Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
This sermon was not published during his life on. John
Brennan. Publican and the Pharisee (1858)
The temple of God - our heavenly Father's house - a house of prayer. It convenes He their own children in prayerful communion they desperately voschuvstvovali His closeness, His love, to warm the Father's edification and strength it took with them in the difficulties of life. All he sees the light of His Gospel of Truth blesses the audience to the last depths. So it was during the earthly life of the Savior, when the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the great temple of Jerusalem, and now God sees you and me coming to Him in prayer, it always will be until the last days of the world.
But only two of prayer worshipers said today Gospel parable. Pharisee and the tax collector.Why they attracted the attention of the All-Seeing Eye? What is the difference? It would seem that they have nothing in common. One is at the forefront of the congregation, first, as a righteous man, he and the opinion of people, the other stood at the door of the temple, as the last before God and in the eyes of it - blatant sinner. Pharisee raises gaze mountain with a prayer: "O God! Praise you salute, like a Nesmith, yakozhe chelovetsy away "; publican sees his footstool, and beat his breast whispers," God be merciful to me a sinner. "
Two prayers are directed to God, or two states of mind, the two ways of life. The two men - in the church, both with a prayer on his lips, but it has covered both the grace of God and His grace? And we hear the voice of God: "I tell you, this man (the publican) went to his house justified rather than the other: for every one ascending, humble: smiryayay same myself exalted."
Mad at prayer, stand before God in the Temple, the Pharisee - "carry away yakozhe chelovetsy" (Lk.18, 11). In these brief words poured out, baring his soul in its entirety and in all its ugliness: here and complacency and conceit is, humiliation and chiding others, superior to all. These minutes standing before the sanctuary he had forgotten God, who loves the righteous and merciful sinners who knows our secret, and this means having a single authority to judge. Forgotten that human judgment Institute, Institute of the judgment of God. Whether it was not worthy of him, looking into his heart, whispering aloud the Lord, "the secret of my cleanse me, and from foreign spare thy servant." Does not speak of the saving words narcissistic, self-righteous Pharisee. He's not like other chelovetsy not like that tax collector, not a predator, not an adulterer. Why, for righteousness - "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess" - God is for the services and must pay. God, he should.
And from the door of the temple of man, not daring to raise his eyes from the ground hears the silent God, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." So briefly, but with what heartfelt contrition. A "broken and contrite heart God will not despise." Prayer is accepted, the sinner is justified.
On the eve of Lent, the Church reminds us of the way of Christ, the way of salvation - of humility and repentance. "I have come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
And you and I, my dear, in the temple of God. Glory to God! But look into the depths of his soul in the light of today's Gospel. Answer the question, who are we? Saith that each one of us the Lord?
Briefly but succinctly present the Gospel legend, and no wonder it sounds to us today is the word of God. Danger of falling into the state of hypocritical self-righteousness, and judgment, and samoprevoznosheniya chiding any other traps. Only true righteous alien such temptations, but they are strictly stand guard your soul, not to find a loophole in it the enemy of mankind. In us, in rumors everyday cares staying, unobtrusive way can declare those diverting from saving ways of feeling and views.
In us, of course, there are good quality true Christian. We love the church of God, strive to honor every holiday prayers for the service, but have forgotten the sight of the temple will not move it in the shower sometimes smug thought: "Thank God!Nesmith, yakozhe chelovetsy away "? We are comforted by prayer, but it is touchy, irritable, prazdnolyubopytny, slavolyubivy, but it is without self-control in food, careless in words. We are hardworking, but stingy and indifferent to the needs of our neighbor and if they do good, but it does not retain the purity of heart. And we need to see his moral condition, and they feared what they saw, then our hearts will certainly cry shall deliver publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
We are often satisfied external manifestation of his piety. And of the Pharisees: "Thank God! Nesmith, yakozhe chelovetsy away "if it is not our prayer, yet subconsciously take root in my heart, complacency delighting life.
But be daunted and shadows of intention "Thank God! Nesmith, yakozhe chelovetsy away. " Terrible end in mind, the death of the soul to evaluate other, comparing with them. Immediately all the good in us losing sight of God and the dignity of every price, and become the property of the enemy: pride. But how can co-exist simultaneously in the heart of both our prayers?Struggle in our souls the Publican and Pharisee, are struggling with mixed success. And you have to be careful not to have prevailed in prayer, the Lord has not received justification. And the words of the Lord "... everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" will not let us forget that the true Christian doing all sealed and imbued with humility and love. To protect themselves from the Pharisees boasting over others, we must impartially peer into his soul. To the ego, is human, we are well discern a good quality, but the blind and indulgent to his shortcomings. Without knowing yourself is true, alleged that we are better than others. But we should start to look into his conscience, in his heart by the light of the Gospel truths, we will do for yourself is an important discovery that we are not only better, but in many ways worse than many.
Righteous God, performing all charged them, calling themselves neklyuchimymi slaves, afraid even think about the advantages.The Apostle Paul said of himself: "I am chief of sinners." Peter the rest of his lamented what had happened to him fall.Saints followed every movement of the heart, for every thought, judged themselves even thoughts, imputing them to sin as the cause of perfect. We Do not be hard on yourself, when our thoughts are concerned only with the earth, the heart is burdened with worldly passions?
To be free from sin, and end in self-esteem, you should not compare their lives with their own kind, but made perfect. Many of us obsequious man won a sin to eradicate all sinful passions, have prepared themselves in the home to the Holy Spirit. But they were up to the end of life on the lips and in the heart of the prayer, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." And we sinners rightly bow before them. So try to compare their net a good life with her. Here's someone in my heart happy with the peaceful nature of the compliant, but that our flexibility in comparison with the humility of St. Sergius? As abbot of the monastery, he abhorred earn their daily bread, hired to cut down a cell to one of the occupants. And thanks to God, when he has paid with his spiritual father, having a work basket moldy biscuits.
We value our prayer rules, but if it is sometimes beyond the statutory pray, then it is counted for the feat. But how small and insignificant it is even in our eyes, when we remember the nun, to stand in his conversation with God at night and did not notice the time.
Recall the Ven. Seraphim and the thousand standing on a rock in a prayer feat.
We mastered any one, annoy us passion, left one or the other sinful habits, but in my heart is ready zakoposhitsya complacency. But remember the saints, wrestlers, winning all the passions. Having gone through all the temptations and established in virtue, they have kept the main thing - humility, purity of love. And here, if you get accustomed to her closely, goodness me now seems to the first temptation, to the first temptation. Why should not we cry to the Lord with the voice of the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner"?
And if you look up the host of the saints, when will our eyes cross with the Divine Sufferer on him and was standing next to him, the compassionate mother, the heart and mind to learn our way into the trail of Christ and His Blessed Mother, and will remain in our hearts forever constant prayer, "God, be merciful to me a sinner. "
Tax Collector - a sinner and Pharisee - falsely righteous, both edify us, "do not rely on his own righteousness, but all hope of their salvation lay in the boundless mercy of God, crying out," God, be merciful to me a sinner! " And at the end of the earthly vale in anticipation of eternity for the man to be important and needed only one prayer: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner!" Amen.
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