Photo: ekonomstrojdom.ru
Then said Jesus unto His Disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Mt. 16:24).
“Take up your cross,” says Jesus Christ. He didn’t say to create or construct yourself a cross. Christ also didn’t choose or build Himself a cross; He didn’t make it heavier, but willingly accepted the one that was foreordained for Him by His Heavenly Father.
But what are these crosses that are sent or given to Christians? Are they like the Cross of Christ? No, thanks to the merits of Christ, these crosses are modified, lightened, and reduced. Now they’re internal. Isn’t that why many Christians forget them, cast them off, and don’t even see or notice them? Or are they so fused with our bodies that some people can’t even feel them?
Look at how many people there are who are seemingly happy and careless who are carried away by earthly joys, youth, beauty, wealth, or their passions and self-satisfaction! Where are their crosses? It’s understandable that many doubt the need to carry their cross after this, when it’s possible not to take it up at all. But isn’t this self-deception?
An inner cross that has fused with the body can’t not be taken, not be carried, but can only be covered, hidden from their eyes and those of others.
Every sin is already an inner cross; it’s not pleasing for long, but very soon brings about sorrows, sufferings, and trials that both the young and the old, the beautiful and the rich involuntarily endure.
The indifferent suffer from their indifference, the proud are tormented by self-conceit, the rich suffer from avarice, and glory-seekers from humiliation. Sins ruin and deprive of health, they destroy talents and fill the heart with despondency, angst, and despair. All of these are crosses, and without them, as without any medical measures, it’s impossible to heal those who are sick in spirit, heart, and soul.
There are crosses that are more visible to human eyes, such as a large family, poverty, loneliness, widowhood, loss of a loved one, and less visible ones, such as trials of the heart, mental illnesses, and nervous afflictions.
Spiritual diseases, of course, can only be cured by spiritual means.
For example, we must bear the cross of humiliation in order to become humble.
The cross of helplessness and human indifference is so that we might feel the mercy and forgiveness of God and come to love Christ to the point of desiring to follow Him.
The cross of self-will is so that we might willingly surrender to the good will of the Lord.
The cross of disappointment in secular life is so that we might come to live for the Lord.
The cross of our own sinfulness and impurity is so that we might truly repent and decide to conquer our sinfulness by tearful prayers to Christ and the Mother of God.
The cross of captivity to evil spirits is so that we might thirst for Divine grace and, having experienced the immutability of every word of the Gospel, understand the teachings of Christ.
The cross of struggle, suffering, patience, and temptation is so that we might become conscious Christians, righteous men capable of spiritual labors, and useful guides for others.
Otherwise, it’s impossible to understand the truth, acquire spiritual vision, end up on the path of Christ, know the truth of God, believe in the future life, and most importantly, understand the boundless, incomparable, life-giving love of God and be inspired by the knowledge of the truth to the point of determination to answer Christ: “I’m following You, merciful Lord. I want to be saved!”
The spiritual ladder
All Christians must ascend the same spiritual ladder to the house of the Heavenly Father. We all differ from each other in our external appearance, title, position, and clothing, but the justice of God requires that all who enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the abode of the righteous and the saints, resemble each other in internal qualities, virtues, purity of soul, and righteousness. Therefore, all Christians have the same goal in life: to achieve salvation, and to this end, to be perfected spiritually.
A monastic is required to renounce the world, show obedience, that is, to live not by his own will and remain silent, and to strive to be alone with God in his heart. But isn’t the same thing required of a man of the world?
Why does a monk repair to a monastery or the desert? In order to avoid temptations, to make it easier to observe himself, to battle the passions, to remain in prayer and learn a simple, harsh life.
But aren’t people in the world required to arrange their lives in such a way so they could avoid temptations, dangerous communities, immoral spectacles, empty conversations, so they could go to church, fulfill their prayer rule, and fight their passions? For the sake of salvation, Christians in the world must also renounce the pernicious, corrupt world that is perishing in pride, self-love, avarice, and forgetfulness of God’s commandments. And whoever leaves his sinful life and fights with his passions does the same as a monk who leaves the world and enters a monastery.
