213. Слово на память Святителя и Чудотворца Алексия в среду второй недели великого поста

(Said in the cathedral church of the Chudov Monastery, February 12; printed in the Works of the Holy Father of 1847 and in the collection of 1848) Blessed are you who weep now: for you will laugh. (Luke 6:21). The image of fasting, and with caution against the hypocritical darkening of faces of the Pharisee, is naturally somewhat stern and sad, but is now quite brightened up for us with festive joy, and this is according to the rules of the holy Church. But now, and according to the same charter, we are announced by the word of the Gospel, which disposes us to weeping: “Blessed are those who weep now.” What should we do? Rejoice or cry? Has the Mother thought about what she wants from her children? – Without a doubt, she thought, and knows what she wants. Be attentive: and without much difficulty you will see how spiritual joy freely enters the area of ​​​​sadness, and again, when necessary, gives way to just sorrow. We commemorate the righteous man, saint and wonderworker Alexy. But the sacred parable teaches that the “memory of the righteous” should be “with praise” (Prov. 10:7). And another parable says that “if the righteous are praised, men will rejoice” (Prov. 29:2). From this, people of Orthodoxy, you see how we can rejoice now. For this, it is enough to recall the life of St. Alexis, his exploits, virtues, and good deeds. Goodness itself contains praise, and by itself it pleases. Look in your mind at the youth Eleutherius, who was destined to later become Saint Alexis. From children's games, he chooses for himself smart, clean, and, perhaps, not useless. He sets up a net and wants to catch birds. But He, without whose will even a slave does not fall to the ground, does not send a catch: because he does not want to console Eleutherius with childish consolation, but to cut off his inclination for fun, and to prepare him for important activities. The heavenly fisher himself wants to catch the earthly fisher. Tired of waiting for the catch, the boy dozes: and, in a moment of this silence of external feelings, an Angel opens his inner ear and says to his soul: “Alexie! Why are you working in vain? You will catch people." The shocked soul awakens the body. Eleutherius does not know whose voice this is, whose name this is, what the prediction about catching people means: but nevertheless, the heavenly seed was deeply planted in his soul and began to vegetate. He gave up birding and all other pastimes; he became silent and seemed sad because he was not distracted and was not concerned with external things; the memory of a mysterious voice drew him to the inner and invisible. Three years later, he decisively surrendered to this attraction, renounced the world, and, upon entering monasticism at the Epiphany Monastery, received the name Alexia, predicted in a dream. This is the early dawn of the spiritual life of Saint Alexy: but isn’t it already quite bright and pleasant? A fifteen-year-old boy renounces the pleasures of youth, the son of a boyar - from the splendor of nobility, the godson of the Prince, the expected ruler of Moscow, from prospects for even greater nobility; decides to live only for God and for the soul; concludes himself in a monastic life - I hope you will not argue if I say: - more strict five hundred years before this than in our time. Look, elders, at the boy: and not only rejoice over him, but also learn from him. It would be good if some of the boyar children were able to look at him as they should, at least in order not to consider themselves very wise and very lofty-minded when they, hastily leaving school, do not so much strive for exploits and benefits of the Fatherland as they are haunted by the ghosts of honors, or swirl in a whirlwind of vanity and luxury. Let's look further at Alexy, a monastic. Is it necessary to talk about his exploits, actually monastic ones? It goes without saying that having neglected so many pleasant things in the world, having laid his hand on his head, he no longer looked back; I did not seek, as others do now, under the name of asceticism, only a calm and prosperous life; from lengthy services and prayers I did not truncate a particle for my laziness; did not look into the church with one eye and beyond the fence of the Monastery with the other; did not value property after vows of non-covetousness; did not interfere with his will in matters of obedience. I will point out a special feat, which alone is sufficient to show Alexy as an unusually bright lamp not only for his age, but for many centuries. In a century that did not provide enough aids or enough encouragement for intensive learning, he had zeal, and found ways to just learn the Greek language: and for what? - in order to acquire a clearer and more accurate understanding of the sacred books of the New Testament, in their original Apostolic language. And not content with this acquisition for himself, he also desired to share it with those of the same faith and tribe. He compared the Slavonic translation of the New Testament books with the Greek original, and, having cleared away the imperfections and errors introduced into it by unskillful copyists, he wrote it with his own hand in a book that is kept to this day in this Monastery created by him, as one of his priceless legacies. Anyone who loves Divine truth and the pure glory of the Church will always look with consolation at this theological feat of Saint Alexis. How purely Orthodoxy shines in this, which has always turned and turns to the Holy Scriptures, as to the eternal and open source of Divine truth for all! In what a favorable light does he present the dignity of the Russian clergy in the fourth Christian century, which nowhere shone with enlightenment! What confirmation does he give to the actions of the Russian hierarchy in subsequent centuries in correcting damaged Slavic manuscripts of sacred and church books based on Greek originals! How clearly the wrong wisdom exposes those lovers of imaginary antiquity, whose love for antiquity has turned into reverence for ancient mistakes, and who consider the correction of an ancient scribe’s mistake to be a crime, and even a damage to faith! Finally, let us look at Alexy as a Saint and a saint. His virtuous life and wisdom prompted the All-Russian Metropolitan Theognost to take him to the metropolitan house and entrust him with church courts. For twelve 675 years he was kept in this ministry, not without a special dispensation of Providence, so that in the sick members he could better recognize the condition and needs of the entire body of the Church, which he then had to preserve and heal. After this preparation, the same Metropolitan Theognostus installed Saint Alexy as Bishop of the city of Vladimir, and four years later, he, with the entire consecrated Council, and with the Council of Grand Duke Simeon, was elected to the throne of the All-Russian Metropolis. The election was somewhat extraordinary, during the lifetime of the Metropolitan of this throne, and by himself: but it was as if by foreknowledge, in order to warn and prevent unelected seekers of this throne, which indeed Theodoret and Romanus soon appeared. From now on, Saint Alexy is decisively the God-chosen, God-protected and God-ruled Angel of the All-Russian Church. He travels to Constantinople and receives patriarchal blessing and approval. Having then met a rival in Russia, he again travels to Constantinople to submit himself and him to the judgment of the Patriarch, and again receives confirmation at the All-Russian department: and two unelected seekers of it disappear. On the last of these journeys, he is exposed to danger at sea: but, having made a prayerful vow, upon deliverance, to create a monastery for monastics, he reaches the shore and the fatherland unharmed; and the Andronikov Monastery stands to this day as a monument to answered prayer and justified vow. It soon turned out that the all-good God, saving Saint Alexy from danger, saved a saving weapon for the protection of the Church and the Russian State, and for the glory of His name even outside the Church. The Tsar of the Horde, whose power weighed heavily over Russia at that time, through the ambassador demanded that Alexy come to the Horde and heal the queen, who was blind and possessed. Janibek demanded something that was not in human power: but, not understanding this, in case of non-fulfillment of the demand, without a doubt, he was ready to fly into a rage, dangerous both for the Saint, and for the Church, and for Russia. Troubles reveal the great and the saints: so it was in this case. Alexy showed a great spirit because he did not shy away from a dangerous journey; strong faith - because he did not give up the prayer for miraculous healing; deep humility - because, without relying on himself, he prayed at the tomb of St. Peter. God reinforced his faith with a sign: the light at the tomb of St. Peter lit up by itself. Saint Alexy goes to the Horde, heals the queen, and gains surprise, honors, gifts and the security of the Church and Russia. The miracle that took place placed him so high in the opinion of everyone that, when another most cruel king of the Horde threatened Russia with a devastating invasion, Grand Duke John did not find better protection for her than Saint Alexy: and this one, with new self-sacrifice for the good of the common, goes to the Horde, and although he encounters difficulties and endures a lot, he returns again with glory, bringing freedom and peace to the Church To the Fatherland. “I have remembered Your destinies from time immemorial, O Lord, and have been comforted” (Ps. 119:52), said the spectator of God’s destinies among the people of God. Isn’t this what an attentive viewer of the Lord’s judgments upon Russia and the Russian Church should feel from time immemorial? How tightly our Church and Fatherland hugged and supported each other! How beneficial was the firm unity of the hierarchy while the unity of the state was still incomplete! How wonderfully, against the force of an alien, infidel people weighing down on us, the spiritual power of the Church was placed in order to somewhat reduce and restrain this destructive burden until the victorious forces of the state grew and matured to repel it! Remember, Orthodox son of Russia, with gratitude these ancient destinies, and with hope preserve for future times the forces that were so beneficial in the times that have passed, the power of faith and love for the Fatherland, the power of unanimity and love for autocratic power, ready for any sacrifice. I cannot follow Saint Alexy throughout the twenty-four-year career of his priesthood in Moscow. And I'm afraid to tire you. But I encounter something that I cannot ignore. There is one undertaking of Saint Alexy, which he did not bring to an end. There is one dispute in which he did not win. I look, marvel, and rejoice, although I don’t understand. A miracle worker has an undertaking that he cannot complete? Is Bogomudrago having a dispute in which he does not win? Extraordinary; but exactly like that. Approaching the limit of his earthly career, Saint Alexy desired to find himself a holy successor. Saints see saints: and thus Saint Alexy saw Saint Sergius. He called him and offered him his throne. But Sergius denied; and Alexy did not insist. What could be holier than the undertakings of St. Alexis? How did it not happen? How did the humble Sergius dare to reproach the Saint, whose words he always listened to as if they were Christ’s? How did the saint not decide to overcome the abbot by the force of the church and monastic law of obedience? No matter how many questions we multiply, neither Saint Alexy nor Saint Sergius will answer them for us. Why is this shown to us? - In order for our proud mind to humble itself to the ground before the destinies of God, which even the saints sometimes do not comprehend, and before the saints themselves, whom we sinners often cannot see or understand; and so that the reverent heart from its depths should cry out with the psalmist: “Wonderful is God in His saints” (Ps. 67:36). Truly, God is marvelous in you, Saint Alexis: marvelous also in the fact that he prophetically revealed to you in St. Sergius His chosen instrument, not only for your time, but also for subsequent times; He is also marvelous in that, without giving you a successor similar to you, he provided you, with some of your co-thrones, with unsuccessionary power in His Church. You are silent: but you preach piety more than words and defend Orthodoxy. You rest visibly: but you act invisibly, with the grace-given power given to you, purifying and strengthening our imperfect and weak prayers, spreading around yourself a spiritual fragrance that calms, delights, heals, thus feeding the flock, and tending the sheep and shepherds. Thanks be to your shepherding, that even now these sheep of yours kindly crowd around you. Thank you for your blessing and for the fact that in the first days of this fast your church was filled with people praying, as on the most solemn holidays. This is your gift; but my joy, and the common hope of salvation, although there is something to be sad about and something to be afraid of. Rejoicing over those who honor fasting, can I look with sadness at those who not only do not honor it enough, but seem to mock it with their actions? What was the point of this inappropriate public gaiety not on a holiday? And on a holiday, why is time 676 stolen from reverence and wasted on vanity? Why this intemperance, this predominance of amusements on the eve of Lent? Thousands of Christian people are fleeing in the footsteps of pagan frivolity; and there are people who talk about deeds of frivolity, as if they were monuments, with triumph and praise. Why doesn’t this crowd remind itself that by fasting several hundred thousand Ninevites were saved from imminent destruction? and the whole first world, eating and drinking, luxurious and merry, was swallowed up by the flood? Why, even during Lent, are some not content with, or do not even enjoy, the touching sweetness of church singing, but go to listen to a spectacular singer and voluptuous sounds, or to watch spectacles that, it is true, do not speak shameless speeches to the ear, but also do not say anything edifying to the eye? Some who grieve about this, like me, say: why do the authorities condescend so much to this? I think I have a satisfactory answer to this. The bosses, like children, condescendingly allow you open amusements, so that those who are inclined to amusements, not having open ones, do not indulge in secret, more disorderly and harmful ones. But why do you always want to remain children, in your penchant for fun? Don't go to listen to a passionate singer or watch a charmer; give yourself the best exercises: untimely and unworthy of Christian wisdom spectacles will close by themselves; charmers will be disappointed; caring for the piety and good behavior of the people, the authorities will be satisfied; and Christian society will appear in an image of strict good behavior, worthy of the times of the Apostles. Until this happens, let us at least not flatter ourselves; Let us not praise frivolity as wisdom; we admit our imperfections; let us condemn our vanity; let us mourn and weep over our joy, uncleaned from sin. Let us hasten to sow tears of repentance in order to reap the joy of salvation. Let us be careful lest, chasing too much and too long after vain joy, we finally fall into late and useless tears of hopelessness. “The last joys,” worldly and sensual, “come to mourning,” says the experienced Solomon (Prov. 14:13). On the contrary, “the blessed ones weep” with tears of spiritual tenderness, teaches the Lord our Savior; to Him be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. In the author's original manuscript there are "twenty". See Letters from M. F. to A. Anthony. Part 2, paragraph 564. Comparison. note to paragraph 562. The author's original manuscript was “stolen.” You might be interested in: