Earlier we said that during the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments of the Moral Law, on which, as the cornerstone, the entire diversity of interhuman and social relations is based to this day. This was a certain minimum of personal and public morality, without which the stability of human life and social relations would be lost. The Lord Jesus Christ did not come at all to abolish this law: “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).
The Savior's fulfillment of this law was required because since the time of Moses, the understanding of the law has been largely lost. Over the past centuries, the clear and concise imperatives of the Sinai commandments were buried under the layers of a huge number of various everyday and ritual instructions, the scrupulous execution of which began to be given paramount importance. And behind this purely external, ritual and decorative side, the essence and meaning of the great moral revelation was lost. Therefore, the Lord had to appear in order to renew the content of the law in the eyes of people and again put its eternal verbs into their hearts. And moreover, to give a person a means to use this law to save his soul.
Christian commandments, by fulfilling which a person can gain happiness and fullness of life, are called the Beatitudes. Bliss is synonymous with happiness.
On a hill near Capernaum in Galilee, the Lord preached a sermon that became known as the Sermon on the Mount. And He began it with a statement of the nine Beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven..."(Matt. 5:3–12).
The first acquaintance with this moral program can confuse the spirit of modern man. For everything that is prescribed by the Beatitudes seems infinitely far from our everyday understanding of a happy and full-blooded life: poverty of spirit, crying, meekness, the search for truth, mercy, purity, peacemaking, exile and reproach... And not a hint, not a word about what would fit into the popular idea of earthly bliss.
The Beatitudes are a kind of declaration of Christian moral values. It contains everything necessary for a person to enter the true fullness of life. And by the way he relates to these commandments, one can unmistakably judge his spiritual state. If they cause rejection, rejection and hatred, if there is nothing in common or consonance between the inner world of a person and these commandments, then this is an indicator of a serious spiritual illness. But if interest arises in these strange, disturbing words, if there is a desire to penetrate into their meaning, then this indicates an internal readiness to hear and understand the Word of God.
Let us consider each commandment separately.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Can such a quality as spiritual poverty be considered a virtue? Such an assumption obviously contradicts not only the experience of everyday life, but also the ideals that are instilled in us by modern culture. However, to begin with, let us keep in mind that not every spirit makes a person spiritual, much less happy.
Earlier we talked about the temptations of Jesus Christ in the desert. But there, none other than the spirit of the devil offered the Lord great temptations, which, however, have nothing to do with the fullness of human life. But what will happen to a person in whom this spirit of the devil prevails? Will he find bliss, will he be happy? No, because the unclean spirit will lead him away from the truth, confuse him and lead him astray. Fortunately, only the Spirit of God can lead a person to the fullness of life, because God is the source of life. Life with God is the fullness of existence, human happiness. This means that in order for a person to be happy, he must accept the Spirit of God into himself, freeing up the space of his soul for His presence. After all, this was the case at the dawn of human history, when God was at the center of the life of Adam and Eve, who had not yet known sin. Their refusal of God became a sin. Sin drove God out of people’s lives, and their own “I” reigned in the central place of their spiritual life that belonged to Him.
There has been a mutation of life values, a change in all guidelines. Instead of ascending to God, serving Him and being in saving communion with Him, man directed all his strength to satisfy the needs of his own egoism. This state when a person lives for himself and has his own “I” as the center of his inner universe is called pride. And the state opposite to pride, when a person pushes his “I” to the side and puts God at the center of life, is called humility, or spiritual poverty. In contrast to the devil’s gold, which turns into clay shards, spiritual poverty turns into great wealth, for in this case, in the place of the spirit of malice, selfishness and rebellion, the Spirit of God takes up residence in a person and gives life.
So, what is spiritual poverty? “I believe,” writes Saint Gregory of Nyssa, “that spiritual poverty is humility.” What, then, should be understood by humility? Sometimes humility is falsely identified with weakness, wretchedness, downtroddenness, and worthlessness. Oh, this is far from true... Humility is generated by great inner strength, and anyone who doubts this, let him try to slightly move his own “I” to the periphery of his concerns and interests. And put God or another person in the main place in your life. And then it will become clear how difficult this work is and what remarkable inner strength is required for it.
“Pride,” according to St. John Chrysostom, “is the beginning of sin. Every sin begins with it and finds its support in it.” That's why it is said:
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).
In the Old Testament we find amazing words: “The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not despise a broken and humble heart.”(Ps. 50:19).
That is, He will not destroy or destroy the personality of a person who frees himself in order to accept God. And then the Spirit of God dwells in such a person as in a chosen vessel. And the person himself gains the ability to be in communion with God, and therefore to taste the fullness of life and happiness.
So, spiritual poverty and humility are not weakness, but great strength. This is a person’s victory over himself, over the demon of egoism and the omnipotence of passions. This is the ability to open your heart to God, so that He reigns in it, sanctifying and transforming our lives with His grace.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
It would seem that what is common between bliss and crying? In the ordinary mind, tears are an indispensable sign of human grief, pain, resentment, and hopelessness. If you take a healthy person and see in what cases he is capable of crying, then by analyzing the connection between tears and the reasons that gave rise to them, you can say a lot about the person’s state of mind. Let's ask ourselves: are we capable of crying with compassion when we see someone else's misfortune? Every day, television brings tragic pictures of human misfortune, death, hardship, and deprivation to our homes from all over the world. How many have they touched to such an extent that they have made them sad, let alone cry? How many times have we walked along the streets of our cities past people lying on the sidewalks? But how many of us have the sight of a man stretched out on the ground made us think or shed a tear?
It is impossible not to recall here the words of St. Isaac the Syrian: “And what is a merciful heart? The burning of a person’s heart about all creation, about people, about birds, about animals, about demons and about every creature. When remembering them and looking at them, a person’s eyes shed tears from the great and strong pity that envelops the heart. And because of his great patience, his heart is weakened, and it cannot bear, or hear, or see any harm or small sorrow endured by the creature. And therefore, for the dumb, and for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, he offers prayer every hour with tears, so that they may be preserved and purified; and also prays for the nature of reptiles with great pity, which is aroused in his heart until he becomes like God in this.”
So let us ask ourselves: which of us has such a “merciful heart”? Human grief has ceased to confuse and excite our souls, to give rise to pain and tears of compassion in us, and to move us to good deeds. But if a person is able to cry out of compassion for his brother, then this indicates a very special state of his soul. The heart of such a person is alive, and therefore responsive to the pain of his neighbor, and, therefore, capable of deeds of kindness and compassion. But aren’t mercy and the willingness to help others the most important components of human happiness? For a person cannot be happy when someone nearby is suffering, just as there is no joy in the midst of ashes, victims and human grief. Therefore, our tears are a direct and morally healthy response to the grief of another person.
Not a single philosophical doctrine, except Christian, has been able to cope with the issue of human suffering. Marxist theory, which claimed to be a universal master key to all the “damned questions” of humanity, from the origin of the Universe to the establishment of a social paradise on earth, tried to avoid the problem of human suffering. Whether there will be a place for suffering under communism, what factors will give rise to it and how a person will cope with it remains unknown. And on the path of other capital philosophical systems, this problem turned out to be a stumbling block. Christianity does not shy away from answering.
“Blessed are those who mourn” means that suffering is a reality of our world, and even more - a component of the fullness of human life. There is no life without suffering, because such a life would no longer be human, but something else. And therefore suffering should be taken for granted, as one of the hypostases of the human lot. Suffering can be beneficial if it mobilizes a person’s inner strength, and then it becomes a source of human courage and spiritual growth.
A person grows internally, overcoming the torment and trials that befall him. Let's remember F.M. Dostoevsky: his entire philosophy of spiritual resistance to circumstances hostile to man is based precisely on the second Commandment of the Beatitudes. A thinker and Christian, he teaches us that by going through the crucible of moral and physical suffering, a person is cleansed, renewed, and transformed. These motifs permeate The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, and Crime and Punishment. However, suffering can not only purify and elevate a person, increase his internal strength tenfold, elevate him to the highest level of knowledge of himself and the world, but it can also embitter a person, drive him into a corner, force him to withdraw into himself and make him dangerous for other people. We know how many, going through the close field of suffering and inner struggle, could not stand the test and fell.
In what cases does suffering elevate a person, and when can it turn him into a beast? The Apostle Paul said this about it: “Godly sorrow produces constant repentance leading to salvation, but worldly sorrow produces death.”(2 Cor. 7:10).
So, the Christian attitude to suffering presupposes the perception of the disasters that befall us as God’s permission, as a kind of Divine temptation. Religiously aware of our adversity as a test sent down to us, through which God takes us for the sake of our salvation and purification, we inevitably think about why the trouble visited us and what is our fault. And if suffering is accompanied by inner work and honest introspection, then the surging tears of repentance give a person consolation, bliss and spiritual growth.
By responding to sorrows and pain with a pure, living and clear religious feeling, we are able to conquer ourselves, and therefore conquer suffering.
3. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth
It is not difficult to imagine that this commandment can cause a very negative reaction. After all, meekness is, apparently, nothing more than another name for humility, resignation, humiliation? Is it really possible with such qualities to survive in our world, and even to protect someone?
But meekness is not at all what it is unknowingly accused of. Meekness is a person’s great ability to understand and forgive another. It is the result of humility. And humility, as we said earlier, is characterized by the ability to put God or another person at the center of one’s life. A humble person, poor in spirit, is ready to understand and forgive. AND meekness is also patience and generosity. Now let's imagine what our lives could become if we were all able to accept, understand and forgive other people! Even a simple trip on public transport would turn into something completely different. And relationships with colleagues, with family, with neighbors, with acquaintances and strangers who meet on our way... After all, a meek person shifts a heavy burden from another to himself. He first of all judges himself, demands from himself, questions from himself, and forgives others. Or if he cannot forgive, then at least he tries to understand the other person.
Nowadays, our society, which has gone through the trials of general confrontation, through the crucible of internal hostility, is gradually realizing the need to develop a culture of tolerance in social relations. Political leaders, writers, scientists, and the media unanimously call on us to be tolerant, to be able to reconcile interests and take into account different points of view. But is this possible for a person who is not endowed with high poverty of spirit, for a person in whose life the dominant position is occupied not by God, not by another person, but by himself? Indeed, in this case it is very difficult to accept the truth of another, especially if this truth does not correspond to your own views. A person who is unable to understand and forgive another, who is devoid of patience and generosity, will never be able to humble his pride. Therefore, the tolerance to which society is now called, external tolerance, not rooted in internal meekness, is an empty phrase and another chimera.
We can become tolerant of each other and build a calm, peaceful and prosperous society only if we acquire true meekness, gentleness, and the ability to understand and forgive.
Meekness, perceived by many as weakness, turns into a great strength that can not only help a person in solving the tasks facing him, but also lead him into inheriting the land, that is, ensuring the achievement of the main goal - the Kingdom of God, the symbol of which here is the Promised Land.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
In this commandment, Christ combines the concepts of beatitude and truth. and truth acts as a condition for human happiness.
Let us again turn to the history of the Fall, which occurred at the dawn of human history. Sin became the result of an unrejected temptation, a response to the lie with which the devil addressed the first people, inviting them to eat the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in order to become “like gods.”
It was a deliberate lie, but the man believed it, violated the law given by God, succumbed to sinful temptation and plunged himself and all subsequent generations of people into dependence on evil and sin.
Man sinned at the instigation of the devil, he committed a sin under the influence of lies. The Holy Scripture definitely testifies to the nature of the devil: “When he speaks a lie, he speaks his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
And every time we multiply lies, speak untruths or commit unrighteous deeds, we expand the domain of the devil, we work for him and strengthen him.
In other words, a person cannot be happy living in a lie. For the devil is not the source of happiness. Committing untruth connects us with a dark force; through untruth we enter the sphere of evil, and evil and happiness are incompatible. When we commit untruths, we endanger our spiritual life.
What is a lie? This is a situation in which our words do not correspond to our thoughts, knowledge or actions. Untruth is always associated with double-mindedness or hypocrisy; it expresses a fundamental discrepancy between the external and internal aspects of our life. This spiritual fracture is a type of moral schizophrenia (in Greek, “schizophrenia” precisely means “split brain”), that is, a disease. And illness and happiness are incompatible concepts. In fact, by telling a lie, we seem to be divided in two, we begin to live two lives, and this leads to the loss of the integrity of our personality. The Holy Scripture says: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:24–25).
A person who commits untruths and sows lies around himself is divided within himself, like a doomed kingdom, and loses the unity of his nature.
The destructive effect of untruth on our lives can be likened to cracks in a building. They disfigure the appearance of the house, but the house continues to stand. However, if an earthquake occurs or a storm hits, the house covered with cracks will not stand and will collapse. Likewise, a person who denies the law of Divine truth and acts according to the teachings of the father of lies, leading a double life and internally divided, can easily live a long century in peace. But if trials suddenly befall him, if circumstances require him to demonstrate the best human qualities and inner strength, then a life lived in a lie will result in an inability to withstand the blows of fate.
A lie destroys the integrity of not only the human personality, it leads to the fact that the family is divided within itself. For it is lies that are the most common cause of family breakdown. When a husband deceives his wife, and a wife deceives her husband, when lies erect barriers between parents and children, the family hearth turns into a pile of cold stones. But lies divide the human community. Let us remember the events of 1917, when the people were divided among themselves, and the Fatherland was plunged into the abyss of disasters and suffering. Was it not by false teaching that we were seduced, was it not by envy and untruth that one part of society was set against another? Lies lay at the heart of the demagoguery and propaganda that split, reared Russia and finally destroyed it.
And the division of our Fatherland at the end of the 20th century - did it happen without lies? Has it not been the interpretation of history that is contrary to the truth that has aroused passions, leading people to enmity and confrontation with their brothers? But lies in the interpretation and application of rights and freedoms, lies in economic relations and business partnerships - doesn’t it lead to alienation, suspicion and conflicts? The same is true in interstate relations, where lies and provocations create conflicts that plunge peoples and states into the abyss of misfortune and war.
Where there is a lie, there are its eternal companions: unbrotherly love, double-mindedness, hypocrisy, division. But where the disease has taken root, there is no place for harmony and happiness. Having stopped lying to himself and deceiving others, a person will definitely feel a surge of enormous inner strength emanating from the restored integrity of his being. Isn’t it possible that the entire society, exhausted by lies, can experience the same renewal? We are talking here primarily about politicians, the masters of the economy and the media, who often communicate with their fellow citizens in the language of disinformation and malicious lies. This is the reason for many disorders, illnesses and sorrows that destroy the social organism. And until we free our personal, family, social and state lives from the harmful effects of lies, we will not be healed.
The Lord not only connects truth with human happiness, but also testifies that the very search for truth gives a person happiness. Blessed is the one who hungers for truth and strives for it, like a thirsty person for a source of spring water. This pursuit of truth can sometimes be fraught with danger. After all, behind lies is the devil himself, its father, patron and protector. From this it follows that he who seeks truth accomplishes the will of God, and he who multiplies lies serves the devil and seeks to seduce a person, to trap him in the snare of untruth.
Therefore, for a champion of lies, it is so important to know how strong the gracious desire for truth is within us. For he himself will stand for lies to the last, not stopping to use power and violence in its name. We have an idea of the price paid to preserve secrets that threaten to expose lies. But we also know about the great sacrifices made by those who seek truth in the world. For the path of a person who rejects existence according to the laws of lies is thorny. Is it not about them that the Lord says: ?
While enduring reproaches and other troubles for striving to possess the truth and testify to it, we must clearly realize that our adversary is the devil himself. And therefore, he who destroys his wiles and testifies to the truth will inherit the Kingdom of God.
We can thirst for truth, or lay down our souls for its triumph, or be driven out for the sake of truth. However, we will not find the absolute fullness of truth in this world, where powerful evil is present and where the prince of darkness skillfully mixes lies with the truth. Therefore, in the great and ongoing battle in the name of truth, we must learn to distinguish between good and evil, between truth and lies.
King David in his 16th Psalm says amazing words that sound like this in Slavic: “But I will appear before Your face in righteousness, I will be satisfied, sometimes I will appear before Your glory” (Ps. 16.15).
In Russian this means: “And I will look upon Your face in righteousness; Having awakened, I will be satisfied with Your image.” A person who hungers and thirsts for truth will be completely satisfied with it and taste the fullness of the truth only when he appears in the face of the Glory of God. This will happen in another world. It is there, at the Throne of the Lord, that the whole truth is revealed and the Truth appears.
So, the Beatitudes testify: there can be no happiness without truth, just as there can be no happiness with lies. Therefore, any attempt to organize personal, family, social or state life on the basis of lies inevitably leads to defeat, separation, illness and suffering. May the All-Merciful God strengthen us in our desire to build a peaceful and happy life on the cornerstone of truth, which serves as the promise of bliss.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy
What is mercy that the Lord speaks of as a condition of bliss? Grace, or mercy, is, first of all, a person’s ability to effectively respond to someone else’s misfortune. You can respond with a kind word, extend your hand to a person, and support him in grief. We can do more: come to someone in need of our assistance, help him by giving our time and energy. We can also share with the unfortunate what we ourselves own. “Let the healthy and rich comfort the sick and poor; who did not fall - fell and crashed; cheerful - despondent; enjoying happiness - tired of misfortunes,” says St. Gregory the Theologian. It is precisely this kind of action that the Lord closely connects with the idea of justification.
In the Gospel narrative we find a whole list of good deeds, the fulfillment of which is recognized as necessary for the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven and justification at the judgment of the Lord. All of these are deeds of compassion: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, receive the stranger, visit the sick and the prisoner (See Matt. 25:31–36, 41–43). Those who do not fulfill the law of mercy will receive their punishment on the Day of Judgment. For, according to the word of the Lord, “Because you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”(Matthew 25:45).
And we can no longer guess about the future that awaits us in eternity. Everyone, still in this life, is able to foresee what kind of judgment is prepared for him in heaven.
Let us remember how many we fed and watered, how many we invited under our roof, how many we visited and supported in friendship. Each of us can and must, having examined our affairs in the light of conscience, express a judgment about ourselves that precedes the Judgment of God. For we ourselves know ourselves and our lives better than others. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy”- this is how the law of mercy and retribution is read. And since in the grammatical construction of the Beatitudes, God, who is merciful and punishing, is definitely implied here, without being, however, directly named, do we not have the right to expect leniency from people even in this life?
By doing good deeds and helping our neighbors, we discover that the person in whose fate we took part ceases to be a stranger to us, that he enters our lives. After all, people are designed in such a way that they love those to whom they have done good, and hate those to whom they have done harm. Answering the question about who our neighbor is, the Lord says: this is the one to whom we do good. Such a person ceases to be a stranger and distant to us, becoming truly a neighbor, for from now on he owns a part of our heart and a place in our memory.
But if we, living in a family, do not help each other, it means that the people closest to us cease to be our neighbors. When a husband does not support his wife, and a wife does not support her husband, when children do not serve as support for elderly parents, when enmity pits relatives against each other, then the internal bonds that connect man to man are destroyed, and our loved ones, in violation of God’s commandments, become further away from us than those who are distant.
Responsiveness, compassion and kindness that we address to other people connect us with them. This means that their kindness will be our answer, and we will receive mercy from people. A special relationship will be established between us and those to whom we have shown concern. Thus, mercy is like a fabric in which the threads of human destinies are tightly intertwined.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
This commandment is about the knowledge of God. From the cultural monuments that have reached us, we can judge that the entire history of human civilization is marked by a dramatic search for God. Ancient Egyptian temples and pyramids, ancient Greek and Roman pagan temples, oriental places of worship are the focus of the spiritual efforts of each national culture. All this is a reflection of the feat of God-seeking that humanity had to go through. Among philosophers, outstanding thinkers and sages, there was also not a single one who remained indifferent to the topic of God. But, despite the fact that it is present in any significant philosophical system, not everyone was destined to reach the heights of the knowledge of God. Sometimes even the most sophisticated and insightful minds turned out to be incapable of real, experienced knowledge of God. The understanding of God by such philosophers, which remained rationally cold, was powerless to take possession of their entire being, to spiritualize and draw them into a truly religious relationship with the Creator.
What can help a person personally feel and know God? This question is especially important for us right now, when, having become disillusioned with fruitless atheism, most of our people have turned to the search for the spiritual and religious foundations of existence. The desire of these people to find and know God is great. However, the paths leading to the knowledge of God are intertwined with many false paths that lead away from the goal or end in dead ends. It is enough to mention the widespread attitude towards unknown and unstudied natural phenomena. Often people fall into the temptation of deifying the unknown, imbued with a pseudo-religious feeling towards an unknown force. And just as the savages worshiped thunder, lightning, fire or strong winds that were incomprehensible to them, our enlightened contemporaries fetishize UFOs, fall under the magic of psychics and sorcerers, and revere false idols.
So how is it possible to find God by rejecting atheism? How not to stray from the path leading to Him? How not to lose yourself and your attraction to the true God among the dangerously multiplying temptations of false spirituality? The Lord tells us about this in the words of the sixth Commandment of Beatitudes:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”.
For God does not reveal himself to an impure heart. The moral state of the individual is an indispensable condition for the knowledge of God. This means that a person who lives according to the law of lies, who does untruth and adds sin to sin, who sows evil and commits lawlessness - such a person will never be given the opportunity to accept the All-Good God into his petrified heart. That is, to put it technically, his heart is not able to connect to the source of Divine energy. Our heart and our consciousness can be likened to a receiving device, which must be tuned to the same frequency at which Divine grace is transmitted to the world. This frequency is the purity of our heart. Isn’t this what the Word of God teaches us: “Wisdom does not enter into an evil soul. She does not dwell in a body guilty of sin” (Wis. 1:4).
So, purity of thoughts and feelings is an indispensable condition for the knowledge of God. For you can re-read libraries of books, listen to countless lectures, torture your brain in search of an answer to the question of whether God exists, but never get closer to Him, not recognize Him, or accept for God that which is not Him - the devil, the power of darkness.
If our heart is not tuned to the wave of Divine grace, then we will not be able to know and see God. And to see God, to accept and feel Him, to enter into communication with Him means to gain Truth, fullness of life and bliss.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God
As St. John Chrysostom emphasizes, with this Commandment of the Beatitudes Christ “not only condemns the mutual disagreement and hatred of people among themselves, but demands more, namely, that we reconcile the disagreements and discords of others.” According to the commandment of Christ, we must become peacemakers, that is, those who create peace on earth. In this case, we will become sons of God by grace, because, in the words of the same Chrysostom, “and the work of the Only Begotten Son of God was to unite what was divided and to reconcile what was at war.”
It is often believed that the absence of war or the cessation of conflict is peace. The spouses quarreled, then went to different corners, the shouting and mutual insults stopped - and it was as if peace had come. But in the soul there is no trace of peace or peace, only irritation, annoyance, malice and anger. It turns out that the cessation of hostile actions and open confrontation between the parties is not yet evidence of genuine peace. For peace is not a negative concept, that is, characterized by a simple absence of signs of confrontation, but a deeply positive state: a kind of gracious reality that displaces the idea of enmity and fills the space of the human heart or social relations. A sign of true peace is peace of mind, when anger and irritation are replaced by harmony and peace.
The Old Testament Jews called this state with the word “Sholom”, meaning by it God's blessing, for peace is from God. And in the New Testament the Lord speaks about the same thing: peace as peace and satisfaction is the blessing of God. The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians testifies about the Lord: “He is our peace” (Eph. 2:14).
And St. Seraphim of Sarov describes the state of the world as follows: “The gift and grace of the Holy Spirit is the peace of God. Peace is a sign of the presence of God's grace in human life" And therefore, at the moment of the Nativity of Christ, the angels preached the gospel to the shepherds with the words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace...” For the Lord, the Source and Giver of peace, brought it to people with His birth.
What choice then should a person make and what will his peacemaking work consist of? “The Lord has called us to peace”- says the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 7.15), and the first words of the Risen Lord after His appearance to the apostles were "Peace to you". This is God's call to which man responds. The answer can be twofold: we either open our souls to receive the world of God, or we erect insurmountable barriers to the action of Divine grace in us. If a son not only adopts his father’s family name, but also becomes the successor of his work, then a special successive connection is established between them. Isn’t it in this sense that we should understand the words of the Lord that those who will continue the work of the Father, who organizes the world, will be called sons of God?
Peace is peace, and peace is balance. From physics we know that only a stable equilibrium system is at rest, and, therefore, equilibrium, balance are an indispensable condition for rest.
Under what circumstances does peace reign in a person’s soul? When the various properties of his spiritual nature are balanced, when his inner aspirations are harmonized, when a balance is achieved between the spiritual and physical principles, between the mind and feelings, between needs and capabilities, between beliefs and actions. But such a system will experience a loss of stability whenever the balance between these principles of a person’s inner life begins to be disturbed. As for the external world, it will be achieved only when the interests of the individual, family, society and state come into balance. For stability here is achieved through a fair distribution of rights, duties and responsibilities: it is not without reason that the symbol of fair trial and legal measure are scales in the hands of Themis. In other words, there are deep internal relationships between peace, balance, tranquility and justice.Justice is balanced, therefore it is an indispensable condition for peace. For there can be no peace without justice.
Life constantly puts a person in a situation where he needs to restore balance between conflicting internal aspirations. The simplest example is a mismatch between needs and capabilities: you want to have an expensive car, but you don’t have the means to do so. There are two ways out of this state: either bring your desires and capabilities into balance, or, stopping at nothing, strive with all your might to satisfy your needs. When a person’s capabilities and needs do not achieve harmony, he suffers, and his suffering is further fueled by a feeling of envy. Inner peace will come only if the scales, on the scales of which lie our needs and opportunities, fix the balance.
Another example is from the public sphere: about the relationship between peace and justice. In apartheid South Africa, the black majority fought a bitter struggle for equal rights with the ruling white minority. Once, in a conversation with one of the leaders of the African liberation movement, I asked: “In the difficult life of your people there is already too much violence, so wouldn’t it be better for you to make peace with your opponents?” And he answered me: “But what kind of world will it be without justice? It would be based on a constantly smoldering conflict, fraught with explosion and multiplying human suffering. For there to be genuine peace, there must be a just solution to the problem underlying the conflict.”
The idea of peace and the idea of justice grow from the same root. Internal proportionality and harmony of interests in the family, society and state, as well as in interstate relations, are achieved when everyone is ready to sacrifice their interests. That is why peacekeeping always requires sacrifice and dedication. In fact, if a person is not ready to sacrifice part of his own interests to another, how can he participate in the creation of an equilibrium system? And is someone who is accustomed to putting only himself and his own benefit at the forefront of things capable of doing this? Such a person poses a potential threat to the world; he is dangerous for family and social life. Being unable to bring the forces acting in him to balance, such a person finds himself in the role of a carrier of constant internal conflict, which most often is not limited to personal life, but is projected onto interpersonal and even social relationships.
However, if God occupies a central place in life, then a person becomes able to give up his claims in the name of the good of his neighbor, for God calls us to love. When people who are in enmity demonstrate an inability to self-sacrifice, and therefore to reconciliation, and the conflict in which they participate begins to affect many, gathering a bloody harvest, then they turn to mediators to achieve peace. Performing this function in a peacekeeping mission is a spiritually dangerous task, because the mediator is obliged to demand self-restraint from the warring parties. As a result, their anger and discontent may well be directed at the messenger of peace.
Peacemaking ministry is the duty and calling of the Church. To talk about this conclusively, you don’t need to go deep into history. Suffice it to recall the civil conflict in Russia in the fall of 1993, when the Church initiated the peacemaking process, acting as a mediator between the opposing forces. At the same time, she was fully aware that her mission would cause discontent on both sides. And so it happened, because her call to show dignified self-restraint, moderate political ambitions and curb the demon of enmity was not accepted by either one or the other. Newspaper publications that followed these peace initiatives also indicated a lack of understanding of the mission of the Church and dissatisfaction with its position.
But this is the dignity and power of peacemaking ministry: in the name of achieving a fair balance, to directly follow the God-given good goal, affirming the spirit of brotherly love and not being tempted by possible misunderstanding and condemnation. Unfortunately, peacekeeping ministry is often used to their advantage by forces speculating on the tragedy of their neighbor or seeking to earn political capital. But peacekeeping is a sacrifice, but not at all a means to cheaply buy public recognition or effectively crown oneself with the laurels of a benefactor of humanity. True peacemaking implies, first of all, a willingness to experience blasphemy and reproach from those to whom you came with an olive branch in your hands. This sometimes happens when resolving interstate, social or political conflicts; the same model is reproduced in our private life.
God is the Creator of the world and life. And peace is an indispensable condition for the preservation of life. Those who serve this purpose show loyalty to the covenant of the Lord and continue His work, which is why they are called the sons of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
We have already looked at the commandment addressed to those who are ready to live in truth:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”.
The Lord here speaks of a reward for people who seek truth: they will find what their souls strive for. And in the commandment about those expelled for the sake of righteousness, He warns us about the dangers that await a person on this path. For life is truly not easy and is not much like a walk in a well-kept park. Living in truth is hard work and a challenge that involves risk, because there are too many lies in the world we live in. When discussing the origin of evil, we said that the devil is evil personified, or, according to the Word of God, a liar and the father of lies. He is active in our world, spreading lies everywhere.
“Lying is a vile dishonor of a person,” says St. John Chrysostom. Great are the successes of lies. It permeates our social life, becomes a means of achieving power, disintegrates family relationships, deprives a person of internal integrity, for he who multiplies untruth splits himself into two.
If you look around, the first thing that strikes your eye is how widespread the untruth is. One gets the impression of its dynamic growth, an increase in the amount of evil and a multiplication of its positions, including in public life. There are countless examples of this.
Many still remember the campaigns to combat the so-called registrations in the Soviet economy. Postscripts were indeed a scourge and a constant feature of the economic life of those years: the volume of production not completed by an employee, enterprise, district or region was shown in documents as completed, and this led to an imbalance in the country’s economic system, causing significant damage to the entire society. In the 90s of the last century, the desire to enrich oneself by unjust means increased many times, turning into a predatory plunder of national wealth, the acquisition of personal capital by a few at the expense of the public property, created by the hard work of several generations. Before our eyes, a small and at least controllable evil has grown, turning into a threat to the national security of the country and its future.
Even during my childhood, cases of overweighting or shortchanging a customer in a store invariably caused general indignation. The current methods of enrichment have endlessly multiplied and become more sophisticated in comparison with the times of primitive weighing and shortchanging.
Something similar is happening in other countries. In European cities, where 30–40 years ago many people did not lock their homes, crime, including economic crime, has increased many times over. As for the world of politics, it is well known with what ease election promises are made here. However, promises often remain promises. In the world we live in, lying is not exotic, not a rare occurrence, but a widespread means of achieving material well-being or power. But what happens to a person who refuses to live by the law of lies and challenges it? Lies use every means at their disposal to take revenge on the rebellious. However, it does not at all follow from this that today there are no people left who do not want to live by a lie. Such people, thank God, exist.
I have to meet with scientists, designers, engineers, military personnel, factory workers, and rural workers. Many of them, despite everything, continue to live by the truth. In the mid-90s, I had to speak at Moscow University and meet with world-class scientists - mathematicians, mechanics, physicists. Looking at their clothes and appearance, which did not indicate well-being and prosperity, I thought: “What keeps these brilliant scientists on their modest salaries? Why didn’t they, like their other colleagues, disperse to prosperous countries, where well-deserved honor and a completely comfortable existence would await them?” When I asked about this, one of the professors compared himself and his comrades to sentries remaining guarding national science. And in fact, true champions of truth, patriots and devotees of science, these people remained faithful to its ideals, their research and human duty, despite the lack of state recognition and support from those in power at that time.
It is a great consolation and support for us to remember that the man who lives by truth always wins in the end. He wins because the truth is stronger than lies. This conviction lives in the wisdom of our people: “Do not lie - everything will work out in God’s way”, “Everything will pass - only the truth will remain”, “God is not in power, but in truth”... It happens, however, that an individual person does not live to see the moment of the triumph of truth, for 70–80 years of life are just a moment in the face of eternity. However, the truth always triumphs. And if not in this life, then in eternal life, a person who lived in truth will see its triumph. Therefore the Lord says: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”.
And even if the reward for the person who sacrificed himself to the truth does not have time to find him here, then the reward for the righteous will certainly await him in eternal life.
The fight for truth is what Christians are called to in this world. However, when fighting for the truth, one must not only strive for its triumph, but also be extremely sensitive to the question of the cost of victory, for not all means are acceptable for a Christian. Otherwise, the struggle for truth can degenerate into an ordinary quarrel or intrigue. It often happens that people begin by defending great ideals and fighting for a just cause, but end up pushing their neighbors aside in a battle for their place in the sun or spiritual despotism.
What means are prohibited in the fight for truth? It is impossible to affirm the truth through anger and hatred. He who stands for truth cannot harbor low feelings towards his opponents. For our strongest weapon in affirming the truth is the truth itself: the truth is both a goal and a means of struggle. They go out to fight for the truth with an open visor and an open heart in which there is no hatred. This, however, does not mean that a person has nothing to rely on in the fight for the truth.
The Holy Fathers teach us that patience and courage are helpers in this difficult task. Patience makes up for the lack of our weak strength and gives us the ability to overcome sorrow and difficulties. This is how the external enemy is overcome by the inner power of patience. We need courage because lies always try to intimidate a person, resort to insidious and base means, try to break the spirit of their opponent, move the battlefield from an open place to a cramped and dark one. And therefore, the struggle for truth is always inspired by courage and supported by patience.
The Lord does not call us to be passive spectators of evil and untruth. He blesses us to take the side of the champions of truth and justice, so that we always remember the need to maintain the purity of our souls, to protect our Christian dignity and not to stain our vestments with the dirt of lies and evil.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven...
This last Beatitude sounds especially dramatic, for it is about those who accept the crown of martyrdom for confessing Christ the Savior. Why were the disciples of Jesus considered dangerous and why was it necessary to persecute and slander those who brought the word of love into the world? The question is far from idle, because the answer to it will help to understand, perhaps, one of the main conflicts of history.
The fact is that the truth of God was revealed exclusively and absolutely in the person of Jesus Christ. This truth is neither a theory, nor a conclusion, nor an abstract idea, but the most sublime and beautiful reality, which has found vivid expression in the historical personality of Jesus of Nazareth. And therefore, the enemies of God’s truth were fully aware that without fighting Christ and His followers it was impossible to defeat His truth. They saw their task as darkening the image of the Savior, shining with holiness and beauty, if it was impossible to destroy and blot it out completely.
This struggle with Christ began during the life of the Lord. “He is no Messiah,” the Jewish rulers and teachers of that time said, “but just a deceiver from Nazareth, the son of a carpenter.” “He has not risen at all,” they repeated, having learned about the great miracle. “It was the disciples who stole His body.” The rulers of the Roman Empire asserted something similar, calling Christianity a “disgusting superstition” and bringing down the full might of the state repressive apparatus on it as a socially and politically dangerous phenomenon.
Amazingly, the struggle with the Savior and the teaching He proclaimed has been declared since the emergence of Christianity, with the proclamation of the Beatitudes by Christ. In the second half of the 1st century, this struggle took the form of severe persecution. Beginning under the Roman Emperor Nero, they continued for more than 250 years. Nowadays, every day the Holy Church remembers several martyrs, passion-bearers and confessors, whose names are forever imprinted on its tablets. Hosts of martyrs testified to their fidelity to Christ with their lives and deaths. And about each of them you can tell a story full of drama. Let's focus on the story of just one family.
Many Russian women bear the names Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sofia. The Holy Martyr Sophia was born in Italy, was a widow and had three daughters: twelve-year-old Vera, ten-year-old Nadezhda and nine-year-old Love. They all believed in Christ and openly shared His word with people. Someone named Antiochus, the governor of the province where they lived, reported to the Roman emperor about this Christian family. They were summoned to Rome, where they were interrogated and then tortured. There is evidence of the monstrous torture that these little girls endured. They were placed naked on a hot metal grate and poured with boiling tar, forcing them to renounce Christ and worship the pagan goddess Artemis. Not much was required: to bring flowers to the foot of her statue or to burn incense in front of her. But the girls refused, seeing this as a betrayal of their faith in Christ. Lyubov was tortured with particular cruelty: strong warriors tied her to a wheel and beat her with sticks until the girl’s body turned into a bloody mess. The mothers of the young martyrs were given a special torture: Sophia was forced to watch the suffering of her daughters. Then the girls were beheaded, and three days later Sofia died of grief at their grave.
What is striking in this story, in particular, is fanatical hatred and inhuman malice, which cannot be explained by anything other than a diabolical suggestion. For in the Roman Empire the practice of any religious cult was allowed, but war of destruction was declared only on Christianity. Another thing is amazing: how little girls had the courage to endure these unimaginable torments, and a hundredth part of which exceeds everything that even an adult man could endure. The reserve of human strength could not be enough for this. But the spiritual, religious experience of these children turned out to be so rich, so great was the happiness and joyful fullness of life they acquired through their faith, that neither red-hot grates nor boiling tar could separate the young martyrs from Christ. And the Lord strengthened these pure souls in their confession of the Truth and opposition to evil.
The ancient church writer Tertullian said: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity.” And this is truly so, because the torment and persecution to which the followers of Jesus Christ were subjected became false evidence of the true faith and thus contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that even the persecutors themselves were often converted to the Savior by the power of the spirit of those whom they tortured.
The persecution of Christianity ended at the beginning of the 4th century, but in the broad sense of the word it never stopped. To be a Christian, to live openly in accordance with one’s convictions, almost always meant swimming against the tide, taking blows from those for whom Christianity remained a word far from their lives. But, probably, The 20th century became the worst period of persecution of Christians in history. In the post-revolutionary years, our compatriots - bishops, priests, monks, and countless believers - were subjected to sophisticated torture and torment. The people of God were exterminated only because they believed in Christ the Savior. But, as if unconsciously feeling the unrighteousness of what they were doing, the persecutors of Christians tried to present the matter as if they were persecuting believers not for their religious beliefs, but for political sins against the authorities. Such a dirty trick as defamation and discrediting of believers in the eyes of society was also widely used, which, for example, was done more than once in the process of confiscating church valuables. As a result, almost all the bishops and clergy were shot or perished in camps. A handful remained free, truly a “small flock,” who had the lot to preserve our faith in incredibly difficult conditions.
However, there are now some “history researchers” who cynically ask: “Why did these few survive? How dare they stay alive when others were destroyed?” And they immediately answer themselves: “If they were spared, it was only because they had a special relationship with the authorities.” The spiritual fathers and forerunners of these falsely wise “historians” were precisely those who were engaged in the physical extermination of the flower of Russian Orthodoxy. For the current enemies of the Church of Christ want to complete the work of the persecutors of that time and shoot our memory of those who survived the terrible years of repression and brought to us the beauty of the Orthodox faith.
Those who paid with their lives for loyalty to Christ and His Church were martyrs, and those who carried this faith through all the trials and temptations and survived became confessors. It is difficult to even imagine what would have happened to our Fatherland if the confessors of the 20s, 30s and subsequent years had not observed the Orthodox faith among our people! The consequences of this would be catastrophic for our national, spiritual and religious-cultural identity. Devastated, distrustful people, who have lost God and spiritual immunity, would today become easy prey for false teachers and pseudo-missionaries who have flown to our land from all over the world. And therefore, now, as a sign of gratitude and gratitude, we bow our heads both to the memory of those who remained faithful to Christ even to death, and to the confessional labors of those who saved and carried the spark of the Orthodox faith through decades of unheard-of persecution. Now the spark, having kindled into a flame, warms and inspires our Orthodox people, strengthens them in the fight against sin and lies, helps them overcome the temptations of false teachings and repel those who seek to tear them away from their native soil.
It is far from accidental that the final one from the set of Beatitudes is dedicated to those persecuted for Christ. For by accepting Christian teaching and comparing our lives with it, we take a completely definite position in the key conflict of all times - the struggle of God with the devil, the forces of good with the forces of evil. But warfare with the prince of darkness, with the evil inclination and powerful lies, as well as the confession of the Truth of Christ, is not at all a safe matter. For evil is not indifferent to the world and man, it is not neutral: it lies in wait and hurts those who challenge it.
The commandment about those persecuted for Christ’s sake is different from all the others. Let's compare it with the previous one: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”.
That is, blessed is the one who suffered for the truth: his reward is prepared in Heaven. The commandment about those who endured for Christ’s sake sounds differently: “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you unrighteously because of Me.”.
That is, blessed not in the future life, but already at the very moment when persecution is endured for Christ. But then why are they blessed? Yes, because it is precisely at the moment of greatest tension of human strength in standing for the truth of God that the fullness of this truth is revealed. It is no coincidence that Faith, Hope and Love remained faithful to Christ even in torment. Because at the moment of confession, in the terrible moment of testing, the Lord Himself was with them.
If we accept the Beatitudes, then we accept Christ Himself. And this means that our highest law and our highest truth is the moral ideal of Christianity, for which we must be ready to suffer, finding both in this ideal and in its confession the fullness of life.
The Beatitudes given to us by the Savior do not in the least violate the commandments of the law. On the contrary, these commandments are mutually complementary.
The Ten Commandments of the Law are limited to prohibiting doing what is sinful. The Beatitudes teach us how we can achieve Christian perfection or holiness.
The Ten Commandments were given in Old Testament times to keep wild and rude people from evil. The Beatitudes were given to Christians to show them what spiritual disposition they should have in order to draw closer and closer to God and gain holiness, and at the same time bliss, that is, the highest degree of happiness.
Holiness, born of closeness to God, is the highest bliss, the highest happiness that a person can desire.
The Old Testament law is the law of strict truth, and the New Testament law of Christ is the law of Divine love and grace, which alone gives people the strength to fully observe the law of God and approach perfection.
Jesus Christ, calling us to the eternal Kingdom of God, shows the way to it, through the fulfillment of His commandments, for the fulfillment of which He promises, as the King of heaven and earth, eternal bliss in the future eternal life.
Jesus Christ says:
2. Blessed are those who cry, for they will be comforted.
5. Blessed be the mercy that there will be mercy.
6. Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for these shall be called sons of God.
8. Blessed is the expulsion of truth for the sake of them, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you, and despise you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying, for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is many in heaven.
In each of these sayings or instructions of the Lord one should distinguish, on the one hand, a teaching or commandment, and on the other, an indulgence or a promise of reward.
To fulfill the Beatitudes it is necessary: communication with God - prayer, internal and external; fight against sinful tendencies - fasting, abstinence and so on.
About the first beatitude
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, that is, the humble; because theirs is (that is, the Kingdom of Heaven will be given to them).
Blessed, that is, extremely happy and pleasing to God; poor in spirit- humble, who are aware of their imperfection and unworthiness before God and never think that they are better or holier than others; like- for, because; those- their.
Spiritual poverty
there is a spiritual conviction that our life and all our spiritual and physical blessings (such as life, health, strength, mental abilities, knowledge, wealth and all sorts of worldly blessings), all this is a gift from the Creator God: without heavenly help it is impossible to acquire , neither material well-being, nor spiritual wealth - all this is God's gift.
Spiritual poverty is called humility, and her virtue is humility.
Humility or humility is the main Christian virtue, because it is the opposite of pride, and all the evil in the world came from pride. The first of the angels became the devil, the first people sinned, and their descendants quarrel and are at enmity with each other because of pride. " The beginning of sin is pride"(Sir. 10, 15).
Without humility, turning to God is impossible, no Christian virtue is possible.
Humility gives us the opportunity to know ourselves, to correctly evaluate our strengths and weaknesses; it has a beneficial effect on the fulfillment of our duties towards our neighbors, arouses and strengthens in us faith in God, hope and love for Him, attracts God’s mercy to us, and also makes people inclined towards us.
The Word of God says: " The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise"(Ps. 50 , 19); "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble"(Prov. 3 , 34). “Learn from Me,” the Savior instructs, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”(Matt. 16 , 29).
Physical poverty, or poverty, can greatly contribute to the acquisition of spiritual poverty, if this poverty, or poverty, is accepted willingly and without complaint. But the “physically poor” cannot always be “spiritually poor.”
And the rich can be “poor in spirit” if they understand that visible, material wealth is perishable and fleeting, and that it cannot replace spiritual wealth; if they remember the words of the Lord: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? or what ransom does a man give for his soul?” (Matt. 16 , 26).
But Christian humility must be strictly distinguished from selfish self-abasement that undermines human dignity, such as sycophancy, ingratiation, etc.
We must, at the same time, strictly turn away from the so-called “noble pride” or “defense of insulted honor,” reflecting prejudices and harmful superstitions remaining among European peoples as a legacy of Roman paganism hostile to Christianity. A true Christian must resolutely renounce these prejudices, which have created the anti-Christian and shameful custom of duels.
As a reward for the poor in spirit, that is, the humble, the Lord Jesus Christ promises the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, an eternally blissful life. The poor in spirit begin to feel this participation in the Kingdom of God even here, through faith and hope in God, and finally and in all its fullness they receive it in the future life.
About the Second Beatitude
2. Blessed are those who cry, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn (for their sins); because they will be comforted.
Crying
Those who cry and grieve for their sins; tii- They.
The crying spoken of in the second beatitude is, first of all, true sorrow of the heart, and tears of repentance for the sins we have committed, for our guilt before a merciful God (for example, the crying of the Apostle Peter after his denial).
“For Godly sorrow produces repentance that results in salvation; but worldly sorrow produces death,” says the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 7 , 10).
Sorrow and tears caused by misfortunes that befall us, for example, the death of people dear to us (Christ Himself shed tears at the death of Lazarus), can be spiritually beneficial, if only these sorrows and tears are imbued with faith and hope, patience and devotion to the will of God.
Moreover, sorrow and tears caused by compassion for the misfortune of one’s neighbor can lead to bliss, if these tears are sincere and accompanied by deeds of Christian charity towards love.
The sadness of this world is sadness without hope in God, which comes not from the consciousness of one’s sinfulness before God, but from the dissatisfaction of ambitious, power-hungry and selfish aspirations. Such sadness, through despondency and despair, leads to spiritual death, sometimes accompanied by physical death (suicide). An example of such sadness is Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ the Savior.
As a reward for those who cry, the Lord promises that they will be comforted - they will receive forgiveness of sins, and through this inner peace, they will receive eternal joy, that is, eternal bliss.
About the third beatitude
3.Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit (take possession of) the earth.
Meek, gentle; like- because, because.
Meekness is a calmer, full of Christian love, state of the human spirit, in which a person never gets irritated and never allows himself to grumble, not only towards God, but also towards people.
Meek people do not get irritated themselves and do not irritate other people.
Christian meekness is expressed mainly in patiently enduring insults caused by others, and is the opposite of anger, malice, self-exaltation and vindictiveness.
A meek person always regrets the hardness of the heart of the person who has offended him; wishes him correction; prays for him and submits his actions to the judgment of God, heeding the instructions of the Apostle; "If it is possible for you, be at peace with all people. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved; vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord" (Rom. 12 , 18-19).
The highest example of meekness for us is our Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, who prayed on the cross for His enemies. He taught us not to take revenge on our enemies, but to do good to them. “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11 , 29).
Meekness conquers the most cruel hearts of people, as observation of human life convinces us of this, and the entire history of the persecution of Christians confirms this.
A Christian can only be angry at himself, at his own sins and at the tempter - the devil.
The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth. This promise means that meek people in this life, by the power of God, are preserved on earth, despite all the intrigues of man and the most severe persecution, and in the future life they will be heirs of the heavenly fatherland, new land(2 Pet. 3 , 13) with its eternal benefits.
About the Fourth Beatitude
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (desiring righteousness); because they will be satisfied.
There are those who really want to; thirsty- very thirsty; hungry and thirsty for truth- those who desire truth as much as a hungry person desires to eat and a thirsty person to drink.
Hungering and thirsting for truth, these are those people who, deeply aware of their sinfulness, that is, guilt before God, fervently desire the truth. They try to please God with their lives in truth, that is, according to Christ’s Gospel law, which requires from Christians the most holy justice in all their relations with their neighbors.
The expression “hungry and thirsty” shows that our desire for truth should be as strong as the desire of the hungry and thirsty to quench their hunger and thirst. This desire is beautifully expressed by King David: “As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so does my soul thirst for You, O God! My soul thirsts for the mighty, living God” (Psalm. 41 , 2-3).
The Lord promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied. Here we mean spiritual saturation, consisting in inner, spiritual peace, peace of conscience, justification and pardon. This saturation in life here on earth only happens partially. But to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness most of all, the Lord reveals the secrets of His kingdom, and their hearts, even in this world, enjoy the knowledge of the truths revealed in the Gospel of God, that is, our Orthodox Christian teaching.
They will receive complete saturation, that is, complete satisfaction of the holy aspirations of the human spirit, (and hence the highest joy, bliss) in the future, eternal, blissful life with God; as the Psalmist says, King David: " I will be satisfied, never to appear in Your glory"(Ps. 16 , 15).
About the Fifth Beatitude
5. Blessed are the mercy, for there will be mercy.
Blessed are they who have mercy, for they will receive mercy.
For, because; tii- such people, they.
Merciful or merciful, these are those people who are compassionate towards others, with all their hearts they feel sorry for people who are in trouble or misfortune, and try to help them with good deeds.
Works of mercy are material (bodily) and spiritual.
Material works of mercy (bodily):
1. Feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked or lacking in clothing.
4. Visit someone in prison.
5. Visit the sick person and help him recover or Christianly prepare for death.
6. Take the wanderer into the house and give him rest.
7. Bury the dead of the poor.
Spiritual works of mercy:
1. By word and example “to turn the sinner from the wrong path” (Jas. 5 , 20).
2. Teach the non-leader (those who don’t know) truth and goodness.
3. Give good and timely advice to your neighbor in difficulty and danger.
4. Comfort the sad.
5. Do not repay evil for evil.
6. Forgive offenses with all your heart.
7. Pray to God for everyone.
The Lord promises the merciful as a reward that they themselves will pardoned; that is, at the future judgment of Christ, the special mercy of the righteous Judge will be shown to them: they will be delivered from eternal condemnation for their sins, just as they showed mercy to others on earth (see Gospel of Matt. 25 , 31-46).
About the Sixth Beatitude
6. Blessed be the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Pure in heart are those people who not only do not openly sin, but also do not harbor vicious and unclean thoughts, desires and feelings in themselves, in their hearts. The heart of such people is free from attachments and addictions to corruptible earthly things, and in general free from sinful passions generated by selfishness, that is, pride and pride. People who are pure in heart always, unceasingly think about God.
In order to acquire purity of heart, one must maintain the fasts commanded by the Church, and in every possible way protect oneself from overeating, drunkenness, indecent shows and amusements, and from reading obscene, immodest books.
Purity of heart is much higher than simple sincerity. Purity of heart consists only in the sincerity and frankness of a person in relation to others, and purity of heart requires the complete suppression of vicious thoughts and desires and constant remembrance of God and His holy law.
The Lord promises people with a pure heart as a reward that they will see God. Here on earth they will see Him gracefully and mysteriously, with the spiritual eyes of the heart. They can see God in His appearances, images and likenesses. In the future eternal life they will see God “as He is” (1 John. 3 , 2). And since the sight of God is the source of the highest bliss, the promise to see, to contemplate God is a promise of the highest degree of bliss.
About the Seventh Beatitude
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for these shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Peacekeepers
People living with everyone in peace and harmony and establishing peace between people; sons of God- sons of God; will be called- they will call themselves.
Peacemakers are those people who themselves try to live with everyone in peace and harmony, and try to reconcile other people who are at war with each other, or at least pray to God for their reconciliation.
Peacemakers remember the words of the Savior: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John. 14 , 27).
“If it is possible for you, be at peace with all people,” says the Apostle Paul (Rom. 12 , 18).
The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God, that is, they will be closest to God, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. By their feat, peacemakers are likened to the Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ, who came to earth to reconcile sinners with the justice of God and to establish peace between people, instead of the enmity that prevailed among them. Therefore, peacemakers are promised the gracious name of sons of God, that is, children of God, and with this inexplicable bliss.
The Apostle Paul says: “And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, so that we may be glorified with Him. For I think that the sufferings of this present time are worth nothing in comparison with the glory that will be revealed.” in us" (Rom. 8 , 17-18).
About the Eighth Beatitude
8. Blessed is the expulsion of truth for the sake of them, for those are the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Exiled, unloved; for the sake of truth- for truth, for righteous life; like- because, because.
Persecuted for the sake of truth, these are those true believers who so love to live according to the truth, that is, according to the law of God, that for the firm fulfillment of their Christian duties, for their righteous and pious life, they suffer from wicked people, from enemies of truth and goodness, - persecution, persecution, deprivation and disaster, but they do not change the truth.
Persecution is inevitable for Christians who live according to the truth of the Gospel, because evil people hate the truth (since the truth exposes their evil deeds) and always persecute and persecute in every possible way those people who defend the truth. The Only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, was crucified on the cross by haters of God’s truth and predicted to all His followers: “ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too"(John. 15 , 20). "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution"says the Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 3 , 12).
In order to patiently endure persecution for the sake of truth, a person must have: love for the truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience, faith and trust in the help and protection of God.
To those persecuted for the truth, for their confessional feat, the Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, the complete triumph of the spirit, joy and bliss in the heavenly villages of future eternal life (Luke. 22 , 28-30).
About the Ninth Beatitude
9. Blessed are you when people revile you, and despise you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying, for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Blessed, happy and pleasing to God; when they slander you- when they revile you, that is, scold you; will be exhausted- they will drive; cry all evil verb- they will say any evil word, they will slander and slander in every possible way; on you- on you; lying- slander, unfairly accusing someone of something; For my sake- for me; like- for, because; bribe- reward; a lot- great.
In the last, ninth commandment, our Lord Jesus Christ calls especially blessed those who, for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith in Him, patiently endure reproach, persecution, slander, slander, mockery, disasters and death itself.
This feat is called martyrdom. There can be nothing higher than the feat of martyrdom.
The courage of Christian martyrs must be strictly distinguished from fanaticism, which is zeal beyond reason, unreasonable. Christian courage must also be distinguished from the insensibility caused by despair and from the feigned indifference with which some criminals, due to their extreme bitterness and pride, listen to the verdict and go to execution.
Christian courage is based on high Christian virtues: faith in God, hope and trust in God, love for God and others, complete obedience and unshakable loyalty to the Lord God.
The highest example of martyrdom is Christ the Savior Himself, as well as the Apostles and countless Christians who joyfully went to suffer for the name of Christ.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God. Think about Him who endured such reproach from sinners, lest you become faint and faint in your souls,” says the Apostle (Heb. 12 , 1-3).
For the feat of martyrdom, the Lord promises a great reward in heaven, that is, the highest degree of bliss in the future eternal life. But even here on earth, the Lord glorifies many martyrs for their firm confession of faith through the incorruption of their bodies and miracles.
“If they slander you because of the name of Christ, then you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests on you. By these He is blasphemed, but by you He is glorified.
“Just so long as none of you suffers as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as one who encroaches on someone else’s property; but if you are a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God for such a fate” (1 Pet. 4 , 14-16).
Countless Christian martyrs rejoiced amidst terrible suffering, as the surviving reliable descriptions of their lives tell.
NOTE: In Roman courts, special scribes were required to compile protocols (official records) of proceedings and decisions made. Such records of interrogations carried out in Roman courts during the trials of Christian martyrs, after a period of persecution, were carefully collected by the Holy Church. These protocols were included in the reliable description of the martyrdom of Christians.
Conversation about the meaning of evil
The thought of world evil lies as a heavy burden of doubt on the hearts of many believers. It seems unclear why God allows evil. After all, God in His Omnipotence could easily eliminate evil... How can an infinitely merciful God tolerate that the evil actions of one scoundrel would condemn thousands, sometimes millions, maybe even half of humanity to need, grief and disaster?..
What is the “meaning of Evil”? After all, nothing with God is meaningless.
To answer these questions it is necessary to recall what evil is.
By evil we should not understand suffering, need and deprivation, but sins and moral guilt. God doesn't want evil. Almighty God cannot approve of evil. Moreover, God forbids evil. God punishes evil. Evil or sin is a contradiction and an objection to God's will.
The beginning of evil, as we know, was laid by the highest angel created by God, who boldly abandoned obedience to the all-good will of God and became the Devil.
The devil is the cause of evil
It inspires or influences the origin of sin in a person.
It is not the human body, as many people think, that is the source of sin, no, but it becomes an instrument of sin or good, not by itself, but by the will of man.
The true faith of Christ points to the following two reasons for the existence of evil in the world:
1) First reason lies in human free will. Our free will is an imprint of the Divine likeness. This gift of God raises man above all creatures of the world...
In freely choosing good and rejecting evil, a person exalts God, glorifies God and improves himself.
The book of Jesus Sirach (15, 14) says: " He (God) created man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his will; i.e. "God created man in the beginning and left him free choice."
Thus, God gives people with good will the opportunity to earn Heaven for themselves, and people with evil will - hell.
But both one and the other can only be achieved through the freedom of human will...
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
He says: if by nature, and not by freedom, you had done good, then for what has God prepared indescribable crowns? The sheep is meek, but it will never be crowned for its meekness: because its meekness comes not from freedom, but from nature.”
St. Basil the Great
says: “Why is it that in the structure itself we are not given sinlessness, so that it would be impossible to sin, even if we wanted to? Therefore, why do you not recognize the servants as serviceable when you keep them bound, but when you see what they are doing voluntarily before you? " Therefore, what is pleasing to God is not what is forced, but what is done voluntarily - virtue comes from will, and not from necessity, and what you produce depends on what is in us; and what is in us, freely. Therefore, whoever blames the Creator “He who did not make us sinless does nothing more than prefer a nature that is unreasonable, motionless and has no aspirations, to a nature gifted with will and self-activity.” In other words: he prefers a machine (“robot”) to an intelligent creature.
Thus, internal cause The origin of evil or sin lies in the free will of man.
2) The second reason or the meaning of the existence of evil is that Pain is also evil leads to good. But God does not allow evil for the sake of good. God does not need such an expensive payment.
God does not want evil under any circumstances. But since evil entered the world through the fault of creation, God in His world plan also forces evil to serve good.
Here's an example: Jacob's sons sold their brother Joseph into slavery. They did an evil thing. But God turned evil into good.
Joseph rose to prominence in Egypt and was given the opportunity to save his family from famine, from which the Messiah would come.
When, a few years later, Joseph saw his brothers, he told them: “You intended evil against me, but God turned it to good!!!”
In the days of the apostles
Jews persecuted Christians in Palestine. And Christians had to flee from Judea, sanctified by the life and blood of the Savior. But wherever they went, they sowed the word of the Gospel. The sins of the persecutors were directed by Divine hand to the spread of Christianity...
...The pagan emperors of Rome persecuted the young Christian Church. Tens of thousands of martyrs then shed their blood for Christ. And the blood of the martyrs became the seed for millions of new Christians.
The rage of the persecutors, the sin of hatred and murder were directed by God here too to the building of the Church. They thought and did evil, but God justified all their deeds for good...
The entire history of mankind, right up to the events of our days, shows the truth of these words.
The greatest catastrophes of nations were at the same time the greatest triumphs of religion, the turning of people to God...
We just have to have patience and wait. “For with God one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day” (2 Pet. 3 , 8).
But this interweaving of evil in terms of governing the world was not some kind of belated superstructure, an amendment to what had been created. This interweaving of evil occurred in the act of God's eternal will in which the creation of the world was decided.
For God is eternal today!
And His foreknowledge comes from eternity. It operates always and continuously.
(Extracted from the brochure by L. Lyusin: “Who is right?”
with additions).
Conclusion
The knowledge we have acquired of true faith and Christian life (piety) must always guide us in our lives.
But in order to correctly and savingly use the knowledge of faith and piety, it is necessary for every Christian to have the virtue reasoning, i.e. Christian prudence.
The Apostle Peter, addressing Christians, says: " show virtue in your faith, and prudence in virtue"(2 Pet. 1 , 5).
What is done without reasoning may not turn out to be reasonable, and even good things can bring harm instead of benefit.
The teaching of the Orthodox Church known to us about faith and piety must be demonstrated in practice and, moreover, not hypocritically, sincerely fulfilling everything that we know from this teaching. If you know this, blessed are you when you do"(John. 13 , 17).
If we see that we are sinning, that is, we are not fulfilling this teaching as necessary, then we must force ourselves to immediately bring sincere repentance and firmly resolve to avoid sin in the future, making amends for it with the opposite good deeds.
When it seems to us that we are fulfilling this or that commandment well, then we should never be arrogant or proud of this, but with deep humility and gratitude to God, admit that we are fulfilling only what obliged to fulfill, as Christ the Savior said: “When you have done all that was commanded you, say: We are worthless servants, because we have done what we had to do” (Luke. 17 , 10).
MODERN SCIENTISTS AND FAITH IN GOD
True science has long recognized that the area of research is almost nothing in comparison with the area of the unexplored. Moreover, the more science covers the area of research, the more the area subject to research increases accordingly. “Everything new openly contributes to the expansion in arithmetical proportion of the kingdom of the unknown” (A. K. Morrison). Science will never finish its work as long as the world stands.
Representatives of true science recognize that their information about the world must be replenished from another source. This source is religion.
The greatest scientist of our century Max Planck, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918, says: “Religion and science are in no way mutually exclusive, as was previously believed and as many of our contemporaries fear; on the contrary, they are consistent and complement each other".
Prof. M. M. Novikov(former rector of Moscow University), awarded a golden doctoral diploma from the University of Heidelberg in 1954 and since 1957 a full member of the New York Academy of Sciences, in his article: " The Naturalist's Path to Religion", writes: "One of the most amazing things in the history of science was the fact that physics- this is the strongest foundation of the old materialistic natural science, took an idealistic path. She came to the conclusion that physical phenomena are determined by spiritual divine power. This has been expressed recently by three of the most eminent scientists.
Well known in wide public circles (at least by name) A. Einstein's theory of relativity. But not everyone knows that it led the scientist to the formulation of a “cosmic religion.” This religion, like any other, recognizes the existence of a higher Spirit who creates World Harmony.
The developed M. Planck quantum theory Regarding the problem that interests us, this author writes the following: “The only thing that is primarily given for the natural scientist is the content of his sensory perceptions and the measurements derived from this. From here, through inductive research, he tries to get as close as possible to God and His world order, as the highest, but an eternally unattainable goal. If, therefore, both religion and natural science require faith in God for their justification, then for the first (religion) God stands at the beginning, for the second (science) at the end of all thinking. For religion He represents the foundation , for science - the crown of development of worldview... Man needs the natural sciences for knowledge, and religion for action (behavior). For knowledge, the only solid starting point is the perception of our feelings.
The assumption of the existence of some regular world order is a prerequisite for the formulation of fruitful questions. But this path is not suitable for action, because with the manifestations of our will we cannot wait until our knowledge is perfect and we acquire omniscience. After all, life requires immediate decisions from us.”
Planck further points out that if we attribute to God, in addition to omnipotence and omniscience, the attributes of goodness and love, then approaching Him gives the person seeking consolation a feeling of happiness to a high degree. “From the point of view of natural science, not the slightest objection can be raised against such a concept.”
The work caused a great sensation V. Heisenberg- Nobel Prize laureate 1932. He formulated the principle of indeterminism (uncertainty), according to which it is possible only with certain limitations to define elementary particles as the last and indecomposable units of matter. And besides, it is impossible to know simultaneously and accurately the position of a particle and the speed of its movement. We claim that electrons exist, but we are not able to distinguish them from one another. As for matter, this very concept in the previous sense becomes redundant. The world, according to Heisenberg, consists of something whose essence is unknown to us. This “something” manifests itself either in the form of, as it were, particles, or in the form of waves, and if we are already looking for names, then this “something” must be designated by the word energy, and even then in quotation marks. The so-called natural science laws are laws that are not precise, but static in nature (i.e., without taking into account the acting forces).
To these considerations it should be added that the concept of an indefinite “something” also applies to life phenomena. But here it takes on a completely different character. Mathematical equations that characterize elementary physical processes are not applicable here, because life, as Drish argued, represents an autonomous (independent, independent) region.”
Famous Professor I. A. Ilyin says: “A real scientist understands perfectly well that the “scientific” picture of the universe is changing all the time, becoming more complicated, deepening, going into details and never giving either complete clarity or unity... A real scientist knows that science will never be able explain his latest premises or define his basic concepts, for example, establish exactly what an "atom", "electron", "vitamin", "energy" or "psychological function" is; he knows that all his "definitions" explanations" and "theories" are only imperfect attempts to get closer to the living mystery of the material and mental world. There is no point in arguing about the productivity of science: all modern technology and medicine testify to it. But as for its theoretical truths and their provability, science floats across the seas of the problematic (supposed) and mysterious."
One of the most famous American scientists, former chairman of the New York Academy of Sciences, A. Kressm Morrison, proves the existence of God in his brilliant article: " Seven reasons why I believe in God".
“We are still only at the dawn of scientific knowledge,” says C. Morrison. “The closer to dawn, the brighter our morning, the more clearly the creation of an intelligent Creator becomes clear to us. Now, in the spirit of scientific humility, in the spirit of faith based on knowledge, we are even closer to unshakable confidence in the existence of God.
Personally, I count seven circumstances that determine my faith in God. Here they are:
: A very clear mathematical law proves that the universe was created by the Greatest Intelligence.
Imagine that you are throwing ten coins into a bag. Coins, in order of value, range from one cent to ten. Then shake the bag. Now try to pull out the coins one by one in order of their value, putting each coin back again and shaking the bag again. Mathematics says that we have a one in ten chance of drawing a one-cent coin the first time. To pull out a one-cent coin, and immediately after it a two-cent coin, our chances turn out to be one in a hundred. To pull out three coins in a row in this way, we have one chance in a thousand, etc. For the fact that we pull out all ten coins in a given order, we have one chance in ten billion.
The same mathematical arguments suggest that for the emergence and development of life on earth, such an incredible number of relationships and interconnections are necessary that without reasonable direction, simply by chance, they could not have arisen in any way. The speed of rotation on the surface of the earth is defined as one thousand miles per hour. If the earth rotated at a speed of one hundred miles per hour, our days and nights would become ten times longer. During a long day, the sun would burn out all living things; during a long night, all living things would freeze to death.
Then the temperature of the sun is 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The earth is removed from the sun as much as necessary for this “eternal fire” to properly warm us, no more, no less! If the sun gave half as much heat, we would freeze. If it gave twice as much, we would die from the heat.
The slope of the earth is 23°. This is where the seasons come from. If the slope of the earth were different, evaporation from the ocean would move back and forth, south and north, piling up entire continents of ice. If the moon, instead of its present distance, were 50,000 miles away from us, our ebb and flow of tides would take on such enormous proportions that all continents would be under water twice a day. As a result, the mountains themselves would soon be washed away. If the earth's crust were comparatively thicker than it is now, there would not be enough oxygen on the surface, and all living things would be doomed to death. If the ocean were relatively deeper, carbon dioxide would absorb all the oxygen, and all living things would, again, die. If the atmosphere enveloping the globe were a little thinner, then the meteors, millions of which burn up in it every day, falling to the ground, would fall on it in their entirety and would cause innumerable fires everywhere.
These and countless other examples indicate that there is not even one chance in many millions for the accidental emergence of life on earth.
The wealth of sources from which life draws strength to accomplish its task is in itself proof of the presence of a self-sufficient and omnipotent Mind.
No man has hitherto been able to comprehend what life is. She has neither weight nor size, but she truly has strength. A sprouting root can destroy the rock. Life conquered water, land and air, took possession of their elements, forcing them to dissolve and transform their constituent combinations.
A sculptor who gives form to all living things, an artist who carves the shape of each leaf on a tree, who determines the color of each flower. Life is a musician who taught birds to sing songs of love, who taught insects to make an innumerable number of sounds and call each other with them. Life is a subtle chemist, giving taste to fruits, smell to flowers, a chemist changing water and carbon dioxide into sugar and wood, and at the same time receiving oxygen necessary for all living things.
Here before us is a drop of protoplasm, an almost invisible drop, transparent, jelly-like, capable of moving and extracting energy from the sun. This cell, this transparent lobe of dust is the germ of life and has within itself the power to communicate life to large and small. The power of this drop, this speck of dust, is greater than the power of our existence, stronger than animals and people, for it the basis of everything living. Nature did not create life. Rocks split by fire and freshwater seas would not be able to meet the requirements that life imposes for its emergence.
Who put life into this speck of protoplasm?
: The intelligence of animals undeniably testifies to a wise Creator, who instilled instinct in creatures who, without it, would have been completely helpless creatures.
The young salmon spends its youth in the sea, then returns to its native river and follows it along the very same side along which the eggs from which it hatched were carried. What guides him with such precision? If he is placed in a different environment, he will immediately feel that he has lost his way, he will fight his way to the main stream, then go against the stream and fulfill his destiny with due precision.
The behavior of the eel hides an even greater secret. These amazing creatures in adulthood travel from all ponds, rivers and lakes, even if they are in Europe, travel thousands of miles across the ocean and go to the depths of the sea off Bermuda. Here they perform their act of reproduction and die. Little eels, which seem to have no idea about anything, which could be lost in the depths of the ocean, follow the path of their fathers, to the very rivers, ponds and lakes from which they began their journey to Bermuda. In Europe, not a single eel that belongs to American waters has ever been caught, and in America, not a single European eel has ever been caught. The European eel reaches maturity a year later, allowing it to make its journey. Where is this guiding impulse born?
A wasp, after picking up a grasshopper, strikes it in a precisely defined place. The grasshopper “dies” from this blow. He loses consciousness and continues to live, representing a kind of canned meat. After this, the wasp lays its larvae so that the hatched little ones can suck the grasshopper without killing it. Dead meat would be deadly food for them. Having completed this work, the mother wasp flies away and dies. She never sees her cubs. There is not the slightest doubt that every wasp does this work for the first time in its life, without any training, and does it exactly as it should, otherwise where would there be wasps? This mystical technique cannot be explained by the fact that wasps learn from one another. It is embedded in their flesh and blood.
Fourth
: Man has more than animal instinct. He has reason.
There was and is no such animal that could count to ten. It cannot even understand the essence of the number ten. If instinct can be compared to one note of a flute, with a beautiful but limited sound, then we must accept that the human mind is capable of perceiving all the notes not only of one flute, but also of all the instruments of the orchestra. Is it worth mentioning one more point: thanks to our mind, we are able to reason about what we are, and this ability is determined only by the fact that a spark of the Mind of the Universe is embedded in us.
: The miracle of genes - a phenomenon that we know, but which was not known to Darwin - indicates that care was taken for all living things.
The size of genes is so incredibly insignificant that if all of them, that is, the genes thanks to which all people around the globe live, were collected together, they could fit into a thimble. And the thimble wouldn't be full yet! And yet, these ultramicroscopic genes and their accompanying chromosomes are present in all cells of all living things and are the absolute key to explaining all the characteristics of humans, animals and plants. Thimble! It can contain all the individual characteristics of all two billion human beings. And there can be no question of doubt about this. If this is so, then how is it that a gene even includes the key to the psychology of each individual being, fitting all this into such a small volume?
This is where evolution begins! It starts at unit, which is keeper and carrier of genes. And the fact that several million atoms included in an ultramicroscopic gene may turn out to be the absolute key directing life on earth is evidence proving that all living things are cared for, that someone has foreseen for them in advance, and that the foresight comes from the Creative Mind. No other hypothesis here can help solve this riddle of existence.
: Observing the economy of nature, we are forced to admit that only an extremely perfect Reason can provide for all the relationships that arise in such a complex economy.
Many years ago in Australia, some species of cactus introduced here were planted as hedges. In the absence of hostile insects here, the cactus multiplied in such incredible numbers that people began to look for means to combat it. And the cactus continued to spread. It got to the point that the area he occupied turned out to be larger than the area of England. He began to force people out of cities and villages, he began to destroy farms. Entomologists have searched the whole world in search of measures to combat the cactus. Finally, they managed to find an insect that fed exclusively on cactus. It reproduced easily and had no enemies in Australia. Soon this insect defeated the cactus. The cactus retreated. The number of this plant has decreased. The number of insects has also decreased. There are only as many of them left as needed to keep the cactus under constant control.
And this kind of controlling relationship is observed everywhere. Why, in fact, did not insects, which multiply so incredibly quickly, suppress all living things? Because they breathe not with their lungs, but with their tracheas. If an insect grows, its trachea does not grow in proportion. This is why there have never been and cannot be insects that are too large. This discrepancy holds back their growth. If it were not for this physical control, man could not exist on earth. Imagine a bumblebee the size of a lion.
: The fact that man is able to perceive the idea of the existence of God is in itself sufficient evidence.
The concept of God arises from that mysterious faculty of man which we call imagination. Only with the help of this power, and only with its help, is man (and no other living creature on earth) capable of finding confirmation of abstract things. The breadth that this ability opens up is absolutely immense. In fact, thanks to the perfect imagination of man, the possibility of spiritual reality arises, and man can, with all the obviousness of his goal and goal, determine the great truth that Heaven is everywhere and in everything, the truth that God lives everywhere and in everything, that He lives in ours. hearts.
And so, both from the side of science and from the side of imagination, we find confirmation of the words of the psalmist:
“The heavens declare the glory of God, but the firmament declares the work of His hand.”
Famous surgeon, former prof. Universities of Cologne, Bonn and Berlin, Augustin Beer says: “Even if science and religion happened to fall into conflict, harmony in their relationship would soon be restored through mutual penetration on the basis of more accurate data.”
Let us end our conversation again with the words of the scientist A. K. Morrison: “Man recognizes the necessity of moral principles; in which the sense of duty lives; from this flows his faith in God.
The flowering of religious feeling enriches the human soul and elevates it so much that it allows it to perceive the Divine presence. The instinctive exclamation of a person: “Oh my God!” It is quite natural, and even the simplest form of prayer brings a person closer to the Creator.
Respect, sacrifice, strength of character, moral principles, imagination - are not born from denial and atheism, this amazing self-deception that replaces God with man. Without faith, culture disappears, order collapses and evil prevails
Let us unswervingly believe in the Creator Spirit, in Divine love and in human brotherhood. Let us lift up our souls to God, fulfilling His will as it is revealed to us; Let us maintain the confidence inherent in faith that we are worthy of the cares with which the Lord surrounds the creatures He created." To these words of A. Morrison we will add the words of a psychiatrist and theologian prof. I. M. Andreeva: “True knowledge is incompatible with pride. Humility is an indispensable condition for the possibility of knowing the Truth. Only a humble scientist, like a humble religious thinker, who always remembers the words of the Savior - Without Me you cannot create anything and I am the way and the truth and the life- are able to follow the right path (method) to the knowledge of the Truth. For God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
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In order to be confirmed in the hope of salvation and bliss, one should add one’s own feat to achieve bliss to prayer. The Lord Himself speaks about this: Why do you call Me: “Lord! God!" and do not do what I say (Luke 6:46). Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21).
The teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, briefly set out in His Beatitudes, can be a guide in our feat.
There are nine beatitudes:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. (Matt. 5:3-12).
For a correct understanding of the Beatitudes, we should remember that the Lord handed them to us as the Gospel says: He opened His mouth and taught. Being meek and humble in heart, He offered His teaching, not commanding, but pleasing those who would freely accept and implement it. Therefore, in each saying about beatitude one should consider: a teaching or commandment; gratification, or promise of reward.
About the first beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be poor in spirit.
To be poor in spirit means to have the spiritual conviction that we have nothing of our own, but have only what God gives, and that we cannot do anything good without God’s help and grace; and thus, we must consider that we are nothing and resort to God’s mercy in everything. Briefly, according to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, spiritual poverty is humility (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15).
Even the rich can be poor in spirit if they come to the conclusion that visible wealth is perishable and impermanent and that it does not replace the lack of spiritual goods. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what ransom will a man give for his soul? (Matthew 16:26).
Physical poverty can serve to perfect spiritual poverty if a Christian chooses it voluntarily, for God. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said this to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me (Matthew 19:21).
The Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor in spirit.
In the present life, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such people internally and initially, thanks to their faith and hope, and in the future - completely, through participation in eternal bliss.
About the Second Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be weepers.
In this commandment, the name crying should be understood as sadness and contrition of the heart and actual tears because we serve the Lord imperfectly and unworthily and deserve His wrath through our sins. Sorrow for God's sake produces unchangeable repentance leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow produces death (2 Cor 7:10).
The Lord promises those who mourn that they will be comforted.
Here we understand the consolation of grace, consisting in the forgiveness of sins and a pacified conscience.
Sadness over sins should not reach the point of despair.
About the third beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be meek.
Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything.
Special actions of Christian meekness: do not grumble not only at God, but also at people, and when something happens against our desires, do not indulge in anger, do not become arrogant.
The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth.
In relation to the followers of Christ, the prediction of inheriting the earth was fulfilled literally, i.e. the ever meek Christians, instead of being destroyed by the fury of the pagans, inherited the universe which the pagans had formerly possessed.
The meaning of this promise in relation to Christians in general and to everyone in particular is that they will receive an inheritance, as the Psalmist puts it, in the land of the living, where they live and do not die, i.e. will receive eternal bliss (see Ps. 26:13).
About the Fourth Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
Although we should understand by the name of truth every virtue that a Christian should desire as food and drink, we should primarily mean that truth about which in the prophecy of Daniel it is said that eternal truth will be brought (Dan 9:24), i.e. the justification of a person guilty before God will be accomplished - justification through grace and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul speaks of this truth: The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ in all and on all who believe: for there is no difference, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth. as a propitiation in His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness in the forgiveness of sins previously committed (Rom. 3:22-25).
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who do good, but do not consider themselves righteous; not relying on their good deeds, they admit themselves to be sinners and guilty before God. Those who desire and pray faith, like true food and drink, hunger and thirst for grace-filled justification through Jesus Christ.
The Lord promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied.
Just like bodily saturation, which brings, firstly, the cessation of feelings of hunger and thirst, and secondly, the reinforcement of the body with food, spiritual saturation means: the inner peace of a pardoned sinner; the acquisition of power to do good, and this power is supplied by justifying grace. However, the complete satiation of the soul, created for the enjoyment of infinite good, will follow in eternal life, according to the word of the Psalmist: I will be satisfied when Your glory is revealed (see Ps. 16:15).
About the Fifth Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be merciful.
This commandment must be fulfilled through physical and spiritual works of mercy. St. John Chrysostom notes that there are different types of mercy and this commandment is broad (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15).
The physical works of mercy are as follows: to feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked (lack of necessary and decent clothing); visit someone in prison; visit the sick person, serve him and help him recover or Christian preparation for death; accept the wanderer into the house and provide rest; bury the dead in poverty and misery.
The works of spiritual mercy are as follows: exhortation to turn a sinner from his false path (James 5:20); teach the ignorant truth and goodness; to give good and timely advice to your neighbor in difficulty or in case of danger that he does not notice; pray to God for your neighbor; comfort the sad; not to repay the evil done to us by others; forgive offenses with all your heart.
Punishing a defendant does not contradict the commandment of mercy if done out of duty and with good intention, that is, to correct the guilty or protect the innocent from his crimes.
The Lord promises the merciful that they will receive mercy.
This implies pardon from eternal condemnation for sins at the Judgment of God.
About the Sixth Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be pure in heart.
Purity of heart is not quite the same as sincerity. Candor (sincerity) - when a person does not demonstrate his good dispositions, which in reality do not exist in his heart, but embodies the existing good dispositions with modesty in deeds - is only the initial degree of purity of heart. True purity of the heart is achieved by constant and unflagging feat of vigilance over oneself, expelling from the heart every unlawful desire and thought, attachment to earthly objects, with faith and love, constantly preserving in it the memory of the Lord God Jesus Christ.
The Lord promises those with a pure heart that they will see God.
The Word of God allegorically endows the human heart with vision and calls Christians to make the eyes of the heart see (Eph. 1:18). Just as a healthy eye is able to see light, so a pure heart is able to contemplate God. Since the sight of God is the source of eternal bliss, the promise to see Him is a promise of a high degree of eternal bliss.
About the Seventh Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be peacemakers.
To be a peacemaker means to act in a friendly manner and not give rise to disagreement; stop the disagreement that has arisen by all means, even sacrificing one’s interests, unless this contradicts duty and does not harm anyone; try to reconcile those at war with each other, and if this is not possible, then pray to God for their reconciliation.
The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God.
This promise signifies the height of the peacekeepers’ feat and the reward prepared for them. Since by their deed they imitate the Only Begotten Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile sinful man with the justice of God, they are promised the gracious name of the sons of God and, without a doubt, a degree of bliss worthy of this name.
About the Eighth Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be ready to endure persecution for the sake of the truth, without betraying it. This commandment requires the following qualities: love of truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience if someone is exposed to disaster or danger for not wanting to betray truth and virtue. The Lord promises those persecuted for the sake of righteousness the Kingdom of Heaven, as if in exchange for what they are deprived of through persecution, just as it was promised to the poor in spirit in replenishing the feeling of lack and poverty.
About the Ninth Beatitude
Those who desire bliss must be ready to joyfully accept reproach, persecution, disaster and death itself for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith.
The feat corresponding to this commandment is called martyrdom.
The Lord promises a great reward in Heaven for this feat, i.e. predominant and high degree of bliss.
You are talking about the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ. He begins it with the Beatitudes.
! Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Here the Lord encourages the desire to seek and love the truth. This also applies to God’s truth: that is, the desire to understand the teachings of God, to delve into the Holy Scriptures. "Truth lovers", being resurrected after the Second Coming of Christ, will learn the whole truth.
! Happy are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Here Christ proclaims love and mercy towards people. Further in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called to love even your enemies. And Christ called love for people itself the second most important commandment after love for God (see Matt. 22:36-40). Love generates mercy, that is, forgiveness. Jesus also constantly taught about forgiveness (see Matt. 6:14, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:37). That is, loving and forgiving people will also be pardoned and forgiven here on earth for their mistakes and then at the Great Judgment.
! Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Here we are talking about spiritual purity, that is, sincere kindness and gentleness. Such people will be rewarded by inheriting eternal life and seeing God.
! Happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. As noted above, Jesus taught love for enemies and merciful forgiveness even for those who offend... The commandments of love are incompatible with bloodshed and wars. Continuing the work of Jesus, the apostles also taught never to respond to evil with evil, but only with good. Because maintaining and strengthening peace is very valuable in the eyes of God. Therefore, the peacemakers in heaven will be called sons of God...
! Happy are those who are exiled for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. From the following verses 11-12 it is clear that it is said here about those who will have to suffer for the truth - for the firmness of faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, faithfulness to His commandments... A place has been prepared for them in the Kingdom of Heaven (see John 14 :1-3).
As you can see, the beatitudes (happiness) are very relevant today, if you use the correct modern translation of the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ.
* Due to the fact that not all programs and browsers display the Greek language, Greek words are given in Latin.
Valery Tatarkin
Doctrine of Bliss
In order to be confirmed in the hope of salvation and bliss, one should add one’s own feat to achieve bliss to prayer. The Lord Himself speaks about this: “Why do you call Me: Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46). Not everyone will say to Me: Lord, Lord, He will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but do the will of My Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
A guide in this feat can be the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, briefly proposed in his sayings about beatitude. There are nine such sayings:
9. Blessed are you when people revile you, and despise you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying to Me for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven (Matthew 5:3-12).
About all these sayings, for their correct understanding, it should be noted that the Lord proposed in them the teaching about achieving bliss in the way that the Gospel says: He opened His mouth, His lips. But being meek and humble in heart, He offered His teaching, not commanding, but pleasing those who would freely accept and implement it. Therefore, in each saying about beatitude one should consider, firstly, a teaching or commandment, and secondly, a blessing or promise of reward.
About the first beatitude
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them is the Kingdom of Heaven.
The first commandment of the Lord to achieve bliss is that those who desire bliss must be poor in spirit.
To be poor in spirit means to have the spiritual conviction that we have nothing of our own, but have only what God gives, and that we cannot do anything good without God’s help and grace; and, thus, we must consider that we are nothing, and in everything have recourse to the mercy of God. Briefly, according to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, spiritual poverty is humility. (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15.)
Without a doubt, even the rich can be poor in spirit if they come to the conclusion that visible wealth is perishable and fleeting and that it does not replace the lack of spiritual goods. What good is it to a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul (and damages his soul)? Or what will a man give (what ransom) for his soul? (Matt. 16:26).
Physical poverty can serve to perfect spiritual poverty if a Christian chooses it voluntarily, for God. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said about this to the rich man: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor: and have treasure in Heaven, and come after Me” (Matthew 19:21).
The Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor in spirit.
The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them in the present life internally and initially, through faith and hope, and in the future - completely, through participation in eternal bliss.
About the Second Beatitude
2. Blessed are those who cry, for they will be comforted.
The second commandment of the Lord for bliss is that those who desire bliss must be weeping.
In this commandment we should understand by the name of crying sadness and contrition of heart and actual tears that we serve the Lord imperfectly and unworthily or even deserve His wrath through our sins. For, according to God, sorrow brings unrepentant repentance to salvation (sorrow for the sake of God produces unchangeable repentance to salvation): but the sorrow of this world brings death (2 Cor. 7:10).
The Lord especially promises those who mourn that they will be comforted.
Here, of course, is the consolation of grace, consisting in the forgiveness of sins and peace (in a pacified) conscience.
This promise is combined with the commandment about mourning so that grief over sins does not reach despair.
About the third beatitude
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
The third commandment of the Lord for bliss is that those who desire bliss must be meek.
Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution, so as not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything.
Special actions of Christian meekness are not to grumble not only at God, but also at people, and when something happens that is against our desires, not to indulge in anger, not to become arrogant.
The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth.
This promise must be understood in such a way that in relation to the followers of Christ, in general, it is a prediction that was fulfilled literally, for the constantly meek Christians, instead of being destroyed by the rage of the pagans, inherited the universe that the pagans had previously possessed.
Moreover, the meaning of this promise in relation to Christians in general and to everyone in particular is that they will receive an inheritance, in the words of the Psalmist, in the lands of the living, where they live and do not die, that is, they will receive eternal bliss (Ps. 26, 13).
About the Fourth Beatitude
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
The fourth commandment of the Lord for beatitude is that those who desire beatitude must be hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
Although we should understand by the name of truth every virtue that a Christian should desire as food and drink, we should primarily mean that truth about which Daniel’s prophecy says: eternal righteousness will be brought in, that is, the justification of a person guilty before God will be accomplished - justification through grace and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Dan. 9:24).
The Apostle Paul speaks about this truth: “The righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ is in all and on all who believe: for there is no difference (difference), for all who have sinned and come short of the glory of God, are justified by the tuna (gift) of His grace, the deliverance (redemption) in Christ Jesus, Whom God hath ordained cleansing through faith in His blood (Whom God offered as a sacrifice of propitiation through the shedding of His Blood), for the manifestation of His righteousness, for the remission (forgiveness) of former sins” (Rom. 3:22-25).
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who love to do good, but do not consider themselves righteous, do not rely on their good works, but recognize themselves as sinners and guilty before God, and who, through the desire and prayer of faith as spiritual food and drink, hunger and thirst for grace-filled justification through Jesus Christ.
The Lord promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied.
Here saturation means the following. Just as bodily saturation brings, firstly, the cessation of feelings of hunger and thirst, and secondly, the reinforcement of the body with food, spiritual saturation means, firstly, the inner peace of a pardoned sinner, secondly, the acquisition of strength to do good, and this power is given by justifying grace. However, the complete satiation of the soul, created for the enjoyment of infinite good, will follow in Eternal Life, according to the saying of the Psalmist: I will be satisfied when I appear in Thy glory (when Thy glory is revealed). (Ps. 16, 15.)
About the Fifth Beatitude
5. Blessedness of mercy, for there will be mercy.
The fifth commandment of the Lord for blessedness is that those who desire blessedness must be merciful.
This commandment should be fulfilled through works of mercy - physical and spiritual, for, as St. John Chrysostom says, the image of mercy is varied and this commandment is broad. (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15.)
The corporal works of mercy are:
1. To feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. Clothe the naked or lacking in necessary clothing.
4. Visit someone in prison (in custody).
5. Visit the sick person, serve him and help him recover or Christian preparation for death.
6. Accept a stranger into your home and provide him with rest.
7. Bury the dead in squalor (in poverty, in misery).
The spiritual works of mercy are as follows.
1. By exhortation to turn the sinner from the error of his way (from his false path). (James 5:20.)
2. Teach the ignorant truth and goodness.
3. Give your neighbor good and timely advice in case of difficulty or in case of danger that he does not notice.
4. Pray to God for him.
5. Comfort the sad.
6. Do not repay the evil that others have done to us.
7. Forgive offenses with all your heart.
It does not contradict the commandment of mercy if a guilty person is punished with justice, if they do it out of duty and with good intentions, that is, to correct him or to protect the innocent from his crimes.
The Lord promises the merciful that they will receive mercy.
This implies pardon from eternal condemnation for sins at the Judgment of God.
About the Sixth Beatitude
6. Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God.
The sixth commandment of the Lord for bliss is that those who desire bliss must be pure in heart.
Purity of heart is not quite the same as sincerity. Candor, or sincerity, according to which a person does not hypocritically show good dispositions without having them in his heart, but shows good dispositions of the heart in good deeds, is only the lowest degree of purity of heart. A person achieves this latter by constant and unrelenting feat of vigilance over himself, driving out from his heart every unlawful desire and thought and every attachment to earthly objects and constantly preserving in his heart the remembrance of God and the Lord Jesus Christ with faith and love.
The Lord promises those with a pure heart that they will see God.
This promise should be understood in such a way that the word of God likens the heart to the human eye and ascribes to perfect Christians an enlightened eye of the heart (Eph. 1:18). Just as a pure eye is able to see light, so a pure heart is able to contemplate God. Since the sight of God is the source of eternal bliss, the promise to see (see) God is a promise of a high degree of eternal bliss.
About the Seventh Beatitude
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for these shall be called the sons of God.
The seventh commandment of the Lord for beatitude is that those who desire beatitude must be peacemakers.
This commandment must be fulfilled this way. We must treat everyone in a friendly manner and not give rise to disagreement; stop any disagreement that has occurred by all possible means, even compromising our rights, unless this is contrary to duty and is not harmful to anyone; try to reconcile others who are at war with each other to the extent that we have the opportunity, and if we cannot, then pray to God for their reconciliation.
The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God.
This promise signifies the height of the peacekeepers’ feat and the reward prepared for them. Since by their deed they imitate the Only Begotten Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile sinful man with the justice of God, they are promised the gracious name of the sons of God and, without a doubt, a degree of bliss worthy of this name.
About the Eighth Beatitude
8. Blessed is the expulsion of truth for the sake of them, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
The eighth commandment of the Lord for beatitude is that those who desire beatitude must be ready to endure persecution for the sake of the truth, without betraying it.
This commandment requires the following qualities: love of truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience if someone is exposed to disaster or danger for not wanting to betray truth and virtue.
The Lord promises those persecuted for the sake of righteousness the Kingdom of Heaven, as if in exchange for what they are deprived of through persecution, just as it was promised to the poor in spirit in replenishing the feeling of lack and poverty.
About the ninth beatitude.
Blessed are you when they revile you, and ridicule you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying to Me for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven
The ninth commandment of the Lord for blessedness is that those who desire blessedness must be ready to joyfully accept reproach, persecution, disaster and death itself for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith.
The feat, according to this commandment, is called the feat of martyrdom.
The Lord promises a great reward in Heaven for this feat, that is, a preferential and high degree of bliss.
