Christ is risen!

Dear brothers and sisters, today we hear from the Gospel of John the theologian how Jesus appeared to his disciples after his Glorious Resurrection.

And then we read:

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Thomas, whom people gave this second name Unbelieving… But what kind of unbelief it was, and what kind of person Thomas was?

Before the Passions when it was not a secret, that Jews decided to kill Christ, and because of His intention to go to Jerusalem, when the apostles came to realize what it meant for them, Thomas said: “Let us also go, so that we may die with him.” So, he was ready and even calling others to die with the Lord!

He perceived that this is the God of Love, as he gives His life for the people sinners, and Thomas was ready to humble himself with the Lord even to death with him, so Thomas had a good foundation for his faith.

But we still call him Unbelieving, just traditionally, in some of our liturgical texts (just like we call the younger son of the father who repented – a prodigal son, though he is now a penitent son), and today we think about the faith… And how did the unbelieving becomes believing.

So, the question is: “What can bring us to faith?”

And, ultimately, there’s no answer to this question, as it is a mystery… and only God can bring us to faith in Him… In anyone’s own, unique way… and by His all-conquering mercy. But still… He invites everyone, He “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (Tim. 2, 4).

What can bring us to faith?

Let us try to think over the familiar (in both meanings of this word), familiar things of this world, that we all might have gone through in one or the other way. (Or we have heard it from someone, or some talks or stories…)

This is about families, about children and parents… The children, that come from their parents and certainly do see them, or at least, know about their existence…

But do they always respect and love their parents. Yes, they see, and they touch, but do they always follow the advice of their parents, even if that advice is vital for them?

We look at the families where love and respect reign; it seems easy and natural, but when parents, driven by love, have to often make their children do many things, those children, not having enough life experience,  but they humble themselves, and, as they feel it, sacrifice somethings, and they ‘suffer it for now’, so that actually – to be helped by the parents.

There must be respect, there must be love and meekness, for the parents to help them!

Thomas was ready to die with the Lord – The Lord brought him to faith in Him.

It could be different and unique but, it will always be some kind of sacrifice. God is Love, and Faith is always love! Love – is always based on meekness.

And due to what happened to Thomas, we are reasoning about the holy faith, our faith in God, and see why it was revealed to Thomas.

Because we could remember another kind of people who both saw Christ and heard the Gospel proclamation (and remember also the elder son from the parable of the Prodigal Son…), yet remained unbelievers, or as the yesterday’s Gospel says, ‘but some doubted’ (some of those who actually saw Christ risen). The first among them were the Pharisees and Sadducees, who understood Who stood before them, Who had come into this world. These people of the Scriptures, who knew the prophecies well, did not accept Christ. They just did not want God Who is meek, Who is Love… And we should be very careful not to fall into the same temptation, which is not always easily noticeable, and could also me of many kinds…

And also today we, due to the Thomas blessed disbelief, and for our paschal joy to be perfect (so to say, even more than we have heard at the Paschal night from St. John’s Chrysostom’s sermon), we hear a special blessing, one more beatitude, we could say (or, as some preachers say, making us even more blessed than the apostles):

Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek,  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness…

And the “tenth beatitude” (our “hidden knowledge”) – “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Provided we have the love and meekness of Thomas, and the due respect as a good child, humbly presuming, that just for now we cannot see or understand some things. Amen!

Christ is risen!!!

We have heard again today in the Gospel reading several words, which express the whole meaning of Christian life: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near (or at hand). This is how Saint John the Baptist taught, and with these words Christ began to preach today.

The Savior came out to preach after John the Baptist was imprisoned: first, people themselves had to do everything they could! And John the Baptist was attracting such people, and is now representing such people.

He, who bore the signs of repentance on and in himself, completed his ministry, and then the time has come for God, who became Man, to start acting.

And now Christ from Judea, where He appeared as One of the Trinity, at the Jordan at Baptism, goes to Galilee, and preaches there.

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles…”

He goes to those who are more open to His word.

“The people who sat in the darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

The Galileans were simple people, they were less taught of the Law of God, but there was less distance between what they knew and what they did. That is why Christ begins his preaching among them. (We know that all twelve apostles and almost all of Christ’s disciples during His earthly life were from Galilee. This fact is actually sad, isn’t it?)

However, the second Gospel we’ve read reveals the most essential side: Zaccheus was not Galilean, but like those people (of Galilee of the Gentiles) who felt their half-paganism, he felt guilt for behaving obviously treacherous – both of them thus having obtained this salvific meekness, to listen to the chastisement (accusation) of God and their conscience, and repent…

Repent means change. The word repentance means change of mind, change of heart; and only from there does life itself changes, that is, our actions, words and deeds.

But “repent” also means – to see, as we should clearly see, what we should change, or rather should let the Lord change it in us!

If these words were said to the Jews, that means, they had already had the way to see. That means they have already been given the eyes to see.

What are those eyes?

First of all, these are the commandments they had been given!

“Painstaking fulfillment of the commandments teaches man about his weakness” (4:9)

We can see that the vision of St. John the Baptist (or the vision, the spiritual eyesight of St. Mary of Egypt) led them to the wilderness, the dessert of repentance. The vision of Zaccheus lead the Lord into his house!

But the “healthy” (cf. Mt 9:12) have no need of a physician, and no need of Christ. The vision of the “healthy” (or, spiritually self-sufficient), though they saw and had the same commandments, led them to the cursing of Christ, to the council that betrayed Christ to the Romans for crucifixion… The “healthy” crucify Christ.

We could also try to remember and listen what St. John replied to those who asked him what to do to repent. The advice written in the Gospel (and also read during these days) is as follows:

“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” And:

“Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Two things: temperance in our life and mercy to our neighbour…

We do not get instant rewards from God for doing His commandments, or for living according to our conscience (which is however quite weak), or for being loving to those who hate us (maybe just at the moment of their or our weakness…). They can be self-rewarding, but they can as well lead to an even harder temptation…

What the effort in fulfilling the commandments does – is help open our spiritual eyes, and enable us to really see who and where we are. There is no other way to recognize our infirmities — no one can simply “teach” us about them. On the contrary, many (of this world) would try to blur our spiritual sight… , and we are often not at all inclined to resist it.

The fulfillment of the commandments reveals the ailments (diseases) of the soul and spirit.

Without this foundation, no other virtues are possible. Moreover, virtues themselves, without spiritual poverty, can lead a person into a very dangerous state — into vanity, pride, and other sins…

On the other hand, the words that we have heard today sound so simple, as if this (this foundation) is the only thing necessary, and the Kingdom of Heaven is as near as at hand for those who repent. Amen.

Во имя Отца и Сына и Святого Духа. Аминь.

Продолжая праздновать великое и спасительное таинство Боговоплощения, Святая Церковь в нынешний день обращает наше внимание не только на само Рождество Христово, но и на тех людей, которые в особой близости послужили этой тайне. Сегодня мы молитвенно вспоминаем праведного Иосифа Обручника, святого царя и пророка Давида и святого апостола Иакова, брата Господня.

Прежде всего Церковь вспоминает святого царя Давида. Он почитается сегодня не просто как далекий предок по плоти, но как царь того духовного мира, в котором рождается Спаситель. Мир же земной, в момент Рождества Христова, оказался равнодушным ко Христу. Он был занят переписью своих подданных, заботами о власти, порядке и числах — и именно это равнодушие стало причиной тех великих неудобств, которые испытало Святое Семейство. Не нашлось места в доме — и Господь рождается в пещере, в хлеву.

Еще резче противостояние этого мира Христу проявилось в лице царя Ирода. Услышав о Рождении Царя Иудейского, он сразу пожелал убить Младенца. Не в силах достичь цели, он в бессильной злобе приказал истребить всех младенцев Вифлеема, взяв их как бы в заложники своей ненависти ко Христу.

И совсем иным был дух святого царя Давида. В Писании сказано, что не было в Израиле царя столь угодного Богу, как Давид. И это не из-за безгрешности — мы знаем его падения, — но из-за его сердца. Достаточно вспомнить, как царь Саул, узнав, что по воле Божией Давид станет царем вместо него, возненавидел его и стал преследовать по всему Израилю. Несколько раз Саул оказывался в полной власти Давида — на расстоянии вытянутой руки. И каждый раз Давид отказывался поднять руку на помазанника Божия.

Более того, когда после смерти Саула один человек прибежал к Давиду с радостью, надеясь получить награду за эту весть, Давид повелел казнить его — за то, что он осмелился радоваться смерти помазанника Божия, хотя Саул был уже отвергнут Богом и был личным врагом Давида. Вот почему Церковь до сих пор ежедневно молится его покаянными псалмами и в течение нескольких недель прочитывает всю Псалтирь — как школу покаяния и смирения сердца.

Сегодня Церковь также чтит праведного Иосифа Обручника, супруга Пресвятой Богородицы. Его праведность состояла прежде всего в милости, которая превосходит закон. Когда он узнал о беременности Марии, он, будучи праведным по Закону, имел обязанность обличить Ее. Но он предпочел милость закону — «милости хочу, а не жертвы». Он не захотел предать Божию Матерь позору и суду, хотя по человеческому рассуждению имел на это право.

Эта же праведность проявилась и в его заботе о Богомладенце. Получив откровение свыше, Иосиф вместе с Божией Матерью и Младенцем бежит в Египет, спасаясь от жестокости Ирода. Пустыня — безводная, опасная, населенная хищными зверями — приютила Святое Семейство. Пустыня стала защитой для тех, кто был гоним миром.

В эти же святые дни Церковь вспоминает и святого апостола Иакова, брата Господня. По свидетельству Предания, он был сыном Иосифа от первого брака и сопровождал Святое Семейство в бегстве в Египет, служа Богомладенцу, Божией Матери и праведному Иосифу. После Вознесения Господня Иаков стал первым Иерусалимским епископом, пользовался глубоким уважением не только у христиан, но и среди иудеев. Он принял мученическую смерть за Христа, будучи сброшен с крыла Иерусалимского храма за то, что открыто исповедовал Богочеловечество Иисуса Христа.

Эти три человека — Давид, Иосиф и Иаков — были по-разному, но по-настоящему близки Христу. И сегодня Церковь молитвенно величает их, прося, чтобы их святыми молитвами и мы сподобились быть близкими Господу.

И здесь, братия и сестры, открывается главное утешение для каждого из нас. Господь может быть близок не только Своим родственникам по плоти. Однажды Ему сказали: «Матерь Твоя и братья Твои стоят вне, желая говорить с Тобою». А Он ответил: «Кто Матерь Моя и кто братья Мои?.. Кто будет исполнять волю Отца Моего Небесного, тот Мне брат, и сестра, и матерь».

Вот что по-настоящему роднит человека с Богом — исполнение воли Отца Небесного. Не происхождение, не положение, не внешняя праведность, а сердце, живущее по воле Божией.

Пусть же Господь Своею благодатью, щедротами и человеколюбием поможет каждому из нас творить волю Отца Небесного, чтобы и мы стали Ему близкими — братьями, сестрами и матерями — в жизни временной и в жизни вечной. Аминь.

Sunday After the Nativity of Christ

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As we continue to celebrate the great and saving mystery of the Incarnation, the Holy Church today directs our attention not only to the very event of the Nativity of Christ, but also to those people who, in a special and intimate way, served this divine mystery. On this day we prayerfully commemorate the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, the holy King and Prophet David, and the holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord.

First of all, the Church remembers the holy King David. He is commemorated today not merely as a distant ancestor according to the flesh, but as the king of that spiritual world into which the Savior is born. The earthly world, however, at the time of Christ’s Nativity, remained indifferent to Him. It was occupied with counting its subjects, with concerns of power, order, and administration—and this indifference became the reason for the great hardships endured by the Holy Family. There was no place for them in the house, and thus the Lord was born in a cave, in a manger.

This opposition of the world to Christ was revealed even more sharply in the person of King Herod. Upon hearing of the birth of the King of the Jews, he immediately sought to kill the Child. Unable to accomplish this, he gave way to a powerless rage and ordered the slaughter of all the infants of Bethlehem, taking them, as it were, as hostages of his hatred toward Christ.

How different was the spirit of the holy King David. Scripture tells us that there was no king in Israel more pleasing to God than David. And this was not because he was without sin—we know well his falls—but because of his heart. Suffice it to recall how King Saul, upon learning that by God’s will David would reign in his place, began to hate him and pursued him throughout all Israel. Several times Saul found himself completely at David’s mercy—within arm’s reach—without knowing it. And each time David refused to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed.

Moreover, when a man came to David with joy, reporting Saul’s death and hoping for a reward, David ordered him to be put to death—for daring to rejoice in the death of the Lord’s anointed, even though Saul had already been rejected by God and was David’s personal enemy. That is why the Church still prays daily with David’s penitential psalms and reads the entire Psalter over the course of several weeks—as a school of repentance and humility of heart.

Today the Church also honors the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, the spouse of the Most Holy Theotokos. His righteousness consisted above all in mercy that transcends the Law. When he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he, being righteous according to the Law, was obligated to expose her. Yet he chose mercy over the Law—“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” He did not wish to subject the Mother of God to shame and judgment, even though by human reasoning he had the right to do so.

This same righteousness was revealed in his care for the Christ Child. Having received a revelation from God, Joseph fled into Egypt together with the Mother of God and the Child, escaping the cruelty of Herod. The desert—waterless, dangerous, and inhabited by wild beasts—gave shelter to the Holy Family. The wilderness concealed those whom the world sought to destroy.

In these holy days the Church also commemorates the holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord. According to Holy Tradition, he was the son of Joseph from his first marriage and accompanied the Holy Family in their flight into Egypt, serving the Infant Christ, the Mother of God, and righteous Joseph. After the Ascension of the Lord, James became the first Bishop of Jerusalem and was held in great reverence not only by Christians, but also by the Jews. He accepted a martyr’s death for Christ, being thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple for openly proclaiming the God-Manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These three men—David, Joseph, and James—were each, in their own way, truly close to Christ. Today the Holy Church prayerfully magnifies them and asks that by their holy intercessions we too may be granted closeness to the Lord.

And here, brothers and sisters, lies a great consolation for each of us. The Lord can be close not only to those who are related to Him according to the flesh. Once it was said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to speak with You.” But He answered, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers? … Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

This is what truly unites a person with God—doing the will of the Heavenly Father. Not origin, not status, not outward righteousness, but a heart that lives according to God’s will.

May the Lord, by His grace, His compassion, and His love for mankind, help each of us to do the will of the Heavenly Father, so that we too may become close to Him—His brothers, sisters, and mothers—in this temporal life and in the life everlasting.

Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Another parable is set before our attention today, one that opens a little more of the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven: the parable of those invited to the wedding feast of the king’s son. In this parable the Lord uses the image of a wedding banquet. In biblical tradition, a banquet is a symbol of victory and spiritual rejoicing.

A certain king prepared a wedding feast for his son and invited guests. To receive an invitation to the wedding of the king’s son is a privilege, a sign of favor. Yet in this case the guests refuse to come to the feast and to share the joy of the king and his son. Despite the honor shown and the king’s kindness, no one responds to his invitation.

In the end he punishes the ungrateful and, in their place, invites those who could never have counted on visiting the royal palace—still less on taking part in the wedding feast of the king’s son.

Among these newly invited guests there was one whom the king saw not properly dressed: “he saw there a man not wearing a wedding garment, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’” (Mt. 22:12). This phrase, too, is puzzling. It was the king himself who called them in from the highways. How could they be expected to have—not even a wedding garment—but any decent clothing at all? This difficulty is resolved by the etiquette of that time, attested in many monuments of ancient Eastern literature: if a high-ranking host invited those who did not possess suitable attire, the gracious host, to show his kindness and generosity, kept festive garments on hand and provided them to such guests when needed.

It is evident, then, that the one who appeared without the proper attire simply despised the king’s gift. And for that very reason, when the king questioned him, as the Gospel says, “he was speechless” (Mt. 22:12).

All the holy Fathers, explaining this parable, say that without doubt the king signifies God the Father, and the son—our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The wedding feast signifies that Kingdom prepared for those who believe in Christ, of which our Lord Himself says: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt. 25:34). Those who were first to enter this Kingdom were to be those who had been called to it—the Jews.

Apostle Paul, explaining the cause of Israel’s falling away, writes: “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:3).

Thus, the people of Israel do not accept and do not enter this Kingdom, finding every manner of excuse—just as absurd and brazen as the excuses of those who, in today’s parable, refused the king’s invitation. In their place—the called ones who refused—the Lord summons other nations: peoples whom proud Jews or high-minded Greeks considered to be on history’s margins, whom Greeks and Romans haughtily called “barbarians,” that is, speakers of unintelligible tongues. Yet it is precisely these simple peoples from the margins of history whom God invited to the messianic banquet of His Son, granting them the grace of Baptism. Many nations, called after the Jews, listened to the Gospel and joined the Church of Christ.

There is another meaning in this parable, pointing not to nations but to groups of persons.

Those despised by the elite—tax collectors, harlots, and simple folk—believe Christ and gladly answer His call to follow Him. Therefore it is precisely for them that the Divine Banquet is prepared. The Lord Himself, reproaching His proud enemies, says to them: “The tax collectors and the harlots go before you into the Kingdom of God” (Mt. 21:31).

In the figures of this parable we must recognize ourselves. God the Father calls us to the wedding feast of His Son. Under the image of the feast we recognize participation in the Divine Services and the Sacraments. How often those who bear the name of Christians refuse to live a churchly life. Each of us has, in one way or another, faced questions from our relatives and friends: “Why go to church? Can’t one be a good person—even a pious Christian—without it?”

Brothers and sisters! We will not fully understand the meaning of gathering for common prayer unless we reflect that when Christianity first appeared, when the apostolic preaching spread throughout the world, the Roman authorities persecuted Christians. And although believers had to keep their faith hidden from those around them, still, risking their property, their standing, and even their lives, they continued to gather, to assemble.

Jesus Christ says: “Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20). These words of the Lord are a summons to assemble. In the prayer “Our Father,” which each of us should say more than once a day, the address to God is “Our Father”—not “My Father,” but “Our Father.”

Dear brothers and sisters! The great mystery of the Church is that taken separately we are merely sinful people left to ourselves—weak and infirm—and yet we still somehow manage to be overproud; but gathered together in the Name of Christ, we are the Lord’s Church, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9). And when God calls all of us to the Divine Table—the Sacrament of the Eucharist—how many reasons we find not to come. God calls, and we answer: I have things to do. I am tired. It’s my day off. I have plenty of cares. But how then shall we be sanctified? How be transformed? How be changed, if we do nothing for it? God has prepared the feast, invited us, and even provided the festive garment—yet we still insist, “We don’t need it; we don’t want it; we already have everything we need.” But from where? From where comes sanctification and grace, if not from the hands of God? From where comes salvation, if not from our Savior Jesus Christ?

Moreover, this parable speaks to each person.

As we heard, one of those who came was not worthy of the place he had attained by the host’s kindness. Why? The holy Fathers saw in the wedding garment distributed by the King the symbol of the white baptismal robes. It is well known that when a person is baptized, white garments are given. In antiquity this held an important place in the rite of Baptism: the putting on of white garments showed the forgiveness of sins and renewal in Christ. The Fathers therefore say that the man without the wedding garment is the person who, though he received Baptism, cast off the purity and grace received in that Mystery and clothed himself again in other garments—the garments of the passions and of sin. St. Gregory Palamas says: “The garment of the spiritual feast is virtue; and whoever does not clothe himself with it here, in this life, will not only be found unworthy of that bridal chamber, but will be bound and subjected to unspeakable torments.”

The holy Apostle Paul writes: “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). So then: examine yourself. Watch yourself attentively. Learn to discern within yourself evil from good, truth from falsehood. A thirst for salvation arises only in the one who wishes to approach the Holy Things and begins to attend carefully to thoughts, deeds, intentions, and words—recognizing the necessity of change, of repentance.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us recognize and value the importance of visiting God’s house—the church—and of taking part in the Divine Banquet offered to us—the Eucharist. Let us turn away from foolish and presumptuous thoughts that we can accomplish something by ourselves in the spiritual life. Let us be attentive to ourselves, to our deeds and thoughts, that we may not become like the foolish and insolent guest who came without festive clothing, but like the good doers of the Lord’s commandments—to whom He will say, “You are My friends” (Jn. 15:14). Amen.

***

Во Имя Отца и Сына и Святаго Духа!
Нашему вниманию сегодня представлена еще одна притча, приоткрывающая тайну Царства небесного. Притча о званых на брачный пир царского сына. Господь использует в этой притче образ брачного пира. Пир в библейской традиции — символ победы и духовного ликования.

Некий царь устроил для своего сына брачный пир и позвал гостей. Получить приглашение на брак царского сына — привилегия, знак уважения. Но, в данном случае, гости отказываются прийти на пир и разделить радость царя и его сына. Несмотря на проявленное уважение и доброту, на приглашение царя никто не откликается.

И в конечном итоге, он наказывает неблагодарных, а на их место приглашает тех, кто вообще не мог рассчитывать на посещение царского дворца, а тем более на участие в брачном пире царского сына.

Среди этих новых приглашенных оказался некто, кого царь увидел не в должном виде «увидел там человека, одетого не в брачную одежду, и говорит ему: друг! как ты вошел сюда не в брачной одежде?» (Мф. 22.12). Фраза, которая также неясна. Ведь сам же царь призвал их с распутий при дорогах. Откуда же у них могла быть не то что брачное одеяние, а вообще просто хорошая одежда? Такое недоумение разрешается обращением к этикету того времени, который зафиксирован во многих памятниках древней литературы Востока. Если высокая особа приглашала в гости к себе тех, кто не мог иметь одежду под стать событию, то радушный хозяин, показывая свою доброту и щедрость, держал для таких случаев праздничную одежду, которую давал своим гостям в случае, если у них такой не было.

Очевидно, что явившийся без подобающего наряда, просто пренебрег царским подарком. И именно потому, на вопрос царя этот человек, как указано, молчал (Мф. 22:2).

Все святые отцы, поясняя эту притчу, говорят, что безусловно под царем подразумевается Бог Отец, а под сыном — Сам Господь Иисус Христос. А под брачным пиром подразумевается то Царство, которое уготовано верующим во Христа. И о котором Сам Господь наш говорит: «придите, благословенные Отца Моего, наследуйте Царство, уготованное вам от создания мира» (Мф. 25:34). Первыми в это царство должны были войти те, кто были призваны к нему — иудеи.

Павел, поясняя причину отпадения иудеев пишет: «Ибо, не разумея праведности Божией и усиливаясь поставить собственную праведность, они не покорились праведности Божией» (Рим. 10:3).

И народ Израильский не принимает и не входит в это Царство, находя всевозможные отговорки, такие же абсурдные и наглые, как и отговорки тех, кто в сегодняшней притче на приглашение царя ответил отказом. Вместо них, призванных, но отказавшихся, Господь призывает иные народы. Те народы, которые горделивые иудеи или высокоумные греки считали народами как бы на обочине истории, и которых греки и римляне надменно называли «варварами», то есть непонятно говорящими. Но именно их — эти простые народы с обочины истории Бог призвал на мессианский пир Своего Сына, даровав им благодать Крещения. Многие народы, призванные после иудеев, послушали Евангелие и присоединились к Церкви Христовой.

Еще одно значение этой притчи, указывает не на народы, но на отдельных людей.

Те, кто был элитой презираем: мытари, блудницы и простецы, верят Христу и с радостью отвечают на Его призыв следовать за Ним. И потому именно им уготован Божественный Пир. Сам Господь в обличение надменных врагов своих говорит им: «мытари и блудницы вперед вас идут в Царство Божие» (Мф. 21:31).

Под образами в данной причте должны узнаваться мы сами. Нас Бог-Отец призывает на брачный пир Своего Сына. Под образом пира узнается участие в Богослужении и Таинствах. Как часто те, кто именуется христианами, отказываются жить церковной жизнью. Ведь каждый из нас так или иначе сталкивался с вопросами от наших родных и близких: «зачем ходить в храм? Нельзя ли быть хорошим человеком и даже благочестивым христианином без этого?».

Братья и сестры! Мы не до конца поймем всего значения собирания для совместной молитвы, если не задумаемся над тем, что когда появилось христианство, когда проповедь апостольская распространилась на весь мир, тогдашняя римская власть преследовала христиан. И при том, что христиане должны были сохранить свою веру в тайне от окружающих, они, рискуя своим имуществом, рискуя своим положением, рискуя своей жизнью все равно собирались вместе.

Иисус Христос говорит: «где двое или трое собраны во имя Мое, там Я посреди них» (Мф.18:20). Эти слова Господа — это призыв собраться. В молитве «Отче наш», которую каждый из нас произносит за день не раз, обращение к Богу «Отче наш», не Отче мой, но Отче наш.

Дорогие братья и сестры! Великая тайна Церкви в том, что по отдельности мы просто грешные люди, предоставленные сами себе, слабые и немощные, и при этом еще умудряемся быть гордыми, но, собранные вместе во имя Христово, — мы Церковь Господня «род избранный, царственное священство, народ святой» (1 Пет.2:9). И вот когда Бог призывает всех нас на Божественную Трапезу — Таинство Евхаристии, сколько причин находим, чтобы не прийти. Бог призывает, а мы отвечаем — у меня дела. Я устал. У меня выходной день. У меня забот хватает. Но как же освятиться? Как преобразиться? Как измениться, ничего не делая для этого? Бог и пир приготовил, и пригласил, и даже одежду праздничную выдал, а мы все равно твердим — не надо нам, не хотим, у нас и так все есть. Но откуда? Откуда освящение и благодать, разве как не из рук Божьих? Откуда спасение, разве как не от Спасителя нашего Иисуса Христа?

И ещё, эта притча имеет смысл для каждого человека.

Как мы слышали, один из пришедших все же был не достоин того места, в котором он оказался по добросердию хозяина. Почему так? Святые отцы видели в брачной одежде, которую раздает Царь символ белых крещальных риз. Общеизвестно, что когда человек крестится, то ему даются чистые белые одежды. В древности это вообще занимало важное место в процессе крещения. Одевание белых одежд показывало прощение грехов и обновление во Христе. И вот святые отцы говорят, что человек не в брачной одежде — это человек, который хотя и принял крещение, но чистоту и благодать, полученную в этом таинстве, скинул с себя и облекся уже в другие ризы, ризы страстей и греха. Святитель Григорий Палама говорит: «Одеяние духовного брака это — добродетель, в которое если кто не облачится здесь, в этой жизни, тот не только будет найден недостойным оного брачного чертога, но и подвергнется узам и несказанным мукам».

Святой апостол Павел пишет: «Да испытывает же себя человек, и таким образом пусть ест от хлеба сего и пьет из чаши сей» (1 Кор. 11:28). Итак, испытывать себя. Наблюдать за собой внимательно, научиться различать в себе злое и доброе, правдивое от лживого. Только у того появляется жажда спасения, кто хочет приступить к Святыне и начинает внимательно относиться к своим мыслям, делам, помыслам, словам, осознавать необходимость изменения-покаяния. Поэтому, братья и сестры, будем осознавать и ценить важность посещения дома Божьего — храма и участия в предложенной нам Божественной Трапезе — Евхаристии. Уклонимся от глупых и самонадеянных мыслей о том, что мы сами что-то можем в духовной жизни. Будем же внимательны к себе, к своим делам и мыслям, дабы нам уподобится не глупому и дерзкому гостю, пришедшему без праздничной одежды, но добрым исполнителям заповедей Господних, которым Он скажет: «Вы друзья Мои» (Ин.15:14). Аминь!