300. Беседа при гробе новопреставленной княжны Анастасии Михайловны Голицыной

(Said in the Church of the Mother of God, her icon of Rzhev, November 13th; printed in the Works of the Holy Father of 1854 and in the collection of 1861) Rarely, and only submitting to necessity, did I talk at the tombs of the dead. They do not need a story about their life and praise that disappears in the air: but prayer for their eternal peace is useful and useful. And for those around the coffin, the spectacle of the mortal remains of humanity, I think, speaks more intelligibly and instructively than any word about the insignificance of everything earthly, about the inevitable death for everyone, about the invisible world, about hidden eternity, into which one narrow door of death leads us, but which is immeasurably more spacious than the visible temporary world, and in which there are “many mansions” (John 14:2) heavenly and underworld, the eternal day and endless night, eternal light and unquenchable fire, eternal peace and eternal torment, eternal life and eternal undying death. But you, now being escorted into eternity, blessed princess Anastasia, before your departure, repeatedly spoke with me about the path and preparation for eternity, about the well-being of the soul, about the cleansing and cultivation of the soil of the heart, about the timely sowing of seeds of eternal peace in it, so entertainingly that it is difficult for me to suddenly stop the conversation with you, and to refrain from a small, at least the last word before the last silence. Moreover, now I can give myself the freedom to say something about you that I could not tell you before, so as not to outrage your humility. A branch of a family that has been exalted since ancient times, the valor of its members justified the dignity of their title before the fatherland - a branch of a family to which, if I had not attributed hereditary piety, then I would have been exposed by the hereditary church in its house, filled with frequent prayers - Princess Anastasia, in the quiet circle of the family, like a horse in a vale, bloomed for a long time in the splendor of virginity and chastity, in the fragrance of piety and kindness of heart; and while the color of her life faded with the multiplication of days, the fragrance of piety and kindness did not decrease, but increased. The first large half of her life is unknown to me: but for more than the last thirty years, I have known her always removed from the bustle and amusements of the world, devoted to the church, prayer and spiritual teaching, peaceful in the family, loving to do good, and, especially, so that she did not know what her right hand was doing. With the gradual decrease in the strength of her body, she sometimes extended the labor of night prayer to the point that she fell in exhaustion before the shrine, before which she kneeled 767 praying, and the sleep she had not called upon came to renew her strength. While caring for her peace of mind from her family and neighbors, she sometimes felt sad: what are you thinking about? About the fact that, due to weakness, she could not, or could not quite often be in church during the sacred service, although some parts of the service were often performed in her own church, filled with detached shrines. For some time, judging that she might be called suddenly from this life, and wishing to depart with Christ, she partook of the Divine Body and Blood of Christ more often than before: but God also gave her this sign of a Christian shameless death, that even before her repose she received the parting words of the sacred Sacraments. It is comforting to see a good life blessed with longevity: because one of God’s blessings is “you will live long on earth” (Ex. 20:12). But now the field of life, blessed with longevity, has found its limit; the wandering of the Christian soul, seeking the city of the future, ended, the dark door of eternity opened, and the soul disappeared into it, leaving here, as on the threshold of a house, traveling clothing, a mortal body, so that over what is in it from the old Adam, the ancient judgment would be fulfilled: “thou art earth, and unto earth thou shalt depart” (Gen. 3:19). What is there now, behind the door of eternity that is closed for us? What news can we give about her departure there to her friends and acquaintances, who, of course, are not indifferent to separation from her, although they had been preparing for this for a considerable time? What shall we point to for consolation and reinforcement of those who continue their earthly feat in faith and good deeds, with greater or lesser labor and sorrow? Shall we say something for those for whom life is not so much a “work of faith” or a “labor of love” (1 Thess. 1:3), but an action with or without consciousness of the prevailing rule: “let us drink and drink, and in the morning we will die” (1 Cor. 15:32); - although, however, if they were somewhat sobered up from the intoxication of vanity, then even without a reminder they could easily judge to what extent it is reckless to set off on an unknown dark path, having been prepared for the fact that there is an abyss on it, to set off without a pointer and a lamp, with only the dreamy thought that, perhaps, there is no abyss? There was a voice from heaven, and the Seer of Mysteries heard it, and lets us hear it too: “Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on; to her, says the Spirit, let them rest from their labors; for their works follow with them” (Rev. 14:13). Hear, “blessed are those who die,” but not all, but only “those who die in the Lord”: those who die “will rest,” but not all, but only those to whom the Spirit of God promises this, whose “deeds... follow with them.” Who are those who die in the Lord? Without a doubt, those who lived in Christ the Lord, having clothed themselves in Him with faith and baptism, mysteriously feeding on His Life-Giving Body and Blood, preparing for Him an abode in themselves for love for Him. What are these “deeds” that “follow the dying”? Of course, not the works of the flesh, which decay and corrupt, not the works of earthly selfishness and sensual self-love, which are dead and mortifying, but the living works of the spirit, the works of repentance, faith, love for God and neighbor. So, whoever does not want to kill his own hope for the future must carefully test and arrange his life and deeds in good time so that he can die in the Lord, so that he can step beyond the tomb accompanied by the deeds of life, and so that as a result he is able to hear the voice of the Spirit of God: rest from the labors of temporary life on the hope of eternal bliss. We have reason to believe that this longed-for voice touched you, blessed soul of Princess Anastasia. Go in peace to the heavenly Jerusalem, accompanied by prayers of love; and pray mutually, may your worthily honored family not fade away, and may ancient piety continue to live and operate in it. Amen. This word is not in the author's manuscript. You might be interested in: