Похвальное слово в день Успения Пресвятой Богородицы. Святителя Илии Минятия Кефалонитского

Fasting and prayer are two invincible weapons that were given from heaven to the Church to fight against all visible and invisible enemies. Three such terrible enemies wage a constant war against us: the world, the devil and the flesh. The world is at war with us with the vanity and deceit of life; the devil - with secret lusts and evil thoughts, the flesh - with bliss, pleasures, shameful inclinations and aspirations. And three fight against us, as if in agreement, in unison and fully armed with temptations. But we very happily repel those who attack us and defeat them through prayer and fasting. We mortify the flesh, we put the devil to flight, we trample on the world; and inspired, as it were, by two wings, on the one hand - by prayer, on the other - by fasting, we, ascending in spirit to heaven, rise above the nets and avoid the snares of temptation. Our Holy Church, which does everything according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, commanded us, Christians, to perform prayer and fasting during these fourteen days, that is, invocation (of the name of God) and abstinence in honor of the glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Mother of our God. True, the struggle is not long, but the victory is very brilliant, and the consequences of victory are abundant. The heroine, the Blessed Lady Herself, the Queen of heaven and earth, sits at the right hand of the throne of the Tri-radiant Deity and, looking down at the feat, holds crowns to crown the victors. Blessed are we if we strive as we should. Whoever on these holy days through prayer and fasting courageously overcomes worldly cares, the devil’s tricks, and carnal thoughts, let him dare with confidence and receive a worthy gift from the Mother of God. I affirm this on behalf of the Most Holy Virgin Herself, and therefore today I will indicate what grace and help he receives from the Most Holy Lady who feels reverence for Her and honors Her with prayer and fasting. The Most Holy Virgin is and is called Matter in two senses: firstly, as the Mother of God, and secondly, as the Mother of all Christians. She is the Mother of God by natural birth, and the Mother of Christians by adoption. She is the Mother of God by birth, truly the Mother of God, for she truly gave birth to the Son of God Himself from Her incorruptible womb, where the Divine Word was united with flesh, and in one indivisible Hypostasis united Her Divine and human nature above nature, word and understanding. She is the Mother of all Christians by adoption: if we, by the grace of sonship, are the named brothers of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:11), Whom the Virgin gave birth, and (if) Jesus Christ Himself, as Paul says, dwells among us, as the firstborn among many brothers, then, therefore, we are the named sons of the Mother of God. As the Mother of God, according to her maternal dignity, She should have from God such grace as it is fitting for a mother to have from her son; on the other hand, as the Mother of Christians, due to maternal love, She should show Christians the same mercy that a mother should show her children. But the grace that the All-Holy Virgin has from God must correspond to the dignity of the Mother of God, and this dignity is limitless; therefore, the grace that She receives is limitless. In the same way, the mercy that She shows to Christians must correspond to the love of a mother for her children, and this love is limitless; therefore, the mercy shown by Her is limitless. And, further, commensurate with the boundless grace that She, as the Mother of God, receives from God, and the boundless mercy that She, as the Mother of Christians, shows to Christians, (one must admit) that the Virgin is a sea of ​​grace-filled forces. And indeed, She is a sea great in vastness, for, as the Mother of God, she perceives all the inexhaustible rivers of the Divine gifts of the Spirit: - a sea great in capacity, for, as the Mother of Christians, she pours out on them the same Divine gifts in abundance; Thus, according to the gifts that She perceives as the Mother of God, there is a boundless sea; and according to the gifts that she gives out as the Mother of Christians, She is an inexhaustible sea. Listeners who reverently honor the Virgin! This time, out of all Her advantages over other creatures, I want you to pay attention to this - that She is the Mother of God and the Mother of Christians. And as the Mother of God, She has boldness with God, Her Son, more than all the saints and all the angels; and as the Mother of Christians, She, more than everyone else - saints and angels, provides us, Her children, with benefits.... Our life is defiled by various sins! It represents one continuous and continuous series of the most serious iniquities. How much uncleanness there is in our thoughts! How much obscenity is in our language! How much deceit the Son of God sees in our actions! He sees and endures, because He is long-suffering. But when we, unrepentant, incorrigible, stubborn in evil, by some unnatural ingratitude offend the highest Divine truth, arouse His righteous anger, He no longer endures, but, armed with the sword and arrows of His terrible and insatiable anger, like a terrible warrior rises up against us and threatens with complete destruction, death, eternal torment; and, it seems, he tells us the same thing as he told the Jews in the Gospel: about an unfaithful and perverse generation, how long will I be with you, how long will you endure (Matthew 17:17)? The generation is unfaithful - not because you do not have faith, but because you do not have any work of faith; corrupted, who has rejected the fear of Me, who has trampled My law, who has departed from My love, who has turned into his own lusts! How long will I be with you? How long will I be with you in My Church and in My sacraments? How long will you endure? How long will I bear you, support you with My meekness and long-suffering? Until when? - With these words He will cleanse His weapon (the Prophet describes Him in such a terrible image), His bow bent, and His preparation, and in it are prepared the vessels of death (Ps. 7:13, 14). The arrows are prepared, and these are the arrows of the Mighty One with the coals of the desert (Ps. 119:4). One arrow to take away either children to punish parents, or parents to admonish children, or a husband from a vain wife, or a wife from an indecent husband, or a brother from a sinful brother. Another arrow is to strike our health, so that the sick will throw us into bed for many years of suffering; the third - to poison our happiness, to humble our proud eye with poverty. Others that cannot be counted - so that they inflict all kinds of wounds on us, destroying homes, ruining property, destroying goods, scattering families through litigation, strife, famine, death, wars, captivity and all the darkness of disasters. He will cleanse His weapon, He will make His bow taut and ready, and in it will be prepared the vessels of death. Where, unfortunate sinners, can we run away from such indignation and wrath of the Son of God? For us there is no other outcome than to repent and fall at the feet of our God, who loves mankind, and for this we will turn to the mediation of the priests who are here on earth, in the Church, and the intercession of the saints who are in paradise. And imagine that everyone, monks, priests, bishops, and patriarchs, performs common service and prayer; Moreover, all the saints of paradise, the entire face of prophets and apostles, the entire multitude of martyrs, ascetics and virgins, all the ranks of blessed angels fall before the throne of the Majesty of God to ask for mercy and forgiveness for us. Much more than all this intercession of the earthly and heavenly Church can be done by one single word of the Mother of God; Oh, when that terrible Judge turns and sees the face of His Mother, this most holy and sweetest Mother, Who begs (Him), He will immediately become friendly, meek, peaceful, put aside the sword and bow of His Divine wrath, immediately show us condescension and love and utter to us the longed-for forgiveness: much more can the prayer of the Mother to the mercy of the Lord. Just think, Christians, who is asking? - Mother of God, Who has boldness towards God incomparably greater than all the saints. Other saints beg as servants of God; The Blessed Virgin asks like the Mother of God. Who is he begging for? the Son of God, whom she conceived, whom she gave birth to, nursed and raised, - whom she alone loved with all the love with which all the blessed together loved God, and by whom she was loved with all the love with which God loves all the blessed together. All saints implore God as a Father; The Blessed Virgin is like the Son. For whom is he begging? - For the Christians, who are Her children, by nature Her descendants, of the same kind, of the same blood from which She Herself came, and by grace - the brethren of Her Son. All the saints intercede for us as brothers; The Blessed Virgin intercedes for us as for children. Now take into account the Face that She beseeches - how great is Her boldness; and a pleading face - how ardent is Her plea: is it possible that mercy would not be shown? This meaning has the well-known expression of the Song of Songs, with which, I think, God is addressing the virgin: You have attracted our hearts alone from Your sight (Song. 4:9), i.e., with Your gaze alone You have penetrated My heart, so I throw down my weapon, leave aside my anger, grant forgiveness... This is the kind of mercy that Holy Mary provides, this is the kind of help that Holy Mary gives to us Christians! What kind of veneration and reverence should we Christians show to the Most Holy Mary? She is both the Mother of God and our Mother; as our own mother, we must honor and reverence Her, because this is a natural duty, established by Divine law; on the other hand, as the Mother of God, we people must honor Her even more and revere Her. For She, as the Mother of God, is revered and revered by the saints of paradise and even the angels of heaven. Therefore, honor and reverence for the Most Holy Mary, as our Mother, should be great, and as the Mother of God, beyond all comparison. He who does not honor and respect his mother is not worthy of the name of man; whoever does not honor and revere the Mother of God is not worthy of the name Christian. Who can boast that he is a faithful servant of Jesus if he is not a faithful servant of Mary? Or how does he revere the Son without reverence for Matter? Oh, if through some misfortune I should lose all reverence, I will never lose my reverence for the Virgin Mary. In any misfortune - physical or mental - in which I find myself, I will resort to Her in the confidence that in Her I will find healing in my illnesses, consolation in my sorrows and forgiveness in my sins. And even in hell itself I do not lose hope of salvation from the Queen of Heaven. I am not afraid of death as long as She protects me in Her arms. But when I lose my reverence for the Virgin, then I am a lost soul. But what does reverence for a virgin consist of? - In prayer and fasting. In prayer, which is invocation (of the name of God); in fasting, which is abstinence. These are two ways in which, according to the Church, we should honor the Mother of God and ours, especially in these days. What should our prayer be? - Not with disorder, not with excitement, not with shamelessness, but with the fear of God, contrition of heart and tears of tenderness. What should our abstinence fast be like? – Not only abstinence from food, but also from sin; not only from meat, but also from carnal passions. The All-Holy Virgin expects from us, together with fasting, purity of heart, and with prayer, contrition of heart. What less than this can the Mother of God and the Mother of Christians demand from Christians? Oh, if we only understood what mercy and help we receive from (such) the Most Holy Mother! Orphans, deprived of parents, wanderers, homeless, sick, sinners - do not be sad: you have a mother - the Mother of God! Mother, who will shelter you on your journey, who will nourish you in poverty, who will give you consolation in sorrows, healing in illnesses, liberation from captivity, forgiveness in sins. Do not grieve: you have as a mother the Mother of God. Sailors sailing the sea, call on the Virgin to have shelter in a storm. Travelers passing by land, call on the Virgin to have an assistant in danger. Farmers cultivating the land, call on the Virgin to have the blessing of the harvest in your labors. Young men studying in schools, call on the Virgin to have the light of knowledge in your teaching. Spirituals and laity, men and wives, call on the Virgin in all your needs, physical and mental, so that you may have a Patroness in this life, a Representative in the hour of death and an Intercessor on the day of judgment. Christians, from the least to the greatest, who serve and worship the name of Jesus, honor and revere the name of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and ours. Let “Jesus” and “Mary” be written in your hearts: “Let Jesus” and “Mary” not depart from your lips; Let “Jesus” and “Mary” be the beginning and end of your prayers. Let the names of Jesus and Mary be the first words in the early morning and the last in the evening; close your eyes to sleep with them; go in and out of the church with them; with them begin and finish all your work, so that at the hour of your last breath you will be honored to have Jesus on one side, and Mary on the other, and together with Jesus and Mary you will be glorified in the kingdom of heaven. Amen 188. See the sermons of St. Elijah Minyaty of Cephalonite. Ed. St. – Trinity Serg. Laurels 1902, pp. 342–349. You might be interested in: