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"

In this petition we ask for some of our "debts". We all know that "debts" mean our "sins." Why are sins called debts? Because the debtor is indebted to the lender from whom he borrowed money, and by this he is guilty before him, until he repays the entire debt, or until he is forgiven by the lender. And in order to make our sinfulness more understandable to us, so the Lord compared our sins to debts, which we all know. But there is a higher meaning in this. Debt is debt because we owe someone. To whom do we owe our sins? God and sin: these concepts are inseparable. That is, if a person does not believe in God, then he cannot and should not admit any sin, because there is no one to answer to. And vice versa: if we believe that God exists, and that He has given us commandments on how to live, then we are responsible to Him, even if no one, except us, imagines, knows, or even considers us "good", almost "holy" people. Ivan was a "legitimate" son and lived as a "master" in the house of a rich father, received an education, became an unbeliever, and taught the same unbelief to Grigory. And Grigory was born from the half-fool Lizaveta Smerdyashchaya and from her he received the surname Smerdyakova. He was also taken to Karamazov's house, but there he performed the duties of a footman, although the brothers knew that he was born of the same father, Fyodor. Of course, he was not taught anything, although he was a capable man. And so Fyodor was killed. By accident, suspicion fell on the elder brother, Demetrius, while the real murderer was Gregory. One day he talked to the scientist Ivan about his crime, although no one thought about it. "Although I killed my father," he said coldly and without any pity and without consciousness of his sin, "you are the real murderer: after all, you said that there is no God. And since there is no God, then everything is possible!" (I'm writing from memory: I've been reading about it for a long time.) And, undoubtedly, it is true: if there is no God, then there is no immortality, there is no judgment, there is no responsibility for anything, there are no commandments, neither God's, nor within oneself, i.e. conscience. "Live in the moment," as they say sometimes. Or like the Apostle Paul: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die!" (1 Corinthians 15:32).And I will even say more: if you do not believe in God, then you should not be troubled by your conscience: this is not logical, not reasonable! Why confuse yourself if there is no God?! Do whatever you want now! After all, the cow is not embarrassed by anything - if only she eats grass; and the dog, if it bites someone, is not ashamed; And the cat, when it bites a mouse, does not feel sorry for it, and even teaches its kitten to do so. And vice versa: if you believe in God, then conscience is clear, and responsibility for our deeds is necessary. I knew the hieromonk. Once he accompanied me from the monastery to the skete and brought me a rather heavy parcel. I asked to be allowed to bear it myself: "This will be my penance for my sins," I said to him. And he answered me as follows: "If I had cut my whole body into pieces during penance, they would not have been enough for this!" I don't remember whether this time he told me himself or whether others told me about him, but the thing was this: he considered himself so sinful that he himself imposed a penance: never "to put on an epitrachelion", i.e. not to perform sacred services. No one accused him, no one tried him, the diocesan bishop did not know anything, and he could have lived carefree. But he condemned himself: "no more to put on the stole" - for his sins. His conscience realized that he was unworthy to be a clergyman. From that time on, he performed the duties of a peddler in the refectory of the brethren, and in church he was a psalmist: he read slowly, crossed himself earnestly, and even pressed his fingers into his body when he placed crosses. And the brethren did not see him grieved, although they treated him as a servant at a meal. And he was already more than 70 years old with me. Small in stature, very thin. Here is an example of how a person himself is aware of his sins, although they are unknown to anyone except God and the sinner himself; An inner voice convicts us. It is not for nothing that St. Andrew of Crete, in the Lenten canon of the first week, says: "There is nothing more necessary (compulsory) than it!" Sin is lawlessness"; every sinner is a "transgressor of the law" of God (James 2:II). And Professor P-ky of St. Petersburg University was absolutely right when he said that the basis of law has its roots only in religion, without this it is not at all necessary for us, even irrational, unreasonable. Then there is only one hope for "moral" behavior: the terror of power (courts, prisons, corporal punishment, the death penalty, etc.). But in essence, this is not "moral" behavior, but fear of power, nothing more! In this respect, Christianity, as the highest form of religion, is only more deeply aware of sins than others. And it is understandable: it puts us closer before the face of God and more sensitive before our conscience. Therefore, the more perfect a Christian is, the more he recognizes himself as a sinner. But this will be discussed later. And now we will pose the following question: this petition for "sins" is placed after "daily bread." After all, sins are incomparably worse, heavier, more important than poverty, misery, hunger. And it would seem that in terms of meaning they should be placed above "bread". Why were they placed after him? Yes, this is exactly how Christianity, the Church, and the Holy Fathers look at this question. All who know the Gospel and the Epistles and carefully watch themselves and their lives, teach in this way: "The only evil in the world is sin!" On this we should also firmly establish: the only evil is sin! This is certain, as we shall see later. He is the root of all evil.Thus John the Baptist taught: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Thus did Jesus Christ: "The kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). And the purpose of the Lord's coming to earth was the salvation of sinners, as we all know. The apostles also taught: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). This is what all the Holy Fathers taught: one could cite thousands of excerpts here! But we, Christians, know this ourselves, so there is no need for other references. But when we get sick, or when famine comes, when there is not even enough bread, or in general when some earthly disasters come (fires, wars, etc.), we are very sensitive to this. And even then it must be said: if we learn to limit ourselves in life to our daily bread, then it will be easier for us to struggle with sins: the first is much less, and the second is incomparably more difficult. And ascetics usually began with bodily fasting, and then moved on to spiritual struggle. let us go on to talk about sins: this is more important than discussing the order of petitions.Some ask themselves the question: why did God not create man - incapable of sinning? To this it is usually answered: man, as the highest God-like being, must necessarily be free, i.e. capable of doing both good and evil. So it is with the angels: some fell, while others remained faithful to God. And that the first is also true, we hear from the words of Jesus Christ Himself. "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning" (Luke 10:18). But we will talk about this in more detail in the sixth petition.If man were not created free, like animals, then he would still do evil (like wolves, snakes, etc.), but he would not yet be aware of it: there would be a double sin; and now, with freedom, although we sin, we are aware of our sins, and sometimes we fight against them, even conquer them with God's help – we are capable and free to do so. And at least the desire not to sin is instilled in us (Romans 7:15-20), and this is the remnant of freedom. And without freedom, there is no virtue.And only those who voluntarily do good, and not unconsciously, like animals, are pleasing to God. And even then it must be said: that good is pleasing to God, which is done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ - so says St. Seraphim of Sarov; or to the glory of God - so often did Christ Himself say that He does everything for the glory of the Father: "Father! the hour has come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee... I have glorified Thee on earth, I have done the work which Thou hast commissioned Me to do" (John 17:1, 4 ff.). And Christ Himself said: "Ye shall ask in My name" (John 15:16; 16:23, 26). This is what we know from our experience.At this point we will end this question: why did the Lord create us as free people, and not as irrational creatures... And even in them there are the makings of freedom, and they obey us and each other... And what will happen after recovery? (See Romans 8:19-23.) And sometimes you even think: animals are sometimes better than people - kinder, more affectionate, more obedient, more patient, more humble... We all know this. And yet man was created free... And even sinless.And then he abused his freedom. Fell - by disobedience... And he did not even repent, but began to justify himself, referring to Eve, "whom Thou hast given me, she gave me of the tree, and I have eaten" (Gen. 3:12). Eve said: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (Gen. 3:13). And for this they had freedom: to repent or to justify themselves; they chose the latter. But it was necessary to admit a person: so that he did not think highly of himself... For this, the Lord expelled the forefathers, deprived them of the grace of the Holy Spirit and allowed them to live by their own will, their own freedom, but without the power of God that He gave them and which has now become difficult for them. But in essence, this "freedom" was already imaginary: they fell into slavery to the tempter, the devil, having listened to his advice against God. "Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin," said the Lord Himself (John 8:34). Sin began to dominate the world. And the evil master, the devil, became the "prince" of this world (John 12:31; 14:30). And the Apostle Paul says: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:II). (John 8:36; 2 Corinthians 3:17). This is true, spiritual freedom! Only the saints fully attain it. And we, sinners, are not yet free... This is the solution of the question: is there freedom of will in man? Now let's turn to the question: how sinful are we? From the Orthodox we often hear: "I am a sinner" or "I am a great sinner"... Such is our own consciousness.And in our divine services we constantly hear about sins.For example: let's take the morning and evening prayers. When I was in England, I became interested in this issue and their common poems, songs, and prayers in general. And I easily noticed that the English and the so-called Episcopalians in America thank and glorify the Lord more, especially for the embassy of His Son for the salvation of people.And we, the Orthodox, also give thanks, and this is especially manifested in the Liturgy, which is a thanksgiving and praise service to the Lord ("Mercy of peace, sacrifice of praise"), but at the same time the redemptive Sacrifice of the Son of God for our sins ("Surrendered, moreover, He gave Himself up for the life of the world" - in the second prayer on the Eucharistic canon). And in the litany "Let us fulfill" we ask: "forgiveness and forgiveness of sins and transgressions", "the rest of our life in peace and repentance", "good answer at the dread judgment of Christ", etc., etc. "From whence shall I begin to weep for my accursed deeds," with the refrains: "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me." Further: "Most Holy Lady, pray to God for us sinners", "All the Heavenly Powers of the saints and the Archangel, pray for us sinners", "St. John the Prophet and the Baptist... pray for us sinners", "Holy glorious apostles...", "Venerable and God-bearing... pray for us sinners", "Invincible... the power of the Cross, do not forsake us sinners", "God, cleanse us sinners..."But if we turn to our morning and evening prayers, we will see almost continuous prayer for sins and against the temptations of the enemy. It was in these prayers that I saw a huge difference between the Anglicans and us, the Orthodox! And only in the final exclamations do we have the glorification of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: "For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory", "For Thou art exalted", "For Thou art holy", "And to Thee we send glory", "For blessed art Thou", "As a lover of mankind", etc. and "evil", and "passionate", and "impure".Let us turn to the prayers before Communion. There we read: "having obeyed all of ourselves to sin," and compare ourselves with the harlot, the thief, the publican, the prodigal, the persecutor Saul, and we call ourselves "the three-accursed one." Against the last word - I remember back in the years of my student years - even a certain archpriest, a professor of the Theological Academy, "rebelled"; Meanwhile, this (6th) prayer was composed by such a great saint as Symeon the New Theologian!The favorite prayer on the lips of a good man of prayer (a monk; and there are such laymen, family, even those baptized from the Jews), as is known, is the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." And one Catholic priest, who traveled around Russia, said: "The Orthodox hear only a little in churches: 'Lord have mercy! O Lord, have mercy!" Oh, he still understood little! People revered him. And he had a novice. He lived with the elder for several years. Then he left him and began to revile him. Admirers told the saint about this. He answered them: "Oh! He doesn't know everything about me yet! If he knew this, he could say much more!" The elder accepted him without any "reproaches" (cf. James 1:5). And when he had apologized, he said to him, "And I have not even thought ill of you during this time!" And how many similar examples are told in the lives of saints! Repentance is the element of Orthodoxy!And I will also say about the weekday services every Monday and Tuesday, according to the Octoechos: the first canon to the Lord is always repentant. Let me take as an example from the first tone: "My sins are many", "Accept me now in repentance to Thy mercies", "Cleanse, O Blessed One, cleanse and save me", "Drawn by a multitude of sins and bowed down with the seven burdens of sins, and be filled with immeasurable judgment", "To whom shall I liken Thee, O my accursed soul, to worker cruel and do not good", "I have fallen into the corruption of passions and fear Thy righteous judgment", "Thou art the unknown and secret of my heart," "Fornicating me in the paths of perdition, and falling into the pit of sins, turn me, O Christ." At tonsure into monasticism, the sedalen of the second kathisma is sung: "Open the embrace of the Father to me (hasten): fornicating to wait for my life; O Saviour, do not despise the riches of Thy mercies, O Saviour, which is now impoverished in my heart! For Thee, O Lord, in tenderness (contrition) I call: Thou who have sinned, save me."And this is only a small part of what is in the Octoechos. And in the Lenten Triodion - even more. The canons of the Mother of God at Compline (daily) are almost always penitential.The services on feasts and saints, of course, are laudatory, but even there we ask (with the exception of the Twelve Great Feasts, with few exceptions) for forgiveness. And it can be said without exaggeration that on weekdays the services are almost pleading, touching, repentant. This means that an Orthodox person tears his soul for his sins... And some ascetics even shed frequent tears. For example, St. Ephraim the Syrian prayed: "Lord! leave me the waves of Thy grace!" And on his image is written: "Ephraim the sinner." Let's move on. How to deal with sins? First of all, we need to see our sins. Does this seem very easy to anyone at first? But I don't think so... And here are two simple proofs.How many people do we see who justify themselves... Can one in a hundred confess his guilt! Or maybe less? And here is another reverse example: the higher he is, the more sins he sees in himself. This means that in order to see one's sins, it is still necessary to stand on a certain height. Because there is still no clear light in the soul. The following comparison is usually used: if there is no sunlight through the window, then there is no dust in the room. But as soon as the ray flashes, we suddenly see a million dust particles in it. It is the same in the soul: when it is not yet enlightened, we do not see all our sinfulness, even we seem to ourselves "no worse than others", or "like everyone else", or even almost "holy". But when it is illuminated by the grace of God, then it sees in itself an innumerable multitude of sins, so that one can even fall into despondency and faint-heartedness! And in prayers, such people can speak sincerely, comparing themselves to cattle and even below them. Here, for example, is what is said in the canon to Jesus the Sweetest: "Bowing down, O Jesus, with dumb sweetness, Thou didst appear dumb, and verily, in my Jesus, passionately accursed, O Saviour. By this, O Jesus, deliver me from my speechlessness" (Ode 8).Or: "Christ Jesus! Thou hast sinned on earth from eternity, O my Jesus, as the accursed and the prodigal have sinned" (Ode 7).Or: "From Adam, my Jesus, who sinned all things, before the law and in the law, Jesus, and according to the law accursed and grace, my Jesus, conquered (surpassed) the accursed passions" (Ode 9). It even seems impossible to us! But those who wrote, of course, wrote sincerely... Fr. John of Kronstadt constantly wrote about his sins. And once he listed 130 sins! It was so incredible that one listener even came to me after this sermon in the church, to my apartment, and asked me: "Where did he get so many sins?" Perhaps you and I will find it unbelievable, so I will rewrite them here." If through repentance we want to please the Lord and save our souls, to attain freedom from sins and passions, we must repent from the depths of our souls, thoroughly, comprehensively, firmly, willingly; for in the depths of it all our sins nest and are rooted - self-love, carnality, gluttony, gluttony, sloth, self-pity, pride, self-conceit, arrogance, humiliation of others, envy, enmity, hatred, malice, viciousness, lust, fornication, impurity, willfulness, self-will, disobedience, rudeness, insolence, severity, obstinacy of disposition, doubt, unbelief, lack of faith, indifference to faith, ingratitude, covetousness, hardness of heart, avarice, greed, greed, covetousness, poison, deceit, deceit, slander, perjury, godliness, perjury, hypocrisy, partiality, bribery, captiousness, oppression, covetousness, theft, kidnapping, appropriation of another's property, abuse, indulgence in sins and indulgence, indulgence, vain pastime of time, games, idle talk, idle talk, foul language, vanity, luxury, extravagance, ill-will, ill-will, malice, malevolence, rancor, coldness, negligence, negligence in prayer and other matters, disrespect for old age, disobedience to parents and superiors, treachery and infidelity, inconstancy in virtue, vanity, timidity, despondency, faint-heartedness, hopelessness and despair, anger, irritation with the hand or beating on the face and other limbs, passion for reading empty or seductive books, negligence towards reading the Gospel and books of spiritual and religious content in general, inventing excuses for one's sins and self-justification instead of self-condemnation and self-accusation, passionate kisses or kisses, passionate touches, caresses, omissions, unscrupulous performance of official duties, negligence and haste, non-fulfillment of the oath, embezzlement, or theft of public property, arson or incitement to evil, murder, destruction of the conceived fetus in the womb, poisoning, eye scrutiny and damage to one's neighbor, curses on one's neighbor, curses, seduction into sects and schisms, dissemination of false and blasphemous opinions and teachings, superstition, stologacity, spiritualism or talking to spirits, hypnotism, or putting one to sleep and talking to a person who has been put to sleep in order to find out some secret from him (The Truth About God, the World, and Man, pp. 52-53). But you can accumulate even more sins! Two pages later, Fr. John again writes: "How great and deep is the corruption of our nature by sin in its innumerable forms and directions! I am aware of this and feel it every day, every hour. Every minute, like a hurricane, it is ready to envelop and stir, to disturb my soul suddenly at the slightest inattention and indulgence of his sensuality, to shake me either with anger, irritability, anger against my neighbor - especially the low and poor, who bothers me with daily begging, or with fornicatory thoughts and lusts and flattering remembrance and imagination of the sweetness of sin, or with envy in the most empty and unimportant things, or with partiality and pandering to people, now by covetousness, worldly love, now by vanity and vanity, now by disobedience, stubbornness and laziness, then by drowsiness and yawning, then by faint-heartedness, pride, despondency and weakness of soul and body; and by all kinds of sins it is intensified to push away from God - the Source of our life, light, peace and bliss" (p. 56).Two pages later he says: "And there are so many of them (sins) that it is difficult to count! Remember them, ask the Lord for the illumination of your heart, for the knowledge of them, for sighing, for tears" (p. 59)." Our heart is a field overgrown with weeds and unable to produce the wheat of life, the fruits of faith and virtue. It is necessary to constantly pluck out this weedy, innumerable grass and purify the heart by constant attention to oneself, by self-examination, self-condemnation, self-dejection, self-flagellation, tears, exercise in every virtue, especially in fervent prayer day and night, by reading the Holy Scriptures, singing psalms, the writings of the Holy Fathers. The saints worked all their lives to purify their hearts... Why do you sleep, my soul, and do not purify yourself every day? Wake up, do it even to the end!" And on the next page, "at the beginning of the week of the Passion of Christ," Fr. John again enumerates the sins: "self-love, carnality, voluptuousness," and so on; He even adds: "absent-mindedness, luxury, laughter, falsely named reason" and so on (56 in total)." I deeply grieve, weep and weep over the terrible plague of sin, which corrupts humanity, which suffers immeasurably, indescribably, in many ways - about the charm of sin, by which humanity is captivated and works for it, and even boasts of its work and is consoled as a kind of profit" (p. 140)." The blasphemy of sin is so great that the simplest things – for example: eyes, face, nose, eyebrows, every movement of the body, gait, look – make a sinful person with an impure disposition of heart, thoughts, and inclinations; every animal is blasphemy; holy icons at home and in church are blazed; the life-giving cross - the enemy envelops everything, everything with his impure, stinking fog" (p. 145)." Oh, that we would pay attention to the consequences of our sins or our good deeds! How careful we would be then, fleeing from sin! And how zealous they would be for good; For we would then clearly see that every sin, not expelled in time, strengthened by habit, takes deep roots in the heart of a person and sometimes confuses, wounds and torments him to death, awakening, so to speak, and reviving in him on every occasion reminiscent of the sin committed (before), thus defiling his thought, feeling and conscience. Clouds of tears are needed to wash away the old dirt of sin: it is so sticky and caustic!" (p. 594).It would seem that with such a multitude of sins, it is easy to consider oneself a sinner. But in fact, as we well know, not all of us see our sins. And the fact that we do not see all our sins can be constantly observed. It is rare, very rare that you meet a person who would be aware of his sinfulness; more often we have to observe how people, and sincerely at that, do not see their sins. And you constantly meet people who justify themselves in everything, and do not condemn and do not even realize anything bad about themselves... You'd think there were angels all around... And hardly one or two out of 100 people condemn themselves. Even sometimes at confession they do not know what sinful things can be said about oneself to the spiritual father. And some even allow us to say that they do not know their sins! Others say: "Like everyone else!" and sometimes they do not consider it a sin as a sin. For example, almost no one considers condemnation to be a sin, while we almost constantly condemn others.I recall a case from the past: being aware of the sin of condemnation, we (several people) conspired not to condemn others, at least for 5 minutes. And - alas! - We couldn't. Meanwhile, St. Ephraim the Syrian speaks about this sin in the following way. Since the soul is more important than the body, the sins of the soul are more dangerous and harmful than those of the body. However, I don't know how (he says), people think the opposite. And he indicates, for example, condemnation. The grace of God leaves a person for this alone! After all, condemnation is an expression of dislike for our "neighbor", even worse - a form of hatred for him. And the Lord said directly: "Therefore shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). What kind of disciples of Christ are we after this?! Now we ask, what should we do in order to at least see our sins? This is illuminated by the grace of Christ! And man himself, without the grace of God, cannot even see himself. This is a gift from God! That is why the same St. Ephraim taught us to pray during Great Lent: "O Lord! grant me to see my sins!" "Give", therefore, is a gift of God... And after that the second half of the petition is read: "And (a) do not condemn my brother"... Yes! if you think about your own sins, and think with contrition, then you no longer have time for the sins of your "brother"; on the contrary - by condemning him you increase your own sinfulness.It is good to look through your soul at least once a year when you go to confession. And some do not do this either... And gradually this soul falls asleep, freezes, turns to stone, and you need to wake it up with something... And in good monasteries there is a wonderful custom - "revealing thoughts" to an elder, even if he was not a hieromonk and could not absolve our sins. Some novices reveal their sins to him every day in the evening. And in this way they gradually learn to see themselves; And then they become elders. The history of the "eldership" (for example, in the Optina Hermitage of the Kaluga diocese) shows us that Fr. Macarius raised Hieroschemamonk Ambrose as an elder, Fr. Ambrose had his cell-attendant, Fr. Joseph, and so on. That is why our people aspired to monasteries. These elders knew their own souls deeply, and therefore they were well versed in the souls of their spiritual children.But we, worldly people, did not have this experience - neither in the family, nor in schools." And no matter what we were taught in schools," says Fr. John of Kronstadt, "there is only one thing that was not taught: how to fight sin!" First of all, before us, the Lord Himself desires this: "I do not desire the death of the sinner," He says through the prophet, "but that he should be converted and live." His purpose was not so much to make people act according to his commandments, as to make them aware through him of their sinfulness and inability to live virtuously. He was a "pestun," or guide to Christ, as a tutor leads his disciple to be a worthy son of his father. Or let us take another comparison: the law was a prosecutor for the Jewish people, it pointed out to them their sins and their inability to correct themselves - for this they needed the Messiah, Christ, the Redeemer, the Savior, by whose faith the Jewish people lived, waiting for the Messiah. The Apostle Paul says this about his pre-Christian state: "I do not understand what I do: for I do not what I will, but what I hate, I do... I know that it does not live in me... good, because the desire for good is in me, but I do not find it to do it... Poor man I am!" (Romans 7:15, 18, 24). There were exceptions - but few. As for the Gentiles, from whom even sinful Jews turned away, they were completely mired in sins (cf. Romans 1:22-32). But they also had two sources of good: "the contemplation of creatures" (Rom. 1:20), which led them to faith in God, and conscience (Rom. 2:15). And yet they sinned: "all were under sin" (Romans 3:9).And this accusatory purpose of the law led mankind to the Redeemer Christ, "Whom God offered as a propitiation sacrifice in His blood through faith" (Romans 3:25). And by His sufferings on the Cross He redeemed us, sinners, before the Heavenly Father. But this is not enough: as a result of this Sacrifice of His Son, God the Father sent the Holy Spirit, taken away from man after the Fall in Paradise. And now, from the Spirit of the day, He is saving mankind. Without Christ and without the Holy Spirit, man cannot be saved! He can't even wish you well! The grace of the Holy Spirit is given in the Church of Christ, especially in the sacraments: baptism, confession, communion, and anointing of the sick. That is why the Church is called "the bath of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). That is why the Holy Fathers, in particular St. Symeon the New Theologian, constantly speak of saving grace. That is why St. Seraphim of Sarov said that the essence of Christianity lies in the "acquisition of the Holy Spirit." That is why our prayers begin with "O Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth... come and dwell in us", because without Him we cannot pray as we should: "We do not know what to pray for as we should, - says the Apostle Paul, - but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26). And the Church, in the Holy Spirit, is the best hospital for sinful humanity. Confession is needed, if possible - frequent... We even think that it is useful to confess without communion, in order to regain the grace of the Holy Spirit, which we have lost through our sins. In the struggle with sins, one must remember the commandment of the Fathers: strike the serpent in the head, i.e. suppressing the sin at its very beginning, it will be more difficult in the future.There are many books concerning the spiritual struggle: the Philokalia (especially the first three volumes), the Ladder of St. John, the Homilies of St. Abba Dorotheus, St. Symeon the New Theologian (especially the first issue). But the grace of the Holy Spirit teaches a Christian even without books. Sometimes earthly sorrows also help: they humble us and urge us to seek help from Christ, our Advocate, before God: "There is one God, one and Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). through them, as St. John Chrysostom says, our former sins are forgiven. And in any case, they reveal the pride hidden in us. Often the Lord allows us, especially after condemnation, to fall into the same sins of which we condemn others. Through sins we lose our spiritual peace, for we depart from God and fall into slavery to the tormentor – the devil.But the Lord has set a special condition for us – a condition under which we can intercede for the "forgiveness" of our sins – this is the forgiveness of our debts to our debtors. On this condition we should pay special attention: thus the Lord said: "As we also forgive our debtors." - And therefore a believer should not ask, but fulfill. After all, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not add any explanation to His words. And this answer of faith is the best and truest! But if we still want to think about the reason for these words, then we can point to the following: "God is Love," as the Apostle John says (1 John 4:16). And therefore, if we want to receive mercy from Him, we must be worthy of it, we must become like God, i.e. we ourselves must show love. And vice versa: if we ourselves are cruel, then how can we hope to receive mercy from God, the Lover of mankind? if we ourselves are proud, then how will Christ, who humbled himself to death on the cross, give us forgiveness (Phil. 2:8)? This is impossible.. But not only will God not give such mercy, but even if He gave it to the sinner and hard-hearted, it will not be useful and salvific to him. On the contrary, it will encourage him to the worst. Why? Then he may think that he will receive mercy by remaining cruel himself. Will God be the cause of a greater evil? It is unthinkable to think about it! Therefore, before Great Lent on "Forgiveness Sunday", the Church established a pious rite for all Christians to ask forgiveness from the priest, and then from each other... Then this good custom was transferred to the family and bowed at the feet of their parents. And in ancient times in our Russia, before the rite of church forgiveness, enemies went to their opponents and asked them for forgiveness. And he (if he is not to blame) must show love and willingly forgive the enemy or offender. And only after that - go to confession and with hope wait for forgiveness from the Lord. Then it will be both beneficial and generous! About this the Lord told the parable of the cruel lender, who himself received forgiveness of a huge debt, but did not forgive his debtor, who owed him an insignificant amount, and even threw him to the ground, began to strangle him and put him in prison. By a multitude of duties is meant a multitude of sins, and by a small duty is understood our guilt before man, insignificant in comparison with sins before God. One man did not want to forgive the person who was guilty before him. Then the confessor ordered the Lord's Prayer to be read after him. When they came to this petition, the confessor said: "And forgive me not my debts, just as I do not forgive my debtor." And then, at last, he understood: what harm he was doing to himself, not forgiving his brother's guilt. And reconciled... Another case is cited. That was in ancient times. Two were threatened with martyrdom for Christ. Waiting for death, one asks the other for forgiveness, but he did not want to. And what happened? When the time of torture came, the first died a holy martyr, while the other renounced Christ. On the feast of the Holy Trinity, the Lord granted me fervent faith in the Trinity of the Godhead. But after the Liturgy, I very sharply condemned my brother-monk. And suddenly my faith in the Most Holy Trinity completely cooled down, and my soul became anguish. I realized that the deadening was the result of a condemnation (though apparently quite justifiable). I went to my brother and sincerely asked him for forgiveness. And immediately the fervent faith returned.Asking for forgiveness, of course, must be sincere, and not only with the lips or, as the Lord says: "God will not forgive you your trespasses, if you do not forgive your brother with all your heart." During my abbotship in a monastery abroad, Hieromonk N. was supposed to serve the Liturgy, and before that he had committed a crime against me. He came. And he pronounced repentance. The confessor told him to ask forgiveness from me. But his words seemed to me insincere, only on the tongue. And I told him about it, without even answering with the usual words: "God will forgive!" He asked him: did he ask forgiveness even with his lips? -Yes! - Therefore, serve! The two monks had a feud. When the fast came, they asked for mutual forgiveness, according to the common custom. One of them, however, came to me and said that he did not succeed in peace in his soul. "Did you blame him in your soul?" - I asked. "And you blame yourself!" But what if someone does not have enough strength to ask forgiveness from someone whom he considers guilty before himself (and not himself). To this, first of all, you need to say in the words of the Lord Himself: "What is impossible for man is possible for God!" Therefore, do not say: this task is beyond my strength! This is not true: God will help!I wrote advice to one person: in this case, confess at least to your confessor, realizing your powerlessness... But this person did not want to carry out this advice, saying: "I cannot..." And this is no longer true! It's not hard to say! And of course, the sin remains on him.A few more different thoughts about sins. Life shows us – and St. John of the Ladder says this – that if you condemn someone, then the Lord will allow that soon you yourself will fall into the same sin. The Lord does this in order to humble us and teach us not to judge others.I remember the following simple example. We are sitting at a lecture at the academy. The professor reads it diligently. Suddenly I saw that the student sitting in front of me and a step or two before the professor was yawning. I condemned him in my mind... After 2-3 minutes, I catch myself yawning in the same way. Recently I had to hear the joyful confession of one novice of the monastery: "When you come to your brother and bow at his feet, asking for forgiveness, then how good it is in the heart!" And from one elder came the following word, written down by his spiritual daughter: "People do not know what sweetness comes from love for enemies!" He had a single hive. And he was stolen from him. Then it turned out who did it. The elder forgave him - and experienced the indicated sweetness.I also draw my attention to the word "our" ("our debts", as well as "we")... This word is also applied to other petitions (the Lord's Prayer, the bread "our")... Here we use it because we are all guilty of sins. "One Holy, one Lord." "No one is good, but the Lord is one," Jesus Christ says to the rich young man.But there is another meaning: we are all guilty of our sins before each other. As in the ocean turbulent waves travel thousands of kilometers and roll with a barely noticeable wave to the other shore, so it happens in our life: a sin committed by one person does not remain without influence on others. No wonder one writer said a catchphrase: everyone is to blame for everyone! And therefore it is necessary to ask "to forgive our debts" not only for oneself, but for all "us". After all, the Lord Jesus Christ suffered for the whole world, and our love should extend to the whole world, to our entire common human family. And God is pleased with our prayer not only and not so much for our own sins, but also for others. This prayer comes from love and leads to the same love. Suppose that someone has upset you: try to remember his name in prayer. And you will see that unfriendliness, and even more so hatred, will disappear from you and pity for him and even, perhaps, love will appear! There were two carpenter's brothers. The household was registered in the name of the elder brother, but the younger one was more capable. And customers began to turn more to less. This upset the elder. And he decided to divide the matter. He comes to me for advice. I will offer him two weeks to pray and commemorate his brother. After this time, the elder brother came to me and told me his decision: "I decided to transfer the case to my brother: he is more capable than I; Let him be the master. I know that on Athos there were special prayer books (now translated), who prayed for the whole world, for everyone, considering it their duty.And Father John says about himself that he prays for the whole world at the Liturgy: he has been given the grace of the priesthood for this! And we should all do the same... Now, in conclusion, I would like to share my thoughts on the benefits of sins. It's strange to read about it; But what follows will show the truth. The well-known theologian Bishop Theophan the Recluse of Vyshensky says: "Do not be amazed when a person sins, but marvel when he ceases to sin, for although sin is not natural to us (i.e. God did not create our sinful nature), it has already become (thanks to heredity and our freedom) innate to us." Before Christ, it was still scary and hopeless, but after His coming, He saves us. For this is why He came to earth, as He Himself said, for our salvation: "I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world" (John 12:47). And He came to save sinners, and not the righteous.Thus the angel announced to the shepherds on Christmas night: "Do not be afraid; I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all men: for this day is born unto you in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-II). "He will save His people from their sins," the angel said to Joseph (Matt. 1:21). II, 21). And the Apostle Paul writes: "God commendeth His love for us in that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners" (Romans 5:8). Get up!" - "And if I fall again?" - "Get up again!" - "So how long is it?" - "Until death!" Exactly the same thing is said by other holy fathers, guided by the Holy Spirit. St. John of the Ladder writes: "One comes to the monastery - for the love of God, another - for the sake of his sins, and the third - seeking a quiet life. But we do not know which of them will be ahead of the others." And Father John also testifies: sin is not an impregnable wall, and the Lord came in order to save sinners. And the first to enter paradise was the thief: this is extremely comforting and approbable to all of us! And how many sinners have become holy! If only we would repent and hope in the Lord, our Savior and Advocate, Jesus Christ. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He, being faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9). We will answer this with the words of the priest. "If you do not experience the influence of the evil spirit on you," says Fr. John, "then you will not know the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit the Comforter." And the priest himself said to himself that for a long time of his pastorship, although he believed that the devil existed, he was an enemy somewhere out there, far away; but so is the Saviour. When he saw how the enemy was fighting against him, he ran with all his strength to the intercession of Christ the Lord. I have noticed that it is more difficult for a person to doubt faith in sins, because pride is needed for unbelief or even for doubt, and a person in sin has no time for pride. It even seems to be ashamed when the thought dares to commit these sins. It may be the opposite, i.e. the sinful state of the soul hinders faith - this is true, but it also happens that I have described, i.e. the shame of a sinner to dare to disbelieve and doubt. This is a well-known fact. A person is especially humbled when he becomes proud of something. The saints of God speak about this unanimously. And in order to humble this insane pride, the Lord allows a person to fall into sins, leaving him by His grace. Every fall, says the Old Testament, is preceded by pride. And if we take into account that the devil acts at the root of sin, "the liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44), then it will be clear that anguish and anguish will come upon you, and you will involuntarily run to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the grace of the Holy Spirit. that through this faith increases. Experience confirms this as well. On the way, we somehow caught up with a 70-year-old woman who had already walked 30-35 versts. We put her in jail and took her to the final prison. She was bringing some kind of gift to her daughter there. We asked: why was she imprisoned? The old woman, contrary to the frequent custom of justifying herself and her own, resolutely and immediately answered: "I earned it!" - that is, I deserved it. "With what?" - we continue. "I snarled," she replied. It means that the daughter has allowed herself some rudeness out of pride, and for this she must now suffer, endure... We do not know how she feels, but her mother involuntarily confessed her guilt and considers the punishment fair - it means that she humbles herself... And besides, she had to walk tens of versts on foot! And such a direct consciousness of the daughter's guilt aroused respect and love for her; it is as if it has joined us to its grief... And even the daughter herself also felt sorry ... Help her, Lord, to improve! What happens to our soul when the Lord "forgives us our debts"?We know this from our own confession: the spiritual world returns to us again, as if man had been born again, the temptation that was there until now becomes ineffective, you are no longer at all tempted by what has tempted you until now; and the power against sin reappears; The enemy is definitely disappearing - until our new occasion. It is not without reason that we say that confession is a second baptism: truly so! But what can be said if a person falls into the same sin again? Or in some other way? Get up again! Fight again! Repent again! Ask again: "And forgive us our debts!" After all, in fact, our whole life passes in a continuous struggle for grace! And this is true.Just not to lose heart and not to lose heart. And to fight and fight! To fight incessantly! And pray! And in this way the miracle of God is accomplished with one's own eyes! A miracle of purification! A miracle is the renewal of the purity and holiness of the soul! And this happens in no way from any autosuggestion of ours, but independently of our will and thoughts... And what kind of autosuggestion can there be in childhood, at the age of 7-10?! But even in a more conscious person the miracle of forgiveness clearly occurs: we, all confessors, know this. True, when approaching confession, we believe in the mystery of confession in advance, but we do not think about it, we are tormented only by our sins. And suddenly - oh, the mercy of God! After a sincere revelation of sins, we feel clearly, as if tangibly, the peace of the soul! And experienced people often confess.One abbot confessed every week before the Liturgy. "What do you repent of? What sins do you have?" - a certain bishop asked him. And he answered, "Lock this room tightly for a week, and in a week you will see dust on this table." And to prove it, he ran his finger across the table. And a clean strip remained. And dust loomed around her. To this must be added one more thing: there is spiritual dust, the devil's impurity, it is even finer and more imperceptible, but it is more painful. Confession is needed against it: the grace of the Holy Spirit will drive away this evil dust. And you remember: with what joy you used to rush home after confession! And the mother also greets us with joy, and rather asks us to go to bed, "so as not to sin." And how good it felt! here is not autosuggestion, but a miracle of God's mercy! If the Lord in His prayer speaks of prayer to the Father ("and forgive us our debts"), not to mention confession, then it means that prayer also gives the grace of forgiveness. But confession always has a stronger effect, but prayer can always be at our disposal, constantly, but confession not always. And then it becomes more understandable that good monks become accustomed to the unceasing Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" It is "made", fulfilled even by the laity. I'll tell you a fact.In the tram, I noticed how one of my acquaintances "performed" this prayer silently. Talked. I asked her: "Why do you do this?" She said: "The enemy always attacks: this is how you drive them away." May the Heavenly Father, for the merits of His Son, help us to save us from sins - by the grace of the Holy Spirit and prayers to the Lord, with a repentant mood, and without fail - forgiving our debtors from the bottom of our hearts.

Addition. Consolation for the Penitent (from St. Ephraim the Syrian)

Forgive me, O Lord, my debts, as I forgive my brother, having fulfilled Thy commandment; And the Lover of mankind will answer in response: "If you have forsaken, I will forgive, if I have forgiven, I also forgive your debts, because I have the power to forgive sins on earth..."You have heard a short way to save our souls.Do not be cruel to yourself, but fall down to God with repentance.Repentance is God's undamaging (not reducing) sack, for (he) saves human souls from perdition. Do you have faith? Give interest (profit) of faith - repentance... The enemy urges you to commit iniquity, and repentance advises you to convert. The devil does not allow the wicked to come to their senses, presenting to them the severity of repentance... And repentance, seeing his cunning, comes up with affection and says: "Bring only God to your memory, and I will work for you. Picture His mercy in your mind, and I will intercede for you with sighing. Only sigh a little, sinners, in repentance, and I will make you God's servants. And the Prophet Isaiah said: "When thou returnest, thou shalt breathe, then shalt thou be saved" (Isaiah 30:15)." "Behold," says repentance, "I give you a testimony, only repent."If there had been no repentance, the human race would have perished long ago! If it had not soon stretched out its hand of protection, the world would not have stood to this day.Brethren, brethren, we should not despair of salvation, having a mother of repentance... Those who were caught by the beast (the devil) were led into paradise to God - will it turn away from us? How can God and the Father cede possession of those whom He has acquired by the Blood of His Son?.. Or will He not honor the tears of His Resurrection in the least, so that He can easily turn away from us, who have been saved by these mysteries (the Blood of the Son)? He sent the Holy Spirit and sanctified the Church. He sent the apostles to preach the gospel to the Gentiles! If he does not want us to be saved, then he used so many means in vain - or did he not know our situation? Or did he laugh at the pagans? But it is not permissible to think this or that... We are His flock, and He is our Shepherd now, as in paradise. He gave repentance as purifying water. If we sin about anything, we are washed by it (repentance)... Repentance is the altar of God, because those who sin through it propitiate God. How wonderful it is! It is one, and it can do anything. What a grace of the Gospel! Both the law and the Gospel proclaim three days to sinners for repentance. Why is this? Because the remission of sins, out of extreme goodness, gives the grace of the Trinity... Three days later (in the tomb of Christ) death was destroyed; after three days absolution is given, because after three days the Resurrection was also performed... Jonah preached for three days and did not spend a single night preaching... Such is the grace of repentance.. Oh, how great is the joy of repentance! Repentance met the angels of wrath and was able to overcome them, so that (they) would not bring destruction... The avenging angels, seeing it (repentance), were amazed, and repentance said to them: "I take the transgressors of the law under my protection; I vouch for the human race; I give the Lord a security (pledge) for people. Why have you come now to change my terms? I have a certain term! I have a term of contract with God, when to present to Him those who have not converted. Why have you come to oppose my rights? I can summon the court against you! I have evidence by which I can get a reprieve to present mankind to God!" And so, it leads the angels to God, begins to intercede for mankind and says in defense: "You know, O Lord, the man whom You have created, you know that he was created of dust, that his nature is weak, that his strength is indestructible... If he does not eat only a day, his life is in danger. In winter it freezes, in summer it is scorched by the heat, in the evening it does not see... If he walks, he is exhausted, if he remains inactive, he becomes dizzy... And You, O Lord, want such weakness to soon triumph over sin?! He is not ready to stand against intrigues; to the reflection of what troubles him, poor in mind; against those who plot evil, he is weak in soul; caring for the body... And You, Vladyka, want such a nature to soon triumph over sin?! What, then, O Lord, is it in its power to do against the devil?.. And what is a person against his aspirations?.. Great is the power of the serpent, his deception is deep; sin, according to its pleasantness, spread widely; passions, by suggestion, are made close to the body... What is this wretched one able to do against such a multitude of opponents? Hold back the threat.. postpone the sentence of death for my repentance. And extend Thy grace for a long time. I, the intercessor for humanity, take it upon my responsibility."

Sixth Petition: "And lead us not into temptation"

After the fifth petition for sins, we came to the temptation to them. After all, every sin begins with temptation. In the previous petition we ask forgiveness for the sins we have already committed, and now the Lord teaches us how to avoid [them, how to make them] so that we would rather not do them. That is why He instructs us, in order to deliver us from the occasion for them. Temptation may not come from us. What is usually meant by this word? Everything that can tempt us, attract us, push us to sin, to commit it. There can be thousands of reasons for such reasons. But all of them are summed up in the Apostle John the Theologian under one word: "peace." "Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world: whoever loves the world has not the love of the Father in him" (or for the Father), he says (1 John 2:15). What then? Does the world created by God serve to tempt us? If that were the case, then we could blame the Lord Himself. "It's impossible!" "In temptation let no man say, God tempts me! For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone," writes the Apostle James (James 1:13). "For now the whole world lies in evil," says the Apostle John (1 John 5:19). What does that mean? The world was created good; but as a result of the fall of the first people, both they and even the physical world fell into evil; The present state of the world is fallen, abnormal. The work of the Saviour is precisely to restore the whole world to that ideal state in which it was created according to God's intention. "The present temporal sufferings," says the Apostle Paul, "are worth nothing in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us; for the creation (the world) awaits with hope the revelation of the sons of God... and she herself will be freed from slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God... And we groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of sons, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:18-23), but this we only "expect" (2 Pet. 3:13). Now the world still lies "in evil"; it is not the world itself that is evil, but it alone "lies in evil," just as "a washed pig (again) rolls in the mud" (2 Pet. 2:22). The pig is not dirt, and the world is not evil, but remains in evil for the time being. "Nevertheless, according to His (Christ the Savior's promise), we look for a new heaven and a new earth, in which dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13). This is already more understandable to us, since the thought is translated into fallen man, about whom we know from our own experience and from the entire history of the world. Otherwise, say the Fathers, three main passions dominate in man (if we put them in parallel with the words of the Apostle John the Theologian): voluptuousness, love of glory and self-love... This is even clearer! Man is infected with passions, he is in a fallen state. If we add to this the fallen world of spiritual beings - the devil, demons - then the picture will be complete: the fallen physical world, fallen humanity and fallen spirits - all this is embraced by the single word "world", in contrast to God and His Heavenly Kingdom with angels. And it is impossible even to dream that an ideal world will ever be established somewhere on earth: beautiful, blessed, loving, holy, or, in a word, "paradise on earth", as some say. And this is quite obvious: this is how long mankind has existed, it knows that its history is full of sorrows; in the physical world - hunger, disease, death; And no matter how much mankind makes plans for "paradise on earth", and no matter how confident it is, and no matter how much it assures others that the way to complete happiness of all people on earth has "finally" been found and that happiness has already begun - all these are human dreams! So it was and so it will be until the end of this world! And even if we admit that someone dreams of the beginning of a "happy age", then what will unbelievers say to the question: what about those who died before us? Have they not been vouchsafed to live to see blissful historical peace and happiness? What are they to blame for? And will the people who have "waited" (for example) find happiness for themselves?.. After all, we will all die.. Is it worth caring about "our earthly home", about "this hut", which will undoubtedly (for me and for others) be "destroyed" by death? (2 Corinthians 1:1). Is it necessary to love? To live cleanly? "Let us eat and drink: for tomorrow we shall die" (1 Cor. 15:32). I had to call in Berlin once. At the Liturgy I preached a sermon. A professor of state law at Moscow University, after listening to her, said to me: "From your sermon I got the impression that there will never be an ideal state in this world. Did I understand correctly?" - "Yes!" - "And we at the university did nothing but invent the best structure of the state!" - "And Christ the Savior taught," I said to him, "that "the Kingdom of God is within you" (Lk. 17:21) and "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 16:36), but scholars never think about the Gospel, nor do believing professors even think that He is the Son of God. Isn't it true?" - "Yes! it is so," replied the professor with a guilty smile - he himself was a believer.So, this fallen world will never be perfect, until it is renewed. And therefore in him and from him there will always be certain temptations and sorrows. But these temptations now, after the coming of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit, are not unconditionally harmful to us, as they were before, before Christ, but can even be directed for good. Experienced fathers distinguish several moments in sin, but we will not consider all of them, but will dwell on only two: sin itself and the temptation to it. For example, any blasphemous thoughts against faith, or lewd thoughts when looking at a woman, or a desire (in the mind) to do something bad, etc., is not yet a sin, because our consent is not given. And the very word "temptation" tells us that we are faced with only temptation, the reason is precisely temptation, but we have not yet committed sin. And therefore we should not be afraid of this temptation: it is still outside of us, and not in us. This means that we have already agreed with him in our hearts. Then sin itself begins in us, although in an embryonic degree, and we are still free to interrupt it; Then we already "enter" into sin. But we may not enter it. In this respect, the case of Cain is interesting and instructive for us. He envied his brother Abel, "and his face drooped" (Gen. 4:5). And he decided to kill his brother. Here he was faced with temptation, temptation. But he was still free not to do it. Then the Lord Himself comes to Cain's aid, and without anger, but only in warning, He asks him: "Why are you grieved" and why is your face drooping? If you do good, do you not lift up your face with the consciousness of your righteousness? And if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door: it draws you to itself, but you have dominion over it (Gen. 6:7). A thought appeared - the temptation to kill his brother. But it is not yet a sin. There is a struggle going on in Cain. Immediately the conscience begins to trouble and torment the person: "the face droops", it becomes unhappy, the temptation attracts, and the conscience torments. God's help comes in one way or another: the Lord will send some person on the path to sin, then the eye will fall on the icon, then the spiritual father will be here. And there is still a possibility of not sinning: sin is already "at the door" - but has not yet entered the house of your soul. All these preventive measures want to stop the sin that lies before you - temptation. But you, the Lord tells us, do not submit to him, but on the contrary - defeat him, "rule over him". This means that even here you are free for this "dominion" - so the Lord Himself tells us! Freedom still remains for man, but if he meets the temptation, then he will no longer be able to restrain himself, because by his consent he has allowed the sin that had hitherto only been lying at the door, i.e. still outside of his consent, he has let him into the very house of his soul. And then the Lord departs from the sinner, allowing him to do what he has chosen: man is a free being, and this freedom is dear to God, and only by it is our virtue that is valuable to Him. And let a man sin, but keep his freedom, which he would not have sinned (so to speak), but destroyed his freedom. So, before our final choice, they only tempt to sin, but are not sin. Therefore, those who consider them a sin act wrongly. To make this clearer, I will give examples.One woman, after a good confession, began to approach Communion. And suddenly blasphemous thoughts appeared in her. She was terribly frightened and was ready to refuse Communion. But at confession itself, I forgot one sin. Remembering him later before Communion, she was confused and did not know what to do. Should I go to confession again? or refuse to take communion?There lived a novice in the monastery. He was attacked by thoughts of unbelief. Seeing his face upset, the hegumen asked him: "Why is this?" And in general, how does he feel? The novice, fearing that he would be expelled from the monastery for such unbelief as worthless, concealed his temptation and replied that he felt well. So it was the second time. And he spent a lot of time in such a painful state. Finally, the abbot ordered him to open: what was in his soul? The novice, falling at his feet, told everything to the father abbot with fear. Then he said to him: "Open the breast of your garment!" - He opened it. - "Stand against the wind!" - He stood. - "Can you forbid the wind to touch your body?" - "No!" - "So we cannot forbid the evil spirit to touch our soul!" I don't deign!" the novice asked to explain to him: with whom was he talking? The Elder said that this is how he responds to the enemy's thoughts. And he does not consider them to be a sin, for they do not belong to him, but come from the enemy.And knowing all this, the experienced elders give the following advice: one should not be confused by them in any way; not to attribute them to oneself, but to the tempter; Not to fight even with them, but simply to neglect them. Strong ascetics, like Fr. John Sergiev, even advise (and, of course, do so themselves) to despise them with holy anger and spit on them as if they were demonic thoughts. That is why there is a deep meaning to the custom of renouncing the devil (before baptism) to fulfill the words of the baptizer: "Blow and spit on him!" How? When you find such thoughts, pray calmly to God. If this does not help, humbly endure. If this is not enough, go and reveal your thoughts to your spiritual father or at least to your brother. And the rest - commit to the will of God. Experienced Fathers explain that such thoughts are allowed by God either because of pride, in order to humble a person, or because of the envy of an enemy, or for one who is experienced in teaching in the spiritual struggle, or in order to give good advice to a brother from his own experience, or so that a person does not rely on himself, but trusts in God, or in the glory of God, Who gives us victory. but only we should not be afraid of such temptations, and should not be troubled by them, not considering them our sin, but the enemy's delusion. For example: illnesses, poverty, even more - wealth, wars, exile, etc. Usually these sorrows are considered by us to be temptations, temptations, and a reason for murmuring. And of course, this is partly what happens in our country. But in essence, from a salvific point of view, it may not be so in practice. For example, take the question of poverty. Nowhere – neither in the Gospel nor in the Epistles – is it said that it is difficult to be saved in poverty, while about wealth, which is considered by almost everyone to be happiness and from which no one, absolutely no one (except for the rarest exceptions: I have seen them in my life!) asks the Lord to deliver them, - nevertheless, the Lord says: "How difficult it is for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God" (Luke 18:24-25). We can even say the opposite: sorrows, from the point of view of salvation, are more useful to us in this world. And it is no accident that the Lord said of Himself, "that it owes Him, but... to suffer much from the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and to be killed" (Matt. 16:21); and they command the cross to all their followers (Matt. 16:24-26). And the Apostle Peter, who, after confessing Christ as the Son of God (Matt. 16:16), began to contradict Him: "Be merciful to Thyself, O Lord! let it not be so with Thee!" - called "Satan" - i.e. an adversary, a seducer, "because you think not of the things of God, but of the things of men" (Matt. 16:23). And in His farewell discourse, at the Last Supper, He predicted the inevitable sorrows for the Apostles: "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If they were of the world, the world would love its own; but since we are not of the world, but I have chosen you from the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word which I have spoken to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also; if you have kept My word, they will keep yours also" (John 15:18-20). therefore the cross rises on the temples; therefore all the sacraments are performed by the sign of the cross, i.e. in the name of the cross of Christ; That is why we cross ourselves during prayers. Why exactly is the cross necessary for both the Lord and us? To the Lord, because through the cross of Christ we have been "reconciled" to God, as the Scriptures say (Mk. 3:17; Jn. 1:29, 36; 7:39; 12:27-33; 19:28-30; Rom. 5:10, 11; 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 5:18, 19, Gal. 6:14; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20-22; 2:14; Heb. 12, 2;), and for us also because we too may pass through the cross of sufferings in order to assimilate the merits of Christ (Matt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34; 10:21; Rom. 3:20) and to receive forgiveness from God through the cross of Christ. if "our slight affliction produces eternal glory in an immeasurable abundance" (2 Corinthians 4:17); "If our outer man decays, then the inner one is renewed from day to day" (2 Corinthians 4:16); if "he who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin" (1 Pet. 4:1); if we especially suffer "unjustly" (1 Peter 2:19); if the Apostle Paul writes about himself: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings" (Col. 1:24); if the Apostle Peter writes: "Of the fiery (i.e. by fire) temptation which is sent to you to test, do not shy away from it, as if it were a strange adventure unto you" (1 Peter 4:12); "If you are cursed for the name of Christ, then," he says, "you are even blessed, for the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests upon you" (1 Pet. 4:14); if in general "let them that suffer according to the will of God deliver them up to Him... their souls (i.e. they will trust in the will of God), doing good" (1 Pet. 4:19); if the Apostle James teaches us: "Receive ye with great joy, my brethren, when ye fall into divers temptations," for they lead to perfection" (James 1:2, 4); if inexperienced - unskillful; and finally, if the Lord Himself was tempted for 40 days by the devil (Matt. 4:1-11) and by His enemies (Matt. 16:1; 22:35), then how does He command us in His prayer to ask for deliverance from temptations? how does He reproach His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane for falling asleep and commands them, as in the Lord's Prayer, "Watch and pray, that ye may not fall into temptation," for "the spirit is cheerful, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41)? as He Himself says, "Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan asked that he should sow you as wheat, but I prayed for you, that your faith might not fail" (Luke 22:31-22)? How to reconcile all this?We think to answer these questions as follows. There are temptations that draw us to evil, and there are sorrows that contribute to our good. The former, to evil, come from the devil, the world, and the flesh, leading us into the temptation of sin, and there are sorrows sent to us by God. We must be wary of the former; the second, for example, suffering for the name of Christ, should be accepted with "joy and gladness," for "great is our reward in heaven" (Matt. 5:12). The Apostle Peter teaches in the same way: "Since ye participate in Christ's sufferings, rejoice, that ye also may rejoice and triumph in the manifestation of His glory" (1 Peter 4:13). Usually they are understood in the sense: "do not allow". And this is also correct. St. The prophet Amos says: "Is there any calamity in a city that the Lord would not permit"? (Amos 3:6). And since everything in the world is done according to the will of God, according to His Providence, since everything is subject to Him, and in fact for this reason He is the Lord of all, it is better to say: "Thou shalt not lead," and the word "Thou shalt not allow" gives some power to both demons and evil people, who can act, but when only God deigns to do so, or "gives" them the right and authority, permission. An example of such power of Christ over demons and swine was after the healing of a demoniac man. The demons asked Him "not to command them to go into the abyss," but "to allow them to enter" into the herd of swine. "And the flock threw itself down the steep slope into the lake, and was drowned" (Luke 8:31-33). This is one meaning. But it is possible to assume another. Sometimes the Lord deigns – either as a punishment or for the correction of people – to send them some sorrows: at least illnesses, wars, etc. For the Lord, in one case or another, commanded us to ask: "Lead us not" into these temptations. The Lord commanded us to pray in this way, we think, because it is more humble for us. Let it be for the good. Lord, You want to teach us the temptations of sorrows, but we, the weak, still ask: it is better not to "lead in"!But, of course, we remember the third petition: "Thy will be done!" Thus the Redeemer the Lord Himself prayed: although He knew that "at this hour He has come" (John 12:27), yet, like a Man, He hesitated, not knowing "what to say... Father! deliver me from this hour!" And then the Son of God decided to suffer, for by this He would glorify the name of the Father. And God the Father gave a voice from heaven: "And I have glorified, and I will glorify again" (John 12:28). and in Him, as in a Man, torments flared up again: "Father, forgive them! Oh, that Thou wouldst be pleased to carry this cup past Me.. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:42, 44). Such was one desire, according to human nature. But the other was quite different: "Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done!" (Luke 22:42). And at the Incarnation, He said: "Behold, I am coming!" - i.e. He agreed to act according to the will of the Father: to suffer for the world. And as we see before, Christ agrees to the cross: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me! This He said, giving us to understand by what death (i.e. crucifixion on the cross) He would die (John 12:32-33). And this second petition, or prayerful consent to suffering and death, overcame the first desire of the feeble human nature. "And he was heard because of his reverence" (Heb. 5:7), because of his obedience to the Father, i.e. he took up the cross for which he was sent by the Father and for which he "also came" to save mankind. If we need to rely on the will of God and if we need to ask: "Do not lead us into temptation," then how can such a great man of prayer as Fr. John pray more than once: "Lord! do not leave me without temptation!" - and even writes to others in his diary "My Life in Christ": "Thirst for temptations!"? To this we answer: it is permissible for spiritually strong people... We, the weak, are not able to pray in such a way. It is more humble for us, the weak, to pray as the Lord has indicated: "Lead us not into temptation." Glory to God, if we humbly endure the temptations that God allows us! And asking for them - won't it be evidence of our self-confidence in our abilities? Wouldn't that be pride? I will even say more. Will not the petition of sorrows be a new temptation for our enemy? I think it's possible! And if the Lord taught us to pray "lead us not into temptation," then we should be obedient to Him, and not dare to do more! One was still in ancient times. A woman who entered the church approached the icon, fell on her knees and wept bitterly. The service was over, the people left; As soon as the minister finished cleaning the church, she kept crying. He went up to her and asked, "You must have a great sorrow?" - Yes, very large! -A what? Has anyone died among you? - No!- Does anyone get sick?- No!- Poverty?- That's the thing, that there is none of this! In three years, at least the chicken would die! And it is said in the Scriptures that only through many tribulations can one enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Acts 14:22). Do you know the Lord has forgotten me?! And the minister was surprised: what other servants of God are there in the world! In the Kiev Lavra there was Hieromonk Parthenius, an ardent man of prayer and a daily servant of the Divine Liturgy, the spiritual father of Metropolitan Philaret of Kiev. Once he turned to Vladyka with questions: - I am confused by the thought that I have no sorrows!