7. "And there was," says (Moses), "the evening, and there was morning, the sixth day." With the end of the sixth day He put an end to the creation of all creatures; wherefore he added: "Thus are the heavens and the earth perfect, and all their host" (Gen. 2:1). See how the divine Scripture avoids the unnecessary and superfluous. Having mentioned the main elements, it no longer speaks in particular about other things; saying, "Thus are the heavens and the earth perfect," he says, "and all their host," and by this he signifies all that is on earth and that is in heaven. The adornment of the earth is that which came from it—the growth of herbs, the production of fruit, the fruit of trees, and everything else with which the Creator adorned it. Likewise, the adornment of the heavens consists of the sun, the moon, the various stars, and all the creatures that are among them. Therefore, the Divine Scripture, having mentioned heaven and earth, embraced all creation with these elements. "And God finished," he says, "by the seventh day his works which he had done" (v. 2). See how it repeats the same thing over and over again, so that we may know that all the works of creation continued until the sixth day: "And God finished His works on the seventh day, which He had done, and rested on the seventh day from all His works that He had done." What does it mean, "And he rested on the seventh day from all his works which he had done"? Notice how humanly and with what condescension the Divine Scripture speaks to us about everything: otherwise we would not understand a single word of it, if it did not vouchsafe us such condescension. "And he rested," he says, "on the seventh day from all his works which he had done," that is, he ceased to create and bring from non-existence into being. He has already produced everything that was needed; He also created him who had to use these creatures. "And God blessed," he says, "the seventh day, and sanctified it, for in it he rested from all his works which God had done and made" (v. 3). Since He no longer began to create, and according to His love for mankind He did by His command, and on the sixth day He put an end to creation, but on the seventh He did not want to produce anything else, because everything that He only wanted had already been accomplished, so that this day also may have some advantage and not seem less important, because that nothing was created during it, (God) vouchsafes him a blessing: "And God blessed," he says, "the seventh day, and sanctified him." What then? Have the others not been blessed? Of course; Says; but for them, instead of any blessing, it was sufficient that creatures were created in each of them. Therefore (the Scriptures) did not say of them, "blessed," but only of the seventh day, and added, "and sanctified it." What does it mean, "and sanctified it"? He separated it. Then, in order to show us the reason why it is said, "And he sanctified him," the divine Scripture adds: "For in him he rested from all his works which God had done and built." Already here, at the very beginning (of the world's existence), God diviningly offers us the teaching that we should devote one day in the circle of the week to spiritual matters. For this purpose, the Lord, having completed all His works in six days, honored the seventh day with a blessing and sanctified it, "for in it He rested from all His works which God had done and built." But here, I see, the boundless sea of thoughts opens up to us again, and I wish not to pass it without attention, but to make you also participants in this spiritual wealth. What question arises here? The Divine Scripture here shows that God rested from His works, and in the Gospel Christ says: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17): when comparing these sayings, does not there be any contradiction in them? Let it not be: there is no contradiction in the words of the divine Scriptures. When the Scripture here says: "For in it He rested from all His works," it teaches us that on the seventh day He ceased to create and produce from non-existence into being; and when Christ says: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," then by this He points to His uninterrupted providence, and by doing He calls the preservation of that which exists, the granting of its continuation (in being) and its management at all times. Otherwise, how could the universe exist without a supreme hand governing and disposing of the entire visible and human race? And if anyone wishes to consider in detail all that is done every day for your benefit by the Creator of the universe, he will discover the abyss of philanthropy. In fact, what consideration, what mind is able to comprehend the ineffable goodness which (God) manifests to the human race, commanding "His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sending rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45), and giving us abundance in all other things? Perhaps we have stretched the word beyond what is proper; This, however, was not done in vain, nor without purpose, but in order that those who did not come here might know through you what damage they had done to themselves, depriving themselves of spiritual instruction for the sake of bodily food. However, in order not to increase their sorrow, you will show them brotherly love by conveying our words to them: this will indeed serve as a testimony of sincere love. If those who do this with sensual foods, and save for their acquaintances what has been served on their table, thereby show a very great love, how much more will such a course of action in regard to spiritual things bring us great praise; And it will benefit us. Whoever tries to teach his neighbor does not so much benefit him as prepares for himself a great reward and acquires a twofold fruit: he receives a greater reward from God, and he himself remembers and renews in memory what was said when he tries to convey it to his neighbor.

8. Considering this benefit of yours, do not refuse your brethren, but let them now learn from you what we have said. And in order that they may no longer be indebted to you for such instruction, draw them to us, suggesting to them that the taking of bodily food in no way hinders spiritual instruction, that every time should be considered convenient for spiritual conversation. If we consider carefully, we can, both staying at home, both after and before dinner, taking in our hands the divine books, receive benefit from them, and provide spiritual food to the soul. As the body needs sensual nourishment, so the soul requires daily instruction and spiritual nourishment, so that, strengthened by it, it may be able to resist the rebellions of the flesh and endure the constant warfare that threatens us and makes our soul a prisoner, if we, even for a short time, wish to give ourselves over to carelessness. That is why the Prophet David called blessed the one who "meditates on His (the Lord's) law day and night" (Psalm 1:2). And the blessed Moses, instructing the Jewish people, says: "When thou shalt eat and be satisfied, then bless the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 8:10). You see how then, especially, that is, after eating, we must offer ourselves spiritual food, so that the soul, after being satiated with bodily food, does not fall into perdition and does not give place to the wiles of the devil, who at all times tries to inflict a mortal blow on us. The same prophet said in another place: "And when you lie down and rise, remember the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 6:7). You see that at no time should we expel this remembrance (of God) from our souls, but keep it firmly in our conscience, be in constant vigilance and never give ourselves rest, but, knowing the fury of our enemy, be sober and vigilant, bar all his entrances, and never neglect spiritual food. This is your salvation, this is your spiritual wealth, this is your security. If we thus begin to protect ourselves every time by reading, and listening, and spiritual conversation, then we ourselves will be able to become invincible, and to render the wiles of the evil demon unsuccessful, and to receive the kingdom of heaven, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 11

That it is necessary to make great efforts for virtue and to imitate the saints, who, being of the same nature with us, did it with zeal, and that if we become negligent, we will have no excuse.

Rational order and purpose in the phenomena of nature, human affairs and ecclesiastical institutions: the expediency of the establishment of the Holy Forty Days and the task of the Christian life – the advancement in virtue, the eradication of passions and the correction of shortcomings, following the example of holy men who were of the same nature with us. — An example of Ap. Paul, his humility and greatest feats according to his own image, forced by circumstances.

1. I know that in the preceding days I occupied your mind with deep meditations; Therefore, today I want to offer you an easier teaching. Just as the body, exhausted by fasting, needs some rest, so that it can then again set out with lively zeal for the feats of fasting, so the soul requires rest and tranquility. It is not always necessary to strain it, nor always to relax it; but sometimes to do one thing, and sometimes another, and thus to control both the state of the soul and the lusts of the flesh. Constant strenuous work produces exhaustion and exhaustion, and constant relaxation leads to carelessness. This happens, as everyone knows, both with the soul and with the body. Therefore, moderation in everything is a wonderful thing. This is what God teaches us in every way and by the very creatures that He created for our existence. In order to convince you of this, let us consider day and night, that is, light and darkness. Having appointed a day for man to do, and the darkness of the night for rest and rest from his labors, (God) has set a measure and limits for both of them, so that we may all benefit from them. And that the light of day is a time of work, listen to David, who says: "A man goes out to his work, and to his work until the evening" (Psalm 103:23). And he said well, "Until evening," because when evening comes, the light withdraws, and darkness comes and puts human nature to sleep, calms the laboring body, calms all the senses, and, like a good nurse, by her solicitude gives all the members freedom from labor and exhausting occupations. When the measure of the night is fulfilled, light appears, and, awakening a person, makes him capable of perceiving the sun's rays with fresh senses, and with a new and ardent zeal to begin his usual activities. The same can be seen in the sequence of seasons: after winter comes spring, and after summer comes autumn, so that by a change in the dissolution of the air our bodies are refreshed, so that those who are excessively compressed by the cold do not become upset, and those who are strongly warmed by the heat do not weaken; therefore (God) makes us accustom ourselves to winter in the autumn, and to summer in the spring. In general, whoever wants to look at everything judiciously, will find order and proportion in all creations, and will be convinced that nothing is created without a cause and without a purpose. The same can be seen in plants growing from the ground. The earth does not produce everything at the same time, and not every time is convenient for cultivating its crops: taught by God-given wisdom, the farmer knows the convenient time and understands when to sow seeds, when to plant trees and grapes in the ground, when to sharpen the sickle for the harvest, when to gather the grapes and cut the clusters, and at what time to gather the fruit from the olive tree. In short, if you want to consider all this in detail, you will find that farmers also have much wisdom. And this can be seen not only on land, but also at sea. Here you will see another kind of wondrous wisdom: the helmsman knows when to launch a ship, when to take it out of the harbor, when to sail on the sea. In these especially people one can see how much meaning the wisdom of God has placed in human nature. Those who travel on high roads do not know the turns so well as these (sailors) know how to keep their way on the waters. That is why the Scriptures, marveling at the excessive wisdom of God, say: "He gave way into the sea, and" in the water "a safe path" (Wisdom 14:3). What human mind is able to comprehend this? The same reasonable dispensation can be found in what concerns people's eating: for each time and for each season of the year, the Lord has given us different food, and the earth, like a good nurse, brings us its Gifts, in obedience to the command of the Creator.

2. But in order not to spread this word too much, you, as prudent people, can figure out all the rest for yourself: "Give instruction," it is said, "to the wise, and he will be wiser" (Prov. 9:9). This can be seen not only in our food, but also in the food of the dumb. And from many other things you can, if you will, learn through investigation the ineffable wisdom and immeasurable goodness of the highest Artist-God, to learn that all creatures were created for some rational purpose. Such shall we find the establishment of the Holy Forty Days for us. As on the main roads there are inns and inns, in which weary travelers can rest and rest from their labors, in order to continue their journey again; just as there are shores and harbors on the sea, where sailors, having crossed many waves and withstood the pressure of the winds, can rest for a while, in order to then begin sailing again — so at the present time the Lord has granted these two days in the week to those who have entered the path of fasting [i.e., the Saturdays and Sundays of the Holy Forty Days, on which the Church eases the strictness of the fast]. as if inns and inns, as if shores and harbors, for a short rest, so that those who make this good and salvific journey, having calmed their bodies a little from the labors of fasting, and encouraged their souls, again, after these two days, with zeal enter the same path. And so we, since now is the day of rest, let us ask your love to carefully preserve the fruits you have gained from fasting, so that, having rested a little, you may add new fruits to the former ones, and thus, little by little, having gathered great profits, you will meet the day of the Lord [i.e., the day of Pascha or the Resurrection of Christ], and bring your spiritual ship full into the harbor of the holy feast. If all the Lord's creatures, as our word has shown and as experience testifies, are done with a rational purpose, for the satisfaction of a necessary need, then our works must not be done simply and not in vain, but with benefit for our salvation. And those who are engaged in worldly affairs will never dare to enter into a matter until they see the benefits of it; all the more so should we act in this way and not spend the Lenten weeks carelessly, but question our conscience, examine our minds and see what we have done well in this week, what we have gained in the next, which of our passions we have corrected. If we do not arrange ourselves in this way and take such care of our souls, then there will be no benefit to us from fasting and not eating, especially when we turn out to be worse than those who make such an effort to collect money. See, each of these people uses all vigilance, as if every day to add something to the former, and is never satisfied, but the more his possessions increase, the more zeal and zeal increase. If, then, men show such vigilance where efforts are often fruitless, and riches do great harm to the salvation of the soul, how much more should they do so here, where diligence is of great benefit, unspeakable reward, and immeasurable gain? There, in addition to all that has been said, there is a great deal of uncertainty: the acquisition of property is not intentional, not only because at the onset of death it remains here and does not bring any benefit to the one who collected it, but also because he, for the property that remains here, must give the strictest account. It often happens that a person who has accumulated great wealth, after many labors, hard efforts and worries, with the onset, as it were, of some kind of storm, unfavorable circumstances, even before his death, suddenly becomes poorer than the poorest people – and this is seen every day. But with regard to spiritual wealth, we should never fear anything of the kind: it is firm and immovable, and where we need it most, it gives us great help.

3. And so, while we have time, I beseech you, let us use our efforts to acquire this spiritual wealth, though with as much diligence as these people, and never cease to be anxious whether we have done anything good, whether by our vigilance we have driven away from ourselves any passion that has disturbed us, so that, feeling the approval of our conscience, we may taste great pleasure. The point is not only that we come here every day, constantly hear about the same thing, and fast throughout the entire Forty Days. If we do not gain anything from our constant walking here and exhortation, and if we do not derive anything useful for our souls from the time of fasting, all this will not only be of no use to us, but will serve to lead to our greater condemnation, when, with such care (on the part of the Church), we will remain the same, — when the angry one does not become quiet, the hot-tempered will not turn to meekness, and the envious will not turn to benevolence, the covetous will not abandon his passion and will not dispose himself to give alms and feed the poor, the profligate will not become chaste, he who pursues vain fame will not learn to despise it and seek true glory, he who does not care about love for his neighbor will not rise up and accustom himself not only to this, to be no worse than the publicans ("For if," it is said, "you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?" 5:46), but also to such a state of mind as to look meekly at one's enemies and show great love for them.

We, as having been ordained (to the degree of teachers) by the grace of God, every day summon you, as spiritual children, to this school, and offer you salvific instruction, whereby we do not communicate our own inventions, but expound the teaching given to us by the Lord in the Divine Scriptures, which we openly expound and constantly inculcate. And so, when we use all diligence and care, and daily lead you on the path of virtue, while you remain in the same state, then consider what sorrow will be for us, what condemnation will be for you, so as not to say more? Of course, we are relieved of all responsibility by the fact that we have not omitted anything necessary for your edification; yet, since we care for your salvation, we cannot easily endure (your carelessness). And the teacher, when he does not notice in the disciple any fruit from his efforts, is not a little grieved and sick, seeing that he labors in vain.

4. I say this now not in order to grieve your love, but in order to arouse and dispose you not to exhaust your body only with fasting, and not to spend the days of the Holy Forty Days in vain and in vain. And what do I say, the days of the Holy Forty Days, when we are not allowed to spend a single day, as far as possible in our entire lives, without acquiring spiritual fruit for ourselves during it, either by prayer, or confession, or almsgiving, or by any other spiritual work? If Paul, such a great man, who heard those ineffable words which no one has heard until today, cried out for himself: "I die every day: I bear witness of this by your praise" (1 Cor. 15:31), teaching us that he was so often exposed to danger for his godliness, that every day he was close to death, and what nature did not allow (for we are all subject to death alone), then the zeal of his will was accomplished, although the loving God preserved him for a long time for the salvation of others, — so, if he, glorious for such feats and appearing on earth like an angel, every day tried to gain something, to take up arms against dangers for the truth, to accumulate spiritual wealth for himself, and never to stop,

And it happens to a sick body that if a physician repeatedly applies a remedy, and the sick person does not want to wait for it to take effect, but being angry and unable to endure the pain of the medicine applied by the doctor, tears it off and does not benefit from it, then no well-meaning person will reproach the physician who has done everything on his part. So here, too, we, having composed a cure out of spiritual instruction, offer it to you; and then it will be up to you to endure the pain, and to take advantage of the medicine, and, freed from the disease, to return to true health. Then you yourselves will receive great benefit, and we will feel no small joy, seeing that those who were previously sick have so soon become healthy.

And so, each of you, I beseech you, if you did not want to before, at least from this time on, try to remove from your soul that passion of which you know that it burdens him more than other passions, and, acting by pious reflection, as with a spiritual sword, free yourself from this passion. God has given us so much reason that with Him we can, if we wish to be at all attentive, overcome each of the passions that arise in us. For this reason the grace of the Spirit has described for us the life and activity of all the saints in the Divine Scriptures, so that, having learned how they, being of the same nature with us, performed every virtue, we would not be lazy to strive in it.

5. Was not Blessed Paul of the same nature with us? With the flame of love for this man; therefore I constantly turn to him and, looking at his soul as at a kind of prototype, I marvel at his mastery over the passions, his lofty courage, his ardent love for God, and I reflect on how one man through his diligence acquired the entire set of virtues, and none of us wants to do even a small good deed. Who, then, will save us from the inevitable punishment, when he was of the same nature as us, was not alien to the same passions, and was in such difficult circumstances, every day, so to speak, being dragged out, tormented, and publicly tormented by the opponents of the (Gospel) preaching, who, often, considering him already dead, only then finally left him, as if having carried out their murderous design? And among us, weak and so negligent, is there anyone who would show such greatness of virtue? But in order for you not to hear from our lips about the exploits of this blessed one and about the courage that he daily showed (in the struggle) for the preaching of piety, you must listen to what he himself says. When, on account of the false testimony of the false apostles about him, he was compelled to tell about his deeds (and this was so painful and unpleasant for him that he refused and never wanted to announce his exploits, on the contrary, he openly called himself a blasphemer and a persecutor), so when he saw the absolute necessity of shutting the mouths of the deceivers and calming the disciples somewhat, then, after many other things, this is how he began to say: "But if anyone dares to boast of anything, then, I will say in foolishness, I dare also" (2 Cor. 11:21). See what a God-loving soul he calls this deed not only impudence, but also recklessness, teaching us never to divulge about our deeds unnecessarily, when no one compels us to do so, even if there are some among us who have done something good. "And if anyone," he says, "dares to boast of anything, then, I say in foolishness, I dare also," that is, since I see a perfect necessity, I decide to dare and do a foolish deed. "Are they Jews? and I. Israelites? and I. Abraham's seed? and I" (2 Cor. 11:22). This, he says, is exalted: let them not think that we lack this; and we share in the same (benefits). Then he added: "Servants of Christ? in madness I say, I am greater" (2 Cor. 11:23).