Do not harbor evil thoughts in your heart, as if I am telling you only in order to frighten you with imaginary coming disasters. Why should I frighten thee with what really happens, and what will inevitably happen to thee, if thou wilt not depart from the ways of thy wickedness? Woe to you, profligate son, who carelessly tries to turn the truth into a lie, woe to you if you have heard my words and now do not want to listen to them! They will increase your condemnation and multiply your torment, because you knew them and would not hearken to them. What remains for me but to wish, that all the calamities I have foretold may come upon your head before your death, that the terrible fate of the son of the prodigal may befall you, that you may have time to repent! I know how deep you have fallen. Not words, but only calamities, only the torments of your soul and body can save you from final destruction!

(From "Sunday Reading", 1840)

653. Why do we not fear the Last Judgment?

Whether I eat food, drink or do anything else, it always seems that a voice thunders in my ears: "Arise, you dead, and go to the Judgment!" Whatever he did, whatever he said, whatever he thought about, that thought was inseparable from him.

Can we say the same about ourselves? Let us look back at the past life and say in good conscience: how many days are there in it in which we meditate even for an hour on that great terrible day when our fate will be decided for all eternity? And if the truth about the Dread Judgment of God occupies us so little, if we do not constantly carry it in our souls, then is it surprising that it has so little effect on us? Is it surprising that, in spite of its terrible strikingness, it does not stop us on the path of perdition and does not force us to live in such a way that it would not be painful for us to hear the voice that will call us to the Judgment of God? Remember, said the ancient sage, "your last, and you will never sin. And do we not have enough such reminders? Here, after sinful slumber, our conscience awakens in our souls, calls us to judgment with it and menacingly demands an account of our deeds — does this not clearly remind us of that great Judgment to which God will call us?

Look, nature is often shaken by thunders, storms, earthquakes. Does this not remind us of the future great transformation of the world, of the horrors that will precede the most terrible of all days, the Day of Judgment? May the memory of the Last Judgment be inseparable from you, in your every deed, word and thought, and you will not commit the sinful actions that you are now doing, and your lips will not utter the idle words that they are now pronouncing, and there will be no place in your heart for such thoughts that you yourself are sometimes ashamed of. Does not the Holy Church remind us of the Dread Judgment of Christ every day? Do we not remember him every day in our prayers in the morning and evening? So why does this holy truth about the Dread Judgment of God have such a weak effect on our souls, even when it seems that we do not forget about it? Because, brethren, it is very weakly imprinted in our souls. Otherwise, why in our lives is there such a discrepancy with the thought of the Dread Judgment of God? Behold, the book of our life lies before the face of the All-Holy God. In this mysterious book is written everything that we do, what we say, what we think — and this great book will be revealed before the face of God, before the face of the whole world, and we will be judged by this book forever... Oh, do we think about her? Do we remember? If they had thought and remembered, they would not have violated the Law of God so often, they would not have carried in their hearts deceit, envy, hatred, enmity towards their fellow human beings, they would not have condemned their neighbors, having no right to do so! And after this, can we say that we remember the Dread Judgment of God and believe that everything we do is known to God the Omniscient? Will anyone dare to say anything insulting to him in the face of the earthly king, when he knows that the king hears him? Will anyone violate the king's will if he is sure that the king will immediately know about it? But behold, the King of Heaven knows everything, hears everything, what we do, what we say, or what we think about — and in all this we must give a strict account to Him — and we do not even want to think about it... Is this our faith? All our thoughts, words, and deeds will be revealed before the face of all heaven and earth, and how many deeds we do that we ourselves are ashamed of, how many sinful words we utter, how many thoughts we nourish in our souls that we would never dare to reveal to others because of a sense of shame! Can we say after this that the thought is deeply imprinted in our hearts that everything we do secretly or openly here will certainly be revealed there? Would we dare to do even one sinful deed, would we allow even one shameful thought into our hearts, if we firmly believed that all this would certainly be known to the whole world?

At the Last Judgment of God, we will be required to account for our entire lives. After this trial, we will go either to the paradise of God, or to the eternal torments of hell. But, my God! How many people are there among us who are so immersed in the cares of the present life, as if they had never parted from it! Can we say that such people believe in the future Last Judgment of God? Seal then, Christian, in your mind and heart the truth of this Dread Judgment, and it, like the invisible hand of God, will keep you from sinning, like a guardian angel will lead you along the path of virtue. However, our old man often thinks thus: "It is true that God will one day call us to the Judgment, that after this Judgment sinners will be punished, but God is infinitely merciful, He will not want to destroy His creation. He loves man so much that He put His only begotten Son to death for our salvation. Will He punish the sins of temporal life with the torments of eternity?" But how untrue and how unfounded is this hope of ours, if it leads to sin! Yes, God is infinitely merciful, no creature is able to contain within himself that boundless love, that infinite mercy that God has for us. But He is also just. To the extent that He is merciful, to the same extent He is just. He is infinitely merciful, infinitely and just, whoever gives precedence to one of these perfections, completely distorts the concept of God, the most perfect Being. According to the law of God's righteousness, every sin must be followed by punishment; so it is still here, and all the more so will it be there. That is why the Word of God says that "God judges the world in righteousness, judges in righteousness" (Psalm 9:9), that after the Judgment the righteous will go into eternal life, and the sinners into eternal punishment (Matt. 25:34-36). How can it be thought that at the Judgment of God the unrepentant sinner will be pardoned, that there we will be judged by mercy alone, and justice will be silent? What then is the Judgment itself? Do they point to the merits of the Savior? But His merits will intercede only for those who have brought worthy repentance; on the contrary, they will further aggravate the punishment of those who have used the very grace of the Saviour for evil. Will they say, then eternal torment for the sins of temporal life? But look at the laws of men, how do they judge the gravity of crimes? Whoever has insulted his equal is punished more lightly than he who has offended the ruler; and whoever insults the king is subjected to an incomparably more severe punishment. Judge for yourselves, then, how gravely we sin when by our sins we offend God, the infinitely great! God is infinitely great, therefore each of our sins is infinitely heavy; What should be the punishment for it, if not infinite? And how many such sins each of us has! How can we not say: Thy judgments are right, O Lord, condemning the unrepentant sinner to eternal torment! Never lose sight of this, brother Christian, and the remembrance of the Dread Judgment of God will keep you from sins and dispose you to a virtuous life.

"But," they say, "if the eternity of torment is inevitable, then it will not be soon, the Judgment will not come soon, it is still possible to repent in order not to appear guilty at the Judgment... Why hurry to part with your favorite habits, why hurry to change a pleasant way of life for a difficult and boring concern for the salvation of the soul? There is still time ahead, we will have time to do it." This is often the thought of sinful human carelessness, when the thought of the Dread Judgment of God awakens in the soul a sense of the need for repentance. And how many good intentions have not been fulfilled through this hope for the future, how many beautiful deeds have not been fulfilled precisely because they were all postponed until tomorrow, when they should have been done today? Is it surprising, after this, that the truth about the Last Judgment does not produce any beneficial effects in us? We will still have time to repent, we say. But by postponing repentance, do we not make it even more difficult for ourselves? By multiplying sins, we weaken the strength of our spirit more and more, and foolishly think that it is just as convenient to abandon sins that have grown old with us as those that have not yet become habitual. The Dread Judgment of Christ, we say, will not come soon. Perhaps, indeed, the universal Judgment is remote from us. But each of us will have his own private court. Who can guarantee even for one year, even for one day of his life, that he will live it? And after death, this particular judgment will be the beginning of what will finally take place and follow at the Last Judgment. What do we gain with our careless hope for the remoteness of the Court? And who will even assure us that the Judgment of Christ will be slow to come? The Holy Scriptures do not tell us this, on the contrary, they urge us to await the Judgment at every moment, for the time when it will come is unknown (Matt. 24; 36,42,44. 2 Pet. 3; 10. Rev. 22; 12). Take heed, O my soul, that thou be not burdened with sleep, that thou be not given over to eternal death!

("Sunday Reading", 1840)

654. Praise to the Holy Desert Dwellers

Incline your ears to me, listen to me for a few minutes, and I will tell you about the life of the Fathers who dwelt in the wilderness. These are those who, having heard the voice of the Shepherd, immediately came to know the good Lord. These are merchants who have come out in search of good beads. Let us relate the exploits of those who wished to live in the wilderness, for the benefit of all who hear about them. The venerable Fathers are inseparable from us, because their love is always with us. They always pray for our falls. For all people they have become instructors in good deeds, while they themselves learn from their Lord. Wandering in the mountains, eating like beasts, they are full of righteousness, because they are members of the Church; they do not distinguish themselves from the flock, because they are children of Holy Baptism; keep the commandments, being fervent in faith. When the honorable priests stand before the Holy Table to celebrate the Liturgy, then they are the first, stretching out their hands, to receive with faith the Body of the Lord, Who is always present and is always with them. Like doves they soar in height, like sheep they wander in desert places. These are skillful ascetics of piety.

Transport your thoughts into the wilderness, there you will see a wondrous and glorious vision. Let us go without delay, let us draw good and wondrous examples of their lives. When they kneel down to pray, then they can make me, frail, strong. When they pray, then my thought is free and delights in their meekness and their life. And if only one of them sheds a cloud of tears for my falls, he will be immediately heard. These saints became like Christ Himself. Christ never turns away His treasures from those who come at the ninth or tenth hour, but as a good Lord He gives equal pay to the worker who has labored from the eleventh hour in the vineyard.

Let us approach and take from the venerable Fathers their love, which is more glorious than both a precious stone and a glorious smaragdus, and instead of pearls let us take their faith. Let us purify our hearts, let us make ourselves dove's wings, and let us fly, let us look at the dwellings of these men, who have left the noisy cities and loved the mountains and deserts better. Let us go and see how they live like the dead in their graves. Let us go and see their food, which they enjoy with joy on the tops of the mountains. Come, let's look at their bodies dressed in hair. Come, let us look at their rags, in which they joyfully praise God. Come, let us see their faces, how they express sorrow, and how they rejoice souls. Let us go and see how the angels sing and praise with them. Come, let us see their drinking, dissolved by their tears. Let's go and see their table, which always consists of wild plants. Go and look at the stones that they put under their heads. If a thief meets them, he immediately falls down before them, for they are always protected by the cross. If wild beasts see them in their rags, they immediately give way and look at them as at a great miracle. Creeping things they trample under foot, for they are shod with the faith of righteousness. When Satan sees them, he trembles and flees from them with painful cries, because he has been defeated many times and has broken thousands of nets, but he could not harm the righteous. They were not, like us, careless and foolish, but all fought courageously against the enemy, until they completely crushed Satan under their feet, they turned all his plans to nothing, and did not timidize from all his tricks. If riches appear to them, they do not count them for anything, they despise them and trample on them like stones, because they have riches in heaven with the holy angels. Hunger does not bother them, they always eat the bread of life – Jesus Christ, descending from the holy heavens. In the same way, thirst does not torment them, both in their souls and in their tongues, they always have a living source – Jesus Christ.