All people are given talents, abilities, opportunities... "To each according to his strength." The Gospel tells us what people do with their talents. "He who received five talents went and put them to work and acquired the other five talents; likewise, he who received two talents acquired the other two; but he who received one talent went and buried it in the ground" (Matt. XXV)... A "talent" was considered a large monetary unit, the highest unit of weight in the table of Greek measures. What can be seen from the Gospel word? That some people show what is called a "creative attitude to life," multiplying their gifts and abilities that they have received from God; and others turn out to be less industrious, still others are even completely lazy, negligent, practically disbelieving in the One Who is the Source of all values and wants to multiply them in life. They are given. But it depends on us what we will do with these talents, what we will use them for, whether we bury our abilities in the ground, i.e. in our egoism, or bring good fruit in our own lives and in the lives of other people. He needs to develop his own "plot", his ability to truth, his sense of goodness, peace, justice, purity, love, philanthropy... Each of us will see the result of our life after it is over. This result will be manifested at God's Judgment... Some people light-mindedly think that they will disappear without a trace after their physical death and will remain in the world only, so to speak, not personally: in water, for example, in the form of chemical elements, or in the shaky earthly memory of people. But to remain only in "drops of water", in "specks of sulphur", or in other particles of matter, means not to remain anywhere. And the earthly memory of man, which is as passing as the whole earthly life, is covered with a thick layer of oblivion the words and deeds of many people and peoples of past epochs and civilizations! And, no matter how insignificant a person may be on earth, he harbors a miraculous beginning of eternity. And it only depends on him whether by his faith and moral action he will multiply the good in the world, or not. We are all called to be good, truthful, pure, believing in the Light Source of our life - the Living God. We are all called to be active in good. And everyone is the "blacksmith" of his happiness, if by happiness we mean the inner good of goodness and peace. The highest good is offered to everyone. It is placed in every person like leaven... The gates to Eternal Life are open to all... And only the person who believes in his own good, believes in his highest happiness, will enter them. The "material" for happiness is given to him in the tasks and goals of life. But in order to "cultivate" true life in oneself, a person must first of all see spiritually, see the higher meaning of his life and the truth of Divine Being. Often people themselves do not know to what extent they are close to their high good... The Russian poet, Margarita Aliger, has a short poem: "Two". It reveals the correct understanding of man. "Again they quarreled in the tram,Not restraining themselves, not ashamed of strangers... But, unwittingly not hiding envy,I looked at them excitedly.They do not know how happy they are,I looked at them excitedly.And there is no one to tell them.Just think: next to each other, both are alive,And everything can be corrected and understood."Quarreling (especially over trifles) people are blind in some respect: around them, in them, there is a wonderful mystery of life, but they do not see it. The mystery of man is that he is a moral being, a spiritual being, called to a higher and higher self-consciousness... And of course, petty everyday circumstances, their husks, cannot determine one's attitude to life and to other people. The poet saw the secret of people "quarreling in the tram". A person must see in himself and in others the soul, the enormous moral possibilities and the miraculous goal of life. This is what true religion teaches. It does not teach the humiliation of man (as some people incorrectly think), but it opens up the highest prospect for people: to be "children of God." This is incomparably more important than belonging to the "aristocracy" or to the "proletariat" (pitiful and conditional concepts!). "Children of God" means living souls, born for perfection and immortality... "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called and be the children of God... Beloved! We are now the children of God" (1 Jn. There are many sages and poets in the world who, like this Russian poet, would like to "prompt" all people who quarrel pettily in their trams and apartments that they are brothers, that they are "children of God" and before them is the path of high perfection and the glory of immortality.

Things to remember

S. S. Lewis built one of his books on imaginary "letters from an old devil to his nephew." In these "letters" the experienced devil teaches his young and inexperienced nephew to analyze the problems of modern humanity and to reveal the subconscious world of people, playing on their weaknesses, vices and shortcomings. The book of the Fox subtly shows the psychological process of the corruption of people by evil. The old devil teaches his "nephew" to distance people from God by all means and ways. In order to succeed in this, he considers it very important to constantly show people the ghosts of the future, never giving it; - to lure people with mirages, persuading them to commit crimes today, for the sake of happiness tomorrow.The bliss of the soul outside the moral sphere, of course, is unattainable; but, for the sake of magical happiness, achieved only by external means, a person is capable of renouncing the sacred a hundred times and doing all kinds of evil, rejecting the Creator and betraying his brother... It is in this direction that the devil wants to "help" people.The Creator gave man life to attain bright eternity. God wants people to live a bright eternity at every point of their earthly time, which is their only "present." Only the moment of the present is the point of contact between man and the reality of the Eternal. Only the present, in fact, is what man has, his free will. And God has revealed to us that by faith we can receive from Him power and grace for every present moment. That is why the work of the devil, to a large extent, boils down to leading people away from God's grace in the present moment. An evil spirit makes people live all the time in the "future". Man is not aware of the fact that the future is hidden from man and is not subject to his planning. And working only in the name of the materialistically understood "future", people, in fact, live outside of real existence. This unreal, materialistic "future" for the human soul is the true "opium" of the soul. The "future" is the most "temporary," the most unreal part of man's time.God wants people to think about the future as well, but only to the extent that they prepare for the present works of goodness and justice. Preparation for the eternal is the duty of the present moment. God wants man not to give his whole heart to the "6ugly" in his service and to others, but to live eternal in the present. But this is exactly what evil spirits do not want. They want humanity to always "chase the rainbow, never reach it"; they need people in this pursuit to forget the meaning and purpose of life, and the preciousness of each of their moments, for the deeds of good and justice.The devil calls silence "a terrible force"; He calls for filling life with noise. "Every human moment should be filled with great dynamics, noise, fanfares, "announcing solemnity and ruthlessness". Noise is the only self-defense of evil from the voice of a quiet human conscience, from the quiet Word of God... "We will turn the whole world into Noise"! - says the devil. "And we have already achieved a lot in this direction, but (I have to admit the evil spirit) the evil forces are not yet noisy enough in the world."With great insight, Lewis shows the properties of social teachings and utopias that cultivate the anti-god principle, deceiving people with the ghost of the future.Leonid Leonov, in the eighth chapter of the second part of the novel "Russian Forest", there is a characteristic conversation between a Russian idealist girl Poly and a Komsomol leader, Sapozhkov. With lofty, alluring words about the future well-being of peoples as a result of the construction projects that had begun, Sapozhkov turned the head of the Field... "Well, and then what?" asks Polya Sapozhkov. "In what sense... farther?... " - "I wanted," says the girl, "to ask what is next, in a hundred years... when everything necessary is built, the enemies are beaten and the old world will be left behind"? Such a simple question from the girl puts Sapozhkov at a dead end, and he hurries to finish the conversation with Polya. "Sorry, Vikhrov, I temporarily cannot reveal to you this secret of history: it is still a great secret! Come back in a hundred years... then at our leisure we will discuss plans for the future"... This is how the materialist laughed it off, instead of answering the deep question of the Russian girl. But what could he say? The free development of ideas is not recommended to him.The specter that lured peoples to a happy future passed through Europe with fanfares and National Socialism disappeared. And how many mirages have disappeared in history! But the march into the world of myths based on disbelief in the immortal soul of man continues with the same fanfare of deification of the future. They all thunder, these fanfares, drowning out the human conscience and man's faith in the higher world. Not in a calm one; human labor is affirmed, and in the performance of some exceptional deeds, magical leaps into the future, the quantity and the quality that mechanically seems to follow it. Noisy slogans weave the legend of the "future"... Only man forgot about his death. And he forgot about his evil. Evil and death will not be exterminated by any material means, by any construction, by any cosmonauts. And not to shut himself off from evil and death with any noise. There is only one salvation: the Resurrected Christ.

On Evangelical and Non-Gospel Sinners

When you look at the sinners of the Gospel, listen to their words and see their actions, you involuntarily think what good people these sinners are, in fact, in comparison with us, with the people of our era. She attracts a woman "taken in adultery" and is ready to stone her for it... How reverently this crowd listens to the wise and meek answer of the Savior to its question, and how strongly, vividly the human conscience speaks at this time in each of this crowd... Is something like this possible now? Silent, denounced by the inner court of conscience, these sinners are scattered... Could this happen now? It is difficult, in the first place, to imagine that people of our age, so sincerely and so religiously, would be indignant at adultery; This sin is now embellished, entwined with all the paper ribbons of literature, theater, film. This is the area of countless imitations, special vanity and heroism. Is it possible now to manifest such a religious attitude to sin as that of this Jewish and pagan crowd in Jerusalem? It is difficult to imagine that people in any modern social collective could be so ardently zealous for the fulfillment of God's law and so divinely deeply ashamed of the denunciation of the quiet and meek voice of a spiritual Teacher... See how all these people, one by one, began to leave, "convicted by their consciences"! Not many public accusers of their neighbor could now show such moral sensitivity. How he amazes our consciousness with the subtlety and depth of his repentance. An amazing soul, with the humility of his feelings: "Father, I am not worthy to be called Thy son, receive me as one of Thy mercenaries." Suddenly, they die of their sin, having concealed a part of the possessions they themselves voluntarily gave to God. Compared to the spiritual hypocrites of our day, are they not even infants?... How many Christians and pastors in our days promise to give their entire lives to the Lord God, but give only an insignificant part of it, concealing the rest for their own selfish purposes. constantly remembered by mankind, the robber Barabbas, who was freed by Pilate instead of Christ, and who undoubtedly killed someone on the road – how can we define his crime in comparison with the methodical and consciously merciless killing, "for the benefit of the state", in our days, of millions of innocent victims, with their wives and children? How he wants to see the Saviour! The gospel teaches us not only by its righteous people; it leads us to repentance, to God and to the images of their sinners, their humanity, their sensitivity to good. here they are weeping bitterly after their renunciation; here they stop on the road, like Saul, struck by a heavenly vision... All of them change their lives, or, condemning themselves, on their cross, they ask the Lord to "remember them"?... None of this can be seen. We give ourselves over to our plans, projects, feelings, passions, and forget the meek, loving truth of Christ. We have gone far, not only from the Gospel, but even from the sinners of the Gospel! Ancient sinners surprise us with their humanity and humility shining through their sin. With the images of these sinners, devoid of the traits of our infinite self-satisfaction and self-admiration, the Lord wanted to bring us to reason and console us - after all, we too can become the same human sinners, if greater love for God is impossible for us. We see clearly what the sinners of the Gospel are, and what we are, with our civilization.The ancient Pharisee who praised himself in the temple of Jerusalem is, of course, a child, compared with the open and veiled self-promotion of many social, political, and even ecclesiastical figures of our world.The sinfulness of the Gospel is a "shepherd's pipe" in comparison with the importunate, deafening and shameless music of sin of our days. Not only individually, but collectively, the people of our age are rebelling against the Spirit of God. White is so persistently called black in the world, and black is called white... "Mountains, fall upon us, and hills, cover us!" We all consider ourselves to be prosperous publicans, and our neighbors to be Pharisees.We do not repent, like Peter, and do not give "half of our possessions" to the poor, like Zacchaeus, at the mere sight of Jesus... If only we could only forget the oil, like the foolish virgins of the Gospel! Or only bury the talent in the sad ground, without acquiring anything sinful with it. If, turning our gaze away from the Truth Itself, we could be occupied only with our family affairs or complacently test our oxen... But we participate in the crimes that enter the world under the guise of special concern for people and nations.Even the greatest sinner of the Gospel, Judas, in the midst of his despair, recognized his sin; and if he did not truly repent of it before God, he nevertheless threw away his criminal money, 30 pieces of silver, the price of his betrayal, and, tormented by his conscience, said: "I have betrayed innocent blood." And is it not built in our days, on the innocent sufferings of many, of the imaginary well-being of people and nations?Peering into the sinfulness revealed to us in the Gospel, and peering into the life of mankind, it is impossible not to see that the final Judgment over the world is already standing "at the doors." So that we, seeing our truth in nothing, would place all our hope in the Truth of Christ. And, by the grace of the Lord, they entered into it.

