HOMILY 41[51].On the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. On the Keeping of the Divine Commandments, and on the Righteous Condemnation of Sinners Who Spend Their Lives in Slothfulness

Brothers and Fathers! The All-Good God, Who willed and brought us from non-existence into existence, placed us in this world, as in a school, so that we might learn and fulfill His Divine commandments. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ, having sent His holy disciples and Apostles into the world to preach the Gospel of His kingdom, commanded them, saying: "Go ye therefore, teach and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe and do all these things which are commanded unto you" (Matthew 28:19-20). What are these commandments of God that He commanded us to keep? According to the Old Testament and time, let us enumerate some: Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, and others that are written therein; but according to the New Testament, i.e., according to the Gospel, the highest and incomparably more important than these. Thus, the law of Moses says that we should guard ourselves from murder, and the Gospel says that not only should we not kill, but we should not be angry and reproach one another (Matthew 5:21-22); but should be angry only with the devil and have constant enmity with demons. The law also says: "Thou shalt not commit adultery, but Christ cuts off the sight also: whosoever looketh upon a woman, to lust after her, hath already committed fornication with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28). Honey mushrooms, the law prescribes not to swear falsely, but Christ commands not to swear at all, either truly or falsely (Matthew 5:33-34). The law also says: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy," and Christ says: "Love your enemies, pray for them that offend and curse you, and do good to them that hate you" (Matthew 5:43-44). Do you see, beloved, what is the difference between the Old Testament and the Gospel? The Old Law forbids man only sinful actions, and the Gospel cuts off not only sinful actions, but also the causes and roots from which sins begin and grow, and completely eradicates them from within, from our hearts.

Therefore, brethren, if we monks do not act according to the old law, and do not live in accordance with the teaching of the Gospel, but lead a life like lawless pagans, then what will we, the humble, do on that dreadful day of judgment? "Do not be flattered," says the Apostle, "neither harlots, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor covetous, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor annoyers, nor predators, nor lovers of money, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10).

Wherefore I have often told you, and now I say unto you, that none of you should separate yourselves from the brethren, that ye should not spend his life in negligence and slothfulness, that is, that ye should not omit the church services and his own (cell) rule, that none of you should collect money, nor have a slave, nor feed the cattle, calling them his own, nor consider any other thing his own; that he should not engage in buying and trading, which is not in accordance with monastic life and rank, nor coenobitic monks, nor silent brethren. For this is transgressive, and from this, but for the most part, great and most grievous sins are born. However, some of you do not listen to the law of God, do not obey and resist the truth. However, I, humble one, am not guilty of your blood; for I have not ceased to speak to you of the truth of God, nor have I ceased to declare the sword of God coming upon disobedient and disobedient monks. Listen to what the honest Forerunner also says about those who do not reform and impenitent: Behold, the axe lies at the root of the tree. For every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10); that is, every person who does not do good for his soul, and does not bring forth the fruit of virtue and repentance, but remains barren and unrepentant, is cut down by death and goes into eternal exile. Aren't you afraid of these words? Do you not tremble at the threat of God? Are you not afraid of death, the coming of which we expect today or tomorrow? How will we then look at these terrible aggels, who have to come in order to take us out of this world? Do we not fear the separation of the soul from the body? How can we go on this long journey without having with us what we need, that is, good deeds that would preserve us? With what face shall we, having transgressive deeds of the law with us, stand before the dreadful judgment seat of Christ, where the whole world will fall and worship? What will happen to us then? Verily, beloved, inevitably He will send us to a place where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die, where the weeping is inconsolable and the terrible gnashing of teeth.

But, O that this may not happen to us, who have renounced the world and that which is in the world, my beloved brethren and children in the Lord! Come at least now, in these holy days, to which the Lord has led us this summer, let us fall down and weep before our good God. Let us hasten before the last terrible hour of death comes upon us; and before the dreadful day of judgment overtakes us, let us tame the face of our Lord Jesus Christ; let us propitiate him with confession, prayer, fasting, purity, obedience, and especially peace and love among ourselves, and other good works pleasing to God. If we do this, then our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is ready to forgive us our sins; He tolerates us, and daily and hourly awaits our repentance and conversion to Him; for He does not despise sinful man, does not drive him away or reproach him, but receives him with great joy, embraces and kisses him as a prodigal son, as He showed in the harlot and in the thief. To her I beseech you, my brethren, let us arise from the heavy sleep of slothfulness and sin. Let us asceticize in these short days of our life. Like diligent children, at the end of their studies, when they are going to their homeland to their homes, they go with great joy and gladness; so shall we also do as sincere and true disciples of the gospel; and when that hour of separation from this temporal life comes, let us depart from here with joy, and let us go into eternal life, to our former fatherland, that is, to the Kingdom of Heaven, to the joy of the angels, to the brightness of the saints, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom belongeth glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 42[52] On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. On Abstinence and the Forthcoming Confession

Brothers and Fathers! Many call these days feast and merry days, so that at this time they may eat more and drink more, and get drunk, not knowing that these days are established here not for the sake of eating too much and drunkenness, but more for the sake of teaching and preparing for the coming Holy Spirit. Forty days. Soldiers, when they wish to go to battle, before the onset of battle, are given orders and orders that they should properly equip their weapons and everything necessary for the campaign, so that when the time comes for them to march, there will be no delay or difficulty. By this example, these days are also established here, (for preparation), and not for the sake of gluttony and drunkenness and feasting, as we have said. Much to eat and drink much, these are the pagan festivals; but true Christians should eat and drink moderately and orderly, with thanksgiving to God, and should not make their belly god, pleasing it and satisfying it, as the unbelievers do. And the Apostle teaches us and says: "Do not please the flesh in lusts" (Romans 13:14), but the evil custom has become as it were a law, and the world draws after it as it wills and as it wills. But we, my brethren, since God has vouchsafed us to withdraw and renounce worldly evils and confusions, let us, as much as possible, abstain from eating too much and drinking too much; for we all know for certain that intemperance in food and in the use of wine, and much sleep, are the causes of all sin. For our forefather Adam, as long as he abstained and did not eat the fruit that God forbade him, lived among these heavenly beauties, rejoicing and rejoicing within him; and as soon as he transgressed the commandment of God and ate the fruit, he was immediately expelled from the paradise of delight and joy; and intemperance and evil desire became for him the mother of death.

In the same way, the five cities of Sodom, because they indulged in excessive and disorderly gluttony and drunkenness, because they lived in fornication and committed the abominable sin of sodomy, were subjected to a great and painful punishment from God, both in this world and in it, for a rain of fire poured down on them and burned them. Thus suffered Esau, the first son of the patriarch Isaac, who, because he indulged in laryngeal madness and ate much, in excess of his due portion, gave his birthright to his brother Jacob, for he begged him and ate the food he had prepared, for which he was hated and rejected by God. So also the people of God: "Eat and drink, and rise up to play" (Exodus 32:6), and cry out disorderly. The same thing, brethren, is now repeated in the world — drunkenness, demonic rejoicing, shouts and cries, dancing and satanic fornication; and the day is not enough for them, but even until midnight they do not cease such satanic deeds. Such is evil, my brethren, intemperance, and from this, as we have said, death entered into the world.

By such a life and abiding our Divine Fathers and ascetics were brought up and shone forth, who, with God's help, conquered the passions of the flesh, cast out demons, worked miracles, received glory and the kingdom of heaven, and became wondrous and glorious throughout the world. One of them is Anthony the Great, whose life we have read and seen how God glorified him throughout the whole world, so that the tsars themselves considered it something great to write and send letters to him, and to receive them back from him.

Therefore, let us rejoice in Christ and rejoice with one another, since the Lord has sent down such gifts to us, and since we lead a spiritual life, in which life and sojourn, if we wish, we will daily have joy and a holy unceasing feast. Therefore I beseech you all, children in the Lord and my spiritual brethren, as much as possible, let us work and struggle even more diligently, and hold fast to Orthodoxy and the confession of holy icons. For again there was a rumor that the king wanted to inflict a new insult on us; and perhaps some messenger from the king will suddenly appear to us.

By the Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 43[53].On Meatfare Sunday. On the Great and Radiant Day of the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Brothers and Fathers! According to the generally accepted rule, the laity now abandon the use of meat; and who would see how much they care about meat-eating and wine-drinking, and about various games, and ugly and disorderly spectacles, about which he speaks indecently and with great shame, as the Apostle testifies. They should spend this day with great reverence and decorum, glorifying and thanking God for the gifts sent down from Him, preparing for the meeting of the Holy Spirit. The Forty Days; and yet, at the instigation of the devil, they do something completely contrary and indecent. But they are subjected to this, because they do not heed the Word of God and the exhortations of the church, and especially those that are read and sung in these days.

Why did we mention this? In order that we, monks who have left the world, may have all the more care and attentiveness not to allow our minds to dwell in worldly lusts, which no one should desire, but should abhor them more, destroy them, grieve and weep for those who give themselves over to them. from which the content of the canon of the Triodion, which is now sung, is borrowed; and let us imagine in our minds that great, terrible and most glorious day of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when He will sit with great glory on His dreadful throne. What will be the fear and trembling then, when even the very ranks of the angels tremble and are moved, as the Gospel says, that the powers of heaven also will be moved (Luke 21:26). And then not only our deeds will be tested, but also the words that we speak here, whether they will be good or evil, and even the very thoughts and thoughts of our hearts. And the Dread Judge will set the righteous at His right hand, and the sinners at His right hand. And to those who will be on His right hand, He will speak the sweetest, meek and blessed words: "Come ye in the blessing of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34), i.e., I have a place for you, prepared even before the foundation of the world. And to those who stand on the left side, he will say with anger and fury these terrible words: "Depart from Me cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his enemy" (Matthew 25:41).