- You yourself, - the metropolitan answers him, - have imposed so many sorrows on yourself that they are enough on you! For some reason, he was in disgrace. And he grieved greatly over this. At one time, a hand appeared on the wall, which wrote: "The fate of Philaret is in the hands of God!" In our time, Archbishop Theophan lived in the same rooms and also grieved a lot. He was told this miracle, which was in the same room in which the archbishop lived. And in these words of God he found peace for himself.At the same time, in all sorrows, one must always remember the words of the Apostle Paul: "Temptation has come upon you none other than that of men; and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able to, but... so that you may be able to endure" (1 Cor. 10:13). He will not allow the enemy the tempter to do more: the demons entered into the swine only with His permission (Matt. 8:31-32). Therefore, we need not be excessively afraid of temptations: they are not beyond our strength. But one should not take them lightly: no, one should always remember the word of God: "Sin lies at the door" (Gen. 4:7). Moreover, one should not wish oneself sorrows and temptations.Here is the third case, which occurred approximately in 1911. In the Caucasus lived hermits and hermits. In the convent there was a God-pleasing abbess M... Her life with the sisters was so grace-filled that she did not see any sorrow. And this alone embarrassed her. One day she was walking along a forest path. And the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her with a cup in His hands. She bowed down at His feet and said: "Lord, save me! I will not be saved! I have no sorrows!" He said to her: "They will!" And what are they?! She was kicked out. The monastery was dispersed. And when these words about the absence of sorrows reached the elders, they declared that one should never ask for sorrows, not bring them upon oneself. Recently (December 26, 1954) I received the following unfortunate letter from a woman. That's what she writes to me." I am the mother of Alexander (a child of about 3 years old, with whom she was with me a week ago, and now she was with him in the cathedral at the liturgy) and the sick baby Sergius... We (i.e. she and the father) are in such despair for his illnesses that we ourselves would be ready to get sick several times more, but if only not the child... I have committed many, very many sins (I write her words exactly; only she writes without punctuation marks, and I put them where necessary, and I write them in capital letters where it should be. - M.V.) in my life, which, of course, I am now crushed about, and they are added every minute. The child Sergius was born in 1949, on November 20, grew up to 3 months full and seemed to be healthy. I had not had milk since I was 3 months old; And I tear it off, then in a few days it will appear a little, then again it does not happen. And so he grew up on artificial nutrition; I didn't eat milk, but something like that. From the age of 10 he had dysentery - up to 4 years old. All the time the body was exhausted - I did not eat and did not eat. I always tried to take him to the Church of God, All Saints, and commune the Holy Mysteries, which became noticeably very dear to him (i.e. useful. - M.V.). In the same way, at home with his brother (3 years and 5 months), Alexander very often praises the Almighty with his childish reflections; they sing and often present the altar, the bringing out of the Gospel, the chalices, etc. (this is so joyful for us; it is joyful that I am writing this to you). Well, then I was sick several times with pneumonia, and bronchoadenitis - all the time, tonsillitis - endless and other childhood diseases ... When he was 6 months old, he, in my opinion, was frightened: his godmother came up to the sleepy man, and he was afraid of her, he screamed for 1 month and 18 days, until I calmed him down with prayers. Since August 19, he fell ill so that he is still sick. True, the shouting decreased, but he began to say ugly words and even do ugly things (excuse me, he lifts his skirts) (and he is already 5 years old! - M.V.) and says: I see this and that; as if he were standing in church, he said: I see the priest, and everything is open with him; then my feet smell like a dead man to him; then the water does not have a good smell; He also began to laugh unnaturally. He also said: "I don't love you, mother, I'll hack you to death and drive you all out of the house!" And sometimes - nothing.For him to be unconscious, this is not there. But the last days have been happening to him: he is irritable, he talks everything somehow with a scream... During the previous week, he had jumped out of bed several times at night and shouted: "Mom! are you awake?" with great screams and pain. It happened to him that he stretched out and fixed his eyes on one point. We protected him with the cross and prayer. Doctors eventually recognized that capillary toxicosis, i.e. capillary vessels burst, and blood wanders under the skin and in the stomach; and red spots appeared; and his legs were swollen - he could not walk... And the bumps popped out on the forehead and on the back, and after a few time or hours they were removed... When I entered the Church of Alexander Nevsky - he was a communicant - he leaned on his side and danced there. And this was new for us... I gave him to the hospital, to the clinic.What do I want?.. - Pray for us! And give me a blessing: should I leave him in the hospital or take him away from there? He says nasty things there too. Doctors also refer to the fact that he talks about street words, and I have never said anything like this. They always tried to close the gate and leave silently. Weeping in the house is endless; and I have reached such a state that I shout at my husband and aunt; Then she writes about her brother Leonid that he "was mentally ill, and beat us all, and stole, and beat my mother, and bit her lip; we were in such fear all our lives, until 1942; and I am all frightened and downtrodden; trembled not for days, but for seconds... In 1933, my father, Semyon, died, and I was 16 years old then... I gave up my accounting studies... My brother stole everything, but did not use anything himself, and people complained... He beat and strangled my mother: he pestered her: "Give me money for cigarettes." And we didn't have them... Of course, I don't want to think that I was the only one who endured such sorrows... I want to fall at your feet, and cry, and cry.My husband, Alexander, is a good man and a believer; and he asks you, asks for our family: Alexander, Alexandra, baby Alexander, sick baby Sergius; pray for us once, and the Lord will give us - He will strengthen me, and strengthen the children in the faith (this is the main thing for us). What should I do, Vladyka? Is it not infantile? Or maybe heredity? A what? Tell me: the Lord will help you to tell me.Forgive us for such a long letter of mine to you... Just tell me: maybe what other situation should Sergius change? For the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, bless me. What end should I make with Seryozha? How hard! I am all sick myself. And I'm only 37 years old! Thank you in advance." He even cries... And I don't know for sure: what should they do unfortunately? God willing, after... And now we need to say to those who ask God for sorrows: "Oh! Beware of this! See what temptations people have! And there are worse ones! You read the Gospel: how the possessed were tormented! It is written about one: "He had a dwelling in tombs (caves where the dead were buried), and no one could bind him even with chains, because many times he was bound with fetters and chains, but broke the chains and broke the fetters, and no one was able to tame him; always, night and day, in the mountains and in the graves, he cried out and smote against the stones" (Mark 5:3-5). The Evangelist Luke also adds: he was "possessed" by demons "from a long time, and did not put on clothes." "And he was persecuted by a demon in the wilderness" (Luke 8:27, 29). What a misfortune.. And how dare we wish for suffering and temptation? Don't, don't! On the contrary, let us thank God that this is not with us.. The child's parents would like to be "several times more sick in despair" than he is... No, no, people! Do not ask for temptations.. But what should they do? What can I say? How to help?.. So you think... Thank God that at least you have a little compassion for them... What of that?! It is not easier for them.. I am powerless... And I don't know why God's Providence sent my mother (last week) to me? And she will also come, at my invitation, on Tuesday. And what will I say to her?! Poor one, it would be necessary to pray that the Lord Himself, in His omnipotence, would help or... At least it is useful to me: you have more compassion for the "brothers"... And you still think: what evil demons are! They torture unfortunate people! And then you will understand a little: what an unfortunate human race! The whole world is miserable, poor! His whole history is wars, natural elements, diseases, misfortunes, demons... We need to feel sorry for each other. After all, there is only one family... And it was not for nothing that the Lord said again: "Bring us not in," and not only me... We are all unhappy... And we must sympathize with everyone, the entire human race... That is why the Lord came to deliver us from the power of the "prince of this world"... But about this in the last petition... But what should I say to my poor mother? Of course, it is not difficult to "say", but what should she "do"? How to help? Until at least I pray for them... And suddenly the thought came: "Maybe they need all this? Perhaps it is useful in the spiritual sense?" - Then it remains to say: "Not our will, but Yours be done!" Others in such cases advise: to pour holy water into food imperceptibly, especially to commune the Holy Mysteries of Christ... Moreover, as the mother writes, it used to help the patient ("it was expensive"). And I also think: how we should thank God that this does not happen to us! Thank God! How happy are those who are healthy... For this alone, we should be thankful! And bodily illnesses are even easier than mental, demonic temptations.. To read about them is hard! And to suffer in them? And it is good that there are such hospitals where you can place these sufferings, tormented by enemies and torturing their neighbors! But you have to visit them! I lived in Paris. And I had to visit the hospital for the mentally ill. There were up to 5000 of them. A whole town. I went to the doctor-director. He received me very kindly and modestly. And, by the way, he said sadly: "Monsignière! (Vladyka!) I'm starting to go crazy with them myself! Pray for me, Monsignor!" That was about 25 years ago... Save him. God!... We should also ask our acquaintances (the Glinsk Hermitage, the Riga Monastery, the three priests here) to pray for all of them... So we should pray too. And after all this, everything should be left to the will of God.Who knows, maybe it is better for him to die? God knows what would have happened next, and parents need to endure and repent of the past. Maybe this is due to heredity, as the mother writes? And it happens! And often! The Lord says: "I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, punishing the children for the trespass of their fathers to a third of his own generation, and to the fourth generation, who hate Me, and showing mercy unto a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:5-6; Num. 14:18; Exodus 34:7-9). And this patience will be counted as salvation to both parents and children... And we... Yes, yes.. And we, sinners! These are the thoughts that came to mind on the issue of the suffering family... Another thought came to me: was it good for me to receive no one in the house except for rare acquaintances?.. Or is it more humble than accepting those who suffer? But we should pray for them... It would be necessary to have a special book for the names of such ... But even such sorrows are necessary now: at least they tear away from the godless direction and turn others to God... And it will be even worse, as it is said: people at the end of the world "blasphemed the name of God... and they did not understand to give Him glory... they have bitten their tongues because of their afflictions, and they have blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings and their wounds, and they have not repented of their deeds" (Rev. 16:9-11)... Then you need to rely entirely on the will of God. After all, there will be eternal torment... This is not the business of our minds!

The last petition (seventh): "But deliver us from evil"

This is the last petition of the Lord's Prayer. The first was about God the Father, and the last was about deliverance from the evil one. Who is meant by "the evil one"? The Greek word "paniros" means both evil and evil. But just as it is customary for us to understand by this word the evil spirit, i.e. the devil, so in the word of God the "evil one" is for the most part understood to be our enemy, the devil with his demons. For example, in the parable of the sower it is said that the seed "that fell by the wayside" was pecked by the birds (Matt. 13:4). The Lord Himself interpreted these words thus: "The evil one cometh and snatches away that which is sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19). Here it is quite clear that by the words "the evil one comes" - who somehow incomprehensibly "steals" the word of God from us - the devil is of course. In the same interpretation of the Lord, "the tares are the sons of the evil one," as opposed to "the good seed, the sons of the kingdom" (Matt. 13:38). For example, in the 1st Epistle of John the Theologian we read: "Everyone who is born of God does not sin; but he who is born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him" (1 John 5:18). It is quite clear that it is said "evil"; but if it meant "evil," it would mean "evil." Likewise, in the Apostle Paul, the word "evil one" (Ephesians 6:16) means an enemy, a "devil", because in this passage he speaks not of human struggle, but of the struggle against "the wiles of the devil", against "spiritual wickedness in high places" and against "all the flammed arrows of the evil one" he commands us to "become" (Ephesians 6:II-17). but not moral evil. However, in these explanations, we must necessarily understand the devil and demons. Otherwise, how could the evil one "come and steal the sown" word of God, if he were only a man? Of course, as we said before, the actions of the devil are mysterious in this matter of "stealing" the word; but all our Christian teaching unconditionally teaches that he, as a spirit, has the ability to "come into contact" (1 John 5:18) with our soul; a person can only partially act on another, not directly, as an enemy, but through the word. However, sometimes a person can influence another through his gaze, "transmit" his thoughts, and even more so - the evil one. He is directly called "the devil" (Matt. 13:39). And people who are under his influence are called "sons of the devil": "You," says the Lord to the Jews, "do the works of your father... but your father is the devil" (John 8:41, 44). Saul, who is also Paul, being filled with the Holy Spirit and fixing his eyes on Elymas the sorcerer, who opposed them when the proconsul Sergius Paul "desired to hear the word of God" from Saul and Barnabas, said: "O thou full of all deceit and all wickedness, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness! Will you cease to turn away from the straight paths of the Lord?" (Acts 13:7-10). And in general, says John the Theologian, "whoever commits sin is of the devil," and therefore they are called "children of the devil" (1 John 3:8, 10). And Judas, "when the devil had already put it into his heart" to betray the Lord (John 13:2), he had only the intention to do so; but when he received, through his unbelief, not the Body of Christ, but a simple "piece of bread," it was only after eating it, "after this morsel, that Satan entered into him" (John 13:26, 27). And Judas finally became his prisoner - from betrayal to hanging (Matt. 27:5).Thus, it is clear that the Lord in the last petition of His prayer teaches about the deliverance of us from the devil, or Satan.Let us now move on to other reflections on him.First of all, we are interested in the word "evil" itself - as applied to the devil. Why did the Lord call him by this name? The Greek word paniros means: evil, bad, and evil. This, we think, is how our Saviour called him, in contrast to God His Father. As we know, the Lord Jesus Christ said of the Father: "No one is good but God alone" (Matt. 19:17). The goodness of God is used here in the sense of perfection (Matt. 5:48), holiness (Heb. 4:7), and, in particular, love (1 Jn. 4:16), for love is "the sum total of perfection" (Col. 3:14). And the devil is called evil, bad, and evil, because there is none of these things in him, "there is no truth in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh his own: for he is a liar, and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Sometimes, and often even, and this is not surprising, "Satan himself takes the form of an angel of light" (2 Cor. II, 14). The devil in general means a "slanderer", a provocateur, a deceiver, so he deceived our forefathers in paradise and now he often acts over us under the "appearance" of goodness, and not as the Lord-Truth: "All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth" (Psalm 24:10; Psalm 118:86, 90, 128; John 7:28; 14:6; 1 John 5:6; Rev. 3:14). And the devil perverts the truth. That is why the Greek word "evil" is translated, from the word "bow", "bow", i.e. a bent tree, moreover, shooting, wounding, killing. And the Russian word evil - i.e. cunning - speaks of the same perversion of the truth. And people like the devil distort it maliciously, and we cannot help but pay attention to the fact that this petition is placed at the end. In general, we notice not only the "cold" attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ towards the devil, but also - as "our adversary" (1 Pet. 5:8), and "enemy" of God (Luke 10:19) - even dominating and punishing, with authority subordinating him even to people - apostles and believers (Mark 16:19). 17; Lux. 10, 1). And the Lord Himself cast out demons with extraordinary power (Mark 7:29; Luke 4:5; 9:42). And the demons tremble at Him (James 2:19), they know that Christ will "torment" them (Matt. 8:29) and his servants [the devil] (Rev. 14:10); "the devil" will be "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). "God will not spare the angels who have sinned, but having bound them with the chains of hellish darkness, He has delivered them over to judgment for punishment" (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6). And there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 8:1; 13:42, 50; 24:15). Even to unloving and unrepentant sinners He will say sternly and justly: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels... And these shall go away into eternal punishment" (Matt. 25:41, 46). This is the end that awaits them!Another question arises: why is the conjunction "but" used in this petition? It seems that this petition actually represents the second half of the previous one, and then it will be clearer. Mentally "lead us not" - "do not allow" us to enter into temptations, and if, according to Thy righteous judgment, You lead us into them, we will accept them: "but" only then deliver us from the devil, so that he does not take advantage of them and use them for our destruction. However, we can be delivered from the use of them by the devil only by the power of God, but not by our own power: whether these temptations are from ourselves, or from the world, or directly from the devil and his demons, we can be delivered from them only by God. This is understandable: after all, demons are former angels and therefore strong, cunning, malicious.With the child of the priest of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Father Khitrovo, there was such a childish conversation: "Dad! - the boy asks embarrassedly and timidly, - is the devil stronger than you?" - "Yes!" - the father answers. "Is he stronger than my guardian angel?" - "How can I tell you? Not stronger! With God's help, the guardian angel is stronger than he." The child was not satisfied with such an answer and, quite timidly, fearing for his father's answer, asked: "Is he stronger than Christ?" - "N-e-t! Father replied confidently. "Christ is God: He is certainly stronger!" the boy sighed freely and calmed down. In the same way, we all need to believe, as the Apostle Paul says: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). "But always in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, open your desires before God" (Phil. 4:6). And I know such prayer books and prayer books. And we, at least at more crucial moments, should ask the Lord to deliver us "from the evil one," or protect ourselves from it in the name of Jesus. The Apostle Paul did the same. "A certain maidservant, possessed by a spirit of divination (clairvoyant), who by divination brought great income to her masters, following Paul and us (his fellow-workers), she cried out: These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation! She did this for many days. Paul was indignant, turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of it!" And the spirit went out at the same hour... Her Lord, seeing that the hope of their income was gone, stirred up a rebellion against the apostles (Acts 16:16-19).The name of Jesus was active even in the mouths of non-holy people: "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Thy name? Did they not cast out demons in Thy name? and did not many miracles work in Thy name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity" (Matt. 7:22-23)." Even some of the wandering Jewish exorcists began to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus, Whom Paul preaches!" This was done by some seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva. But the evil spirit answered and said, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?" And a man rushed at them, in whom there was an evil spirit, and having overcome them, he took such power over them, that they, naked and beaten, ran out of that house. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks who dwelt in Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified" (Acts 19:13-17). This means that we too need to be cautious and humble: we should pray - "deliver us from evil", but we should not take upon ourselves, the courage to command the spirits. and he himself testified to this in 1901 in a conversation with his priests from Nizhny Novgorod, saying to them: "The sick, the so-called possessed, are often brought to me and ask me to pray for them. In these cases, I act by the simplicity of my faith. Usually such patients are very restless. When they are brought to me, they spit, kick, and always, as I have noticed, close their eyes. But I order you to open your eyes... And I say: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I rebuke you, unclean spirit: come out of him!" The patient calms down and begins to pray. But in his diary he advises us, before daring to perform such miracles, to think over first: do we have such bold faith and grace of God to do this? And in this case, it is more humble to turn away from such matters... Otherwise, we too may be subjected to the same attacks from the evil spirit as the seven sons of Sceva.And although there are special prayers for this in the Trebnik, they should also be used humbly, with reasoning: is this our strength? And wouldn't it be better to reject such cases? And even if these prayers are to be read, then it is simply, with humility, without any strength of one's own and boldness, placing everything on the grace of God. And the name is powerful "in itself", regardless of one degree or another of our faith.Now let us answer those who do not believe in the real existence of demons. We had to meet such people. They even believed in Christ. And when I asked them if they believed in the Gospel, they also answered in the affirmative, but by evil spirits they understood moral, abstract evil. In vain did I point out to them the words of the Gospel, where it is said that the Lord cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene (Mk. 16:9; Lk. 8:2), and in the possessed was their "legion" (Mk. 5:9, Lk. 8:30). In vain did I tell them that all the Gospels are full of miracles of casting out demons, that the Gadarene demoniac immediately came to his senses after the demons were cast out of him, that a herd of pigs from them threw themselves down a steep slope into the Lake of Galilee. They did not want to believe, but depending on this power of demons was the very coming of Christ. After all, "for this very reason the Son of God appeared, to destroy the works of the devil," says the Apostle of Love (1 John 3:8). This is the elementary teaching of Christianity. But the most important thing for us are the words of the Lord Himself: "Now the prince of this world shall be cast out" (John 12:31). "A little now have I spoken to you; for the prince of this world is coming, and in Me he has nothing," says the Lord at the Last Supper (John 14:30). "The prince of this world is condemned" (John 16:II). What more?! And this is often mentioned in the service books. The Nativity of Christ is coming soon. And there, on the days before the feast, it is sung that Christ "is coming to kill the warrior (the devil)." And even writers admitted it. And Gogol spoke about the evil spirit in the denouement of "The Government Inspector", and Dostoevsky wrote the novel "Demons", and Pirogov in his diary, from his own experience, speaks about the reality of demons, and Thomas Carleyel, a scientist, rector of the university and author of "The History of the French Revolution", writes: "And yet the revolution cannot be understood if we do not assume that demonic forces were at work behind its scenes." And according to popular faith, the "unclean" always and everywhere gets confused in our lives.And in the diary of Father John, almost on every page, he speaks of the temptations of the devil. According to the Scriptures and from his own experience, he sees the participation of the enemy in every sin. And in the akathist to St. Nicholas we read: "Already it is shameless for those who fly by a demon to load the ships, forbidding them, Thou hast driven them away" (Kontakion 5). And I don't even want to say more about it. One more question remains: why is the power left to the demons to tempt us, Christians? First of all, the "prince of peace" has now been deprived of power over those who live under the grace-filled protection of God. Further, the very temptations from demons are not useless to us, for by this they encourage us to be both more cautious and humble. Further, and even especially, their temptations push us to faith in Christ the Savior and to constant prayer to God and to the grace of the Holy Spirit. And in general - to victory in the name of Christ over them, which was the main goal of Christ's coming: "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33). Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, even dared to say: "If there were no demons, there would be no saints." That is why the Apostle Paul says: "That I may not be exalted by the exceedingness of the revelations, I have been given a thorn in the flesh (a comparison!), an angel of Satan, to afflict me, that I should not be exalted. Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me. But the Lord said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. And therefore I will much more gladly boast of my infirmities, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am pleased in weaknesses, in offenses, in needs, in persecutions, in oppressions for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). In Corinth there was such a sin: "A man had his father's wife instead of a wife." The Apostle, together with the Corinthian Church, even in his absence, "by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ," determined to deliver him "to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). And when Christians have become stricter towards the members of their community, and when that "someone" has repented, humbled himself, and reformed, Paul writes to the community in a different way: "It is better for you to forgive him and comfort him, so that he may not be swallowed up in excessive sorrow... And whom do you forgive in what, and I; for I, too, if I have forgiven anyone in anything, I have forgiven you in the presence of Christ, so that Satan may not harm us, for we are not ignorant of his designs" (2 Corinthians 2:6-11), so as not to lead the sinner into despondency and despair. And even if we fall into his power, then we will again resort to the intercession of Christ... "My children! - writes the Apostle John. - This I write to you, that you may not sin; but if anyone should sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous man. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 El 2:1-2). To Him be the glory, with the Father and the Spirit.