Don't steal

What should be the true, religious attitude to property, to property? Following the word of their Teacher and Lord, Christ's disciples considered everything in the world to be God's, and not their own. Yes, except for our evil, which really belongs to us, people, everything in the world is the property of God! The one who created the world owns everything in the highest sense. A believer cannot think otherwise. Everything in the world is God's, everything is Christ's. And man does not belong to himself, but to God, predestined for eternal life in God. But man is created not as a robot, but as a son. And he is called to accept the will of God freely, filially, finding in it the highest life and joy. Everything that the Father has, the son also has. Love blurs the line between "mine" and "yours"; love unites people and their possessions; And malice, egoism, and even more so robber violence constantly destroy love in the world and the boundaries between a person's property and his personality. Encroaching on a person's property, they encroach on his personality. Egoism compels a person to take away what is not his own and not to give away his own. And love draws a person to take care of what is not his own and to give his own to others. That is why the idea of materialism, as alien to the moral understanding of the world and man, cannot create a real community between people; The idea of materialism is opposed to the very essence of the spiritual real community of people and deepens the division of man. Community is created only through the spiritual realm, the realm of love, trust, faith, through the spirit of love, through living faith and the reality of God and one's higher being. The community of people is unrealizable through the idea of materialism.On Mount Sinai, people were given God's Law and the commandment was given: "Thou shalt not steal." This commandment is as clear and understandable as the commandments: "Thou shalt not kill", "Thou shalt not commit adultery", ^Honour thy father and mother"... By its tenth commandment, the Divine Law forbids even to covet something that is not one's own, and to envy one's neighbor's property. Evil is everything that violates love for God and for man. In this way, God's commandment lays the foundations of true human culture and opens the way to higher sociality and humanity. Philosophically speaking, any "property" is valuable not in itself, but only as a projection - expression and reflection - of a person's personality. A person has the right only to give his life and his property to others; A person has the right to take away property only from himself. Christ showed the image of such a man, in the spirit of lofty humanity, in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The merciful Samaritan, by his care and sacrifice, saved the life of a stranger wounded by robbers, lying on the road. If the qualities of robbers take away the freedom, property, and life of other people, then the property of a true person is to help other people and share with them his property and his best spiritual feelings, strengthening and consoling the lives of the people around him. And the best social opportunity for the manifestation of higher human feelings and deeds is created in a society where each person is given the opportunity, without harming others, without humiliating or forcing anyone, to freely manifest his talents for the benefit of others, his people and the whole world. Only on these principles can the highest unity of people be created, the children of the One Heavenly Father, God; a personality is created on these foundations, a healthy family, a peaceful society of free people and peaceful intercourse of peoples. The worst egoism is organized egoism, when people specially unite with each other in order to manifest egoism collectively. If one egoist is bad, then millions of united egoists will be millions of times worse and more harmful. That is why in a society governed by law not only individuals, but also entire organized groups of people are limited by laws and pacified.Injustice in relation to even one person has a disastrous effect on everyone, because humanity is one organism. Slave-holding society was disastrous not only for slaves, but even more so for slave-holders themselves. Anti-religious thought incorrectly says that Christianity allegedly justified slavery or the domination of the rich. The entire Holy Scripture is full of denunciation of unrighteous and unmerciful wealth, selfishness and predation of people. A person's wealth can be a blessing only if it is accompanied by mercy and justice. Prophets and apostles teach mankind a higher brotherhood, a higher community. All people are brothers in God, because they were created by one Heavenly Father; and in Christ, in the spirit of the Gospel, this brotherhood is realized. Christ's love and mercy are the only real power of the real (not fictitious) unity of people.In his First Epistle, the Apostle Peter says to believers: "If you are reviled for the Name of Christ, then you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests upon you... That any of you may not suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or a trespasser of another's property" (Pet. IV, 14-15). Of course, there have been people in history who called themselves "believers", even "shepherds", who were not faithful to Christ, but flattered, pleased the rich, pandered to the strong and did not help the poor, did not save the enslaved; but in this they clearly went against the teaching of the Church and the faith of Christ. True representatives of the Church of Christ and the faith in history have always been ministers of the Gospel truth.The Russian preacher of the thirteenth century, Bishop Serapion, thus denounced the morals of the strong people of his time, telling them that they were "like beasts... they enslaved their possessions by the lack of satiety, they did not have mercy on orphans, they did not know human nature"... In the fifteenth-century manuscript Izmaragd, a church preacher addresses the unmerciful rich, saying: "Rich man! You have lit your candles on the lamps of the Church. But here came the slaves, orphans, and widows who had been offended by you, sighing against you. They will extinguish your candle with tears"... Archbishop Ephraim of Veliky Novgorod forbade priests to accept gifts for the church from unmerciful people who "impose work beyond their strength... starving, languishing naked..." Historical monuments speak of true pastors of all times: "He granted release to debtors, and he himself forgave debts; the prophets, apostles, pastors, disciples of Christ, in all nations, following the Word of their Teacher and Lord, proclaim the spiritual, i.e. the most profound revolution of mankind. After all, no matter what social reforms are carried out and what revolutions are carried out in the world, they will not lead to anything happy for mankind if man himself remains an egoist and the spiritual process of struggle for good, for truth and love does not take place in him - i.e. that true revolution of the world, the revolution of truth and love, truth and goodness. which the Light of the world, Christ, brought to earth, and, according to the faith of man, accomplishes it in man.

The Seal of Truth

Once in the house where He was invited, Christ saw how "those who were invited chose the first places." Noticing this mundane detail, the Lord, for Whom there was nothing secondary in the moral world, said the words that remained over the world: "When you are called by someone to the marriage, do not sit in the first place, lest it happen that one of those who were invited by him is more honorable than you, and he who called you and him, coming up, said to you: "Give him a place"; and then with shame you will have to take the last place. But when you are called, when you come, sit down in the last place, so that he who called you will come and say: "Friend! Sit higher"; then you will have honor before those who sit with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; but he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk. 14. 8-11). The manifestation of human self-love is most often made in everyday life, at a party, in the living room, in the dining room. As in ancient times, a modern guest also wants to sit in a more honorable seat. Such parochialism was strongly in vogue among the boyars of Muscovite Russia, who (in no way showing the Orthodox spirit in this!) strove to "sit out" each other at the tsar's table; but, of course, apart from the meals of the poorest people, there is a competition, albeit imperceptible, in ambition in all countries of the world. Modesty is a difficult form of kindness! A person who painfully thinks about how not to put himself lower than the other and how to put himself above the other, is incapable of creative work. Especially to the higher, spiritual. This may most of all apply to us, pastors. Vanity is a sign not only of moral, but also of mental stagnation.In wise and calm words, Christ revealed this truth to us, people. But before sharply rebuking mankind, He revealed His Divine mercy by healing the sick. This was in the house of "one of the rulers of the Pharisees" and happened on Saturday, a feast day, when all work was forbidden. As in our epoch, many did not understand even then what the spirit of the real religious holiday was, they did not understand that it does not consist in the dead letter of the external "fulfillment of the prescription", but the true religious holiday is a day of obedience to God in spirit and truth and the manifestation of mercy. Such is the blindness of people. But the Lord came for the salvation of the blind... On that day, when Christ was visiting the Pharisees, "there stood before Him a man suffering from watersickness... Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" They were silent. And having touched him, he healed him and let him go. And he said to them, "If any of you has an ass or an ox that falls into a well, will he not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" And they could not answer Him to this" (Luke 14-26).The business of man is to do good and help people-brothers always, and especially on religious holidays. Every day is the day of God, and is the good of God, and was created for good. And the feast of faith is the mercy of God and man.And, teaching this truth, the Savior pointed out that the manifestation of mercy is most hindered by human self-love, and therefore, wishing healing to all people, He said: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." But these laws exist and refute disbelief in the spiritual world. A pitiful, repulsive impression is made on everyone, even by non-religious people, a person who praises himself. And the more a person boasts of himself and exalts himself, the more he seems pitiful to those around him. This is the operation of the spiritual law. And the more modest a person is, the more pleasant he is for everyone. Everyone loves the humble; The vain repel everyone. We clearly see that there is an immutable law at work, even in unbelievers. Unbelievers are also subject to this law. And if they don't value modesty in themselves, they always value it in other people.We wouldn't be wrong to recognize modesty as one of the most comforting traits of the human personality. Modesty, of course, is equal to mercy, since by virtue of his modesty alone, a person is already merciful to other people - he does not bore them with his claims, does not torment them with his encroachment on some significance. Willingly or unwillingly, the humble always gives honor, first to God, and then to people, who all have their gifts from God. His talents and virtues are not degraded by his modesty, on the contrary, they grow even more. Nor does modesty mean weakness, as some think, fearing modesty; no, she, only she, is the strength and valor of the spirit. And in the life of societies and peoples, "pride comes before destruction." The level of culture is directly proportional to social and international modesty. And therefore the Word, Who created the worlds, took upon Himself the life of a humble Man and walked the suffering path of life, showing the spirit of modesty as a light leading to the infinite glory of the Heavenly Kingdom. The humility of Christ Jesus has become the seal of truth in man.

Praise of justice

We, humans, are very quick to notice any injustice in relation to ourselves. Some people are offended by everyone around them and even by the Lord God Himself, if something does not turn out as well in their lives as they would like. But the injustices that we ourselves human beings do in the world are less clear to us. We even find it difficult to recognize it at all.Justice is such a beautiful word. There is something divine in him, it inspires, reproaches and torments. It torments us sacredly when we fight for justice in relation to other people, and plunges us into anguish when we seek complete justice, and often in sheer trifles, in relation to ourselves on the part of others. And we feel peace and joy in our souls when we do justice, and especially when we become higher in our feelings than justice. To stand above justice means to enter the Kingdom of Christ's love.There are feelings in us, people, that can be called generous, rich, for example, love, generosity, unselfishness, selflessness. But there are also feelings in us that are more modest, but in everyday life, perhaps even more necessary for us - without which life in the world becomes completely impossible. Justice belongs to these modest and quiet feelings. It regulates the foundations of human life, both personal, public, social, and state. The concept of this justice should also include simple honesty, truthfulness, respect for another person, for his life, for his word, for his freedom. Freedom is the most important part of another person's life. Freedom must be protected by justice. Justice is formulated by the commandments given by God to mankind at Sinai. All of them speak of the just Law of God given to man. And the 10th, last commandment says that injustice to another person should not be allowed even in one's innermost desires. You can't wish for anything that can violate the life and rights of another.I called love a generous, "rich" feeling. Of course, this does not apply to all love, but only to self-sacrificing and just love. For example, if parents who have adopted a child treat the child worse than their own, they are doing injustice. In this way, justice controls even love.What does the Bible say about justice? The book of Job speaks of Job with praise: "This man was blameless, just." (Job 1:1). Psalm 118 says of God, "Righteous art Thou... and thy judgments are just." It follows from this that if we do not feel Divine justice in relation to ourselves, then our conscience is lagging behind the times and the Truth of God.Recently, a young man told me about a trouble that happened to him. In connection with the robbery of a gas station, he, who happened to be near this place, was detained. While the circumstances of the case were being investigated, he spent some time in detention. I was surprised and pleased by the reaction of this man to such an event, which was an injustice to him. He said that when I got into this story, I began to reflect on what had happened and came to the conclusion that there was a moral law in this incident, and I saw in it the highest justice. The fact is that I once committed an immoral act, and I got away with it. And I had to endure some kind of suffering now. This is fair... I was amazed at such a morally pure, religious penetration into the essence of this young man's life, "Such is the true faith in God," I thought. The conscience of children and young people is sometimes more sensitive than that of people who have lived and, as it were, breathed the injustice of this world. Following the path of moral compromises in his life, a person gradually empties his soul and ceases to feel when he is unjust to another person, acutely feeling, however, any injustice of others in relation to himself.Psalm 87 calls mercy to the poor not mercy, but justice; And this, of course, is fair. "Do justice to the poor," says the Bible. If you have two pieces of bread or two shirts, and the person next to you has no bread and not even one shirt, then this is not even love, not mercy, but just justice, if you give one piece and one shirt to someone in need. Speaking in his Epistle to the Ephesians about the respect of children for their parents, the Apostle Paul calls respect for parents not podvig or self-sacrifice, but only justice. The commandment given by God to man: "Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be good for thee, and that thou shalt live long on earth" (the only commandment with a promise) points to the path of justice. Disrespect and inattention to those people who did such a great job for us, giving birth to us into the world, were chosen by God Himself to become our father and mother, disrespect for parents - this is a deep, glaring injustice. Not everyone feels it. But when they themselves experience the same injustice towards themselves, on the part of their children, they will better understand their sin.The prudent thief, hanging on Golgotha next to the Savior of the world, stopping another, also crucified, but embittered thief, expressed an idea that shows the clarity and honesty of his moral consciousness and his high justice. He said this to his comrade, who was also crucified and dying on the cross: "... we are justly condemned, because we have received what is worthy according to our deeds; but He (i.e. Christ) has done nothing evil." (Luke 23:41). A twofold phenomenon of justice is clearly seen here: it is a person's admission of guilt - the recognition of the innocence of another person. Here is an example of an honest, non-egocentric consciousness. It can also be revealed in a very sinful person. This is an illustration of what F.M. Dostoevsky said about man in general and about the Russian person in his book "Notes from the House of the Dead". Dostoevsky saw that at the bottom of the soul of even the most inveterate criminal there is a spark of that humanity in which the image of God is manifested in man. This is the source of all world justice. Light comes from God through a person who has wiped the mirror of his soul, removed the dust from his conscience and reflects God's Light. We experience great consolation in the world from the manifestation of all justice, regardless of whether it has or does not concern us personally. Justice is light in itself. And when we touch it, we experience a feeling of fullness of life and joy. God is with us then. The thief on the cross of Golgotha understood this. And that is why he entered Paradise with Christ.The greatest triumph of justice will take place at the last Judgment, when God will "wipe away every tear" from man's eyes. Everything will then be called by its true name, all false greatness will fall, and truth will take its place. This will be the apotheosis of universal justice and higher love.To see the justice of those around us, to experience our own justice in relation to people is a great happiness, since the highest justice is higher than justice, and its name is love.

The Problem of Personality

There is an expression: "to shout in a voice that is not your own". This cry is the fall of man into the pre-human impersonal element. Despite all the technological progress of our time (and, to some extent, thanks to it), not a few people nowadays shout "not in their own voice" - from fear, suffering, bewilderment, or indignation at the cruelty of others. But perhaps an even more characteristic feature of our time is that many people in the world do not speak in their own voices. The personality of a person is standardized, generalized, erased.It is amazing that each of the three billion people of the world has a single, unique and unforgettable voice. The immortal personality is imprinted in every person and is reflected in the unique features and expressions of his face, in his look, voice and even in the special lines of his skin on his fingers... We recognize birds by their common voices, and a person by their personal, unique, unforgettable voice, look and handwriting. Is this not a vivid testimony to the immortal human personality? Of course, when people spiritually distance themselves from their Creator (especially when they fight against Him), they also move away from themselves. And returning to God, believing in God, a person returns to himself, to his soul. This is what the Gospel parable tells us about the prodigal son, who left his father and then returned to him. Such is the law of the spirit: by forgetting God, a person forgets his own face, depersonalizes himself. Losing the truth, a person loses his life with it. And all the difficulties and all human failures (especially in marriage and family life) are connected with this. Chukovsky correctly wrote about the style that depersonalizes a person and called this style bureaucracy. "Chancellery" is not only the sphere of chancelleries, but also of public life. It is one of the manifestations of a voice that is not one's own in man.This is facilitated by technical civilization, if it is not defeated by the bright spirit of man, if it is not balanced by culture. Man proudly and vaingloriously conquers the earth and planets, but so rarely and so insufficiently he reigns over his soul, over his word, over the sincerity of his word and heart... That is why so many people in the world shout or speak "not in their own voice". Not only individuals, but entire groups speak in a standard way, cry out with a clichéd thought, for a penny of correct, for a ruble of false... He who has departed from God also leaves himself. Mental and volitional mimicry, verbal and emotional onomatopoeia develop in humanity. Personalities are called to be unique, to complement each other, to serve each other with their special gifts and talents. There are so many words in the world in which there is nothing, or almost nothing, except onomatopoeia. "Not their own", some other voices, people enter into an argument and even a dialogue with each other and dissolve each other in abstractions, covering each other with dead slogans, standard qualifications. Here is the main drama of humanity. Only the personal voice of man reflects the truth laid down in the very depths of creation, in the essence of man.In Marxism there is a popular idea that it is necessary not so much to think and philosophize about the world as to change the world. Two millennia before Marx, this idea was expressed in the Holy Scriptures, in a much deeper form: "Faith without works is dead," and man's faith is "justified by works." And long before these apostolic words, it was revealed to man that he was called by God to cultivate the earth with his creative labor and to change it, working on it "by the sweat of his brow." But if a person tries to "change the world", without realizing the basic meaning of the life of this world and his life, guided only by an abstract thought about some titanic change of the earth, then nothing will come of it, except suffering and chaos. By the 70s of the XX century, we are already well aware of this. That is why Marx's famous formula about the need not to philosophize about the world, but to "change the world" does not mean anything in itself. The goal, quality and means of such a "change" of the world must prove their grace. Folk wisdom settles superficial activists: "Measure twice, cut once." Only after looking at the saints should you "bang the bell". Even the most energetic "change" of something, without a bright mind and spirit, is meaningless and inhuman. And Isaac the Syrian said that even love, the highest good of the world, is imperfect without wisdom. And the idea of "changing the world" without a deep understanding of the world and man is a force that unleashes evil.Comprehending history, with its darkness and light, comprehending the immortal depth and high goal of human life, it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that man, first of all, must become a real man in order to begin to change the world for the better. And when morally blind people "change the world," they change it for the worse. They want to "change" the world, not knowing this world, not believing in the moral essence of either it or man. How to improve the world without improving the human heart? An ocean of blood has been shed and continues to be spilled for the sake of abstract projects of the future. For this reason, the Holy Scriptures, revealing the Face of God, call not merely to act for the sake of action or to change for the sake of change, but to hear the Truth and to obey it, in the power of the Spirit, and to do the will of Him Who created all things and gave way to all things. He gives man the ways of true change of the world, the ways of purification, forgiveness, elevation, sanctification and transformation of man. And only when we meet our Father, when we hear His voice, do we begin to understand ourselves and the world. And then we see what needs to be improved in ourselves and changed in the world.

Psychology of resentment