By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin (1807-1869)
"Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25).
"Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25).
To whom is it, listeners, that Jesus Christ proclaims sorrow? How does He threaten with hunger the satisfied? What kind of laughing does mourning and weeping portend? Is it not us who are now well fed and satisfied with everything? Is it not us who have been rejoicing and rejoice now on this third day [of Pascha]?
No, listeners, this is not for us. This is woe to those who are satisfied, who themselves are full, while others languish with hunger; it is woe to those who are saturated with someone else's acquisitions, eat what they have acquired with someone else's hands, drink what they have gained from someone else's sweat; this is woe to those who are saturated with deceit, cunning, falsehood. But today we ourselves are full and we satisfy others as much as possible; we are satiated from our righteous labors; we are satisfied with what we got by right, by law.
This is woe to those laughing ones who rejoice without measure, without restraint, for whom joy consists only in sensual pleasures, who rejoice looking at the death of others, rejoice in the misfortune of their neighbors; this is woe to those merry ones, who rejoice because they do not at all believe in life after death. But we, thanks to God, do not enjoy ourselves without measure, for we are enjoying ourselves with fear; we rejoice not without restraint, for there was a fast - we fasted, and now we have the Bright Resurrection of Christ. We do not indulge in sensual pleasures, for we rejoice in the temples of God with spiritual joy; we rejoice not at the destruction of others, but rejoice at the salvation of all people; rejoice, for Jesus Christ promises to draw everyone to Himself, promises to place all of us where He is, in heavenly abodes. We do not have fun with angst, but with joy, that our body will also be resurrected one day; we drink new wine, flowing from the source of incorruptibility - Christ.
So, listeners, rejoice in the Lord always: let us rejoice and be glad; nothing prevents us now from rejoicing and being glad in the Lord. Amen.
No, listeners, this is not for us. This is woe to those who are satisfied, who themselves are full, while others languish with hunger; it is woe to those who are saturated with someone else's acquisitions, eat what they have acquired with someone else's hands, drink what they have gained from someone else's sweat; this is woe to those who are saturated with deceit, cunning, falsehood. But today we ourselves are full and we satisfy others as much as possible; we are satiated from our righteous labors; we are satisfied with what we got by right, by law.
This is woe to those laughing ones who rejoice without measure, without restraint, for whom joy consists only in sensual pleasures, who rejoice looking at the death of others, rejoice in the misfortune of their neighbors; this is woe to those merry ones, who rejoice because they do not at all believe in life after death. But we, thanks to God, do not enjoy ourselves without measure, for we are enjoying ourselves with fear; we rejoice not without restraint, for there was a fast - we fasted, and now we have the Bright Resurrection of Christ. We do not indulge in sensual pleasures, for we rejoice in the temples of God with spiritual joy; we rejoice not at the destruction of others, but rejoice at the salvation of all people; rejoice, for Jesus Christ promises to draw everyone to Himself, promises to place all of us where He is, in heavenly abodes. We do not have fun with angst, but with joy, that our body will also be resurrected one day; we drink new wine, flowing from the source of incorruptibility - Christ.
So, listeners, rejoice in the Lord always: let us rejoice and be glad; nothing prevents us now from rejoicing and being glad in the Lord. Amen.