But if any of you, obeying your light-mindedness, does not listen to this teaching and thinks to devote yourself to the monastic life, and for this purpose to divorce, contrary to the commandment of the holy Apostle Paul, his wife; then such a person, not obeying the above, let him obey at least the following: let him first examine himself in worldly life — whether he can preserve the above-mentioned virtues and righteous deeds with the fear of God and sincerity. And if, with God's help, he keeps this according to the will of God, then even then let him not be separated from his wife, but let him, thanking God, continue in the performance of good works, fervently praying to God that He would arrange for him as He pleases. Moreover, let him know that the monastic life which he desires is nothing else but the diligent fulfillment of the salvific commandments of the divine and venerable Gospel of Christ, namely, this is all righteousness, all mercy, mercy, love without hypocrisy, humility of heart, meekness, chastity, contempt for perishing wealth, worldly glory and honor, the rejection of vanity and all covetousness. And if in worldly life someone fulfills these virtues in a way that is pleasing before God, then such a person is not removed from monastic life and blessedness. On the contrary, if one dressed in monastic dress, despising the commandments of the Saviour and the traditions of the fathers, disagrees with them and spends his life disorderly, constantly getting drunk and overeating intemperately, being overcome by love of money, covetousness, covetousness, and deceit, then such clothing differs only from the disorderly layman, according to the words of the Apostle: "Circumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God" (1 Corinthians 7:19). And so, whoever with diligence, undoubted faith, and the warmest desire fulfills the commandments of Christ the Savior with the intention of pleasing God, and not men, he will be recognized by Him and by Him and will be called a monk, even though he has ended his present life in a worldly calling. For it is not in the change of clothes and not in abstinence from certain brushes that Christian piety consists and is praised, but in a change from evil pagan morals and in abstinence from all evil and soul-damaging passions of the flesh and spirit. For "if you have," he says, "My commandments, and keep them (that is, do them by deed), that is, you will love Me" (John 14:21), that is, your dear friend to Me. And again: "Not every one shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, O Lord, but do the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). What is His will, the Apostle Paul taught us in brief words, saying in his Epistle to the Thessalonians: "This is the will of God, your holiness, to keep for yourselves from fornication, to acquire your vessel from holiness and honor, and not in lustful passions, as tongues that do not know God, and not to transgress (not to offend) and covetousness in your brother's goods" (1 Thessalonians 4:1). 3-6), that is, not only not to covet other people's wives and harlots, not only to guard oneself from abominable sodomy; but also to copulate with your spouses at times, and at times to abstain from them, "that ye may continue in fasting and prayer, and gather yourselves together," that is, copulate, as the same Apostle writes to the Corinthians, saying: "Let not Satan tempt you because of your intemperance" (1 Corinthians 7:5). By this the Apostle means the passion of lust, and pagan lust, that is, unbelievers, who do not fear God and do not know Him, whose whole life, all desire, all diligence and all podvig consist in insatiable fornication, in all uncleanness, in debauchery, with unrighteousness and covetousness. But you, he says, as Christians, having been sanctified by the enlightenment of the infallible knowledge of God and purified by holy baptism, awaiting the dreadful and incorruptible judgment, — do not be like them; but with the fear of God, spend your life in purity. He expressed this in the words: "Knowing from you his vessel," that is, his wife, "acquire in holiness and honor," which means to come to terms with abstinence, restraining dumb lust, fixing its measure, and not in such a way as to submit to it and always be led by it, like dumb animals. Then, truly and justly, it will be called "marriage honorable and the bed undefiled," when one who is moderate and abstinent uses it, setting for himself a measure of both copulation and abstinence, keeping himself pure at times to the one all-wise Creator and all-gracious God and Master of all, Jesus Christ, who has united us to Himself. To Him be glory and honor with His Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Homily 15. The Revelation of the Most Holy Theotokos to the covetous, the lecherous, and the doers of all evil, who hope to please Her by all sorts of canons and various hymns

O creation of the all-wise God! which you often sing to Me, "Rejoice," then it will be pleasing to Me when I see that you are fulfilling the commandments of Him Who was born of Me, that you have abandoned all evil in general, from fornication and falsehood, pride and flattery, and from the unrighteous theft of other people's opinions. And as long as you dwell in these affairs and enjoy them, as long as you gladly drink the blood of those who live in poverty with double interest and suck their brains out by countless forced labors, until then you are no different for Me from a foreigner, a Scythian and a Christ-killer, although you boast of baptism. I will not heed you in the least, even if you sing countless canons and stichera to Me in a pleasant voice. "I desire mercy," says the Lord, "and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6). But you, like a swine, giving yourself up insatiably to every kind of scolding, and like a ravenous wolf, stealing other people's possessions and offending poor widows, abounding in everything and being full of lawless deeds, like a Christ-hating Tatar, engaged in games and getting drunk, always playing the harp and delighting yourself with the singing of foul and fornicatory songs, having finally expelled the fear of God from your soul, — do you think to please Me with a multitude of canons and stichera? singing them with a high cry? Do you not hear the preacher who clearly says that those who do such things do not inherit the kingdom of God, but rather those bitter eternal torments that are under the earth? Don't deceive yourself! But if you wish to be delivered from torment and inherit the kingdom of God together with all the righteous, then resolutely abandon all your lawless evil deeds and love with all your heart the virtues that are opposite to them, plant in your mind the fear of God, love and the desire for heavenly blessings. For otherwise there is no way either to get rid of the torment, or to please the dreadful Judge. But if you do not listen to these counsels of Mine, O fool, but continue to hold on to your lawless disposition, then you will know your folly when you are bound hand and foot with fetters, as if you do not have clothes worthy of spiritual marriage, and you will be cast into hell with endless fiery torments; when, together with worthless fish, you will be thrown out, as one who was brought up not in the pure streams of piety, but in the muddy swamps of sin, and fattened by fornication, considering for himself life the pleasure of lust; when you hear this saying: "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you," you workers of iniquity disappear from Me; when the mental chamber shall be shut to thee, because thou hast not taken oil into thy vessel, but, having been overcome by the love of money, hast never ceased to offend all unnecessarily, and hast hated the poor. Then, O foolish one, then you will know with certainty, and you will weep in vain and uselessly, when you fully understand that the promises of Him who was born of Me, by which He foretold of torments and eternal blessings, are not false, and that joy is prepared for those who always obey His word, and that fire is never quenched for those who disobey.

Therefore, if you sincerely desire to receive help from Me and to please God, the King of all, then with chastity and with generosity to the poor, try always to sing to Me: "Rejoice."

Homily 16. Regarding the permission of the vow of fasting

It is good and very pleasing to God, and salvific for us, if with good will we complete the vows that lie upon us, which we have given to God. In this case, we ourselves fulfill by our very deeds what the Prophet Jonah said: "And with a voice of praise and confession I will devour Thee, as I promise, I will repay Thee for my salvation to the Lord" (Jonah 2:10). If we are exhausted from old age, or because of frequent illnesses, and cannot remain without food all day on Wednesdays and Fridays, then let us wait until the evening time, and then let us allow fasting with light and simple food, and then not to the point of overeating, but in order to alleviate only bodily infirmity. This is what the great Apostle Paul teaches us, who writes to Timothy, saying: "Child Timothy, thou shalt not drink water, but have taken little wine, for thy sake, and for thy frequent infirmities" (1 Timothy 5:23). Know also that fasting is lawful for us to mortify the carnal passions and lusts that defile the inner man, as the prophet said: "And when they are cold, they put on sackcloth, and humble my soul with fasting" (Psalm 34:13). When the flesh is exhausted by old age, or from illnesses, then it is necessary to strengthen it with light food, so that it may be able to serve the soul in its spiritual functions, promoting prayer by prostrations, standing and performing the necessary services. And we should also diligently observe this, in order to fast spiritually, abstaining from all spiritual passions, which are: envy, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, cunning, lies, hypocrisy, the love of Jew money and abominable covetousness, and the cause of all evil is pride. Complete abstinence from these soul-destroying passions is true fasting and pleasing to God; and abstinence in food alone not only does not benefit us, but also serves as a reason for great condemnation, likening us to demons, as it is said in the stichera: "Fasting from fasting, O my soul, and not having purified your passions, rejoice in vain by not eating: for if you are not guilty, you will be corrected, as you will be hated by God and you will be like an evil demon, who eats nothing." May the Lord deliver us from their hypocrisy.

Homily 17. The Inducement to Repentance

Fire, and the worm that gnaws constantly, and the unceasing weeping, and darkness, and gloom, and the terrible gnashing of teeth, await us, O soul, after departing from here, in the underworld and gloomy abysses of the earth, if we live lawlessly. Let us be afraid, let us weep, let us abandon our evil deeds, let us show the deeds of true repentance, while there is still time. For the present age is a time of work, and the future is a time of recompense, as Paul says, true wisdom, the mouth of Christ. Listen to Him and always cleanse yourself with warm tears. Do not expect fiery purgatory after death: this is the insane design of the wicked, invented by them to console themselves, in view of their awareness of their evil deeds.