“Give to everyone who asks you,” the Lord commands (Luke 6:30). This is one of the first commandments in Christianity, both the Lord and the holy apostles often remind of it, and in order to incline us to fulfill it more zealously, they protected it with the most touching promptings and the most striking threats. Everyone knows this, and everyone, in conscience, considers himself obliged to help those in need according to his strength. Meanwhile, if we review our deeds more strictly, then perhaps there will not be a single deed that would be performed by us with less attention as obligatory for us to help those in need. We help somehow, just to get rid of the annoying petitioner, and sometimes we refuse completely - and isn’t it for the most part the latter? And what have stinginess and self-interest not come up with to justify their coldness towards the needy! The falsity of petitions, the idleness of petitioners, their shortcomings, hard times, the need to stock up for a rainy day, and so on. All these thoughts go among those who are inattentive to their duty in speeches and sayings, they also come to those who are attentive, and they are often led astray from the right path of action.
At a time when it is necessary to help, the following thought first of all comes to mind: is the one who asks in need - who knows! - and asks, but perhaps has no need. Who says there are such, but do we know for sure that the person who stands before us really belongs to this class? And if we don’t know, then why suspect, and even more so, refuse on suspicion alone? Or maybe it's the mother who left hungry children at home, or the father of the family whose wife is sick and the children are undressed, or the eldest of the homeless orphans? So, of course, you will not refuse. But look at all those who ask you and do not offend them with suspicion. What if the really needy, whose heart is already heavy, reads such a suspicion in your eyes? After all, this will only increase his sorrow and burden, and, instead of consolation, he will depart from you with even greater sorrow. Is it good? The fact that his eyes are not cloudy, his face is not distorted, his tread is firm and his clothes are not in patches - so he, then, is not worthy of your mercy? So, do you really want him to reach the last extreme, which, perhaps, will begin immediately after your refusal?
But does the commandment of the Savior want to cover only those who have nowhere to go, who have no shelter, no food, no clothes, no strength? No, a special commandment is not needed to help such people. He says, "Give to everyone who asks you." You will give; only make it your rule not to suspect the one who asks, not to draw behind him a picture of supposed contentment, but rather a picture of extreme need and really oppressive grief. Then the heart itself will not give you rest until you alleviate its fate. Nowadays, suspicions are spread a lot on the poor, but one solution can be put on all these suspicions: make sure who exactly asks not for need, and don’t give it to him, but to refuse everyone just because there are false petitioners is a sin. St. John the Merciful did not do this: he did not refuse even those of whom everyone knew that they were not poor, and when they told him about this, he answered: “It is true, at that time they suffered extreme need.”
Sometimes we turn to ourselves from the petitioner and say: “But where can I get it? We barely get enough for our needs, we hardly make ends meet. When there is nothing to give, then no one obliges to do so. Giving should be from excess: “if ... diligence is due,” says the holy Apostle Paul, “according to the tree, if anyone has it, it is favorable to eat, and not not to have it according to the tree. For there is no comfort for others, but sorrow for you” (2 Corinthians 8:12-13).
But is it really true that we will have nothing left for the satisfaction of our own needs? In addition, have we reasonably determined what should be considered our need? Need, after all, is a matter that can be both reduced and expanded. Eliminate spending on what habit, whim, vanity, the empty demands of the world, the pleasures of the world consider necessary - how much will remain in favor of those in need! needs, from food, clothing and other needs, prudence will always be able to separate a part of Christ. Only misers and squanderers dissuade themselves from helping with needs.
They also sometimes say: “Why are they idly wandering around! They would work and in this way would get their own bread! The demand is the most just. And the apostle commands to work, "doing with your own hands," so as not only to satisfy your needs, but to have something to give to the needy (Eph. 4:28). But, making excuses under such a pretext from helping, are you sure that the one who asks can work? The old, the small and the infirm, where can they work there! But even if he can work, does he have a job? Someone else would be ready to work, but there is nothing to put their hands on. In the parable of the workers, one part of them until the eleventh hour, that is, almost until midnight, did not have work because no one hired.
But let there be work, but is it such that it delivers funds for all needs? How often day and night are labored, and all are languishing in need, especially when one works for many. It is good to say: work hard, but you must arrange in advance so that the one who asks can saturate himself and others with his work.
Then refuse him, and without that to refuse - everything is the same as making him die of hunger.
And what do people not say to excuse their obstinacy and hardness of heart! One says: “Hard times! Where is there to think about others, if only to feed yourself!”
Another: "You need to, you need to save money for a rainy day." Third: “Am I alone or what? There is more than enough of me - they will serve. Fourth: "Well, well, I serve what comes to hand." Consider graciously, is there anything like the truth here? Difficult times, they say, but if they are hard for the sufficient people, how many times harder for the poor? This means that aid should not be stopped, but should be increased in such cases.
It is necessary, they say, to save for a rainy day, let's say that it is necessary, but after all, there should be a measure for this. Otherwise, our imagined future needs will never allow us to help the poor in their real needs. Moreover, does the future depend on our foresight or on the arrangement by the Providence of God? Of course, from the latter. Well, then attract the mercy of God to yourself by your mercy to those in need, and then you will have a sure guarantee of prosperity in the future. Show me an example that any house was ruined by the generosity of the poor! And I will point out to you thousands of those who went around the world from extravagance ...
Another, they say, will give - but will the other give something? And if he also says the same: another will give, and then a third and a fourth, will it not mean the same thing as leaving the poor to the mercy of fate? No not like this. The Lord sent this poor man to you - you and help him, do not miss the chance, which, perhaps, will not happen again. “I serve,” you say, “what comes across and when necessary.” Okay, but does that mean filing to the full extent of duty and to the best of your ability? Does this mean paying all attention and diligence to this holy cause? And is it not this negligence that is the reason why the allowance falls into the wrong hands and is not used properly? You give to those who have to, but to those who help, whom shame keeps at home and who silently endure, perhaps more than
crying need? No, true Christian compassion is not content with this; it itself hurries to places of poverty in order to touch its wounds with its own hands and immediately apply the necessary healing plaster.
That's how many evil thoughts the enemy has devised to distract good people from helping out! We admit that, to a greater or lesser extent, we all, at times, were fascinated by them.
Let us resolve from now on in our hearts not to succumb to them any more, for if all of them are so weak before our simple reasoning, then how can they stand at the judgment of the truth of God, which sees everything - both in deeds and in the feelings of the heart to the last secrets?
"Bless the mercy!" (Matthew 5:7)

Do not justify your coldness to the one who asks

There is nothing to say about the obligation to help the poor. Everyone is aware of it, and everyone in himself carries an intercessor for the poor in compassion for the needy, which is akin to man. And the poor know about this duty, about this need of the heart of everyone and everyone, and that is why they boldly turn to everyone in full confidence that those who have prosperity will not refuse to help them from their excesses.
But what is often missing? There is a lack of good dispositions, by which almsgiving should be surrounded and guarded. They serve, but not as much as they should; they serve, but sometimes not quite willingly and with a clenched heart, not generously, not cordially. From what is it that the hand contracts and the heart squeezes? From wrong thoughts that lead our heart astray in the moment of merciful non-giving. The heart rushes to help the neighbor, but immediately outlines the measure and method of doing good. At the same time, an enemy comes, instills unkind thoughts and upsets the whole thing: “You have many needs,” the enemy inspires, “and will your alms be good for the future?” The heart will shrink, and the giving hand will shrink.
In order to direct our hearts to what is due and give us the strength to prevent the attack of evil thoughts when almsgiving is not given, the apostle commands us to look at alms as if they were sowing. “At the same time, I will say: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; but he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6).
The sower, spending seeds on sowing, does not in the least think that he is exhausting himself, undermining his wealth and depriving himself of the opportunity to satisfy his needs.
On the contrary, by sowing, he hopes to enrich himself, to expand his ways, and to turn away needs. The same is true of you: this almsgiving without letting in the thought that by releasing a coin from your hands or giving away a thing, you are depriving yourself of something. You do not spend, but gain, do not diminish, but multiply, do not give, but receive.
The one who sows, when he throws seeds into the ground, and it does not come to the thought that he throws them for nothing, for nothing, for no future; on the contrary, he is sure that the earth will not only preserve the seeds entrusted to it, but will also bear fruit from them for thirty and even for a hundred. So do you: generously this alms, believing that the hands of the poor are the most faithful guardians of your excesses, and the most fat and damp soils, on which even a small sowing of your good deeds will bear abundant fruit in its time.
He who sows, no matter how much he sows, does not grieve and does not grieve; on the contrary, the more it sows, the merrier and more reliable it becomes. So are you: the more abundant your merciful non-giving, the wider the circle of your good deeds, the more rejoice and be glad. The time will come, and the Giver will lead you to the field of your life fertilized, sown and fertilized by charity, and will gladden your heart, showing the life of your truth a hundred times multiplied.

Do not blow before you

“Do not blow your trumpet,” the Lord commanded (Matt. 6:2), and yet almost everyone trumpets, or rather, almost everyone trumpets. Someone approaches the heart, puts his mouth into it and blows his trumpet, and the person listens to it and admires it. If only the thought would calm us down that the sound of this trumpet, let's say, although ours, is produced by a force alien to us!
And that doesn't even come to mind; on the contrary, praise seems to us so just that it seems to be illegal to cross it. If we judge properly, it will turn out that here we are not worthy of praise when we blow our trumpets before us. This trumpeting itself exposes our poverty and unworthiness. When you hear the sound of this pernicious enemy trumpet, move a little away from yourself and, having opposed yourself to yourself, begin to judge yourself without hypocrisy. Someone blows in you before you, that this and that is good in you, or that and that is well done by you. Understand in order, why does it creep into your head and occupies your attention? That's why, I'll tell you that you can only see and there is goodness in you. If you had many good deeds, or if you had only all good deeds, then each individual deed would disappear in the mass of them, not allowing itself to be noticed. Like someone who has a lot of money and does not pay attention when they bring him some tens and even hundreds of rubles, or like someone who has a lot of clothes and does not take a minute to re-sew clothes, because he has so many of them, that the new does not represent any particularity, so the rich in good deeds will not stop his attention on any of his private deeds. Every good deed disappears from him, like a drop in the ocean, in the wealth of his good deeds. From this it follows that if someone admires his good deed, it is because it, apparently, is the only one. A good deed, although imperfect, always attracts the eye, and if there were many of these deeds, then the eyes would run wide, not knowing which one to stop at.
So take yourself from this side, when you hear the trumpet in yourself, and explain to yourself that from the fact that you have clung to this matter with your attention, it does not follow self-praise, but reproach yourself for the poverty of virtues. It’s true, in the whole sum of your deeds there is nothing to look at, there is only that for the only thing. And if so, then your state of pity is worthy. No, you should not have one good deed, but your whole life should be an uninterrupted chain of good deeds.
Do not look at the flattery of the thought of self-praise, but, understanding its power, quickly move on to the conviction that you are truly poor in good, pleasing to God, when you delight in this or that laudable deed. Do not ascend to a high opinion of yourself, but descend to self-abasement and feelings of repentance. As soon as you do this, the pipe will immediately stop.

Letter to a benefactor

The grace of God be with you!
N… N… and N… N…
I am very grateful to you for your kind offer to buy a fur coat for me to walk on the balcony. I never doubted and do not doubt your willingness to do whatever it takes for me. During my stay on the Higher, I had many experiences with this, giving me the opportunity to measure the full breadth of your goodwill towards me.
I thank the Lord for the consolations that He has been pleased to deliver to me through you.
But I refuse your offer to present me a fur coat, because a fur coat is so kind and expensive in my position, it is an unnecessary matter. In winter I go out only to the balcony. A warm, very warm sheepskin coat and the same boots protect me from external chills. Plus, the door is close at hand. A little bit of chilliness will seem - I hide in the hut, and there I warm up.
So please don't be mad at me for refusing. After all, God would have exacted from us that we are wasting such an amount that we can warm a dozen cold poor people. Let's make peace on this, and don't blame me.
God bless you with every blessing.
Your well-wisher
Bishop Feofan
December 18, 1890

The Life of Our Venerable Father Prokhor, the Wonderworker

From the herb called quinoa, he created sweet bread with his prayer, and from the ashes - salt.
God, rich in bounties and merciful, often allows evil to the human race, in order to attract him to a sound mind and compel him to good deeds by such a punishment.
But if he executes and inflicts ulcers, then he certainly has mercy and does not hesitate to heal the wounds, as can be seen from the life of this Saint Prochorus. About him
survived the following story.
During the reign of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich in Kyiv, a lot of violence was inflicted by the prince on the people. Without guilt, he destroyed the houses of the strong and took away the estates of many. For that
God allowed the filthy to overpower him, and during his reign there were many attacks by the Polovtsy and, in addition, internecine strife, so that there was more than once famine and great poverty on Russian land.
During these days, the blessed Prokhor came from Smolensk to the Caves Monastery to visit Abbot John and received from him the holy angelic image. He began to strive hard in the virtues and accustomed himself to great abstinence, so that he deprived himself of ordinary bread, but he gathered quinoa grass and, grinding it with his hands, made bread for himself and ate from it. In the summer, he prepared it for the whole year, and when summer came again, he did the same for the next year, so that all his life he did not need ordinary bread, and he was nicknamed "swan", because in addition to prosphora in the church in The cell never even ate vegetables, but only quinoa, and drank nothing but water.
God, seeing the patience of the saint in such abstinence, turned for him that bitterness of bread made from quinoa into sweetness. And he had joy instead of sadness.
This blessed one never mourned, but worked for God in joy. He was never afraid of enemy raids, because he lived like a bird, having nothing but a quinoa, so he could not compare with the gospel rich man who said: “Soul, you have a lot of good for many years: rest, eat, drink , have some fun!" (Luke 12:19). But even for that grass, harvested for a year, he reproached himself, saying: “Prokhor, this night they will take your soul from you, but what have you prepared - for whom will it be?” In fact, this blessed one fulfilled the word of the Lord: “Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your Heavenly Father feeds them” (Matt. 6:26). Imitating birds, the monk easily went to where the quinoa grew, and from there he brought it to the monastery on his shoulders, as if on wings. And so he ate unsown food from unplowed land, like a bird.
During these exploits of the saint, a great famine began in the Russian land from constant wars, so that death threatened people. God, wishing to glorify His saint and have mercy on His people, then increased the growth of the quinoa more than in other years; and therefore the blessed Prokhor labored more and more, incessantly collecting this grass, rubbing it with his hands and making bread out of it, which he distributed to the poor and dying of hunger. Some, seeing how he gathered the quinoa, also began to gather in order to feed themselves during the famine, but could not eat from bitterness. Then all those in need turned to the saint, and he did not refuse anyone his quinoa bread. And the taste of this bread seemed sweet to everyone, as if it were mixed with honey, so that they would rather take this bread baked from grass by the hands of blessed Prokhor.
But it is also remarkable that this bread, only if it was given to the blessed with a blessing, seemed bright, clean and sweet in taste; and if someone took it secretly, it became black as earth and bitter as wormwood. One of the brethren secretly took bread from the blessed one, without blessing, and began to eat. And it was like earth in his hand, and bitter beyond measure in his mouth, so that he could not eat it. This happened several times. He was ashamed to reveal this sin to the blessed one and ask him for bread with a blessing. But, being very hungry, and unable to endure the urges of hunger, seeing death before his eyes, he came to the abbot
John and told him what had happened, asking for forgiveness. The abbot, not believing the story, ordered another brother to secretly take bread from the saint in order to see the truth, is it so. When the bread was brought, it turned out the same as the first brother said: no one could eat it for bitterness. This bread was still in their hands when the abbot again sent to the saint to ask for bread from his blessing. “Leaving him,” said the abbot, “secretly take another bread.” When these loaves were brought, the bread taken secretly changed before them and became black as earth, and bitter as wormwood, like the first bread; and the bread taken from his hand seemed clean and sweet as honey. After this miracle, Prochorus became famous everywhere and, having nourished the hungry, benefited many.
After that, Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, Prince of Kyiv, began an internecine strife with David Igorevich, Prince of Vladimir, for blinding Prince Vasilko Rostislavich at Trebovla, who was ordered to be blinded by Svyatopolk, seduced by David Igorevich; also with Volodar Rostislavich, brother of Vasilko, prince of Przemyslsky, and with Vasilko himself for the region of his father Izyaslav, which was captured by the Rostislavichs. And already Svyatopolk himself returned from a campaign in Kyiv, having driven David to the Poles and planted his son Mstislav in his city of Vladimir, but he did not defeat Volodar and Vasilko and sent his other son, Yaroslav, to attack them. At that time, with great disorder and lawless robberies, merchants from Galich and Przemysl were not allowed to go to Kyiv, and there was no salt on the whole Russian land - and then the people were in great sorrow.
Blessed Prokhor, seeing this scarcity, gathered in his cell a lot of ashes from all the cells and, praying to the Lord, began to distribute to all those in need of salt that ashes, from which pure salt was formed for all through the prayers of the blessed one.
And the more he distributed it, the more it multiplied, so that it was enough not only for the monastery, but also the worldly people, coming to him, dismantled in a multitude for the needs of their households. The saint did not take anything for it, but distributed it freely to everyone who demanded it. And one could see how the bazaar was empty, and the monastery was full of people coming to get salt.
Then the enemy raised great envy in the merchants who sold salt at the auction, deprived of suddenly expected profits. For in those days they expected to buy the wealth of the whole world for salt, but they were greatly mistaken in this, because before they sold too dearly, and now no one bought even cheaply. Having gathered together, all the salt merchants came to Prince Svyatopolk with a complaint about the blessed one: “Prokhor, a Chernoritet of the Pechersk Monastery, took a lot of money from us: he relentlessly attracted everyone to him for salt, and we, who pay taxes to you, cannot sell our salt and ruined through him."
The prince, having listened to them, planned two things - both to stop their complaints and to make money for himself. And he decided with his advisers to raise the price of salt, and, having taken it from Prokhor, to be its seller himself through his people. And he promised those seditious: "For your sake I will rob a monk." He hid the thought of his own gain, wanting to please them, but mainly out of envy he prepared to lead them into even greater losses - because envy cannot put up with what is useful to others.
Svyatopolk sent to pick up all the salt from Prokhor. When she was transported, he himself came to look at her with those seditious who complained about the blessed one, and everyone saw that before their eyes there were ashes. The prince ordered some to try, and ashes also appeared in their mouths. They wondered a lot about this change and were perplexed. Wanting to know more accurately how it all ends, the prince ordered to keep the ashes for up to three days.
And to the blessed, according to custom, many people came to get salt, but when they learned about its plunder, they returned empty-handed, cursing the one who did it. The blessed one said to them: “When the salt is poured out from the prince, then go collect it for yourself.” The prince, having kept her up to three days and having received nothing but ashes, ordered to pour her out at night.
And the ashes that were poured out turned into salt again. Upon learning of this, the citizens began to flock and gladly collected it. When this wonderful miracle happened, the prince, who allowed himself violence, was horrified. And since he could not hide this deed, for it was done before the whole city, he began to investigate what it was. Then they told him everything that the blessed Prokhor did: not only about the salt that was from the ashes, but also about the quinoa bread with which he soaked many people, and how sweet they turned out to be when someone received them from his hands with a blessing, and bitter when someone took secretly.
Upon learning of this, Prince Svyatopolk was ashamed of his work, went to the Caves Monastery and reconciled with Abbot John. And before that, he had an enmity with the abbot for denunciation of insatiable greed and insults to the people, so that he even imprisoned him in Turov. But, fearing to incur the enmity of the pious Prince Vladimir Monomakh, he soon returned him with honor to the Caves Monastery.
Because of these miracles, Svyatopolk from then on began to have great love for the Most Holy Theotokos and the Reverend Fathers Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves.
And he greatly revered and pleased the blessed Prokhor, knowing that he was a true servant of God. In front of him, he made a promise to God not to do violence to anyone else and strengthened this word, saying to the blessed one: “If, by the will of God, I leave this world before you, put me in a coffin with your own hands to show me your goodness. If you die before me, I, taking you on my shoulders, will carry you into the cave, so that the Lord will grant me forgiveness of my grave sin before you.
After this conversation, the blessed Prokhor lived for many years pleasing to God in an unblemished and meager life due to fasting, and then fell ill. Prince Svyatopolk was on a campaign against the Polovtsians. Then the blessed one sent a message to him: “The hour of my departure from the body has already drawn near; if you want to fulfill your promise and receive forgiveness of sins from God, come to receive permission and put me in the coffin with your own hands. I am waiting for your arrival. If you slow down and I leave without you, then it will not be my fault, and the campaign will end differently than if you came to me.
Having received this news, Svyatopolk left the army and soon came to the sick Prokhor. The monk taught the prince a lot about almsgiving, about the future judgment, about eternal life and endless torment, gave him forgiveness and blessing, and said goodbye to everyone around the prince. Then, raising his hands to heaven, he gave his spirit into the hands of God.
The prince, with the Chernorizians, took the body of the monk, carried it to the cave and laid it in the coffin with his own hands. Then he went on a campaign and won a great victory over the godless Agarians, captured all the Polovtsian regions and brought the captives to his land. This victory, bestowed by God on the Russian land, was won according to the prediction of the merciful blessed Prochorus.
And since then, Prince Svyatopolk, going on a campaign or hunting, always came to the Caves Monastery for blessing and with great zeal and gratitude bowed in the God-created church before the miraculous icon Holy Mother of God and before the tomb of St. Theodosius, also in the cave before the tombs of St. Anthony and Prokhor and all the other reverends, and only then did he set off on his journey.
And his reign happily went on, having received after many punishments God's blessing through the Monk Prokhor, and the Christ-loving Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich himself, being a witness, clearly confessed to everyone the miracles and signs of this saint of God.
With his holy prayers, even now, in the midst of constant struggle, may the Russian people not be deprived of brashn: especially the eternally abiding and earthly - the creation of the will of God, and the heavenly - the saturation of the soul, when His glory appears.
And let us enjoy this holy brash with the Monk Prokhor; no longer by eating quinoa leaves and ashes, but by seeing the nature of God that blossomed before the ages and the nature of man taken from the earth, which are united in Christ, God and man.
To Him, with the Beginningless Father and with the Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, all glory is due, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

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The Lord has sent someone in need to you. The Attitude of a Christian to Prosperity Theophan the Recluse

Blessed be mercy

Blessed be mercy

Give to everyone who asks you the Lord commands (Luke 6:30). This is one of the first commandments in Christianity, both the Lord and the holy apostles often remind of it, and in order to incline us to fulfill it more zealously, they protected it with the most touching promptings and the most striking threats. Everyone knows this, and everyone, in conscience, considers himself obliged to help those in need according to his strength. Meanwhile, if we review our deeds more strictly, then perhaps there will not be a single deed that would be performed by us with less attention as obligatory for us to help those in need. We help somehow, just to get rid of the annoying petitioner, and sometimes we refuse completely - and isn’t it for the most part the latter? And what have stinginess and self-interest not come up with to justify their coldness towards the needy! The falsity of petitions, the idleness of petitioners, their shortcomings, hard times, the need to stock up for a rainy day, and so on. All these thoughts go among those who are inattentive to their duty in speeches and sayings, they also come to those who are attentive, and they are often led astray from the right path of action.

At a time when it is necessary to help, the following thought first of all comes to mind: is the one who asks in need - who knows! - and asks, but perhaps has no need. Who says there are such, but do we know for sure that the person who stands before us really belongs to this class? And if we don’t know, then why suspect, and even more so, refuse on suspicion alone? Or maybe it is the mother who left hungry children at home, or the father of the family whose wife is sick and the children are undressed, or the eldest of the homeless orphans? So, of course, you will not refuse. But look at all those who ask you and do not offend them with suspicion. What if the really needy, whose heart is already heavy, reads such a suspicion in your eyes? After all, this will only increase his sorrow and burden, and, instead of consolation, he will depart from you with even greater sorrow. Is it good? The fact that his eyes are not cloudy, his face is not distorted, his tread is firm and his clothes are not in patches - so he, then, is not worthy of your mercy? So, do you really want him to reach the last extreme, which, perhaps, will begin immediately after your refusal?

But does the commandment of the Savior want to cover only those who have nowhere to go, who have no shelter, no food, no clothes, no strength? No, a special commandment is not needed to help such people. He says: give to everyone who asks you. You will give; only make it your rule not to suspect the one who asks, not to draw behind him a picture of supposed contentment, but rather a picture of extreme need and really oppressive grief. Then the heart itself will not give you rest until you alleviate its fate. Nowadays, suspicions are spread a lot on the poor, but one solution can be put on all these suspicions: make sure who exactly asks not for need, and don’t give it to him, but to refuse everyone just because there are false petitioners is a sin. St. John the Merciful did not do this: he did not refuse even those of whom everyone knew that they were not poor, and when they told him about this, he answered: “It is true, at that time they suffered extreme need.”

Sometimes we turn to ourselves from the petitioner and say: “But where can I get it? We barely get enough for our needs, we hardly make ends meet. When there is nothing to give, then no one obliges to do so. Serve should be from excesses: if diligence lies ahead, says the holy apostle Paul, according to the tree, if anyone has it, it is favorable to eat, and not to have it not according to the tree. No more joy for others, but sorrow for you.

But is it really true that we will have nothing left for the satisfaction of our own needs? In addition, have we reasonably determined what should be considered our need? Need, after all, is a matter that can be both reduced and expanded. Eliminate spending on what habit, whim, vanity, the empty demands of the world, the pleasures of the world consider necessary - how much will remain in favor of those in need! needs, from food, clothing and other needs, prudence will always be able to separate a part of Christ. Only misers and squanderers dissuade themselves from helping with needs.

They also sometimes say: “Why are they idly wandering around! They would work and in this way would get their own bread! The demand is the most just. And the apostle commands to work, doing with his own hands, so as not only to satisfy his needs, but to have something to give to the needy(Eph. 4:28). But, making excuses under such a pretext from helping, are you sure that the one who asks can work? The old, the small and the infirm, where can they work there! But even if he can work, does he have a job? Someone else would be ready to work, but there is nothing to put their hands on. In the parable of the workers, one part of them until the eleventh hour, that is, almost until midnight, did not have work because no one hired.

But let there be work, but is it such that it delivers funds for all needs? How often day and night are labored, and all are languishing in need, especially when one works for many. It is good to say: work hard, but you must arrange in advance so that the one who asks can saturate himself and others with his work. Then refuse him, and without that to refuse - everything is the same as making him die of hunger.

And what do people not say to excuse their obstinacy and hardness of heart! One says: “Hard times! Where is there to think about others, if only to feed yourself!”

Another: "You need to, you need to save money for a rainy day." Third: “Am I alone or what? There is more than enough of me - they will serve. Fourth: "Well, well, I serve what comes to hand." Consider graciously, is there anything like the truth here? Difficult times, they say, but if they are hard for the sufficient people, how many times harder for the poor? This means that aid should not be stopped, but should be increased in such cases.

It is necessary, they say, to save for a rainy day, let's say that it is necessary, but after all, there should be a measure for this. Otherwise, our imagined future needs will never allow us to help the poor in their real needs. Moreover, does the future depend on our foresight or on the arrangement by the Providence of God? Of course, from the latter. Well, then attract the mercy of God to yourself by your mercy to those in need, and then you will have a sure guarantee of prosperity in the future. Show me an example that any house was ruined by the generosity of the poor! And I will point out to you thousands of those who went around the world from extravagance ...

Another, they say, will give - but will the other give something? And if he also says the same: another will give, and then a third and a fourth, will this not mean the same thing as leaving the poor to the mercy of fate? No not like this. The Lord sent this poor man just to you - you and help him, do not miss the chance, which, perhaps, will not happen again. “I serve,” you say, “what comes across and when I have to.” Okay, but does that mean filing to the full extent of duty and to the best of your ability? Does this mean paying all attention and diligence to this holy cause? And is it not this negligence that is the reason why the allowance falls into the wrong hands and is not used properly? Do you give to those who have to, and to those who help, whom shame keeps at home and who silently endure, perhaps more than the crying need? No, true Christian compassion is not content with this; it itself hurries to places of poverty in order to touch its wounds with its own hands and immediately apply the necessary healing plaster.

That's how many evil thoughts the enemy has devised to distract good people from helping out! We admit that, to a greater or lesser extent, we all, at times, were fascinated by them.

Let us resolve from now on in our hearts not to succumb to them any more, for if all of them are so weak before our simple reasoning, then how can they stand at the judgment of the truth of God, which sees everything - both in deeds and in the feelings of the heart to the last secrets?

Bless mercy!

Briefly, in general terms, having checked our conscience according to the four previous beatitudes, it seems that we have already understood how sinful we are before God! How we need forgiveness! Because it is impossible even just to list our sins with which we continue to torment and crucify the Lord!

So, the fifth beatitude explains to us how we can persuade God to have mercy on us sinners. Let's check our conscience - do we live in such a way that, showing mercy to our neighbors, boldly, with the hope of mercy, ask for mercy from the Lord?

The Lord said: "...in everything you want people to do to you, do the same to them..." (Matt. 7:12). Who among us does not need a kind word, participation in the difficult circumstances of life? How glad we are to see a virtuous, sympathetic person around us! Each of us is happy when he has good, benevolent neighbors in the apartment, at home, conscientious colleagues at work. A sympathetic, compassionate person bears in himself the initial features of mercy. For everyone, he is a desired, close and necessary person. And who among us does not want the Lord to be merciful to us in the days of sorrows, illnesses, trials, to look at our sorrows and sighs with His loving fatherly gaze?

This is the way of mercy.

The Word of God says: "Blessed is he who thinks of the poor and the needy, the Lord will deliver him on the day of evil. May the Lord save him and live him ... May the Lord help him on his bed of illness ..." (Ps. 40, 1-4).

Let's check our conscience, are we on the path of mercy?! There are deeds of bodily mercy, and there are deeds of spiritual mercy.

Main affairs bodily mercy:

To feed the hungry;

Thirsty to drink;

To clothe the naked or lacking decent clothing.

Let us dwell on these three types of virtue for now. Are we always lovingly and willingly doing these works of mercy? Not! We are greedy and stingy, we still do not have enough money, our property is still not enough for us, and even when we have torn off some small fraction of ourselves for works of mercy, we are unusually pleased with ourselves, we consider ourselves to be fulfilling this commandment.

Even in a moment of inspiration, in a moment of passion, we are sometimes ready to make any sacrifice, but constantly, unswervingly do works of mercy in everyday life, amidst constant petty daily irritations, seeing ourselves misunderstood, unjustly condemned, rejected by everyone, meeting one silent disposition, not receiving an answer, all alone - we consider this an impossible feat for ourselves! Because we all rest ourselves, we are afraid to oppress ourselves in some way, to limit ourselves in some way, we are mortally afraid of sacrificing our comforts for the comfort of our neighbors. From here we suffer incurably sins heartlessness and unmercifulness.

We are not looking for those unfortunates who need help. Even if someone points out to us the poverty of someone else, then we begin to calculate his income, discuss his life, in every possible way looking for an excuse for our greed.

Sometimes a good thought will come into my heart - to distribute what is superfluous that has accumulated in a closet or chest, and we will start looking, and a sly thought comes that this dress will come in handy for me on such and such an occasion, these clothes will still be suitable for another occasion, but these you can still sell things and ... by the end of the revision, an insignificant pile of rubbish you don’t need will be set aside for charity work according to the scary-sounding proverb: “On You, God, what is worthless to us!” Or maybe someone who collected money and things for himself for a "rainy day" and hid it from people's eyes, even from his loved ones, and often for the sake of this passion he denied himself and his neighbors when needed, just to save his savings, rejoiced when these savings increased , and grieved when they had to part with them - thereby committing the sin of trusting in their property, and not in Christ. St. Simeon the New Theologian says very sternly: "... whoever has hidden money, it is impossible for him to believe and hope in God" (Word 21, item 2).

So, who among you suffers from this passion, untie your soul as soon as possible, distribute hidden money to those in need, donate to a poor church, give your soul and your relatives as a memorial.

There is another type of sin - this is when relatives and friends hide the true situation from the dying, reassure them with false hope - this is instead of setting the dying person to accept the Sacraments of Unction, Confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Repent to the Lord if, through your fault, any of your relatives or acquaintances have gone into eternity, not instructed by these saving Sacraments, or because of the extreme inattention to their position on their deathbed, or because of a false fear of being frightened by death. Only people who do not believe in life after the grave can do this. It is very scary if such a sin of extreme mercilessness to your neighbor lies on your conscience.

It is so difficult for us to part with our goods, it is so difficult to unhook from things and money, that if it happens to lose all this for some reason, then we are not happy even with life. Lord, dispose our hearts to give away at least that which we can easily do without, deliver us from the passion of loving-kindness and wean us from placing our hope in wealth, so fragile and fleeting!

Visit the one in the dungeon;

Visit the sick, minister to him and help him recover or Christian preparation for death;

Take the wanderer into the house and put to rest. Are we giving a little of our time to these works of mercy? We all have among our acquaintances someone sick, weak, infirm - do we help them? Not!

We don't have the time or energy for this! So we say when meeting with their relatives: "Forgive me, there is no time to come in, there is no free minute!" But for gossip, for gossip, for entertainment, for reading empty books and other empty and harmful pastimes, we have more than enough, here we do not value time! And then again greed overcomes - after all, the patient needs to bring something, and even something better, but we feel sorry for the money to buy, so we reassure ourselves that we don’t have time to go to the patient at all.

Do you always accept and put to rest strangers at home with joy, with an open heart and soul? Were you engaged in extorting gifts or money from them? Forgetting that these are not some rich people who come, but people with the same income as you, only spending a lot of money on the road. Is this good deed overshadowed by greed among us? And what a happiness it is to provide shelter to a person who has come to pray to God, and if income and strength still allow, then to serve them, to put them to rest, feed and drink what God sends!

And here is an example of St. Philaret the Merciful. He lived in Asia Minor in the VIII century, was rich. He loved the poor and the wretched and generously endowed them. After the raid of the robbers on his village, he was left with two oxen, a horse, a cow and some land (arable land). Like the righteous Job, he did not grumble, but gave himself over to the will of God and did not stop helping the poor out of the good that remained with him. So first he gave one ox, then another to the villager, whose oxen had fallen on arable land. He gave a calf to the poor ...

If someone has not yet repented, but is a sinner in this, it is especially necessary to tell the priest when receiving the permissive prayer. And this applies not only to those who lived in a city starving to death, but in general to all of us, if we did not show a drop of mercy to the starving, naked, undressed, homeless (there were so many of them then!). Maybe someone died from our indifference and cruel callousness of the heart?! But we never repented and so we forgot about it! If this weighs on our conscience, if any of those years is a heavy burden on our conscience, repent to the Lord!

The deeds of alms are then pleasing to the Lord when they are made from their own property, acquired by honest labor, and not by theft, deceit and untruth. And in order to give sufficient alms, it is necessary to limit your expenses, for example, not to buy excessively expensive things, without which you can easily do without, because this is the theft of the property of the poor, since our surplus belongs only to them. This is how the holy fathers think.

We steal so much! To many, such an accusation seems strange and insulting. And check your conscience, which of you did not bring something from work! Let it be the smallest thing, we make excuses that not everything can be bought, but it's not ours, so we steal!

Which of you honestly works all the hours, without being distracted by anything, with full dedication of strength, knowledge and patience? This is especially true for those who do not receive from work. And we get paid in full! Honestly or dishonestly worked time - here again, dishonestly received money.

And we don’t even consider it a sin, although in fact we are deceiving the state, stealing time and money from society. Maybe some of you will think: "Yes, and everyone does the same, there are only a few who work especially honestly." So, Christians are obliged by their rank to work especially honestly. To do every work as entrusted by the Lord Himself, observing with what diligence, honesty and conscientiousness we work.

We read in the morning prayers: "... I strive for Your works by Your mercy ..." What are these Your works. God? But all those things at home for the family, and service at work, and obedience in the monastery for monastics, the things that are part of our duties, are the very things that the Lord has put us on at the present time, for honesty and conscientiousness the fulfillment of which we are primarily responsible to Him. For many of us, this never even crossed our minds! And we worked somehow, if only time would pass sooner, and get more money, and work less, but it would be easier!

If someone works in the field and brought something in his pocket or under the skirt home, then all this is stolen. And then a man will look: "Oh, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples are good: I'll take it to a sick neighbor; it's a pity the poor man is sick, let him eat!" We rejoice that we are doing a good deed, but such a gift is vile in the eyes of God. This is how a crafty conscience distorts our concept of goodness!

And there is a condition under which our alms will have some price. St. John Chrysostom says: "Charity does not consist in giving money, but in giving with a Christian feeling of mercy." This means that one should do good voluntarily, willingly, cordially, with reverence and unfeigned love for the poor, with a sense of gratitude towards the recipient, remembering that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." We must try not to humiliate or offend the person we want to help with our help. And further St. John Chrysostom says: "If someone gives not with such a disposition, then it is better not to give, for this is not almsgiving, but a waste..."

Let's check our life and conscience, are we happy to do good? The great connoisseur of human souls, Saint Bishop Theophan the Recluse, spoke as if about himself, in denunciation of his spiritual companions: “I am a very greedy person, because everything that I give to others, I give “through pity.” These words are accusatory for us! Here we are the same. We either do not give at all, or we give through this "sorry."

Finally, almsgiving must be done in secret! One should help not out of vanity and pride, not out of a desire for gratitude and reward from God, but out of sincere love for one's neighbor! And if you still "blow" about your deeds, then you will add vanity to hypocrisy. And then your goodness, seen by others, will turn for you into obvious evil.

So beware! When doing good, it is better not to know about your own good, that is, to immediately forget it. And move on to other good deeds. And then the right hand will not have time and will not want to know what the left is doing. And God, who sees the secret, will reward you openly.

While we are still at peace with those to whom we do a little good, it is as if we do not remember our small services and kindness, but as soon as a quarrel or enmity arises, we already begin to list our good deeds in relation to the current "enemy" and complain to his ingratitude. This is where all the conceited emptiness of our works of mercy is revealed!

Lord, forgive us sinners and teach us to do good deeds like a Christian in the name of love and for your glory!

We are already talking a lot about the virtue of mercy to one's neighbors; due to lack of time, it seems that we need to move on to the second - spiritual - side of this virtue, but how can we not repent of our attitude towards the closest people - our parents? Do we not regard it as a great burden to feed them, to clothe them, and in general to rest their old age? Are they provided with everything we need? Has anyone ever pushed a mother or father out of the house? After all, this happens among us Christians, although it is scary to admit it! Maybe it was not rude, but cunning and deft, did we fuse mother or father to other children or to a nursing home? Perhaps, refusing to take seriously ill parents from the hospital, burdened by caring for those who raised us for years, did not sleep at night at our cradle, sacrificed everything to raise us?

Maybe, and vice versa, they lured to their family, to the house not out of sincere love and a desire to serve their parents, but to get a larger living area or a separate apartment, or so that your mother would become a free nanny and housekeeper in your family. And grandchildren grew up, mother grew old, weakened and became a burden, began to annoy!

If among you who repent to the Lord, someone has such a terrible guilt before God, hurry up to change everything while your parents are alive, and if it’s too late, then cry and repent, ask for forgiveness from them and from the Lord, pray for the deceased parents, give charity to them!

There are more things spiritual graces:

To put the erring on the path of truth, that is, through exhortation to convert the sinner. For example, to be able to turn a drunkard, a fornicator, a spendthrift, an unbeliever away from sin. Such an act brings down on the soul of the merciful grace. "... He who turns the sinner from his false path will save the soul from death and cover many sins" (James 5, 20).

It seems to you that such works of mercy are absolutely impossible. However, there are many such examples in the history of the Church. When the holy ascetics, at the behest of a merciful heart, appeared in depraved cities and, by the power of their spirit, led great sinners to places of repentance, and they became saints.

Even in secular literature there are such examples - those who read "Les Misérables" by V. Hugo know how great simplicity, extreme non-acquisitiveness and holy trust in a person, shown by a village priest, in one minute turned the heart of a convict hardened in evil, made him a Christian who from this blessed moment he lived only by doing good deeds.

We, who call ourselves Christians, have no right to treat the unfortunate, perishing in sins with indifference or with irritation and malice. Vices are not eradicated by malicious reproaches, but by great pity, patience, sometimes even just silence.

And the main help for such unfortunate people is prayer for them! And not a single sigh, but a prayer, constant prayer with tears and faith that what is impossible for us is possible for God! We do not know how, Lord, to do good to others!

We are more likely to push the drunkard to sin by paying him for his work with vodka. We welcome into our home an adulterer who has abandoned his family. We do disgusting things in front of children, we corrupt their souls. Not having patience in a difficult and mournful moment, we begin to censure God aloud, defame the Christian faith, and with this we sow in hearts that are not very steadfast in faith, the seed of doubt.

Never forget that words edify, but examples lead! And evil never gets rid of evil! Sometimes it is easier to do a good deed, to render great help to someone in need, than to constantly pay attention, avoid a collision, refrain from a sharp remark or such a word that can offend one's neighbor. Here is a whole field for spiritual good deeds:

Sad to console;

To give good advice to a person who is in difficulty or danger that he does not notice;

Do not pay evil for evil, do not take revenge, do not annoy;

Forgive offenses from the heart.

Are we always disposed to do these works of mercy? No, Lord! Rather, it's the other way around!

We feel uncomfortable and difficult with sad people, we try not to spoil the mood by communicating with them, we get annoyed even if a person does not get out of a depressed state for a long time.

We see a person in difficulty or find out that he is in danger, and at best we pass by, otherwise we also gloat, saying evil words that, they say, it’s not enough for him, let him suffer now.

We do not tolerate the slightest offense against us, especially if the person we love did evil to us, we want to take revenge without fail. And if in fact we are afraid of inflicting obvious harm - we are not afraid of God, but of even greater troubles for ourselves: a policeman, a court - then mentally what kind of revenge we can’t imagine, what kind of evil we don’t want, up to the eternal torment of the offender! But the Lord sees our heart and judges us not by our inner state of soul.

Lord, forgive our cruelty! And plant a spark of love and compassion for people in our cold heart! Always remember that even without us there are many who want to offend and offend, to do harm, but we need to learn to begin with at least pity everyone, try every day to take away at least a little from the huge mountain of human suffering and add to the small mound of human joy.

Righteous John of Kronstadt.Conversations on the Beatitudes of the Gospel

For a long time I did not talk with you, my brethren!

Previously, it was said about the four commandments of the Lord for blessedness, of which in the first the Lord commands His followers spiritual poverty, humility. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." According to this commandment, we must always think humbly of ourselves, considering ourselves filled with innumerable sins and infirmities, and incapable of any direct, pure good, without the help of the grace of God; honor all that we have, not our own, but the gift of God; for everything give thanks to God, the Giver of every good, and in everything to resort to His mercy. In the second commandment, the Lord calls blessed people who heartily lament and weep over their voluntary and involuntary sins, promising them grace-filled consolation, consisting in the forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience. “Blessed are those who mourn,” he says, “for they will be comforted.” This commandment of the Lord obliges us to always have before our eyes our sins, their vileness, our distraction and inattention to the commandments of the Lord, the great responsibility for sins before God, the terrible judgment and eternal fire prepared for unrepentant sinners, and inspires us to live in unceasing repentance. In the third commandment, the Lord blesses the meek, promising them the inheritance of the earth. This commandment of the Lord teaches us to always be meek and mild-tempered, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was like a mild-mannered lamb - “the one who was reproached did not reproach, when he suffered he did not hate, but he handed over everything to God who judges righteously” (1 Pet. 2:23) ; teaches never to be irritated by anything and not to irritate or offend anyone, holding back outbursts of anger in every possible way; treat everyone kindly, patiently, condescendingly; to overcome evil with good, to correct the faulty with patience and understanding. As a reward for meekness and patience, the Lord promises the inheritance of the earth, that is, firstly, long life and prosperity here on earth: for meekness and restraint, or the destruction of outbursts of anger, everlasting complacency and calmness greatly contribute to the health and long life of a person, and in secondly - a blessed and eternal life in the heavenly homeland. In the fourth commandment, the Lord appeases “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” that is, those people who, feeling themselves the greatest sinners and sincerely repenting, accept a firm and resolute intention to improve, voluntarily languish with hunger and thirst for truth and holiness, or justifying and satisfying soul by the grace of Jesus Christ, as the hungry hunger for bodily food, and the thirsty for drink. Here is a summary of the previous conversations! Put everything that is said in your heart and do as the Lord commanded, so that you will be blessed by the very deed and receive the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for those who do the commandments of God.

Now let's talk about the next one, that is, about the fifth commandment of the Lord for blessedness. The Lord says: "Blessed are the merciful ones, for they will have mercy." What's the total more necessary for a person sinful? The mercy of God, the non-recovery of our sins, the continuation of God's long-suffering towards us, the granting of more time for repentance, the very excitation of the soul to repentance, the forgiveness of sins, and in the end - pardon at the Last Judgment of God. That is why the Church, on our behalf, often says: “Lord, have mercy! So, fellow sinner, if you have already recognized yourself as the greatest sinner, worthy of all condemnation and torment, if you have known the abomination and absurdity of sins, an immeasurable insult to the Lord God through them and the greatest responsibility for them; if you hunger and thirst for the justification and mercy of God, then try to show mercy to your neighbors, which is possible for you: “Blessed are mercy,” says the Lord, “for they will have mercy.” For mercy to the brethren, you yourself will receive mercy from God; for temporary mercy - eternal mercy, for small mercy - infinitely great mercy: for you will not only be rewarded with mercy from eternal judgment for sins at the judgment of God, but you will also receive eternal blessedness. Anyone can conveniently render mercy to one's neighbor, because mercy is different, as the needs of a person are different - spiritual and bodily, as the position of people in society, their state and rank are different.

The boss can show mercy by indulgence, meekness towards sinners, patience, attention to the merits of subordinates and rewarding them; subordinated to constant serviceability, humility, zeal; a scientist can show mercy to his neighbors, enlightening the ignorant, passing into society right judgments about faith, about life, about the purpose of a person's existence on earth, about earthly blessings, about death, about the truth of God, about eternal judgment, or exposing social vices; the rich can show mercy to their neighbor, donating from their property for the needs of the Church and its servants, to charitable institutions, or giving generous alms to the poor; poor in his gratitude and zeal in serving the rich, in his prayer for the benefactors; the shepherd - by sincere and unceasing concern for the salvation of human souls, by unceasing teaching them in the word of God, by constant readiness to fulfill parish requirements, to give advice, instructions, consolations; and the flock - with reverence, benevolence and gratitude to the shepherds, indulgence for shortcomings and fervent prayer for them.

The main works of bodily mercy, common to all, are the following: 1) the hungry to feed, 2) the thirsty to drink, 3) to clothe the naked, or lacking the necessary and decent clothing, 4) to visit the one in prison, 5) to visit the sick, minister to him and help his recovery, or Christian preparation for death, i.e., call a priest for confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, 6) take the stranger into the house and reassure, and 7) bury the dead in poverty at their own expense, or on the collected alms. All these works of mercy, except for the last one, are mentioned by the Lord Himself when depicting His last Terrible Judgment. Here are His words: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations will be gathered before Him; and he will separate one from the other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you accepted Me; was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:31-36). From these words of the Lord you see, brethren, how necessary and how important—infinitely important—Christian mercy is for us. It is necessary because without works of mercy it is impossible to inherit the Kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world for the blessed of the Heavenly Father, and there will be “judgment without mercy to him who has not shown mercy” (James 2:13); it is infinitely important because the mercy shown to one's neighbor is given personally to Jesus Christ Himself, according to His own testimony: “because you have done these one, the least of my brethren, do it to me” (Matt. 25:40); for all people, especially Christians, are His lesser brethren, and Christians are His members.

The deeds of spiritual mercy are as follows: 1) to turn a sinner from error through exhortation, for example, a person who does not believe, or a non-believer, a schismatic, or a drunkard, a fornicator, a spendthrift, etc.; 2) to teach the ignorant the truth and goodness, for example, those who do not know how to pray to God, teach them to pray, those who do not know the commandments of God, teach the commandments and their fulfillment; 3) to give good advice to a neighbor in time, for example, in difficulty or in danger that he does not notice, in illness, when someone is malicious in whose life or well-being; 4) pray for all to God: “pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16); 5) comfort the sad: “comfort the faint-hearted” (1 Thess. 5:14); not to repay or avenge the evil that people have done to us, "and he repays not one evil for evil" (Rom. 12:17); or "vexation for insult" (1 Pet. 3:9) or "do not avenge yourself, dear, but give place to wrath" (Rom. 12:19), that is, God's; 7) to forgive insults from the heart, knowing and remembering that the one who offends another, first of all offends himself, incurring the great wrath of God; that he offends at the instigation of the enemy; that we deserve to be offended by our sins, and finally, that God himself forgives us our sins and our insults inflicted on His Majesty. This time we will dwell on this, reminding you of one more thing, so that you remember these commandments of the Lord and try to fulfill them indefatigably: for “a servant knows the will of his master, and neither having prepared nor done according to his will, there will be many beats” (Luke 12 :47).

Let us now, my brethren, talk about the motives for mercy and about whom and how and with what spirit mercy should be shown.

Nothing is more characteristic of a true Christian than mercy or mercy towards one's neighbor. Why? - Because the Christian faith and the Church constantly proclaim to us the infinite mercy of the Lord God to people, which, constantly appearing throughout the world, was revealed most of all in the sending down to earth by God the Father of His only begotten Son to save the world from eternal perdition - and in the foundation on earth of the Church of Christ or the society of the saved, which is most unceasing in the Christian race and especially in the seven Holy Sacraments, for example, in baptism, through which we all became children of God, or in communion, in which we are so often made partakers of the Body itself and the very Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him - eternal life.

Each of us daily feels the great, immeasurable, manifold mercy of God over himself. But if the Lord our God is so merciful to all people in general, and to us Christians in particular, then we should also be merciful to each other. The Lord Himself convinces us to be merciful to our neighbors, namely, God's mercy to us. “Be merciful,” He says, “for your Heavenly Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). The entire New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ primarily bequeaths to us mutual love and mercy; He teaches us this and various parables, for example, the parable of the merciful Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), the parable of the merciless debtor with a multitude of talents (Matt. 18:24 -35) and many times directly teaches us mercy: “When you go, learn what is: I want mercy, and not sacrifice?” (Matthew 9:12-13); “be merciful” (Luke 6:36); sell your property and give alms (Luke 12:33), be kind, have mercy, etc.; especially teaches us mercy by all the deeds of the Savior among people, for all these deeds were nothing but the deeds of His mercy towards people. In addition to all this, mercy should be especially characteristic of a Christian, both because he is called a member of the Church of Christ, the members of which are His fellow members, or members of the body that is one with Him, and since in this body there are many weak members, or undergoing various hardships and needs, then there is nothing more natural and fair than to sympathize, sympathize with a weak or needy member and help him, than any of the members can, depending on the need of the member, according to the state and rank of the one who cares, has mercy on the needy member. “Like the body is one, but has many members,” says St. Apostle Paul, - so ... the members of one body, although there are many of them, make up one body - so is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, and we were all made to drink by one Spirit. The body is not made up of one member, but of many... If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. And you are the body of Christ, and individually members” (1 Cor:12:12-27).

This is what should impel each of us to the inexcusable and feasible fulfillment of the commandment of mercy, i.e., firstly, the infinite mercy of God to the human race in general, to Christians in particular, and to each of us in particular; secondly, the direct commandment of the Gospel, thirdly, the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, and fourthly, our very name is Christians, that is, members of Christ, members of His body. Add to this the feeling of mercy inherent in each of us, invested in our nature by God Himself, which prompts even the savage to compassion for the suffering, and which should be even more so in a Christian; and the very multitude of people like us, who endure various painful needs, the multitude of the poor, the unfortunate, the hungry, the naked, the sick, should not arouse in us a natural feeling of mercy? If we want compassion and help from others when we endure illness, misfortune and need, then shouldn’t it be fair for others to expect this compassion from us? “Whatever you want people to do to you,” says the Lord, “so do you also to them” (Matt. 7:12). And the talents given to each of us by God for the common good, and not to please only our own self-love, do they not impel us to the service of our fellows in their need? See how many motives for mercy? Lord Jesus Christ and St. the men of the Old and New Testament do not encourage anything so strongly as to mercy. The Lord says: “Do good, and give to each other, no matter what: and your recompense will be much, and you will be the sons of the Most High: for the same is good on the graceless and evil” (Luke 6:35).

“Look how God-inspired men constantly inspire mercy and how close it is to their hearts,” writes St. Gregory the Theologian. “They do not proclaim it in such a way that they say something about the poor once or twice and then back off; not so that some mention mercy and others do not, or some talk more about it and others less, as if it were not an important and extremely necessary subject. No - they are all, and each in particular, considering this commandment to be the main or one of the main ones, they zealously encourage us to fulfill it, now with exhortations, now with threats, sometimes with reproaches, and sometimes with merciful praise; and all this in order to strengthen its action in our hearts by unceasing reminders of this commandment. No service is more pleasing to God than mercy, because it is most akin to God, to whom mercy and truth come, and to whom mercy must be offered as a gift before judgment; - and the righteous Recipient does not reward for anything with His philanthropy, as for philanthropy.

Pointing to the similarity of nature in us and in the poor, and by this mutual affinity of ours prompting us to mercy, he also says: “They received the same nature as us; of the same mud that we are made of; or better - if I must mention the most important thing - they, like us, are endowed with the image of God and preserve that, perhaps better than us, although they have decayed in body - they are clothed in one Christ according to the inner man; they accepted the pledge of the Spirit identical with us for preservation, participate in the same laws with us, the words of God, covenants, meetings, sacraments, hopes; Christ died for them equally, taking upon Himself the sin of the whole world; they are the heirs of heavenly life, although they are very much alienated from earthly life; they are buried with Christ, and they rise with him; suffer with Him in order to be glorified with Him. And so do not despise your brother, do not run past him, do not disdain him, as if they were unclean, as if they were an infection, as something disgusting and outcast. It's your cock, though it's been twisted by misfortune. “A beggar is left to you to eat” (Ps. 9:35), as to God Himself, although you too arrogantly pass by him. You are offered a chance to prove your philanthropy, although the enemy turns you away from your own happiness. Understand other people's troubles. Give at least a little to the poor, and it will not be a little for the one who needs everything - and for God Himself, if the alms are within the power.

Instead of a great gift, bring diligence. Have nothing? Comfort with a tear. Great medicine for the ill-fated, when someone regrets him from the bottom of his heart, the misfortune is greatly alleviated by sincere condolences. This is what reason teaches us, and the law, and our own experience, and the fairest of people.

The first Christians, that is, those who lived under the apostles and after them, had everything in common: the rich and sufficient voluntarily donated their property and money, and what was collected was kept by the primates of the Church, who used it to support the poor, widows, orphans, sick, strange , prisoners in bonds and others in need. “We have a kind of treasury,” writes one church teacher, “everyone monthly, or whenever he wants, contributes to it as much as he can and as much as he wants. These alms are used to feed and bury the poor; for the maintenance of children who have lost their parents, for the elderly, who no longer leave the house and are unable to work, to alleviate the fate of the unfortunate, shipwrecked ... Composing among ourselves one heart and one soul, can we refuse the community of property?

Finally, even that should serve as an important incentive to mercy, that it is very useful for the benefactors themselves; for it strengthens in them a sense of philanthropy, delivers the purest joys to their hearts, attracts to them the love and favor of their neighbors, and, most importantly, acquires for them the love and favor of God, comforting them with the hope of mercy at the Last Judgment of God and the hope of eternal bliss. “Revealing the fruit of goodness, you gather it for yourself,” writes St. Basil the Great, "because the beneficence of good deeds returns to those who give." Did you give to the hungry? And what you give becomes your property, returning to you with an increment. Just as a grain of grain, falling into the ground, turns into the profit of the one who abandoned it, so the bread that is thrown down to the hungry in the future brings a hundredfold benefit. God will accept you; Angels will praise you, all people will please you, no matter how many there are from the creation of the world. Eternal glory, the crown of righteousness, the Kingdom of Heaven will be your reward for the good disposition of this perishable property. St. Gregory the Theologian writes: “Prudent are those who, not believing in the blessings of the present, store up treasure for themselves in the future, and, seeing the inconstancy and changeability of human well-being, love charity, which will never change.”

To whom and how should alms be given? Jesus Christ says: “Give to everyone who asks you” (Matt. 5:42), which means that you should help and do good to everyone, without making an analysis of persons, condition, origin, religion. Grace should be shown to everyone who is truly in need. St. Gregory the Theologian says: “We must open the womb of mercy to all the poor and suffering for whatever reason; must, as human beings, bring tribute to humankind, no matter what the need makes them seek help, whether widowhood or orphanhood, or expulsion from the fatherland, or the cruelty of rulers, or the impudence of rulers, or the inhumanity of tax collectors, or the greed of enemies, or an inventory of estates, or shipwreck. For they all have the same right to pity, and also look at our hands, as we look at the hands of God, when we ask for something, and it is much better to stretch out your hand to the unworthy than out of fear to meet with the unworthy, to deprive the deeds of the worthy. One should help not out of vanity and pride, not out of a desire for gratitude and reward, but disinterestedly, to please God and out of love for one's neighbor. “Charity, infected with the disease of vanity, is no longer a matter of mercy,” writes St. John Chrysostom, "but boastfulness and hardness of heart: for by this you publicly ridicule your brother." Charity does not consist in giving money, but in giving with a Christian feeling of charity. One should do good and help voluntarily, willingly, sincerely, cordially, with reverence and unfeigned love for the poor, without any indignation, annoyance and contempt, “Each one gives according to the disposition of the heart,” says St. Apostle Paul, - not with chagrin and not with compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). “Crush your bread to the hungry, and bring the bloodless poor into your house” (Is. 58:7), “and do all this cordially,” says St. Gregory the Theologian: “have mercy,” it is said, “with good pleasure” (Rom. 12:8); thus your willingness will increase the cost of your good deed. For what is done in sorrow or out of need cannot be pleasant; when rendering good deeds, one should rejoice, and not complain.

“To give alms means not just to give,” says St. John Chrysostom - but with zeal and joy and with a sense of gratitude to the recipient. And so, if someone gives not with such disposition, he better not give. For this is not almsgiving, but a waste ... After all, it is almsgiving when you give it with joy and think that you yourself receive more than you give. Further, we must do good from our own property, and not from someone else's, to which we have no legal right, moreover, from property acquired by honest labor, and not by theft, deceit and untruth; and in order to give sufficient alms, it is necessary to limit your expenses, for example, not to buy superfluous and expensive things, without which you can easily do without; for this is the theft of the property of the poor, since our surplus belongs to them. We must do good and help constantly, not weakening in our zeal from the difficulties and obstacles encountered in the performance of this duty. St. Chrysostom says: "Almsgiving, it is said, and faith, may they not become scarce with you." It is not said: do a good deed once, twice, thrice, ten, a hundred times, but at all times: let it not leave you, it is said. When giving alms, it is necessary to distinguish the truly poor from the poor only in appearance; we must help according to our strength and means; prefer the poorer to the less poor; the most deserving to the less deserving; their nearest and dearest - to strangers. For this, some of the Fathers of the Church advise giving alms to experienced people. But one should not be too inquisitive and choosy about the poor, so as not to deprive those who are truly in need of our help. “For there is no example,” says St. Chrysostom - so that one who is too picky in such cases should ever accept a saint. But this one most often falls on deceivers. Therefore, I beg you, let us do everything in simplicity. Finally, one should not think much about one's good deeds, but consider oneself only as a distributor of God's gifts. “You will never be more generous than God,” says St. Gregory the Theologian, even if he sacrificed everything that you have, even if he gave away himself along with his property; for the same thing, in order to give oneself to God, a person receives from Him. No matter how much you pay Him, still more will remain on you, and you will not give anything of your own, since everything is from God.

And so we will say at the conclusion of our conversation: “Blessed are mercy: for they will have mercy.” Oh, what a great reward for mercy to your neighbor - to be pardoned by God yourself at a universal and terrible test before the whole world and to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven prepared from the foundation of the world. Amen.

Source: http://azbyka.ru

For me, Father Herman is, first of all, the rector of the Church of All Saints. Each abbot had his own temple, his place of activity. At o. Lion - Church of John the Baptist, near Fr. Vladimir Kuznetsov - Temple of the Great Martyr. Panteleimon. Until about. Herman had abbots who prepared the policy that he implemented. By this I mean a special feeling of unity of the parish in our city. Under the first rector, Fr. Vladimir Alyasov had a strict zealous atmosphere of the novice Christian community. The second pastor, Fr. John (Ursol), softened it, brought in liberal, practical ideas from Ukraine. O. Herman took something from each of them. In general, he was the rector in Sarov for the longest time.

If you try to formulate the mission of Fr. Herman, then, in my opinion, he was a peacemaker, always striving to ensure that there was peace in the parish, guided by the medical commandment “do no harm”. Sometimes he sacrificed his positions for this. It was one of the best pastors.

There are many different people in our Orthodox parish. There are strict zealots who want to fight against sects and everything that seems wrong to them, there are prayer books, there are people who are moderate in their views. Father Herman knew how to reconcile everyone. He was able, as the apostle Paul said, "to be everything to everyone, in order to save at least some." Father Herman addressed with a gentle exhortation to hostile and bitter people, and this had an effect on them. I remember a case when a sick woman slapped him on the face during confession, and he put his other cheek under the blow. I was then a deacon, and at that moment I proclaimed: "Save, Lord, your people."

There are priests - builders, there are politicians who know how to arrange relations with secular authorities. For me, Father Herman is a rector-peacemaker. In addition, you could always turn to him with your problems and financial difficulties, and he helped. I liked the sermons of Fr. Herman. They were very human...

It seems to me that every priest has his own special approach to pastoral ministry, which corresponds to some kind of Gospel appeal. For example, take the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And so on. There is a small commandment among them, and the reward for it is small, but without it all the other commandments do not work. "Blessed are the mercies, for they will have mercy." That is, do everything, but at the same time remain merciful. Even if a person errs, falls in his life, but if he is merciful to others, then at least he will be merciful. The Lord will measure him by his own measure. I remember when I was still a deacon, the priests asked Fr. Herman in different situations, how to properly behave with one parishioner or another. Father Herman invariably answered: “Fathers, be merciful to people, and the Lord will be merciful to you.” His answer is engraved in my heart. This disarmed any, even the most correct counter-arguments and really instructed. I have repeatedly convinced myself of the truth of these words. If you are merciful, then somewhere you will be turned away from trouble. And you won't even notice it, you'll take it for granted. Indeed, whoever loves much, much will be forgiven...

Father Herman remained merciful until the end of his days. At confession, you used to hear his voice: “Repent”? And that's it. Sometimes you want a person to confess deeper, somehow turn around. Often we are indulgent with ourselves, but we are stricter with people. Herman's father was not like that.

However, I must say that at first the priest was very strict, and even supported the monastic practice in the parish. He was very zealous about his duties and church worship. I remember how at the daily evening service we read three kathismas in full, and now only one is read. Indulgence towards others. Herman learned from his life experience, one might say, he suffered.

Kindness to others is fraught with many dangers. You can fall into indulgence. In fact, being merciful means taking on more responsibility. He who imposes strict requirements on others does what is required by the rule. “If you have sinned, bear the consequences of your sin.” And a merciful priest takes on a part of the burden that he could have left on the person himself.

When the Lord Jesus Christ forgave the harlot sentenced to stoning and denounced her judges, they immediately hated Him for it. When he pardoned the publican Zacchaeus, he made more enemies. And so every time. Grace is not an ordinary but a supernatural response. For example, in order to forgive your neighbor, you need to make a spiritual effort on yourself. Nothing brings people to the temple, to God like mercy. If you start with the fact that this is impossible, and that is impossible, a person will no longer come to the temple. Grace to the person who takes his first steps in the temple, this is the saving open gate that invites him to enter there. Through a gracious priest, the Lord acts freely, bringing many people to the Church. That is why demons take up arms against such priests.

When I was still a student and sometimes came to Sarov, out of jealousy I wanted my secular friends to take communion too. I, one might say, forcibly drove them into the temple to Father Herman. After a conversation with young people, something happened, the ice of the heart melted, and they themselves could not explain what he said to them. If you look at the photos of. Herman in his youth - he just glowed all over. How much the seeds of grace acted in him, falling on good soil! It seemed easy for him to forgive.

In the early years, he walked all over the city on foot. He said himself that in the evening his legs were buzzing. Now, when we are in cars, it is even hard to imagine what a feat this is.

Father Herman as rector, peacemaker and merciful person was the standard Orthodox priest, which was discussed, with which they were compared. I believe that he greatly influenced me, the fathers Alexander and Vyacheslav. Father German, in fact, created the atmosphere of our Sarov Orthodox parish.