Why do monastics-ascetics strive to acquire perfect obedience and therefore surrender to the will of abbots, elders, and leaders? Because otherwise it’s impossible to learn to fulfill the commandments of God. But aren’t obedience and the fulfillment of God’s commandments equally obligatory for the laity? To learn this, men in the world must place themselves in the will of their spiritual fathers.
Finally, should the laity practice silence? Of course not, many will say. But I’m not talking about external silence, for even monastics labor in the monastery, fulfill various duties, serve and help people in the world and therefore aren’t silent. There’s another silence that’s necessary both for monastics and for people in the world: inner silence, that is, the desire to be alone with God in your heart. In this state, a man goes deeper into himself, examines his thoughts and actions, and remains in unceasing prayer and the remembrance of God.
According to the Apostolic word, we must all constantly contemplate Christ the Savior with the eyes of our hearts, that is, everywhere: at home, outside, in bed, during work and rest, and learn humility, love, patience, and obedience from Him. Whoever lives like this is silent, is a hermit, although he lives in the world (according to Bishop Theophan).
Love of God
That we might not perish, we must cleave with all our heart and all our thoughts to our Lord Jesus Christ, for no one can do anything worthy of salvation if he doesn’t abide in Him (cf. Jn. 15:4-6).
Christ went to His voluntary Passion, to death upon the Cross for us! Both Heaven and earth trembled at the sight of the humiliated Only-Begotten Son of God, humble and obedient to the point of giving Himself over to crucifixion.
How can we, saved and regenerated by Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, remain silent and not fill the churches of God to glorify His boundless love for mankind?
Herein is love, the holy Apostle says, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 Jn. 4:10). We love Him, because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). Amen.
The attraction to God is born, formed, and developed as a man begins to pray to God more diligently, sincerely, and fervently. An irresistible desire emerges to walk before God with the awareness that He sees everything, to walk in renunciation of one’s own will, and to constantly seek, always and everywhere, only the good and saving will of God.
Prayer develops and strengthens the sense of self-reproach, self-loathing, and love for God.
Love flares up from understanding that the Lord doesn’t turn away from the impurity and sinfulness of man, doesn’t withdraw from our guilt, criminality, and ungodliness: He never pushes anyone away, but on the contrary, always allows approach, draws near, listens, even caresses, shows mercy, and finally, forgives everyone!
Love of the world
The heart can’t be empty. Everyone senses this, because they strive to fill their hearts with various feelings, and especially with love for their neighbor and friends. It’s a glaring injustice that human hearts are least often filled with love for God!
But the Divine law is perfect and requires that people who are spiritually born by the Spirit of God, who have the Heavenly Father as their father, whose souls return to their Creator after death, love Him first and foremost.
At first, this was prevented by the human fall. Then the Heavenly Father gave up His Only-Begotten Son for mankind, Who suffered even unto the death on the Cross and founded His Church and the Sacraments for the salvation, sanctification, and strengthening of mankind. All of this was accomplished only by God’s boundless desire to live in the hearts of men.
But people gifted with free will resist this rebirth, happiness, and well-being, and through sinful habits, criminal passions, and love for the world and its amusements, due to their lack of willpower, they defile both soul and body and expel Christ from their hearts.
Only when a man fights with his passions and is sanctified by prayer, the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion does grace draw near to and enter his heart again.
Mary and Martha
When Martha received the Lord and Mary sat at His feet, both sisters showed wonderful zeal, though their deeds were different (Lk. 10:38-42). The Lord approved of both, though He preferred Mary.
Martha is an image of actively serving others; Mary is an image of standing before God in contemplative prayer, but Mary hath chosen that good part (Lk. 10:42). “If,” writes St. Basil the Great, “you want to be a sanctuary for Christ, sit at His feet and remain in prayerful contemplation of Him!”
The Mother of God
The spiritual strength and universal glory of the Mother of God was revealed to men only after her Dormition. Her whole life was filled with the greatest trials, sorrows, humiliations, suspicions even from her neighbors, and secret, hidden spiritual feats from childhood.
Silent in the midst of the noisy world, she meekly and humbly watched the Gospel events from amidst the crowd of people who accompanied Christ, and pondered everything in her heart. Like a mystical moon, she shone softly and from afar, taking her Divine light from the Son of God, as the eternal Sun, disposing everyone to prayer and contemplation of the greatness of the Savior of the world and the boundless love of the Benefactor of mankind, and only on occasion hid in the rays of His Heavenly glory.
The day of her suffering at Golgotha can’t be called to mind without a shudder of the heart. Overcome with horror, completely exhausted from her own spiritual anguish, she stood before her crucified, tormented, tortured, and dying Son.
Could her suffering heart, which silently pondered all the mysteries of God, have had the slightest inkling of the fate foreordained for her Divine Son?
Finally, the Divine Sufferer, Who had avoided meeting the gaze of His unfortunate, dearly beloved, and deeply shaken Mother, turned His bloodied face towards her, and seeing that the Beloved Disciple remained with her, said in a gentle, filial voice, quiet from suffering: Woman, behold thy son!... Behold thy mother! (Jn. 19:26-27).
What precious words these are for all of us: Behold thy mother! How close to the heart, understandable, and comforting they are all for all believers, the grieving, the suffering, the lonely, who dearly love the Mother of God, in need of her holy and pure love, of her intercession before her Son Christ, of her patronage in help and support.
Behold our Mother! Can anyone’s love replace the pure and holy love of a mother? There’s no age at which a man no longer needs maternal caresses, sympathy, support, help, and teaching.
Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing human helplessness, the needs of our hearts, and countless sorrows, adopted His followers in the person of His beloved disciple John to His Most Blessed Mother, the Queen of Heaven and earth, exalted above the Cherubim and Seraphim, the all-powerful intercessor, the Surety of Sinners, She Who Is Quick to Hear, the Joy of All Who Sorrow, the most loving of all earthly mothers. This once again reflects God’s boundless love for mankind. Blessed be the name of the Lord forevermore!
Whole nations don’t see, due to their spiritual blindness, that the mercy of God and the forgiveness of Christ know no bounds thanks only to the merits, prayers, and intercession of the Mother of God, who stands between men and Christ.
Our grief and suffering stir up the pain of her suffering heart, and she, as one having boldness before the Lord, Her Son, His true servant and humble Queen Mother, makes entreaties for us, born and living in sin, weak in spirit and mind, blind in the eyes of the heart, tormented and led astray by the enemy.
Christ the Savior, Who laid down His life as witness of His love for men, Who entreated the Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to earth to enlighten the weak human mind and strengthen faith, having no other way to enlighten fallen mankind but undoubtedly still not desiring the death of a sinner, lovingly and joyfully hearkens to the calling, gentle, and loving voice of His Mother, giving Him the opportunity, according to justice, for the sake of her merits on earth and glory in Heaven, to again send down mercy to men perishing in their passions.
The place of torment
The Christian religion teaches that hell is a place of torment where sinners are punished for their transgressions on earth; it’s the opposite of Heaven and Paradise, where the righteous are rewarded for their virtues.
Our faith demands a heartfelt conviction of the truth of every Gospel word and that everything is and will be as Christ said. He said He would send sinners into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41).
If there’s no hell, then where will be the punishment of adulterers, robbers, murderers, and others who died unpunished on earth? Can the perfect God be unjust to some, who suffer on earth for their sins, and merciful to others, who didn’t manage to bear punishment before death?
The existence of hell is wholly compatible with the concept of the goodness, wisdom, and mercy of God. Are we guilty if our children squander the inheritance given to them? No, God, Who desires not the death of sinners, isn’t to blame if some of His children squander all the gifts sent to them in a sinful life and die without repentance.
We choose our own habitation and will eternally live where our deeds have prepared an abode for us. By virtue, we can earn the Heavenly Kingdom, where is eternal blessedness; and by sins—eternal torment in the kingdom of the devil. Eternal torment is worse than eternal death!
