About the Psalm

(According to the Slavonic translation, part II, Homily 3)

This and even more can be said about love. But we will return to what has been assumed, and we will speak of repentance and of the future judgment. It is always necessary to meditate on this: for the day of the Lord, as a thief in the night, so shall it come (1 Thess. 5:2). Wherefore behold the last hour day and night, and in the law of the Lord we shall learn day and night (Psalm 1:2). Tell many things to God, and not much to men; and although you stretch out your hand to work, let your lips sing, and let your mind pray. Let the Psalm be in your mouth without ceasing. The invoked name of God drives out demons, sanctifies the psalmist. The psalm is the silence of the soul, it rewards with peace. The Psalm is the mediator of friendship, the unity of the disunited, the reconciliation of the warring. Psalm — the attraction of angelic help; a weapon against powerful fear, comfort from the day's labors, safety for infants, adornment for the elderly, consolation for the elderly, the most fitting adornment for women. He inhabits the deserts, chastizes the assemblies of the people; it is the initial instruction of the newcomers, the increase of the prosperous, the confirmation of the perfect, the voice of the Church. He makes the feasts bright; he produces sorrow for God. A psalm evokes tears even from a heart of stone. The Psalm is the work of the Angels, the heavenly dwelling, the spiritual censer. In it, brethren, let us never cease to learn both in our homes and in our ways: and when we go to bed and rise from sleep, let us converse with ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19). The Psalm is the joy of God-lovers; it drives away idle talk, stops laughter, resembles judgment, arouses the soul to God, and unites with the Angels. Where there is a psalm with contrition, there is God with the Angels. And where there are songs of a stranger, there is the wrath of God and the sorrowful recompense for laughter. Where there are holy books and readings, there is the joy of the righteous and the salvation of the hearers. And where there are harps and faces, there is the darkening of husbands and wives and the feast of the devil. Oh, what an evil cunning, what an invention of the devil! How skillfully he stumbles and deceives everyone and persuades them to do evil as good. Today they seem to sing psalms, and in the morning they give themselves up to dancing with zeal; today the Christians, and the next morning the pagans; today they bear a glorious name, and in the morning the Greeks; today they are servants of Christ, and in the morning they are apostates from God. Do not go into error: no servant can work for two masters, as it is written (Matt. 6:24). You cannot work for God and dance with the devil.

As true servants of Christ, let us work for Christ; Let us worship Him, let us not depart from Him, let us remain with Him until our last breath, and let us not obey the serpent; for like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom he may deceive. Resist the firmament (1 Pet. 5:8, 9), as Christ's soldiers, working with Christ and abiding with Him. Do not make it so that today you sing psalms, and in the morning you dance! today to repent of your sins, and in the morning to gallop to your own destruction; to read today, and in the morning to svirat (to play the pipe); today to observe abstinence, and in the morning to spin, and to be a laughing stock for everyone. No, brethren, let us not thus ruin the time of our salvation by playing, and serving as a plaything for others. Like a good farmer, cultivate and guard your guilt. Do not be burdened, brother, by the paths to eternal life, do not reject dry eating, do not withdraw from vigil, do not consider reclining on the bare ground as nothing, do not abandon psalmody. For all these things and the like send you into eternal life, and joy, and gladness, and rest. Love silence during evil conversation; worldly conversations separate the mind from God.

On Prayer

(According to the Slavonic translation, part II, Homily 1)

A truly blessed thing is not to sin: and for those who sin – not to despair, but to weep over what they have sinned, in order to regain blessedness through tears. Therefore it is beautiful to pray always, and not to be cold, as the Lord says (Luke 18:1). And the Apostle also says: Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), that is, both night and day, and every hour. Not only when entering the church, but also at other hours, do not leave care about it; On the contrary, whether you are working, sleeping, or on the road, or eating, or drinking, or lying down, do not interrupt your prayer, for you do not know when he who demands your life will come. Do not wait for Sunday or feast, do not discriminate between places, but, as the Prophet David said, pray in every place of dominion (Psalm 102:22). Therefore, whether you are in church, or at home, or in the field, whether you are tending sheep, whether you are engaged in building, whether you are at a feast, do not abandon prayer; and when it is possible, kneel, and when it is impossible, pray with your mind; and in the evening, and in the morning, and at noon. If prayer precedes the deed, and, rising from the bed, devote your first movements to prayer, then sin will not find access to the soul. Prayer is a precautionary measure for chastity, a training of the heart, the taming of arrogance, a cleansing of remembrance, the destruction of hatred, the correction of impiety. Prayer is strength to the body, prosperity to the home, well-being to the city, power to the kingdom, a sign of victory in battle, the stability of peace. Prayer is the seal of virginity, the fidelity of marriage, the weapon of travelers, the guardian of those who rest, the trustworthiness of those who are awake, the fruitfulness of farmers, the salvation of those who sail. Prayer is the intercessor of the convicted, the consolation of the imprisoned, the consolation of the sorrowful, the joy of the rejoicing, the encouragement of the weeping, the feast on birthdays, the crown of spouses, the burial of the dead. Prayer is a conversation with God, equality with the Angels, advancement in good, abhorrence of evil, correction of sinners. Prayer made Jonah and the whale a home, and Hezekiah from the gates of death brought back to life, and turned the young men in Babylon into a spirit of dew (Dan. 3:50). By prayer Elijah bound the heavens, and do not rain three years and six months on the earth (James 5:17). You see, brethren, how powerful prayer is. In the whole life of a person there is no other property more precious than prayer. Never depart from it, never leave it, but, as our Lord said, let us pray, that our labor may not be in vain (Matt. 6:6). And when you stand praying, let him go, if you have any grudge against anyone, and your Heavenly Father... will forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25). Take heed, beloved, that we do not labor in vain in prayer, if we have enmity against anyone. The Lord also says: "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and remember that thy brother hath something against thee, leave thy gift before the altar, and go first to humble thy brother, and then come and bring thy gift" (Matt. 5:23-24). And so, it is now evident that if you do not do this first, then everything that you bring will not be accepted. But if you fulfill the command of the Lord, then pray boldly to the Lord, saying: "Forgive me, O Lord, my debts, as I also forgive my brother, having fulfilled Thy commandment. Though I am weak, I have left it." And the Lover of Mankind will answer and say: "If you have forsaken, I also forsake you; if you have forgiven, I also forgive your debts; because I have the power to forgive sins on earth." Let go and it will be released to you. You see God's incomparable love for mankind. You see God's immeasurable grace. You have heard a short way to the salvation of your souls.

On Love for the Poor

(According to the Slavonic translation, part II, Homily 6)