Let’s draw a real picture: a soldier is killed at the moment when he, in hatred and anger, shoots at the enemy who killed his brother, friend, or dear person! “In what I find you – in that I will judge you!” “If I give my body to be burned (throw myself, embracing the enemy, on a “mine” (a mine), or blow myself up among the enemies, to destroy them, etc.), but have not love, I gain nothing.” Therefore, death in war in anger, hatred, wrath… is a catastrophe. Each one will give an account for himself (for the state of his soul): whether he is ready to share God’s life or not, whether he is ready to hypostasize the Divine Energies (to accept Divine Grace as his own) or not?!
“You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill! But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother – that person is a murderer (that is, he is subject to the same judgment as a murderer).” Murder is the realized anger! We are saying all this about the catechumens and Christians!!! There is also involuntary manslaughter – when someone accidentally (not wanting to) kills a person through careless actions or by coincidence of certain circumstances (we know that there are no coincidences – everything is God’s providence). But this is also murder (by which the Lord says something to this person – the involuntary killer), which led to excommunication from the Eucharist for a certain period (see above the rules of Basil the Great).
A Christian is a peacemaker! And a peacemaker stands between two warring sides (right in the epicenter where all the forces of evil converge), not taking either side. Otherwise, he (“peacemaker”) is already an advocate or prosecutor (taking the side of either the oppressor or the oppressed), or even a judge (but Christ came not to judge the world but to save it; and Christians do not judge anyone, having the Spirit of Christ). To better illustrate our point, let’s tell a parable. Imagine a large ship sinking (like the Titanic; if you’ve seen the movie, it will be easy to imagine), and this “baptism” (complete immersion) of the ship into the ocean waters is a matter of time. At the same time, when the ship is sinking, on one of the decks we see the following scene: one family decided to seize the neighboring cabin and everything in it (and they are not against having two slaves, meaning the residents of that cabin, who survive, to make them their slaves). Initially, they tried to diplomatically take over the neighbor’s cabin and make the neighbors their slaves. They made plans for the future (how they would live in a two-room cabin, having slaves to serve them) – and all the while, the ship is sinking! When words and persuasion and cunning (i.e., “nicely”) failed to take the neighbors and their territory, they resorted to force (tanks, “Grads,” “Buks,” rifles, grenade launchers… knives, and other makeshift means of killing people). One side wants to seize the neighbor’s cabin at any cost, while the other wants to keep it for themselves at any cost – not giving up a single square meter of “their” cabin to the invader (and all this madness is happening on a sinking ship!!!). And here they are, engaged in a bloody battle in the corridor or even in the living room of the disputed cabin (on a ship that is sinking and will definitely sink!). Who is right: the greedy invader or the stingy defender? From the perspective of the deck where the cabins are located (in the local context), you can still argue (who is right, who is wrong; who started it first, and who retaliated; for example, the invader and terrorist of the 21st century always says he is coming to save, liberate, bring peace and reconciliation… he is adept at creating provocations so that it appears (to narrow-minded and locally thinking people whose heads are filled with gilded wool) as if he is defending himself), but from the perspective (of the deck of the ship, or even a boat that has already left the sinking ship, and everyone in this boat is working to row away from the sinking ship as far as possible, so as not to be dragged down with it into the abyss) of knowing the global context (e.g., that the ship is sinking and will definitely sink!), they are both (the oppressor and the oppressed, the criminal and the victim of the crime) wrong and insane (one wants to take, seize, conquer “nothing,” while the other is fighting to the death and blood to protect this “nothing” (about “nothing,” illusion, mirage of this world from the perspective of eternity, see in previous parts) – both are mad)33. Imagine the picture: at the same time they began killing each other for “square meters” and “culture” (Russian “mir,” European, etc.), for the right to live on these meters (during a journey! This is just a journey, not a permanent residence!), a man was running through that corridor, saving himself, who knows the truth about the ship – that it will definitely sink and there is still a little time to save oneself (= Christian or proclaimed by the Church). What do you think, whose side will he take, what will he do (the one who is in the Truth (knows the truth about reality; and about the deceit of this world) and Love (wishes everyone happiness and does everything he can to help those he loves (everyone) achieve the fullness of Bliss)): will he help the invader storm the cabin, or will he stand up for the victim and help them reclaim their territory and living rules (language, culture, customs)? Can a Christian (one who knows the Truth and Loves) bless the seizure of other cabins (under the pretext – of saving the residents there from a tyrant father and his junta), to bring a new “peace” there, which will make all the residents of this cabin happy, and create a European (in a hundred times better and more comfortable) life for them in this cabin (and the ship is sinking!)