Part 3. What Is the Way That Leads Into the Kingdom of Heaven

The way into the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus Christ Himself; only he walks along this way who follows Jesus Christ. But how must one walk along it? Hear what Jesus Christ Himself says: “Whoever would follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross” Matt 16:24, and follow Me. And what it means to deny oneself, to take up one’s cross, and to follow Jesus Christ—that will be told below.

Jesus Christ said: “Whoever would follow Me.” These words mean that Jesus Christ compels and constrains no one to follow Him. He does not wish to have for His disciples bondsmen, or those who have no desire of their own, but wishes that a man should of himself, willingly and without any constraint, give his whole self over to Him; and consequently, into the Kingdom of Heaven there enter only those who themselves desire to enter. Christian! thy salvation and thy perdition depend upon thine own will. The Lord, in His unspeakable wisdom and love, has granted thee freedom to do what thou wilt, and does not wish to take from thee this most precious gift. And so, if thou wilt follow Jesus Christ—He points out to thee the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and is even ready to help thee upon this way; if thou wilt not follow—it is thy will: no one compels thee, nor will compel thee. But take heed, beware of scorning the call of Jesus Christ and so great a mercy of His. Jesus Christ, in His great goodness, knocks long, long at the door of the heart of every man, to awaken his soul and to rouse in him the desire of salvation; but woe to him from whom He at last withdraws, and whom He casts off as a son of perdition!

And so, in order to follow Jesus Christ, one must first of all have for it one’s own desire and resolve; and in order to have the desire to follow Him, one must know whither to go, and what this way is, and what is needful for this way. But how can a man know thoroughly that which he does not wish to know, or which he has heard only in passing and superficially?

And so, before thou goest after Jesus Christ, thou must do the following.

1) Attentively examine the foundation of Christianity—that is, the very books of Holy Scripture, upon which our Orthodox faith is founded: to learn whence they came, who wrote them and when, how they were preserved and passed down to us, and why they are called divine and sacred, and so forth. But thou must examine the sacred books in simplicity of heart, without any prejudice, without inquisitiveness, without partiality, and by no means beyond the bounds of thy mind—that is, not straining to penetrate and learn that which is hidden from us by the wisdom of God. Such an examination of the faith is by no means contrary to the faith; on the contrary, it is laid upon every Christian as a bounden duty, when he comes to full age, to learn his faith more thoroughly: for whoever does not know his faith soundly grows cold and indifferent toward it, and often falls either into superstition or into unbelief. And how many Christians—or rather, how many baptized in the name of Jesus Christ—have perished and are perishing for this reason alone, that they will not and would not turn their attention to the foundation of our Orthodox faith! Without excuse at the Dread Judgment will be the one who has neglected this duty! But not all men can examine the faith in the same way; rather, each according to his abilities, his knowledge, and his enlightenment. Thus, for example, the learned man can and ought to turn his attention to the historical events that prove the origin and the consequences of the faith, to the spirit of Holy Scripture, and so forth. But the unlearned and simple man must ask and learn from the pastors and teachers of the Church, as from men who have given a promise to teach the faith, and who from their childhood have been instructed in it and devote their whole life to the study of it.

2) When thou hast learned and become convinced that our Orthodox faith is founded upon Holy Scripture, and not upon fabrications or speculations, and that Holy Scripture is indeed the true word of God, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through the Prophets and the Apostles: then do not examine that which has not been revealed to us; believe unconditionally, without doubt and without speculation, all that Holy Scripture teaches, hearkening to no human explanations and interpretations of that which is inaccessible to the human mind. And if thou wilt do so, then thy faith will be true and right, and it will be reckoned to thee for justification and for merit.

3) And finally, strive to have and to rouse in thyself the desire to follow that which Holy Scripture teaches; but if thou hast not this desire, then fall down before this same Saviour of ours, Jesus Christ, and ask of Him this desire with fervent prayer. And much less be obstinate, when grace calls thee onto the way of salvation.

All that has been said here of the faith let us make plain by a parable. Suppose, for example, thou wert to hear that in such-and-such a place, near to thee, there stands a vast and wondrous building. Its height reaches to the very heaven; its entrance is somewhat hidden, and without direction not everyone can find it; and for further guidance there are at it a multitude of attendants, who are at the same time also physicians for the sick and the maimed, and dispensers of the food needful for the journey. The stairways for the ascent are so many that almost everyone has his own; yet all the stairways alike are narrow, cramped, and dimly lit, so that without a guide and outside help it is impossible to take even a single step, and especially at the beginning. This building was made by a most wise Architect, and precisely for this purpose: that by means of it a man might ascend to heaven and into Paradise itself.

Having heard all this, thou wouldst, without doubt, wish to be there whither this building leads. But how then wouldst thou act in this case? Of course, first of all thou must come to this building, examine it more thoroughly, ask the attendants about everything—that is, both about the building itself and its purpose, and about how and whence to enter it, and so forth; and the attendants will gladly tell thee all that is needful for this. And if thou art a learned man, then go up to the building itself, inspect it on every side: whether it is founded upon a firm foundation, and whether it is able to bear both the weight of the building itself and those who enter it. If thou art very learned, examine even the very materials of which it is made—learn, distinguish, and discern all that can be examined with the eyes, and thou mayest even employ for this the necessary instruments. And then, when thou hast seen and become convinced that this building is sound, firm, and fully able to answer to its purpose: then lay aside all further inquiry and leave at the doors all thy instruments, with which thou wert examining it—for there they will almost only hinder thee, and not help—and without any doubt enter within the building itself, and go on, not stopping and not fearing the difficulty of the ascent, which is indeed difficult, especially at the beginning. Difficult is the ascent to heaven; but in return it leads straight thither whither all men ought to strive, and to that which all ought to seek throughout their whole life. Within this building thou wilt meet both fellow travelers, with whom thou shalt go hand in hand, and physicians, if it should happen that thou fall and hurt thyself; thou wilt find also dispensers of the food needful for such a journey, and guides, and pointers of the way, and instructors, who will tell thee all that is needful, and whom thou wilt keep finding and meeting until the Master of the House and the Maker of this building Himself shall meet thee. But in order to reach the very end of the way more swiftly and more surely, the best and most reliable thing of all is to give thyself over wholly to the will of the Maker and Master of the House.

But tell me: would not that man act senselessly who, instead of examining the building at its very foundation and discerning that which is accessible to our eyes, should, out of his pride and self-reliance, or out of his stubbornness, take it into his head to examine the very top of this building, which must ordinarily be hidden in the clouds and in the very space between earth and heaven? And would he not act foolishly who, seeing on high some parts of the building and being unable, or having no means, to examine them properly, should take it into his head to reason about them, and by them to draw conclusions about the whole building, and to find defects or excesses there where, by reason of the exceeding height, the building itself can scarcely be seen? Or again, would it not be on his part senseless and even criminal if he, examining nothing and having barely entered the enclosure of the building, should suddenly begin to condemn this or that in it, and to assure others that this building is neither sound nor necessary? Or, in place of the instructions and laws of the Master of the House and Architect Himself, should set forth his own instructions and speculations? But, it seems, the most foolish of all would be the one who, having barely entered the enclosure, should lay aside all desire not only to enter this building, but even to examine it.

For the one who sincerely desires to be there whither this building leads, it is enough if he becomes convinced that it is sound and established upon an unshakable foundation, and built not by the hands of ordinary craftsmen and masters, but by the hands of the great Architect, who by His own blood laid out and cleansed the way into it, and Himself was the first to pass along it. It is enough to be convinced of this also, and all the rest—that is, why it was built thus and not otherwise, or why it stands there and not in another place, and so forth—all this is not thy concern: thy concern is only to give thyself over to the will and desire of the Master of the House, and with hope in His help and love for Him in thy heart, to go toward Him and after Him, and to go as He bids.

Let us apply this parable to Christianity. The building, built upon the earth and reaching to heaven, is our Orthodox Christian faith; the Architect and Master of the House is Jesus Christ; the attendants are the pastors and teachers of the Church, and so forth.

Now let us look at the very way along which we must follow Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said: whoever would follow Me,

1) let him deny himself,

2) let him take up his cross,

3) let him follow Me.

And so, the first duty of a Christian—that is, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ—is to deny himself.

To deny oneself means: to forsake one’s evil habits; to tear out of one’s heart all that binds us to the world; to harbor in oneself no evil desires and thoughts; to quench and suppress evil thoughts, to keep away from occasions of sin; to do and to desire nothing out of self-love, but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself means, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, to be dead to sins and to the world, but alive unto God.

The second duty of a Christian—that is, of one who follows Jesus Christ—is to take up his cross.

By the name of the cross are understood sufferings, sorrows, and troubles. Crosses are of two kinds, outward and inward. To take up one’s cross means to accept and to bear without murmuring everything that may befall us in our life that is unpleasant, grievous, sorrowful, hard, and heavy. And therefore, whether someone wrongs thee, mocks thee, or causes thee tedium, sorrow, and vexation; or thou hast done good to someone, and he, instead of thanking thee, rises up against thee and even contrives schemes; or thou wishest to do good, but it does not succeed; or some misfortune has befallen thee—for instance, thou thyself art sick, or thy wife, or thy children, and so forth; or, for all thy activity and unsleeping labors, thou endurest want and lack; or even poverty and destitution itself weighs thee down; or, besides this, thou endurest some other unpleasantness—bear all this without malice, without murmuring, without backbiting, without complaint, that is, not counting thyself wronged and without expectation of an earthly reward for it; but bear all this with love, with joy, and with steadfastness.

To take up one’s cross means not only to bear the crosses laid upon us by others, or sent by Providence, but also to take up and to bear one’s own crosses, and even to lay crosses upon oneself and to bear them. This means that a Christian can and ought to make and fulfill various vows and promises, grievous and burdensome to our heart, but vows conformable to the word of the Lord and to His will, and not according to one’s own speculations and notions. Thus, for example, one can and ought to make and fulfill vows that are profitable for one’s neighbors, such as: to serve the sick, to help actively those who need help, to seek out occasions, with long-suffering and meekness, to further the salvation and good of men, whether by deed, or by word, or by counsel, or by prayer, and so forth.

And when thou bearest thy cross according to the word and intention of the Lord, and if at that time there should arise in thee the proud thought that thou art a man not like other men, but a man steadfast, pious, and better than thy brethren and neighbors: then, so far as is possible, root out such thoughts, for such thoughts can destroy all thy virtues.

It was said above that crosses are of two kinds, outward and inward, and here almost everything has been said only of the outward crosses. And blessed is he who knows how to bear them with discernment; for the Lord will not allow such a man to perish, but will send him the Holy Spirit, who will strengthen and instruct him and lead him further. But to become holy and to be like Jesus Christ, for this the outward crosses alone are not enough; for outward crosses without the inward ones are no more profitable than outward prayer without the inward. Outward crosses, or outward sufferings, are borne not by the disciples of Jesus Christ alone, but by each and every man—that is, there is no man in the world who does not suffer or endure from one thing or another. But whoever wishes to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and a follower of His must of necessity bear the inward crosses also.

Inward crosses can be found at any time, and sooner than the outward ones. One need only turn one’s attention upon oneself and, in a feeling of repentance, examine one’s own soul, and then at once there will present themselves thousands of inward crosses. For example, reflect: how didst thou come into this world? for what purpose dost thou exist in this world? and dost thou live as thou oughtest to live? and so forth. Turn thy due attention to this—and thou wilt see at the first glance that thou, being a creature and the work of Almighty God, existest in this world solely for this: that by all thy deeds, by all thy life, and by thy whole being thou mightest glorify His holy and great Name; whereas thou not only dost not glorify Him, but on the contrary insultest and dishonorest Him by thy lawless life, and so forth. Then call to mind and reflect: what awaits thee on the far side of thy grave? on which side wilt thou appear at the time of the Dread Judgment of Christ, on the right or on the left? and so forth. And if thou wilt reflect in this manner, then thou wilt come, in spite of thyself, to a disquiet, and thou wilt begin to be troubled. And this will be the beginning of the inward crosses. But if thou wilt not only refrain from putting such thoughts away from thee or seeking distraction from them in worldly pleasures or in empty amusements, but wilt examine thyself yet more and more attentively, then thou wilt find yet more crosses; for example, hell, of which until then thou hadst perhaps not even thought, or hadst thought with indifference, will then present itself to thee in all its horror. Paradise, which the Lord has prepared for thee and of which until then thou hadst not thought, or hadst thought only in passing, will then vividly present itself to thee as that which it is—that is, a place of eternal and pure joys, of which thou thyself art depriving thyself by thy negligence and folly, and so forth.

And if, notwithstanding the sorrow and inward sufferings that thou wilt feel from such reflections, thou firmly resolvest to bear them, and seekest no consolation in anything worldly, but prayest the more diligently to the Lord for thy salvation, and givest thy whole self over to His will: then the Lord will begin to disclose and to show thee the state of thy soul in the form in which it truly is—in order thereby more and more to implant and to nourish in thee fear, sorrow, and grief, and thereby more and more to cleanse thee.

To see the state of our soul in all its nakedness, and especially to feel vividly our own danger, we can never do without the special mercy and help of the Lord: for the inward part of our soul is always hidden from us by our self-love, our speculation, our passions, our worldly cares, the allurements of the world, and so forth. And if it sometimes seems to us that we of ourselves see the state of our soul, then we see only the outside, and no more than what our own reason and conscience can show us.

The enemy of our soul, the devil, knowing how salutary it is for us to examine and to see the state of our soul, employs all his guiles and cunning in order not to allow a man to see his state in the form in which it is, so that he may not turn and begin to seek salvation. But when the devil sees that this guile of his does not avail, and that the man, with the help of the grace of God, begins to see himself, then the devil employs another and yet more cunning means: he strives to show the man the state of his soul all at once, and so far as possible from its most dangerous side—in order thereby to strike the man with horror and to bring him to despair. And indeed, if the Lord were always to permit the devil to employ this latter means—that is, to show us the state of our soul from its most dangerous side—then few of us would stand firm, because in very truth the state of the soul of a sinner, and especially of an unrepentant sinner, is exceedingly dangerous and terrible: and not of the sinner only—but even the very saints and righteous men, for all their righteousness, did not find tears enough to bewail their soul.

When the Lord is pleased to disclose to thee the state of thy soul, then thou wilt begin to see clearly and to feel vividly that, for all thy virtues, thy heart is corrupted and depraved, thy soul is defiled, and thou thyself art nothing other than a slave of sin and of the passions, which have wholly taken possession of thee and do not allow thee to draw near to God. Thou wilt begin also to see that there is in thee nothing truly good; and if thou hast even some few good deeds, then they are all mingled with sin, and are not the fruit of true love, but the offspring of various passions and circumstances, and so forth—and then of necessity thou wilt suffer: then fear will seize thee, and sorrow, and grief, and so forth. Fear—because thou art in danger of perishing; sorrow and grief—because thou hast so long and so stubbornly turned away thine ear from the meek voice of the Lord, who calls thee into the Kingdom of Heaven, and because thou hast so long and so fearlessly angered Him by thy iniquities, and so forth.

And in the measure that the Lord discloses to thee the state of thy soul, in thee thine inward sufferings also will increase.

This is what is called the inward crosses!

Since men do not all have the same virtues and the same sins, neither are the inward crosses the same for all. For some they are more burdensome, for others less; for some more prolonged, for others less; for some they come in one way, for others in another, and so forth. And all this depends upon the state of each one’s soul, exactly as the duration and the manner of the healing of a sickness depend upon the state of the sick man. And the physician is not to blame if he must sometimes employ strong and prolonged remedies for the healing of an inveterate and dangerous sickness, which the sick man has perhaps himself aggravated and made worse. Whoever wishes to be well will consent to bear everything.

The inward crosses are for some so burdensome that they sometimes find for themselves no consolation in anything.

All this may happen to thee also; but in whatever condition thou mayest be, and whatever sufferings of soul thou mayest feel, do not despair and do not think that the Lord has forsaken thee. No! He will always be with thee and will invisibly sustain thee even then, when it shall seem to thee that thou art at the very brink of perdition. No! He will not allow thee to be tempted more than it pleases Him to allow. Do not despair and do not fear; but with full submission and devotion to Him endure and pray. For He is our Father, and a Father most loving of His children. And if He permits a man devoted to Him to fall into temptations, then it is for no other reason than only this: that He may thereby the more intelligibly and clearly show the man his own powerlessness, infirmity, and nothingness, and teach him never to hope in himself, and that no one without God can do anything good. And if the Lord leads a man into suffering or lays crosses upon him, then it is solely for this: that He may thereby heal the soul, make him conformable to Jesus Christ, and wholly cleanse his heart, in which He desires to dwell Himself, together with the Son and His Holy Spirit.

In these sorrows of thine, however heavy they may be, seek no consolation in men, unless the Lord especially point out and send thee one of His chosen. Ordinary men—that is, those inexperienced in spiritual matters—are always poor comforters in ordinary griefs, and much more so in grief and sorrow that is for the Lord’s sake, of which they have not even any notion: in this case they can the more readily harm thee than console thee and ease thy sufferings. The Lord, the Lord is thy Helper, and Comforter, and Instructor; to Him alone have recourse, and in Him alone seek consolation and help.

Blessed, a hundredfold blessed, is that man to whom the Lord grants to bear the inward crosses: because they are the true healing of the soul, a sure and reliable means of becoming conformable to Jesus Christ, and consequently they are a special and manifest mercy of the Lord and a visible token of His care for the salvation of man. Blessed is that man also because he is in a state which, without the assistance of the grace of God, we not only cannot attain, but do not even count needful for our salvation.

If thou wilt bear thy sufferings with submission and devotion to the will of the Lord, and wilt seek consolation nowhere and in no one save the Lord, then He in His mercy will not forsake thee, nor will He leave thee without consolation; He will touch thy heart with His grace and impart to thee the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of thy sufferings, and perhaps even at the very beginning of them, thou wilt feel in thy heart an inexpressible sweetness, a wondrous peace and joy such as thou hast never felt—and together with this thou wilt feel in thyself the strength and the power to pray to God with true prayer and to believe in Him with true faith: and thy heart will be kindled with pure love for God and for thy neighbor. And all this is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

And if the Lord vouchsafe thee such a gift, then by no means count it a reward for thine own labors and sorrows, and do not think that thou hast attained perfection or holiness. Such thoughts are nothing other than the prompting of pride, which has penetrated so deeply into our soul, and has grown so fast to it, that it can manifest itself even when a man has the power of working miracles.

Such consolations and touchings of the Holy Spirit are not a reward, but only a mercy of the Lord, which grants thee to taste of the blessings that God has prepared for those who love Him, so that, having tasted them, thou mayest seek them with greater zeal and diligence, and at the same time mayest be prepared and strengthened for the bearing of new sorrows and sufferings. And the love that thou wilt feel at that time is not yet that perfect state which the saints attain on earth, but only an indication of it.

The third duty of the disciple of Jesus Christ is to follow Him. To follow Jesus Christ means in all one’s deeds and actions to imitate the deeds and actions of Jesus Christ. As Jesus Christ lived and acted on earth, so exactly must we also live and act; thus, for example:

Jesus Christ always rendered thanksgiving and praise to God His Father and always prayed to Him; so exactly must we, in every condition and in all the circumstances of our life, thank God, love Him, and openly and in secret render praise and pray to Him, and always have Him in our mind and heart.

Jesus Christ honored and obeyed His Most Pure Mother, and His supposed father, and the authorities. So exactly must we hearken to and honor our parents and those who reared us, neither provoking nor insulting them by our conduct; and we must respect our authorities and every power (that acknowledges God), and must obey them and fulfill their commands without murmuring.

Jesus Christ, the King of the universe, paid tribute to the earthly king, and the Judge of the living and the dead would not arrogate to Himself the civil power of a judge or a divider Luke 12:14. So exactly must we pay the tribute of the state without any murmuring, and not take upon ourselves a power that does not belong to us—for example, the power to judge and condemn those who hold authority, and so forth.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the office He had taken upon Himself, and the work for which He was sent into the world, with willingness, zeal, and love. So exactly must we, with diligence, willingness, and without murmuring, fulfill our duties, such as God and the state lay upon us, notwithstanding that our duties may be either hard or lowly.

Jesus Christ loved every man and did every good to all. So exactly must we love our brethren and, so far as is possible, do them good, whether by deed, or by word, or by thought.

Jesus Christ gave Himself up for the salvation of men. So exactly must we, for the procuring of good for men, spare neither our labors nor our health; for the salvation and defense of our fatherland and of our Sovereign, as the Father of the fatherland, we must not spare even our very life; and for Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer and Benefactor, we must spare neither the very consolations of our soul, nor our body, nor our life, after the manner of the holy martyrs, who for Jesus Christ endured various torments and death.

Jesus Christ of His own will gave Himself up to suffering and death. So exactly must we not flee from the sufferings and griefs sent to us by God, but must likewise, with humility and devotion to God, accept and bear them.

Jesus Christ forgave His enemies all that they did to Him, and, beyond that, did them every good and prayed for their salvation; so exactly must we forgive our enemies, repay with good the evil done to us, and bless those who revile us, in full faith and hope in God, the most just and all-seeing Judge, without whose will not even a hair of our head shall perish. Having borne a wrong without complaint, without vengeance, and with love, thou wilt act as a true Christian.

Jesus Christ, the King of heaven and earth, lived in poverty and by His own labors obtained what was necessary for life: so exactly must we be diligent and unslothfully seek what is necessary for our life, and be content with our condition and not desire riches; because, according to the word of the Saviour, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus Christ, being meek and lowly of heart, never sought or desired praise from others. So exactly must we boast of nothing before others, nor seek praise from others. For example, whether thou doest good to others, whether thou givest alms, whether thou livest more piously than others, or art more sensible than many, or art in general better and more excellent than thy brethren—boast not of this, neither before men nor before thyself: because all that thou hast in thee and about thee that is good and praiseworthy, all this is not thine, but a gift of God; thine own are only thy sins and weaknesses, and all the rest is God’s.

To follow Jesus Christ means also this: to obey the word of Jesus Christ; and therefore we must hear, believe, and fulfill all that Jesus Christ said in the Gospel and through His Apostles, and do all this without speculation and in simplicity of heart. Whoever hears and attends to the word of Jesus Christ may be called His disciple; but whoever hears and fulfills His words, and that in simplicity of heart and with complete devotion, he is His true and beloved disciple,

And so, this is what it means to deny oneself, to take up one’s cross, and to follow Jesus Christ; these are the true qualities and properties of a disciple of Jesus Christ; this is the true and direct way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and this is the way along which Jesus Christ Himself passed, living on earth, and along which Christians must go! There was not, and is not, and never will be any other way besides this way.

And of course this way is not smooth, but narrow and thorny, and especially so will it seem at its beginning: but in return it leads straight and surely into Paradise, into the Kingdom of Heaven, into eternal blessedness, to God—the Source of all blessedness. Sorrowful is this way: but one may say that for every step along it there await a thousand rewards. The sufferings on this way are not eternal, and one may even say they are momentary, while the reward for them is unending and eternal, as God Himself. The sufferings will from day to day become less and lighter, while the reward from hour to hour will increase more and more, throughout all the boundless life to come.

