4. But let us listen to what our Redeemer adds to the power of preaching that has been granted, to the miracles of power that have been granted. You will give it to you. For He foresaw that some would turn this very gift of the Spirit into trade, and miraculous signs would degrade them to the satisfaction of the love of money. Thus Simon the sorcerer, seeing the miracles wrought by the laying on of hands, desired to receive this gift of the Holy Spirit for money (Acts 18:18 ff.) precisely in order to sell even worse what he would have acquired badly. For this reason our Redeemer drove the multitudes out of the temple with the whip of the cords, and overthrew the tables of those who sold pigeons (John 2:15) [ [8]]. For to sell doves is to perform ordination, through which the Holy Spirit is received, not according to the merit of life, but for money. But there are some who, although they do not take money for ordination, nevertheless confer the degrees of the priesthood according to man-pleasing, and for this generosity seek only praise as a reward. These people do not give the tuna what they have received, because for the performance of their holy duty they desire the coins of benevolence towards them. For this reason, the Prophet, describing a righteous man, says that he shakes his hands from every gift (Isaiah 33:15) [ [9]]. For he does not say, "He shakes his hands from the gift," but adds, "From every one." For there is one gift from obedience, another from the hand, another from the tongue. The gift of obedience consists in submission that extends beyond duty; the gift of the hand consists in money; the gift of the tongue is in praise. Thus, he who ordains to the degrees of the Priesthood shakes his hands from every gift when in Divine affairs he does not desire not only money, but also human gratitude.

5. But you, most beloved brethren, who lead a secular life, when you know our duties, turn your mental eyes also to your own. Do tune for each other. Do not desire retribution for your work in this world, of which you know that it is already approaching its end with such speed. As you wish that others should not see what you have done evil in secret, so beware that your good deeds be hidden from the praise of men. Do not do not only evil, but also good for temporary recompense.

Desire that the witness of your activity be the One Who will be your Judge. Let him now see the good you do in secret, that he may make it manifest at the time of his recompense. As your body, so that it does not weaken, you daily nourish with food, so let good deeds be daily food for your soul. The body is nourished by food, and the spirit is nourished by pious activity. What you communicate to the body which is to die, do not deny it to the soul which has to live forever. For when the fire suddenly engulfs a dwelling, then each owner of it jumps up, seizes what he can, and runs out, considering it a profit if he manages to carry anything with him from the fire. Behold, the flame of calamities envelops the world, and everything that seems precious in it destroys everything that is near, like fire. And so, most beloved brethren, consider as the greatest profit what you manage to take out of it with you, if you take anything away from it, if for eternal recompense you preserve by generosity what could have perished from remaining in its place. For we lose all earthly things by keeping, but we keep them by doing good. Times pass quickly. Therefore, since we are compelled by great inadvertence to see our Judge, let us prepare for it with haste by good works, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is due honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Discourse V, spoken to the people in the church of St. The Apostle Andrew on the day of his martyrdom. The reading of the Holy Scriptures. Gospels: Matthew 4:18–22

At the time of it, while (Jesus) was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon the spoken Peter, and Andrea his brother, sweeping the dead into the sea, for he was a fisherman. And he said, "Come after me, and I will make you a fisherman man." And she, having left the dead, went after him. And when I had gone from thence there were two brothers, James of Zebedee, and John his brother, into the ships with Zebedee her father, tying up my deaths, and I called.

1. Most beloved brethren, you have heard that by a single word of command, Peter and Andrew followed the Redeemer. But they did not see this one perform any miracles, they heard nothing from Him about the reward of eternal recompense; and yet, by the single command of the Lord, they forgot what they seemed to possess. Why, then, are we, no matter how many miracles we see, no matter how much we are struck by scourges, no matter how much we are frightened by the cruelty of threats, we nevertheless neglect to follow the Caller? He who calls us is already sitting in heaven; under the yoke of faith He has already bent the necks [ [11]] of tongues; He has already destroyed the glory of the world; already announces the approaching day of His Last Judgment by its terrible ruins; and yet our proud soul does not want to voluntarily desire what it daily loses under compulsion. And so, beloved, what shall we say at His Judgment, when we do not turn away from the love of the present world, either by His commandments or by His threats?

