"And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Aran his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went with them out of your of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they stopped there" (Gen. 11:31).

1. I thank you very much for the fact that yesterday you joyfully accepted the instruction on prayer, and (today) with such zeal you flock to hearing. This also makes us more zealous and prompts us to offer you the most abundant spiritual feast. In the same way, the farmer, when he sees that his field grows in abundance the seeds thrown into it, and presents a rich harvest, does not cease to use all his efforts every day, to take proper care, and to see day and night that his labors are not wasted by anything. In the same way, seeing that this spiritual field of yours is so green and that this spiritual seed has taken root in the depths of your soul, I rejoice and rejoice, but at the same time I am greatly troubled, knowing the cunning of the enemy and the slander of our salvation. Just as the robbers of the sea, when they see a ship full of many goods and carrying untold riches, then they especially use all the cunning to sink all the cargo and deprive the swimmers of everything and make them poor, so the devil, when he sees that (a man) has accumulated much spiritual wealth, that (he) has ardent diligence, a vigorous mind, and wealth increases every day, he is tormented and gnashes his teeth, and, like a robber, walks up and down, inventing a thousand tricks to somehow approach us, to expose and rob us, and to steal all our spiritual wealth. Therefore, I beseech you, let us be vigilant, and to the extent that our spiritual acquisition will increase, let us also try to strengthen our vigilance, to block the devil's access (to us) from everywhere, and, having attracted the favor of God to ourselves by a good life, let us place ourselves above the arrows of the devil. He is a cunning creature and uses many kinds of snares: when (the devil) cannot directly lead us to evil and trap us by deception, he does not do violence, does not coerce, no, but only deceives, and as soon as he sees that we are careless, he puts a stumbling block on us – so, when he does not have time to openly damage our salvation by sins, then often by the very virtues that we commit, secretly deceiving us, he destroys all our wealth. What do these words of mine mean? It is necessary to express this more clearly, so that we, having learned his wiles, may avoid harm from them.

To those who have already overcome his intrigues with great difficulty, he inspires them to think highly of their virtues and to seek glory from men, in order thereby to deprive them of their true glory. In fact, whoever performs spiritual feats and seeks human glory (for them) already receives a reward for himself here and no longer has a debtor in God. Having received praise from those from whom he sought glory, he had already deprived himself of the praise promised by the Lord, since he preferred temporary glory from people like him to praise from the Creator of the universe. And the Lord Himself, first of all, taught about prayer, almsgiving, and fasting: when you fast, He says, "anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may appear fasting, not before men, but before your Father who is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (Matt. 6:17-18). And again: "When you give alms, do not blow the trumpet," he says, "before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that people may glorify them. Verily I say unto you, they already receive their reward" (Matt. 6:2). You see how he who seeks this glory is deprived of the glory there, and how, on the contrary, he who does virtue according to this commandment and tries to hide it from people will clearly receive a reward from the Lord on that terrible day. "Thy father," it is said, "he that seeth in secret shall reward thee openly"; that is, do not think that no man has praised you, and that you are secretly doing virtue; no, reflect on the fact that, a little later, the Lord's generosity will be so great that He will glorify, crown, and reward you for your deeds of virtue, not secretly, not secretly, but before the entire human race, from Adam to the end of the world. What excuse will those deserve, who, although they have taken up the labor of virtue, yet, because of temporary, insignificant, and vain glory from people like themselves, have deprived themselves of the glory of heaven?

2. Therefore, let us, I beseech you, be careful, and if we succeed in accomplishing any spiritual deed, let us try in every way to hide it from everyone in the recesses of our souls, so that we may receive praise from the vigilant eye (of God), and so that because of human glory and because of often flattering praises, we may not become unworthy of glory from the Lord. Equally pernicious and harmful to our salvation is the accomplishment of spiritual deeds for the sake of human glory, as well as the high opinion of the virtues we have performed. Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant and careful, and constantly use the aids of the Divine Scriptures, so as not to give oneself up to these pernicious passions [i.e., love of glory and arrogance]. Let someone perform innumerable feats and do every virtue; but if he begins to think highly of himself, he will be the most miserable and unhappy person. We know this from what happened to the Pharisee, who so boasted before the publican, and suddenly became inferior to the publican; who, having scattered all the riches of his virtues with his tongue, stripped himself naked and deprived himself of everything, and suffered a strange and unusual shipwreck: having already entered the very harbor, he drowned all his cargo. Truly, to suffer this from a prayer performed incorrectly means the same as to suffer a shipwreck in the pier itself. That is why Christ gave such a commandment to His disciples: "When ye have done all that is commanded you, say, We are worthless servants" (Luke 17:10), in order to protect them and remove them from this pernicious passion.

(To the believer), it is said, "Praise is not from men, but from God" (Romans 2:29). And the more we progress in virtue, the more we will try to humble ourselves and be modest. Though we ascend to the very summit of virtues, if we conscientiously compare our good works with the blessings of God, we will clearly see that our virtues are not equal to even the smallest part of what God has done for you. It is by this [that is, humility and modesty] that each of the saints was glorified. And in order that you may be convinced of this, listen to the teacher of the universe, this heavenly soul, how he, after performing such virtues, after such a testimony about him from above – "for the vessel", it is said, "he is My chosen one" (Acts 9:15) – does not forget about his sins, but constantly carries them in his mind, as he does not allow himself to forget even about what he was completely sure of, He has already received forgiveness in baptism, but he cries out and says: "I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle" (1 Corinthians 15:9). Then, in order that we might know the full depth of his humility, he added: "Because he persecuted the church of God." What are you doing, Paul? The Lord, in His mercy, forgave and atoned for all your sins, and do you still remember them? Thus, he says, I know and am convinced that the Lord has delivered me (from sins): but when I think about my deeds and look at the abyss of God's love for mankind, then I am fully convinced; that (only) by His grace and love for mankind I am what I am. Having said: "He is not worthy to be called an Apostle, because he persecuted the church of God," he added: "But by the grace of God is that which is" (1 Corinthians 15:10). That is, although I showed so much anger on my part, His ineffable goodness and mercy granted me forgiveness. Do you see a soul that is contrite and constantly remembers its sins committed before baptism? It is this (the Apostle) that we will also begin to imitate, and, remembering daily the sins we committed after baptism, let us constantly keep them in mind and never allow ourselves to forget about them. This will be a rather strong bridle for us to humble and tame us. And what do I say about Paul, so great and lofty a man? Do you want to see how the Old Testament (the righteous) were glorified most of all by this, i.e., by the fact that after accomplishing innumerable feats and having already ineffable boldness (before God), they humbled themselves? Listen to how the patriarch, after the conversation with God, after the promise given to him, said of himself: "I am dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27).

3. But since I have mentioned the patriarch, let us, if you wish, offer your love today's reading, so that, having explained it, we may see the extraordinary greatness of the virtue of this righteous man. "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Aran his grandson, and Sarah his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went out with them from your of the Chaldees to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they stopped there. And the days of Terah's life [in the land of Haran] were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran" (Gen. 11:31-32). Let us, I beseech you, listen attentively to these words, so that we may comprehend the meaning of what is written. Here, at the very beginning, there is already bewilderment in these words. This blessed prophet, that is, Moses, said that "Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Aran his grandson, and Sarah his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went with them out of your of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they stopped there." And Blessed Stephen, in his speech to the Jews, says: "The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he was carried away to Haran: and from there, after the death of his father, He carried him away" (Acts 7:2,4). What then? Does the Divine Scripture contradict itself? Let it not be; but we must conclude from this that since the son (Abraham) was God-loving, God, appearing to him, commanded him to move from Mesopotamia. And when Terah his father, though he was an unbeliever, out of love for his son, decided to go with him, and came to Haran, dwelt there, and died. It was then that the patriarch, by God's command, moved to the land of Canaan. And sure enough, God did not bring him out of Haran until after the death of Terah. Then, after the death of Terah, "and the Lord said to Abram, 'Go out of your land, from your kindred, and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and magnify your name, and you will be a blessing. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:1-3). Let us carefully consider each of these words in order to see the God-loving soul of the Patriarch.

Let us not pass these words without attention, but let us consider what a heavy command is given. "Go," he says, "from your land, from your kindred, and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you." Leave behind, he says, the known and certain, and the almost unknown and unseen. See how from the very beginning the righteous man was taught to prefer the invisible to the visible and the future to what was already in his hands. He was not commanded to do anything unimportant; (commanded) to leave the land where he had lived so long, to leave all his kinship and all his father's house, and to go whither he did not know or know. (God) did not say to which country He wanted to resettle him, but by the vagueness of His command He tested the piety of the patriarch: "Go," he says, "to the land which I will show you." Think, beloved, what a lofty spirit, possessing no passion or habit, was needed to fulfill this command. In fact, if even now, when the pious faith has already spread, many hold on to habit so firmly that they would rather endure everything than leave, even if necessary, the place in which they had hitherto lived, and this happens not only to ordinary people, but also to those who have withdrawn from the noise of life and have chosen the monastic life, then it was all the more natural for this righteous man to be grieved by such a command and to delay its fulfillment. "Go," he says, "leave your relatives and your father's house, and "go to the land which I will show you." Who would not be embarrassed by such words? Without declaring to him either a place or a country, (God) tests the soul of the righteous with such uncertainty.

Moreover, if he had not had an exalted spirit and a wise mind, if it had not been for the habit of obeying God in all things, then he would have encountered another important obstacle – the death of his father. You know how often many people wanted to die because of the coffins of their relatives in the places where their parents ended their lives.

4. So it would be natural for this righteous man, if he were not very God-loving, to think of this, that my father, out of love for me, left his native land, gave up his old habits, and, having conquered all (obstacles), came even here, and one might almost say that because of me he died in a foreign land; And I, even after his death, do not try to repay him in kind, but depart, leaving his grave along with my father's kinship? However, nothing of this could stop his determination; love for God made everything seem easy and comfortable to him.

Is it not much better to spend this short time here than to wander hither and thither in my old age, and suffer ridicule from everyone, because even at this age I cannot live quietly, but change place after place and do not stop anywhere? This righteous man did not think anything of the sort, but hastened to fulfill God's command. But perhaps someone will say that the words (of God) were sufficient to motivate him to do this: Go to the land which I will show you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you" (Gen. 12:2). But it was these especially words that could, if he had not been God-loving, have made him colder to the fulfillment of the commandment.

"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and magnify your name, and you will be a blessing." A great promise! "I will make of you," he says, "a great nation, and I will bless you, and magnify your name." Not only will I set you over a great nation and make your name great, but I will also bless you, and you will be blessed. Do not think, beloved, that there is an identity in these words: "And I will bless you, and you will be blessed." This means: I will vouchsafe you such a blessing that it will last forever. You will be so blessed that everyone will consider it a great honor to enter into kinship with you. See from what early time (God) prophesied to him the fame in which He wanted to place him. "I will make of you," he says, "a great people, and I will bless you, and magnify your name, and you will be a blessing." That is why the Jews, boasting of the patriarch, tried to show their kinship with him, and said of themselves: "We are the children of Abraham." But in order that they might know that because of their evil morals they are not worthy of this kinship, Christ says to them: "If ye had been the children of Abraham, ye would have done the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). And John, the son of Zechariah, when those who wished to be baptized flocked to the Jordan, said to them: "Spawn of vipers! Who inspired you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore the worthy fruit of repentance, and do not think to say within yourselves, Abraham is our father, for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Matt. 3:7-9). Do you see how great was the name of this patriarch for everyone? But now, while this has not yet come to pass, only the piety of the righteous man is shown, how, i.e., he believed the words of God, and accepted everything that seemed difficult easily. "And I will bless," he says, "those who bless you, and curse you I will curse: and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Look also at God's condescension, at what favor (the Lord) shows to the patriarch. Those, he says, I recognize as my friends, who will be sincerely disposed towards you, and as enemies, those who will be hostile to you. And children hardly try to make sure that they have the same friends and enemies as their fathers. So, very great, beloved, is God's favor towards the patriarch! These, he says, I will bless who will bless you; And I will curse those who curse you, "and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Here is another gift! All, he says, the families of the earth will strive to be blessed in your name, and they will set their best glory in bearing your name.

5. Have you heard, beloved, what commandments did the Lord give to the Chaldean, an old man who knew no law, did not read the prophets, and received no other instruction? Do you see how important these commands are? What lofty and valiant soul was required to fulfill them? Look also at the obedience of the patriarch, as it is depicted to us in the Scriptures. "And Abraham went," he said, "as the Lord God had spoken to him, and Lot went with him." It is not simply said, "Abraham went," but, "as the Lord God said to him," that is, he fulfilled all that was in the commandment. God told him to leave everything, kinship and home, and he did. He told him to go to a land he did not know – he obeyed. He promised to "produce" from him a great "people" and bless him – he believed that this too would come true. In a word, "as the Lord God said to him," so he "went," that is, he believed the words of God, without the slightest hesitation or doubt, and went with a firm spirit and determination: for this he was worthy of great favor from the Lord. "And he went," it is said, "Lot with him." Why, when God said, "Go out of your land, and out of your generation, and out of your father's house," why did he take Lot? Not out of disobedience to the Lord, but certainly because (Lot) was young and (Abraham) took his father's place; and even he, out of love for him and gentle disposition (Abraham), did not want to be separated from the righteous man: for this reason Abraham does not want to leave him. In addition, he already looked upon him as a son, because, having lived to such an age, he did not yet have children of his own because of Sarah's barrenness. And the temper of this young man did not differ much from (the disposition of) the righteous man. The very fact that he (Lot), having in mind the two brothers, joined the righteous man, shows that he had enough intelligence to judge and decide which of the uncles to entrust his fate to. And the determination to set out on a journey is a new proof of good morality (of Lot): although later he sinned somewhat when he took for himself the best part of the earth (Gen. 13:11), nevertheless he tried to follow in the footsteps of the righteous man. That is why the righteous man took him as his companion, and he readily exchanged the life of his home for the life of a pilgrim. Further, so that we may know that the Lord commanded this to the patriarch not in his youth, but when he had already come to old age, when people are for the most part rather disinclined to travel, the Scripture says: "Abraham was seventy-five years old when he came out of Haran" (Gen. 12:4). You see, neither age nor anything else that could bind him to home life served as an obstacle to him, on the contrary, love for God conquered everything. Thus, when the soul is alert and attentive, it overcomes all obstacles, strives entirely towards the beloved object, and whatever difficulties may present itself to it, it does not stop by them, but runs by everything, and does not stop until it has achieved what it desires. That is why this righteous man, although he could have been restrained by old age and many other obstacles, nevertheless broke all the bonds, and, like a young man, cheerful and unhindered, hastened and hastened to fulfill the command of the Lord. Nor is it possible for any one who dares to do anything glorious and valiant, it is impossible to do it without arming himself beforehand against everything that may hinder such an undertaking. The righteous man also knew this well, and, leaving everything unattended, not thinking about habit, or about kinship, or about his father's house, or about the tomb (of his father), or even about his own old age, he directed all his thoughts only to how he could fulfill the command of the Lord. And then a wonderful sight presented itself: a man in extreme old age, with a wife, also elderly, and with a multitude of slaves, was moving, not even knowing where his pilgrimage would end. And if we also think, by the way, how difficult the roads were at that time (then, as now, it was impossible to freely pester anyone, and thus make the journey with convenience, because there were different authorities in all places, and travelers had to go from one owner to another, and almost every day pass from kingdom to kingdom), then this circumstance would be a sufficient obstacle for the righteous man, if he did not have great love (for God) and a readiness to fulfill His commandment. But he tore apart all these obstacles like a spider's web, and strengthening his mind with faith and submitting to the greatness of the Promiser, he set out on his journey. "And Abraham took with him," it is said, "Sarah his wife, Lot his brother's son, and all the possessions that they had acquired in Haran; and they went out to go into the land of Canaan; and they came into the land of Canaan" (Gen. 12:5).

6. Notice the thoroughness of the Scriptures, with which they tell us about everything, so that we may know from everything the godliness of the righteous man. "And he took," he says, "Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all the possessions which they had acquired in Haran." It is not without reason that it is said, "all that was acquired in Haran," so that it would be known that the patriarch took nothing with him from Chaldea, but leaving all this paternal property to his brother, he went out with only what he could acquire in Haran. And this wonderful man took with him, not because he valued his possessions, or was covetous, but so that he could prove to everyone God's care for him by his property. He Who brought him out of the land of the Chaldeans, and then commanded him to move from thence also, Himself increased his possessions every day, and removed every nuisance. Thus, the very fact that Abraham took this property with him and carried it all the way served as a proof of his spiritual piety. Anyone who saw him probably wanted to know the reason for such a journey of the righteous man. Later, having learned that he was moving to a foreign land, leaving his property (in his homeland), by God's command, he was convinced by his very deeds how pious was the obedience of the righteous man, and how great was God's providence for him. "And they went out," it is said, "to go into the land of Canaan." How did he know that his pilgrimage would end in the land of Canaan, when the command said, "Go to the land which I will show you"? Perhaps God revealed this to him as well, showing the spirit his land in which He wanted to settle him. For God, when He commanded him, said so vaguely, "Go into the land which I will show you," in order to reveal to us the virtue of the righteous. Then, since Abraham had done all that was required of him with complete readiness, God immediately gave him information about the land in which he wanted to build his dwelling. Foreseeing the greatness of the virtue of the righteous man, God called him out of his house (fatherly) and did not command him to take even his brother with him, because He wanted to make him a teacher now for all the inhabitants of Palestine, and soon afterwards for the Egyptians.

Do you see that both virtue and vice do not depend on nature, but on our free will? So the patriarch and Nahor were brothers by nature, but not so in their heartfelt disposition. On the contrary, Nahor, despite the fact that his brother had reached such a virtue, still remained in error, and this one daily actually showed everyone his success in God-pleasing virtue. And they came, it is said, into the land of Canaan, "and Abraham went through this land to the place of Shechem, to the oak grove of the Sea" (Gen. 12:6). The Scriptures show us the very place in the land (of Canaan) in which the righteous man now dwells. Then, so that we may know in what condition this country was, He says: "In this land then dwelt the Canaanites." This remark was made by the blessed Moses not without purpose, but in order that you might know the wise soul of the patriarch, and from the fact that he, since these places were still occupied by the Canaanites, had to live like a wanderer and a wanderer, like some outcast poor man, as he had to be, perhaps not having a place to live. And yet he did not murmur at this, nor did he say, What is this? I, who lived in such honor and esteem in Haran, must now live here and there as a rootless, as a stranger and a stranger, out of mercy, to seek comfort in a poor shelter – and even this I cannot get, but I am forced to live in tents and huts and endure all other misfortunes! Is this the meaning of the words: "Go and I will make of you a great nation"? So far, a great start for me! What good can we expect next? No, even in this situation, the righteous man did not allow himself to say anything like this, or to come into doubt, on the contrary, trusting in the promises of God with all his heart and with full faith, he remained steadfast in spirit, for which he was soon worthy of consolation from above.