"And God brought," he says, "the wind upon the earth, and the waters ceased. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed" (Gen. 8:2). See how (the Scripture) speaks to us about everything in a human way. "The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed," he says, and the rain from heaven ceased. As if it were to say: the Lord willed, and the water was again in its place; it no longer multiplied, but gradually decreased. "And the waters gradually returned from the earth, and the waters began to diminish at the end of a hundred and fifty days" (Gen. 8:3). What mind can ever comprehend this? Let it be so, the rain stopped, the springs no longer poured out water, and the slabs of heaven were closed, but how did such great water come to pass? Everything was an abyss: how did such a great abundance of water suddenly begin to decrease? Who can explain this by the human mind? What can I say? Everything was done according to God's command.

4. Let us not inquire how it happened, but let us only believe that (God) commanded, and the abyss rose high; commanded, and it stopped in its striving and returned to its place, which is known only to the Lord Himself, Who created it. "And the ark rested," it is said, "in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. The water was constantly receding until the tenth month; on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains appeared," on the first day of the month (Gen. 8:4-5). See how suddenly there was a change, and how much water decreased, so that the ark landed on the mountains. Above the Scripture said that the waters rose fifteen cubits higher than the mountains, and now it says that "the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat," that after that the waters gradually receded until the tenth month, and in the tenth month the tops of the mountains were already visible. Think at the same time what firmness the righteous man is that he could endure so many months, as if imprisoned in darkness. "At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, and sent forth a raven, which flew out, and flew away, and flew away, until the earth was dried up of water" (Gen. 8:6-7). Behold, the righteous man does not yet dare to see for himself, but has sent a raven to find out through him whether any favorable change can be expected. "Flying out," it is said, (the raven) "flew away and flew away, until the earth was dried up of water" (Gen. 8:7). The Divine Scripture has added here, not yet because the raven would later return to the ark, but because it is peculiar to him to use this expression. In fact, this use can be found in many places (of the Scriptures), to which I could point out to you now; but lest you become careless in learning all things from us, we leave it to you to examine the Scriptures for yourselves, and to find out where they make use of such peculiarities. And now we must show the reason why this bird did not return to the ark. Perhaps this unclean bird remained (outside the ark) because, after the departure of the water, it saw the corpses of people and animals, and in them it found its own food, and this very thing served as an important basis for the righteous man to hope for a favorable change. If it had not been so, if the raven had not found any food for himself, he would have returned to the ark. And that this is so is evident from the fact that the righteous man, having after this had a good hope, releases a dove, a meek and inquisitive bird, which shows a special kindness and does not like to eat anything else but seeds, because it belongs to the breed of pure birds. "He let loose," it is said, "a dove, that he might see whether the waters were gone down from the face of the earth" (Gen. 8:8). "And the dove did not find a place of rest for his feet, but returned to him into the ark, for the waters were still on the surface of the whole earth" (Gen. 8:9). Here the question arises why the Holy Scriptures, having said above that "the tops of the mountains appeared" (Gen. 8:5), now says that this dove, not finding rest, returned to Noah in the ark, "for the waters were still on the surface of the whole earth." Let us read these words attentively, and we will find out the reason. The Scriptures did not only say, "did not find rest," but added, "with his feet," in order to show us that, although the waters had partially receded, and the tops of the mountains appeared, nevertheless, these very peaks, from the flood, were still covered with mud, or filled with liquid silt. That is why the dove could neither sit anywhere, nor find food akin to itself, and returned to the ark, thus making it clear to the righteous man that there was still plenty of water on earth. "And he stretched forth his hand, and took him, and received him into his ark." Do you see how grateful this bird is, how by its return to the ark and its presence there it inspired the righteous man to endure a few more? Therefore, "and tarrying," it is said, "another seven days," "let the dove out of the ark" (Gen. 8:10). "The dove returned to him in the evening time, and behold, a fresh olive leaf was in his mouth" (Gen. 8:11). The word "towards evening" is used here not simply and not without purpose, but so that we may know that the dove spent (outside the ark) the whole day, and, having found its own food, returned in the evening, with an olive branch in its mouth. Such is this animal, meek, loving always to be in company: for this reason it returned to the ark and brought great consolation to the righteous man in an olive branch. But perhaps someone will say: where did the dove find the olive branch? Everything was the work of God's Providence, both the fact that a branch was found, and the fact that the dove took it into its mouth, and returned with it to the righteous man; and on the other hand, it is known that this (olive) tree is always green, and, probably, after the fall of the water, still had leaves on it. "And having tarried," it is said, "for seven other days, he sent forth a dove; and he returned no more to him" (Gen. 8:12). See how the righteous receive sufficient consolation from everything. As after the return of the dove with the olive branch in its mouth he had a pleasant hope, so now the non-return of the released dove was the most convincing proof to him that she had found complete peace, and that the water had completely disappeared. And in order to be convinced of the justice of this, listen to what follows next. "And it came to pass," it is said, "in the six hundred and first year, on the first day of the first month, that the waters of the earth were dried up; and Noah opened the roof of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the earth was dried up" (Gen. 8:13).

5. Here too I involuntarily marvel and marvel at both the virtue of the righteous man and the love of the Lord. How, indeed, tell me, after so long a time, when he went out into the air and lifted up his gaze to heaven, did he not become blind and lose his sight? You know well that this is exactly what happens to people who, after spending even a short time in dark and gloomy places, suddenly want to look at the bright light (of the sun). And this righteous man, who had spent a whole year and so many months in the ark as in prison, and now, having suddenly come out into the full light, did not suffer anything of the kind. This is because the grace of God, as a reward for his patience, strengthened his bodily senses and made them inaccessible to bodily infirmities. "And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried up" (Gen. 8:14). It is not without reason that the Divine Scripture shows such thoroughness, but in order that we may know that the year in which the patience of the righteous was manifested and the cleansing of the whole earth was accomplished was fulfilled, even to a single day. Then, when all creation has been washed from impurity, having cast off all the filth that the wickedness of people has wrought on it, and its face has become bright, then God commands the righteous man to come out of the ark and sets him free from this terrible prison. "And God said to Noah, 'Come out of the ark you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you; bring forth with thee all the beasts that are with thee, of all flesh, of the fowl, and of the cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth: let them be dispersed upon the earth, and let them be fruitful and multiply in the earth" (Gen. 8:16-17). Look at the goodness of God, how He comforts the righteous in every way. Since the Lord commanded Noah, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives, and all the beasts, to come out of the ark, so that this very thing would not again bring great despondency upon him, and trouble him with the thought of how he would live in such a vast land as in the wilderness, alone, without other people, (God), saying, "Come out" of the ark, "and bring them all with you," He added, "And let them be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

See how this righteous man receives again the blessing that Adam received before the transgression. As he, immediately after his creation, heard: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it" (Gen. 1:28), so this one now: "Be fruitful and multiply in the earth," because just as Adam was the beginning and root of all who lived before the flood, so this righteous man becomes as it were leaven, the beginning and root of all after the flood. It is from this that the structure of human society begins, and all nature receives its beauty – the earth, which is stirred up to bear fruit, and all other creatures that are created for the service of man. "And Noah went out," it is said, "and his sons, and his wife, and the wives of his sons with him; every beast, and every creeping thing, and every bird, every thing that moves upon the earth, after its kinds, came out of the ark" (Gen. 8:18-19). At the command, that is, of the Lord, Noah, having received the blessing that said: "Be fruitful and multiply," went out of the ark with all those who were there. And behold, in all the earth there was one inhabitant – a righteous man with his wife, sons and their wives. But immediately after leaving the ark, he shows his gratitude, and gives thanks to his Lord, both for the past and for the future. But, if you wish, in order not to spread the words, let us postpone the discussion of the gratitude of the righteous until the next day; but let us stop the present word here, and ask your love to constantly keep this blessed (Noah) in your mind, to carefully study the beauty of his virtue, and to be his imitators. See, indeed, how great is the richness of his virtue: how many days have we been considering the narration about him, and today we have not yet been able to complete this consideration. And what do I say – to finish? No matter how much we speak, we cannot say everything; No, let us and even our descendants say much, but there will be no end: such is virtue. If we wish, then this righteous man can teach our entire race and guide us to virtue. In fact, when he, living among so many evil people, and not being able to find a single person like him in morals, has attained to such a high virtue, how will we be justified, who, having no such obstacles, do not care for good works? Do not tell me only how he lived for five hundred years, enduring ridicule and abuse from the wicked, but think also of his life in the ark. A year of this life, it seems to me, is worth a whole life: so much sorrow he had to endure there, being in such cramped conditions, not being able to breathe (fresh air), and forced to live together with beasts and other dumb creatures. And yet, in the midst of all these circumstances, he retained firmness of spirit and inflexibility of will, and showed faith in God, according to which he endured everything complacently and easily. That is why, since he had done everything on his part, he also received a generous reward from God. Even if he endured great straits, living in the ark, he was saved from the terrible flood and universal destruction, for that, after such straitness and heavy imprisonment, he received freedom and peace, and was honored with the blessing of God. Then he again showed his gratitude in action; in short, everywhere he himself began to do good. As in the first half of his life (before the flood) he was zealous for virtue and avoided the wickedness of the wicked, for which he was not punished with them, but when all perished by the flood, he alone was saved, so afterwards he showed great faith and gratefully endured life in the ark, and for this he again received a generous reward from God, immediately, after leaving the ark and returning to its former state, he was honored with God's blessing. Then he again showed gratitude on his part and brought, according to his strength, gratitude to God, and for this he was vouchsafed even greater mercies from the humane God. Such is the custom of God. If we do something on our part, even if it is small and insignificant, but only do it, He always grants us rich mercies. And in order that you may be convinced of the extreme poverty of human offerings and of the generosity of your Lord, consider this. Let us dare to bring something to Him, but what more can we imagine than verbal gratitude? And His mercies to us are done in practice. How can we compare deeds with words? Our Lord, having no need of anything, requires nothing of ours except words; and He requires verbal gratitude, not because He Himself needs it, but in order to teach us to be grateful to the Giver of good. That is why Paul also wrote (to the Colossians) and said, "Be friendly" (Colossians 3:15). In fact, the Lord demands nothing of us as much as this virtue. Let us not be ungrateful, and, receiving blessings in deed, let us not be lazy to give thanks to the Lord in words, because the benefit from this is directed to us. If we are grateful for the former (God's mercies), then by this we acquire for ourselves a sure means of obtaining even greater ones. Only, I beg you, let us, if possible, meditate every day and hour not only on the general blessings that the Creator of all things has shown to the entire human race, but also on the particular ones shown to each of us.

And what do I say about the private and those given to each of us? We should also be grateful for the blessings that we receive without knowing it. Taking care of our salvation, the Lord shows us many blessings of which we do not even know – often He delivers us from dangers, and shows us other mercies. He is the source of love for mankind, never ceasing to pour out His streams on the human race. And so, if we ponder this, and try to give thanks to the Lord for the former mercies, and dispose ourselves to be grateful for the ones that follow, so that we do not become unworthy of His blessings, then we will be able to lead a better life, and to be protected from sin. The memory of God's mercies will be a sufficient guide for us in a virtuous life, and will not allow us to fall into carelessness and self-forgetfulness, and to give ourselves over to sin. Indeed, an attentive and vigilant soul shows gratitude, not only when things are going well; nay, let an unfavorable change of circumstances follow, and then she lifts up the same gratitude to God. It is not weakened by this change, but it is all the more strengthened by thinking about the Lord's ineffable care, and that He, being abundant and all-powerful, can show His care even in unfavorable circumstances, although we are not able to clearly understand this.

6. Therefore, leaving all circumstances concerning us to proceed as we please, let us be concerned only with thanking God unceasingly for everything. For this is why we were created rational and are so exalted above the dumb that we lift up unceasing praise and praise to the Creator of all things. For this reason He breathed into us a soul and gave us a tongue, so that we, feeling His good deeds to us, would recognize His power over us, and show our gratitude, and, according to our strength, offer up gratitude to the Lord. If people like us, having shown us some frequent and unimportant beneficence, demand gratitude from us for it, not for the sake of our gratitude, however, but in order to be glorified ourselves through it, then how much more should we act in this way in relation to the humane God, Who desires this solely for our benefit. The gratitude offered to people for their good deeds multiplies the glory of the benefactors themselves; but when we give thanks to the loving God, we increase our own glory, because He requires gratitude from us, not because He needs our glorification, but so that all the benefit may be turned to us, and we may become worthy of His great mercies. True, we are not able to adequately thank Him: and how could we, having such a weak nature? And what do I say about human nature? Even the incorporeal and invisible powers – principalities, powers, cherubim, and seraphim – cannot worthily thank and glorify Him. However, it is our duty to give thanks as much as we can, and to glorify our Lord unceasingly, both in words and in a virtuous life. This is the best glorification, when we lift up the doxology with innumerable lips. The virtuous makes everyone who looks at him praise their Lord; and their praise draws great and ineffable mercy from the Lord to him who moved them to it. What will be more blessed than we if we decide not only to glorify the good God with our own lips, but also to stir up all our neighbors to the joint praise with us? And such is the power of virtue (even in one person) that it can glorify the Creator with countless lips. Thus, beloved, nothing can compare with a virtuous life. That is why the Lord said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Have you seen how the light, as soon as it appears, drives away the darkness? In the same way, virtue by its appearance puts sin to flight, and, dispelling the darkness of error, arouses the souls of those who look at it to praise. Let us try to let our deeds shine so that our Lord may be glorified. And Christ did not say this in order that we should do anything for show; no, but that, living honestly and in accordance with the will of God, they should not give anyone a pretext for blasphemy, and by their good deeds they might dispose everyone who sees us to glorify the Lord to all creation. Then we will deserve special favor from Him, and we will be able to escape punishment, and receive unspeakable blessings, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory, power, and honor to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 27

"And Noah built an altar to the Lord; and he took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered it for a burnt offering on the altar" (Gen. 8:20).

1. Yesterday we saw the goodness of the loving Lord, how He brought the righteous out of the ark, freed him from his stay in it, delivered him from this heavy and terrible imprisonment, and rewarded him for his patience, saying: "Let them be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 8:17). Today let us look at Noah's appreciation and gratitude, by which he gained for himself an even greater and higher favor of God. This is what God always does: when He sees someone grateful for the past, He sends down even greater gifts to him. Let us also try to offer up to the Lord all possible gratitude for the blessings granted to us by Him, so that we may be worthy of even greater ones; and let us never forget the blessings of God that have been shown to us, but let us always keep them in our minds, so that the remembrance of them may prompt us to constant gratitude, although they are so numerous that our mind is not able even to count God's mercies to us. For who can even imagine all that has already been given to you (from God), that is promised, that is given every day? He brought us from non-existence into existence, gave us both body and soul, created us (beings) rational, gave us this air to breathe, arranged all creation for the human race, and first willed that man should enjoy his sojourn in paradise, lead his life without sorrow and without any labor, and, being in the body, in no way inferior to angels and incorporeal powers, but he was above the needs of the body. Then, when (man), through carelessness, was caught by the flattery of the devil through the serpent, (God) did not cease to do good to the criminal sinner, but in the very punishments, as I said yesterday, He showed the abundance of His love for mankind and showed him manifold and innumerable blessings. Finally, when, after the multiplication of the human race in the following time and its deviation into wickedness, God saw that the wounds were incurable, He destroyed those who do evil, as if it were some harmful leaven, leaving this righteous man (Noah) to become the root and firstfruits of the human race. And see again what benevolence he has. From this righteous man and from his sons He was pleased to multiply the human race to such a great number, gradually He chose the righteous, i.e. the patriarchs, and appointed them for the rest of the people as teachers who could edify everyone with their virtues and, like doctors, heal the sick. He leads them now to Palestine, now to Egypt, thereby exercising the patience of his servants, and at the same time revealing his own strength more clearly; and constantly afterwards he continued to take care of the salvation of people, sending prophets, and through them performing signs and wonders. To put it briefly, just as the waves of the sea we can never enumerate, even if we have taken up this task a thousand times, so (we cannot count) the various blessings of God that He has shown to our race. Finally, when (God) saw that, even after such a providence, human nature still had need of a great and ineffable love for mankind, and that neither the patriarchs nor the prophets, nor those marvelous miracles, nor the punishments and suggestions, so often repeated, nor those captivities that continually followed one another, then, as if having compassion on our race, He sent to us a physician of souls and bodies, having raised, so to speak, from the bosom of the fathers His Only-begotten Son, Who was pleased to take the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7) and to be born of a Virgin, to live with us and to endure all our (needs), so that our nature, which lies down from a multitude of sins, might be raised from earth to heaven. Wondering at this, and imagining the excessiveness of God's love for the human race, the son of thunder exclaimed: "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16). See what wonder is expressed in this saying! The word "so" indicates the importance of what he wants to say; That is why he began this way. Tell us, then, blessed John, how is it so? Show us the measure, show us greatness, reveal the excellence (of God's love). "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Who can grasp in thought the great, wondrous, and incomprehensible benevolence which God has shown to our nature in the gift of baptism, granting us the remission of all our sins? But what can I say? Neither thought nor word is able to enumerate the rest (of God's blessings). No matter how much I say, the rest will still be such that in its excessiveness it will surpass what has already been said. Thus, who can comprehend with his mind the path of repentance which (God), through His ineffable love for mankind, has revealed to our generation, and, after the gift of baptism, those wonderful commandments, by means of which, if we will, we can win His favor?

2. Do you see, beloved, the abyss of (God's) blessings? Do you see how many of them we have enumerated, and yet we have not been able to retell even a small part of them? How, indeed, can human language depict in words what God has done for us? And while these (blessings) are so numerous and great, even greater and more inexplicable are the blessings which He promised, after this life, in the age to come, to those who follow the path of virtue. Blessed Paul, wishing to present to us in a few words their excessive greatness, says: "But as it is written, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him' (1 Corinthians 2:9). Do you see the excessiveness of the gifts? Do you see that His blessings surpass every human concept? Yes, "in the heart," he says, "it did not come." Therefore, if we wish to meditate on them and give thanks (to God) according to our strength, we can both gain His still greater favor and arouse in ourselves a strong disposition to virtue. In fact, the remembrance of good deeds strongly incites to feats of virtue and disposes a person to despise all that is present, to cling to such a great Benefactor and daily to show a living love for Him. That is why this righteous man (Noah) was honored with such favor and honor from God because he showed great gratitude for his former blessings. But in order for our word to be clearer to you, it is necessary to offer your love the very beginning of today's reading. After Noah, by the command of the Lord, came out of the ark with his sons, with his wife, and with the wives of his sons, with all the beasts and birds, and when he came out, he received from God a very comforting blessing for him: "Let them be fruitful and multiply," the divine Scripture, showing us the gratitude of the righteous man, says: "And Noah built an altar to the Lord; and he took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered it for a burnt offering on the altar" (Gen. 8:20). See carefully, beloved, and from these words, how the Creator of all things has placed in our very nature a precise concept of virtue. Where, tell me, did this come from (the mind of) the righteous man? He did not see anyone else as an example for himself. But just as in the beginning the son of the first man, i.e. Abel, by his own inner impulse offered sacrifice (to God) with great discernment, so now this righteous man offers thanksgiving to the Lord by means of sacrifices of his own free will and sound reasoning, as only he could and as he judged in a human way. And see with what great wisdom he does everything. He did not need a magnificent building, or a church, or any wonderful house, or anything else: he knew, he knew well, that the Lord seeks only (good) favor; And so, having hastily built an altar, and having taken some of the clean animals and of the clean birds, he offered a burnt offering, and by this he expressed his sincere gratitude as much as he could. and the loving God, accepting this gratitude, crowned his diligence and again showed him His favor. "And the Lord smelled," says the Scripture, "a pleasant fragrance" (v. 21). You see how the disposition of the bearer made the smoke and the stench and everything that was unpleasant in this (the burning of animals) fragrant. That is why Paul also said in his epistle: "For we are the fragrance of Christ to God in those who are being saved and in those who are perishing: to some a smell of death unto death, and to others a smell of life to life" (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). "A pleasant fragrance (the Lord smelled)." Do not be tempted by the coarseness of expression, but, having recognized your own weakness as the cause of such condescension in words, understand from this that the offering of the righteous was pleasing (to God). And in order that we may know from experience that the Lord Himself needs nothing, and that He was pleased to accept the sacrifice (of Noah) for nothing else than to stir up people to gratitude, for this purpose He allows all things to be destroyed by fire, so that those who offer them themselves may know from this that everything is done for their own benefit. Why, tell me, does He allow sacrifices to be offered to Him at all? Again, out of condescension to human weakness. Since men, little by little giving themselves over to carelessness, afterwards had to invent gods for themselves and offer sacrifices to them, God was pleased beforehand that sacrifices should be offered to Him, so that at least through this he might divert from the pernicious errors of those who had to give themselves up to impiety. And that all this was really permitted by Him by condescension, see how afterwards He deigned to institute circumcision also, not that it could contribute in any way to the salvation of the soul, but that the Jews might wear it on themselves, as a sign and seal, as a proof of their gratitude, and that they might not mingle with the Gentiles.

3. That is why Blessed Paul calls circumcision a sign, saying: "And the sign of circumcision he received [as] the seal of righteousness" (Romans 4:11). And that it does not serve as a justification in the least, the proof of this is this righteous man (Noah), who attained to such (high) virtue when circumcision had not yet been instituted. And what am I saying? Patriarch Abraham himself, even before accepting circumcision, was justified by faith alone. Even before circumcision, says the Scriptures: "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3). Why are you, O Jew, proud of circumcision? Know that there were many righteous men before him. For example, Abel offered a sacrifice by faith, as Paul says of him: "By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4); and Enoch was transmuted, and Noah was delivered from the terrible flood because of his great righteousness; and Abraham, even before he was circumcised, was glorified for his faith in God. Thus, from ancient times and from the beginning, the human race received salvation from faith. That is why the humane Lord allowed sacrifices to be offered to Himself, so that by means of them people, who were even less perfect at that time, could both express their gratitude to God and avoid the infection of idolatry. If, indeed, even after such condescension, many did not escape the fall, then who could have escaped the fatal error if such condescension had not been used? "And the Lord smelled a sweet fragrance." But not so (He did) with the ungrateful Jews. How so? Listen to the prophet who says: "Incense is an abomination to me" (Isaiah 1:13), pointing out the impurity of the inner disposition of those who bring them. As there the virtue of the righteous made smoke and stench the water of fragrance, so here the wickedness of those who bring it has made the fragrant incense abominable to the sense of smell. So, I beg you, let us try to show a pure disposition in everything. It is the cause of all good. The good Lord, as a rule, pays attention not so much to our sacrifices as to the inner disposition with which we perform them, and, judging by it, either accepts or rejects our sacrifices. And so, whether we pray, fast, give alms (for these are our spiritual sacrifices), or do any other spiritual work, let us do all this out of pure disposition, in order to receive a worthy crown for our labors. After all, it will be very strange if we begin to endure labors, and lose our reward, when, i.e., we perform virtue not according to the laws given by God. And it is possible, through the ineffable love of God, even without having done a deed, to receive a crown for the mere disposition; To be convinced of this, look at almsgiving. When you see a man lying in a marketplace and possessed of extreme poverty, and you grieve for him, and immediately, directing your mind to heaven, you thank the Lord both for your own situation and for the patience of this poor man, then, although you will not be able to satisfy and satisfy his hunger, you will nevertheless receive the full reward for your good disposition. For this reason the Lord also said: "And whosoever shall give one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward" (Matt. 10:42). What is less important than a glass of cold water? But (good) disposition also receives a reward for this. We will find the same thing otherwise. I consider it my duty to speak of this to your love, so that you, having learned this with certainty, may root in yourselves a pure (heartfelt) disposition. Listen to what Christ says: "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). Do you see, here again the unclean disposition is condemned, and for an immodest look there is a punishment, as if fornication had already been committed? Therefore, knowing this, let us guard in every way the purity of our disposition, so that it may make our offerings acceptable (to God). If it (in Noah) has made smoke and stench the stench of fragrance, what will it not do with our spiritual sacrifices, and what favor will it not gain for us from on high? "And the Lord smelled," it is said, "a pleasant fragrance." Do you see what the sacrifice of the righteous is – how insignificant it is in appearance, but in the purity of his disposition it is very great? Look now at the boundless goodness of the humane Lord. "And the Lord said in his heart, I will no more curse the earth for man's sake: for the thinking of a man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will smite no more every living thing, as I have done: henceforth all the days of the earth" (Gen. 8:21,22).

4. What an extraordinary importance of beneficence, what greatness of love for mankind, what an ineffable excess of condescension! "And the Lord spake in His heart." And this expression, said the Lord in His heart, is used humanly and adapts to our nature. "I will no longer curse the earth for man." God cursed her for the first man, saying: "She shall bring forth thorns and thistles for thee" (Gen. 3:18), and then also for Cain. And so, since He has now brought (upon the earth) such universal destruction, it is in order to comfort the righteous man and encourage him, so that, that is, he may not think to himself: What is the use of the blessing given (by God) and of the words: "Let them be fruitful and multiply," if we, having multiplied, should perish again, for He also said to Adam: "Let them be fruitful and multiply"? and yet, I brought a flood - so that, I say, Noah would not think so, and from this thought he would not feel constant anxiety in his soul, see what love for mankind the Lord manifests! "I will no more," he said, "curse the earth for man." See how clearly (God) has shown that He has put a curse on the earth for the wickedness of men. Then, lest we should think that He has now made such a promise because they have become better, He says, "For the thinking of a man's heart is evil from his youth." An extraordinary kind of philanthropy! For "the thinking of a man's heart is evil from his youth," therefore he says, "I will no longer curse the earth." I, he says, have done My work, and once and twice; but since I see that evil is growing, I promise not to curse the earth any more. Then, wishing to show the greatness of His love for mankind, He added: "And I will no more smite all living things, as I have done: henceforth all the days of the earth." See how God gives the righteous the greatest consolation with all this, or rather, not only the righteous man, but, according to His goodness, all the human race that had descended from him. The words, "I will smite no more every living thing," and "as I have done," and "henceforth all the days of the earth," signify that there will never again be such a flood, nor will such a general destruction befall the world. At the same time, (God) also shows the continuity of His beneficence; "In all days," he says, "I promise forever not to manifest such wrath and not to produce such disorder in the order of the seasons and in the state of the elements? That is why He added: "Sowing and harvesting, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22). This order, he says, will be unchanged, the earth will never cease to give its growth to the human race and reward for the labors of agriculture; and the seasons will not be mixed, but cold and heat, summer and spring, will be in their season. Since during the flood there was a violation of all this order, and the righteous man spent all this time in the ark, as if it were one (continuous) night, (God) says: Now neither day nor night will leave their course, but their service will remain unchanged until the end of the age. Do you see a consolation strong enough to encourage the soul of a righteous man? Do you see what reward he received for his gratitude? Listen, then, in the words that follow, what ineffable goodness God has shown him. "And God blessed," it is said, "Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. Let all the beasts of the earth, and all the birds of the air, and all that moveth on the earth, and all the fish of the sea, fear and tremble at you: into your hands they have been delivered; everything that moves that lives will be your food; as herbs I give you everything; only flesh with its life, with its blood, you shall not eat" (Gen. 9:1-4). It is impossible not to marvel at the immeasurable goodness of the Lord. Behold, in fact, this righteous man is worthy of the same blessing that Adam (was vouchsafed), and he regains the dominion lost by Adam by his virtue, or, rather, by the ineffable love of mankind of the Lord. As (God) said: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28), so He says now: "Let all the beasts of the earth, and all the birds of the air, and everything that moves on the earth, and all the fish of the sea, fear and tremble: into your hands they have been delivered; everything that moves that lives will be your food; as herbs I give you everything; only flesh with its life, with its blood, you shall not eat." Look, the same rule is observed here, only in a different form, as in relation to the first person. As there, God, having given (Adam) dominion over all things, and having allowed him to enjoy the fruits of paradise, commanded only to abstain from one tree, so here, having given (Noah) a blessing and made him fearful to the beasts, and having subjected to him all creeping things and birds, He says: "Everything that moves that lives shall be for your food; I give you everything like herbs."

"Like herbs," he said, "I give you everything." Then, just as God commanded Adam to abstain from one tree, having allowed him to eat everything freely, He says: "Only flesh with its life, with its blood, you shall not eat." What do these words mean? What is "flesh with its life, with its blood"? "It means strangled, because blood is the soul of an animal.

5. Thus, in view of the fact that people had to sacrifice animals to God in time, He seems to give them the following instruction: The blood is assigned to Me, and the flesh to you. And He does this in order to stop their inclination to murder from the very beginning. And that this is true, and that God gives this commandment to people with the intention of making them more meek, listen to the following words: "I will seek your blood also," he says, "in which your life is, I will demand it from every beast, I will also demand the life of man from the hand of man, from the hand of his brother" (Gen. 9:5). What then? Is a person's soul in blood? No, this is not what God wants to say, but He expressed Himself in this way according to human custom, as if one person said to another: I hold your blood in my hands, instead of: I have the power to kill you. And that the human soul is not contained in blood, listen to Christ, who says: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul" (Matt. 10:28). See also what (God) used a special expression. "Whosoever sheds," he says, "the blood of man, his blood shall be shed by the hand of man: for man is created in the image of God" (Gen. 9:6). Think how by this saying He increased fear. If, he says, neither the sameness of origin stops you, nor the unity of nature restrains you from evil enterprise, if you, rejecting brotherly sympathy, give yourself up entirely to this abominable design, then consider that he (man) was created in the image of God, was honored by God with such a high privilege and received dominion over all nature, and abandon the evil intention. Why, you will say, if someone commits innumerable murders, and sheds much blood, will such a person be worthily punished, when only the blood of himself alone is shed? Do not reason thus, my dear one, but consider that this man, not long afterwards, will receive an incorruptible body, which will be able to endure unceasing and eternal torment. Notice also the precision with which God pronounced the commandment. Of man He says, Thou shalt not shed blood, and of the dumb He did not say, Thou shalt not shed, but, Only flesh with its life, with its blood, ye shall not eat. There - do not spill it; here - do not eat. Do you see how heavy are not His laws? How easy and easy are His commandments to fulfill? How does He not demand anything difficult and unbearable from our nature? Others, of course, say that the blood of animals is heavy, earthy and harmful to health; but we must abstain from it, not because of this reasoning, but for the sake of the commandment of the Lord. Further, in order for us to know correctly why God pronounced this commandment with such precision, in order to restrain the inclination of people to kill, He says: "But you are fruitful and multiply, and spread over the earth, and multiply in it" (Gen. 9:7). Not without purpose did He say: "Ye are," but as if to say: You, few, few in number, fill the whole earth and subdue it, that is, have dominion and power over it, and use it. Look at God's love for mankind, how He shows great blessings beforehand, and only then gives both the law and the commandment. And just as He settled Adam in Paradise beforehand and gave him so many pleasures, and then He commanded him to abstain from the tree, so it is here. At first God promised that He would bring about no more such universal destruction, and would not show such wrath, but would leave all the elements to invariably complete their course until the end of time and preserve their order; first he vouchsafed them (Noah and his sons) a blessing, granted them the former power over all animals, and permitted them to eat them; then he says: "Only flesh with its life, with its blood, you shall not eat." Do you see how He does good in advance and shows unspeakable bounties, and only then gives the commandments? And it is not like that with people. People want their commands to be carried out beforehand, and that those who receive and execute their orders show full diligence, and only then do they think about the reward of those who have shown perfect obedience. But the Lord common to all acts the opposite: in advance He does good and draws our nature to Himself with a multitude of blessings, and only then gives easy and easily fulfilled commandments, so that we, impelled both by the ease of the commandments and by the blessings received, may zealously strive for their fulfillment. Therefore, beloved, let us not be careless and negligent in the fulfillment of the commandments, reflecting on the former blessings (of God), and on the ease of the commandments, and on the greatness of the rewards prepared for us for their fulfillment; let us be vigilant and diligent in fulfilling the commandments given to us by God, let us not abandon the paths that He has shown our nature for the salvation of our souls, but, taking advantage of the rest of our lives, as it should be, let us cleanse ourselves of sins and try to acquire great boldness for ourselves in advance, especially now, when there is still a part of the Holy Forty Days.