Reflecting on the Fire of Gehenna and How the Virtues of Chastity and Mercy Confer Great Benefit Upon a Person
November 30*
(The Tale of Zacharias and John is Very Beneficial for the Soul)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
November 30*
(The Tale of Zacharias and John is Very Beneficial for the Soul)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
Know, brethren, that contemplation of the eternal torment of sinners, their removal from the blessed contemplation of God's face, and the eternal darkness in which they will languish, as well as the two greatest virtues — chastity and mercy — bring significant benefit to a person. They make such a Christian a vessel of Divine Grace, make him a Saint, even make him a Wonderworker. We will now convince you of all this.
A certain John, a resident of Constantinople, having distributed his rich estate to the poor, knew only to go to the temple of God to pray. One night, he came to the Church of Hagia Sophia and, finding the church doors locked, lay down to rest on the porch. After some time, he saw a bright dawn preceded by a certain man. John rejoiced at this vision and hid, wanting to know what would happen next. The wondrous man, approaching the church doors, fell on the threshold and prayed for a long time; the locked doors opened of their own accord. He entered the interior of the church, fell upon the platform before the icon of the Mother of God, and there, throughout his prayer, an extraordinary light shone from him. Then he approached the Royal Doors, which also opened for him of their own accord. Having prayed at the altar with the raising of his hands, he left the temple, and the doors closed behind him, just as they had opened, of their own accord. John, wanting to know who this wondrous man was, followed him, and entering his humble hut, fell at his feet and tearfully begged him to reveal who he was and what good deeds he had done. "Servant of God!" John said to him. "Reveal to me your God-pleasing life, for I have seen the wondrous effects of your prayer." "Forgive me, elder, for the Lord's sake!" replied the wondrous man. "You have seen a vision, not the truth. I am a sinful man, I have no good deeds. I am an unlearned artisan, a harness maker; my name is Zacharias." "I adjure you by God," John cried to him persistently, "do not hide your high virtues; tell me the truth." Then Zacharias, rising from his seat and bowing to the ground before John, spoke thus: "My brother! All my life I have thought of nothing so much as the sins I have committed, and, hourly picturing the fire of Gehenna prepared for sinners, I go every night to the temple of God to beg the Lord to spare me from that terrible fire. This woman you see is my wife, and she is a pure virgin: under the pretext of infertility, we hide the purity of our bodies from people. Finally, behold, I have three and a half pieces of silver; with this sum I buy leather from which I make horse harnesses. Receiving my livelihood solely from this craft, I divide the money I earn from my products into two parts: one, the larger part, I give to my Christ through the hands of the poor and needy, and the other, the smaller part, I leave for my own needs.”
We believe, brethren, you will now agree with us that contemplating the fire of Gehenna and the virtues of chastity and mercy truly make a person a vessel of Divine Grace, a Saint, and a Wonderworker. Isn't it amazing that before a simple, poor man, church doors open and close of their own accord, that a bright dawn precedes him, and that an extraordinary light shines from him? It is certainly amazing, but nevertheless, all this actually happened. And why? Because Zacharias constantly meditated on the fire of Gehenna, was chaste, and merciful. Bring all this to your attention, brethren, for the salvation of your souls: reflect more often on eternal torments, and also strive for the virtues of chastity and mercy. The thought of eternal torment will force you to distance yourself from all wickedness and vices; chastity will ensure that you, as pure in heart, will see God; and your mercy will be praised by God both in this life and at the judgment (Ps. 40:2, Ps. 111:3, James 2:13). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Notes:
* In the original text, there is no entry for November 30th. There this is the second entry for November 17th.
