Avenge not
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, writes the holy Apostle Paul, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Rom. 12:19, Deut. 32:35).
True believers fulfilled this commandment, having the example of Christ the Savior Himself and His followers before their eyes, especially in the early days of Christianity. Just as Christ conquered the world not by enmity, but by love, so His first followers defended the truth not with weapons, but with the word of God’s truth, suffering, and even death.
Only believers can have a peaceful heart and, aware of God’s omnipotence, commit themselves to His will, power, truth, and protection. Herein lies the difference between Christian believers and those of little or no faith.
Mercy
The word “mercy” is incredibly meaningful and has a broad meaning. Mercy mustn’t be confused with the meaning of the words “kind,” “benefit,” “charity”—it’s similar only to the word “love.”
Christ taught that mercy consists in activities such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, comforting the grieving, visiting the sick or imprisoned, and instructing the lost. In all this, the Lord requires personal labor as proof of our love for our neighbor.
That mercy is a virtue possible for man, Christ testified by the commandment given to us: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful (Lk. 6:36).
Merciful is the man who does good to the unworthy, for the worthy deserve not mercy, but recompense for their labor.
Not only those who do merciful deeds are merciful, but also those who want to do good but can’t; who want to help those who ask but have nothing with which to help. Mercy is a fruit of love, is inherent to it, just as warmth is inseparable from fire.
A man who gives alms and sacrifices his excess does great good, but this is not yet mercy. Is this how brothers treat each other? We must share with our neighbor not only our excess, but also our last piece of bread. Moreover, we have a duty sometimes to deprive ourselves of what we love, what we’re accustomed to, to give it for the benefit of our brother or sister.
People often need not so much a roof over their heads as compassion and warmth of heart. Whoever provides both is truly merciful.
Alms
All Christians should know the commandment about mercy, about charity: Be ye therefore merciful (Lk. 6:36).
It’s important for everyone to think and decide to what extent we should fulfill the duties of charity, what portion of our wealth should each of us give to those in need?
The highest Gospel requirement is, as we know, to be ready to give everything to those who ask and those in need, but not everyone can do this right away, of course. “But if not everyone can immediately reach such a high level of Christian sacrifice,” says one preacher, “as to give all they have for the good of others, then on the other hand, we shouldn’t be content to give beggars the pennies we find in our pockets while having hundreds and thousands of dollars at home and thinking we’re seriously fulfilling the duties of Christian charity while recalling the Gospel widow who earned Christ’s blessing by donating a single mite to God’s work” (Lk. 21:1-4).
Many people abuse this example. Recalling this Gospel mite, we also have to remember that, according to Christ, it was everything the poor widow had, and she gave it with all zeal and without any hesitation or vanity, which brought the blessing of Christ upon her zeal.
There are no general rules for charity in Christian law, but every Christian, bearing in mind the general moral requirements and his personal situation, is obliged to observe the religious requirement and determine the amount of his charity. “With what mouth will you say, ‘Hear me, O Lord!’” says St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, “when you yourself don’t hear the poor, or rather, Christ Himself in the poor man crying out to you!”
This world
It’s impossible to hope for complete peace on this sinful earth, as there isn’t even absolute external peace in Heaven; the Lord has His Heavenly host, appointed for a constant struggle against the numerous fallen spirits.
We see that external peace is more and more disrupted and disappears over the centuries. In our time, the earth is once again covered with a haze of unbelief, enmity, struggle, doubt, despair, and disobedience. Many societies seek to destroy Christian principles.
But, according to the word of Christ, we have to look at all this without fear, for all these things must come to pass (Mt. 24:6). What for? So that mankind might be saved by sorrows and repentance. Only when mankind drinks the cup of calamity to the dregs and knows its madness will it appreciate the goodness of God’s world.
Did the Son of God really become incarnate to improve and change the external life of men, to grant them earthly peace, to trample upon bodily death, and destroy disasters, storms, strife, and wars?
He came into the world to change the internal life of His disciples and followers, to save their souls from spiritual death, to pour out the redemptive grace of the Holy Spirit upon them, to reconcile and unite them to the Heavenly Father through Himself, to draw them to the true Kingdom that is not of this world, and finally, to grant blessedness and eternal life.
The peace of Christ
The peace of Christ has entered into the soul of every Christian, into the Christian family, and into Christian society.
The victory of Christ softened the hard-heartedness of men, tamed the passions, stigmatized suicide and infanticide, freed the prisoner, protected the captive, restored the weak, cared for the orphaned, elevated poverty from curse to blessing, sanctified marriage, revealed the beauty of purity, consecrated the whole of man’s life, and saved human souls, so precious to the Son of God and the beloved Heavenly Father.
Peace I leave with you, Christ said, bidding farewell to His disciples. My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth (that is, not the kind of peace that the world gives), give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (Jn. 14:27).
The Lord Jesus Christ left us His peace—not earthly, but spiritual. And the peace of Christ, like a Heavenly seed left to us, grew on earth and bore abundant fruit.
The Christ Child
The Christ Child, shining Heavenly light from His manger upon the whole grieving, weeping, and sin-weary world, is infinitely dear to the believing heart; protected by His Most Pure Virgin Mother, tenderly and lovingly looking upon people who are simple in heart and thirsting for knowledge of God’s Mysteries, He promises by His Nativity a new life, the possibility of salvation, and eternal joy!
All those who come to greet the coming Lord must have a gift for Him. Neither gold nor silver are accepted by the Lord Who was born unseen. The only acceptable sacrifice to Him is a contrite heart! How can we justify ourselves after this with shortcomings, forgetfulness, reluctance, worries, or the customs of the world?
However, there will be and are those unprepared among them! What should those who are unprepared to meet Christ do? Will they remain silent and indifferent spectators of Christian joy? God forbid! Let everyone bring their gift, whatever they can manage.
If there isn’t enough strength, will, and time to cleanse the heart through repentance, then for the sake of Christ, we must reconcile with everyone and appear before the Lord with a peaceful heart. Let them feel their sinfulness and ingratitude to God, and as proof of love for Him and understanding of His mercy, let them humble themselves before their trials and sorrows!
Whoever is unable to appear to Christ with such a gift, let him reflect on his actions, aspirations, and desires, and condemn himself!
Offer pure-hearted help to the poor, but not the kind that is given customarily for a holiday, like some tribute to persistent beggars, but help for the sake of Christ; limit your holiday expenses, deprive yourself of what you usually have and donate for the benefit of the poor! This is all better than nothing!
Finally, stand up for the eternal truth of Christ, meeting the coming Lord.
Verbosity and idle talk
Our tongue is set in motion by nothing else but the heart. All the superfluousness accumulated in the heart is poured out by the tongue, and conversely, everything that’s lacking is acquired and takes root in the heart through conversation. But what feelings cause the heart to pour out through words? Undoubtedly, not good ones, because good feelings are always silent.
Watch yourselves, beloveds! We talk a lot because it flatters our vanity and seems to show off our best side. Some talk a lot because of pride, conceit, and the notion that they’re smart and knowledgeable and that their judgments are strikingly correct. Such people experience a desire to express themselves and explain their thoughts with abundant speech, frequently repeating themselves, and insist that everyone admire their eloquence and intelligence. When the conversation concerns trivial matters, then verbosity turns into idle talk, which gives rise to infinite evil.
By idle talk, people destroy every feeling of warmth, reverence, and virtue in their hearts, allowing passions and soul-destroying decisions to enter in.
The Holy Fathers say that idle talk is a door to condemnation and slander, a peddler of false news and opinions, and a sower of discord and strife. It suppresses the taste for intellectual labor and almost always serves as cover for a lack of fundamental knowledge. From verbosity, once the fumes of self-satisfaction pass, there always remains a certain feeling of melancholy and laziness.
After that, it’s not hard to explain the cause of verbosity and idle talk in men. Their hearts are empty, devoid of grace, and overflowing with passions, pride, conceit, and vanity.
Our conversations should be food for the mind and soul, as well as learning, pleasure, rest, and peace. But don’t secular people themselves notice that their conversations rarely don’t include condemnation and slander? Let people of the world check themselves after an ordinary secular conversation and look into their inner state. They’re unlikely to find peace and pleasure in their heart, but rather emptiness and tedium.
This seems to have always been the case in the world. “We’ve become talkative,” says St. John Chrysostom. “Nothing sticks in our souls. We’re quick to accuse, quick to judge; we bite and tear at each other, insulting, accusing, slandering, and envying the glory of others. I don’t know where this disease came from.”
The great Elder Barsanuphius instructs his disciples:
In conversation, we should all speak cheerfully, but have a serious and far-reaching thought on the inside. During conversation, we have to check ourselves, whether we speak with humility, prudence, and serenity. If not, then it’s important to halt the conversation. Only perfect people are completely attentive to themselves, like an artist who while holding a conversation with someone is simultaneously concerned with his work and his mind is wholly focused on his task. A bad artist who talks while he’s working endangers his work, as does a conversationalist who gives himself entirely to merriment. Cheerfulness in conversation mustn’t reach the point of foolish laughter; the word of fools is confused and devoid of grace, while the fear of God is foreign to any confusion, disorder, or laughter. Therefore, before talking, we must confirm ourselves in the fear of God and carefully delve into our hearts.
Prayer
Prayer is the breath of Divine life in man. The holy Apostle Paul says: The Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom. 8:26).
Wherever there are at least the faint beginnings of the breath of prayer, there are signs of life; and where there is no such breath, there is no life. Therefore, as natural life first requires breathing, so spiritual life first requires the spirit of prayer. On this basis, the holy Apostle writes: “First of all, I ask you to pray” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The work of prayer must come first, because without it, no other good deed can be done.
How can we find and truly walk the path of the Lord without prayer?
How can we understand the truth, crucify our flesh with its passions and lusts, and purify ourselves from the filth of the flesh and spirit without repentance?
How can we be resurrected by faith and be enlightened by the light of Christ in the heart if we have no prayer?
How can someone who doesn’t see or understand the truth find the path, or “How can a man who has no life in him find the way?” (St. Philaret of Moscow).
So St. John Chrysostom says that “whoever doesn’t pray to God is dead, soulless, senseless.” Who can be holier than one who converses with God, who more righteous, who more glorious, who wiser? If those who often converse with wise men themselves become wise, what can be said about those who converse with God in prayer?
Prayer is the mother and head of all virtues, for it borrows them from the source of all blessings—God, with Whom the one praying remains in communion, and therefore without prayer it’s impossible to become a virtuous Christian. It’s only through prayer that a man can reach Almighty God and be enlivened by communion with life, for this is the path to Him.
When starting to pray, we must always sober our thoughts, detach from earthly affairs and interests, and for this, calmly stand, sit, or walk about the room. Then consider before Whom you intend to stand and to Whom you will address yourself, to give rise to a sense of humility and self-abasement. After that, make several bows and begin your prayers, unhurriedly, delving into the meaning of each word and bringing them to the heart.
It's difficult to pray wholeheartedly when we spend time in worldly cares and especially when we can’t break away from some passion. Something won’t let us go, holds us back, chains us to the earth. Therefore, prayer becomes cold, empty, bringing neither joy nor consolation. But when a man’s conscience is clear, prayer becomes bold and full of grace.
The Jesus Prayer
In order to compel the mind and heart to ceaselessly remember God, experienced spiritual elders chose one prayer and established rules for praying it. This practice is very simple: We must place our mind in our heart, that is, concentrate our thoughts and desires in our own heart, clearing the mind of all distraction, and make it surrender to the senses of the heart; and then, standing before the Lord, pronounce the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” Pray like this everywhere, at home, on the road, during work, in church, always and everywhere, all day long.
Unceasing prayer
Unceasing prayer is the best weapon against the enemy and his temptations, and gives man the highest, spiritual pleasure.
Unceasing prayer is the highest wisdom; it doesn’t consist in words, in reading aloud or in prostrations, in standing before icons, but requires only that we remember God everywhere and always, undertaking everything with the thought of Him and doing everything to His glory; then our whole life will be a continuous and unceasing prayer.
This prayer is necessary for the salvation of every Christian, not just monastics, as the world tends to think. Whoever wants to renounce sin, strives for solitude in his heart with love for Christ, seeks to build a monastery or a hermitage in himself, won’t achieve any of this without the habit of ceaseless prayer.
Ceaseless prayer leads the one praying to the point where his heart says its own prayers while his body labors and completes its work. We must cultivate the habit and need for ceaseless prayer so that the heart begins to crave this labor as its sweetest nourishment. Such prayer purifies the human heart from all sin and draws in God’s grace, which completely regenerates a man, making him spirit-bearing, enlightened by the truth of Christ and endowed with spiritual vision.
Christians are required not only to pray purely, noetically, daily, but also ceaselessly. This is commanded to us by the holy Apostle Paul, who wrote: Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), and by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who said: Watch ye therefore, and pray always (Lk. 21:36).
To worldly people, unceasing prayer seems unattainable, incomprehensible, and certainly not obligatory—something that belongs to monks, recluses, schema-monks, rather than those who are constantly busy with intellectual work and like to spend their free time on recreation and entertainment. Before doubting the possibility and benefits of unceasing prayer, we should, of course, try it and test it; then doubters will be convinced that the prayer of the heart not only doesn’t interfere, but also contributes to work, even if it’s done not just with the hands but also with the mind.
We can invoke the Lord not only with our lips, but with the heart alone, especially while reading or studying. After all, the Lord is the Knower of Hearts and looks only at the heart. If someone is busy with work that doesn’t allow him to call upon the name of God in his heart, but only to remember God, then this is enough, replacing prayer. Therefore, during work or conversation, before work and after conversation, that is, at all times and in every place, we can and must invoke the name of God to help us.
Only such unceasing prayer causes us to live the Heavenly life on earth, helping us achieve this main purpose of the Christian life, for it keeps us pure, delivers us from enemies and temptations, makes us patient and strong in the face of trials, and finally, warms the heart.
Those who understand earthly life and the influence of the evil spirit on the world and see the dangers threatening man every moment won’t be surprised by the necessity of following the holy commandment of unceasing prayer, for people need God’s equally unceasing help. Without this help, without the influence of grace upon us, we become capable of all kinds of sinful falls and all mortal sins.
There is only one means of being saved: Be watchful at all times and pray, that is, constantly invoke God’s help.
“Such prayer,” says St. Barsanuphius the Great, “is a healing that kills not only passions but also their effect. As a physician uses a dressing on a patient’s wound and the one suffering doesn’t know how the healing occurs, so the name of God kills all passions when invoked, although we don’t know how this happens.”
To be continued…
