Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Transaction
The second Sunday reminds us of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). He was looking for
to see Christ. We do not know what prompted him, but it was hardly simple curiosity,
because it would not allow him to endure the ridicule of the people around him.
Imagine: a rich and well-known person living in a small town,
but small in stature, he suddenly, like a boy, climbs a tree. How many
There was ridicule around him! But it was so important for Zacchaeus to see Christ, even though
to look into His face, that He has neglected all this and has conquered vanity without
some kind of feat, struggle, but complete indifference to what they can say about him
people to think, it was so important for him, so necessary to contemplate
Savior. And he saw Him. Of all the crowd, Christ noticed only Zacchaeus,
for he, by his striving towards Him, has conquered in himself all fear of
people, every false shame, endured ridicule, mockery, — just to see
Christ. And Christ called him and stayed in his house.
Vanity, as St. John of the Ladder says, is impudence before
God and cowardice before people. Vanity is such an arrangement when
in which we do not take into account what God may think of our actions, words,
about our life, about our personality, and are addressed only to how they speak about us
people. A vain person lives in fear of human judgment, and this deprives
his fear of God. This condition is not only dangerous, but very terrible,
Because one more step — and vanity will be followed by pride.
Pride is a conscious attitude towards oneself as the last one