2. But perhaps someone in his secret thoughts will say: these are both fishermen, who had almost nothing, what, or how much they left, according to the word of the Lord? "But in this matter, most beloved brethren, we must value spiritual disposition more than possessions. He leaves much who does not keep anything for himself; he left much who, however little he had, gave up everything. It is a well-known fact that we possess with love for what we have, and strongly desire what we do not have. Consequently, Peter and Andrew left much when both abandoned the very desire to have. He has left much who has given up even desires with the thing he possesses. So these followers left as much as they could desire without following. For this reason, no one, when looking at others who have forsaken much, should say to himself: "I wish to imitate those who despise this world, but I have nothing to leave." Many, brethren, you leave if you renounce earthly desires. For our outward things, however small, are sufficient for the Lord; for He weighs the heart, and not the substance; does not weigh how much is in His sacrifice, but with what disposition it is offered. For if we weigh the substance, then our holy merchants bought the Eternal Life of the Angels with abandoned nets and boats. Truly, the Kingdom of God has no value by valuation; but, nevertheless, it is valued as much as you have. For Zacchaeus it was worth half of his possessions, because he retained the other half for the fourfold reward of what he had acquired unjustly (Luke 19:8). For Peter and Andrew, it was worth the nets and the boat left behind (Matt. 4:20); for a widow it was worth two mites (Luke 21:2); for another it cost a cup of cold water (Matt. 10:42). Thus, the Kingdom of God, as we have said, is worth as much as you have.

3. Consider, therefore, brethren, what is cheaper to buy and what is more expensive to possess. But perhaps there is no cup of cold water that could be served to the needy; and then the Word of God promises security. For at the birth of the Redeemer, the heavenly citizens appeared to sing "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). For in the eyes of God the hand is never without a gift, if the ark of the heart is filled with good disposition. For this reason the Psalmist says: "O God, I have vows to Thee, I will praise Thee" (Psalm 55:13) [ [12]]. He speaks plainly, as it were: although I have no external gifts for sacrifice, yet within myself I find that which I lay on the altar of Thy praise, because Thou dost not feed on our offering, but is better pleased with the sacrifice of the heart. For for God there is no richer sacrifice than good will. Good will consists in fearing the misfortunes of others as well as one's own; to rejoice in the well-being of one's neighbor as well as one's own; to recognize other people's losses as your own; to look upon other people's profits as their own; to love a friend not for the world, but for God; to endure the enemy with love; not to do to anyone what you do not want to endure yourself; not to deny anyone what you rightly wish for yourself; to help one's neighbor in necessity is not only within one's strength, but also to desire to be useful (for him) even beyond one's strength. And so, what is richer than this burnt offering, when the soul, through what is offered to God, slays itself on the altar of the heart?

4. But this sacrifice of good will is never fully performed unless the desire for this world is completely abandoned. For what we desire in it, we undoubtedly envy our neighbors; because it seems that we lack what the other achieves. And since envy is always at variance with good will, as soon as the latter captivates the mind, the former immediately withdraws. Why did the holy preachers, in order to love their neighbors perfectly, try not to love anything in this age, never to desire anything, not to have anything with passion? Looking at them correctly, Isaiah says: "They are like clouds, and like doves to their windows" (Isaiah 55:8) [ [13]]. For he sees that they despise earthly things, draw near to heavenly things in spirit, rain with words, shine with miracles. And those whom holy preaching and lofty life elevated above earthly ties, he calls flying like clouds. The windows are our eyes, because through them the soul sees what it desires from without. But the dove is a simple and gentle animal. Therefore, like doves in their windows, they are those who strongly desire nothing in this world, who look at everything simply and are not carried away by the desire to steal in relation to what they see. On the contrary, a kite, and not a dove in its windows, is one who strongly desires to steal what he sees with his eyes. And so, most beloved brethren, since we celebrate the day of the martyrdom of the blessed Apostle Andrew, we must imitate that which we venerate. Let the triumph of the soul give the promise of our unfailing piety; let us despise earthly things; leaving the temporary, let us buy the Eternal. If we cannot yet forsake our own, then at least we will not covet what is not ours. If our heart is not yet aflame with the fire of love, let it be restrained in its pursuit by fear, so that, encouraged in its march to its own perfection, it may in time restrain itself from the desire of others, and in time attain to the contempt of its own, with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom all glory, honor and dominion belong, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Discourse VI, Delivered to the People in the Church of Saints Marcellinus and Peter on the Third Sunday of the Lord's Coming [15]. The reading of the Holy Scriptures. Gospels: Matthew 11:2-10

At the time of it, John, having heard the works of Christ in prison, sent two messengers from his disciples. He said to Him: "Are you coming, or someone else's tea; And Jesus said to them, "John's voice is coming, and she hears and sees: the blind see, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor are preached the gospel." And blessed is he who is not offended in Me. And the theme of what is coming out, Jesus began the people to say about John: "Why have you gone out into the wilderness?" Is it a reed that is shaken by the wind? But why do you get to see it? Is a man clothed in soft robes? Behold, who bears the soft, in the king's houses. But why do you get to see it? Is it a prophet? To her, I say unto you, and more than the Prophet. For this is, of Whom it is written: Behold, I send My angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.

1. For us, most beloved brethren, it is necessary to investigate why John the Prophet, and more than the Prophet, who pointed to the Lord coming to be baptized in the Jordan, saying: "Behold, Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world" (John 1:29,36), who, reasoning about his own insignificance and the power of His Divinity, says: "He is from the earth from the earth, and from the earth says, He who comes from heaven, there is over all (John 3:31), — why, being in prison, sending his disciples, he asks: Are you coming, or is there tea for another? — as if he did not know Him to whom he pointed, and did not know whether He was the One about Whom He testified by preaching, baptism, and pointing. "But this question is solved soon when attention is paid to the time and order of events. Standing by the waters of the Jordan, he asserted that (Jesus) was the Redeemer of the world, and when he was imprisoned, he asked: "Is he who is coming?" For Whom he preceded and proclaimed to the world, Him, dying, he preceded also into hell. And so, he says: Are you coming, or is there someone else's tea? He clearly says, as it were: "Since Thou hadst the condescension to be born for men, then suggest whether Thou wilt make mercy and die for men, so that I, who was the forerunner of Thy birth, may also be the forerunner of death, and in hell proclaim Thee to come, Whose coming I have already announced to the world." For this reason, and seeing this, the Lord, after counting the miracles of His power, immediately gives an answer to the question of the humiliation of His death, saying: the blind see and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead rise and the poor preach the gospel. And blessed is he who is not offended in Me. At the sight of such signs and such miracles, no one could be offended, but could not be surprised. But the mind of unbelievers transferred an important temptation to Him, when, even after such miracles, they saw Him dying. That is why Paul also says: "But we preach Christ crucified, for the Jew is a stumbling-block, but foolishness to the Greek" (1 Corinthians 1:23). For it seemed foolish to men that the Author of life should die for men; and man has received a temptation against Him from where he should have borrowed an even greater motive to be a debtor. For the more reverently people should honor God, the more humiliation He took for people. And so, what is the meaning of the words, "Blessed is he who is not offended in Me," if not a clear expression indicating His shameful death and humiliation? He clearly says, as it were: "Though I do wondrous things, yet I do not renounce to endure reproach. Since I follow you when I die, people who revere signs should be very careful not to despise death in Me."

2. But let us listen to what He, after the dismissal of John's disciples, says about the same John to the people. Why did you go out into the wilderness? Is it a reed that is shaken by the wind? "He did not bring this (in relation to John) positively, but negatively. For the reed, as soon as the wind blows, bows to the other side. What is signified by a reed, if not a carnal soul? "Such is the one who, under favorable or unpleasant circumstances, bows to one side or the other. For when the wind of benevolence blows upon him from the mouth of men, he becomes cheerful, proud, and wholly bows down to the side of benevolence. But if the wind of disfavor blows from where the wind of praise blew, it immediately inclines it, as it were, to the opposite side, to the power of fury. John was not a reed shaken by the wind, because neither his favor made him caressing nor his rejection cruel. Neither happiness could pride him, nor misfortune could bring him to despondency. Thus, John, who was not led astray by any vicissitude, was not a reed shaken by the wind. From this, most beloved brethren, let us learn not to be a reed shaken by the wind. Let us strengthen the soul in the midst of the winds of the tongues, let the disposition of the heart stand unshaken. Let no ill-will provoke us to anger, and let no goodwill incline us to the expression of useless joy. Let not happiness arouse pride in us, and let not misfortunes trouble us, so that, being established on the strength of faith, we may never change with the change of transitory things.

3. To this is added from His (the Saviour's) speech: but why have you come out to see? Is a man clothed in soft robes? Behold, who bears the soft, in the king's houses. For John is described, dressed in garments woven from camel's hair. "To what can we say: behold, who bears the softness, in the houses of the king, if not in order to clearly show that it is not for the heavenly but for the earthly king that those are warring who shun the patience of troubles for God, but, devoted only to the external, desire the effeminacy and amusement of the present life? Therefore no one should think that there is no sin in luxury and in the desire for precious garments, because if there were no sin in this, then the Lord would not have praised John for the coarseness of his clothes. If there had been no fault in this, then the Apostle Peter would not have restrained women from coveting costly garments, saying: "Not in precious garments" (1 Peter 3:3; 1 Tim. 2:9) [ [16]]. Now consider how criminal it is for men to desire that which the Pastor of the Church tried to forbid even to women.