For we are no more faint-hearted than those young men who were watered in the fire, who conquered the beasts by faith, who willingly exposed themselves to danger together with a courageous mother and an even more courageous priest, who showed that faith alone is invincible; Of course, no more faint-hearted than those who showed their intrepidity in your presence, and one of whom, having shamed the mother of your gods and destroyed the altar, was brought to you as a condemned, entered as a conqueror, and, having laughed a little at your scarlet robe and your words as shabby and ridiculous, left you with more boldness than one returns from supper and from a bright feast; and the other, when the whole body was deeply cut with straps, scarcely breathing from the wounds, not only did not weaken in the tortures, and did not consider the tortures he endured to be grievous, but even noticing that some parts of the body had not yet been subjected to blows, he began to accuse the torturers of insulting him, because they did not honor his whole body, but left something untormented and unsanctified, and at the same time he pointed to the lower leg, which alone had escaped the iron nails, and demanded that it should not be spared either.

And so, this is a word for you, valued by Christians not lower than the lies and absurdities of Porphyry, which you admire as divine words, and not lower than your own Misogonus or Antiochicus; for by both names you inscribe your work. At that time it was made important by your purple and flatterers, who were amazed at everything in you, but now it has become a beard, which everyone drags, tears and ridicules, as well as those who worked on it. In it, as if discussing something important, you are very arrogant that you do not have excessive care for the body and have never felt indigestion from overeating; but with the intention you keep silent about the fact that you so cruelly persecuted Christians and exterminated this numerous holy people. But what harm is there to society when one person suffers from indigestion or has natural burping? And when such persecution was initiated, and so much disorder was produced; then must not the whole Roman empire have come into a difficult position, as it really turned out to be by experience? We erect a monument to you, which is higher and more glorious than the pillars of Hercules. They were erected in one place and were visible only to those who came there; and this monument, passing from one to another, cannot but be everywhere and known to everyone. And I know for sure that later times will see him rebuking you and your deeds, and also teaching all others not to dare to make such a rebellion against God, lest, by doing as you do, you will receive the same recompense as you.

HOMILY 6. On Peace, Delivered in the Presence of the Father after the Preceding Silence on the Occasion of the Reunification of the Monastics

Jealousy resolves my tongue, and I leave the law of man unfulfilled for the spiritual law: I give the word to the world, although before I would never agree to come to the word. For as soon as the members rebelled against us, the great and honorable body of Christ began to be divided and divided, so that our bones almost fell into the jaws of hell (Psalm 140:7), just as the depth of the earth is torn by a plough and scattered over the surface; how soon the evil one, having torn the indestructible, inseparable, and entire woven robe (John 19:23), appropriated it entirely to himself, having managed to do through us what he could not do through the crucifiers of Christ; then I decided that I would bridle my mouth (Psalm 38:2) and in other cases I would not be so talking, reasoning that the spiritual order requires first to purify oneself by active wisdom, then to open the mouth of reason, to attract the spirit (Ps. 118:131), and then pour out the good word (Ps. 44:2) and to preach the wisdom of God, perfect among the perfect (1 Cor. 2:6). Moreover, just as there is a time for every thing, small and great, according to the just and very reasonable saying of Solomon (Ecclesiastes 3:1), so I, no less than anyone else, knew the time to speak and to be silent. That is why I was dumb and silent (Psalm 38:3), when there was nothing good near me, as if a cloud had run over my heart and hid the ray of the word, and my illness was renewed day and night, everything kindled it in me, everything reminded me of the separation of the brethren: vigils, fasting, prayers, tears, calluses on my knees, beating in my chest, sighs from the depths of my heart, all-night standing, moving of the mind to God, quiet weeping in the midst of prayers, bringing to tenderness the listeners, also those who sing, praise, learn day and night in the law of the Lord, bearing in their mouths the words of God (Psalm 149:6). I was reminded of the same thing by these beautiful features and signs of life according to God, these silent preachers — dry and unclean hair, barefoot feet and, like the apostles, wearing nothing dead on them, the cutting of hair corresponding to the same; a garment that humbles pride, a belt beautiful in its unadornedness, picking up a few clothes but not lifting them in the least, a firm gait, an unwandering gaze, a pleasant smile, or rather, only a kind of smile that chastely restrains from immoderate laughter, a word with understanding, silence more precious than the word itself, praise seasoned with salt, not for caressing, but as a guide to the best, reproach more desirable than praise itself, moderation in sorrow and in gaiety, and the dissolution of one another, gentleness combined with courage, and severity with modesty, so that the one does not harm the other, but the one through the other becomes praiseworthy; moderation in fellowship with others, and in avoiding fellowship, fellowship for the edification of others, and avoidance for one's own instruction in the mysteries of the Spirit, fellowship that preserves solitude in the midst of society itself, and avoidance that observes brotherly love and philanthropy in the midst of solitude itself, and what is even more important and higher, riches consisting in poverty, possession in coming, glory in dishonor, strength in weakness, beautiful childbearing is in celibacy, since that which is born according to God is better than that which is born according to the flesh. Finally, people who consider it a pleasure for themselves to have no pleasures, who humble themselves for the sake of the heavenly kingdom, who have nothing in the world and stand above the world, who live in the flesh as if outside the flesh, of whom the Lord is a part (Num. 18:20), poor for the sake of the kingdom (Matt. 5:3), and those who reign in poverty. It was he who by his presence cheered me, constituted my wealth, my best consolation, and by his absence brought me to despondency! That was what constricted and disturbed my soul; That is why I walked, weeping and lamenting! That is why I have rejected the word itself with other pleasures! For the beloved have turned away from me, and have turned their backs to me, and not their faces. 32.15. Jer. 2.27); the flock became freer (not to say braver) than the pastor; the true grape, beautifully cleansed by the good husbandman and bearing good fruit in the divine winepress, has turned to bitterness for me (Jeremiah 2:21), my friends and sincere ones have departed from my plague, and my neighbors stand afar off (Psalm 37:12). Out of intense love for God and for Christ, we divided Christ, because of the Truth (Jn. 14. b) they began to lie against one another, for the sake of Love (John 4:8) they learned hatred, because of the Stone (1 Cor. 10:4) they faltered, because of the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20) they crumbled, they fought beyond necessity for the sake of the World, they were deposed because of Him who was taken up on the tree, they were subjected to death because of the Buried and Risen One.

So it was before! And why, in the midst of joy, should I renew my displeasure, dwelling on sad events, which I would not only not like to experience, but also to bring to mind, about which it is better not to speak, but to remain silent, hiding in the depths of oblivion the misfortune that has befallen us? Unless someone only reminds us of the sorrowful in order to enlighten us by this example and, as in illnesses, to avoid the causes that have brought us to such a state.

But now, when sickness, sorrow, and sighing are gone from us, when we, who worship the One, have become one; we, who venerate the Trinity, so to speak, have grown together with each other, have become of one accord and equal honor; we who honor the Word have forsaken dumbness; we, who honor the Spirit, burn zealously, not against one another, but at one with one another; we, who revere the Truth, think one thing and speak one thing; we, who worship Wisdom, have become prudent; who worship Him Who is the Light, the Way, the Door, as in good days we walk, we all walk the straight path, all within the courtyard; those who honor the Lamb and the Shepherd have become meek and belong to the same flock and one shepherd, who feeds the flock, not with the shells of a foolish shepherd (Zech. 11:16), who destroys the sheep of his pasture and gives them over to wolves and rapids, but a shepherd who is very tried and experienced, now that we, who honor Him who suffered for us, have become compassionate and ready to ease one another's burdens, Honoring the Head, we form a harmonious body and cemented by every spiritual union (Ephesians 4:16), when God creates all things and transforms them into the most useful things (Amos 5:8), turned our weeping into joy, and instead of sackcloth He gave us joy (Ps. 29. 12); then I, too, together with the past sorrows, put aside silence and offer to you and to you, or rather to God, a word, a most fitting sacrifice of thanksgiving, a gift that is purer than gold, more precious than precious stones, more valuable than fabrics, holier than the sacrifice under the law, holier than the firstborn, more pleasing to God than a young calf, still imperfect in horns and cloven hoofs (Ps. 68:32) and the foolish, more than incense, more than burnt offerings, more than many thousands of fat rams, more than the Law, which contains only the initial foundations, held in power the still infant Israel, prescribing in the blood sacrifices the future sacrifice. This I offer to God, this I dedicate to Him, that I have kept one thing for myself, whereby alone am I rich, because I have given up the rest out of obedience to the commandment and the Spirit; all that I had, I have exchanged for a pearl of great price, I have become (or rather, I wish to become that happy merchant who, for a little, undoubtedly perishable, bought great and incorruptible things (Matt. 13:45-46); but I retain one word for myself, as a servant of the word, and voluntarily I will never neglect this acquisition, but I value it, I love it, I rejoice in it more than in all that, in the aggregate, which pleases most people; I make him an accomplice of all my life, a good counselor, an interlocutor and a leader on the path to the things above, and a zealous companion. And since I despise all things, all my love after God is directed to the word, or rather to God, because the word also leads to God, when it is united with understanding, by which alone God is truly received and preserved and grows in us. and I seek a wreath of grace and a beautiful crown (Prov. 4:8, 9), that is, the gifts of wisdom and the word that illumine our minds and illuminate our processions to God. Through the word I restrain the outbursts of anger, with it I lull the withering envy, with it I soothe the sorrow that binds the heart, with it I chastify sensuality, with them I set the measure of hatred, but not for friendship (for hatred should pacify, and friendship should know no limits). The word in abundance makes me humble and generous in poverty, it urges me to walk with him who walks steadfastly, to stretch out a helping hand to him who falls, to have compassion for the weak, and to rejoice with him who is strong. For me, the fatherland and the foreign country are equal to it, and migration for me is nothing more than a transition from one foreign place to another, not mine. For me, the word divides the worlds, and from one it separates and leads to another. It teaches me not to exalt myself with the weapon of righteousness (2 Cor. 6:7) and in unfortunate and sorrowful circumstances he is inquisitive with me, giving me unashamed hope (Rom. 5. 5) and facilitating the present with the future. In a word, even now I meet my friends and brothers, and offer a verbal meal and a spiritual and everlasting cup, and not such as an earthly meal flatters the belly, which cannot be corrected, but will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 6:13). For a long time I have been silent, I have endured (Isaiah 42:14), I have restrained myself; Will I always endure? The silence of Zechariah was permitted by the newborn John (for it was unseemly for the father of the voice to be silent when the voice had already occurred; but as unbelief in the voice bound the tongue, so the appearance of the voice should have resolved the father, to whom the gospel was preached and this voice and lamp, the forerunner of the Word and Light, was born), but the tongue looses me and lifts up the voice, like the voice of the trumpet, this is a beneficial event, this beautiful sight, which are the children of God, formerly scattered, but now gathered together, resting under the same wings, going in one mind to the house of God and united among themselves by a single union of virtue and the Spirit. I cannot remain silent when we are no longer rebelling against one another (before our mind was caught by the evil one, or endured violence from it, or was shot by it in the darkness (Psalm 10:2) brought by it, or how else to put it, that we rejoiced in each other's misfortunes, not thinking that mutual disagreement causes harm to the whole body). I cannot remain silent when Judah and Israel set up one head for themselves (Hos. 1:11), Jerusalem and Samaria gather to one heavenly Jerusalem, and we have become no longer Paul's, Apollos' and Cephanes' (because of which and against which the prideful debates took place), but newer – Christ's (1 Cor. 1:12).

But since you have now taken possession of me and the word, not without violence, but not against your will, but out of love, I will speak (though I will hardly speak), because you command it, and I will pronounce words of thanksgiving and admonition.

My thanksgiving is this: Who shall speak the power of the Lord? Who will declare all praises in the hearing of all (Ps. 105. 2)? Now both are one, and the center of the fence is broken (Ephesians 2:14). Thou hast made us cease to be the talk of the town, the object of a nod of the head among foreigners (Ps. 43. 15). Thou hast given us as much evil as was necessary for us to know the good of the world in a time of division, and having struck us with sorrow, hast restored us again. Wonderful healing! Thou hast taught the world by enmity those who soon hate enmity; He has arranged the opposite for the opposite, and has separated you so much that we have rushed to each other all the more willingly: just as the branches of plants, forcibly cultivated and then left free, again strive towards one another, assuming their former natural position, and show in themselves the property that by force they can be bent, and not corrected. The hand no longer despises the eye, and the eye despises the hands; the head does not rise up against the feet, and the feet are not alien to the head (1 Cor. 12:21), and do not harm, or rather do not suffer, harm from disorder and lack of authority, from which confusion and destruction occur in everything, but all the members, according to the natural order and law, by which all things are united and preserved, take equal care of each other, — and we are now one body and one spirit, Therefore the mighty nations will glorify Thee (Isaiah 25:3), having become rich from the poor. Thou hast shown us Thy mercy (Psalm 30:22), and something new is added to the ancient tales. And when sin abounded, grace abounded (Romans 5:20). Throwing away the grain, I received an ear; mourning the loss of the sheep, I have gained shepherds, and I know for a fact that I will gain the best of shepherds,' although he, for some spiritual reasons, is slow to receive the flock. This pastor has already been entrusted with the grace of the Spirit, and talents for use, and care for the flock; he is anointed with the anointing of holiness and perfection, but wisdom still restrains him from authority, and he keeps the candle under a bushel for a time, but soon he will set it on a candlestick, to shine to every soul in the Church (Matt. 5:15) and to be a light to our paths (Ps. 118. 104). He now surveys the wilderness, mountains, and streams, and prepares nets for the wolves, the predators of souls, in order to receive the rod in good time and feed the flock of words, together with the True Shepherd, dwelling in the places of evil, among the ever-green words of God, and nourishing them with still waters, that is, with the Spirit (Psalm 22:2). That is what we hope and pray for.

But it is time for me to add to thanksgiving an exhortation, which I will also offer as much as possible, in short, because for the most part you have already been enlightened by the events themselves, and for those who have been taught by experience there is no need for lengthy teachings.

In the first place, brethren, it was not fitting for us to divide ourselves and thus destroy our ancient dignity and adornment, according to which our small flock, although it is impossible to place it along with the numerous flocks, nevertheless I equaled with the greatest and most extensive, even preferring to some according to the strength of the Spirit. This was the case before: each flock had its own lesser or greater adornment; the distinguishing characteristic of our flock was steadfastness and serenity, and therefore it was often called Noah's Ark because it alone was saved from the Flood and kept within itself the seeds of piety. Even when the axis has denounced that we are people, when we have not completely escaped the envy of the evil one, have not resisted the disease that infects everything, but have borne our share in the common misfortune and have not fully preserved the beautiful and paternal heritage, that is, the blessing of unanimity: and in this case we had no small advantage over others (unless, trusting in Christ, we can boast of something even in the face of our enmity itself) — the advantage is that the latter have been subjected to evil and the former have reformed. To fall into sickness is the destiny of the common nature and weakness of man, which extends to all, even to the strongest in body and spirit, but to rise from sickness and return to one another is a matter of reasoning and grace, which has rewarded you beautifully and justly, even better than we desired and others hoped. For those who were appointed heads of those who seceded, as having been ordained for the sake of piety and for the benefit of suffering Orthodoxy, we received with love and treated not as enemies, but as brothers, embraced those who rebelled against us for a short time for the sake of their fatherly heritage, however, they rebelled fraternally, and not maliciously. We did not praise their enmity, but approved of their zeal, for disagreement for the sake of piety is much better than agreement for some passion. In this way, we have turned the loss itself into gain, covering with love what they have planned against us, and in this one thing we have changed the order, that grace did not follow election, but election after grace, and that we made use of alien ordination to communicate it, being somewhat preceded by the Spirit. But you, abandoning suspicion against writing, turned to the spirit, and although you did not approve of simplicity in the clarity of speech, yet you did not suspect impiety; knowing that the Trinity is as firm and unshakable with us as in His nature, and that to cut off or alienate anything from the Three is for us the same as to cut off everything, and to insolently rebel against the whole Godhead. In this, even during the very division, we sometimes defended each other in front of famous people. And this is the strongest proof that truth is not impelled even by time, and that enmity has not completely extinguished the spark of love in us. In the midst of the very strife, the most important thing was preserved in us, that is, unanimity and confidence, that we did not waver in the truth and did not contradict it, but were sealed with the same character of faith and our first hope. For men who sincerely worship God can be so strongly moved to unanimity as agreement in the doctrine of God, and nothing is so conducive to discord as disagreement in this doctrine. The most humble person in other cases becomes the most ardent, the meek one becomes brave (Joel 3:11), when he sees that through his indifference he is deprived of God, or, better said, by his fall he causes damage to God, Who honors us with His riches and enriches us.

Thus, in the very separation, as I have said, we were so moderate that our unanimity became more visible than the separation, and the favorable dispositions of both sides almost obscured what had happened. And since haste in reconciliation is not enough for the stability of peace, if it is not supported by reason, and God Himself is not the champion of reason, from Whom all good is beginning and comes to perfection, then by prayer and meditation let us try to confirm our reconciliation in force. Let us think, first, of the most excellent and highest of all things, God (unless one finds it most proper to place Him above essence (ωσια), or to enclose all existence in Him, since from Him is communicated being and the rest); let us think, secondly, of the first beings from God and around God, that is, of the angelic and heavenly Powers, which are the first to drink of the First Light, and who are themselves enlightened by the word of truth, are themselves the light and reflections of the Perfect Light. Nothing is more characteristic of these creatures than peace and serenity. For in the Godhead there is no disagreement, because there is no disagreement (since separation is the consequence of disagreement), but in Him there is so much agreement both with Himself and with secondary beings, that along with others, and preferably before other names that God pleases to be called, this has become His name predominantly. It is called peace (Eph. 2:14), love (1 John 4:16) and similar names, inspiring us by the very names to strive for the acquisition of these perfections. And of the angels, the one who dared to stir up indignation and raised his neck above his dignity against the Lord Almighty, or, according to the prophetic word, conceived a throne above the clouds (Isaiah 14:13-14), — suffered a punishment worthy of arrogance, condemned to be darkness instead of light, or, more correctly, became darkness himself. Meanwhile, the rest abide in their dignity, in which peace and serenity are the main thing, because from the All-praised and Holy Trinity, from Whom they have radiance, they have also received that they should be one. For the Trinity is also and is confessed to be the One God no less by agreement than by identity of essence. Therefore, all those who love the good of the world and, on the contrary, hate strife and turn it away, are close to God and the divine spirits; but those who are abusive in disposition, seek glory in innovations, and are vain in what they ought to be ashamed of, belong to the opposite side. For the devil is not only at odds with himself, in his diversity and in his passions, but does the same in others, as a murderer from time immemorial and a hater of good, covering himself with the darkness of indignation (in order to shoot in darkness the common body of the Church); With what cunning and cunning, I think, he approaches for the most part each of us, and secretly looks out for a place in us where he could break in completely, as a brave warrior invades a broken wall or a broken rank.

Thus, the necessity of benevolence and concord is sufficiently proved by this alone, that is, by the imitation of God and Divine beings, for they are only to be looked upon and safe for the soul, created in the image of God, in order to preserve its nobility to the greatest extent possible by striving for the Divine and assimilating it to the greatest extent. Moreover, heeding the voice of God, let us look up and look at the earth (Isaiah 8:22), and let us delve into the laws of creation. Heaven, earth, sea — in a word, the whole world, this great and most glorious book of God, in which the very silence of God is revealed, this world, as long as it stands firm and at peace with itself, does not go beyond the limits of its nature, as long as no creature in it rebels against another and does not break the bonds of love with which the Artist, the Creative Word, has bound everything, until then it corresponds to its name, and truly there is peace and incomparable beauty; until then, nothing can be imagined more glorious and majestic than him. But with the cessation of peace, peace will cease to be peace. In fact, do you not notice that the law of love governs the heavens when it imparts light to the air and rain to the earth in orderly order? And do not the earth and the air imitate parental love, when they give all animals one food, the other the opportunity to breathe, and thus maintain their life? Is it not the world that governs the seasons, which, meekly dissolving among themselves, gradually take one place of another, and at the middle times soften the severity of the extremes, thus serving at the same time for pleasure and benefit? What shall we say of day and night, which are equalized to each other, waxing and waning evenly, of which the one calls us to work, and the other to rest? What can be said about the sun and the moon, about the beauty and the multitude of stars that appear and set harmoniously? What can be said about the sea and the land, which, peacefully uniting with each other, graciously and philanthropically transfer man to each other and lavish their treasures on him richly and generously? What can be said about the rivers that flow through the mountains and fields and do not overflow their boundaries, except for profit, and will not return to cover the earth (Psalm 103:9)? What can be said about the confusion and dissolution of the elements? What shall we say of the proportion and harmony of the members, of the food, of the birth and habitation assigned to each animal, of which some are dominant, others are submissive, some are submissive to us, others are free? If all this happens in this way, and is governed according to the original laws of harmony, since everything flows together, one breaths, can we draw any other conclusion from this, except that everything preaches to us about friendship and like-mindedness, that everything is prescribed to us by the law of unanimity? But when matter in the world rebels against itself, and by its confusion prepares destruction, it becomes indomitable, or when God, for the fear and punishment of sinners, disturbs a somewhat orderly order, either by a flood, or an earthquake, or by extraordinary rains, or by an eclipse of the sun, or by the length of a season, or by the eruption of fire, then disorder and fear are spread everywhere, and in the midst of confusion it is revealed, How beneficent the world is.

I will not say that cities, kingdoms, choirs, armies, houses, societies sailing on the same ship, marriages and friendships are maintained by peace, and from disagreement they come into disarray; I will dwell on Israel, and reminding you of their calamities, dispersion, and wanderings, in which they are now and will remain for a long time (in which I believe the prophecies); I will ask you afterwards about the cause of these misfortunes, which is known to you for certain, so that the misfortunes of others may teach us to be of one mind.

Is it not true that while the Israelites kept peace among themselves and with God, they were tormented in Egypt as in an iron furnace, and united by common oppression (sometimes oppression serves as a salvific cure); until then they were called holy nations, a part of the Lord, and a kingdom of priests. (Exod. 19. 6. W. 32.9)? And not only in name were they so, but in fact they were different. They were governed by leaders led by God; day and night a pillar of fire and cloud guided them; while fleeing, the sea parted for them; when they were starving, heaven gave them food; when they were thirsty, the stone gave them water; when they fought, the lifting up of their hands replaced thousands of soldiers, with the help of prayer erected victory monuments and paved the way forward; before them the rivers receded, imitating a homogeneous sea, the elements stopped, and the walls fell from the sound of trumpets. What shall we say of the plagues of Egypt, and of the voices of God heard from the mountain, of the twofold legislation, one in writing, and the other in the spirit, and of all that the Israelites were once honored above their dignity? But when they fell into sickness, they rebelled against one another with fury, they were divided into many parts, being driven to the last extreme by the cross and by their stubbornness, with which they rebelled against God and our Saviour, not knowing God in man, when they brought upon themselves the rod of iron (Psalm 2:9), with which God threatened them from afar (I mean the now ruling Power and the prevailing kingdom), Then what happened? What did they not tolerate? Jeremiah weeps over their former misfortunes and laments over the captivity of Babylon: truly, and it was worthy of weeping and lamentation. How could bitter tears not be shed when the walls were dug up, the city was razed to the ground, the sanctuary was destroyed, the offerings were plundered, unclean feet entered into the inaccessible, vile hands took the inviolable in the service of sensuality, the prophets were silent, the priests were taken captive, the elders had no mercy, the virgins were desecrated, the young men fell, the fire of strangers and the fire of battle, and rivers of blood took the place of the sacred fire and blood, the Nazarites are dragged through the streets, the songs are replaced by lamentations, and, I will say in the own words of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, the sons of Zion, precious (Lamentations 4:2) and equal to gold, who lived in contentment and did not experience calamities, walk an extraordinary path, but the ways of Zion lament, because there are no ones who go to the feast (1:4)? And a little earlier: the hands of soft-hearted women (4:10) do not serve food to children during an intensifying siege, but they tear children for their own food, and satisfy their hunger with what is most pleasing to them. Is this not terrible, is it not the height of horror not only for those who endured it then, but also for those who hear about it now? Every time I take this book in my hands and read the Lamentations (and I read it every time I want to make my well-being chaste by reading), my voice breaks, tears flow of their own accord, the calamity seems to be happening before my eyes, and I weep with the weeping prophet. But who among those who know how to compose lamentable songs and fully depict sorrow in words, will worthily mourn the final blow — the migration of the Israelites, the yoke of slavery that now weighs upon them, the humiliation known to everyone under Roman rule, the main fault of which was indignation? What books will hold it? For them there is only one monument of calamity, the whole universe in which they are scattered, the ceased Divine services, the now scarcely recognizable place of Jerusalem itself, which is only accessible to them and only in this way delights them for their former glory, that they, appearing there for one day, can mourn the desolation.