Please accept my best wishes on the occasion of the great feast of the Nativity of Christ and for a Happy New Year.
You will remember prophesies of the early fathers of the Church about our time. They said: people will be saved by the endurance of sorrows and diseases and by repentance. We have no deeds to serve our advantage. We constantly break Christ’s commandments during all our undertakings. Therefore, there is nothing left for us to do but to repent, endure and believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, who has come to seek and save whoever is lost, will also save us, as we are beseeching his forgiveness and salvation. We must firmly believe in this. Those placing their hope in the good works are building their house on sand. People’s salvation is achieved through the mercy of God. It is God’s gift to the fallen humanity which believed in Christ and realizing its fall is appealing in the voice of the publican: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
As for human deeds, our Lord Jesus Christ’s words are these: “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”
This means that we, as servants and creation of God must fulfill His will, that is, all His commandments, but whether or not man who has fulfilled all God’s commandments will be let into the Kingdom of God is for the Merciful God to decide. Humbleness, but not deeds, is what appeals to the mercy of God. It is right of people to fear death and get prepared for it, but to fall prey to despair and lose spirit over it is the result of the devil’s work.
The Lord told us to be ready to die at any moment. The dreams prompting our desolation and despair are of devil’s doing. Dreams coming from God bring tenderness of the heart, make us humble and strengthen our trust in the Savior, Who has come to the world and borne His Cross for the sake of the fallen, not for the alleged righteous, who claimed (falsely) to be worthy of the Kingdom of God. The latter are arrogant men, and their righteousness is fake. All the saints considered themselves to be great sinners.
But you know all this very well. I am just reminding you of some things. The idea of giving out all your possessions or of giving up work for food – comes from devil. Work as much as you are able to, and place your hope in God, Who feeds the entire Universe. Who is approaching Christ with faithfulness and observing His commandments as best as he could and repenting his sins, will reach Him and be with Him after the death. “I will not cast out who is coming to Me,” He says. This is the good news addressed to all people. There is no reason for a Christian to despair. Be quiet and at peace.
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