Christian! Moses, Joshua, prefigured Jesus Christ, the Son of God; the old Israel – the new Israel, the Christians; the slavery of Egypt is a heavy slavery to the devil; passing through the sea – holy Baptism; walking in the wilderness of Israel is the life of Christians in this world. The Promised Land means the heavenly Fatherland. God sent His Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to us, so that He, having led us out of the slavery of the devil, would lead us to His Heavenly Father. Of Him the Heavenly Father bears witness from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; Hear Him (Matt. 17:5). All the prophets, apostles, and teachers of the Church bear witness to Him and teach us to follow Him. Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we might follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21). And He Himself says: "For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done unto you" (John 13:15). And again: Whosoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant also be" (John 12:26). All the saints followed Him, and He led them into a land boiling with honey and milk of heavenly sweetness. His faithful servants follow Him even now. They follow with faith, love, humility, patience, meekness. And He leads them to this Fatherland, and, as the Good Shepherd, taking them on His shoulders, brings them to His Heavenly Father.

O Christians! Let us also join this blessed and holy retinue, and follow Jesus with faith, love, humility, and lead us not to the land of Canaan, but to the eternal kingdom of God, and give each his own lot. O Jesus, the Power of our salvation! Guide me in Thy way, draw me after Thee, let us run.

26. Пришелец или странник

Кто отлучился из своего дома и Отечества и живет на чужой стороне, тот там пришелец и странник, как россиянин, находящийся в Ита­лии или в иной какой земле, там пришелец и странник. Так и христианин, от небесного Отечества удаленный и в многобедственном мире этом живущий, пришелец и странник. Об этом святой апостол с верными говорит: не име­ем здесь постоянного града, но ищем будущего (Евр. 13:14). И святой Давид это исповедует: Странник я у Тебя и пришелец, как и все отцы мои (Пс. 38:13). И еще молится: Пришлец аз есмь на земли; не скрый от мене заповедей Твоих (Пс. 118:19).

Странник, живя на чужой земле, все стара­ние прилагает к тому, чтобы сделать и совер­шить то, ради чего прибыл на чужую землю. Так и христианин, словом Божиим позванный и святым Крещением обновленный к вечной жизни, старается, как бы не лишиться вечной жизни, которая здесь, в этом мире или приоб­ретается, или губится.

Странник в чужой земле с немалым опа­сением живет, потому что между незнакомы­ми людьми находится. Так и христианин, в этом мире живя, как на чужой земле, всего опасается и остерегается, то есть духов зло­бы, демонов, греха, прелести мира, злых и без­божных людей. Странника все чуждаются и удаляются от него, как от не своего и чуже­земца. Так и истинного христианина все ми­ролюбцы и сыновья века этого чуждаются, удаляются и ненавидят, как не своего и им противного. Об этом говорит Господь: Если бы вы были от мира, то мир любил бы свое; а так как вы не от мира, но Я избрал вас от мира, потому ненавидит вас мир (Ин. 15:19). Море мертвого тела, как говорят, не держит в себе, а извергает вон. Так и мир непостоян­ный, как море, благочестивую душу, как для мира умершую, изгоняет. Миролюбец – лю­безное чадо для мира, тогда как презиратель мира и похотей его прелестных – враг.

A wanderer does not establish anything immovable, that is, neither houses, nor gardens, nor anything of the kind, on someone else's land, except for what is necessary, without which it is impossible to live. In the same way, for a true Christian, everything in this world is immovable, everything will be left in this world, including the body itself. The holy Apostle speaks of this: "For we have brought nothing into the world; it is evident that we can take nothing out of it (1 Tim. 6:7). Therefore, a true Christian does not seek anything in this world except what is necessary, saying to the Apostle: "Having food and clothing, we will be content with this" (1 Tim. 6:8). A wanderer sends movable things, such as money and goods, to his Fatherland or carries them. In the same way, for a true Christian, movable things in this world, which he can take with him into the next age, are good works. He tries to gather them here, living in the world, as a spiritual merchant is a spiritual commodity, and to bring them to his heavenly Fatherland, and with them to appear and appear before the Heavenly Father. The Lord, Christians, admonishes us about this: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt. 6:20).

The sons of this world care for the mortal body, and pious souls care for the immortal soul. The sons of this world seek their temporal and earthly treasures, but pious souls strive for eternal and heavenly things and desire such blessings that eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man (1 Corinthians 2:9). They look upon this treasure, invisible and incomprehensible by faith, and despise all earthly things. The sons of this world are trying to be glorified on earth. And true Christians seek glory in heaven, where their Fatherland is. The sons of this world adorn their bodies with various garments. And the sons of the kingdom of God adorn the immortal soul and, according to the admonition of the Apostle, are clothed with mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and long-suffering (Col. 3:12). And therefore the sons of this world are senseless and foolish, for they seek that which in itself is nothing. But the sons of the kingdom of God are prudent and wise, since they are concerned about what eternal blessedness contains in themselves.

A wanderer in a foreign land is bored to live. In the same way, it is boring and sorrowful for a true Christian to live in this world. He is everywhere in this world exiled, imprisoned and exiled, as remote from the heavenly Fatherland. "Woe is me," says St. David, "that my life in exile is long (Psalm 119:5). In the same way, the other saints lament and sigh about this. A wanderer, although bored with living in a foreign land, nevertheless lives for the sake of need, for the sake of which he left his Fatherland. In the same way, although it is sorrowful for a true Christian to live in this world, nevertheless, as long as God commands, he lives and endures this pilgrimage.

A pilgrim always has his Fatherland and his home in his mind and memory, and he wishes to return to his Fatherland. The Jews, being in Babylon, always had in mind and memory their Fatherland, Jerusalem, and fervently desired to return to their Fatherland. In the same way, true Christians in this world, as on the rivers of Babylon, sit and weep, remembering the heavenly Jerusalem – the Heavenly Fatherland, and to it they lift up their eyes with sighing and weeping, and desire to come there. That is why we sigh, desiring to put on our heavenly habitation, sighs St. Paul with the faithful (2 Corinthians 5:2). For the sons of this world, who are addicted to the world, the world is like a fatherland and a paradise, and therefore they do not want to leave it. But the sons of the Kingdom of God, who have separated themselves from the world in their hearts and endure all kinds of sorrows in the world, desire to come to that Fatherland. For a true Christian in this world, life is nothing but eternal suffering and the cross.

When the pilgrim returns to his Fatherland, to his home, his family, neighbors and friends rejoice at him and welcome his safe arrival. Thus, when a Christian, having finished his pilgrimage in the world, comes to the heavenly Fatherland, all the angels and all the holy inhabitants of heaven rejoice over him. A wanderer who has come to his Fatherland and his home lives in safety and calms down. In the same way, a Christian who has entered the heavenly Fatherland calms down, lives in safety and fears nothing, rejoices and rejoices in his blessedness.

From here you see, Christian:

1) Our life in this world is nothing but wandering and transmigration, as the Lord says: "Ye are strangers and aliens before me" (Lev. 25:23).