9 Beatitudes of Jesus Christ - Blessed are the ignorant

Nine Beatitudes.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 4. Blessed are those who hunger (desire deeply) and thirst for righteousness (righteousness, holiness), for they will be satisfied. 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called (will be called) sons of God. 8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Seeing the people, He went up the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile you, and persecute you, and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me.

Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: so they persecuted and

the prophets who were before you.

You are
the salt of the earth.
If the salt loses its strength, how will you make it salty? It is no longer good for anything except throwing it out there for people to trample underfoot.

You are
the light of the world.
A city standing on top of a mountain cannot hide.

And having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets - I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

For verily I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law, until all is fulfilled.

So, whoever breaks one of these least commandments and teaches people so, he will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; and whoever does and teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

For, I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard what was said to the ancients: “Do not kill; whoever kills is subject to judgment.”

But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment; whoever says to his brother: “Raka,” is subject to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, “You are a fool,” is subject to fiery hell.

So, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Make peace with your opponent quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest your opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant, and they throw you into prison; Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the last coin.

You have heard what was said to the ancients: “You shall not commit adultery.”

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, rather than your whole body being cast into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

It is also said that if anyone divorces his wife, he should give her a divorce decree.

But I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for the guilt of adultery, gives her a reason to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

You have also heard what was said to the ancients: “Do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord.”

But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

But let your word be: “yes” - “yes”; "no no"; and anything beyond this is from the evil one.

You have heard what is said: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles.

Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said: “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”

But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven,
for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what will be your reward? Don't publicans do the same?

And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same?

Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Explanation of the Nine Beatitudes.

The nine beatitudes given to us by the Savior do not in the least violate the ten commandments of the Law of God. On the contrary, these commandments complement each other. The Beatitudes received their name from the assumption that following them during earthly life leads to eternal bliss in the subsequent eternal life. First, the Lord indicated what His disciples, that is, all Christians, should be like: how they should fulfill the law of God in order to receive blessed (extremely joyful, happy), eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. To do this, He gave the nine beatitudes, the teaching about those qualities and properties of man that correspond to the Kingdom of God as the Kingdom of Love. To all who will fulfill His instructions or commandments, Christ promises, as the King of heaven and earth, eternal bliss in the future, Eternal life. Therefore, He calls such people blessed, that is, the happiest.

First Beatitude:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The word "blessed" means extremely happy. The poor in spirit are humble people who are aware of their imperfection. Spiritual poverty is the conviction that all the advantages and benefits that we have - health, intelligence, various abilities, abundance of food, home, etc. - we received all this from God. Everything good in us is God's. Humility is the first and fundamental Christian virtue. Without humility a person cannot excel in any other virtue. Therefore, the first commandment of the New Testament speaks of the need to become humble. A humble person asks God for help in everything, always thanks God for the blessings given to him, reproaches himself for his shortcomings or sins and asks God for help to correct. God loves humble people and always helps them, but He does not help the proud and arrogant. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” the Holy Scripture teaches us (Prov. 3:34). Just as humility is the first virtue, so pride is the beginning of all sins. Long before the creation of our world, one of the angels close to God, named Dennitsa, became proud of the brightness of his mind and his closeness to God and wanted to become equal to God.

Explanation of the sixth Beatitude: purity of heart - spiritual purity

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8).

In the Christian understanding, those people who not only avoid evil deeds, but also make their soul pure, are considered pure in heart, that is, they do not allow evil thoughts and desires to settle in it. What we look like on the outside is not so important to the Lord. The most important thing is that people's hearts be pure. Because from a pure heart come pure thoughts and actions. Therefore, King David asked God in his prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 50:12). “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Savior!” (Ps. 18:15).

Pointing out that people with a pure heart will become blessed (that is, happy, joyful), the Lord, in another case, explained what impurity of the heart is. “From the heart of man come evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, malice, deceit, lasciviousness, an envious eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness—all these come from within and defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23 ).

“To the pure all things are pure; But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but their mind and conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15).

Thus, in order to make the heart pure, you need to renounce sins and not repeat them, that is, become sinless. To achieve purity of heart, the Teachings of Christ indicate the path and provide the means to accomplish this task. That is, actions are indicated, when performed, a person will achieve purification of the heart. This is renunciation of evil deeds, doing good, abstaining from sin, repentance and prayer, showing humility and love for God and neighbors, fighting pride and selfishness, showing virtue and mercy, and constantly calling on God for help. “Therefore, whoever is clean from this will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful to the Master, fit for every good work. Flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with all who call on the Lord with a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:21-22).

In this struggle for purity of heart, both the manifestation of reason and free will are necessary so as not to deviate from this path. Those who are pure in heart experience peace of mind, joy and bliss. Christ says that for their spiritual purity these people will have a great reward; they will see God, since purity of heart is an indispensable condition for unity with God, for receiving the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus Christ proclaimed the sixth beatitude among Jews who strictly observed the purity of ceremonies, that is, among a people gripped by fear of external desecration. The Jews strived for ceremonial purity, but did not care about the purity of their hearts, that is, spiritual purity. A person in whom Christ dwells in his heart develops spiritual purity: nobility of thoughts, desire to do good, wisdom.

“The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17).

Therefore, people who have purity of heart not only do not commit carnal actions, but even in the deepest intentions of their souls they are free from sinful thoughts, pride, and selfishness. They are humble, selfless and pure in soul like children, because their soul is permeated with selfless love for God. The pure in heart become different people because they come to know God. People who have cleansed their hearts enter into a new relationship with God as their Savior. The pure in heart perceive God as His Father, willing to embrace the repentant son. Having seen the beauty and purity of God’s virtues, they strive to reflect the Image of God in themselves and look at the world with the purified eyes of the soul. “The lamp for the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is clean, your whole body will be full of light” (Matt. 6:22).

Souls with purified vision, pure in heart, are able to understand what ordinary people do not notice. The pure in heart admire the works of the Lord’s hands, manifested in the beauty of nature, in the rational structure of life and the universe. The pure in heart see the great truths hidden in the Holy Scriptures. They discover the knowledge of the great secrets of existence and nature, philosophical truths. Already here on earth, the pure in heart spend their lives in the presence of God, feeling His care and help. Just as the Lord showed His glory to Moses, so the pure in heart are worthy to see God and their hearts are filled with gratitude and bliss.

Gregory of Nyssa wrote about purity of heart: “a person who has cleared the vision of his soul is offered a joyful vision of God. This is what the Word (that is, the Lord Jesus Christ) teaches us when it tells us that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:12). This teaches us that a person who has cleansed his soul of all passionate impulses will display with his inner beauty the likeness of the image of the Divine. With a good life, wash away the dirt that has stuck to your heart and then your God-like beauty will shine forth” (Gregory of Nyssa “On the Beatitudes”, Homily 6).

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Nine Beatitudes.

He made a revolution in heaven and drew some of the angels into disobedience. Then the angels, devoted to God, expelled the rebellious angels from paradise. The disobedient angels formed their own kingdom - hell. This is how evil began in the world. The Lord Jesus Christ is for us the greatest example of humility. “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,” He told His disciples. Very often, people who are very gifted spiritually are “poor in spirit” - that is, humble, and people who are less talented or completely untalented, on the contrary, are very proud, loving praise. The Lord also said: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

Second Beatitude:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Those who mourn are those who recognize their sins and shortcomings and repent of them. The crying spoken of in this commandment is grief of the heart and tears of repentance for sins committed. “Sorrow for God’s sake produces repentance leading to salvation, but worldly sorrow produces death,” says St. Apostle Paul. Worldly sadness, which is harmful to the soul, is excessive grief due to the loss of everyday objects or due to failures in life. Worldly sadness comes from sinful attachment to worldly goods, due to pride and selfishness. Therefore it is harmful. Sadness can be useful for us when we cry out of compassion for our neighbors who are in trouble. We also cannot be indifferent when we see other people commit evil deeds. The increase in evil among people should cause us to feel sorrow. This feeling of sorrow comes from love for God and goodness. Such grief is good for the soul, as it cleanses it of passions. As a reward for those who cry, the Lord promises that they will be comforted: they will receive forgiveness of sins, and through this inner peace, they will receive eternal joy.

Third Beatitude:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Meek people are those who do not quarrel with anyone, but give in. Meekness is calmness, a state of soul full of Christian love, in which a person never gets irritated and never allows himself to grumble. Christian meekness is expressed in patiently enduring insults. The opposite sins of meekness are: anger, malice, irritability, vindictiveness. The Apostle taught Christians: “If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people” (Rom. 12:18). A meek person prefers to remain silent when insulted by another person. A meek person will not quarrel over something taken away. A meek person will not raise his voice at another person or shout swear words. The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth. This promise means that meek people will be heirs of the heavenly fatherland, the “new earth” (2 Peter 3:13). For their meekness, they will receive many benefits from God forever, while daring people who offended others and robbed the meek will receive nothing in that life. A Christian must remember that God sees everything and that He is infinitely just. Everyone will get what they deserve.

The Fourth Beatitude:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Hungry - those who strongly desire to eat, hungry. Thirsty - those who have a strong desire to drink. “Truth” means the same thing as holiness, that is, spiritual perfection. In other words, this commandment could be said like this: blessed are those who strive with all their might for holiness, for spiritual perfection, because they will receive it from God. Those who hunger and thirst for truth are those people who, aware of their sinfulness, fervently desire to become better. They strive with all their might to live according to the commandments of God. The expression “hungry and thirsty” shows that our desire for truth should be as strong as the desire of the hungry and thirsty to quench their hunger and thirst. King David perfectly expresses this desire for righteousness: “As a deer strives for streams of water, so does my soul desire for You, O God!” (Ps. 41:2) To those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the Lord promises that they will be satisfied, i.e. that they will achieve righteousness with God's help. This Beatitude teaches us not to be satisfied with being no worse than other people. We must become cleaner and better every day of our lives. The parable of the talents tells us that we are responsible before God for those talents, that is, those abilities that God gave us, and for the opportunities that He provided us to “multiply” our talents. The lazy slave was punished not because he was bad, but because he buried his talent, that is, he did not acquire anything good in this life.

The Fifth Beatitude:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.”

Merciful are people who are compassionate towards others, these are people who feel sorry for other people who are in trouble or in need of help. Deeds of mercy are material and spiritual. Material acts of mercy: Feed the hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, Clothe the one who lacks clothing, Visit the sick. Often there is a Sisterhood at churches that sends help to people in need in different countries. You can send your financial assistance through the church sisterhood or another charitable organization. If there is a car accident or we see a sick person on the road, we must call an ambulance and make sure that this person receives medical care. Or, if we see that someone is being robbed or beaten, we need to call the police to save this person. Works of spiritual mercy: Give good advice to your neighbor. Forgive the offense. Teach the ignorant truth and goodness. Help the sinner to get on the right path. Pray for your neighbors to God. The Lord promises the merciful as a reward that they themselves will receive mercy, i.e. at the upcoming judgment of Christ they will be shown mercy: God will have mercy on them. “Blessed is he who thinks (cares) for the poor and needy; in the day of trouble the Lord will deliver him” (Psalm).

The Sixth Beatitude:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Pure in heart are those people who not only do not openly sin, but also do not harbor vicious and unclean thoughts, desires and feelings in themselves, in their hearts. The heart of such people is free from attachment to corruptible earthly things and free from sins and passions implanted by passion, pride and pride. People who are pure in heart constantly think about God and always see His presence. To acquire purity of heart, one must keep the fasts commanded by the Church and try to avoid overeating, drunkenness, indecent films and dances, and reading obscene magazines. Purity of heart is much higher than simple sincerity. Purity of heart consists only in sincerity, in the frankness of a person in relation to his neighbor, and purity of heart requires the complete suppression of vicious thoughts and desires, and constant thought about God and His holy Law. The Lord promises people with a pure heart as a reward that they will see God. Here on earth they will see Him gracefully and mysteriously, with the spiritual eyes of the heart. They can see God in His appearances, images and likenesses. In the future eternal life they will see God as He is; and since seeing God is the source of the highest bliss, the promise to see God is the promise of the highest bliss.

The Seventh Beatitude:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Peacemakers are people who live with everyone in peace and harmony, who do a lot to ensure that there is peace between people. Peacemakers are those people who themselves try to live with everyone in peace and harmony and try to reconcile other people who are at war with each other, or at least pray to God for their reconciliation. The Apostle Paul wrote: “If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people.” The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God, that is, they will be closest to God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. By their feat, peacemakers are likened to the Son of God - Jesus Christ, Who came to earth to reconcile sinners with the justice of God and to establish peace between people, instead of the enmity that prevailed between them. Therefore, peacemakers are promised the gracious name of children of God, and with this endless bliss. The Apostle Paul says: “If you are children of God, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him; For I think that the sufferings of this present time are not worth anything in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:17-18).

Eighth Beatitude:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Those persecuted for the sake of truth are those true believers who so love to live in truth, i.e. according to the Law of God, that for the firm fulfillment of their Christian duties, for their righteous and pious life, they suffer persecution, persecution, deprivation from wicked people, from enemies, but do not betray the truth in any way. Persecution is inevitable for Christians who live according to the truth of the gospel, because evil people hate the truth and always persecute those people who defend the truth. The Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ himself was crucified on the cross by his enemies, and He predicted to all His followers: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). And the Apostle Paul wrote: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). In order to patiently endure persecution for the sake of truth, a person must have: love for the truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience, faith and hope in God’s help. The Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, i.e. complete triumph of the spirit, joy and bliss in the heavenly villages.

The Ninth Beatitude:

“Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”

In the last, ninth commandment, our Lord Jesus Christ calls especially blessed those who, for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith in Him, patiently endure reproach, persecution, slander, slander, mockery, disasters and even death. Such a feat is called martyrdom. There can be nothing higher than the feat of martyrdom. The courage of Christian martyrs must be distinguished from fanaticism, which is zeal beyond reason. Christian courage must also be distinguished from the insensibility caused by despair and from the feigned indifference with which some criminals, in their extreme bitterness and pride, listen to the verdict and go to execution. Christian courage is based on high Christian virtues: faith in God, hope in God, love for God and neighbors, complete obedience and unshakable loyalty to the Lord God. A high example of martyrdom is Christ the Savior Himself, as well as the Apostles and countless Christians who joyfully went to suffer for the Name of Christ. For the feat of martyrdom, the Lord promises a great reward in heaven, i.e. the highest degree of bliss in the future eternal life. But even here on earth, the Lord glorifies many martyrs for their firm confession of faith through the incorruption of their bodies and miracles. The Apostle Peter wrote: “If they slander you because of the Name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of God, rests on you. By those he is blasphemed, but by you he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14).

The Beatitudes...

\"Blessed are those who mourn\"

John MacArthur Jr. Beatitudes

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

In one of his greatest psalms, namely 54, King David, having experienced the deepest disappointment of his life and feeling the deepest suffering, cries out: “Who would give me wings like a dove? I would fly away and calm down; I would go far away and remain in the desert; I would hasten to hide from the whirlwind, from the storm” (vv. 7-9).

The same words can be said by all people who have lived on earth when they too experience disappointment, encounter tragedy and fall into despair. Everyone has the desire to gain wings and fly far away from pain and suffering. And the deeper the grief, and the stronger the disappointment, and the pain, the more you want to go to a place where you can find solace.

This is the paradox of bliss. “Blessed are those who mourn...” - this contradicts all our concepts. A person's whole life revolves around the pursuit of pleasure, joyful excitement and money. A person wants to have a lot of energy, strength and time to search for entertainment, and we try with all our might to avoid sadness, sorrow and pain.

But Jesus says, “Blessed are the sorrowful. Those who mourn will be comforted." In His completely new approach to life, He condemns the world's concepts of joy and happiness. He proclaims blessed those who weep and promises them blessings, happiness, joy, peace and consolation. So what does Jesus mean here?

The very fact that the Greek language has nine different verbs expressing different types of suffering (and all of them are found in the Holy Scriptures) is a good indication that suffering is an integral part of human life. All human history is constant tears and suffering. However, according to Matthew 24, we have not yet seen the worst.

This chapter says, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Beware lest any man deceive you; For many will come in My name and say, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. You will also hear about wars and war rumors. Look, don't be horrified; for all this must be. But this is not the end: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in many places” (vv. 4-7).

Jesus speaks here of the end of the age and then emphasizes, “Nevertheless this is the beginning of sorrows” (v. 8).

The Bible talks about different types of suffering and sorrow. Firstly, about those that can be called common, about the common sorrows of life, so to speak, about normal sorrows. These sorrows and tears are a normal part of human life. And did you know that the ability to cry is a gift from God? Pain and suffering, which are inevitable, can destroy our entire nervous system if there is no release, so to speak, in tears.

Crying is a natural human ability. Abraham also cried when his wife died. In Psalm 41:3-4, the psalmist turns his soul with sorrow to the Lord: “My soul thirsts for the mighty, living God: when I will come and appear before the face of God! My tears were bread for me day and night, when they said to me every day: “Where is your God?” The grief that God seemed to have hidden from him manifested itself in tears that flowed down his cheeks, and he received relief. Feeling lonely is enough to make you shed tears.

In 2 Timothy 1:3-4, the Apostle Paul says: “I thank God, whom I have served from my ancestors with a clear conscience, because I continually remember you in my prayers day and night, and I long to see you, remembering your tears, so that I will be filled with joy." Timothy cried, experiencing disappointment and defeat.

In Jeremiah 9:1, the prophet whom God called to preach to Israel about God's coming judgments came and preached with tears: “Oh, who will give my head water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain daughters of my people.”

In Acts 20:31, the Apostle Paul told the elders of Ephesus, “Watch therefore, remembering that for three years I taught each of you day and night without ceasing with tears.”

The psalmist shed tears of loneliness. Timofey shed tears of grief. Jeremiah shed tears of regret. Paul shed tears of compassion. In chapter 9 of the Gospel of Mark, a father brought his son, possessed by an evil spirit, to Jesus Christ. Tears flowed down the father’s cheeks when Christ told him: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (v. 23). And with tears the young man’s father answered: “Lord, I believe! help my unbelief” (v. 24). The tears were proof of his true love for his son.

Luke chapter 7 tells of a woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. These were tears of awe and tears of worship, tears flowing from gratitude in the heart. Love can make a person cry. Our Lord wept at the tomb of Lazarus because he loved him. He wept when he saw Jerusalem because he loved the people who lived there. Mary Magdalene wept for the death of Jesus. These were tears of bitterness of loss. God thus eases the terrible heartache.

But there is another kind of tears. These are false tears. These are tears when a person cries because he cannot satisfy his carnal lusts. It was for this reason that Amnon wept, described in the 2nd Book of Kings in chapter 13. He wept so much that he even became ill, and only because he was inflamed with passion for his sister Tamar. So Ahab cried. 1 Kings 21:4 says that he lay down on his bed, turned his face to the wall, and did not even want to eat, only because Naboth refused to give him his inherited vineyard.

Crying is sometimes long and unreasonable when people mourn loved ones who have passed into eternity. You can often see a picture where people cannot be consoled after the death of their loved ones. This happens even among Christians, both before and now. I recently heard of a man who nearly lost his mind because his wife had passed into eternity and was now with the Lord. I don’t want to be too callous, but still this behavior is dictated solely by selfishness. It is pride that makes one fall into such deep depression if a person cannot rejoice that his loved one, whom he loved, has gone to the Lord. Deep pain and sadness when spouses separate on earth is a completely normal phenomenon, but such a deviation of the psyche is a completely different matter.

Another type of false crying and grief is exaggerated suffering from the consciousness of one’s own guilt. A good example of this can be found in 2 Samuel 15-20, which describes Absalom's plot against his father David. Absalom was a proud and selfish man and he especially valued his hair. He carried out a plot and forced David to flee Jerusalem.

Absalom captured the royal palace and expected to defeat the forces that remained loyal to David. However, Absalom was defeated and killed. David ordered his commanders: “Save for me the boy Absalom” (2 Sam. 18:5).

When David was told that his son Absalom had died, he cried and said: “My son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! Oh, who would let me die instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son! (2 Kings 18:33). His love for his son was great, but still such behavior was unreasonable. Indeed, who would want Israel to be ruled by Absalom? Why was David so worried? Because he felt guilty for being too cruel a father and hoped that his sadness could cleanse his soul of his guilt.

There is no doubt that Absalom's death was part of the retribution for the sin David committed when he took Bathsheba for himself. In a parable recorded in Samuel 12, God showed David that he would have to pay four times for this sin. “As the Lord lives! - said David himself, - the man who did this deserves death. And he must pay four times for the lamb” (vv. 5-6). Then God said through the prophet Nathan, “You are that man” (v. 7). And indeed David suffered four great tragedies: the child born to Bathsheba died, his daughter Tamar was raped, his son Ammon was killed, and finally he was killed by Absalom.

David's grief over Absalom was so great that his soldiers began to feel ashamed of their victory. In the end, Joab was forced to tell the king: “Today I have learned that if Absalom had lived and we all died, it would have been more pleasant for you” (2 Sam. 19:6).

So you see that there are true and false tears. Some may say, “Okay, well, this bliss is true because when a person cries, he feels better. Tears are the way to lift your spirit.” However, this is not what Jesus Christ is talking about here. He speaks of Divine grief, which is very different from both true and false mourning, which we talked about above.

The Apostle Paul helps us understand the nature of such sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:10: “For Godly sorrow produces repentance that results in salvation beyond repentance, but worldly sorrow produces death.” You can cry over your misfortunes, you can shed tears when you are alone, and also in despair and hopelessness, you can cry because of overwhelming love, and you can cry even because your carnal lusts cannot be satisfied. But no worldly tears and no worldly sorrow can give you life.

There is only one kind of sorrow that gives life, and that is sorrow for God, which leads to repentance. Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ in this Beatitude spoke about sadness for the sins he had committed. This is the whole point. Sorrow for God leads to repentance, and repentance is always needed where there is sin. This type of crying is caused by the awareness of one's own sinfulness.

The beatitudes begin by indicating spiritual bankruptcy and the awareness of this fact. This is from the intellectual sphere. Verse 4 deals with the emotional realm. Because the person knows that he is spiritually bankrupt, his emotions are affected and he begins to cry about his bankruptcy. To such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven. Spiritual poverty is the recognition of the fact that we ourselves have nothing, that we ourselves are nothing and are not capable of anything, which means that we are beggars who have nothing and are unable to help ourselves. In verse 3, our Lord says, “Blessed is the man who is absolutely poor spiritually, who is truly poor, asking for mercy and grace, and it is to such people that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs.”

Throughout our lives we need to maintain a sense of our spiritual poverty. And if a person did not have it from the very beginning, then he is not a Christian. If this feeling is not present now, then the question arises, are you a Christian? Sounds too cold, too callous, too demanding? However, the Bible itself says that being poor in spirit and weeping are characteristics of the royal people - Christians.

After David committed a terrible sin with Bathsheba and after he ordered her husband Uriah to die, he not only realized that his mother gave birth in sins (Ps. 51) and that he was in a hopeless and beggarly state state of mind, but he wept bitterly, and grieved, and was saddened to the depths of his soul.

Look at Job. Job had absolutely everything he needed. He was so rich that the Bible says that the rock produced streams of oil for him (Job 29:6). What wealth! However, he was not a real man until God defeated him and until he realized that he was nothing. How did Job respond to this? “Therefore I renounce and repent in dust and ashes,” says Job (Job 42:6).

The word weeping, which Jesus used in the Beatitudes, is the most powerful of all nine Greek words used in Scripture to describe sorrow. Usually this word is used when talking about death. This is the word used in the passage of Scripture that describes Jacob's grief when he was told that his son Joseph was dead (Gen. 37:34). It is used in the Gospels, for example Mark 16:10, when the condition of the disciples after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is described: “... weeping and lamenting.” The word implies deep inner agony, not just outward lamentation.

In Psalm 31, David writes, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old because of my groaning all day long” (v. 3). And this was when David did not confess his sin before God, and therefore the result was very deplorable: “For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My freshness has disappeared, as in the summer drought” (v. 4). But then he says: “But I revealed my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You have taken away from me the guilt of my sin” (v. 5).

Psalm 50:3-5, which deals with the same sin of David, contains the words of his prayer: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the abundance of Your compassions blot out my iniquities. Wash me often from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I am aware of my iniquities, and my sin is always before me.”

Then in verses 12-14 he continues, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and strengthen me with the sovereign Spirit.” When David confessed and mourned his sin, God cleansed him. And his mood changed radically.

After David poured out everything before the Lord, he says in Psalm 32:1-2, “Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile!”

Blessed are those who mourn, because only their sins are forgiven. Everyone else in this world lives in endless guilt before God. However, it is necessary to clarify the following: it is not crying in itself that brings bliss, but God gives bliss in response to a person’s tears and contrition. And what kind of consolation does this answer send? Hide sin and you will see how destructive it is. Confess your sin and you will receive the freedom and joy that comes from forgiveness.

David cried alone. He shed tears because he was rejected. He shed tears of disappointment, despondency and powerlessness. He shed tears in defeat. He even shed false tears for his son, trying to earn guilt. But nothing crushed his heart more than the sin he committed. And then God consoled him, and David said, “Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven.”

Blessed are those who mourn. Do you know what worldly people say? - “Throw away your worries and worries and smile, smile, smile!” The Bible says: “Cry, cry, cry.” And to be honest, even this is not enough. “Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you; Cleanse your hands, you sinners; straighten your hearts, you double-minded; lament, weep and weep: let your laughter turn into weeping, and your joy into sadness; Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:8-10).

I can think of no more important message that the modern church needs than to replace laughter with crying. My heart bleeds when I see how various liberties and absurdities are allowed in the name of Christ. No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless he weeps over his sinfulness. You cannot even consider yourself a true Christian until you have a constant feeling of sadness in your life about the sins you have committed.

I can only be happy because I am forgiven. But I cannot rejoice and laugh while sin weighs me down. But even if I am freed from sin, even then I cannot laugh all the time. I know too much to feel frivolously happy. God is ready to execute His eternal judgment. So do we have a reason to laugh?

I am afraid that the modern church generally has the wrong concept of sin. Therefore, many Christians believe that the Christian life is something of a joke, and the church is a place of entertainment and laughter. There are also people who consider themselves to have the right to criticize the church, presenting it in a satirical light. They think commenting on Christianity is a funny thing to do. Recently an advertisement for a book said, “This book proves that God's Word can be fun.”

Do we laugh if something indecent is shown on television? Do we laugh if someone does something evil? Do we laugh if someone tells an ungodly joke? Is all this funny at all? Proverbs 2:14 says that some delight in evil debauchery. 2 Thessalonians warns those who love unrighteousness. We shouldn't do this.

I'm not against different types of entertainment. The Old Testament says very clearly that cheerfulness of the heart is as good as medicine for the body. However, we have lost all sense of proportion. We take this “medicine” at all times! We have completely forgotten about sadness, about grief!

The consciousness of guilt of sin must precede conversion, but it must continue after it. Some Christians spend all their time pursuing happiness. They look for suitable advice, read books on these topics and do not know that in fact they need to mourn their sins. God comforts people, and Jesus speaks of blessedness not so that we can be happy in the superficial sense of the word, but so that we can have a deeper and more lasting peace and a more right relationship with God.

Some Christians deny their sinfulness as the Pharisees did, live by deceiving themselves and try to convince others that they have already achieved perfection. Others admit their spiritual bankruptcy and try to change their lives through their own efforts, saying, “Oh yeah, I have to do that someday. I have to get down to business and get better!” This is moral re-armament. Others admit their sinfulness, but, like Judas, fall into such great despair that they commit suicide.

You can deny everything said above and consider it a lie. You can admit the truth and try to change yourself. You can admit it and plunge into despair. But you can also admit your sinfulness and turn to God for mercy and grace. What did the prodigal son do when he had to eat pig feed? Did he begin to deny these conditions in which he was and reassure himself? "This is good. It’s not so bad to eat such food!” Or did he realize his fall and decided to correct the situation on his own? Or did he give up and drown in this slop?

He made the right decision. He realized his situation and went back to his father, hoping to receive grace and mercy. He cried, confessed his guilt and received forgiveness, comfort and blessing.

Salvation comes as a result of repentance. It comes through tears. God requires this. There are many people in this world who think they are Christians, but they have never come to Christ in a broken spirit, grieving for their sins. But you can only come to Jesus this way. The New Testament says nothing about making a decision to follow Christ or going forward in the church to the pulpit. Nothing is said about signing special cards. All Scripture says is that you are a Christian if there is clear evidence. This is the whole essence. In 2 Corinthians 12:21, the Apostle Paul says that if the Corinthians do not mourn for their sins, then he himself will have to mourn their sins.

God demands repentance. It requires awareness of sinfulness. I'm not talking about self-pity. I mean genuine repentance. If you do not see the difference in this, then repentance is not genuine.

People who read Romans chapter 7 believe that the sin problem that the apostle Paul talks about in this chapter was something he had before he was converted, but after he began to live in righteousness, which he talks about in chapter 8, this the problem never bothered Paul again. However, it is not. Romans 7:15 clearly states, “...I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.” And in verses 17-18 he says: but sin dwelleth in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; because the desire for good is in me, but I don’t find it to do it.” And in verse 20: “…sin dwelling in me.” And again: “So I find a law, that when I want to do good, evil is present to me. For according to the inner man I delight in the law of God; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members” (vv. 21-23).

Righteousness and sin are always fighting each other. “Poor man I am! who will deliver me from this body of death? (v. 24). This was Paul's whole life, and sin was not just a temporary phenomenon. Verse 25 says, “I give thanks to (my) God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Here people can say: “Aha! This is victory! But just because the Apostle Paul knew where to look for victory does not mean that he had already conquered everything. He continued to struggle with sin until he came face to face with Jesus Christ.

The 1st Epistle of the Apostle John provides evidence of a true Christian, and one of them is the following: “If we confess our sins, He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us (our) sins” (1:9). These words actually mean that if we continue to confess our sins, then God continues to forgive us. And being forgiven, we inherit the Kingdom of God, we become children of the Kingdom, sons of God, a sign of which is the constant confession of sins.

Notice that in the verse we are looking at (Matt. 5:4) the word “weeping” also expresses constant action. He who constantly mourns is constantly consoled. Martin Luther, in his 95 Theses, points out that our entire life should remain a continuous act of confession and repentance. David in Psalm 37:5 declares, “For my iniquities have gone beyond my head, like a heavy burden weighed down upon me.” He was aware of the reality of sin throughout his life.

The one thing we don't see in the entire New Testament is Jesus laughing. Surely He had no reason for this. He experienced hunger, anger, thirst, tears. However, the Bible does not say that Jesus laughed. We have lost all sobriety in this regard. We literally immersed ourselves in the fun, pleasure and entertainment created by worldly jokers and comedians. But Jesus was a man of sorrows, knowing what sorrow is. But this is exactly what the reaction to sin should be, for Jesus grieved for the sins of mankind.

“So grief will overcome me,” you ask, “after all, I already regret my sins. What else is needed? I have already said that bliss does not flow from our sorrows. Those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted. And if you don’t cry, then you can’t be consoled. (The Greek text emphasizes that only - autoi - those who cry will be comforted. Yes, only tears bring God's comfort. Only those who cry over their sinfulness can be sure that the loving hand of Jesus Christ will wipe away their tears.)

They will be comforted. But who will console them? Paracletos, i.e. He is the One who can console, namely the Comforter. The Bible says a lot that only God is the true Comforter (Ps. 29:6; 49:15; Isa. 55:6-7; Mic. 7:18-20). God helps us, He supports us, He hears our cry, He meets our needs, He is always with us, He admonishes us, entreats us, encourages us, strengthens us, forgives us, restores us. God always sympathizes with us. This brings us comfort. That's what the Bible says.

Do you know who the Comforter was? The first Comforter was Jesus, but He said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter” (John 14:16). God is the Comforter in everything. Christ became the first Comforter who came down to help us. The work of Christ is now continued by the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God is also a comforter. “But whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through patience and encouragement from the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). Scripture tells us about God's love, His forgiveness, help, presence and encouragement.

The Holy Spirit comforts us, the Scriptures comfort us, and we comfort one another. And when we are comforted, we are truly happy. Bliss comes to those who cry not because they cry, but because their crying leads to consolation. I love what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

A person will not seek consolation until he experiences feelings of depression, right? Until a person feels his sinfulness, but as soon as he feels the full weight of sin on his shoulders, he begins to look for consolation and will find it. God will remove the heavy burden and give man “a good yoke and a light burden.” Keeping God's laws and the commandments of Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit is a light burden compared to the heavy burden of sin that man must bear.

This leads us to the following conclusion: we receive comfort as long as we grieve and confess our sins. And only then can we truly rejoice.

“But how can a person become a mourner?”

First, remove the obstacles that prevent you from recognizing your sinfulness. Remove everything that makes your heart hard, that makes you resist the Holy Spirit, that makes you insensitive. A hard heart cannot cry. It is moving away from grace. God's plow cannot plow the stony soil of the heart.

“What makes my heart hard?”

1. Love of sin.

2. Despair. Do you know what a person talks about in despair? God cannot forgive this! It tries to diminish the power of God and the power of the Blood of Christ. It devalues God's mercy and portrays God as not who He really is. “But they say: “Do not hope, we will live according to our own thoughts and each will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jer. 18:12). In other words: “God cannot do anything to man. We are in a completely hopeless state." The language of despair silences the voice of hope and questions the mercy of God. Listen, friends, don't worry about how bad or evil you are! God is able to have mercy on you and change your life.

3. Vanity. “But I'm not that bad. If you think that I should be sad about my condition, then you simply don’t know me. I'm fine. In fact, I'm a good person." Vanity is a completely reckless doctor who treats a deadly disease as if it were a cold. If Jesus Christ had to shed His blood and die on the cross for you, then you are a pretty bad person. You are a very bad person just like me. And if you are not aware of this, then it makes you even worse, since pride is the most terrible sin.

4. Arrogance. This is cheap grace, the easy way to salvation. “Well, you know I once said that I wanted to accept Jesus into my heart. I came forward to the call and then received water baptism. Why should I worry about anything else now? I will move forward, do what I like, and everything will be fine! I don’t need to confess my sin or be sad about anything.” However, the prophet Isaiah 55:7 says: “Let the wicked forsake his way and turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He is abundant in mercy.” If the wicked does not forsake his way, he cannot expect forgiveness. Don't be overconfident! No cheap grace! No permissiveness!

5. Slowness. “Okay, I'll do it someday. Some day I will think carefully about my sinful situation and try to do something about it.” James 4:14 says, “You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then disappears.” Before putting something off until tomorrow, think about whether it will be “tomorrow” for you. Don't fool yourself. The sooner you begin to treat the disease, the sooner comfort will come, and with it bliss. Don't put it off until later! Otherwise, you may find yourself in an eternity without God.

6. Permissiveness. Some people don't want to approach life realistically. They want to laugh all the time. They view life as one continuous holiday, and while it continues, they don’t want to think about anything. The book of the prophet Amos 6:5-7 talks about similar cases: “You sing to the sound of the harp, thinking that you wield a musical instrument like David, drink wine from cups, anoint yourself with the best ointments and do not worry about Joseph’s disaster! Therefore, now they will go into captivity at the head of the captives, and the rejoicing of the pampered will end.” Do you see? What stupidity! They laughed when there was no reason to laugh. On the contrary, they would need to cry.

Our world is crazy for music and fun, but one of the very first things that will happen during the great tribulation is that God will silence all musical instruments. Do you know about this? Revelation 18:22 says that all music will cease. People must finally face reality. Finally, turn off your radio. This will help you understand what is happening inside yourself. “But how can a person remove all these obstacles?” First, look at the cross of Christ. Understand what Christ has done for you. He died for you. Doesn't that soften your stony heart? And if not, then I don’t know how to help you. Poet Christina Rosetti wrote:

"I am a stone and not a sheep, if I can stand, O Christ,

at Your cross, look,

how the blood flows drop by drop

Yours, without crying? No, not the women who loved You and mourned Your death in grief, not the fallen Peter, crying bitterly; not the sun and moon, which darkened the sky and turned a clear day into darkness.

Me, just me. I still don't give up. But, true Shepherd of the flock, look for Your sheep.

O He who is greater than Moses,

look at me and break the stone of the heart!

If you are hindered by any obstacles, look carefully at the cross and you will see how much you need Jesus Christ.

Second, to begin to cry, you need to study what Scripture says about sin. David says: “I acknowledge my iniquity, I lament my sin” (Ps. 37:19). Read what the prophet Isaiah says: “Woe is me! I'm dead! for I am a man of unclean lips...” (Isa. 6:5). Look at what the prophet Jeremiah says, who cried about sin (chapter 9). Look at what Peter said: “Depart from me, Lord! for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Look at the Apostle Paul, who calls himself the greatest sinner (1 Tim. 1:15).

If you compare yourself with these greatest men of God who ever walked the earth, you will not claim that you are not a sinner. Sin is the trampling of God's law. Sin is despising His love. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit. Sin is the rejection of God's grace. Sin affects us greatly. He makes us naked, he soils us, he steals our robe and our crown. He spoils our glory. He stains our righteousness. He turns us, created in the image of God, into some semblance of animals doomed to destruction.

Also ask God to give you contrition of heart. Only God can give this to you. And He does not refuse those who sincerely ask for it.

“How can a person know if he is crying?”

Very simple. Are you sensitive to sin? Do you laugh when you sin? Are you letting sin go unnoticed? Do you find pleasure in sin? Perhaps your sin is moral, perhaps it is dishonesty, perhaps it is forgetting to pray. Perhaps you forget that you need to think only about good things, or perhaps you are losing love. Are you sorry for your sin?

And if we sincerely regret, we will regret not only our personal sins, but also the sins of the whole world. Do we view the sins of others as the prophet Jeremiah did in 13:17? “If you do not listen to this, then my soul in secret places will mourn your pride,” says the prophet.

Jesus, going up the mountain and seeing Jerusalem, wept over it. He said: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to!” (Matt. 23:37).

Do we cry like this? Does our heart hurt when our Lord's heart hurts? Can we say with David: “For zeal for Your house consumes me, and the evils of those who slander You fall upon me” (Ps. 69:10). Do we sincerely mourn our own sin and the sins of those around us? And if so, then we are truly mourners.

The second sign of the sincerity of our crying is the feeling of God's forgiveness. Do we experience joy in our lives? Do we know what true peace, true happiness, true consolation is that comes as a result of forgiveness and cleansing?

I hope you are weeping because God wants to comfort you. He wants you to be truly happy.

Publishing house of the Slavic Evangelical Society, 1991

Blessed are the ignorant

Yan Podorozhny

There is a lot of sorrow in a lot of knowledge.

During the Israeli-Iraqi crisis, when the former Iraqi boss, Saddam Hussein, threatened to deal a final but terrible blow to the Zionist regime, my old friend Lyosha Eidelman lived in Israel. The country took the threat seriously, fully understanding the uncontrollability of eastern leaders. The Jewish masses carried out intensive work to teach them the skills of how to quickly hide in a bomb shelter in the event of an attack, where, after all, they could “pull their claws” if necessary.

Without even taking white slippers. All services were preparing for a possible strike. The people were given gas masks, which they were required to carry with them at all times. Lyosha’s mother-in-law Anna Borisovna enthusiastically accepted the measures introduced by the government. “You can expect any kind of trouble from these scoundrels,” said Anna Borisovna, without specifying too much who she had in mind. I’ve gotten to know them very well over the time I’ve spent here.”

In any case, the gas mask was firmly attached to the mother-in-law's waist. But one day, during one of the training alarms, when they did not give the all clear command for quite a long time, Aunt Anya almost gave her soul to God. “Lyosha,” she turned to her son-in-law, as the eldest of the men in the house, “some kind of horror is happening!” There is absolutely no way to breathe in this gas mask of theirs. I don’t need any Hussein anymore. With this gas mask, I can completely die, Lyosha. And without any missile on my head.”

Anna Borisovna had the good fortune to be born in sunny Odessa and preserve the specifics of the southern language throughout her life. Of course, life in the capital somewhat spoiled the rich Odessa dialect, but in difficult moments of life, the Black Sea slang clearly made itself felt. “Prevailed,” as the eggheads put it. “They are also smart people,” she continued, again turning to someone unknown, “they found the time to start their war. We need to do laundry, take down the curtains, vacuum everything. It’s scary to see what’s going on in the house! Some kind of nightmare."

The son-in-law's inquisitive thoughts began to work in search of a way out of this situation. In Kyiv, he worked in a photo studio, and according to his stories, he often had to look for a solution in a variety of, simply stalemate, situations. “One day a client comes in with the distinct appearance of a Nile crocodile from the front. In profile, it’s generally unclear who he resembles. And asks to urgently take a photo to meet a beautiful lady. To look no worse than Alain Delon.

You might think that Delon is the most beautiful. But the client wants it, he has problems with his appearance. And he needs to send this photo somewhere by mail. And what do you think? Certainly! I had to try and work. But this “handsome guy” didn’t recognize himself when I slipped the final version of my work under his nose after retouching.

Beatitudes

“Here I am real, as I should be,” an extremely delighted client told me, “but I didn’t know it before.” I didn’t even realize it.” And he gave a couple of rubles on top of the fee.”

Lyosha, a former front-line soldier, dealt with his mother-in-law in a purely army manner. I remember my service in the ranks of the indestructible and legendary. It happened that during exercises or on an easy three-kilometer run along the hills they were forced to wear a gas mask on their face. The feeling is the most disgusting. We understood that this was necessary, but we sincerely felt sorry for ourselves. And they began to quietly unscrew the corrugated tube that went from the mask directly to the gas mask. During the exercises, thank God, they did not use real gas.

Maybe it wasn’t at hand, who knows? So, the officers pulled the receiver from time to time, checking whether it was in place. Then, to deceive the authorities, they began tying her with twine. Lyosha did the same with Anna Borisovna’s gas mask. And he handed it to her during the next howl of sirens. Even under the rubber mask, as he said later, it was noticeable that life was much easier for the mother-in-law.

After lights out, having torn it off her face, she said with feeling: “So this is a completely different matter.

Now I am not afraid of any Hussein with his poison. It became easier to breathe deeply. (Anna Borisovna’s issues with breasts were resolved more than positively from a very young age, according to her). Air appeared inside the body." Lyosha modestly remained silent. His wife Ida also did not disappoint her mother. For what? Blessed are the ignorant. Is not it?

Our neighbor Igor lived with his wife and three descendants. The children were somehow different in appearance and figure, which did not stop dad from loving them dearly. And everything would have been fine, but in 1958, the International Youth Festival broke out in Moscow, which brought together young fighters for world peace from everywhere. Regarding the desperate struggle against the imperialists, the situation was somewhat vague, except for songs in defense of peace and continuous dancing, but love contacts were practiced very widely.

The neighbor’s wife was instantly drawn to the white stone to visit her permanently unhealthy mother. The wife was absent until the end of the event. And then she returned very peaceful, and did not even scold her husband. And soon she gave birth, as they said in Podol, to a small child. Almost according to Alexander Sergeevich: “The queen gave birth in the night, either a son or a daughter.” The child turned out to be strong, moderately noisy and cheerful. With one small difference from the rest of the offspring. Black all over the body.

That’s when dad howled in a bad voice. And he took a closer look at his previous, somewhat different-sized, descendants. And then he sadly complained to his mother that it would be better if he didn’t know anything. “And we would live calmly and amicably,” he lamented out loud, “but so what to do? A very black boy." I don’t remember how the somewhat tragicomic story ended, but I have no doubt: he forgave her. He loved children too much.

Many people remember a magnificent scene from the repertoire of the Arkady Raikin Theater. The hero must be told about some unpleasant incident for him. The hero, played by Arkady Isaakovich, fights such news with his hands and feet. He asks me to tell you without panic, calmly, or better yet, not to tell anything at all. A faithful Leninist and fighter for the final introduction of communism in our country, comrade. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev categorically could not stand negative news.

His entourage, having studied the boss’s needs for “truthful” information, weaved such tales about the existing state of affairs in the country that at times they themselves blushed with shame. But for the good of the country! And here’s what you can’t do. The Secretary General himself looked at the world with a clear gaze, without feeling any negative emotions. Everyone knows what this led to. But the author, to be honest, doesn’t know whether it’s necessary to tell everything about the bad.

When I was a taxi driver I had to receive a lot of negativity. Starting from leaving the line and ending with entering the park. You go to work, and the thought in your head: your partner left a working car, or, as usual? Have you received a report from the traffic police or from control services? Or maybe the crown of trouble is a complaint from a passenger to a central newspaper with the ensuing consequences. Therefore, some of our drivers worked only at night, in order to be less likely to come face to face with their immediate superiors.

And when the meeting with the boss promised cloudless skies? The head of our column No. 5, N.N. Kosar, once said in a moment of relaxation to his colleagues. “If I see my driver, just for prevention, I’ll give him an enema with a couple of buckets of water with gramophone needles. To honor and not relax for a long time. And the attitude is somewhat different after such an act.

I feel it myself." Colleagues, also bosses, nodded their heads in agreement. And inevitably I had to literally sneak around the car park to avoid meeting with my managers. An old soldier's wisdom says: “Stay away from your superiors and close to the kitchen, and the service will fly by unnoticed.” And it’s hard to argue with this truth.

It’s hard to imagine without shuddering how much joy buyers of Chinese dairy products experienced. Both in the Middle Kingdom and neighboring countries. Dairy delicacies have leaked even into old Europe. A chemical additive from the music lover, whom Chinese hard rock fans immediately dubbed the music lover, added some flavor to the product.

Blissfully unaware of the presence of petroleum components, consumers clicked their tongues in admiration as they tasted the bounty of Chinese industry. Thunder struck, as always, out of place. Babies began to get sick, several babies died. And then everyone began to stir. We remembered low-quality Chinese pants and electronics, along with throwaway sneakers and faded T-shirts. The world began to free itself from any type of food from China that contained dairy additives.

"Meloman on the March"! - shouted the most fearful and dissatisfied, “drive him away!” “We won’t allow melomen to reach our beloved walls,” others rhymed, and they were undoubtedly right. What if they didn't know? What then? They would continue to absorb in immeasurable quantities. And the body would get better. What's better or worse?

A friend of mine who worked as a trainer went to Siberia to earn money, which was fashionable in the seventies. They were building something, drilling, digging up. The work was grueling, they started at sunrise and worked in pitch darkness. Facilities were located in the fresh air; only a few shaved, and even those, mostly, by touch. Dima, as I will call my friend who passed away, served two terms in a row. Almost six months.

He grew a sparse red goatee on his head. However, this was not what struck him when he returned to Kyiv. “Imagine,” said the former worker, “I looked at myself in the mirror and measured myself. The ears are so overgrown with hair that they look like bears or wolves. That’s why I’ve noticed in recent weeks that I walk around in December without a hat, but they don’t get cold at all.

And how cold is it there!? And none of his assholes warned him,” he added angrily, “and on the plane with these ears he showed off in front of the flight attendant.” And she kept coming to look at me with interest. I thought she liked me. I laughed even more with joy.”

The author in no way intends to read morals, advise something, or please anyone. We are the masters of our destinies. To some extent, of course. The only advice I can give is: don’t be too curious about everything. A long nose suited only Pinocchio, and even he got into trouble about it from time to time.

The people who wrote the Bible knew a lot about life. I have no doubt that any of you will give dozens and hundreds of examples when they experienced unpleasant moments after learning some details of their existence. Hence the conclusion: “Blessed indeed are the ignorant.”

Yan Podorozhny. 01.11.08.

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That's right, Ian. I like it. And this story is about Chernobyl. I remembered - “the less you know, the better you sleep.” This is about Chernobyl, that’s what the authorities decided. Sincerely,

Vladimir Kozhin 3 03/21/2017 17:17 • Report violation

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It’s nice to talk to someone who understands you, Volodya. Unfortunately, these are mostly in the minority. But let’s not be discouraged... Everything will come to its senses... If you’re lucky...)

Yan Podorozhny 03/23/2017 23:10 Report violation

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The Nine Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes: Interpretation, Meaning and Meaning

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who desire bliss, that is, to be extremely happy and pleasing to God, must be poor in spirit (humble, aware of their imperfection and unworthiness before God and never thinking that they are better or holier than others).

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

The crying spoken of here is, first of all, true sorrow of the heart and tears of repentance for sins committed. Both sorrow and tears caused by the misfortunes that befall us can be spiritually beneficial. If only these tears and sorrow are imbued with faith, hope, patience and devotion to the will of God.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Those who desire bliss must be meek. The meek are those people who try never to irritate or be irritated by anything. These are gentle people who are patient with each other and do not murmur against God. The meek shall inherit the earth, i.e. Kingdom of heaven.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who, like food and drink for the body, desire salvation for the soul - justification through faith in Jesus Christ, and they will receive the justification and salvation they desire. By saturation here we mean spiritual saturation, consisting in inner, spiritual peace, peace of conscience, justification and pardon. Saturation in earthly life occurs only partially.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

The merciful are those who do merciful deeds and know true compassion for their neighbor. The Lord promises the merciful as a reward that they themselves will be pardoned at the future Judgment of Christ.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Candor or sincerity, according to which a person does not hypocritically show good dispositions without having them in his heart, but shows good dispositions of the heart in good deeds, is only the lowest degree of purity of heart. The highest degree of purity of the heart is achieved by the constant and unrelenting feat of vigilance over oneself, expelling from one’s heart every unlawful desire and thought and every attachment to earthly objects and constantly preserving in the heart the remembrance of God and the Lord Jesus Christ with faith and love for Him. The pure in heart will see God, i.e. will receive the highest degree of Eternal Bliss.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Peacemakers are people who live with everyone in peace and harmony, forgive everyone’s offenses and try, if possible, to reconcile others who quarrel with each other, and if impossible, pray to God for their reconciliation. Peacemakers are promised the gracious name of the sons of God, since by their deed they imitate the Only Begotten Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile sinners with the justice of God.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who desire blessedness must be ready to endure persecution for the sake of righteousness. This commandment requires the following qualities: love of truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience. Persecution is inevitable for Christians who live according to the truth of the Gospel because evil people hate the truth. Jesus Christ Himself was crucified on the cross by haters of God's righteousness, and He predicted to His followers: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also...” (John 15:20).

9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.

According to this commandment, Jesus Christ promises those who are ready to endure all kinds of reproach, disasters, even death itself for the name of Christ - a great reward in Heaven - a preferential and high degree of bliss.

General information about the commandments of the Old and New Testaments. Explaining the Beatitudes...

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All prayers...

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“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29)

Among the testimonies about the Resurrection of Christ there is a testimony about the appearance of the Savior to the Holy Apostle Thomas. In the Gospel of John the Theologian we find the following: on the first day of the week, that is, Sunday, in the evening, through the closed doors, the Lord enters the Zion Upper Room and stands among the apostles with the words: “Peace be with you.” Further, Christ convinces the disciples of His Resurrection by showing them the wounds on His hands, feet and ribs. Among the apostles there was no Thomas, who came later and already learned from his friends about the joyful news of the Resurrection. But, as the Evangelist John tells us, Thomas did not believe the apostles: “...unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (Jn. 20;25).

A week later, everything is repeated: the same upper room, closed in fear for the sake of the Jewish door, but Thomas is present along with everyone else. Jesus, having passed through the walls, after the traditional greeting “Peace be with you,” says to the incredulous disciple: “Put your finger here and see My hands; give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer. Thomas answered Him: My Lord and My God! Jesus says to him: You believed because you saw Me; Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20; 27-29).

What does this gospel event tell us? First of all, about the growth of faith in Thomas. The apostle moves from the desire to directly see and touch to the direct confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and God! But this is not enough, and the Teacher leads his student further. He informs him of blessed faith, which does not come from vision, but from the knowledge of God within man himself. Until now, Thomas did not have this blessed faith. He wanted to witness the miracle of the Resurrection with his own eyes and touch it with his own hands. In the spirit of critical realism - to understand with reason, to state a fact. But such faith does not change anything inside the person himself; we know that “demons believe and tremble” (James 2:19). Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, comments on the Gospel reading we are examining: “The Lord does not approve of the search for obvious, certifying signs in believers, but ascribes special dignity to faith, which does not require them.” In this case, we are talking to you about faith that sanctifies, transforms and saves the human soul, which does not depend on the delight of bodily feelings. “There is no benefit in seeing the Lord with bodily eyes when the mind is blind, when faith - this power of spiritual vision - does not work. On the contrary, when faith acts, the Heavens are opened, the Son becomes visible at the right hand of the Father, existing everywhere according to Divinity and fulfilling everything, ineffable” (St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)).

Truly “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Lord promises bliss to those who believe without seeing. The blessed faith of Christ is a faith based not on looking, touching, smelling and discussing, it is a state of inner unity with God, unity of love. The Apostle Paul teaches: “No one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). The Holy Spirit in an invisible way, according to the law of similarity, unites with the human spirit and confirms it in Christian life. “The Kingdom of God is within us” (Luke 17:21). “And it will not come visibly” (Luke 17:20). Therefore, “he who believes in the Son of God has testimony in himself” (1 John 5:10).

The chief apostle of the Gentiles states: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). We are confident in the invisible God who works in the heart of man. “God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Therefore, faith is, first of all, a spiritual concept. As Emmanuel Kant would say, immanent, or transcendental, that is, going beyond the framework of human scholasticism. In fact, faith cannot be defined, just as it is impossible to set limits to the concepts of love, humility and mercy, since they are irrational. Faith is a way of life, a mentality of the soul, something that forms a way of thinking, an attitude towards the world around us and oneself. Faith can only be proven indirectly, by how it manifests itself in the world of things. The most convincing evidence of the truth of faith is a person’s change towards fulfilling Christian commandments. From church history we know how faith transformed simple fishermen into spirit-bearing preachers, and then into courageous confessors, made great saints out of harlots, and Christian martyrs out of sorcerers. Such an amazing metamorphosis is explained by an internal change in the human soul, when a Christian agrees to sacrifice earthly well-being, health and life for the sake of love for Jesus Christ. Our martyrologies are full of similar examples. They present the lamps of the Christian faith, embodying its ideals with maximum completeness. Christian martyrs demonstrated the spiritual essence of faith in this world. They cashed it in earthly life, reflected the noumenon in the phenomenon.

God, who can divide the sea and stop the sun, is looking for a human heart broken by repentance and sealed with faith, and not a spectacular and temporary change in the “order of nature.” During numerous healings, our Lord Jesus Christ most of all expected a manifestation of faith from a person and, without the presence of this faith, often did not perform any action or aroused faith by a miracle of healing, pointing to Himself as the true Messiah. The goal of Divine “altruism” was the human soul. Ultimately, all those healed and resurrected fell ill again after some time, and then died, which is why the miracle was more missionary in nature than philanthropic. The main “point of application” in our question is faith - the decisive factor in the collaboration of the soul with God, not outside observation of the Divine action, but living, direct participation in it. From here it is clear that not a single saving action can be performed on the soul in a magical and miraculous way. Only the rational and free movement of the believing human heart is perceived by God.

What surprises and amazes us when reading the Gospel? The abundance of benefits performed by Christ to the Jewish people and at the same time the incredible cruelty and malice of the Jews towards their Benefactor. Even among the apostles, direct witnesses of Divine miracles, there was a traitor. Literally, only a few have risen in mind above the earthly desire to receive only “bread and circuses” from the long-awaited Messiah. We know from the Old Testament church history how many miracles the prophet Moses performed by the power of the Lord, but the Jewish people remained stiff-necked Israel, who did not know God. Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes about the life of the Old Testament Lawgiver: “God cannot be known with bodily feelings, as well as through ordinary reflection. Only when a person clears his mind of all ideas based only on sensory perception, moves away from the usual connection with his cohabitant, that is, with sensuality, which in a certain sense combines and cohabits with our nature, and when he frees himself from it, then, finally, he dares to approach Mount Sinai.”

The Monk Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain in the famous “Invisible Warfare” writes about sensory faith: “When humanity with its mind fell from the spiritual world into the sensory world, then external feelings began to play a paramount role in its life, guided by the achievement of the perverted goal that it had set for itself. damaged nature that has changed the direction of its activities. Instead of bliss inside, born from communication with God, the human soul, deceived, began to seek bliss outside, through the senses, enjoying the sensations that they could give it. Having become carried away by the sensual and giving freedom to her feelings, she thereby killed herself, letting death into her house through her windows (Jer. 9:21), that is, through feelings, which, according to the definition of the fathers, are the windows of the soul” (Ch. 21, p. .85). Death settled in the soul following sin, which in turn was sown on the soil of lusts formed as a result of disorderly and immeasurable satisfaction of sensual desires, born from feelings and sensual sensations. Thus, the vanity of sensory impressions is the root cause of sin and a characteristic property of the fallen nature of man. The heavenly harp of the Holy Spirit, the psalmist David, turning to God, says the following words: “Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity” (Ps. 119:37). The Holy Fathers paid great attention to the temptation that comes from vision, since physiologically the eyes are an extension of the brain, and visual impressions are much more dangerous than other bodily senses. “In patristic language, examining exclusively visible objects is called unnatural, unnatural contemplation due to the fact that the mind is outside its nature,” we read from St. Isaac the Syrian in “Words of the Ascetic.” “It is called naked knowledge, because any concern for the Divine, and due to the predominance of the body, brings unreasonable powerlessness into the mind, and all its concern is completely about this only world” (Sk. 26, p. 125). Priest Vadim Korzhevsky in the book “Propaedeutics of Asceticism” (Compendium on Orthodox Patristic Psychology), commenting on the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son, writes about the sensual powers of the fallen soul: “Here the mind, like the prodigal son, leaves its Father - God, comes as if from home , from his nature, and, having squandered his mental wealth in the world of matter, begins to herd pigs, an unreasonable movement of the lower forces of the soul, feeding on the same thing as they do - sensual pleasures.”

All the bliss of the Christian faith is given only to those whose heart responds to the call of the divine Logos. Neither miraculous phenomena, nor vivid impressions from seeing some mysterious events can give the power that is bestowed by the Incarnate Word Himself, who descended from heaven, changing the internal state of a person. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). About those of little faith who want to believe only with their eyes, St. Ignatius says: “Those who believed because of signs constituted the lowest category of believers in Christ. When they were offered the spiritual, most sublime, all-holy teaching, then many of them interpreted it according to their own concepts, did not want to ask God for an explanation of God’s word, condemned the word, which was Spirit and life, thereby exposing their superficial faith, their superficial heartfelt deposit, and many of His disciples, who saw many signs, turned back and walked with Him no more.”

The bodily feelings of a fallen person, distorted by sin, have a subordinate meaning in relation to the word, which directly affects the spirit, or mind, of a person. Therefore, miracles have an indirect meaning to the extent that they lead to the Word - Jesus Christ. In the Gospel parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the Old Testament patriarch of all believers Abraham, when asked about the miraculous resurrection of the righteous man, answers the unfortunate money-lover: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then if someone were raised from the dead, they will not believe it” (Luke 16:31) . Even a person who comes from the other world cannot confirm his faith more than the Word of God can do. If there is Holy Scripture, then no more miracles are required; the Word itself finds a place for itself in the soul submitting to grace. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

St. Cassian the Roman states: “Miracles, while causing surprise, contribute little to Christian life.” How sad it is that these evangelical patristic instructions about acquiring the true blessed faith of Christ are overshadowed by the philistine pursuit of spectacular miracles. Saint Gregory Palamas in his famous “Triads” writes that “the spirit creates its own form.” The spirit of self-delusion will find a form for self-realization through miracles. An old man, greedy for vivid impressions, for the sensations that fill our earthly world, will look for miracles, without thinking about who is in front of him: a sorcerer, a psychic or a priest. Only the object of delight changes, but not the person himself. The eternally confused, doubtful, stormy and rebellious soul seeks and even demands miracles. That is why the flow of fallen humanity to the miracles and wonderworkers of this world does not dry out. The main thing is to get an impression, to insert this event into the running line of world sensations and everyday events. Constantly being in the very thick, the abyss of the information sea billowing with a storm of impressions, a person does not have the opportunity to come to his senses in order to check his life course with the teachings of the Church and the Holy Fathers. A squall wind carries the life ship of such a person onto the boiling foam reefs, as if to certain death. There is no place for thoughts of God here, like a quiet haven of the promised land; on the contrary, everything happens quickly, violently, expressively: the search for sensual delight does not leave a second for stopping and reflection.

The collector of patristic tradition, God-bearing Ignatius, teaches and instructs us to distinguish true faith from false: “Knowledge of God, living faith, gracious humility, pure prayer are accessories of the spiritual mind; they are its constituent parts. So, on the contrary, ignorance of God, unbelief, blindness of the spirit, pride, arrogance and conceit are accessories of carnal wisdom. It, not knowing God, not accepting and not understanding the means offered by God for obtaining the knowledge of God, constitutes for itself an erroneous, soul-destroying way to acquire the knowledge of God, in accordance with its mood: it asks for a sign from heaven.” When the Pharisees and Sadducees, co-questioners of this age, tempting the Savior, asked to show a sign from heaven, they received a laconic answer: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 16:4). The Lord left them and stepped aside.

Only an unbeliever needs visible proof of the existence of God: “A sign is not for those who believe, but for those who do not believe” (1 Cor. 14:22). Sensual manifestations of the other world always occurred for some kind of spiritual resuscitation, with the goal of somehow “melting” a heart petrified by insensibility. They were always aimed at non-believers, at those for whom they would have a sobering effect. The miracle was offered directly to the pagans, as “liquid food” to “swallow medicine,” but then a word certainly followed, which was supposed to enlighten the mind and heart of a person. Only “the revival of the soul by the word of God produces living faith in Christ. Living faith seems to see Christ (Heb. 11:27). She no longer needs signs, being completely satisfied with the signs of Christ and the greatest of His signs, the crown of signs, His word” (St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)).

The miracles themselves have only the effect of delight, the effect of sensory experiences. Well, what are the fallen feelings of a fallen man? This is a sea wave that hits the sand noisily, leaving only foam on it. After such effects and sensations, a person does not change. A short period of time passes and all impressions are forgotten; the new ones eclipse the old ones, and everything returns to normal. Saint Ignatius in his sermon “On Signs and Wonders” says: “Those who leave the word, who seek conviction from miracles, are worthy of regret. This need reveals a special predominance of carnal wisdom, gross ignorance, a life sacrificed to corruption and sin, lack of exercise in the study of the Law of God and in God-loving virtues, the inability of the soul to sympathize with the Holy Spirit, to feel His presence and action in the word.”

A remarkable story took place ten years ago in Klin, near Moscow. All the icons and photographs in Valentina Zhuchkova’s apartment were filled with myrrh. Moreover, those icons that ended up there also began to stream myrrh. The flow of pilgrims with icons did not stop day or night. According to the owner of the house, she had to receive up to 500 people a day. The question arises: how many people who came into contact with the miracle came to church? Of the thousand witnesses to the unusual event, only one came to the Klin temple. This is the “missionary catch”. The clergy of the Moscow region reacted very cautiously to the local sensation, guided by the ancient formula: do not blaspheme and do not accept. In other words, there is no need to invent something that you do not know with complete certainty. So, we cannot say with certainty why the icons stream myrrh? But with all obviousness we can say: we need to fulfill the commandments of God, which do not say anything about pilgrimage in search of miracles. (By the way, we note that usually around such shocking phenomena a spiritually unhealthy atmosphere of enthusiastic euphoria is formed, accompanied by a feeling of some kind of chosenness by God, and, as a result, opposition to the hierarchy of the Church. A kind of local separatism. A person really wants to bathe in the rays of wonderful glory. This this case was no exception).

In our time, a huge number of people gather around various mysterious and inexplicable phenomena, looking for solutions to earthly problems. Someone wants to receive healing, someone wants material well-being or to restore family relationships... A person without hesitation thinks that he will miraculously receive everything. There is no living faith in God, no love and obedience to His good Providence, there is not even shame for one’s requests. There is consumerism and a commercial attitude towards the Creator, trading with God regarding earthly goods. Demand gives rise to supply, and the situation around miracles looks like some kind of business project for the sale of religious services to the population, where sometimes shrines act as applied material. The further path of spiritual populism will develop according to the laws of American management: advertising, technical means (lighting, sound design, etc.), in other words, well-established technology, worked out to the smallest detail. Believers cannot participate in such PR campaigns, since this is a return to the times of pagan magic and spiritual ignorance. Such unhealthy shocking behavior does not fit in with our Orthodox faith. This is a road to nowhere.

The Monk Macarius the Great outlined the goal of Christian life as the fight against passions, and the Church has all the necessary means to achieve it. The Church is the ark of salvation for the human soul, which is in unpaid debt to God for its countless sins. The Lord came to this earth not to show miracles, but in order to transform our soul, to restore the fallen image, and created His Church for this.

The greatest miracle that occurs in this world every day is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. This is what God left us as a guarantee of the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, the search for visible miracles is a humiliation of the saving sacraments of the Holy Church, which, unfortunately, no longer inspire the modern man in the street. Well, what else are you looking for, crazy man, what's your hurry? God Himself offers Himself in the Church Table. The greatest miracle is what happens to a believing soul after being united in Holy Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. Is this really not enough? True, this requires spiritual work, special effort in cultivating your heart. It is necessary to bring repentance, and then the fruits of repentance, that is, a change in the way of thinking and lifestyle. Fulfilling God's commandments requires effort: the work of abstinence, prayer and fasting, forcing oneself to do every good deed. Prayer connects the mind with God and lifts the soul to Heaven itself. The Monk Isaac the Syrian, in response to a student’s remark that he sees angels, replied: “It is better for you to see your sins like the sand of the sea.” Neither the sight of angels nor other heavenly powers is of use to a believer. The main criterion for the usefulness of mysterious phenomena has always been considered the revelation of human sins. From church tradition we know many examples when ascetics were tempted by the devil through a luminous cross, fragrant icons, the Jesus Prayer, and even the appearance of “Christ.” And this “is not surprising; because Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). The Holy Apostle John the Theologian warns: “Beloved! Believe not every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).

One of the signs of the last times will be the increase of lawlessness (Matt. 24:12). Multiplication, an arithmetic operation that increases the value of two numbers many times over, involves a change in signs if the signs are different. So, if cunning is mixed with a good beginning, then the result increases many times, but with a negative sign. We can add to this the multiplication of this event through the media, as through a kind of megaphone, increasing the result even more. Therefore, if some seemingly good event is multiplied by vanity and philistine interest, the result will be sharply negative. The wise King Solomon writes in Proverbs: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (16:19). The Monk Mark the Ascetic says: “Those who have not considered themselves debtors to every commandment of Christ, honor the law of God bodily, not understanding either what they say or what they are based on, and therefore think of fulfilling it by deeds.” All good deeds that have not been tested by faith are, in the words of St. Augustine, “brilliant vices.”

You need to know how the holy fathers treated the popularization of the miraculous phenomena that happened to them. Here is one example of patristic tradition. In the 4th century, there lived in Egypt a holy elder who had a special gift of miracles and, because of it, great fame among people. He soon noticed that pride began to take hold of him and that he was unable to overcome it through his own efforts. The elder resorted to God with the warmest prayers so that he would be allowed to become possessed for the sake of humility. God fulfilled the humble requests of His servant and allowed Satan to enter into him. The elder was subjected to all the attacks of the madman for 5 months; they were forced to put chains on him; the people, who flocked to him in large numbers, glorifying him as a great saint, left him, declaring that he had lost his mind, and the old man, having got rid of human glory and the pride arising in him about this glory, thanked God, who had saved him from destruction.

How does the behavior of an old man differ from the desire for popularity, fame and ultimately money that drives the modern world. Christians have always fled from such fame and popularity and have never cultivated their virtues.

Saint Ignatius warns us: “The desire found in modern Christian society to see miracles and even to perform miracles should not be ignored. This aspiration needs careful consideration. The desire to perform miracles is greatly condemned by the holy fathers: such a desire reveals the self-delusion that lives in the soul and has taken possession of the soul, based on conceit and vanity.” How mad are those who tempt the Lord God with the hope of a miracle: they put lilies under the glass of an icon, waiting for the manifestation of heavenly oil on the holy faces... St. Isaac the Syrian declared the Orthodox teaching about salvation: “Every good deed is in vain if it does not give rise to humility.” Even the most seemingly good deed, if it does not lead to the sight of sins, gives rise to pride. What kind of humility can we talk about if a person desires miraculous glory with all his might?

How accurately and correctly Saint Ignatius outlined the current problem of searching for and striving for miraculous phenomena: “Whoever dares and prays to God to do something unusual, without being forced to do so by necessity, who wants miracles and signs to be performed by his hands, is tempted in his mind by the devil mocking him turns out to be vain and ailing in his conscience.” And further with a prophetic meaning: “People, intoxicated by conceit, arrogance, and ignorance, strive indiscriminately, recklessly, boldly towards everything miraculous, and do not refuse to be participants in the performance of miracles. They decide to do this without thinking at all. This direction is more dangerous than ever. We are gradually approaching the time in which the disgrace of numerous and astounding false miracles should be revealed, dragging into destruction those unfortunate children of carnal wisdom who will be seduced and deceived by these miracles" (St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) "On Wonders and Signs").

In the list of eschatological signs of the end of the age there is also the following definition: “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24). These signs from false prophets will be like God’s permission due to non-acceptance of “true love, for which they will believe lies” (2 Thess. 2:9-11). The invaluable preacher of the patristic faith, Saint Ignatius, states: “Ignorance and carnal wisdom, having seen these miracles, will not stop at all for reflection: they will immediately accept them according to the nature of their spirit with their spirit, out of their blindness, they recognize and confess the actions of Satan as the greatest manifestation of the power of God. A terrible disaster is the lack of true knowledge of God in man; it mistakes the works of the devil for the works of God.”

One must think that philistine miracles, such as Copperfield performed by hiding the Statue of Liberty or stopping Big Ben, will not be used to seduce the chosen ones. In order to deceive the elect, false prophets will perform miracles, most likely concerning church life: they will renew domes, reveal old icons, etc.

According to the teachings of the holy fathers, in particular such a great ascetic of piety as St. Ignatius of the Caucasus, we know that “miracles ceased their messianic significance when faith was implanted everywhere.” For the pagans, miracles played a pedagogical role as preparation for preaching, and then they ceased their effect. Therefore, the pursuit of various mystical phenomena is a step in times of pagan ignorance. “When the word was planted: then the signs were taken away, as those who had completed their ministry, they ceased to act on a large scale and everywhere: they were performed rarely by the chosen saints of God. John Chrysostom, the father-descriptor of the 4th-5th centuries, says that in his time the giving of signs had already ceased to operate, although there were still men in places, especially among monks, who carried the sign. Over time, the standard-bearing men were constantly diminished. About the last times, the holy fathers predicted that then there would be no standard-bearing men.” Saint John the Golden Mouth of Constantinople continues: “Why is the grace of miracles now taken away and taken from men? God does this without subjecting us to dishonor, but even giving us great honor. How? I will explain: the people of those times were less intelligent, like those who had just been abstracted from idols, their minds were thick and dull, they were immersed in the material and devoted to it, they could not imagine the existence of immaterial gifts, they knew less the meaning of spiritual grace, that everything is acceptable by faith alone: for this reason there were signs.”

The holy ascetic of the first centuries of Christianity, Abba Iskhirion, when asked about what feats Christians could perform after the spirit-bearing fathers, answered: “After us, there will no longer be even half of the work that we did. However, at the end of time, they will not be able to do this either. Temptation will come upon them, and those who prove worthy in this temptation, and who maintain the faith, will be higher than us and our fathers.” Such times are undoubtedly approaching, and perhaps have already arrived. Spiritual life has become impoverished under the onslaught of incredible temptations coming from this world. External activities, implicated in human pride, have completely replaced the content and purpose of Christian life. Against the backdrop of spiritual unrest, all sorts of confusion and vacillation, miracles and signs will play an important role. That is why we should be very careful about everything that this world offers us, even if it is a very good offer. So that we will not be tempted by the coming of the one who “...according to the working of Satan, will be with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception of those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for their salvation. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, so that they will believe a lie, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but loved unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:9-12). May the Lord help us to find the love of truth for our salvation, true knowledge of God and living faith, which the Holy Apostle Thomas found after the words of the Risen Savior: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Amen.

Easter 2012