? Can he (the Christian) bless defending his cabin to the blood (on a sinking ship!)? Can he himself take up arms on the side of the liberators, who liberate brothers and sisters from the “junta,” “banderites,” “cannibals,” “crucifiers of children,” and help the “righteous” seize the neighboring cabin, destroy the junta, and establish their “peace” (and the ship is sinking)?! Can he stand up with weapons in hand for the “innocent victim” and their cabin values (cabins on a sinking ship!)?! Can he call on other Christians (those who have already rowed far away from the sinking ship! Perhaps some monk-hermit, who renounced this world (fled from the ship), will be sent back into this world, onto the sinking ship, by St. Sergius of Radonezh (to fight for cabins?!) to help one or the other warring side (“righteous” oppressor-savior or “innocent” victim who wants a peaceful European life in their cabin; about salvation, rescuing oneself from the sinking ship and thoughts of anyone – if there were even thoughts about salvation! Then a loud call for repentance would be heard – rescue from the ship into the boat – the Church)?! Can he send other Christians (who are on the boats of the Holy Spirit) to participate in this madness?! (By the way, in this parable, Christians in the true sense of the word are those who have already rowed away from the ship, and those who are saving themselves on the ship are those proclaimed by the Church, Christians who previously got out of the very dungeons of this ship onto the upper deck, and from there got into the boats (the Church), therefore they know from their own experience all the entrances and exits on this ship, know all the traps and dead ends, blockages, and dangers; therefore, the proclaimed are safe if they are obedient to the Church (following the path indicated by the Church – certain corridors and staircases – each proclaimed has his own route, according to his location on the ship – unique starting natural data (hereditary, acquired, etc.)), and do not waste time, do not get involved in the “quarrels” (wars) of this world! Therefore, the Church testifies that Christians and the proclaimed do not participate in war, and those who, calling themselves Christians or proclaimed, participate in war – are not Christians and not proclaimed, and the Church testified to this by anathema – see above the Apostolic Constitutions. Therefore, Christians do not kill anyone and do not bless anyone to kill, but only call everyone to repentance, to salvation – to receive the Holy Spirit, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, into the Church, into the Eucharist! And the proclaimed (obedient, trusting the Church) are not blessed by the Church to kill anyone. Therefore, pagans killed and kill, not Christians or the proclaimed. Can Christians advise something to pagans who want to fight (seize or defend), – they can and do advise if someone listens to them (but certainly: not to fight, not to kill! This, by the way, was done (according to truthful (if they are truthful) historical evidence; I speak of what (if it happened) the theologian can agree with) by St. Sergius of Radonezh, but no one listened to him! He did not give any blessing to fight against the Tatars, but when he saw that the pagans stood their ground (did not hear him) – they wanted to fight, they wanted a blessing for war, not advice on how to act, then he said to Dmitry Donskoy: do as you know!?). And when a war begins (which could not be averted in any way, or rather, there was no desire to avert it) in a country where Christians (the Church) carry out their apostolic ministry, then they no longer advise or bless anything but fall silent (because during the war the topic of all conversations is the same – war and how to overcome the enemy, how to win the war; and here Christians, so as not to harm the mission of preaching the Gospel, have nothing to say because pagans want to hear: “Glory to the nation!” – “Death to enemies!” and Christians cannot utter this and at the same time remain in the Holy Spirit, that is, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven; pagans want to hear prayers in churches for victory over the enemies, pagans want the Church, which for them is one of the religions, to bless weapons, bless the “Christian-loving army” for a victorious fratricidal battle, to commune soldiers (who were formally baptized with water – not even proclaimed!) with the Gifts of the Eucharist – before the battle or the military campaign for the battle; here even if we talk about the Eucharist and communion magically, not ecclesiastically (see about the Eucharist in Parts I and II) – it is complete madness, to take power from Christ to kill those for whom Christ died!?? And other madness… Therefore, Christians, since words under such conditions are already inappropriate, tear fully pray for those “who do not know what they are doing,” and especially for so-called “Christians” who are in double delusion) and in silence pray for the insane world!