritual things! And He began to speak to the people about Communion. And even many of the disciples departed from Him. And they no longer walked with Christ. This is how people are attached to earthly abundance. But this is not why the Lord came. On the contrary: He came to attract to the abundance of heaven and to distract from attachment to earthly things. Here it is useful to turn to the words of the one with whom this change took place, to the Holy Apostle Paul.Like the Jewish people, they first wanted earthly abundance. But when he turned to Christ, this is the instruction he gave to his disciple Timothy. All our efforts are to follow the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching about the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is the true bread of the spirit! But if anyone teaches otherwise, he is proud, knows nothing, and from this arise vain disputes between people of corrupt minds, strangers to the truth, who think that piety and faith serve for gain. Keep away from such (cf. 1 Tim. 6:3-5).These are very instructive words: one should not think that faith promises earthly contentment! Yes, a true believer himself does not want this. He is not interested in it, as an insignificant thing! Meanwhile, both then and now, there are people who would like to combine both faith and gain. Even more: they are inclined to look at faith itself as a means to earthly well-being. What does this actually mean? This means: to turn God Himself into a means! Is this not blasphemy? Meanwhile, even now sectarians attract clients with the promise of a "good" life, earthly well-being. The Apostle says otherwise in the Epistle to Timothy: "It is a great gain to be godly and content. For we have brought nothing into the world; it is obvious that we cannot take anything out of it. Having food and clothing, let us be content with this. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, and into a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which plunge people into misery and destruction; for the love of money is the root of all evil, to which some have departed from the faith, and have subjected themselves to many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:6-10). And he himself attained this state, "and rejoiced exceedingly," he says to the Philippians, who sent him certain gifts in the Roman prison: but "I do not say this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content with what I have. I know how to live in poverty, I know how to live in abundance. He learned everything and in everything: to be satisfied and to endure hunger, to be both in abundance and in lack. I can do all things in Jesus Christ who strengthens me. However, you did well to take part in my sorrow... I say this not because I seek giving; but I seek fruit that will multiply for your benefit... May my God supply all your need, according to His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:II-19). You read the lives of the holy desert dwellers and monks: in what poverty they lived! One is even amazed: is this possible by human strength? Once a day, and some - after three days they ate something, others even less often. And is it only in deserts and monasteries? A whole people - even our Russian - lived a miserable life. And when you ask - how are you? They answered: "Thank God, little by little!" and I happened to see such a poor man who refused even the pie I offered: "No, I don't need it! There is bread!" This means that it is possible to exist: what more? They will say: are there many of them? Maybe not much, but others are already content with what they have. And others are moderate in life. Still others are ready to share with the poor what they can. These are all different degrees of being satisfied with everything. And how many earthly cares are removed from a person by such a view! How sorrows are diminished! But let's move on." Our bread..." "Ours" is not said: mine, but ours. Do we pay attention to this word? Not just "essential" - for me, for my family! - and ours, us, for us, for everyone. We have already explained in the Lord's Prayer that the Lord commands us to pray to God in general not only on behalf of oneself, but on behalf of all and for all. The father is one, and we are all brothers. In the same way, we should pray for our daily bread not only for ourselves, but for all of us. In this our brotherly love is manifested. After all, it would be inconceivable that in one family one was full and the other hungry. In fact, in the whole human family, one should live a common interest, a common life. And we only care about ourselves, about our family. At best, about their state. But not mine, not our state - seems alien to us, not in the least interesting to us. There is hunger somewhere, thousands are dying - "this is not with us". Pestilence, plague, diseases - "not with us". How far the Lord's Prayer is from our lives! We don't even think about it, but there was a different time. Christians lived a common life, as the book of the Acts of the Apostles writes about it. Yet all the believers were together and had all things in common: "And they sold their possessions and all their possessions, and divided them among all, according to the need of each" (Acts 2:44-45). "But the multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul, and no one called anything of his possessions his own. But they had everything in common. There was no one needy among them" (Acts 4:32, 34).But even in Christianity this order did not last long. Soon the deception was revealed. A certain Ananias and Sapphira conspired not to give the entire price for the estate sold, but only a part of it. And for this lie they were punished with death by the Apostle Peter (Acts 5:1-11). None of the strangers dared to molest them. Seeing such love between them, the people, even if they did not believe, glorified them (Acts 5:13). There were also the so-called "agapes", from the Greek word agape - love (These agapes were later abolished by the Councils - Ed.). Coming to the divine services, Christians arranged "love suppers" after them, but divisions began there too, as the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians (1 Cor. II, 17-22). And yet, in spite of all these shortcomings, it pleased God to leave for the edification of all Christian communities the memory of such a common life. And with the Christian view of "daily bread" and with true love, this was possible. Now, when we strive not for the minimum, not for "daily bread," but for the maximum, for as much as possible, it is, of course, difficult. "Daily bread" would be enough for everyone, and if some want to live in "abundance", then others will lack bread. And it's not even about bread. After all, Christ the Lord wanted Divine, heavenly life for people. For this purpose He commanded us to take care of and pray for "daily bread," i.e. for the most necessary, and not to torment ourselves with worries about harmful wealth, which here also draws one into various lusts and divisions and makes it difficult to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, as the Lord said about the rich young man. If this communion of possessions is aimed at contentment, abundance, and wealth, then this is not at all what the Lord came to earth for and gave the commandment about "daily bread." On the contrary, such intercourse only arouses a greater desire for abundance, i.e., it ultimately develops our appetites. And it comes from selfish materialism, carnality, love of wealth, contentment. But even in such an imperfect state of Christianity, the doctrine of "daily bread" and of love is of no small importance: it brings moderation into life, it limits our appetites.A foreign public politician recently put it this way: people still do not want to understand such a simple thing, even from a purely economic point of view, as conscience. And this is true. Although it is not necessary to look at piety as a path for "profit," according to the words of the Apostle, there is no doubt that sincere piety will certainly lead to economic well-being. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all the rest, i.e. earthly things, shall be added unto you," said the Lord. And God Himself will give us what we need, if we are not tempted in our souls by the desire for wealth and abundance, if it is not dangerous to us. "Wealth, if it flows to you, do not set your heart to it," says the Old Testament. And Chrysostom calls: "If you want wealth, flee from wealth: and wealth will run after you." And it does not deceive him, there is another true wealth: the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God is within us. Then one daily bread will be enough. Even less! But the Lord's Prayer was given not for exceptional ascetics, but for all Christians. Daily bread is also needed here. And in general, so-called private property is allowed: "What you owned," says the Apostle Peter to Ananias, "was it not yours, and what was acquired by sale was not in your power?" (Acts 5:4). Christianity has permitted and permits this. If only there were no striving for abundance, but we would be content with what is necessary: "Give us this day our daily bread." And when a certain man asked the Lord to divide him justly with his brother, He said to him: "Who has appointed Me to judge or divide you?" And further: "Take heed, beware of covetousness, for a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:13-15). Especially the Kingdom of Heaven.I would also like to dwell on a small question. No matter how little it is to think only about "daily bread", and even then only "today", for the present day, but why else do we need to pray to God about this "give us"! When I used to read the Lord's Prayer, I did not understand: why do I need to ask God for such a thing as daily bread, since bread was in abundance even for any beggar! When I was young, I had seen one in my district: he always had two sacks quite full, one for flour and the other for "pieces," i.e., slices of bread. And it seemed to me that there would always be enough bread for everyone. Why then ask God for it, "Give it to us"? I was living in Moscow at that time, as a member of the Church Council. The revolution began. And we lacked simple bread! I was in Moscow at the time, and we were only given 1/8 a pound a day, and even that was with a bonfire. One day I was walking down the street and saw a hungry, staggering little dog: it staggered helplessly and staggered and staggered. That's when I realized: yes, you need to pray and ask God for your daily bread! Otherwise, you can die of hunger!After all, we, in fact, are constantly present at a miracle: thousands of breads of different kinds grow from the same land. We are not surprised at this just because we are used to it. And if we saw this miracle for the first time, we could not be surprised. Where does all this come from? The same land will give birth to different things. No wonder one northern old woman, eating watermelon, said with admiration: "I wish I could at least see where these watermelons grow!" All this was created by God Almighty. It still holds on, although non-believers do not admit it, but explain it by "nature". But is soulless nature intelligent? Of course not! And the one who refers to nature, in fact, covers up his ignorance. It is necessary to ask Him for everything: even for a piece