Слово 8: О покаянии

 «Придите ко Мне все труждающиеся и обремененные, и Я успокою вас»

(Мф.11:28)

 Согрешившим после святого Крещения одна только надежда осталась — истинное покаяние. Слава Богу за это, слава Богу, мы еще не погибли! Грешники! Еще осталась надежда, еще щедроты Божии не окончились, еще покаяние грешникам проповедуется, еще нищим благовествуется, еще милость Царя Небесного везде провозглашается, еще двери милосердия не затворены, еще благодать Божия всем отверста, еще Евангелие и Агнец Божий, «Который берет на Себя грех мира» (Ин 1:29), проповедуется, еще царствие Божие возвещается; еще кающиеся грешники спасаются, и мытари, и прелюбодеи, очистившиеся покаянием, в царствие Божие входят; еще милосердный Бог всех отвратившихся к Себе призывает, и ожидает, и обещает милость; еще чадолюбивый Отец блудных сынов, из дальней страны возвращающихся, принимает, и двери дома Своего им отверзает, и в лучшую одежду их облекает, и дает перстень каждому на руку, и сапоги на ноги, и всей Своей святой семье велит радоваться о них: радуйтесь, Ангелы, и все избранные Мои! Грешники ко Мне обращаются, люди, создание Мое, по образу Моему и подобию сотворенное, погибшие спасаются, мертвые оживляются и заблудшие находятся. Слава благости Его, слава человеколюбию Его, слава милосердию Его, слава щедротам Его! Бедные грешники! Почему мы медлим в далекой стране и не идем к Отцу нашему? Почему от голода гибнем? Почему беззакониями, как «рожками, которые ели свиньи» (Лк 15:16), питаемся? В доме Отца нашего всякое изобилие, там и наемники до избытка насыщаются. С великим усердием и желанием ждет нас Отец наш, и нас, возвращающихся к Нему издалека, любезно увидит, и милосердными очами воззрит на нас, и милы Ему будем, и так бросится нам на шею, и обнимет нас, и облобызает нас лобзанием любви Своей святой, и не будет нам выговаривать, и грехов наших и беззаконий наших не помянет, и начнут о нас радоваться и веселиться все святые Ангелы и избранные Его. Придем же в себя, и, восстав, пойдем и поспешим к Отцу нашему, и скажем Ему со смирением и сожалением: «Отче! я согрешил против неба и пред тобою и уже недостоин называться сыном твоим; прими меня в число наемников твоих» (Лк 15:18–19). Поспешим, поспешим, грешники, пока время не ушло, пока Отец ждет, пока двери дома Его святого не затворены! Покаемся, пока милосердие Божие действует, дабы не познать на себе правды Божией — вечного суда. Аминь.

Слово 9: О воплощении Сына Божия

 "The Son of Man Came to Seek and Save That Which Was Lost"

(Luke 19:10)

 The very incarnation of the Son of God and His coming into the world greatly encourages sinners to repentance. For whose sake did Christ come into the world? For the sake of sinners. For what purpose? For their salvation. Oh, how precious God has placed our salvation! For our salvation, O sinners, He Himself came into the world. Hear, you sinners, and understand! God Himself came into the world for the sake of our salvation, and He came in our form. Oh, truly, "great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). "Lord, what is man, that Thou hast revealed Thyself to him? What is the son of man, that Thou thinkest of him" (Psalm 143:3)? Truly wondrous is God's goodness to man, and wondrous is His incarnation! Foreseeing him, the prophet cried out to Him with fear and horror: "Lord, I heard a rumor about You, and I was afraid. O Lord, I have understood Thy works, and I am terrified" (Hab. 3:1-2). Sinners! Let us remember this great work of God, created for our sake, and repent. Let us remember how for our sake He was born of a Virgin, and was a Child, and was nourished by his mother's milk, and the Invisible One became visible, and received the Beginningless Beginning, and wrapped himself in swaddling clothes like a child, and the Intangible One became tangible, and "the Word became flesh" (John 1:14). Let us remember how, while still a child, he ran away from the murderer of King Herod. Let us remember how He lived and wandered on earth, how He moved from place to place and labored for our salvation, how the Unapproachable One dwelt with sinners to the Cherubim and Seraphim, and how He who had heaven as his throne and the earth as his footstool, who dwelt "in unapproachable light," had "nowhere to lay his head" (1 Timothy 6:16; Matt. 8:20); how "He, being rich, became poor, that we might be enriched by his poverty" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Let us remember how He who is clothed with light, like a garment that is perishable, was clothed with a garment; as He who gives food to all flesh was nourished by the bread of the earth; as the Almighty was weak, and the Giver of strength to all, he labored. Let us remember how He Who is above all honor and glory was blasphemed, reviled and ridiculed by lawless lips. Let us remember how he suffered, yearned, sorrowed, cried and was terrified. Let us remember how he was sold and betrayed by an ungrateful disciple, and was abandoned by other disciples; how he was bound and brought to trial; how the wicked judged Him, smote Him, scourged Him, mocked Him, dressed Him in a robe of mockery, and crowned Him with a crown of thorns, and beat Him on the head with a reed, and spat on Him, and mocked Him, saying: "Hail, King of the Jews" (John 19:3)! Let us remember how He heard from His wicked people: "Take, take, crucify Him" (John 19:15)! — how He was led to crucifixion with two evildoers, and on the cross between two evildoers the Son of God was crucified, and died on the cross. All this was created by the Son of God for our salvation, O sinners! In Adam we lost salvation and all our blessedness, but Christ, the Son of God, by the grace of His Heavenly Father, restored it to us. Let us judge for ourselves, sinners, whether it is not the very Blood of Christ, shed for our salvation, and all His providence cries out to us, that we may repent and thus not be deprived of eternal salvation. For without repentance there is no salvation for anyone. However, the accursed sinner is careless about this. The human-loving God showed Providence so wonderful about him, so that he would repent and thus be saved, but the sinner ignores this. Christ the Son of God in His Gospel represents His coming into the world for His sake, His voluntary humiliation, His voluntary poverty, His voluntary and profound humility, His labors, illnesses, sorrows, sorrows, sufferings and death, and death on the cross, and says to him: "Man! All this I have received and endured for the sake of you and your salvation, but you neglect your own salvation. You are careless, for you do not want to repent and, having ceased to sin, use My Blood and be revived." But the sinner, although he hears in the Gospel this pitiful and sweet voice of Jesus, nevertheless does not care about it. Christ promises him not to remember his sins and iniquities if he turns to Him, but the sinner neglects this. Christ calls him to Himself and promises him peace, but the sinner does not heed this. He remains defective as he was, lives lawlessly as he lived, does evil deeds as he did, loves darkness as he loved, hates the light as he hated it, and therefore does not come to the light, and remains with the devil, the prince of darkness. Oh, poor sinner! Wake up and feel yourself. If you do not do this, then the very Blood of Christ, shed for your sake, will cry out for vengeance on you. Listen to what the prophet of God says to you on behalf of God: "I will rebuke you, and I will present your sins before your face" (Psalm 49:21). That is, all your evil deeds, words, thoughts, plans, and undertakings will follow you to the next age and will appear at the universal judgment of Christ, and you will receive your worthy reward for them. If you do not want to repent now with benefit for yourself and thus be saved by the grace of Christ, then you will repent, but too late and in vain. "Arise, you who sleep, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (Ephesians 5:14), "God who rules over all," blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Homily 10: On Death

 "Men are destined to die once"

(Hebrews 9:27)