Lay down your life for your friend. Orthodox view of war

. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends.

You are My friends if you do what I command you.

I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends because I have told you all that I have heard from my Father.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

1. If all the sacred sayings are full of the commandments of the Lord, then what does it mean that the Lord says about love as a special commandment: if not that every commandment depends on love alone and all the commandments are one, because everything commanded is based on just love? “For as many tree branches come from one root, so many virtues are born from one love. And the branch of a good deed has no greenery unless it rests on the root of love. Therefore, there are many commandments of the Lord, and one; many - according to the variety of deeds, one - according to the root of love. And how this love should be contained, is inspired by the One Who in many thoughts of His Scripture commands to love both friends - as Him, and enemies - for His sake. For he who loves both his friend in God and his enemy for God's sake has true love. For there are some who love their neighbors, but according to the property of kinship and the flesh, whom, however, in this love, sacred sayings do not contradict. But it means something else that is willingly done by nature, and another thing that is lent to obedience to the commandments of the Lord out of love. It is those who love their neighbor and, despite this, do not achieve the highest rewards for love, because they spend their love not according to the spirit, but according to the flesh. So when the Lord said: "This is my commandment, that you love one another", then immediately added: "how I have loved you". Clearly He said something like this: "You love for the reason why I have loved you."

2. In this matter, most beloved brethren, we must carefully consider that the ancient enemy, disposing our soul to the love of temporal things, on the opposite side excites the weakest neighbor against us, who plots to take away the very thing that we love. This is not what the ancient enemy is trying to do, it is the arranger, in order to destroy the earthly things, but to kill the love in us. For suddenly we are inflamed with hatred; and wishing to be invincible from the outside, inside we are terribly tormented; and by defending the little from the outside, we lose a lot inside, because, loving a temporary thing, we lose true love. Because anyone who destroys our property is an enemy. But if we begin to harbor hatred for the enemy, then we lose the inner. So, when we endure something from our neighbor externally, then we must be vigilant against the hidden predator of the inner one, which is never more conveniently defeated, as when we love the external predator. Because one and the main test of love, if we love even the one who does the opposite to us. That is why she herself suffers the execution of the cross and, in spite of this, expresses love for her very persecutors, saying: “Father! forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing". (). So, what is surprising if disciples in real life love enemies, when their Teacher loves enemies even when he is being killed by them? He expresses the height of this love by adding: "there is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends". The Lord came to die even for enemies, and despite the fact that He said that He would lay down His life for friends, in order to clearly show us that when we can benefit our enemies out of love, then our friends are even those who persecute us.

3. But no one pursues us even to death. Therefore, how can we prove that we love our enemies? – But even in the world of the Holy Church there must be something from which it must be clearly seen whether we can die for love during persecution. John clearly says: “But whoever has plenty in the world, but seeing his brother in need, closes his heart to him—how does the love of God abide in him?”()? That is why John the Baptist says: “whoever has two clothes, give to the poor, and whoever has food, do the same”. (). So, whoever does not give up his robe during times of peace for the sake of God, will he give up his soul during times of persecution? – Therefore, in order for the power of love to be invincible in persecution, it must be nourished by mercy in times of calm, since it must learn to give Almighty God first its property, and then itself.

4. Followed by: "You are my friends." Oh, how great is the mercy of our Creator! “We are not worthy to be servants, but are called friends. How great is the dignity of men to be God's friends! “But you have heard of the glory of dignity; listen also to the difficulties of achievement. "If you do what I command you". You are My friends if you do what I command you. Clearly, He says something like this: “If you rejoice in the highest glory, then think about what deeds achieve this glory.” When the sons of Zebedee, through their mother, asked that one sit on the right hand of God, and the other on the left, it is known that they heard: “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I will drink"()? – They asked for a high place; sends them on the path by which they must reach this height. It is said, as it were, like this: “The place of height is already flattering for you, but first the path of achievement must take you. Greatness is achieved through the cup. If your soul desires that which delights, then first drink that which grieves. Thus, through the bitter cup of confession one attains the joy of salvation. - “I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends because I have told you all that I have heard from my Father.”. What is all that He heard from His Father, that He deigned to say to His servants in order to make them His friends, if not the joys of inward love, if not those triumphs of the Highest Fatherland, which He imprints daily with the breath of His love in our souls? – For when we love what is heard from heaven, then we already know what is loved, because love itself is knowledge. So, He said everything to those who, having abandoned earthly desires, were aflame with higher love. But it was to these friends of God that the Prophet looked when he said: “How exalted are Your thoughts to me, O God, and how great is the number of them!”(). For a friend is called, as it were, the guardian of the soul. And so, since the Psalmist saw that the elect of God, separating themselves from the love of this world, would preserve the will of God in heavenly commands, he was surprised, saying: “How exalted are Your thoughts to me, O God”. Here, the chosen ones of God tame the flesh, strengthen the spirit, rule over demons, shine with virtues, despise the present, preach about the Eternal Fatherland in word and deed; even when dying, they love it and achieve it through torment. They can be killed, but they cannot be swayed. So, "How great is their number". In this very suffering, in which they died in the flesh, you see what was the highness of their spirit. Where is she from, if not from there, "How great is their number!" But maybe there are so few great ones? - He adds: “I will number them, but they are more numerous than sand”(). View, brethren, the whole world: it is filled with Martyrs. There are almost no more of us who should see, as we have witnesses of the truth. Therefore, those who have multiplied for us are numbered with God. "more numerous than sand"; because we cannot comprehend how many there are.

5. But he who has reached this dignity, in order to be called a friend of God, must look not at himself, as he is, but at the gifts that he receives, above himself. Nothing should be attributed to one's merits, lest one fall into hostility. Therefore, it is added: “You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit”. “I set for grace, I planted, so that you go voluntarily, bear fruit with activity. For go, I said, willingly; because to want to do something means to already go by thought. And what fruit they should bear is added: "and your fruit shall remain". All that we labor for this present age is barely enough to die for. For the one who comes in cuts off the fruit of our labor. But what is done for Eternal Life is preserved even after death; and begins to appear when the fruit of carnal labors begins to hide. So that recompense begins where this ends. Therefore, whoever has already known the Eternal, temporary fruits must lose their value in his soul. Let us bring forth fruits that would “abide”, let us bring forth such fruits that would themselves receive their beginning from death, when everything must be annihilated. For the fact that the fruit of God must begin from death is testified by the Prophet, who says: "while He gives sleep to His beloved"(). Whoever falls asleep as a mortal loses his inheritance; but when (the Lord) gives sleep to his elect, then this is the property of the Lord, because the elect of God, after they reach death, will find an inheritance.

6. Followed by: "whatever you ask the Father in my name, he has given you". Again elsewhere: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.”(). If the Father gives us everything that we ask in the name of the Son, then what does it mean that Paul had previously asked the Lord and was not worthy of hearing; but he is told: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness”()? - Didn't this so glorious Preacher ask in the name of the Son? Why didn't he get what he asked for? – How then is it true that what we will ask of the Father in the name of the Son, then the Father gives us, if the Apostle in the name of the Son asked for the angel of Satan to be removed from him and yet did not receive what he asked for? But since the name of the Son is "Jesus", and Jesus is called the Savior, or even the Savior, then in the name of the Savior he asks who asks for something related to true salvation. But if they ask for something that does not relate to salvation, then they are asking the Father not in the name of Jesus. Therefore, to the same Apostles, hitherto still weak, the Lord says: "until now you have asked nothing in my name"(). Clearly, as if it were said this way: "You did not ask in the name of the Savior, because you still do not know how to seek Eternal Salvation." Therefore, Paul was not heard; for if he were freed from temptation, then it would not be useful for him for salvation ().

7. Here we are, most beloved brethren, we see how many of you have gathered for the triumph of the Martyr; you kneel, you strike your chest, you sigh in prayer and confession, you water your faces with tears. But discuss, I ask, your petitions, see if you are praying in the name of Jesus, i.e., those who ask for the joys of Eternal Life? For in the house of Jesus you are not looking for Jesus, if in the Temple of Eternity you pray untimely for the temporal. One prays for a wife, another wants a village, a third asks for clothes, a fourth prays for food. And although it is necessary to ask the Almighty God for these (objects), if they are not, we must constantly remember what the same Redeemer commanded us: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you”(). So, there is no sin in asking Jesus for these things, if, however, they are asked not in excess. But also, and more importantly, one asks the death of the enemy, and whom he cannot pursue with the sword, he pursues him with prayer. And although the one who is ill-willed is still alive, yet the one who ill-wills becomes already guilty of his death. commands to love the enemy (), and, despite the fact, they ask God to kill the enemy. So, whoever prays in this way fights against the Creator with his very prayers. That is why it is said about Judas: "and let him be in sin"(). Because it turns into sin when they pray about what the One Himself to whom one prays forbids.

8. Therefore he says: “And when you stand in prayer, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Heavenly Father may also forgive you your sins”. (). We will show this virtue of forgiveness more clearly if we give one testimony from the Old Testament. It is known that when Judea offended the Justice of His Creator with her grave crimes, then the Lord, keeping His Prophet from prayer, says: “You do not ask for this people and do not offer up prayers and petitions for them, and do not intercede with Me, for I will not hear you” (). "And I will cast you out from my presence, as I cast out all your brothers, all the seed of Ephraim"(). What does it mean that after so many Fathers have passed and left, only Moses and Samuel are put in the middle, whose wondrous power to receive is known when it is said that even they cannot be mediators? The Lord clearly says, as it were, “I do not even listen to those whose prayers for their great merit I do not despise.” So, what does it mean that Moses and Samuel are preferred by prayer to other Fathers, if not that in the entire sequence of the Old Testament it is told about these only two that they prayed even for their enemies? - The first is in danger of being stoned by the people () and yet prays for his stoners; the other is resigned from the authorities, and yet answers the request for prayer, saying: “and I also will not allow myself to sin before the Lord, so that I stop praying for you, and I will guide you on a good and straight path” (). “And the Lord said to me: even though Moses and Samuel stand before me, my soul will not bow down to this people; drive them away from my presence, let them depart"(). He speaks clearly, as it were: “I do not listen to prayers for friends, even those whom I know that, out of great virtue, they prayed even for enemies.” Therefore, the power of true prayer lies in the loftiness of love. And each one receives correctly what he asks for when, during prayer, his spirit is not overshadowed by hatred for the enemy. But for the most part, we overcome the struggling spirit if we also pray for our enemies. The lips pour out prayer for the enemy, but, if only the heart could contain love! For often we send up a prayer for our enemies, but we pour it out more according to the commandment than out of love. For we also pray for the life of our enemies, and yet we are afraid lest we be heard (God). But since the inner Judge judges disposition rather than words, he does not demand anything for the enemy from the one who does not pray for him out of love.

9. But now the enemy has sinned grievously against us: he has harmed, offended those who help (us), persecuted those who love. This should have been hidden if sins against us were not to be forgiven. For our Intercessor in our case has composed a prayer, and this Intercessor Himself is the Judge of the same matter. And in the prayer which He composed, He introduced a condition, saying: "and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors"(). And so, since the One who was the Intercessor is coming to be the Judge, He himself listens to the prayer that he composed. Therefore, either we, not fulfilling, say: "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" and by saying this we bind ourselves more; or, perhaps, we skip this condition in the prayer, and our Intercessor does not recognize the prayer that He composed, and immediately says about Himself: “I know what I exhorted; this is not the same prayer that I composed.” So, brethren, what should we do, if not to have the quality of true love for the brothers? No malice should be in the heart. May the Almighty discuss our love for our neighbor, in order to show His mercy to our iniquities. Remember what He exhorts: "forgive and you will be forgiven"(). Here we must, and we must. Let us therefore forgive what we are owed, so that what we owe may be forgiven. But the mind opposes this: it wants to fulfill what it hears, and yet it quarrels.

We are standing on the cancer of the Martyr, about whom we know how he reached the Kingdom of Heaven. If we do not lay down the body for Christ, then at least we shall overcome the soul. By this sacrifice, God propitiates, approves the victory of our world at the judgment of His love. For He looks upon the anguish of our heart; and He who afterward rewards those who overcome, now helps those who fight through our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, Who lives and reigns with Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God through all ages of ages. Amen.

"There is no more that love, as if someone

lay down his life for his friends"

(John 15, 13)

Victory Day is not only a state and national holiday. The Orthodox Church also respects this holiday and celebrates it. The words of the Savior can be fully attributed to the people who fought in the war: "There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Much has been written and said about the fact that the Orthodox faith helped our people win the great war. Let us give only specific facts of amazing coincidences.

Hitler's troops attacked the USSR on June 22, 1941, when the Orthodox Church celebrated the Day of All Saints who shone in the Russian land (this is a passing holiday, it depends on the celebration of Easter and in 1941 fell on June 22). Perhaps remembering the Orthodox tradition, on the day of the declaration of war, Stalin addressed the people not as "comrades", but as "brothers and sisters."

On December 6, 1941, on the day of memory of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, the Nazi troops turned away from Moscow, this was the first turning point in the war.

On July 12, 1942, on the day of memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the Stalingrad Front was formed, the Battle of Stalingrad turned out to be a turning point in the course of the war.

On July 12, 1943, on the day of memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the largest tank battle took place near Prokhorovka, which finally buried the Nazi operation "Citadel" and the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops on the Kursk Bulge began.

On May 6, 1945, on the day of memory of George the Victorious, the government of Grand Admiral Karl Dennitsa, Hitler's successor, agreed to the surrender of the Wehrmacht and announced the defeat of Germany to the whole world.

The first image that comes to mind at the words "The Great Patriotic War" is a monument in Berlin's Treptow Park. Our soldier is standing with a boot on a swastika, and in his arms is a child, and a German one. A wonderful image. The Germans brutally destroyed our children, but there were no enemy children for us. Yes, war is monstrous, it brings grief and death. But remember the famous song-call: "There is a people's war, a holy war." The defense of our Motherland, right up to death for it, has always been a sacred, highly moral matter for our people, associated with maximum sacrifice. We will never forget either our illustrious military commanders, or Borodino, or Kulikovo Field, or Poltava, or the Kursk Bulge, or the capture of Berlin. This is our military glory. I think Christ spoke about the military Christian feat too: "There is no greater love than if a man lay down his life for his friends" (Gospel of John, 15:13).

Yes, there were traitors. They meet always and everywhere. But there were also real heroes, such as Nikolai Gastello or Alexander Matrosov. But an immoral person will never close a machine gun with his chest. Why? Because he is a coward. It is easier for him to betray, to run away. At the same time, he just calms himself with the fact that in war it is impossible to maintain an unsullied conscience. But just by going through the war, you can remain a pure person.

I cannot judge whether it is true that "there are no atheists in the trenches." If people remained atheists during the Great Patriotic War, then few and not for long. When bullets fly around at a frantic speed, my heart involuntarily asks: “Lord, help me” ...

In these festive May days full of Easter joy, the Holy Church calls to prayerfully remember all those who defended their people and their native land during the Great Patriotic War. Who laid down their lives for their neighbors, who worked in the rear, who suffered the misfortunes of the occupation, who went through the hell of concentration camps, who raised the country after the war. Veterans and children of the war who are still alive are for all of us a source of living history of human destinies, capable of teaching love for the Motherland and conveying to contemporaries the real tragedy of the war, which is sometimes difficult to discern among the statement of historical facts on the pages of textbooks. We must not forget the lessons of World War II.

“Because the Father loves Me, I give My life to receive it again. No one takes it from Me, but I myself give it. I have power to give it, and I have power to receive it again” (John 10:17-18).

What amazing, what words unheard of by the world: He Himself gave His life for the salvation of the world. He said that no one took his life from him, but he himself gave his life. Perhaps you are perplexed: didn’t the chief priests, Pharisees and scribes take His life, who got Pilate to condemn Him to crucifixion, and He says: “I myself gave my life, no one took it from Me”,

Remember what He said in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas the traitor came, when they wanted to arrest Him, when fiery Peter drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear; remember what He said then: “Or do you think that I cannot now plead with My Father, and He will present Me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). He could do it: He Himself had Divine authority. He could strike His enemies, terribly strike. But He didn't. He, like a sheep led to the slaughter, gave Himself into the hands of His enemies. He Himself, by His will, gave His life for the salvation of the human race.

"I have power to give it away, and I have power to receive it again." After all, it came true: He again took up His life when He rose again on the third day. Well, don't these amazing words have something to do with us Christians? Was it only Christ Himself who voluntarily gave His life, did He alone have the power to receive it? No, He gave this great power to us humans too.

You know that there were many thousands of martyrs of Christ who, imitating Him, gave their lives for His holy name, voluntarily went to suffering, to such tortures that only the diabolical brain of Christ's enemies could conceive. They could save their lives, and yet they gave it. Just renounce Christ, sacrifice to idols - and you will receive everything; but they gave their lives. And what, did they not accept it later, like the Lord Jesus Himself? Accepted, accepted: they all glorify God at the Throne of the Most High, all rejoice with inexpressible and eternal joy. They, after giving their lives, accepted it forever and ever, accepted it forever. You see: these words can apply to us, people, to us, Christians.

But, you will say, those times when they shed their blood for Christ are long gone. And now how can we lay down our lives for Christ?

First of all, the opinion that there were martyrs of Christ only in the first centuries of Christianity, when the Roman emperors raised cruel persecutions against Christians, is wrong, because in all subsequent times, and even in recent times, there were new martyrs. In the 16th century, three youths gave their lives for Him: the Vilna martyrs John, Anthony and Eustathius. There were martyrs who in the Middle Ages gave their lives for Christ, being brutally murdered by the Turks, Muslims because they refused to renounce their faith in Christ and accept Mohammedanism.

Martyrdom is possible at all times. But to give one's life for Christ does not mean only shedding one's blood as a martyr: there is for all of us the opportunity that the great saints followed. It is possible to give one's life for one's friends. The Lord laid down His soul for sinful mankind, and commanded us all to reach such a pinnacle of love that we lay down our souls for our friends. To lay down one's life does not mean only to give one's life, as the martyrs did. To lay down one's life does not mean only to die for one's neighbors; to lay down one's soul means to renounce oneself, to renounce one's desires for wealth, for pleasures, for honor and glory, to renounce everything that our flesh requires. This means that the goal of your life is to serve your neighbors. There were many saints who laid down their lives for their neighbors.

In the history of the Russian Church, such an example is given in the person of St. Juliana of Murom. She lived during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov, was the daughter of a nobleman who served as a key keeper at the court of Ivan the Terrible. She lived two miles from the church, they did not teach her to read and write, they rarely let her go to church, she lived in a tower. She lived a boring terem life and continuously prayed, lived and did works of mercy. In her early youth, at the age of 16, she was married to a noble nobleman. It seemed that she could enjoy wealth, a high position, she could change, as people often change for the worse when they find themselves in such a position. But she remained just as pious, completely devoted to the works of mercy. She set herself the task of taking every possible care of the poor, the needy, the wretched. At night, she spun, knitted, embroidered and sold her products to help the unfortunate.

It so happened that her husband was sent on state affairs to Astrakhan, and alone she served the poor and unfortunate even more diligently: she helped everyone, fed everyone. But then her husband died, she was left alone, and her wealth was shaken; she squandered her wealth to help the poor. There was a famine in the area where she lived, a good heart could not stand the sight of the hungry, a good heart demanded that all those suffering receive help, and she sold her property: she gave everything away and divided herself, lost everything and remained poor.

A cruel pestilence, an epidemic disease, terribly contagious, from which thousands of people died, raged in Russia. In fear and horror, people locked themselves in their homes. What does St. Juliana? She goes without any fear to where the unfortunate die, she serves them. She is not afraid to get infected and is ready to give her life, serving the unfortunate dying. The Lord preserved her, she continued to live in righteousness and peace, Saint Juliana died a natural death. Here is an example of how each of us can give his life in order to take it again.

Remember these words of Christ: "Because the Father loves Me, I lay down my life in order to receive it again." And everyone who follows Christ and voluntarily gives his life will be loved by the Heavenly Father. To everyone who gives his life for his friends, He will reward with eternal joy, joy unspeakable forever in His Kingdom.

Collection of sermons "Hurry to follow Christ"

"I will reign!"

Nothing was more entertaining for a traveler of the last centuries of the Roman Empire than a visit to Egypt. As if in a new world, a stranger from other provinces felt here. Like mummies, the remains of the most ancient education in the world were kept here, in comparison with which the cultures of the ancient Greeks and Romans seem to us like yesterday... The very nature of Egypt made a deep impression. The world's greatest, mighty river with its unknown sources, its regular annual flood, which turned Egypt into a large lake, with all the beneficial consequences of this flood - with the "gifts of the Nile", the original vegetation of Egypt, unprecedented animals - all this aroused the greatest interest. Returning to their homeland, to Rome or Greece, travelers seemed to want to perpetuate the impression of everything they saw in Egypt in images from mosaics and frescoes in their homes. Looking at these images, they vividly imagined how Egyptian marsh birds swim on the waters overgrown with white lotus flowers, a hippopotamus hides between high reeds and coastal bushes, a crocodile lurks, an ichneumon creeps on the shore, a snake winds, an ibis preens and smoothes its feathers. crooked nose, and there palm trees on thin stems spread their motley crown high above the thicket ... .

In Alexandria, travelers were amazed by the seething commercial and industrial life, with all the noise of various amusements and extreme licentiousness, but as soon as - whether by dry road, on a camel or on a barge along the Nile - although they penetrated the interior of the country for several hours, silence and silence enveloped traveller, making a sharp contrast to the hustle, bustle and crush of the big city, its splendor and luxury. The spirit of the distant past seemed to blow over his soul from the height of the pyramids and obelisks... The palaces of the pharaohs quietly and imperceptibly turned into ruins, the sand fell asleep, singing, as it were, a funeral song, alleys of sphinxes, colossi, ancient temples with mysterious inscriptions... Only the pyramids powerfully resisted the all-destroying time: they towered like mountains on an elevated rocky plain to the west of Memphis. Then the predatory hand had not yet touched these centuries-old monuments, the granite steps that covered them from top to bottom were still intact, no one had yet disturbed the sound rest of the “sons of the sun” in their sarcophagi, in the stone chest of the pyramids.

Farther south, in Upper Egypt, travelers were beckoned by the hundred-gate Thebes. There, on the western bank of the Nile, among the silent ruins, even four hours later they could already see two huge colossus: as soon as the hot Egyptian sun rose and both colossus stretched their monstrous shadow across the silent desert, a mysterious, quiet, but clearly audible singing ... It was not the sound of light blows, it was not the sound of a torn string, not blows to a copper cymbal, not the lingering sound of a human voice broke the deathly silence: this is the colossus of Memnon, with his hands tightly pressed to his chest, announced the silent desert, as saluting the sun ... But is it possible to list all the divas of Ancient Egypt - the tombs in the mountains among the terrible deserts, the labyrinth, the temples so brightly illuminated by the midday sun that not the slightest sign of a shadow was visible, the famous wells reflecting on a certain day in one and the same hour the solar disk, gilding the entire surface to the very edges of the water, and so on. Hundreds of inscriptions that have survived to our time speak eloquently of the bewitching surprise experienced by travelers in this country, and one of them, in Greek, reads: “Those who did not see this, saw nothing! Happy who saw it!”

But as time passed, travelers of a different kind rushed into Egypt than before. Not the curiosities of ancient Kem - Egypt became famous for the amazing feats that marked the triumph of the spirit over the flesh, in the person of the Great Anthony and Pachomius, Macarius, Ammon and many others. Not caring about the preservation of mortal ashes after death, no! They were inspired by the desire to purify the soul from all passions and thereby achieve a truly immortal life in the eternal abodes of the Heavenly Father. “The sky, adorned with millions of stars, is not so bright as the desert of Egypt, in which the dwellings of the monks are seen everywhere. Whoever knows that ancient, God-fighting, raging Egypt - Egypt, bowing before animals, trembling before onions in the garden, he will fully believe in the wondrous power of Christ, - says Chrysostom. - The Egyptian desert is better than paradise! We will see there in the form of a human the faces of angels, hosts of martyrs, an assembly of virgins. Let us see how the torment of Satan is cast down, and instead, the kingdom of Christ shines brightly. We will see that Egypt, once the mother of sorcerers, who invented all kinds of magic, is now famous - for the Cross! .

At the end of the 6th century, two famous travelers appeared in the magnificent capital of Egypt: the strict ascetic from Palestine, Blessed John Moskh, and his highly educated disciple and “faithful child” Sophrony, later Patriarch of Jerusalem. Having visited all the temples and famous monasteries in Alexandria and its environs, they set out to penetrate into the areas that were the cradle and hotbed of asceticism. The mountain ranges, forming the Nile valley, in their rocky slopes and gorges represent convenient areas for hermit life, and there, shortly after the death of the Great Anthony, monasteries appeared - east of the Nile to the Red Sea and ancient Sinai, and to the west - to the terrible deserts of Libya. In the Libyan mountains, almost at an equal distance from Alexandria and the ancient capital of Egypt - Memphis, rises a place known, thanks to its soil, under the name of Mount Nitria. There was the glorious Nitrian Desert, the “City of God”, glorified by the names of Macarius, Serapion, Paphnutius, Pamvo, Piora, Chronius ... And in the nearby area there were many lonely cells ... But Skitskaya, lying closer to the Nile. To get to these areas, it was necessary to overcome terrible difficulties. Stormy Lake Mareotis, wild animals, many crocodiles, swampy swamps, hot sands, wild predators - that's what threatened on the way, but all this did not stop our travelers. Having visited famous places, "gathering, like a bee, useful for souls seeking salvation," they set off for the remote Thebaid.

We know the feelings of tourists of the ancient world at the sight of Egyptian sights. With what feelings did travelers enter the glorious soil of Egypt, seeking not the satisfaction of their curiosity, but the highest spiritual edification? Not dead stones with their inscriptions - the living voice of the Church tells us about it.

“Rejoice, faithful Egypt! Rejoice, reverend Livia! Rejoice, chosen Thebaid! Rejoice, every place, city and country, who brought up the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, revived them in abstinence and illnesses and showed them to God as perfect men of desire!

“We arrived in Thebaid and in the city of Antinous we gathered at the sophist Fimamon,” says John Moskh.

The city of Antinous, or Antinopolis, lay on the east bank of the Nile. Now Sheh Abade points to the site of the ancient city. Against Antinous was Hermopolis, now Ashmuneim, on the other side of the Nile. On the eastern bank of the Nile, in the Arabian mountains, we meet many caves, which were formerly quarries and tombs, and then became famous for the miracles of asceticism. Those were the famous Thebaid solitudes. Starting from the present Mieta, they stretched far to the south ... But the main and last goal of the pious journey was the distant Oasis, in the very depths of the terrible desert, which lay almost 700 stades west of the Nile.

Is it possible to give an idea of ​​the terrible hardships our travelers had to undergo before reaching the Oasis? Shifting sands, long rocky hamads, burning heat, accompanied by sharp drops in temperature at night, hot wind poison, dusty tornadoes, a cloudless sky and a shadowless earth, the vastness of the path - all this constitutes heavy obstacles to the transition. In view of the infinity of the desert, the terrible, ominous silence and the complete absence of life, a person feels lost, helpless, insignificant. Everything around him is painted in some ominous, yellow-gray, dusty color, because the wind brings dust particles everywhere. After strong sandstorms, when it seems as if the wind flies out of a red-hot furnace - it is so hot and dry - the dust hangs in the air for a long time and the sky turns red-yellow, and the sun a dull fireball. In the evening, the dark cliffs of Hamad burn like red-hot coals in the rays of the setting sun. At night, the sky of the Sahara spreads over it in incomparable beauty. At this time, the temperature drops so much that instead of the terrible heat that tormented the traveler during the day, he experiences a cold, from which he must wrap himself in a woolen blanket. Caravans most willingly set out from a halt at night, with the rising of the moon, unless they are afraid to go astray. During the long hours of such a journey, a gloomy hamada completely takes possession of the soul of a person, conquers him with its immensity, silence, terrible absence of sound, the gloomy shadow of the night's vastness and the magic of moonlight ... The water taken in reserve quickly disappears, and terrible torments from thirst begin. Consciousness is disturbed, hallucinations occur. It seems to the exhausted traveler that he is trapped at the bottom of a terrible abyss, from which he tries in vain to get out. He will calm down only when death comes, and his corpse, near which the free wind of the desert pours a sandy hill, quickly turns into a dry, black mummy. “All day, in the midst of the heat, we walked without rest over hills, stones and sand, and during this time our supply of water was depleted,” writes one of the newest explorers of the Sahara. – My people were extremely exhausted... Our camels were also exhausted... Our fierce enemy, the sun, rose high. A terrible thirst began to torment us, the mouth and throat lost their last moisture, and the languor became boundless... pharynx.

All my youth began to pass before me - everything that I loved, that was dear to me. From time to time I came to my senses and thought with horror: is it really the end soon? Am I going to end my life so soon? And the sun burned unbearably, and the whole neighborhood trembled and seemed to fly upwards ... ".

In Antinous, visiting Fimamon, our travelers rested. Time passed imperceptibly in a lively, instructive conversation. From Fimamon they heard a wonderful story about the repentance of the terrible robber David. But they were even more interested in stories about the wondrous ascetic Leo, who lived in the Oasis: they were burning with the desire to see him face to face, to talk with him and receive spiritual benefit from him.

Having descended the Nile, they entered a terrible desert ... What they experienced, what dangers they were exposed to, remained unknown. The newest travelers in every detail tell us about their travels day after day. Our modest travelers did not seek glory from people. "In the reign of the emperor and Caesar Tiberius we arrived in the Oasis" - that's all we know ...

Finally, signs of the proximity of the Oasis appeared. Exhausted by the struggle with all sorts of difficulties, our travelers impatiently fixed their fading, muddy eyes on the long-awaited strip of palm groves that appeared on the horizon. “With joy beyond comparison,” says the same traveler, “the traveler watches how little by little this strip grows and how its details are determined. It is already possible to discern graceful peaks, which quietly sway on tall, slender trunks, as if greeting a traveler wandering towards them from afar. He admires the enchanting elegance of each group of palm trees and already thinks where his tent will stand, where he will enjoy the shade, moisture and beauty of the oase. He has not yet seen human life: all his feelings are absorbed by the joy of contemplating the charming queen of the oases. What is oaz without a palm tree? Only the palm tree protects and saves him from death, which is doomed to everything in the desert.

Here is the Oasis itself... In the most significant populated place, also called the Oasis, there were still the ruins of an ancient pagan temple from the time of Darius Hystaspes, there were many other buildings of the era of the Ptolemies and Caesars. The entire habitable strip of the earth extended 20 miles in length and 2/3 of a mile in the middle.

An oasis makes a wonderful impression on a traveler who has experienced the horrors of the desert! Under the shade of tall and slender date palms one can see groups of apricot and peach trees, a pomegranate with its fiery red flowers, an orange tree and others. The vine wraps around the trunks of palm trees and spreads like green garlands from one tree to another. Among the greenery, you can see the modest dwellings of the inhabitants of the oasis, clay huts, however, huddling more along the edges, so that not a single corner of the blessed soil is wasted. Rice, wheat, barley, durra, cotton, fruit trees are successfully cultivated in the oasis, but the palm tree remains the queen of the oasis. “It is hard to imagine,” says the traveler, “how many precious properties and indispensable help a person finds for himself in this wonderful tree among the poor world of the desert. The date palm is the happiness of man, the hope and joy of the traveler, the best gift of heaven for the sons of the Sahara ... "

Dense thickets of palm trees have formed where springs of pure water flow in the depths of the oasis, protected from the sun by a beneficent cover of ever-fresh greenery.

Since the time of Psammetikos, a Greek colony from the island of Samos has lived in the Oasis. During the time of the empire, this remote corner of the earth, at the very edge of the civilized world, served as a link. In the Oasis, back in the 6th century, they told with horror about the fate of the old man Nestorius, hardened in his wickedness, about how he was captured by the savages of the desert, how evil captivity did not crush his proud soul, and how, finally, the terrible judgment of God struck him for edification. upcoming births.

The ferocious sons of the desert from the Berber tribe rushed around the Oasis. The Arabs called them Tuareg, which means "forsaken". Abandoned by God and people - what a terrible name! They themselves, however, are more willing to call themselves imoshar or Masirh- maziki. They preserved inviolability the customs of ancient times, but - what to say about their customs, when one word completely defines the Tuareg - a robber and a murderer! Just as in the time of Mosch, just as in time immemorial, so now they sing a bloodthirsty song about themselves:

They will perform early in the morning

and by the evening they will be in place,

and suddenly attack you

when you are already sleepy in bed.

What could be better -

hit the rich

to the one who is standing

in the middle of the herd lying around him,

who sweetly rests on carpets,

under wool blankets

whose stomach is filled with grain,

boiled with meat

who is fed on melted butter

and warm camel milk!

It's nice to plunge into his sleek body

sharp as a needle, a spear.

And listen to his cries

until the soul leaves him...

But the hungry, ragged, albeit strong-bodied predators attacked not only the rich: the devotees of the Oasis, who had renounced everything worldly, also lived constantly under the fear of a barbarian invasion. Yes, only one could live in the Oasis who, like the great Hilarion, could say about himself: “When there is nothing, there is nothing to be afraid of! I'm not afraid of death, because I'm ready to die! ".

Gathering their strength after a difficult journey, Blessed John Mosch and Sophrony entered the world of silence and wondrous deeds, known only to God, the world of holy hermits. Oh, how we would like to be transported to that remote time and enjoy the conversations of wondrous men who have already renounced even in a visible way from the world and, in their striving for God and eternity, have retired to the very brink of earthly existence! And now our travelers finally see the one for the contemplation of which they were not afraid of the horrors of the desert - the great ascetic Leo. They heard a lot of amazing things about him! But what they themselves experienced exceeded their expectations! “We got to know this holy man very well! Mosh exclaimed joyfully. “We received a lot of spiritual benefit, marveling at his deep humility, complete disinterestedness, his silence and endless love that illuminated his whole being.”

However, much in the speeches of the marvelous old man was mysterious and incomprehensible. For example, he often said:

“Believe me, children, I will reign!”

- What are you talking about, abba? It's impossible...

You will see: I will reign!

“But now the worthy and noble Tiberius is on the throne... An oasis in the middle of the desert where you live, and the capital of the empire... Yes, if you didn’t labor here, if you were in the world and served in the army, remember , did anyone from Cappadocia reign?

Whatever you say, I will reign!

“Great abba, we rejoiced with the joy of the children who saw their father when we came to you... But, forgive us, you have such thoughts in vain...

And nothing could dissuade him.

Nevertheless, we could not but surrender with all our souls to the irresistible attraction, which, like a magnet, directed our hearts to the wondrous old man. Whether he spoke - his word went straight to the soul and there powerfully created the corresponding feelings and dispositions. Was he silent - as if warmth blew from him, warming everything, arousing all the forces of the soul for every feat ... Isn't this a sign of royalty? we thought.

However, however gratifying and salutary the stay in the Oasis was for our travelers, they had to leave it. Touchingly saying goodbye to everyone, they kissed the great old man with tears.

- So remember, children, my word: I will soon reign! - said Abba Leo to them in parting, and his face suddenly became as if fiery.

With no less difficulty, our travelers returned to Antinopol. Having rested here after a difficult transition, during which they narrowly escaped death from the attack of the barbarians, who had shown themselves more than once in the desert, they were already preparing to climb the Nile to Alexandria, when they were amazed and deeply upset by the news from the Oasis ... This is what happened the next day after their removal. As soon as the hot sun of the Sahara set, and the bright stars of the wonderful African sky lit up over the silent desert, and the hermits retired to their secluded cells to offer warm prayers to the Throne of the Most High, when suddenly the silence of the night was broken by amazing cries of horror. A huge glow lit up in the desert. That was a sign of the appearance of terrible maziks, these scourges of the desert ... By morning it was difficult to recognize the recently blooming oasis. Slender palm trees were cut down, beautifully cultivated fields were trampled... The dead and tormented were lying here and there... Many people were captured and taken into the depths of the desert. Only the fortified settlement survived: a detachment of troops stationed there repelled the predators. The barbarians did not spare even the humble hermits, capturing, among others, Abba John, a former reader of the great Church of Constantinople, who, like Moskhu and Sophronius, visited a distant oasis not so much of his own accord as on behalf of the authorities, but who remained here forever, Abba Theodore and Abba Eustathius Roman. However, the marvelous Leo managed to avoid danger: he had to stay in the city that evening, where he arrived to sell his products. The next day, he appeared as a comforting angel to the victims, if only it is possible to comfort the inconsolable, who have lost what is dearest to man on earth, fathers and mothers who have lost the support of their old age, orphaned children, widows, and so on.

But most of all, the loving heart of the abba lamented the sad fate of the elder monks John, Eustathius and Theodore. All three were very weak.

Around noon, one of the barbarians appeared in the Oasis, leading the captive Abba John behind him.

He had wealthy relatives in Constantinople.

“Take me to the city,” he said to the barbarians. “The Bishop will pay you twenty-four nomismas for me.

Appearing to the Bishop of the Oasis, Abba John asked to pay the promised ransom for him. From Constantinople, at his request, he will receive the amount of money necessary to pay the debt.

Poor ava! He could barely keep on his feet. His clothes were torn. Tears streamed down his cheeks. His appearance aroused general pity. Everyone was crying looking at him.

Unfortunately, the bishop could not find more than eight nomisms, which were offered to the barbarian. But he did not agree to this:

“Give me all twenty-four nomisms or monks!” Otherwise, all the prisoners in front of you will be tortured ...

There was no money. With tears, with sobs, I had to give Abba John to the barbarian, who, with an iron chain around his neck, led the captive to his camp in the desert ...

Three days have passed. Abba Leo, having taken eight nomisms, went alone into the wilderness and, appearing in the camp of the barbarians, turned to them with the following proposal:

“Take eight nomisms and me and let the monks go. You see - they are all weak, sick. Who will buy them from you? Can they work? After all, you still have to kill them. But I'm healthy, I can work hard...

The barbarians agreed to an obviously advantageous replacement. Embracing their liberator with tears, the three monks returned to the Oasis. Abba Leo remained in captivity, rejoicing and thanking God. But he did not have long to stay with the barbarians. He was so exhausted after the very first crossing through the terrible desert that he could not stand on his feet. The Maziks beheaded him and threw his body into the desert...

“Thus, Abba Leo acted according to the Scriptures,” remarks Blessed John Mosch. - No one can sow more love, but who will lay down his life for his friends(John 15:13). It was then that we understood the meaning of his words: "I will reign!"

He truly reached the royal height, laying down his life for his friends!

(Memory of Bishop Peacock, who published all his possessions in alms, and follow yourself to sell to the filthy)

The crown of love for one's neighbor is to lay down one's soul for them. More than sowing love, says the Savior, no one has, but who lays down his life for his friends (John 15:18). What does it mean to lay down one's life for one's friends? That in case of need to be ready for all sorts of feats of selflessness. Life will be required - give life; freedom - freedom, property - and lose your property. In a word, be ready to sacrifice everything to them, not excluding yourself. Are you surprised, brethren? Do not be surprised. Now, it is true, perhaps there are no such people, but there used to be. And behold, to what extent their love sometimes extended to their neighbors.

St. Peacock, Bishop of Nolan, for the redemption of his compatriots from the captivity of the Vandals, gave away all his property and was left decisively without everything. At this time, a widow comes to him and asks him to give her money to ransom her son from captivity. The saint of God searched all the corners of his cell, thinking to find something, but found nothing. Going out to the petitioner, he said: “Believe me that I have nothing to give you as a ransom for your son, except myself. And therefore, if you wish, sell me as a slave for a son, and return him.” The widow took the words of the bishop for a mockery, but he convinced her of their sincerity, and both went to Thrace to the son-in-law of the king of Vandal, the prince, whose widow's son was in captivity. Having met the prince, the mournful mother at first, without mentioning Peacock, fell at his feet and began to ask him to take pity and let her only son go. But when tears and prayers did not help, she pointed to the saint and began to ask the prince to exchange her son for Peacock. The handsome face of the saint pleased the prince, and he asked Pavlin: “Do you know any trade?” “I don’t know,” was the answer, “and I can only cultivate a garden.” Then the king's son-in-law left him with him, and returned his son to the widow. And so the Bishop of God became a gardener: he grew vegetables, served them to his master's table, and remained in such a service for a long time. The king's son-in-law loved him very much and often talked to him. Once, during a conversation, the saint said to him: “I heard that you are going on a journey. Do not go; for at the present time you do not need to worry about the journey, but about keeping the royal throne behind you. Know that the king will soon suddenly die, and then, if you are not here, not you, but another will become king. These words amazed the son-in-law of the king, and he passed them on to the king. After listening to them, the latter said: "I want to see the one who told you this." The prince answered: "I will send him to you today during dinner." And then he personally ordered Peacock to bring vegetables to the royal table. The peacock has arrived. The king, seeing him, was horrified. Calling his son-in-law to him, he said: “What your servant told you about me is the truth. Know that today in a dream I saw a trial over myself, and at this trial, where all my nobles were, this one sat above all. The judgment over me ended with the fact that my royal power was taken away from me. Ask him: who is he? I do not think that he was from a simple rank; for I saw him clothed in high rank.” Then the prince, recalling Peacock to a secluded place, began to conjure him so that he would reveal his title to him. Peacock at first shied away from answering, but finally revealed that he was a Bishop. With fear and great humility, the prince after this bowed to him and offered to ask him for what he wanted. The peacock asked for freedom for all the captives of his city, and with them returned home with triumph and joy. It should not be silent that his prophecy about the death of the king soon came true.

So this is what it means, brethren, to lay down one's life for one's friends! It is hard, of course, and we can hardly bear such a feat, but the reward for it is great. Such self-sacrificing love is of great value in the sight of God. Mercy boasts in judgment (James 2:13); it covers many sins (1 Peter 4:8); and, finally, prepares a place for the merciful where the Lord Himself will be (John 12:26). Amen.

Prologue in the teachings for each day of the year. Compiled by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. Holy Assumption Pochaev Lavra, 2007, pp. 286-287