154. Речь Его Императорскому Высочеству Государю Наследнику, Цесаревичу, Великому Князю Александру Николаевичу, пред вступлением в Cepгиeвy Лавру с Ея Императорским Высочеством, Государынею Цесаревною, Великою Княгинею Mapиeю Александровною

(Spoken on May 23rd 605, printed in the collections of 1844 and 1848) It will not be for a long time again that You walk this Royal path: Royal, I say, because for several centuries now the Russian Sovereigns and Their Families have been walking from time to time from the Throne City here - to the humble Dweller of the desert. Such is the power of faith. It makes one who has renounced the world an ascetic of the Fatherland, even more so than one who is in the world, and not only in life, but also after death; and the high bows down to the humble; and with the obsolete earthly age continues living communication. As we greet You with such thoughts, Blessed Sovereign, we hardly dare to mention that we here rejoice at Your coming; for this is not worthy of Your attention: but we testify even more that Your coming to this monastery is joyful for all of Orthodox Russia: because it shows that You are walking the Royal Parental and Ancestor path of piety, leading with You in the same footsteps the Life Companion chosen by You; and that for new hopes of life you will seek new blessings from above. In the Trinity, the glorified God, who has so many times blessed the Royal prayers offered to Him in this place, at the intercession of His Pleasant, may He greet you, Porphyrogenitus Prayer Books, with new gifts of His all-powerful goodness, and in the high happiness of your life, may He grant everlasting consolation to your Most August Parents, and a guarantee of inviolable prosperity to the Fatherland. In ed. 1844 and 1848 mistakenly placed on May 6th. See letters from Metropolitan. Philaret (288) to the abbot of the Trinity Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. You might be interested in: