295. Беседа в день рождения Благочестивейшего Государя Императора Николая Павловича

(Said in the Usp. Collection on June 25; printed in the Works of the Holy Father in 1854 and in the collection in 1861) According to the observation and teaching of the royal Sage, “there is a time for every thing under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). On days like this, when reviewing the completed year of the royal life of our Most Pious Autocrat, we were presented from time to time with different types of Royal exploits and deeds - now victories that acquired peace, now peace acquired by victories, now Royal care for the elevation of the improvement of titles and conditions and justice in the state, now feats of Royal zeal for the good of the Orthodox Church, then deeds of Royal love for mankind in days of social disasters, then the calm firmness of Russia during the turmoil and anxieties of Europe, then finally the strong and disinterested help given to a neighbor and ally to support his shaken throne. God grant that he be as Christianly grateful for this benefit as Christianly it was given to him. What is the time for now? And now is the time to thank God for victories on land and at sea: but these victories have not yet won us peace, and even some of them, through shameless false thinking, are turned into an excuse to multiply our enemies. Therefore, now is the time to especially look at the firmness of our King in truth in the face of an increasing number of enemies. Expressing his determination to protect the tranquility of Orthodoxy in the east, if possible without disturbing the peace, He did not declare war on anyone, although this was prompted by the actions of not only emerging enemies, but also imaginary peacemakers. But when the enemies of Christianity declared war on Russia, our Tsar accepted it with trust in God. And when two Christian powers, which were not offended by Russia in any way, and who, in a dispute foreign to them, recognized Russia as right, beyond expectation, declared war on it: our Tsar did not hesitate to accept this war with trust in God. He put the thought of a feat for truth above the thought of an increasing number of enemies. Christian brothers! Brothers Russians! Given the unanimity of the people with the Tsar, which is so obvious in all ranks and states, from the center to the borders of Russia, now is especially the time for all of us to strengthen ourselves in spirit, by prayer to God, by pleasing God, by trusting in God, as the once much-troubled and many-victorious King of Israel advises and teaches: “Take courage, and let your heart be strong, all who trust in the Lord” ( Ps.30:25). Or do some think that courage is one of the virtues that should be left to the lot of military leaders and warriors? That is not what the Prophet thinks. He does not say: take courage, all you captains and warriors; but he says: “Take courage... all you who trust in the Lord.” Trust in the Lord is a duty and virtue for both militants and non-militants: consequently, courage is a duty and virtue not only for militants, but also for non-militant ones. The courage of a warrior is to go fearlessly against the enemy, - not to lose his presence of mind at the sight of danger, - not to hesitate in fulfilling the commands of the leader even when they seem very difficult to fulfill, - to go when necessary, and in small numbers against many, with the thought of Maccabee that “there is no difference before the God of heaven whether to save many or to few” (1 Mac. 3:18), - to face death for the faith, the king and fatherland, as the crown of life. The courage of a militant and non-militant Christian is to stand firmly, according to the Apostle, in the full armor of God, in the girdle of truth, in the armor of righteousness, with the shield of faith, under the helmet of the hope of salvation, with the spiritual sword, which is the word of God, in the shoes of readiness to act for peace and salvation of others - not to allow oneself to weaken in repelling the arrows of the devil, the snares and delights of the world, the rebellion of the flesh against spirit, - not to hesitate when meeting suffering and death on the path of faith and truth, just as the martyrs did not hesitate, - not to be cowardly in the fear of deprivation of temporary well-being, and in the face of deprivation itself, to maintain complacency in order to bless God, like Job - in times difficult for the whole society, to forget one’s own personal difficulties in order to encourage and strengthen each other, and thereby increase the overall strength to endure and alleviate public difficulties. If, in addition to the general instruction of the Prophet: “take courage... all of you,” we want to have an instruction about courage that is closer to the circumstances of the present time: we will find an instruction about this in the Gospel that is higher than the Prophetic. Christ the Savior, among other predictions about the fate of the old Jerusalem and His new Church, points out to His followers the future battles, and commands them to be courageous: “hear... and hear battles; Behold, do not be dismayed...” (Matthew 26:6). The Lord also gives a reason why, when faced with threatening events, we should not be fearful, but should be courageous. “Behold,” he says, “do not be horrified, for it is fitting for all this to be” (Matthew 24:6). Here is a word from which it is not suddenly possible to draw the mind deepened in it. According to ordinary reasoning, from disturbing hearing one could find peace in the thoughts that there will be no threat, at least, probably there will not be, or that it will not affect those who see the danger; and the thought that the threatening must certainly follow can, apparently, only increase, and not reduce, fear. But this is not how Christ, God’s Wisdom and God’s Truth command us to reason. “Look,” he says, “don’t be horrified, it’s fitting for everyone to be like this.” If events happened by chance, then just as reason cannot set a limit to a threatening event, so it would be impossible to set a limit to fear. But when we know that events happen, not how they will happen; that the lot of people and human societies is not given over to unlimited arbitrariness and human passions; when we think that all the phenomena in the spectacle of the world, not only favorable, but also capable of disturbing and frightening, such as wars and hearing wars, happen, as “appropriate... to be”, according to God’s providence, under the invisible control of God’s Providence, in the direction of the good goals of the Divine world government: then, even if all the peoples of the world rose up to frighten us, this fear, if we trust in God may be as small as all nations are small before God, and they, according to the words of the Prophet, “are like a drop from a pot, and like a burden of weight is imputed” (Is. 40:15). No matter how great the power of untruth, it cannot destroy the true good of believers and those who trust in God - internal and eternal good, and external and temporary well-being can be shaken no more than as much as God allows; and He allows, dissolving His judgment with mercy, protecting the just, and encouraging those who have sinned to correct themselves, so that later they can fill the measure of sorrows and hardships they have exhausted with consolation and reward. So, keep faith, truth, trust in God, and do not be afraid, entrusting yourself to God's Providence. This is how we must understand and fulfill the word of Christ: “See, do not be horrified, for it is fitting for all this to be.” An inquisitive mind can say: how “befits... to be” such events as battles, hearing battles, disasters, suffering, even the best of people, and this is under the control of a wise, righteous and good Providence? – This objection may seem strong; but in fact it is only daring: because through it the dust of the earth attempts to fly to heaven, judge the Creator and Judge of the world, and comprehend the secrets of his world government. A detailed study of the proposed issue would require more time than we now have. Let's give the questioner a short answer. Haven’t you heard that Christ said about the battles, and the hearings of battles, and about the misfortunes of His followers: “It is fitting... for all this to happen”? Can you doubt that Christ is the very Wisdom, the very Truth, the very Goodness? How can you doubt that if something, according to His provision, under His dominion, “befits... to be,” then it will certainly happen and will be in accordance with wisdom, righteousness and goodness? You can see this in the events themselves, if you look with a clear eye. For example, the wicked Assyrians wage war against the pious King Hezekiah, harm his kingdom, and threaten his capital. But this was after the Prophet Isaiah had already denounced Jerusalem and Judea for their iniquities, and spoke to them on behalf of God: “If... you are not willing, you will listen to Me, and you will girdle the sword” (Is. 1:20). So, don’t you see the truth of God’s Providence here? Pious Hezekiah was protected from enemies, and through his faith both the city and his people were pardoned. Don't you see the truth and goodness of Providence here? The enemies are defeated not by visible, human weapons, but by the invisible weapons of the Angel of God, so that Israel would not dream about itself, but would humbly thank the defender of God; and for the pagans this was a powerful preaching about the true God of Israel. Don't you see the wisdom of Providence here? The best of contemporary humanity, Christian martyrs, for three centuries have suffered and died more miserably than criminals punished by strict justice. Is it possible to see the truth of Providence here too? – It is possible: because the holy sufferers, as the Apostle says, “did not receive deliverance, so that they might receive a better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35); As they suffer innocently for a short time, their eternal crowns become lighter. Is it possible to discern here both the goodness and wisdom of Providence? - Without a doubt: because in the joyful death of the martyrs for the faith of Christ, the most intelligible and convincing proof of the truth of Christianity was given to the wise and simple; - because the blood of the martyrs became the seed of Christianity and served to transition the pagan world into the Christian world. For those who are attentive, the experiences of the past are enough to be able to look at the present and meet the future. Brethren! May we entrust to the all-wise and all-good Providence of God every day and hour of our lives, our internal dispositions and our external circumstances. “Let our heart be established in the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:1) and may it never be shaken by the constantly wavering image of this world. “Set on the Highest... your refuge”: and then “thou shalt not fear from the fear of the night, nor from the flying arrow in the days. (Ps. 90:9, 5) Open your way to the Lord and trust in Him” (Ps. 36:5). Pay attention and observe the order of spiritual movements indicated by this word. Do not trust idlely and lazily; but first, “open your way to the Lord” through fervent prayer, avoiding sins, walking according to the commandments of God, and then “trust in God, and He will do” good and saving things, “and He will bring forth your righteousness like light, and your destiny like midday” (Ps. 36:5-6). Amen. You might be interested in: