CONVERSATION 12

"And the Word was made flesh, full of grace and truth. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father" (John 1:14).

1. What is the meaning of the saying: "Glory as the Only-begotten of the Father." — 2 and 3. Omens and miracles before the coming of Jesus Christ. — Harbingers and preachers. — The free will of man. — Virtue as a product of free will. Miracles proclaimed Jesus Christ and showed that he was the Only-begotten Son of God. — Miracles performed invisibly and visibly at the time of His death. — What is the glory of Christ in heaven.

1. What we said yesterday may have seemed to you more than necessary to be embarrassing and burdensome, since we have spoken a reproachful word and have extended far the rebuke of many in negligence. But if they did this only with the intention of offending you, then perhaps each of you would justly be indignant. And since we have neglected pleasantness in words, with a view to your benefit, then, although you do not wish to accept our care for you, you must at least forgive such love of ours. We were very much afraid that, with our efforts, you, on your part, not wishing to show the same diligence in listening, would be subjected to a more severe answer for the consequences. For this reason we are compelled to constantly stir you up and awaken you from sleep, so that nothing that has been said will be lost to you. Only in this way can you live with boldness in the present age and in the next day stand before the throne of Christ. But since we have already touched you sufficiently yesterday, let us now proceed directly to the very sayings of the Gospel. "And we saw His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father" (v. 14). The Evangelist, having said that we have become children of God, and having shown that this happened only through the incarnation of the Word, now presents another benefit from this. What is it? "And we saw His glory, the glory as the Only Begotten of the Father." We could not see if He had not appeared to us in the flesh He had received. If in Moses, who had the same nature as us, the people of that time could not see the face, only because it was glorified, and the righteous even had need of a veil to cover the greatness of the glory and so that the appearance of the prophet seemed quiet and calm to them, then how could we, perishable and earth-born, contemplate the pure Godhead, which is unapproachable even to the heavenly powers? For this reason He dwelt among us, so that we could safely approach Him, converse with Him, and deal with Him.

What does it mean: "glory as the Only-begotten of the Father"? For many of the prophets were glorified, for example, Moses, Elijah, and Elisha, one of whom was lifted up in a chariot of fire, and the other was usually taken from here; after them they were glorified: Daniel, the three youths, and many others, who also worked miracles; and the angels who appeared to people revealed to those who looked at them the radiant light of their own nature; and not only angels, but also cherubim appeared to the prophet with great glory, — also seraphim; That is why the Evangelist, leading us away from all these creatures, diverting our thoughts from the creation and glory of slaves like us, raises us to the very summit of perfection. Not a prophet, he says, nor an angel, nor an archangel, nor any other higher powers, nor any other created being, if there is any other, but the Lord himself, the King himself, the most true Only-begotten Son, the Lord who is common to all of us, we have seen the glory. The expression "as" here does not mean assimilation or comparison, but confirmation and an unquestionable definition; as the Evangelist would say: we have seen the glory that befits and befits the only-begotten and true Son, the King of all, God. And so it usually happens, and I will not refuse to confirm my words by common custom, because it is not for the sake of beauty of speech and not for the harmony of the word that we need to speak now, but solely for your benefit. Therefore, nothing prevents us from confirming our thoughts by the custom of many? What is this custom of many? Many, seeing the king adorned, shining on all sides with precious stones, then, when they tell others about this beauty, splendor, glory, describe as much as they can, the color of the scarlet robe, the size of the stones, the whiteness of the horses, the golden harness, the shining veils; but how, having retold this and so on, they still cannot depict in words all the brilliance, and immediately add the following words: "Why say much?" In a word, "as a king," and by this expression, "As they wish to show not only that he of whom they speak is only like a king, but that he is a true king," so the Evangelist used the expression, "as," wishing to depict the highest and incomparable superiority of glory (of the Son of God). All others, angels, archangels, and prophets, did everything only according to the command (of God), but He did everything with the authority proper to the King and the Lord. For this reason the people were amazed that He taught as one who had authority.

2. And so, as I have said, the angels also appeared on earth with great glory, for example, to Daniel, to David, to Moses, but they did everything as servants in obedience to their Lord; but Christ appeared as Lord and Almighty, albeit in a humble and humiliated form. However, even in this form the creature came to know its Lord. How? A star appeared in the sky and led the Magi to worship Him; a multitude of angels, gathered from everywhere, surrounded and sang Him; other preachers appeared suddenly; all, meeting each other, proclaimed this ineffable mystery, the angels to the shepherds, the pastors to the inhabitants of the city, Gabriel to Mary and Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna to those who came to the church. And not only men and women were winged with joy, but also the child, who had not yet come into the world from his mother's womb — I mean the inhabitant of the desert, who was named after this evangelist — leaped in his mother's womb, and all were animated by hopes for the future. Thus it was immediately at His birth; and when He revealed Himself more fully, then other miracles occurred again, even more than the former. It was no longer the star and the heavens, but the angels and archangels, not Gabriel and Michael, but the Father Himself from above who proclaimed Him from heaven, and together with the voice of the Father, the Comforter appeared over Him and dwelt upon Him. That is why the Evangelist rightly said: "We have seen His glory, the glory as the Only-begotten of the Father." However, this is not only why he said so, but also because it followed. It was no longer only pastors, not widowed wives, not aged men who proclaimed to us, but the very essence of His deeds proclaimed Him louder than any trumpet, and thus it happened that the rumor of His deeds was soon heard here as well. "And he went through," says the Scriptures, "a rumor of Him in all Syria" (Matt. 4:24), and revealed Him to all; everything proclaimed everywhere that the King himself had come down from heaven. Demons fled and departed from everywhere, the devil retreated, death itself was at first gradually frightened, and then completely abolished, all kinds of diseases were healed, the dead left their graves, demons left the demon-possessed, illnesses the infirm. Wonderful and wondrous deeds were seen, which the prophets truly desired to see, but did not see. His eyesight was restored; and that longed-for spectacle which all would like to see, how God created Adam from the earth, and this spectacle Christ showed to all, though in a small form, but in relation to the best parts of the body. The paralyzed and disintegrated limbs were strengthened and united with one another, the dead hands received movement, the paralyzed legs suddenly jumped up, the ears blocked by deafness were opened, and the tongue, hitherto bound by muteness, cried out in a loud voice. As a skilful artist restores a building that has fallen apart from time, so He is the common human nature: He filled in the parts that had been torn off, those that had fallen apart and were torn apart He reunited, and those that had completely fallen away He restored.

He does not wish to make her blameless and virtuous against her will and by force; nor would it be a virtue; it must be persuaded to become so freely and voluntarily; and this is much more difficult than bodily healing. But He did this too, and drove away every kind of evil. And just as in healing the bodies, He restored them not only to health, but also to the most perfect well-being, so He not only freed the souls from extreme sinfulness, but also raised them to the very summit of virtue. Thus the publican became an apostle; the persecutor, blasphemer, and annoyer was the preacher of the universe; the Magi became teachers of the Jews; the thief turned out to be an inhabitant of paradise; the harlot was famous for her great faith; the Canaanite woman and the Samaritan woman — the one, being also a prostitute, took upon herself the preaching of her fellow countrymen and, having carried away the whole city, led it to Christ, and the other, by faith and patience, achieved the expulsion of the evil demon from the soul of her daughter. Still others, much worse than these, soon joined the number of disciples. Everything suddenly changed in its form: bodily ailments, spiritual illnesses were transformed into health and the most perfect virtue; and moreover, not two or three men, not five or ten, not twenty or only a hundred, but whole cities and nations were converted with great rapidity. And who can depict the wisdom of the rules, the perfection of the heavenly laws, the order of life equal to the angels? He has introduced among us such a way of life, laid down such laws for us, established such morals, that those who adopt them soon become angels and like God, as far as it is possible for us to do so, even though in themselves they are worse than all men.

3. Citing all these miracles — miracles in bodies, miracles in souls, miracles in the elements — commandments, ineffables, gifts higher than the heavens themselves, laws, order, power of persuasion, promises in the future, and finally, His sufferings — the Evangelist pronounced these wondrous and lofty words: "And the Word became flesh, full of grace and truth. And we have seen His glory, the glory as the Only Begotten of the Father." We are not only amazed at His miracles, but also at His sufferings, the way He was nailed to the cross, scourged, strangled, spat upon; how He endured blows on the head from the very ones who were favored by Him. Thus, and of all this, which seems humiliating, it is worthy to say the same saying, as the Evangelist himself calls all this glory. Indeed, all this was not only a matter of providence and love, but also of ineffable power. It was then that death was abolished, and the oath was destroyed, and the demons were put to shame, and the triumph over them was revealed, and the handwriting of our sins was nailed to the cross. But while these miracles were performed invisibly, there were others, visible ones, which showed that He was truly the only-begotten Son of God and Lord of all creation. When His blessed body was still hanging on the cross, the sun hid its rays, the earth shook and was covered with darkness, the tombs were opened, the bowels of the earth shook, and the great host of the dead arose and came to the city (Jerusalem). Then, when the stones were placed at the door of His tomb, and the seals were also applied, He, dead, crucified, nailed, arose, and having filled His eleven disciples with some invincible and divine power, sent them to all men, throughout the whole world, to heal their common nature, to correct their way of life, to spread throughout the whole earth the knowledge of the heavenly teaching, to destroy the power of demons, to reveal great and ineffable blessings, to proclaim to us the immortality of the soul and the eternal life of the body, rewards that surpass all understanding and can never end. And so, the blessed Evangelist, imagining all this and more than this, which he himself knew, but did not dare to write (for even the world would not have contained what he himself says: "If it were to be written in detail, I think the world itself would not be able to contain the books that have been written" (John 21:25) — all this, I say, imagining, he exclaimed: "And the Word was made flesh, full of grace and truth. And we have seen His glory, the glory as the Only Begotten of the Father." And to those who have been vouchsafed to see and hear such great miracles and have received such a great gift, it behooves them also to show a life worthy of teaching, in order to be vouchsafed good things to come. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ came, that we might see His glory not only here, but also in the age to come. That is why He said: "I would that where I am, they also should be with Me, that they might see My glory" (John 17:24). If His glory here was so brilliant and majestic, then what can be said about His glory? It will no longer be revealed on a perishable earth, not before beings clothed in mortal bodies, such as we are now, but in an incorruptible and immortal creation, and with a greatness that no word can depict. Oh, blessed, thrice blessed and infinitely blessed are those who are worthy to behold this glory! The prophet says of it: "Let the wicked perish, let him not see the glory of the Lord" (Isaiah 26:10). But let it not be that any of us should be rejected and never be worthy to see it! And if we do not enjoy it, then it will be fair to say of us: it would be better if we were not born. What do we live for? Why do we breathe? Why do we exist, if we do not attain such contemplation, if none of us will then be allowed to behold our Lord? If those who do not see the light of the sun spend their lives more bitterly than any death, how should those who are deprived of that light suffer? Here this deprivation is the only misfortune, and there it is not only this; however, even if this misfortune had been the same, the punishment would not have been the same, but the future is all the more difficult than the present, since the Sun is incomparably more excellent than this one; and, besides, we must expect another execution. Whoever is not worthy to see that light will not only be cast into darkness, but will also burn in a continuous fire, fade away in it, gnash his teeth and endure other innumerable sufferings. Therefore, let us not be negligent about ourselves, and for short-term negligence and carelessness let us not subject ourselves to eternal punishment; but let us be vigilant and sober, let us do and arrange everything in such a way as to be worthy of that (eternal) delight and to be delivered from the river of fire, which flows with great noise before the dreadful judgment seat. And whoever once falls into it will have to remain there forever, and no one will deliver him from torment - neither father, nor mother, nor brother. The prophets also cry out for this; one says: "A man will not redeem his brother in any way, nor will he give God a ransom for him" (Psalm 48:8). And Ezekiel says even more: "And if there had been three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, these three men would have saved neither sons nor daughters" (Ezekiel 14:14-16). There is only one defense — protection by deeds; and whoever does not have it cannot be saved by any other means. Therefore, with all this constantly in mind and reflection, let us purify our life and make it bright, so that we may boldly behold the Lord and attain the promised blessings, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 13

"John bears witness to Him, and exclaiming, he says, 'This was He of Whom I said, that He who came after me stood before me, because He was before me' (John 1:15).

1. The inattention of the hearers does not deprive the preacher of his reward. — Why Ev. Does John often refer to the testimony of St. John the Baptist? — 2 and 3. The Significance of the Testimony of St. John the Baptist. — 4. There is nothing more beautiful than a right life. — Rejection of gifts brought from ill-acquired possessions.

1. Do we not labor in vain? Do we not sow on stones, or do not seeds fall on the way and in thorns, beyond our hope? I am very anxious and afraid that agriculture will not remain barren for us, not because I myself may suffer a loss in the reward of this labor. The work of teachers is not the same as that of farmers. The farmer, often after a year's work, after such exhaustion and perspiration, if the land does not bring anything worth the labor, cannot find any consolation for his labors from anyone else, but returns home from the field with shame and sorrow, to his wife and children, having no right to demand recompense from anyone for his long labors. But nothing like that can happen to us. Let the cultivated land bear no fruit; if only we on our part will do our best, the Lord of the earth and our Lord will not allow us to remain with vain hopes, but will grant us retribution. "Everyone," it is said, "will receive his reward according to his work" (1 Cor. 3:8), and not according to the outcome of his works. And that this is so, listen: "But you," it is said, "the son of man, speak my words to them, whether they will hear or not" (Ezek. 2:6). And through the same Ezekiel we can learn this: if the watchman foretold what to flee and what to choose, then he delivered his soul, even though no one listened to him [11]. Nevertheless, having this strong consolation, confident of the reward for our labors, we, when we do not see success in the matter of your salvation, feel no better than those farmers who groan, shed tears, and hide themselves in shame. Here is the teacher's complicity, here is the father's care. Thus Moses, though he might have been delivered from the ungrateful Jews, and had become a still more glorious progenitor of another and much more numerous people ("Leave me," God said to him, "and I will destroy them, and I will make a great nation out of you," Exodus 32:10, for Moses was a holy man, a servant of God, a friend, near and faithful to God), yet he could not hear such words, and he wished rather to perish with the people once entrusted to him, than to be saved without them and receive a more important dignity. Such should be a shower driver. It would be strange if someone, having bad children, wished to be called the father of others, rather than those who were born of him; It would be so strange if we, too, were to constantly exchange the disciples entrusted to us from one to another, to arrogate to ourselves the authority over one or the other, and to have no sincere affection for anyone. However, let there never be such suspicions about you. We are convinced that you abound in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in love for one another and for all. And this we say with the intention of stirring you up to increase your zeal and to increase more and more virtue in your life. In this way you will be able to penetrate your mind to the very depths of the teaching we have offered, if, i.e., sinful impurity does not darken the eyes of the mind and does not harm its vigilance and sharpness. So, what do we offer today? "John testifies of Him, and exclaiming, he says, 'This was the One of Whom I said, that He who came after me stood before me, because He was before me.'" Repeatedly the evangelist, both above and below, turns to John and in many places presents his testimony. But he does not do this in vain, but very wisely. Since all the Jews had great respect for this man (Joseph even ascribes war to his death and proves that because of him the capital city once ceased to be a city, and in general speaks much in praise of him), the Evangelist, wishing to shame the Jews in his name, often reminds them of the testimony of the Forerunner. Other Evangelists mention the most ancient prophets, and at every circumstance in His (Christ's) life they refer the listener to them. Thus, when He is born, the Evangelist says: "All these things have come to pass, that it may be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet" (Isaiah), "who says, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son" (Matt. 1:22, 23). When He is subjected to evil designs, and is searched everywhere with such care that even immature age is slain by Herod, they bring Jeremiah, who says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and weeping, and a great cry; Rachel weeps for her children" (Matt. 2:18; Jeremiah 31:15). When He returns from Egypt again, they remember Hosea, who also says: "Out of Egypt I have called My Son" (Matt. 2:15; Hos. 11:1). This is what other evangelists do in all cases. And this Evangelist (John), who preaches in a voice more exalted than the others, presents the clearest and closest testimonies, and cites not only those who have departed and died, but also a modern witness, who pointed to Him who had already come (the Lord) and baptized Him, — not in order to give more credibility to the words of the Lord by the testimony of the servant, but condescending to the weakness of the hearers, because, if the Lord had not taken the form of a servant, He would not have been easily accepted, so if the voice of the servant had not predisposed the ears of His fellow servants to Himself, then many of the Jews would not have received His word.