And having pulled both boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him. They left the boats, let others do what they want with them. Moreover, Peter left his house and wife, and James and John their father's house and his father. And they followed Him. What should they worry about? Did they not worry and toiled all night, but in vain? He who can create all things without difficulty will be able to nourish them and their kinsmen. He who clothes the lilies of the field in a garment more beautiful than that of King Solomon, will take care of their garments also. Food and clothing are the least things. Meanwhile, the Lord calls them to the greatest, to the Kingdom of God. And if He can give them the greatest, will He not provide them with the least? The same Apostle Peter later wrote: "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). And, finally, if deaf and dumb fish in the water listen to Him, how can people, verbal creatures, not listen to Him?

However, this whole parable also has a hidden inner meaning. The boat means the body, the breaking nets - the old spirit in man, the depth of the sea - the depth of the human soul. When the Living Lord dwells in an obedient person, then the person sails away from the shore of this material world and withdraws from the shallow waters of the flesh to the spiritual depths. In these depths the Lord reveals to him the innumerable riches of His gifts, which man tried in vain to obtain by himself, by his labors all night of his life. But these gifts are so enormous that the old spirit cannot contain them and bursts out of them. That is why the Lord said that no one pours new wine into old skins. Seeing the unheard-of riches of God's gifts, an obedient person is filled with fear and horror both from God's omnipotence and from his own sins. And then he would be glad to hide from God, so that God would go out from him, and he would return to his old spirit and old life. For as soon as God's radiance and mercy are revealed to man, his own sinfulness, unworthiness, and long-term separation from God are immediately revealed to him. But he whom God has brought out into the depths of the spirit, He does not forsake, but in spite of his painful cries: come out from me, O Lord! - encourages and comforts with the words: do not be afraid. Further, when the Lord bestows upon an obedient man His indescribable Divine wealth, He does not want this wealth to remain only with him, like a talent buried in the ground by a wicked servant; but God wants the obedient person to share this gift with others. Wherefore Peter calls for another boat to load all the fish he has caught, and shares the catch with his companions, James and John, and the rest who were with them. But James, John, and all the rest of them are at work, pulling out nets, filling boats with fish, and rowing to the shore. In the same way, every obedient person, receiving the gift of God through another person, must know that this gift comes from God, and not from man; It is necessary immediately, without delay, to begin to work, preserving, multiplying, and further distributing this gift. The fact that obedient fishermen, having pulled the boats ashore, left the boats and everything else and followed Christ, means that a person gifted by God in the depths of the spirit leaves his body with passions and sinful ties that were hitherto guilty. And he leaves everything, that is, he leaves not only the body and bodily ties, but also the old spirit and all the ties of his old spirit, and follows Him Who clothes everyone who is called into a new robe of salvation and Who constantly calls the obedient to the great depths of the spiritual. The words of the Savior spoken to Peter: "From now on you will catch men" mean that the apostles, bishops, priests, and in general all Christians who have received gifts from God, out of love and duty, work in order to catch, that is, to save, as many people as possible with the help of these gifts. Each according to his gift: the one to whom more is given is obliged to bring a greater catch, and the one to whom less is given will have to bring less, as the Lord clearly teaches in the parable of the talents. The slave who received five talents brought ten talents, and the slave who received two talents brought four. If only no one would be proud of God's gift as his own, would not hide it from people and bury his body in the grave, for such a person will condemn himself to hell of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Thus, this Gospel story is full of teachings specifically for our time and our generation. Oh, if only the people of our time would take from this Gospel reading at least a teaching about obedience to God! Through obedience, all other teachings would be fulfilled by themselves. And all the riches that the human heart can desire would be caught in the golden net of Gospel obedience. We have before us two examples of obedience: the obedience of the fish and the obedience of the apostles. It is difficult to say which of them is more touching. The fish carry out the command of the Lord and without delay lay their lives at His feet. The Lord created them because of the bodily need of man. But look at how fish can also satisfy one of the spiritual needs of people! To apostatic, rebellious and disobedient people, they showed an example of obedience to the Creator. Indeed, these fish could not have been more famous even if they had lived and swam in the Lake of Gennesaret for another thousand years! They redeemed their lives with the great honor of serving in the economy of the Lord the Redeemer, as an example and a reproach to disobedient people. The unspeakable mercy of God is also evident in this. The Lord uses His creations to turn man away from the path of perdition, to awaken him, to sober him up, and to raise him to the height of his original dignity. But the example of apostolic obedience is also touching. Simple people are usually more attached to their home and their relatives than secular people. For the latter have many different connections in the world, and if they neglect some connections, others will remain with them. But these simple fishermen abandon everything, reject their small but very strong ties with the world, home and relatives - and with themselves - and follow Christ to a great and rich spiritual depth. Time has shown that the Lord divinely rewarded their obedience. They became pillars of the Church of God on earth and great luminaries in the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us all hasten to take advantage of their example of obedience. The night of our life on earth passes quickly, and all our labors remain in vain this night, and our snares are empty, and our heart is filled with despondency, and our soul and our mind hunger - without God's help. The Good Lord stands near the boat of each of us and asks. He, the Most High Creator and Almighty, asks each of us to let Him into our boat and with Him to fearlessly set sail from the shallow waters, from the muddy puddle of life, to the great depths of the spiritual sea, where He will fill our boats with all the longed-for abundance! So let us listen to Him while He asks, for when He dawns, we will see Him no longer as a Supplicant, but as a Judge. Let us not reject His request to enter into our hearts and souls, just as Peter did not reject Him; for He desires to enter in, not for His own sake, but for our sake. Know that it is not easy for the Most Pure One to enter under an unclean roof. Know that this is a sacrifice offered by Him. But He makes this sacrifice out of love for us. He doesn't ask us to let him in and take anything: He wants to give. He asks us only to allow Him to do a service and a sacrifice - and a sacrifice! - for us. Let us hear, my brethren, the voice of the Supplicant before we hear the voice of the Judge.

To our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be honor and glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, One-in-Essence and Indivisible, now and ever, at all times and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel of Perfect Mercy

Luke, 26 rec., 6:31-36.

If people remembered God's mercy to them every day, they themselves would be merciful to one another.

Nothing makes a person so unmerciful as the certainty that no one is merciful to him. No one? And where is God? Does not God reward us every day and every night with His mercy for the lack of mercy of people? And is not the favor of the king himself more important to us at the royal court than that of his slaves? What is the use if all the king's servants shower us with favors, but the king is angry with us?

People become unmerciful, expecting others to be the first to show mercy to them. But look, others expect the same from them! And in this mutual expectation of mercy from each other, all people, to a greater or lesser extent, become merciless. And mercy is not a virtue that waits, but a virtue that strives to manifest itself. For how would people have known about mercy at all, if God had not been the first to show His mercy? God's mercy evoked mercy among people; and if God had not been the first to show His mercy, the world would not have known even the word mercy.

Для того, кто осознает милосердие как добродетель активную, а не выжидающую и так и начнет ее исполнять, и небо, и земля вскоре окрасятся в иной цвет. Ибо человек этот быстро познает и Божие, и людское милосердие. Милосердие есть удар, неизбежно высекающий искру. И наносящий сей блаженный удар, и принимающий его - оба чувствуют присутствие Бога. В этот миг милующая рука Божия ощущается на обоих сердцах. Потому и сказал Господь: Блаженны милостивые, ибо они помилованы будут.

Милосердие больше жалости, которую мудрецы в Индии проповедовали как величайшую добродетель. Человек может пожалеть нищего - и пройти мимо него, но человек милосердный пожалеет нищего и поможет ему. Милосердие же к нищему не есть самое трудное и самое важное в законе Христовом - в сравнении с милосердием ко врагу.

Милосердие больше прощения обид. Ибо простить обиду - половина пути к Богу, а сотворить дело милосердия - вторая половина сего пути.

Нужно ли и говорить, что милосердие больше земной справедливости? Если бы не было милосердия, то все люди по этой земной, законной справедливости погибли бы. Закон без милосердия не может даже поддерживать существующее, в то время как милосердие создает в мире новое и великое. Милосердие и весь мир сей сотворило. Потому лучше людям с детства упражняться в познании сладости милосердия, чем в познании терпкости закона. Ибо закону можно обучится всегда, но если сердце отвердеет, то трудно обратиться и стать милосердным. Ибо люди милосердные не согрешат и в законе, но исполнившие весь закон могут быть совершенно лишены милосердия и потерять венец славы, приготовленный Богом для милосердных.

Сегодняшнее Евангельское чтение говорит нам о высшей ступени милосердия - о любви к врагам. Господь наш Иисус Христос дает заповедь - не совет, но заповедь - любить и врагов своих. И эта Его заповедь не побочная и спорадическая, как было до Него в отдельных редких местах закона, где в целом сия заповедь - более в виде совета, чем заповеди - блеснула; но заповедь сия о любви к врагам выносится в Евангелии на самое видное место.