289. Беседа в день восшествия на Всероссийский Престол Благочестивейшего Государя Императора Николая Павловича

(Spoken in the Chudov Monastery on November 20; printed in the Works of the Holy Father, in the Police and Provincial Gazette of 1853 and in the collection of 1861) Nowadays, millions of people and nations stretch out their mental gaze to the throne city of St. Peter, and raise them to heaven, and with the voice of fidelity, love and hope they cry: “Let the King live” (1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Chronicles 23, etc.). And, it seems, the time would already be, after the many years and arduous exploits of our Tsar, for the good of Russia, to ease the lot of peoples of the same faith, to support the legitimate allied governments, to calm the storms of Europe, as a reward for these exploits - the time would already be, “may our Tsar live,” and his kingdom, in an inviolable peace, for the preservation or restoration of which he has always strived, and the desire of which, even this summer, he put on the scales with reasons for abuse. But peace is not inferior to the selfless peacemaker of others. A non-Christian people, who have always been a scourge for Christians, and at the same time a scourge for themselves, due to their ignorance, combined with the disorder of government, - whose dominion over the Christian heritage once all of Christian Europe wanted to destroy, but could not, and now can, but does not want - a people who had already been defeated by our King, then accepted peace from him, and was saved by him from the disastrous civil strife that threatened the capital and the throne - from which Now our Tsar demands nothing more than the perfect fulfillment of the previous alliance treaties - this people, not even heeding the conciliatory word of other powers, stubbornly challenges Russia to new feats of warfare; and, meanwhile, tests his strength over the unarmed Christians of his own regions. “Our protector, God, see, and look upon the face of Thy anointed one” (Ps. 83:10) “Behold, Thy enemies made a noise, and those who hated Thee raised their heads. Your will is evil against your people, and your counsel is against your holy ones” (Ps. 82:3-4). “Let Thy hand be found against all Thy enemies; Let Your right hand find all those who hate You” (Ps. 20:9). “Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of Your name” (Ps. 78:9). You hear me speaking about the present state of affairs in the words of the ancient people of God. It is fortunate for us that circumstances themselves place us in the position of the people of God against the enemies of God. Our enemies are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Consequently, we can ask God for protection and victory not only for ourselves, but also for the glory of the name of Christ. “Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of Your name.” It is only necessary that we, approaching God with this prayer, present ourselves to Him in the traits of the true people of God, which are: pure faith in God, strong hope in God, unfeigned love for God and neighbor, faithfulness to the commandments of God, devotion to the authority that comes from God, love for the Orthodox Fatherland, raised to the degree indicated by Christ’s word: “greater love has no one to sow.” whoever lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The thought of the people of God also arouses the thought that we are no longer the old people of God. It was not said to us: “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Matthew 5:38). We are called to be the new people of God, and we have been given a “new commandment” (John 13:34), a new law - love and peace. At the very birth of the King of God's new people, Jesus Christ, the heavens proclaimed peace to the earth. And when He sent His messengers to invite people into His citizenship, or, more importantly, into the children of His kingdom: then He commanded that peace be given to every house and every city. And when He went to His free, saving death for us: He left peace to His kingdom as a universal heritage. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). Shouldn't the peace of Christ be stronger than human warfare? And why didn’t he destroy the war? Why does she raise her head against the sons of the kingdom of Christ, and even rebel Christians against Christians? - He who understands, let him understand! Heaven, of course, did not deceive the earth, announcing peace to it along with the coming of Christ. And Christ the Lord, having granted peace to His kingdom, of course, did not take it back. “The peace of God surpasses every mind,” like a cloud of supersensible light, floats over the earth, and is ready to overshadow every soul, and all souls who sincerely desire to receive it, and it actually overshadows them, and fulfills them, and “keeps them” (Phil. 4:7), and no one can steal this inner peace from them. Through them, He is ready to descend into the outer world, to overshadow external life, to fill houses, cities, and kingdoms, and to drive away all warfare from the face of the earth. But the trouble is that there are too many people who do not accept Christ, and therefore His peace; and, what is even more sad, there are people who approach Christ with their lips, but in their hearts and in their lives they are far from Him, and, consequently, from His world. And therefore, to the shame of Christianity and humanity, there are people who, calling themselves Christians, go to assist the frantic and inhuman enemies of the name of Christ, at the very time when their frenzy is especially incited against Christianity and humanity. “What are we saying to these people?” (Rom.8:31) - Let us encourage our zeal to be faithful to Christ in life and deeds: and as a result of this, the spiritual “victory”, which has already “conquered the world, our faith” (1 John 5:4), will not fail to bring us a visible victory over our enemies and a victorious peace. Just as the new people of God, the Christians, were promised and given peace by God and Christ, the ancient people of God, the Israelites, were also promised the peaceful possession of the land of promise, through the expulsion from it or the extermination of pagan hostile peoples. And also the promise was fulfilled: but not completely. After the miraculous victories won by Joshua over the Canaanite tribes, after the people of Israel occupied the promised land, it seemed that it would not be difficult to completely cleanse it of the pagans. But after the difficult is accomplished, the easy is not completed. “The Lord forsake,” the book of Judges narrates, “these tongues, and do not quickly destroy them, and do not deliver them into the hand of Israel: let him tempt Israel with them, so that he may know if they obey the commandments of the Lord” (Judges 2:23, 3:4). What does it mean? Experience explained this. When the Israelites remained faithful to God and His commandments, then He granted them victories over the pagans, and thereby confirmed His people in the faith. But when the Israelites succumbed to the temptations of the pagans, and imitated their vanity, luxury, vices, and finally idolatry; then the power of God was hidden from the people of God; the pagans grew stronger; and the people of God were encouraged by sorrows and suffering, through repentance and turning to God, to regain His grace and help, and with it victory, peace and prosperity. The past is a good adviser to the present and the future, if we know how to understand it well. Take advantage of the edifying experience of ancient Israel in a timely and prudent manner, O new blessed Israel! Strive continually to be actively faithful to God and His commandments. Be careful not to relax and enslave your spirit with the delights of vanity, luxury, sensual pleasures uncontrolled by the mind, charming spectacles, useless and infectious readings - and finally, the charm of imaginary curiosity, “to be wise rather than to be wise” (Rom. 12:3), easily turning into reprehensible curiosity and dangerous inquisitiveness. For such activities and amusements are not only beneath Christian dignity, but in part actually stem from the muddy source of pagan traditions, and are imbued with a pagan spirit. If in any way we find ourselves deviating from vigilant caution in keeping the saving commandments: let us not hesitate to return to them through repentance and the best previous intentions and deeds, to sincerely draw closer to God, and to “set our hearts” “in His strength” (Ps. 47:14). And may the Lord see that “we have obeyed... His commandments” (cf. Judgment 3:4): and thus, “in God we will create strength, and He will destroy those who afflict us” (Ps. 59:14), visible and invisible enemies. Amen. You might be interested in: