I did not bring you peace, but a sword. ←

Does such a righteous and merciful person really not understand the deep meaning of these words? I think you understand him, you're just looking for confirmation. The Lord Himself reveals His secrets to the righteous and merciful. If you had been the only blacksmith in Jerusalem when the Jews crucified the Lord, there would have been no one to forge nails for them.

Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. This is what the Lord said. Read it this way: “I did not come to reconcile truth and falsehood, wisdom and folly, good and evil, truth and violence, morality and bestiality, chastity and depravity, God and mammon; no, I brought the sword to cut off both separate one from the other so that there is no confusion."

How will you cut it off, Lord? The sword of truth. Or by the sword of the word of God, since that is one thing. The Apostle Paul advises us: take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Saint John the Theologian in Revelation saw the Son of Man sitting in the middle of seven lamps, and from His mouth came a sword sharp on both sides. The sword that comes out of the mouth, what else but the word of God, the word of truth? Jesus Christ brought this sword to earth, brought it for the sake of saving the world, but not for the sake of a world of good and evil. And now, and forever, and forever and ever.

The correctness of this interpretation is confirmed by the further words of Christ: for I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and if the son follows Christ, and the father remains in the darkness of lies, the sword of Christ’s truth will separate them. Isn't truth more valuable than father? And if the daughter follows Christ, and the mother persists in denying Christ, what can they have in common? Isn’t Christ sweeter than a mother?.. It’s the same between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law.

But do not understand this in such a way that the one who comes to know and love Christ must immediately be physically separated from his relatives. This is wrong. This is not said. It is enough to separate your soul and not accept into it the thoughts and deeds of unbelievers. For if the believers were to immediately separate from the unbelievers, two hostile camps would form in the world. Who would then teach and correct unbelievers? The Lord Himself endured the unfaithful Judas next to Him for three years. The wise apostle Paul writes: an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband .

In conclusion, I will give you a spiritual interpretation of these words of Christ by Theophylact of Ohrid: “By father, mother and mother-in-law, mean everything old, and by son and daughter, everything new. The Lord wants His new Divine commandments to defeat our old sinful habits and customs.”

Thus, the words about the sword brought to earth are fully consistent with Christ the Peacemaker and Peacemaker. He gives His heavenly oil to all who sincerely believe in Him. But He did not come to reconcile the sons of light with the sons of darkness.

Bow to you and the children. Peace and God's blessing to you.

Saint Nicholas of Serbia. Missionary letters

Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. This is what the Lord said. Read it like this: “I did not come to reconcile truth and falsehood, wisdom and stupidity, good and evil, truth and violence, morality and bestiality, chastity and debauchery, God and mammon; no, I brought a sword to cut off and separate one from the other, so that there is no confusion.”

How will you cut it off, Lord? The sword of truth. Or by the sword of the word of God, since that is one thing. The Apostle Paul advises us: take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Saint John the Theologian in Revelation saw the Son of Man sitting in the middle of seven lamps, and from His mouth came a sword sharp on both sides. The sword that comes out of the mouth, what else but the word of God, the word of truth? Jesus Christ brought this sword to earth, brought it for the sake of saving the world, but not for the sake of a world of good and evil. And now, and forever, and forever and ever.

The correctness of this interpretation is confirmed by the further words of Christ: for I came to separate a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law, and if the son follows Christ, and the father remains in the darkness of lies, the sword of Christ’s truth will separate them. Isn't truth more valuable than father? And if the daughter follows Christ, and the mother persists in denying Christ, what can they have in common? Isn’t Christ sweeter than a mother?.. It’s the same between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law.

But do not understand this in such a way that the one who comes to know and love Christ must immediately be physically separated from his relatives. This is wrong. This is not said. It is enough to separate your soul and not accept into it the thoughts and deeds of unbelievers. For if the believers were to immediately separate from the unbelievers, two hostile camps would form in the world. Who would then teach and correct unbelievers? The Lord Himself endured the unfaithful Judas next to Him for three years. The wise apostle Paul writes: an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband.

In conclusion, I will give you a spiritual interpretation of these words of Christ by Theophylact of Ohrid [V]: “By father, mother and mother-in-law, mean everything that is old, and by son and daughter, everything that is new. The Lord wants His new Divine commandments to overcome our old sinful habits and customs.”

Bow to you and the children. Peace and God's blessing to you.

Letter to a young teacher asking if there are any true Christians now

There are them, a lot of them. If they were not there, the clear sun would darken. For would such a precious lamp illuminate a menagerie?

I would need a lot of paper to describe my meetings with true Christians, and you would have to read about them for a long time and console your soul. In the meantime, test yourself with this example.

Last summer we were in Machva. While we were standing at a small stop waiting for the train, I watched an old peasant woman. Her faded face shone with a wonderful, mysterious light, which can often be seen on the faces of spiritual people. I asked her: “Who are you expecting, sister?” “The one whom the Lord sends to me,” she answered. From further conversation we learned that every day she comes to the station and waits to see if some poor wanderer will appear in need of a place to sleep and a piece of bread. And, if this happens, she joyfully welcomes him into her home, as if sent by God. We also found out what she reads Scripture, fasts, goes to church and keeps all God's commandments. And her neighbors told us that this was a holy woman.

I wanted to praise her gospel hospitality, but she stopped me with the words: “Aren’t we ourselves His guests all our lives, every day?” And tears sparkled in her eyes. O merciful and sweet soul of the people! My young friend, if you call yourself a teacher of the people, you can often find yourself put to shame, but if you call yourself a student of the people, you will never be put to shame.

May God's holy mercy shine upon you!

Letter to the peasant Zdravko T., to the question about the meaning of Christ’s words “I have come to bring down fire on the earth”

We often talk about the fire of envy, the fire of hatred, the fire of lust and the fire of any cruel passion. Of course, it was not this fire that was brought to earth by the King of love and truth, our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course not this one. All these are unclean tongues of hellish fire, which engulfs the earth.

Christ brought holy fire; He Himself shone and shone in eternity. This is the fire of truth and love, pure, Divine fire, fire from the Eternal Hearth - the Holy Trinity. The fire of truth, from which the warmth of love spills.

This is the fire with which the word of the prophet Jeremiah burned and which irresistibly drew him to preach God’s truth (see: Jer. 23, 29).

This is the fire that descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, enlightening and sanctifying simple fishermen, making them the greatest sages.

This is the fire with which the face of Archdeacon Stephen shone, making him like the Angel of God.

This is the spiritual fire of truth and love, with which the apostles and their heirs regenerated the world, revived the corpse of godless humanity, washed, sanctified and enlightened it. Everything good in the world comes from this heavenly fire, brought down by the Lord to the earth.

This is heavenly fire that purifies the soul, just as earthly fire purifies gold. The light of this fire shows us the way, reveals to us where we are coming from and where we are going; in this light we come to know our Heavenly Father and our Eternal Fatherland. From this fire our hearts burn with indescribable love for our Lord Jesus Christ, as happened with the two apostles on the way to Emmaus, as they testified: didn’t our hearts burn within us when He spoke to us?

This fire moved Christ to descend from heaven to earth and moves us to rise to heaven.

We are all baptized with this holy fire, according to the word of the holy prophet and Baptist John: I baptize you in water... He (Christ) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

This fire awakens in the human heart an inexpressible zeal for all good. He pleases the righteous and burns the sinner. And it is painful for us until we are cleansed of all untruth and uncleanness. For it is said: God is a fire that burns sinners.

Peace and joy from the Lord to you!

Letter to a woman asking about retribution for the dead

You write that you are troubled by terrible dreams. As soon as you close your eyes, three youths appear to you, ridicule you, threaten and intimidate you... You write that in search of treatment you have visited all famous doctors and knowledgeable people. They told you: “Nothing, it’s nothing.” You answered: “If this is a trifle for you, spare me these visions. How can a trifle prevent you from sleeping and resting for six months?” They answer you: “Change the climate, be in society more often, watch your diet. This is common hypochondria.”

I know, sister, such smart people. They learned a few boring words: “hypochondria”, “telepathy”, “self-hypnosis” - and they replaced spiritual reality with them, explaining everything with a “daily routine”, prescribing climate, entertainment, mineral waters, meat and wine.

And I’ll tell you this: the three youths who appear to you are three of your children, killed by you in the womb, before the sun touched their faces with its gentle rays. And now they have come to repay you. The retribution of the dead is terrible and menacing. You are a well-read woman, and I will speak to you in literary images. Remember Lady Macbeth or English king, killed by the spirit of the person he killed. Of course, you also read about King Vladislav, the murderer of King Vladimir: he was killed by the spirit of Vladimir.

But maybe you haven't read about the Byzantine Emperor Constans. He had a brother, Theodosius. Constant did not like his brother, seeing him as a rival, and forced him to accept the diaconate. But the fear did not leave him. Then Constant decided to commit a crime. He plotted against his brother, and Theodosius was martyred. Constant sighed with relief, thinking that he had finally gotten rid of his opponent. The ignorant emperor did not imagine that the dead were stronger than the living, that by killing an innocent, he did not become a winner, but only laid down his weapon at the feet of his victim. At night, the murdered deacon Theodosius appeared to his brother the emperor and, holding out a cup of steaming blood to him, menacingly exclaimed: “Drink, brother!” The emperor jumped up in horror, called the courtiers, but no one could tell him anything. The next night the phenomenon was repeated: a deacon with a cup of steaming blood with a menacing exclamation: “Drink, brother!” Constant raised the whole of Constantinople to its feet, but his subjects stared at him in bewilderment, the way wise men stare at you, sending you to the waters and recommending better food.

Again and again the brother appeared to Emperor Constant with a cup of blood in his hands, until one morning the strong and healthy ruler was found dead in his bed.

Do you read the Holy Scriptures? It explains how and why the dead take revenge on the living. Read again about Cain, who, after killing his brother, could never find peace anywhere. Read about how the spirit of the offended Samuel repaid Saul. Read how unfortunate David suffered for a long time and cruelly because of the murder of Uriah. Thousands and thousands of such cases are known - from Cain to you; read about them and you will understand what torments you and why. You will understand that victims are stronger than their executioners and their retribution is terrible.

Start by understanding and being aware of this. Do everything in your power for your murdered children, do deeds of mercy. And the Lord will forgive you - everyone is alive with Him - and give you peace. Go to church and ask what you should do: the priests know.

May the Lord have mercy on you!

A letter to a Serbian patriot, who argues that it is more important to be an honest Serb, and faith is a secondary matter

And I say: it is enough to be a good Serb, following the example of the best and most glorious Serbs standing in the ranks outstanding people the whole world of the last millennium. However, I hesitate to say, as you do, that faith is a secondary matter. For all Serbs would consider me a liar.

You are a good Serb if you have the merciful soul of King Vladimir, the firmness of Nemanja, the love of Christ of Saint Sava, the jealousy of Tsar Milutin, the meekness of Stefan Dečanski, the humility of Tsar Urosh, the sacrifice of Prince Lazar, the courage of Ban Strahini, the love of truth of Marko Kraljević, the heart of the mother of the Jugović brothers, loyalty and kindness Princess Milica, the compassion of the Kosovo maiden, the patience of a captive slave, the insight of blind guslars, the wisdom of Serbian monks and priests, the modesty of simple girls, the inspiration of folk singers, the talent of folk artisans, the sophistication and patience of weavers and lacemakers, the accuracy of folk storytellers, the moderation and restraint of Serbian peasants, radiance and light of the Serbian Glory of the Cross.

But isn’t all this from faith? Truly, the foundation and root of everything that I have listed is the faith of Christ. If you do not have any of the virtues of your glorious ancestors - and you call yourself a Serb - you are like an empty shop window with a sign of a famous company. And I think neither you, nor I, want this for you.

To say to someone: “Be a good Serb, and faith is a secondary matter” is the same as telling a sheep: the main thing is to be fat, and pasture is a secondary matter!

No one can be a good Serb if first of all there is no good person. There was and is no other force in the world that could make a person perfect except the faith of Christ.

Therefore, do not desire Serbism without spiritual content. Let no man without a mind be your mentor, nor a Serb without faith your co-worker.

I wish this for you and greet you.

To a woman who is oppressed by severe despondency

You write that you are oppressed by some kind of insurmountable and inexplicable sadness. Your body is healthy, your house is a full cup, but your heart is empty. It is your heart that is full of heavy despondency. You are forced to attend balls and places of entertainment, but this only increases your sadness.

Be careful: this is a dangerous disease of the soul! It can completely kill the soul. The Church considers such sadness to be a mortal sin, for, according to the Apostle, there are two kinds of sadness - sadness for God's sake, which produces repentance for salvation, and worldly sadness, which produces. Apparently you are suffering from the second kind of sadness.

Sadness for God's sake covers a person when he remembers his sins, repents and cries out to God. Or when someone grieves over the sins of their neighbors, seeing how they fall away from the faith. The Lord turns such sadness into joy, similar to that which the Apostle Paul describes, speaking about all the servants of Christ: they grieve us, but we always rejoice. They rejoice because they feel the power and nearness of God. And they receive consolation from the Lord. This is what the psalmist said: I remembered God and rejoiced.

The sorrow of the saints is like clouds through which the sun of consolation shines. And your sadness is like solar eclipse. You must have many minor sins and offenses that you considered insignificant and did not confess or repent of them. Like a web, they entangled your heart and made a nest for that heavy sadness that the demonic force maliciously holds in you. Therefore, reconsider your entire life, subject yourself to merciless judgment and confess everything. By confession you will ventilate and cleanse the house of your soul, and fresh and healthy air from the Spirit of God will enter it. And then boldly take up good deeds. Let's say, start doing alms for Christ's sake. Christ will see and feel it and will soon give you joy. He will give you that unspeakable joy that only He gives and which no sadness, no torment, no demonic power can darken. Read the Psalter. This book is for grieving souls, a book of consolation.

When asked why a lamp is lit in front of an icon

Firstly, because our faith is light. Christ said: I am the light of the world. The light of the lamp reminds us of the light with which the Savior illuminates our souls.

Secondly, in order to remind us of the bright character of the saint, in front of whose icon we light a lamp. For the saints are called sons of light.

Thirdly, in order to serve as a reproach for our dark deeds, evil thoughts and desires, and in order to call us on the path gospel light, so that we would be more zealous about fulfilling the Savior’s commandment: Let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds.

Fourthly, so that it becomes our small sacrifice to the Lord, who sacrificed all of Himself for us, a small sign of our great gratitude and bright love for the One from whom in our prayers we ask for life, health and salvation - all that can give only boundless Heavenly Love.

Fifthly, to frighten the forces of evil that sometimes attack us during prayer, diverting our thoughts from the Creator. For the forces of evil love darkness and tremble at light, especially that which serves God and His saints.

Sixth, to encourage us to sacrifice. Just as oil and wick burn in a lamp, submissive to our will, so let our souls burn with the flame of love, submissive to the will of God in all suffering.

Seventhly, to remind us that just as a lamp cannot light up without our hand, so our heart, this inner lamp of ours, cannot light up without the holy fire of Divine grace, even if it is filled with all virtue. For our virtues are fuel that the Lord ignites with His fire.

To a son who has been cursed by his parents

You write that you quarreled with your father, separated from him, and during the division he cursed you. You ask if this curse has any meaning.

Undoubtedly it has. How could a parent's curse not matter? Less significant things, ordinary thoughts, shake the spiritual world, and even more so the parental curse, when it is fair. Righteous Noah cursed the descendants of Ham, for Ham mocked his father Noah. And this curse gravitates and manifests itself to this day on the black tribes, the Hamites.

And in our country, a terrible maternal curse recently came true. The mother reproached her depraved son. In anger, he insulted her. His mother reproached him for this too, and then he hit her with a stick. She began to cry and wail, and in her grief she uttered the following curse on her son: “My son is not my son, as I wept today, so you will weep on your most joyful day!” Soon the mother died, and the son remained unrepentant and unforgiven. But the mother's curse was fulfilled. On his wedding day - on his most joyful day - the matchmakers fired a gun, and one stray bullet hit the groom, and he burst into tears. But death put an end to his weeping and his life.

Christ repeated the Old Testament commandment of God about honoring parents, saying with His most pure lips: honor your father and mother. Let no one think that this is the commandment of Moses, and not Christ’s.

But if a parent, a pagan or an atheist, were to pronounce a curse on his son because the son is a Christian, such a curse would fall on the head of the parent, and not the son. However, in your case, you are to blame, and the curse falls on you. Therefore, hasten to beg your father to remove the curse from you during your lifetime and bless you so that you may live for many years.

May the Lord help you!

"and the sword (!) of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
Epistle to the Ephesians of St. Paul the Apostle, Chapter 6 verses 10-17

Ilya Popov:
14:03 | 29.06.2011 |

Vasily Ivanov-Ordynsky:
14:04 | 29.06.2011 |

***I did not bring you peace, but a sword***
The teaching of Christ makes a person reconsider his imaginary well-being, makes him think. And peace is lost...
A person begins to accompany every step in life with the question: “Am I doing the right thing? Should a Christian do this?”
But, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Ilya Popov:
15:04 | 29.06.2011 |

Jesus Christ says in the Holy Gospel: “I did not come to bring peace to earth, but a sword, for I came to divide a man with his father, and a daughter with her mother, and a daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law” (Matthew 10: 34-35). That is, the Lord came to earth to separate the lover of peace from the lover of God.
Now many people talk about peace, but all this talk is lies and deception. How can there be peace on earth when there is no unanimity in faith? One is Orthodox, another is Catholic, the third is Lutheran, the fourth is a sectarian or atheist. Only the Lord alone can give true Divine peace. He said in the Holy Gospel: “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). In whom there is this peace of God, who has Christ in his heart, for him there are no wars, no earthquakes, no fires, no disasters. Such a person always feels good under any circumstances of life.
August 14, 1960
Archimandrite Alipy (Voronov)
http://www.pravoslavie.ru/put/030813121155.htm

Artyom Bykov:
15:00 | 23.09.2011 |

Yes, there are a lot of interesting things going on here...
afraid, I guess =))

Natalya Vikhareva:
15:00 | 23.09.2011 |

I really liked the explanation in #5. For some reason, I used to take these words too literally.

Tatyana Balashova:
16:05 | 23.09.2011 |

Saint Nicholas of Serbia.
“On the meaning of Christ’s words: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”:
http://pravklin.ru/publ/8-1-0-411

Maya Piskareva:
17:00 | 23.09.2011 |

That is, the Lord came to earth to separate the lover of peace from the lover of God.*******
It’s strange how this phrase sounds... either the monk said... for whom the world is the enemy... then there is a line of agreement with that. that "peace be upon the world"...))

Galina Smirnova:
17:01 | 23.09.2011 |

Well, yes, it sounds cool.
The peace lover here is not a pacifist, but one to whom what is in the world is more important than God. To a greater or lesser extent, this is about all of us. “Love not the world, nor the things in the world.” After all, in the world there is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. I keep wondering how correctly this was noted. For all times and peoples...

Maya Piskareva:
17:02 | 23.09.2011 |

and Christ says it best:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break through and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." (Matt. 6:20-21)
tell me... and here it is. that we are called laity, what is this?

Alexandra Nikolaeva:
18:01 | 23.09.2011 |

Maya Piskareva:
19:02 | 23.09.2011 |

Why did you cut off the quote? after all, the most important thing is the continuation...
“For everything that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and pride...is not from the Father, but from this world. And the world passes away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
otherwise one can assume that in the world of God there is only lustful pride... We are laymen not only because we don’t live in a monastery, but because living in the world we try to do the will of God. Because the word layman is associated with a Christian...

Margarita Ivanova:
19:03 | 23.09.2011 |

***Catholics used this phrase in the Middle Ages as one of the reasons for the Crusades.***
If we exclude the sack of Constantinople and other Christian lands from the Crusades, then crusades were aimed at a noble goal: the liberation of Christian lands captured by Muslim occupiers.
But, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” ===
The Catechism of the CC says that on earth there is a militant church, but with God there is a triumphant church. We had to fight for Christianity more than once. So the word “sword” has a very real meaning. True, a contradiction can easily be seen here with the idea that if you are hit on one cheek, turn the other. Some people mistakenly understand this phrase as a call for non-resistance to evil.

Galina Agapova:
19:04 | 23.09.2011 |

#5 Ilya, I completely agree with you. Jesus Christ came to separate those who are with God and those who are against God. This main principle, according to which all humanity is divided into two parts. Sheep stand by right hand Christ, and the goats are on the left.

Alexandra Nikolaeva:
23:03 | 23.09.2011 |

#14 <а зачем обрезали цитату >But I know that you know...)))

Vasily Ivanov-Ordynsky:
17:03 | 05.10.2011 |

I also agree with Ilya.
More precisely - with the words of Archimandrite Alypius

Natalia Zaitseva:
15:05 | 10.12.2011 |

I was looking for a topic suitable for my question.
I couldn't find anything better than this one. In order not to open a new one, do not create similar topics.
According to my observations, people who are stern, ascetic, and who love to teach others that they should “pray, fast and listen to radio Radonezh” (figuratively speaking) are people who are not very friendly and cordial to their neighbors.
Lately I’ve been thinking: how is this connected...
Why does asceticism (not even the maximum, as in a monastery, but at least some kind of feat) make the soul callous? (((

Alexander Solovyov:
16:05 | 10.12.2011 |

"Why does asceticism (not even the maximum, as in a monastery, but at least some kind of feat) make the soul callous? ((("
Probably because the ascetic building was built on an unsuitable foundation.

Natalia Zaitseva:
16:05 | 10.12.2011 |

That in itself is true.
But..
Maybe I'm not paying attention, but here's how it turns out this way on purpose, from personal observations:
- whoever is “more relaxed” (in terms of fasting, prayers and other deeds) is the one who is kinder to his neighbor;
- the one who is more severe is the more evil. Well, what is this? Why is this?(((((
(Applies to both priests and laity.)
After all, asceticism was given for this reason, so that the soul IMPROVES, and does not become embittered...

How is it that such a righteous and merciful person does not know the deep meaning of these words? I think you know, but are just looking for confirmation. To the righteous and merciful, God Himself reveals secrets through His Spirit. If you had been the only blacksmith in Jerusalem when the Jews crucified the Lord, there would have been no one to forge nails for them.

Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword(Matt. 10:34). This is what the Lord said. Read it this way: “I did not come to reconcile truth with falsehood, wisdom with stupidity, good with evil, truth with violence, bestiality with humanity, innocence with debauchery, God with mammon; no, I brought a sword to cut and separate one from the other so that there is no confusion."

What to cut with, Lord? The sword of truth or the sword of the word of God, since it is one. The Apostle Paul advises: Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God(Eph. 6:17). Saint John in Revelation saw the Son of Man sitting in the midst of the seven lampstands, and out of His mouth came a sword sharp on both sides(Rev. 1, 13, 16). A sword coming from the mouth - what could be other than the word of God, the word of truth? This sword was brought by Jesus Christ to earth. This sword is saving for the world, and not the world of good and evil. And now and forever, and forever and ever.

That this interpretation is correct is evident from the further words of Christ: I have come to divide a man with his father, and a daughter with her mother, and a daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law.(Matt. 10:35). And if the son follows Christ, and the father remains in the darkness of lies, the sword of Christ’s truth will separate them. Isn't truth more valuable than father? And if the daughter follows Christ, and the mother persists in not recognizing Christ, what can they have in common? Isn't Christ sweeter than a mother? The same is true between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law.

But do not understand this in such a way that the one who knows and loves Christ must now physically separate from his relatives. This is not said. It will be enough to be divided spiritually and not accept into your soul anything from the thoughts and deeds of unbelievers. If believers were now and physically separated from unbelievers, two hostile camps would form. Who would then teach and correct unbelievers? The Lord Himself tolerated the unfaithful Judas around Him for three whole years. Wise Paul writes: An unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband.(1 Cor. 7:14).

Finally, I can tell you how Theophilus of Ohrid spiritually explains these words of Christ: “By father, mother and mother-in-law we mean everything old, and by son and daughter everything new. The Lord wants His new Divine commandments and teaching to overcome all our old sinful habits and customs." So, the words about the sword brought to earth fully correspond to Christ the Peacemaker and Peacemaker. He gives His Heavenly peace, like a kind of heavenly balm, to those who sincerely believe in Him, but He did not come to reconcile the sons of light with the sons of darkness.

I bow to you and the children. Peace and God's blessing to you.

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The Holy Church reads the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter 10, art. 32 - 36; chapter 11, art. 1

32. Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven;

33. But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

34. Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword,

35. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36. And a man’s enemies are his own household.

11:1. And when Jesus finished teaching his twelve disciples, he went from there to teach and preach in their cities.

(Matt. 10, 32-36; 11, 1)

Today we hear the conclusion of the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, which we read for almost a whole week - this is the instruction that the Lord gives to His disciples before sending them to preach.

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven; But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”. A Christian is always faced with a choice; it inevitably happens when we meet Christ: accept Him in our lives or reject Him. The world is divided into those who accepted Christ and those who did not accept Him. Probably the most terrible situation is when we have to choose between Himself and our earthly attachments.

When we read in the Gospel about attitudes towards material or social issues, they do not consist in the fact that everything that concerns this world is bad or sinful. The principle is where our heart is. As the Lord says: “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be.” If we direct it to heaven, this means that we are looking for treasure there, and no worldly connections and attachments will become an obstacle for us and will not prevent us from ascending to heaven. But there is always some kind of choice.

What does it mean to “confess Christ before men”? This means not hiding, being a real Christian, the kind that the Lord speaks about in Scripture. But this does not mean at all that we need to perform some supernatural acts and incredible deeds. The Lord does not call us to do something beyond our strength, but even the smallest deeds can bring us great benefit and give us hope and a chance to be in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord says: “Give cool water to a passing traveler and you will gain for yourself great wealth in heaven.” That is, our life is made up of the smallest things: these small “puzzles” make up the whole picture of our life and what we ultimately go to.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword, for I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”. Words incomprehensible to us, because we said that christian religion unites people, it also talks about division. Christian faith- this is a sermon about love, and love is unity, a sermon about the high moral qualities of the human heart: kindness, honor, conscience.

Why did the Romans hate Christians so much? It turns out that Christians bring this division into the world. The Roman Empire was huge and included different peoples and nationality, but for the Romans it was unimportant who they worshiped or another people. The main thing is to bow to the Roman emperor, and you can believe in whoever you want: “we will include your god in our pantheon.” This is unity.

But the Christian does not want to worship the Roman emperor as a god, and then division arises. It would seem that there is a general flow general principles. Live like everyone else, why show your individuality? After all, then persecution, rebuke, and everything that divides people begins. That is why the Romans hated Christians, who did not want to put up with things that, at first glance, were simple, but behind which a completely different reality could be hidden. The Lord says: “I did not bring peace to earth, but a sword”, and this sword really divides, separating sin from another state. We always have a choice, but only two ways: either to go to God, to heaven, or in the opposite direction. There is no other way. “Let your word be yes, yes, no, no,” said Christ, “everything else is from the evil one.” There are no halftones in Christianity, no gray, there is only white and black. This gradation is objective, because everything that is outside of God turns out to be pernicious. “I have come to bring a sword” - this sword divides us, and we must make a choice.

"A man's enemies are his own household". The devil sometimes works slyly through loved ones and relatives. The most striking example is in the book of Job, when relatives and friends come to him, asking questions and putting evil thoughts against God into Job’s heart. Pets can become real enemies for us. There is a very serious and scary choice here - to follow Christ or obey loved ones and friends with whom we have close ties. Therefore, this point is also very important for us.

“And when Jesus had finished teaching his twelve disciples, he went away from there to teach and preach in their cities.”. Now they were clothed with power - and the preaching of the apostles began. The Lord gave them power and warned them that this power was given to them not for war or struggle, but so that they would bring light to the world. And for this light they will be forced to suffer, and suffer just like the Lord Himself.

Priest Daniil Ryabinin

Transcript: Yulia Podzolova