of daily bread, at least for one day. And even then the thought comes to me: after all, this petition was also spoken by the Savior Himself. God! For this reason alone, we must believe Him wholeheartedly and ask for our daily bread. In any case, such a petition speaks of our faith and humility. About faith because by this we express hope in God in everything, even in the most "essentially" necessary. About humility because it teaches us to be content with little. In addition, this petition also brings good results to the whole world, because it teaches the limitations of our wishes, and this is reflected throughout the world, because any struggle, enmity and envy leads to quarrels and wars. And then life becomes much more difficult! And the Lord wants to make our earthly life easier as well.Finally, the words: "our" and "us" remind us of our love for each other. And even if we do not humble ourselves so much as to ask only for "daily bread," and for all "us," let at least the Christians show this modesty of our petitions! At the very least, let everyone think only of himself: he will undoubtedly benefit from the soul. But it cannot be that the good deed of an individual does not influence others. However, one should not think about this, because it is not humble. It would even be even more sinful, because having limited ourselves bodily, we would "expand" spiritually: in pride - by our kindness, in self-conceit - about our imaginary "holiness". And vice versa, the more modest you are in your demands and the more humble you are, the stronger your influence will be. Yes, you will have more time for spiritual life, if you are content with little! Or rather: your whole life will turn into a continuous spiritual life.Here we recall the instruction of St. Seraphim of Sarov to the Diveyevo "orphans". Giving them instructions for their daily life, he taught them: one should not read various akathists, nor give detailed promises, but after reading it, Seraphim, a small "ruler", eat a little of something and immediately go to obedience or to work, which is indicated by the elders, but in between work, silently, say the Jesus Prayer. So until lunch. After dinner - "Praviltse", and again to work with the addition to the Jesus Prayer: "by the prayers of the Mother of God". Then, before going to bed, again "right" - and sleep." And I assure you: you will be saved," Fr. Seraphim consoled his "orphans." Fr. Seraphim did not bless the long Sarov prayer routine for the Diveyevo sisters: it is difficult for monks as well. But they did not always obey him in this: they tried to be like Sarov in the prayer rule. And the priest knew from his own experience how to pray better and generally be saved. He was not an adherent of a long rule, but in his heart he constantly prayed. And this is exactly what the Lord requires: "Son! Give Me your heart!" Prayer is not yet prayer! And those who know the monastic order know that true men of prayer are given freedom in prayer: in the sketes, for example, they can get up later and go to bed later, and do not fulfill the rule of the services, but try to pray "without ceasing," according to the Apostle's command: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). peoples think about other ways of existence, in particular, about the state method of equalizing property. And it seems at first glance that this is very similar to the early days of Christianity, when everyone had everything in common and no one called anything "theirs". But in fact, there is a big difference here.Namely: if the Lord wants to relieve us of unnecessary worries, to reduce us to a minimum of existence, then in modern searches for the improvement of life the basis of aspirations is promised, and in some places they really give a maximum of abundance. Not only do they say: there will be free bread, and moreover in abundance, but we must expect a sweet life in the future.Already here there is a fundamental difference: the Lord wants to reduce our bodily cares to a minimum, but on a world scale they attract us with abundance, so that, they say, there is time for cultural education and all kinds of pleasures. Such are the various sources.Then: Christianity proceeds from moral motives and strives for them; Human ways of improving life have as their goal material well-being, which is supposed to lead them to moral perfection, although this, in fact, does not interest the reformers of life. It would be sweet to live here, because then everyone will die, and nothing but dust will remain of them. Christianity proceeds from religious Divine commandments, from faith in God and eternal responsibility for one's life; earthly paths, on the other hand, reject everything immaterial. Moreover, they consider faith in God not only superfluous, but even harmful to this life, because it distracts from the material goal, tears away from revolutionary methods, teaches humility, while modern theories try to arouse legal consciousness, pride. which is completely false. Christ Himself is considered a legend, and therefore modern reformers in various ways raise persecutions against Christianity, as if it were harmful. But in fact, it first of all attracts blessing and mercy from God to people. It introduces peace into society, stops crime, brings moderation into our relations, preaches law-abiding and reverence for leaders, even if they are irreligious, teaches patience, etc. Therefore, the leaders should not persecute Christianity, but support it. But it is difficult for them because the whole spirit of Christianity is different from the worldly ways. And believers do not benefit from such constant well-being, it is known that Christ Himself suffered - before the crucifixion - and called those who followed Him to do the same (Matt. 16:24-25). Through the sufferings of the martyrs, the Christian faith was strengthened. "The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the new Christians," says Tertullian. And this truth is still valid today. This is a fact.Therefore, the Christian Church is spiritually better where the cross of Christ precedes it. And therefore, at the Second Coming of the Lord, "the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven," i.e. again the cross of Christ (Matt. 24:30; Mark 14:62; Rev. 1:7; Zech. 12:10). All Christian preaching is called "The Word on the Cross" (1 Corinthians 18:23). Further, Christians who suffer are undoubtedly higher than those who live in better material conditions. More salvific than sorrow than earthly well-being! And true Christians even desire to suffer for Christianity and for salvation, hence the martyrs, and the desert dwellers, and the good monastics, and the fools-for-Christ have always sought for themselves sorrows, the cross (Matt. 16:24-27; Lk. 12:4-9; 23-31, 49-53). They lose their possessions, and sometimes their very lives. This, of course, hurts them. But it is useful for the salvation of their souls, for it is said: "It is difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 19:23; Mark 10:23-26; Luke 18:24). And it is also difficult for them to enter the Kingdom of God! And again there is a need for the Lord to send to help people: famine, fires, floods, wars. Temporarily, this sobers us up. And then we again strive for wealth: again our daily bread is not enough for us.Even if we do not become materialists, but remain believers, but at the same time we want to be rich. And then self-deception occurs: we imagine ourselves to be defenders of the Christian faith, but in fact we become pagans, Jews who crucified Christ, opponents of the "Word of the Cross." And who knows if in such cases we are not worse than the unbelievers themselves? So, the modern so-called Christian peoples, the Catholic Church with its many riches, the United States, which are at the head of the opponents of the new trend, do they not turn out to be worse than the Chinese, Hindus and non-believers in different countries? Are they trying to use colonial and semi-colonial countries for cheap raw materials? Do they threaten with various bombs to those who disagree with them? Is this Christianity? They have collected a large amount of the world's gold and bribe states in need with it under the guise of "help". Does not the denunciation of the Pharisees and hypocrites apply to us, that we "give" tithes of mint, anise, and cumin, and have forsaken the most important things in the law: judgment, righteousness, mercy, love, and true faith; this should be done, and not forsaken. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, while inside they are full of theft and unrighteousness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, for you are likened to painted sepulchers, which on the outside seem beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of uncleanness! In the same way you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matt. 23:23-28). And you ask: Do we not blaspheme the name of God? Let us frankly ask: are nations attracted to Christianity through us? Isn't it the other way around: don't we push them away from us? Missionary work in the United States and even in England was widely organized, but China fell away from their influence, and India from England! France had sent preachers to Indochina, and now they had to pay with bitter tears. The British have seized more space than anyone else on the globe, and now (in 1954 - Ed.) their cause is falling apart: even their own dominions are separating. There is no need to talk about India! Yes, things end badly for the so-called Christian nations. And how can we attract people to Christ, when we ourselves go against the cross of Christ in our lives!? And will there not be retribution for us, hypocrites?" May all the righteous blood shed on the earth come upon you! Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation." (Matt. 23:35-36).In conclusion, however, let us turn to ourselves, and first of all to the "leaders", the clergy. Even if they are not even "logs", but also knots. What is the use of other people's shortcomings for us? But turning to oneself, one involuntarily thinks, like the ancient Jews about Christ's parables about the taking away of their kingdom: "By saying this, you also offend us!" Do not these words about "painted coffins" apply to us as well? I'm afraid to say with confidence, but I have to think about it. What should we do then?Others, perhaps, will say: this teaching about "daily bread" is difficult. There is no doubt that it is difficult. But it's also easy! This was said by the Lord Himself (Matt. II, 29). If this were impossible, then the Lord would not have given us such a prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread." If he did, then it was possible! This makes life in general, and even material life, easier. Of course, the question is in degree. But it is important that we hear in this petition a call for the essential, the necessary, and not for abundance. Then, since everything is governed by the providence of God (the Almighty), we need to rely on Him in everything. After all, He is "the Lord of His harvest" (Matt. 9:38). Therefore, let us trust in Him! "Salt is a good thing, but if salt loses its potency, how can it be corrected? Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Luke 14:34-35) - said the Lord. God! Have mercy on us!

The fifth petition: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"