Like God's chosen ones, we must seek the love that God accepts

God's chosen ones, the holy saints, rejoice more in the perfection of God's will than in their own dignity and glory. Therefore, all of them, and each of them, is satisfied with his reward and the honor deserved by God, and not one of them exalts himself before others for his merits. For they, who always see God before them and burn with a common love for Him, not only have a will similar and in accordance with His will, but are absorbed, so to speak, by the latter, and have been completely transformed into it and act by it alone. They rejoice and desire that God alone should work in them and through them, without ascribing anything to himself, they rejoice that God's will for us to be blessed in God and God to dwell in us, and not to be blessed in the world outside of God, enjoying only worldly goods and not knowing about God, or forgetting Him, his Creator.

Thus, the transformed human will, through its closest communion and assimilation to the will of God, attracts to itself the action of the all-embracing love of God, which can be called the complete embodiment of the will of God in man, without the slightest limitation of man's own will, freely submitted to the will of God. And it is this union of the human will with the will of God in the union of love that brings the greatest joy and joy to the chosen righteous of God. They undoubtedly believe in eternal life with God, love God, their neighbors, and all of God's creation with all their hearts, and, having in themselves a constant firm hope in the immutability of the promises of the incarnate Word of God, confirmed by the historical destinies of the Church, peoples and kingdoms living and acting in the spirit of Christ, they consider themselves happy and prosperous.

On the contrary, those who weaken in strict adherence to the teaching of Christ, or stubbornly reject it, they consider unhappy, and, in the end, perishing. The chosen ones of God desire that the Name of God, His wisdom, power, mercy and righteousness should be revered by all peoples and tribes, that all people (as creatures of the One God) should live among themselves in peace and harmony, that those who know God should instruct those who do not know Him, that the elders should instruct the younger to all that is good, that the strong should protect and patronize the weak, and that everyone should do unto all others in this way. how he wishes for himself that others would do to him, and not only in words, but also in deeds. The crown of triumph and gladness of righteous souls is the universal glorification of the infinite perfections of God, of His greatest power and immeasurable power and dominion.

As good, well-behaved children do not envy their parents in their happy life, in their wealth and contentment, and heartily desire them even greater good, as well as themselves, and even wish them more than themselves, so also the elect of God rejoice in the ineffable bliss in which God dwells, as well as in their own, and, contemplating it, sing at the throne of God those soul-stirring songs, which St. John heard while on the island of Patmos, according to the heavenly revelation that had come to him there: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory, honor and power to our Lord! For true and righteous are His judgments. Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty has reigned: let us rejoice and be glad, and give Him glory!" (Rev. 19:1-7).

Such a transfiguration, or rather the closest union of God's elect with the Divine will, can be achieved in the following way: let us carefully direct our minds to the consideration of the highest perfections of God (as far as they are revealed to us) — His power (power), eternity, wisdom, beauty, and infinite incomprehensible bliss. Let our heart rejoice in the fact that God, one in His essence, glorified in the Holy Trinity by His persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is eternal beginningless and infinite goodness, the source of all riches (spiritual and material), needing nothing, generous to all His creatures, invisibly present with all and omnipotent.

The totality and crown of all these God's perfections is Divine Love, as the very essence of God, the Divine life, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). For there can be no greater (perfect) love than that with which God loves Himself both in Himself and in His creatures, for God so loved the world (i.e., all people as God's creation) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). And there is no more perfect love among us, except that love which comes closest and closest to the love of God.

Philosophers define the word love, love, as follows: to love is nothing else than to wish (and do) good to another person. If this is an obvious truth, then the following conclusion will be drawn from this: the more we wish and do more good to someone, the more we love him. Applying this to the love of God, we can draw the following conclusion: we cannot wish God well, i.e., His perfections are greater than He has (for they are infinite); consequently, we cannot show greater love for God than by heartily acknowledging His boundless perfections as belonging to Him alone, and devoting ourselves entirely to His holy will. In this way, first of all, the will of God will be done by us on earth, as it is done in heaven.

Cutting off one's own will

Такой волей, которая во всем и совершенно послушна воле Божьей, приближаются люди к Богу и столь тесно соприкасаются к Нему, что сами становятся как бы молниевидными, то есть готовыми мгновенно исполнить волю Божью, подобно молнии, о которой праведный Иов так выразился: "можешь ли посылать молнии, и пойдут ли они и скажут ли тебе: вот мы?" (Иов. 38:35). Прилично назвать молнией Христовой тех людей, которые отвергают и презирают свою собственную волю для того, чтобы исполнять Божью волю и ей повинуются. Если бы мы следовали стремлениям своей грешной воли, мы поднялись бы на высоту гордости, презрения к меньшей братии во Христе и даже — до самообожания.

Но так как Бог хочет и требует от нас противоположного тому, то мы, исполняя волю Божью, стремимся к тому, что угодно Богу, чего Он требует от нас, и доброхотным повиновением Ему облегчаем себе путь к исполнению Его повелений. Не утомляемся и не изнемогаем мы, если что трудное и скорбное встретится нам на этом пути, и, представляя себя Господу, говорим: "что повелишь? Вот мы — готовы умереть по воле Твоей, приказывай нам, что тебе угодно."

Как молния исходит не от воды, не из земли, но из облаков густых, тесно сплотившихся, крепко сжатых и заключенных в одну тучу, так точно богоугодная воля наша рождается и укрепляется в душе, когда внешние чувства наши со всех сторон замкнуты молитвой и мыслью о Боге, и на их крыльях воля наша возносится до совершенного подчинения Божьей воле. И если кто-либо только обратит все свое внимание и рассудит здраво и беспристрастно о том, что тысячи тысяч ангелов беспрекословным служением угождают неприступному Свету, что Сам Сын Божий подчинился с любовью Отцу небесному и беспрекословно исполнял Его волю во яслях и пеленах, в путешествиях, трудах, мучениях на кресте, тот ни на мгновение не удержит себя от послушания воле Божьей и со скоростью молнии поспешит к исполнению Ее, возглашая чистосердечно: "Отче наш, иже еси на небесех! да будет воля Твоя, яко на небеси и на земли."

Некто главный начальник царской охоты сказал одному из своих подчиненных: "тебе следует завтра отправиться со мною на охоту." Служитель отвечает: "не следует, а с большим моим удовольствием я отправлюсь с вами." Подобно этому служителю всякий, искренне преданный Богу, ничего не делает по принуждению, но все повеления Божьи исполняет добровольно, с удовольствием, и этим малым трудом — готовностью к добровольному исполнению — приобретается полная свобода.

Хорошо выразился об этом Эпиктет: "я считаю лучшим то, чего Бог хочет, нежели то, что мне нравится: подражаю Ему как ученик и последователь, с Ним желаю, с Ним ищу, и чего Он хочет, того же и я хочу." Что достойнее и честнее сказать может христианин, чем сказал этот язычник?