4. However, the story about John, that he did not dress in soft garments, can be understood in another way by a sign. For John did not clothe himself in soft garments, because he did not have condescension to the life of sinners with drags, but attacked it with the force of fierce warfare, saying, "The offspring of vipers, who have told you to flee from the wrath that is to come" (Luke 3:7). That is why it is also said in Solomon: "The words of the wise are like oxen, and like nails thrust in" (Ecclesiastes 12:11). For the words of the wise are compared to nails and whips, because they do not know how to indulge guilty criminals, but (know) how to pierce them.

5. But what is there to see? Is it a prophet? To her, I say unto you, and more than the Prophet. For the ministry of a prophet is to foretell the future, not to indicate. Therefore John is more than a prophet: for he pointed with his finger to Him of whom he had preached beforehand. But since it is said that he was not a reed shaken by the wind, nor did he dress in soft garments, that the name of the Prophet is not enough for him, let us listen to what can be said that is worthy of him. Further it is said: Behold, I send Thy angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Mal. 3:1). What is called an Angel in Greek, is called a messenger in Latin. Therefore he is justly called an angel who is sent to proclaim the supreme Judge, in order to preserve in his name the dignity which he has in office. Though the name is exalted, life is not lower than the name.

6. Oh, if only we could say, most beloved brethren, not in condemnation of us, that those who bear the name of the Priesthood are also called Angels, according to the testimony of the Prophet, who says: "The lips of the priests shall keep understanding, and they shall seek the law from his mouth: for the Angel is the Lord Almighty" (Mal. 2:7). But you can reach the height of this name if you want to. For each one of you, if he avoids evil from his neighbor as much as he can, if he proclaims to the erring one about the Eternal Kingdom or punishment, he is truly an angel when he pronounces the words of the Holy Gospel. And no one should say: "I do not know how to exhort, I am incapable of persuading others." Do as much as you can, so that you will not be held responsible in torment for what you have badly preserved, what you have received. For no more than one talent was received by him who decided to hide it rather than use it in circulation. And we know that in the Tabernacle of God, by God's command, not only large bowls were arranged, but also small glasses (Exodus 37). Large bowls denote extensive learning, and glasses - small and close knowledge. Another, filled with the study of the truth, satisfies the minds of those who hear it to the point of satiety. Hence, he does offer a large cup through what he says. - The other cannot express what he feels; but since he also preaches this in some way, he truly gives a taste with a small glass. And so, you who have been set up in the Tabernacle of God, that is, in the Holy Church, if by the wisdom of your teaching you cannot offer large chalices, then as much as you can by Divine gift, offer your neighbors small glasses of good words. As much as you think to leave, bring others with you; desire to have companions in the way of God. If any of you, brethren, goes to the market or to the bathhouse, then he invites to go with him the one whom he considers idle for him. Thus, let your most earthly activity dispose you to try to go to Him not alone, even when you go to God. For this reason it is written: "Hear, let him speak, come" (Rev. 22:17); so that the one who has already heard the voice of Higher Love in his heart and outwardly transmit the voice of conviction to his neighbors. And perhaps he does not have bread to give alms to the beggar, but it is more important that he who has a tongue can give him. For to strengthen with food a soul that has to live forever is more important than to feed the belly of a body that has to die with earthly bread. Therefore, brethren, do not withhold alms from your neighbors. I advise both myself and you only to beware of idle speech, to avoid useless words. As much as we are able to stop the tongue, let not words flow to the wind, for the Judge says: "Every idle word that men speak, they shall give a word about it on the day of judgment" (Matt. 12:36). An idle word is that which either has no benefit of uprightness, or has a sufficient reason for its necessity. Therefore, turn idle talk to edification; ponder how quickly the times of this life pass; heed how the dreadful Judge comes. Present Him before the eyes of your heart, plant Him in the hearts of your neighbors, so that you, if you try to proclaim Him as much as you can, may be called by Him with John the Angels, which may God Himself, who lives forever and ever, bless you to fulfill. Amen.

Discourse VII, Delivered to the People in the Church of the Holy Apostle Peter on the Fourth Sunday after the Nativity of Christ. The reading of the Holy Scriptures. Gospels: John 1:19-28

At the time of it, having sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem, let them ask him (John), "Who art thou?" And confession, and not denial: and confession, as I am Christ. And he asked him, "What is this?" Are you Elijah? And the verb: bear. Are you a prophet? And he answered: no. And he said to him, Who art thou? Yes, the answer of the ladies to those who sent us: What do you say about you? He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, straighten out the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the Prophet spoke." And the message of the Behu from the Pharisees. And she questioned him, and answered him, Why dost thou baptize, if thou art Christ, neither Elijah nor the Prophet? John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water: but he stands in the midst of you, whom you do not know: He is he who comes after me, Who is before me, Whom I am worthy, that I may loose the strap of His boot." This was in Bethabara on the floor of the Jordan, where John baptized.

1. With the words of this reading, we are presented as an example, most beloved brethren, with the humility of John, who, having such holiness that he could be recognized as Christ, resolved to hold fast to himself, so as not to be exalted by human opinion above himself. For he confesses and does not deny it, and confesses as I am Christ. And since he said, "Bear; then he completely rejected what he was not, but he did not reject what he was, so that, speaking the truth, he might be a member of Him whose name he did not falsely appropriate to himself. Thus, when he does not desire the name of Christ, then he becomes a member of Christ, because, zealous for the humble consciousness of his weakness, he justly deserves a place on His height. But when we recall the thought of our Redeemer from another reading, then from the words of this reading arises a question that is very confusing for us. For in another place the Lord answers the disciples' question about the coming of Elijah: Elijah has already come; and did not know him, but did for him, if he willed. (And if you want to know, John himself is Elijah) (Matthew 17:12). And John who was asked said, "I bear it." What is it, most beloved brethren, that the Prophet of Truth rejects what the Truth affirms? "For the expressions, 'He is and I am', are very different from each other. How, then, is he a Prophet of Truth when he does not agree in words with that Truth? "But if we subtly analyze the Truth itself, then what sounds like a contradiction between each other will cease to be contradictory. For the Angel says of John to Zechariah: "He shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). Therefore he (John) is called coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, because just as Elijah will precede the second coming of the Lord, so John preceded the first. As he will be the Forerunner of the Judge, so this one was the Forerunner of the Redeemer. So John was in the spirit and power of Elijah, but he was not personally Elijah. Consequently, what the Lord affirms about the spirit, John denies about the person, because it had to be so, so that the Lord would also express to the disciples a spiritual thought about John, and with this John answered the carnal people, not about the spirit, but about the flesh. Consequently, although what John answered seems contrary to the truth, yet he did not depart from the path of truth.

2. He, denying even the name of the Prophet, precisely because he could not only preach about the Redeemer, but also point (to Him), further states who he is, adding: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. "You know, most beloved brethren, that the Only-begotten Son is called the Word of the Father, according to the testimony of John, who says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word" (John 1:1). And from your very speech you know that the voice is heard first, so that later the word may be heard. Thus John affirms that he is the voice because he precedes the Word. As it precedes the coming of the Lord, it is called a voice because it is made audible to people through its service to the Father's Word. He cries out even in the wilderness, because he proclaims the consolation of the Redeemer to the forsaken and rejected Judea. And what he cries out for, he inspires, adding: "Straighten out the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the Prophet spoke" (John 1:23) [ [17]]. The way of the Lord is directed to the heart when the word of truth is humbly obeyed. The way of the Lord is directed to the heart when life is prepared for (keeping the commandment). Therefore it is written: "If any man love Me, he shall keep My word: and My Father shall love him, and we shall come unto Him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). Therefore, whoever is proud of his mind, who breathes the flame of covetousness, who defiles himself with the impurities of luxury, shuts the door of the heart from the truth; and so that the Lord does not come to him, He strengthens the locks of the soul with the obsolescence of vices.

3. But those who are sent still object: "Why do you baptize, if you bear Christ, neither Elijah, nor the Prophet?" Since this is asked not out of a desire to know the truth, but out of malicious envy, the Evangelist silently remarked when he added, saying: "And the epistle of the Pharisees." He clearly speaks as it were: John is asked about his actions by those who do not know how to desire to learn, but only envy. But every Saint, when he receives a question even from a corrupt mind, does not change in the observance of his goodness. That is why John also answers the question of envy with the edification of life. For immediately he adds: I baptize with water; but he stands in the midst of you, whom you do not know. John baptizes not in the spirit, but in water, because, not having the power to forgive sins, he washes the bodies of those who are baptized with water, but does not wash the spirit through the remission of sins. Wherefore, then, does he baptize, who by baptism does not forgive sins, if not in order that, preserving the order of his precedence, he who by birth preceded Him who is to be born, and by baptism preceded the Lord, Who is to be baptized; and that he who through preaching became the Forerunner of Christ, and through Baptism was His Forerunner, an imitation of the Sacrament? — Meanwhile, announcing the Mystery, he affirms that this (Christ) stands in the midst of people, and they do not know Him; for the Lord, having appeared in the flesh, was made both visible in the flesh and invisible in majesty. Of Him he further says: He is He who comes after me, Who was before me. For thus it is said: "It was before me, which is the same thing, "He was set before me." Therefore he comes after me because he was born afterwards, but before me because he was exalted above me. But speaking of this a little above, he also revealed the reasons for His exaltation, adding: "For I was first." He speaks plainly, as it were: He who was born after me is greater than me even in that He is not constrained by the times of His birth. For He who in time is born of the Mother, without time is born of the Father. Surrendering himself to Him (Jesus), he (John) declares what reverent humility he ought to have before Him: "Thou art worthy to bow down, loose the strap of His boots" (Mark 1:7). It was the custom of the ancients that if a man did not wish to have a wife who was engaged to him, he was obliged to take off the boot of the one who, by right of intimacy, was the bridegroom to her. And so, what was Christ among men, if not the bridegroom of the Holy Church? Of which the same John says: "If you have a bride, there is a bridegroom" (John 3:29). But since people thought that John was the Christ, which John himself rejects, he justly says that he was not even worthy to loosen the strap of His boots. He clearly says, as it were: "I have not the power to bare the feet of our Redeemer, because I undeservedly do not appropriate to myself the name of the bridegroom." "However, this can be understood in another way. For who does not know that boots are made of dead animals? "The incarnate Lord appeared as if shod, because in His Divinity He accepted the deadness of our damage. Wherefore also through the Prophet He says: "Upon Edom I will stretch forth My boots" (Psalm 59:10). For by the name of Idumaea is understood paganism, and by the name of the boot is accepted mortality. Thus, the Lord says that He will spread His boot on Idumea, because when He became known to the Gentiles in the flesh, then the Godhead came to us as if in shoes. But the human eye cannot penetrate into the mystery of this incarnation. For it is impossible to comprehend how the Word is incarnated; how the higher and life-giving Spirit is animated in the womb of the Mother; how one who has no beginning both exists and is conceived. Consequently, the strap of the boots is the tie of the sacrament. Thus, John cannot loose the strap of His boots, because he cannot himself penetrate into the mystery of His incarnation, although he knew about it from the spirit of prophecy. And so, what is the meaning of the words: I am not worthy to loose the strap of His boots, if not the expression of a clear and humble consciousness in one's ignorance? He clearly says, as it were: "What wonder is it if He is exalted before me, Whom I look upon as Him who was born after me, but do not comprehend the mystery of His birth?" Here is John, filled with the spirit of prophecy, is famous for his wondrous knowledge, and yet he suggests that he does not know the unknown.

4. In this matter, most beloved brethren, we must weigh and ponder with full attention how holy men, in order to preserve the virtue of humility in themselves, when they know something wonderfully, try to bring to the eyes of the mind what they do not know, so that their soul does not become proud of the side on which it is perfect, thinking, on the other hand, of its own weakness. For knowledge is virtue, and humility is the guardian of virtue. Consequently, it remains for the mind to restrain itself in all that it knows, so that the wind of pride does not blow away that which gathers the virtue of knowledge. When you, brethren, do good, always recall evil deeds, so that the soul may never carelessly delight in a good deed, cautiously looking at its own guilt. Look upon the higher ones, especially those who have no communion with you, as your neighbors, because you do not know that the good is hidden in the very thing that you recognize as some evil in their actions. Therefore, let everyone try to be great, but let him not know in some way that he is really so, so that by the audacious arrogation of greatness he does not lose it. For this reason it is said through the Prophet: "Woe, who are wise in yourselves, and understand before yourselves" (Isaiah 5:21). That is why Paul says: "Do not be wise about yourselves" (Romans 12:16). Wherefore it is said against the proud Saul, Thou wast not little food before him, and hath thou not made thee ruler? It is clearly said, as it were: "When you recognized yourself as small, then I exalted you above others. But since you acknowledge yourself to be great, I consider you small." On the contrary, David, when he jumped before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, looked with contempt at the power of his kingdom, said, "I will play and dance before the Lord." And I will reveal myself in the same way, and I will be useless in thy sight (2 Samuel 6:21,22) [ [18]], for who would not be pleased by the breaking of the jaws of lions, the tearing of the muscles of bears, the election (to the Kingdom) with the neglect of the elder brothers, the deposition of Goliath, terrible for all, with one stone, the offering, at the suggestion of the King, of the exterminated Philistines appointed by the number of circumcisions, the receipt of the Kingdom according to the promises, the possession of the whole people of Israel without any subsequent reproach? "And yet in all this he despises himself who confesses that he is humiliated before his eyes. And so, if holy men think low of themselves even when they perform great feats, then what will those say in their excuse who puff up without performing a feat? "Yes, although there were any good deeds, they are insignificant if they are done without humility. For a wondrous feat does not exalt with pride, but humiliates. For whoever gathers virtues without humility throws dust to the wind; and from whence it seems to acquire something, from there it is more blinded. And so, my brethren, in all your deeds consider humility as the root of a good deed. Look not at that by which you have already been exalted, but at that by which you have become inferior, so that from humility you may always ascend to the higher, having before your eyes those who are better than you.

Discourse VIII, Delivered to the People in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Day of the Nativity of the Lord. The reading of the Holy Scriptures. Gospels: Luke 2:1-14

And it came to pass in thy days that there came forth a command from Caesar Augustus to write the whole world. This was the first writing to be the ruler of Syria to Cyrene. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, for he was to be from the house and country of David, to be registered with Mary, a woman betrothed to him, who was not idle. And it came to pass, when it was there, that the day was fulfilled to give birth to Her. And thou shalt bring forth thy firstborn Son, and shall weave Him, and lay Him in a manger: for there shall be no place for them in the monastery. And the shepherd was in the same country, watching and watching the night for his flock. And behold, the angel of the Lord stood in them, and the glory of the Lord shone upon them: and they feared with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I preach great joy to you, which shall be to all men." For today the Saviour was born unto you, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this is a sign unto you: ye shall find the Infant coiled lying in a manger. And without dawn there was with the Angel a multitude of heavenly howls, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

1. Since, by the Lord's mercies, we intend to celebrate three solemn Liturgies today, we cannot speak at length about the Gospel reading. But the very birth of our Redeemer prompts us to say something, even if briefly. What does it mean that before the birth of the Lord, the universe is subjected to a census, if not a clear indication that He will appear in the flesh who in eternity will enumerate His elect? On the contrary, it is said of the wicked through the Prophet: "Let them be required of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the righteous" (Psalm 68:29). It is also good that He is born in Bethlehem, because Bethlehem means the house of bread. For He Himself says: "I am the bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:41). Consequently, the place in which the Lord is born was formerly called the house of bread, because it was perfectly predestined for the appearance in it in the flesh of the One Who will restore the souls of the elect by inner nourishment. He is born not in the house of His parents, but on the path, in order to clearly show that, according to the humanity He has taken upon Himself, He was born as it were in a foreign land. I call a foreign land not by dominion, but by nature. For of His dominion it is written, "In his own coming" (John 1:11). By His nature He was born before time, but in ours He came in time. Who, therefore, being eternal, appeared temporary, is foreign to Him (the place) to which He descended. And since through the Prophet it is said: "All flesh is hay" (Isaiah 40:6), He, having become man, turned our hay into wheat, saying of Himself: "If a grain of wheat does not fall on the ground, it alone remains" (John 12:24). For this reason He is also begotten in a manger in order to restore the strength of all believers, i.e. the holy animals, with the wheat of His flesh, so that they may not remain hungry without the food of eternal understanding. But what does it mean that the Angel appears to the vigilant pastors and shines upon them with the glory of God, if not that pastors who know how to carefully watch over the flocks of the faithful deserve higher visions? And when they themselves piously watch over the flock, then Divine grace shines abundantly over them.

2. But the Angel announces the newborn King, and the choirs of the Angels echo his voice, and, rejoicing, cry out: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. "For before our Redeemer was born in the flesh, we had disagreement with the angels, from whose glory and purity we were far removed by the guilt of original sin and daily iniquities. Since we were removed from God for our sins, the angels, the citizens of God, rejected us from their communion when we were removed. But since we have recognized our King, the angels have again recognized us as their fellow citizens. For when the King of heaven took upon Himself the earth of our flesh, then even this angelic loftiness does not despise our baseness. The angels again restore peace with us, paying no attention to the former disagreement; and those who were formerly despised as weak and outcasts are again revered as comrades. That is why Lot (Gen. 19:1) and Joshua (5:15) revere angels and do not hear from them a prohibition to reverence; but John, in his Apocalypse, wanted to worship an angel; however, this same Angel forbade him to do undue respect, saying: "Behold, no, for I am thy slander and thy brethren" (Rev. 22:9). What does it mean, then, that before the coming of the Redeemer, the angels accept worship from men and remain silent, and afterwards they avoid worship, if not that they fear to see before them prostrate our nature, which they formerly despised, after they see it exalted above themselves? "They do not seem to dare to despise the weakness which they esteem superior to themselves in the King of Heaven. Those who worship the God-Man do not consider it unworthy to have a man as a companion. Therefore, most beloved brethren, let us take care that no uncleanness defiles us, if we, according to eternal foreknowledge, are citizens of God and equal to His angels. Let us assimilate our dignity to morals; let no luxury dispose us to itself; let no vile thought condemn us; let not malice gnaw at the soul; let not the rust of envy destroy; let not pride be puffed up; let not ambition be tormented by earthly pleasures; let not anger be kindled. For men are called gods. "Therefore, defend yourself, man, against vice with the honor of God, because for your sake God was made man, Who lives and reigns forever and ever." Amen.

Discourse IX, spoken to the people in the Church of St. Sylvester on the day of his martyrdom. The reading of the Holy Scriptures. Gospels: Matthew 25:14-30