Gospel event
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The Lord touched on issues of faith more than once in various sermons. The biblical events associated with them concern faith. Even when speaking about the end times, Jesus said: “Shall I find faith on earth?” Thus, faith is given great importance, because in the time of Christ it literally worked miracles.
Various holy fathers interpreted the phrase “According to your faith, be it done to you” in the same way. The study of the verse was carried out by John Chrysostom, Theophylact of Bulgaria, and Euthymius Zigaben. It is known that after Christ’s phrase about faith, the blind received their sight. They began to see, although previously they could not see the light from birth. However, the event has not only a direct, but also an allegorical meaning. How often do people dream of seeing the light, of feeling hidden events. However, spiritual insight is not characteristic of everyone - only those who truly believe are able to gain insight, if God so desires, but this requires special work, service and holiness. However, the Lord does not abandon those who believe and gives them tips on what to do and what to do in order to make the right decision.
By healing those born blind, the Lord showed that faith opens not only the physical, but also the spiritual eyes of a person. While he lives only by his passions and thoughts, he does not see much, even despite the so-called everyday intuition, animal instinct. Matrona of Moscow was blind from birth, but she saw a lot with her spiritual eyes thanks to her strong and unshakable faith. And as long as faith in us is really small, we become like blind people who do not see anything from birth.
Faith is not cultivated, but revealed, like a feeling. It’s enough to just believe, no matter how skeptical others are about it.
“According to your faith be it done to you”
“Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord, Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21)
Much is now said and written about the complexities, deceit and dangers that await us in the modern world, “a world that has gone mad,” rushing towards disaster. More and more signs indicate that the scenes of the last act of a historical performance in the “theater of the absurd” are being played out before our eyes. And we are destined to live in this twisted evil world, where hopes are lost and illusions are scattered, in the place of which “nothing” grows, an “abyss” opens with its overwhelming fear. At least somehow, but to live and not lose your human appearance - to “endure” what is destined to happen.
Against the background of the implementation of the liquidation of the remnants of the Divine order planned by the Gnostic priests and “rulers of this world” and the introduction of the total subordination of humanity to satanic forces with their comprehensive digital control (for the purpose of our supposed “security” and “enforcement of peace”), more and more people understand or intuitively They feel that all they can do is either die or run away from the “benefactors” and their “smart cities.” This is where it begins to dawn on even those who are not very smart what was meant by the elders’ insistent advice to leave large cities (Babylon) for the countryside and create “communities” there. Unite and live on earth, if you want, “be saved.”
What does it mean to be “saved”? This word has a double meaning. So, in the earthly/temporal understanding, “to be saved” means to escape from unfreedom, to hide from the yoke of enslavers, and simply to survive. This word has a different meaning in the heavenly/eternal interpretation. Let's talk about it. Over the past few years, the call to “be saved” has been heard more and more often and louder. At the same time, as I see it, neither those who call for “salvation” from the pulpits of churches, nor those who listen to them, understand in all its fullness and depth what this is (in the sense of “how?”). Yes, and he listens superficially, without thinking about the essence, and therefore fulfills the instructions formally, even if sometimes fanatically.
So what is “salvation” and how to be “saved”? It so happens that the majority understands this in a vulgar, if not primitive way. They separate their behavior in the church fence from their actions in the world and do not think for a moment about how their life relates to fulfilling the will of the Creator; where is humility, and where is lukewarmness, etc. At the same time, of course, the majority will mutter memorized axioms: there is no salvation outside the Church, people come to God the Father only through the Son, without keeping the commandments one cannot be saved, drunkards and fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and the like. But now this is not enough. The first thing required today is courage. Because, echoing Christ, I want to shout: “Why are you so fearful, you of little faith?”
The goal of “salvation” (of the soul, of course) is understood by many simply: to avoid the torment of hell and inherit eternal life - “to go to Heaven.” Thus, people do not even think that Paradise was once on Earth, and in the other world there is the Kingdom of Heaven, in which there are “many mansions.” And who will take what place there if he is “saved” is not for us to decide...
Once, while visiting good people, but naive believers, the conversation from the troubles and problems of Russia today, church affairs and our attitude towards all this gradually turned to the question of “salvation”. For the majority of those present, this question did not seem somehow complicated and the answers to it were unambiguous, consisting mainly of familiar cliches and a set of rules prescribed by church teaching. Everything is in black and white. But life taking place in the “visible” world is multicolored, and also with shades. Few people think about what “love”, “sin”, “repentance”, “history” are, why we exist at all. Or they get away with famous quotes from the holy fathers.
Therefore, I had to share my thoughts on these topics. I started with the undeniable: it is necessary to go to churches, confess and receive communion, receiving through the sacrament “healing of soul and body” through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Because without acquiring grace, salvation is impossible. Definitely! But is it enough to just follow the prescribed form in our time? I’m not sure, even if we add “mercy”, “good deeds” and “humility”. In addition, we must take into account what was once said by one spirit seer: in the last times people will be saved by sorrows and illnesses. (That is, we must understand this in such a way that they will be saved by their attitude towards the diseases they send: passive or active, by murmuring against God or by giving thanks for everything.)
On the one hand, it is known that the Lord seems to want “everyone to be saved.” But there is a subtlety here: who is this “everyone”? Everyone in general or “our own” – written down in the “book of life” and a priori having such an opportunity/potential that we must try, having loved God with all our hearts and all our minds, to realize/actualize during this life?
Even believers who know almost all the prayers and quote passages of Holy Scripture by heart are sometimes stunned by a fundamental and seemingly simple question: what is all this for, this whole world, all this “vanity of vanities”? Even priests don’t particularly like to answer it because the harsh truth is revealed. True, the essence of which is very simple: our entire world and humanity in it exist only so that, through appropriate selection and passing tests, the “number of fallen angels” is replenished in Heaven. Until this happens, “the earth will continue to spin,” and God’s Providence will be carried out, and the Body of Christ - His Church will be formed (both in heavenly and in worldly - militant - parts of it). This is the meaning of History. What the philosopher L.P. wrote beautifully about. Karsavin in the book “Philosophy of History”: “Completely within the scope of our general premises, we put forward the central significance of the personality of Jesus Christ and understand the historical process as the development of Christ’s Church.”
There is nothing random in this world! And in God’s Providence, everyone is assigned their own role/mission (the cross according to their strength, refusal of which is a grave sin!), everyone is given some kind of gift from Above in order to fulfill what is intended for them. Therefore, each person is valuable to the Creator in his own way, so everyone should not bury their talent, but multiply it! But using the “gift” for other purposes is not encouraged. For this liberty they can give you a hard slap on the wrist - and that’s just for starters! You need to try to “play the role” to the end, beautifully and not fake it. And you need to understand that the role is written only in general terms, so improvisation is required. And this task is not easy. This requires courage and patience, you need to be a “doer” and even a skilled “player,” and not just a “contemplator,” much less a “dreamer”; those who loved God above all else, “co-workers” in the field of the Lord, and not “relaxed” people waiting for miracles. And what is this love based on, other than admiring the beauty of the Truth, the feeling of enveloping Goodness and peace? On joyful submission to His Will, which is possible only with absolute trust in Him: rely on God in everything, and He will manage everything! And in moments of doubt, let your prayer never cease: for not as I want, but as You want!
By the way, we do not doubt that the Lord is all-merciful and, contrary to common expressions like “The Lord punished,” does not punish anyone. But there are objective and immutable laws of the spiritual world that regulate our existence and react harshly to their violation, hence the “punishment”. These are peculiar “rules of the game” that apply regardless of whether we understand it. Unfortunately, our mentors treat us like “children,” and we have to gain knowledge of these laws empirically, through learning. But it doesn’t “reach” everyone and not the first time. And some people step on the same “rake” until the end of their days.
In submission to the Truth there is no place for fear and doubt, there is no diminishment of a person’s “free will”, but there is liberation from excessive worries about the worldly, from slavery to sin; there is that desire for Light that can turn a “slave” into a “son.” And in this there is the triumph of Truth!
Free will is the freedom of choice, in which there is no place for coercion. But how to follow the straight and right path is suggested to a sincere person by his heart through the voice of conscience (the voice of God in us), and not the “fear of God,” which keeps us from taking wrong steps, from falling. Therefore, our thoughts must be pure (the pure in heart will see God), deeds pleasing to God, and actions consistent with His plans for us and expectations. Meeting these “expectations” is true “success.”
All this seems so simple and clear, but only in reasoning (it was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines), and not in the realities of our time with its frantic pace, upside-down values and imposed conditions of existence. When “wolves in sheep’s clothing” have practically enslaved the world completely and are no longer embarrassed to show their grin. Here you need not only “iron” willpower, but also extraordinary wisdom. And leaders and shepherds are needed, but not blind and not cowardly. Where can I get them? Who will show the way? Who will lead the remnants of the “herd”? (With the tacit agreement of modern hierarchs with global enslavement, the acceptance of ecumenism, “humility” before the action of secret forces that manifest themselves clearly and brazenly.) “Ask and it will be given to you”... The Lord does not leave the prayers of the “faithful” unanswered. If necessary, “even the stones will cry out.” This is what we observe, but our hearts have hardened and therefore the “sheep of Christ” “listen, but do not hear”, “look, but do not see”... They are waiting for “signs from heaven”.
More and more often it is heard: “Repent, for the end of the world is near!” (in order to reach at least some, even the saints are now worthy, so that they have time to truly repent). Without repentance there will be no “salvation.” But what and how to repent, few can explain clearly and correctly, and not in a bookish and coldly rational way, but from the experience of life in Christ; not as a strict judge, but as a good shepherd, a father, whose grief at your wanderings and your repentance, at the feeling that you are letting Him down, your heart begins to “cry.” But precisely this state of the heart is true “repentance.” How is “repentance” different from it? Repentance, as I have learned over many years, is not only repentance for sins and avoidance of them in the future, but also correction in deed, and not just in words, of one’s path. And this is oh how hard!
It’s easy to teach: “Don’t sin!” It's not difficult to promise this. But it can be difficult to see your sins. As well as “pulling the beam out of one’s own eye” (the main thorn in the soul), which one is accustomed to stubbornly ignoring. And sometimes there is no one to explain clearly what is most important, because some Christians (despite the availability of a large number of manuals for identifying sins) “can’t see the forest for the trees” and in fact, “suck a mosquito, but swallow a camel.” It's an unfortunate fact. The problem is that the “spiritual revival” of Russia turned into lukewarm pomp, splendor of form, not content. Priests (especially new ones) often do not serve God, but “work” as clerics, performing their duties formally, by rote, and mechanically. Few of them shine with love, and besides, the danger of the enemies of Christ, including the “Eastern Rite,” infiltrating the Church is becoming real.
They tell us: “don’t sin,” fulfill God’s commandments. Not only the ten main ones, but also the “beatitudes” from the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount. Right! But unfortunately, few people correctly understand their meaning, and such, for example, as “blessed are those who are exiled for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” in no way apply to themselves personally.
As for the concept of “sin”. This is not only a violation of spiritual laws, prohibitions and following passions, but also something else. What is meant? Several years ago, an old acquaintance stunned me when he said: “Did you know that originally “sin” literally meant “missing the mark”? This is what happens when, having sinned, you go astray.” That is, if you neglect your path, deviate from the fate prepared from Above, you will not get into the Kingdom of Heaven! Awareness of this and “correction” should be the main concern, and the rest should be “attached” to it. Hence the words of the Savior, which true shepherds love to persistently repeat to us: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Therefore, “repentance” is not only the awareness of one’s sins and getting rid of them, but also the “correction” of one’s path, a return to what is proper - to the “path of the Lord.” Accepting your “share”, whatever it may be (ordinary people used to say this: God will give horns - wear it and give thanks!) without unnecessary questions and torment, for “the ways of the Lord are mysterious.” To each his own! Returning to your path is impossible without tears of joy and the sound inside: thank you, Lord!
So, to follow your own path, you need courage, perseverance, and sobriety. And boldness (which is lacking today, as I was told, even among monks), and the willingness to take full responsibility upon oneself, to make decisions for oneself. On a whim. But this is not the “self” of a proud person, but the independence of a “living soul” that has matured and formed into a personality. And then the parting words attributed to St. Seraphim of Sarov will sound differently: save yourself, and thousands around you will be saved. And aren’t these “many” those whose destinies are intertwined with yours, with the “duty” you perform, the “role” prescribed for you? Is this possible and is it possible to “be saved” this way? I don’t know, but I don’t doubt for a second that “what is impossible for man is possible for God.”
Deaths have become more frequent – has the “harvest” begun? It looks like it. Judging by all the signs, the “end times” have begun, and the “man of perdition” will soon open, whose path is being rapidly paved by the “deep state”, obsessively leading to the need to form a world government, with its global “digital concentration camp” and the label – “the number of the beast” . Having accepted such a “mark”, those who remained alive at that moment cannot be saved! They cannot be saved because by this act they renounce God in public, they renounce the “eternal life.” Therefore, the moment of choice has come, the time not to be afraid of “those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” not to remain silent about the ongoing lawlessness and deception - “God is betrayed by silence!” And be ready to rebel against evil, despising all dangers; be ready to make a sacrifice - to lay down your soul for the Truth! To love death, remembering that the end of martyrdom for faith is a crown from Jesus Christ!
As it was at the beginning of the Christian era - on Golgotha, so it will be at the “end of times”, and “the last will become first”, if only they become like the “right thief”.
Alexander Fedorovich Ogorodnikov, publicist, member of the Union of Writers of Russia
