your teachers , the scribes and Pharisees): you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you, that ye may be sons of your Father which is in heaven. For He commandeth His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain upon the just and the unjust."

If you only love those who love you; or will you do good only to those who do it to you, and will lend only to those from whom you hope to receive it back, for what shall God reward you? Do not lawless people do the same? Do not the Gentiles do the same? Be ye therefore merciful, even as your Father is merciful, be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect?

As we should always treat our neighbors, in any case, Jesus Christ gave us the following rule: "In all things, whatsoever you would that men should do to you (and we certainly want all men to love us) to do good to us and forgive us, do you also to them." (

Do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself). If we pray earnestly to God and ask for His help, then God will do everything that will serve for our true benefit. Jesus Christ said about this: "Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Is there a man among you who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone? And when he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him." We must do any good deed not out of boasting before people, not for showing off to others, not for the sake of human reward, but for the sake of love for God and neighbor.

Jesus Christ said: "Take heed that you do not your alms before men, that they may see you; otherwise you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when you give alms, do not blow the trumpet 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 have already received their reward.

But with you, when you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing (i.e. , do not boast to yourself of the good you have done, forget about it), so that your alms may be secret; and your Father, who sees in secret (that is , all that is in your soul and for the sake of which you do all this), will reward you openly" — if not now, then at His last judgment.

In order for people to know that good feelings and desires alone are not enough to enter the Kingdom of God, but good deeds are necessary, Jesus Christ said: "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! — will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who fulfills the will (commandments)

My Heavenly Father", that is, it is not enough to be only a believer and pious, but we must also do those good deeds that the Lord requires of us. When Jesus Christ finished His preaching, the people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes and Pharisees taught. When He came down from the mountain, a multitude of people followed Him, and He, in His mercy, performed great miracles. NOTE: See

в Евангелии от Матфея главы — 5, 6 и 7-я, от Луки, гл. 6, 12-41. Сила веры и молитвы за других — исцеление расслабленного в Капернауме Господь Иисус Христос научил нас молиться не только за себя, но и за других — за ближних своих. Ибо по любви Своей, Господь подает милость (помощь Свою)

и тем людям, о которых молятся другие. Будучи в городе Капернауме, Иисус Христос учил в одном доме. Жители города как только услышали, что Он остановился в доме, собрались к Нему в таком множестве, что невозможно было уже подойти и к дверям. В числе слушателей были фарисеи и законоучители, которые пришли сюда из всех мест Галилеи и Иудеи и даже из Иерусалима.

Во время беседы Спаситель совершал много чудес, исцеляя больных. В это время четыре человека на постели принесли расслабленного и старались внести его в дом, к Спасителю, но никак не могли пробраться через толпу народа. Тогда взошли они на верх дома, раскрыли кровлю и спустили постель с расслабленным прямо к ногам Спасителя.

Иисус Христос, видя веру людей, принесших больного, сказал расслабленному: "Чадо! прощаются тебе грехи твои". Фарисеи и законники начали мысленно рассуждать: "что Он богохульствует? Кто может прощать грехи, кроме одного Бога?" Иисус Христос, зная мысли их, сказал им: "что легче сказать: прощаются тебе грехи твои, или сказать: встань и ходи?

Но чтобы вы знали, что Сын Человеческий имеет власть на земле прощать грехи, говорю тебе (обратился Он к расслабленному): встань, возьми постель твою и иди в дом твой". Больной тотчас встал, взял постель, на которой лежал, и пошел домой, благодаря и прославляя Бога за полученную милость. Так Господь исцелил больного по вере и молитве его друзей.