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.

The evil Satan cannot shake any of them with his thoughts, for their foundation is on a rock. They live in caves and abysses of the earth, as in calm couches. The surrounding mountains and hills are more pleasant to them than high walls. Every mountain and all the earth serves them as a meal, and wild herbs serve as their supper. Their abundant drinking is water from springs, wine for them flows from the crevices of the stones. Their own language serves as a temple, with which they always perform their prayers. All the twelve hours that make up the day are spent in prayer to their Lord. The praise they sing on the mountains and in the caves is a constant sacrifice to their God. They heal our illnesses with their prayers, for they are always praying for us. They do not think highly of themselves, they do not seek the first places, they set up their glory in humility, imitating Jesus Christ, who impoverished us for the sake of the poor. They do not give themselves peace in this world, because they expect rest in the next. They wander with the beasts as birds fly through the mountains. But wandering in the mountains, they shine like lamps, and enlighten with their light all who come to them with love.

The Desert Fathers are solid walls. Where they live, there is peace. Like pigeons they soar on the hills, like eagles on the heights of the mountains and in the gorges. Kings are bored in their palaces, but they are happy in their dungeons. The venerable Fathers wear sackcloth and admire it more than those who wear scarlet. They despise expensive clothes and, in their great humility, prefer rags to them. They abhor pride and ardently love humility. They hate all the glory of the vain world, and all people praise them for their humility and meekness. Kings do not have such peace as the Fathers enjoy in the wilderness, because their joy is Christ. They eat wild herbs in the desert like animals, because they expect a sweet paradise. When they are exhausted, wandering in the mountains, they lie down on the ground as on a soft bed. They fall asleep a little and hasten to get up, in order to sing the praises of their beloved Christ like trumpets. Hosts of Angels are always with them, protecting and guarding them. The grace of the Lord never leaves them and does not allow the enemy to secretly attack them. When they pray on their knees, springs flow from their eyes. Morning comes, and they, as if taking wings, fly around the entire universe, for they, the Holy Fathers, do not have a permanent abode, it is for them in Eden. Where the evening overtakes them, there they remain; where night catches them, there they spend the night.

О могилах не заботятся, ибо они уже мертвы, распявши себя миру из любви ко Христу. Где кто кончил пост свой, там для него и могила. Многие из них молились, подвергшись на землю, и тихо почили пред Господом. Другие, стоя на камнях, отдали души свои Владыке. Иной умер просто, ходя по горе, и то место было для него гроб и погребатель. Иной сам себя приготовил к погребению и уснул, по благодати Господа. Иной, вкушая траву, почил за своею трапезою. Иной стоял на славословии, и смерть пресекла глас его. Иной стоял на горе, читал псалмы и молитвы, но пришла смерть и запечатлела поющие и молящиеся уста его. Теперь ожидают они гласа, который некогда разбудит их, и тогда процветут они как цветы благовонные.

Когда повелено будет земле отдать мертвецов, они произрастут и процветут как лилии. За труды, которые понесли они из любви ко Христу, Господь даст им жизнь вечную. Вместо власов украсит Он их венцом славы; за власяницы, в которых подвизались они, облечет их славной брачной одеждой; за траву и воду, которыми они питались, будет Сам их пищей и питием; за ущелья земные, в которых обитали они, Христос введет их в великий рай. За то, что они терпели в мире скорбь, даст им великую радость. Словом, нельзя изобразить того веселья, в которое внидут все святые за то, что несли здесь добровольную скорбь, подвизались против нечистых страстей, победили врага, сохранили заповеди Бога Вышнего. За то и Ангелы святые ублажают их и говорят им: "Блаженны вы, которые всецело сохранили в сердцах своих любовь ко Христу и с совершенным терпением направили ладью свою по заповедям Всеблагого Владыки Христа. Войдите теперь в тихое пристанище, насладитесь Христом, Которого возлюбили. Радуемся и мы с вами, блаженные, что избежали вы сетей врага, пришли ко Христу, венчавшему вас, и сделались наследниками Его Царствия, немолчно славословя Святую Троицу, Которой подобает всякая слава, честь и поклонение во веки". Аминь.

(Из творений преподобного Ефрема Сирина)

655. Слово умилительное о покаянии

Возлюбленные о Христе братия! Богатство проходит, слава исчезает, красота увядает, все изменяется, все как дым, как тень проходит и как сон исчезает. Посему-то Соломон и сказал: «Суета суетствий, всяческая суета» (Еккл. 1; 2). Посему-то и Давид воспевал: «образом (подобно призраку) ходит человек, обаче всуе мятется». Подлинно, всуе мятутся те, кои любят хлопоты настоящей жизни. Подлинно, всуе мятутся, волнуются, всуе тревожатся те, кои собирают и накопляют то, что скоро погибнет и чего с собою унести не могут, — все оставим здесь, нагими, как родились, пойдем к грозному Судии. Оставив здесь все сокровища, собранные нами, пойдем в жизнь будущую действительно ногами, с одной скорбью в сердце, со слезами на глазах, с сокрушением души, со страхом и трепетом, с унылым лицом, с поникшими к земле очами, с одними тяжкими воздыханиями — и предстанем пред страшное судище, где нет никакого лицеприятия, где нет никакого ходатайства и заступления. Пойдем к такому грозному и страшному Судии, пред Которым Ангелы трепещут, престолы трясутся, где раскроются книги наших деяний, где течет река огненная, где червь не усыпает, где тьма непроницаемая, где скрежет зубов непрестающий, слезы неиссыхаемые, стоны и воздыхания непрерываемые, плачь неутешный, где нет ни утешения, ни отрады, но печаль, скорби и горести, где будет Суд без милости, где всякий из нас должен дать отчет во всех делах, словах и мыслях своих.