And so, do not be afraid of this way; for the smooth and even way leads into hell, while the thorny and uneven way leads to heaven.

Many in perplexity ask: why is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven so difficult, and why must a Christian bear so many heavy crosses? To such and similar questions a Christian must always answer that so it was pleasing to God. Our God is All-wise and the Lover of mankind; He knows what He is doing with us and what to do with us. If we wish indeed to be true disciples of Jesus Christ—that is, disciples submissive, obedient, and devoted to Him—then let us commit ourselves, and one another, and our whole life unto Christ our God. Yet one may point out some few causes, visible and accessible to our mind, why the way into the Kingdom of Heaven is so difficult, and why we can in no wise avoid it, if we wish to attain salvation.

1) The Kingdom of Heaven is the very highest blessedness and the greatest glory and honor and inexhaustible riches. And therefore, if even for the obtaining of small and meager earthly riches great labors and cares are needed, how then can one obtain without labors so unspeakable a treasure?

2) The Kingdom of Heaven is a reward, and the very greatest reward: and where is a reward given for nothing and for no cause? And therefore, if for the obtaining of an earthly and temporal reward one must labor and strive, how much more for the obtaining of a heavenly and eternal reward.

3) We must bear crosses because we call ourselves, and wish to be, Christians—that is, disciples, followers, and members of Jesus Christ. As is the Teacher, Leader, and Head, such must also be His disciples, followers, and members: Jesus Christ entered into His glory through suffering—consequently, we too can enter there by no other way than the way of sufferings.

4) All men bear their crosses—all and each, more or less, suffer and endure. To bear crosses is not the lot or portion of Christians alone: no! they are borne both by the Christian and by the non-Christian, by the believer and by the unbeliever; only this is the difference between them, that to the one the crosses serve as a healing and a means to the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, while to the other they become a punishment, a chastisement, and an execution. For the one they grow from time to time lighter, sweeter, and at last are turned into crowns of eternal glory; while for the other they grow heavier and more grievous—and at last all the crosses of the world will flow together into one most enormous infernal burden, which will weigh down upon their heads, and under which they will suffer eternally and without solace. But why such a difference? Because the one bears them with faith and devotion to God, while the other bears them with murmuring and with blasphemies.

And so thou, O Christian, must not only not flee from crosses and not murmur at them, but, on the contrary, must thank Jesus Christ that He sends them to thee, and thank Him day and night that He has vouchsafed to number thee among the cross-bearers. For if Jesus Christ had not suffered for the world, then no one of us, however he might suffer and be tormented, would ever have entered the Kingdom of Heaven. Because then we should have had to suffer as condemned and rejected transgressors of the will of God, and to suffer without hope, without consolation: but now, though we suffer, yet we suffer, or may suffer, unto salvation, unto deliverance, with hope, with consolation, and for the obtaining of a reward. O most merciful Lord! how great is Thy love for us! O Jesus Christ! great are Thy benefactions toward us! Thou turnest even the very evil of the world into a benefaction, a profit, and our salvation.

Christian! gratitude and love for Jesus Christ, thy Benefactor, alone already oblige thee to follow Him. Jesus Christ came down to earth for thee: wilt thou then, for His sake, hold anything worldly too dear? Jesus Christ for thee and on thy behalf drank the full cup of sufferings: wilt thou then, for His sake, be unwilling to swallow a single drop of bitterness?

5) Jesus Christ by His suffering and His death redeemed us, and therefore we, by right of redemption, belong to Him, and consequently we are not our own, but His; and therefore we must fulfill and do all that He bids, if we do not wish to be cast away from His face; but Jesus Christ requires of us only one thing—that we follow Him into the Kingdom of Heaven, and that for our own well-being.

6) Jesus Christ did not suffer and die in order thereby to give us license to do all that we wish. No, God forbid even to think so!

7) Finally, let us say this also: why we can in no wise avoid the narrow way that lies before us into the Kingdom of Heaven. a) Because in every man there is sin, and sin is such an ulcer as is not healed of itself—that is, without remedies; and in some men this ulcer is so deep and so dangerous that it can be healed in no other way than by cauterizing and cutting. And therefore no one can be cleansed of his sins without sufferings of soul. b) Sin is the most terrible uncleanness and abomination before the eyes of God; but nothing abominable, foul, and unclean can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever suffers from an inward sickness, or whom a cruel grief weighs down—wheresoever thou settle him, though it be in the most magnificent palaces, there too he will suffer; because his sickness and his grief are always and everywhere with him and within him. So exactly is it with the unrepentant sinner, not cleansed of his sins: wheresoever thou settle him, though it be in Paradise itself, there too he will suffer; because the cause of his sufferings—that is, sin—is in his heart. For the sinner there will everywhere be hell. On the contrary, whoever feels some joy of heart will rejoice both in palaces and in a hut, and even in a prison, because his joy is in his heart: so exactly is it with the righteous man, whose heart is filled with the consolations of the Holy Spirit—wheresoever he may be, everywhere there will be Paradise, because the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. From a living tree, however many branches thou cut off, it will not die thereby, but will again put forth new branches; and to make an end of it altogether, one must tear out of the ground its very roots. So exactly, sin is not made an end of in the heart of man by cutting off or abandoning some few vices or habits alone: and therefore whoever wishes to make an end of sin in his heart must tear out the very root of sin; but the root of sin lies deep in the heart of man and has grown fast to it, and therefore to tear it out without pain is in no wise possible. And had the Lord not sent us the great Physician—Jesus Christ—then no one, by any efforts whatsoever, could have made an end of the root of sin, and every attempt at it would have been wholly in vain.

And so, brethren, you see for yourselves that we must of necessity follow Jesus Christ, and that we can in no wise avoid the way along which Jesus Christ passed, and you see also that without suffering no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, because all the holy saints of God passed along this same way. Some say: how are we, sinful and weak men, to be such as the saints were! and how are we to be saved? we live in the world and have various duties, and so forth. Ah, brethren! this is not only untrue, but an insult and a blasphemy against our Creator: to excuse oneself by such causes is, as it were, to reproach one’s Creator that He knew not how to create us. No, this is an empty and blasphemous excuse, and not a cause. Look at the saints: not all of them were hermits; and they too, at the first, like us, were not sinless; they too were occupied with worldly affairs, cares, and offices, and many of them had families also. But while discharging their worldly offices and duties, they at the same time did not forget the duties of a Christian, and while living in the world, they at the same time walked along the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and often led others along with them. So exactly may we too, if we will, be at once both good citizens, and faithful spouses, and good fathers, and good and faithful Christians. True Christianity will never and nowhere be a hindrance, but on the contrary is everywhere and for everything profitable. A true Christian is only the one who believes in Jesus Christ and imitates Him in all things; the spirit of Christianity is pure, disinterested, spiritual love—love which the Holy Spirit alone grants: men call many things love, but not all of it is Christian love.

And so, brethren, if you wish to be in the Kingdom of Heaven, then you must pass along the way along which Jesus Christ passed; otherwise you will perish beyond recovery. But here it must be said that whoever, walking along the way of Christianity, will hope only in his own strength, he will not take even a single step upon it; and had Jesus Christ, our great Benefactor, not given us help for this, then no man could have passed along this way. Even the very Apostles, when they had not this help, could not, but feared and dreaded, to follow Jesus Christ; but when they received help from Jesus Christ, then they followed Him with joy and gladness, and no difficulties or sufferings, nor even death itself, dismayed them.

But what is this help that Jesus Christ gives to those who follow Him? This help is the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus Christ grants us, and who is always at hand with us, and always surrounds us and draws us to Himself; and everyone who only wills it may receive Him and be filled with Him. And how the Holy Spirit helps us, and how He may be received—we shall see below.