The law of Moses, given to the Israelites, reads as follows: "Thou shalt kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Exodus 20:13). But Christ says: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to judgment; Whoever says to his brother, 'Raka,' shall be liable to the Sanhedrin; but whoever says "foolish" is subject to hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:22-24).

And a little further: "But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). Thus, He even called longing desire adultery. Since the law persecutes oath-breaking, Christ forbade oaths altogether, commanding that one's words be confirmed only by "yes" and "no." You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, Resist not evil. But whoever smites you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek to him also. And whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him also your outer garment. And whoever compels you to go with him one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you. that ye may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:38-45); and, "Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye measure, it shall be measured unto you also (Matt. 7:1-2).

Lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your soul what you will eat or what you will drink, nor for your body what you will wear. Is not the soul more than food and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into the garner, and your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Are you not much better than they are" (Matt. 6:19-21, 25-26). By this it is said that He who gave us soul and body will give us both food and clothing, if He feeds the birds of the air, and clothes the grasses of the field in such beauty. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. So, don't worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will take care of his own. Enough for each day its own care (Matt. 6:33-34).

In all things, therefore, whatsoever you would that men should do unto you, do ye also unto them, for this is the law and the prophets. Enter in by the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way, which leads to destruction, and many go through it. For strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few find it (Matt. 7:12-14). Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! God! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whosoever loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (Matt. 10:37). All these and similar things the Lord commanded the Apostles to teach the faithful, and we must observe what has been said in order to attain perfection and crowns of immortality, which our Lord, the righteous Judge, will give on the day of His second coming to all the righteous."

Then Joasaph said to the elder: "If, with such a strict requirement of irreproachable behavior, it happens to me that I violate one or two of the commandments, then I will not achieve my goal at all, and all hope will be in vain"?

Barlaam answered him: "No, this is not how we should judge this, for the Word of God, having become man for the salvation of the human race, knowing the weakness and pitifulness of our nature, did not leave our illness incurable, but, like an all-wise Physician, gave repentance as a cure for this disease; Considering the precariousness and fallacy of our way of thinking, He made repentance the means of obtaining the forgiveness of sins. After we have come to know the truth, have received sanctification through water and the Holy Spirit, and have been cleansed of the filth of sins without any difficulty, then, if after that we have to fall into sin again, there will be no other spiritual rebirth through baptism, i.e. through immersion in the font with the descent upon the baptized person of the gift of the Holy Spirit (for this gift is given to us only once). But then the forgiveness and cleansing from sins is accomplished by the mercy of God, through sincere repentance, through hot tears and tireless labor. By the mercy of the Lord, prolonged contrition and streams of tears are like baptism, which has saved many who have already sinned from destruction, since there is no sin that can overcome God's love for mankind, if only we wash it with tears and repentance. But man must hasten with repentance, so that premature death does not force us to leave this world stained with sins. For in hell there is no longer a place for repentance and contrition for sins, but with them one can atone for one's sins during one's lifetime. It is impossible to count all the cases of God's compassion and measure the full depth of His mercy, but it is possible to count human sins and judge the degree of their gravity. These measurable and innumerable sins cannot defeat the immeasurable compassion and mercy of God, which have already been expressed in many cases. Therefore, we are commanded not to despair of our sins, but to trust in the grace of God and repent of our transgressions, the remission of which is subject to the love of Christ, Who shed His Blood for our sins. From many places of St. In the Scriptures we learn about the power of repentance, especially from the parables and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ: "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven draweth nigh' (Matt. 4:17). He testifies especially strongly to repentance in the parable of the lost son, saying: "A certain man had two sons; And the youngest of them said to his father, Father, give me the next portion of my possessions. And the father divided the estate among them. After a few days, the younger son, having gathered everything, went to a distant country and there squandered his possessions, living dissolutely. When he had lived through everything, there was a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and joined one of the inhabitants of the country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate, but no one gave it to him. And when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have bread in abundance, and I am dying of hunger!" I will arise, and go to my father, and say to him, Father, forgive him! I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no longer worthy to be called thy son, receive me among thy hired servants. And he got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion; and running, he fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, "Father, forgive him! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father said to his servants, Bring the best garments, and clothe him, and give a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring a fatted calf, and kill it; let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; disappeared and was found. And they began to rejoice (Luke 15:11-24). This is how He taught us about repentant sinners.

In another place He again speaks of a good shepherd who had 100 sheep, who, having lost one sheep, left 99 and went to look for the lost one. When he found her, he took her on his shoulders and carried her to the others. Summoning his friends and neighbors, he made a feast as a sign of joy at his find. The Saviour says thus: "I say unto you, that thus in heaven there shall be more joy over one sinner who repenteth, than over ninety-nine righteous men, who have no need of repentance" (Luke 15:7). Even Peter, the rock of faith, sinned during the most salvific suffering of Christ, denying his Teacher for a short time (how pitiful and weak human nature is in general). But immediately, remembering the words of the Lord and leaving the courtyard where the Savior was, he wept bitterly, and with his hot tears again gained victory over evil, making amends for his defeat. And the enemy of good, having triumphed instantly, fled far away from him with cries and shame, for Peter was experienced in the struggle against evil. Although he fell, he was not rejected or despaired, but, having recovered from his defeat, he brought hot tears and sincere contrition, and he again became a rock of faith in the assembly of the Apostles. Thus, as a universal teacher, Peter also became a model of repentance. When, after His Divine Resurrection, Christ asked three times: Simon Jonah, do you love Me, the Apostle answered: Yes, Lord, you know that I love You! (John 21:15).

From all these and countless other examples, we learn about the power of tears and repentance. But this means of atonement for sin is possible only when the penitent, washing away his sin with tears, feels disgust, hatred and contempt for it, as the Prophet David says: "I am weary with my groaning, every night I wash my bed, with my tears I wet my bed" (Psalm 6:7). Repentance and tears can atone for our sin, thanks to the sufferings of Christ, through the infinite mercy of God, who said: "Though your sins be as scarlet, as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, as white as wool (Isaiah 1:18). Here's how to think about it; And so we believe. In addition, after knowing the truth, being worthy of regeneration and adoption, one should participate in the holy sacraments, in order to protect oneself as much as possible from falling, for it is not fitting for a true fighter to fall, since many, having fallen, could no longer get up: some, having given access to their passions into their hearts, submitted to them forever and could no longer resort to repentance; others, as a result of premature death, did not have time to wash away the dirt of sin, and therefore were condemned. Therefore, beware of falling into any passion. If this fall is inevitable, then one should immediately rise up and again enter into a glorious struggle. And no matter how many times this fall happens in life, you must immediately try to wake up and get up. Turn to me, and I will return to you (Matthew 3:4).

Then Joasaph said to him: "And how can one preserve oneself pure, unstained by sin after baptism? Although, as you say, there is salvation for sinners through repentance, it is nevertheless again combined with sorrow, calamity, and tears, and it seems to me that the majority cannot successfully use this means. I would like to find a path by which I could not deviate from it and keep all the commandments of God inviolably; so that, after forsaking me my former sins, I would no longer anger the all-good Lord our God."

To this Barlaam answered him: "Thy word is good, my king and lord! I myself would very much like this, but it is only difficult and even absolutely impossible for anyone not to get burned in contact with fire. Therefore, burdened with affairs and busy with worldly cares and anxieties, living in wealth and luxury, it is very difficult to unswervingly follow the path of fulfilling God's commandments. No servant, says the Lord, can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be zealous for the one, and not care for the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13). His beloved disciple, the great Theologian John, writes in a similar way in his epistle: 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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of this world. And the world passes away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17). Understanding the meaning of these words of the Apostle, hearing that through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), our Divine Fathers strove after holy baptism to preserve pure and irreproachable the garment of immortality granted to them. Many of them added to it another baptism, namely through blood and suffering. This is also baptism, and moreover, the most worthy and valiant. He who is baptized with such baptism will no longer be defiled by the impurity of sin. The Lord Himself, having accepted suffering for us, called it true baptism. Hence His imitators and followers – first eyewitnesses, disciples and apostles accepted such baptism, then entire Christian communities – subjected themselves to Divine sufferings; Betraying themselves to pagan kings and rulers, they were condemned to various punishments and tortures: to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, to be burned and killed. Throughout their entire life, they openly confessed their faith, kept it immutable, for which they were awarded the reward assigned to the righteous, cohabitation with the angels and the inheritance promised by Christ. Their valor was so great that their fame spread throughout the earth, and the splendor of their exploits shone beyond the boundaries of the universe. And not only their glory and works, but their blood and bones are full of holiness. For by their power demons are cast out, and those who touch them with faith receive healing from all incurable diseases. Even their garments and everything that was close to their glorious bodies has power for every creature. But it would be long to tell about all their exploits separately.

When those cruel, bestial tyrants perished terribly, the persecutions ceased, and pious kings reigned in the world, then many followers of Christ imitated in zeal the truly Christian behavior of the martyrs and, inspired by their aspirations, thought most of all about appearing before the Lord pure in body and soul. They have removed from themselves the influence of all passions and everything that could stain their pure souls and bodies. And since they understood that they could achieve this only through the fulfillment of the commandments of Christ, and at the same time understood that the fulfillment of the commandments and the exercise of virtues are difficult in the midst of worldly passions and lusts, they began to take care of another kind of life and according to the Divine voice, leaving parents, children, friends, relatives, wealth and luxury, hating all worldly things, like some fugitives, they withdrew into the wilderness.

Moreover, trying to mortify their flesh by tortures, they wished to voluntarily become martyrs, in order to gain the glory of those who died by a martyr's death; they strove to accept the torments like Christ, as far as it is certainly possible for human nature, and as a result to become partakers in the enjoyment of the benefits of the future eternal kingdom.

Having set themselves such a goal, the blessed led a quiet life, in no way disturbing peace of mind. Some of them, living in the open air, endured from heat, rain, fierce cold, storms and winds; others lived in tents made by them, in caves, or in crevices of the earth. Thus striving in virtue, they completely renounced all bodily rest and other bodily pleasures; Raw vegetables, various plants, tree fruits, or dry, completely stale bread were eaten. Their abstinence extended not only to the quality of food, but also to the quantity with their characteristic zeal, namely: they ate the most necessary and simple things only to sustain life.

Some of them even remained without food for a whole week, and only on Sunday did they allow themselves to touch it; others took it twice a week, while others ate a little food every other day or only in the evenings.