307. Беседа на день рождения Благочестивейшего Государя Императора Александра Николаевича

(Read in the Miracle Monastery on April 17; printed in the Works of the Holy Father in 1855 and in the collection in 1861) Thirty-seven years before this day, this day came out of the circle of ordinary days, and now for the first time it has appeared in its full meaning. Now it is timely to connect the foreshadowed beginning with the foreshadowed accomplishment through memory and reflection. In the twelfth year of the current century, the mother of cities, the city of the Royal wedding and anointing, Moscow, by the fate of God, and partly by the free action of love for the Fatherland, became a victim of burnt offering, for the salvation of Russia, and as a consequence of this, for the deliverance of Europe from the oppressor, who, with his insatiable lust for power and insatiable war, devoured both strangers and his own. Five years later, when the burnt sacrifice, reborn from its ashes, showed new life and activity, but not yet in its former strength, Alexander the Blessed, in the advice of his love for his ancient capital, said: it is necessary to console Moscow after its suffering, and strengthen its activity. And He granted her his presence for a year, with almost the entire Royal Family. Thus, “the heart of the King,” which is “in the hand of God” (Prov. 21:1), without knowing it, followed the highest advice of Providence, in which at that time it was ordained that the royal city, which with prayer and self-sacrifice had endured a difficult test, should be consoled with a royal event, combined with great royal hope. And Moscow saw within the walls of its Kremlin the birth of the royal Infant, having long before had no such happiness, which the new capital received. In this church this Child received holy baptism; and after that he passed from the arms of the Most Pious Mother to the arms of Saint Alexis. Moscow’s joy over the Newborn was unusually great: even now we can understand that it was a premonition and an omen. Moscow became the cradle of the future Tsar, then still unguessable, but already predetermined. Finally the premonition is justified; omen turns into event, hope into fulfillment. Alexander II reigns, and we celebrate His birthday. Stand in reverence, ancient mother of cities, stand in reverence, all pious Russia, and contemplate above you, and bless the Lord Almighty, the All-Provider, “the Most High, who rules the kingdom of men” (Dan. 4:22), humbling and exalting, punishing and merciful, striking and healing, allowing warfare and bringing peace, destroyed by the war of the one who recreates the world, the bitter memory of the one who dissolves with the sweetness of hope, who gives fulfillment to the hope established on Him above hope. Truly, brethren, reverent thought, united with faith and hope, about God, the all-wise and all-good Provider, and about the beneficence of His providence for us, is as much a duty of justice in relation to Him, as much as our own need for our good and peace. Out of laziness to think thoroughly and deeply, out of the habit of judging superficially, we often say that this or that person, in this or that case, was lucky or unlucky. These are words without thought. If I told you that you were “lucky” to come to church today: you, of course, would say that this word here does not give any thought and is inappropriate; that you came not because you were lucky, but because you used will, strength and movement. In the same way, and in any case, the word does not give any true thought, and is inappropriate before thorough reasoning. And, meanwhile, this mental idol of favorable or unfavorable happiness deceives many with deceptive hopes; makes it difficult with vain fear; protects God the Provider from them, and makes them guilty of forgetting Him. On the other hand, pride and arrogance inspire a person with the thought: I did it, or will do it, with my talent, with my strength, with my art, with my means. A person wants to be a sufficient provider for himself. It means leaning on brittle reeds; build a house on a crumbling foundation. There is no dispute that talents, art, strength, and means mean a lot for important matters: but how many times have we seen that a brilliant talent, like a will-o'-the-wisp at night, fades away in the swamp, that strength crushed before weakness, that apparently excellent art was outwitted or underwitted, and did not achieve success! Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with an army, with cavalry, with war chariots, which were an excellent instrument of military art and strength in ancient times; The Israelites fled, finding no way to confront the Egyptians: and who remained the winner? Israelis. Why? Because Pharaoh thought to be his own provident; and the Israelites were devoted to the All-Provider God. There is also a view of events in the world and between people, which was invented by wisdom, but not the God-Wise One, but one who philosophizes according to the elements of the world. She believes that everything in the world, from great to small, is precisely determined by the laws of things and the action of causes, and therefore it is useless to think about any emergency orders of Providence that would only disturb the order and harmonious movement of the world and its parts. O mechanical sages! You want to turn a universe full of life, with its free beings, into a dead machine, of which all parts would be involuntarily moved by one another, and which the great Artist, who arranged it, would not dare to touch, forbidden by your wisdom, to correct or improve any part, which may be especially necessary when the order is disturbed by the abuse of the freedom of moral beings! You freely have in your house things that you not only could not create from nothing, but also produce from a ready-made substance: and you dream of forbidding Him who created from nothing and adorned the universe from disposing of everything that is in it, with His unlimited freedom and wisdom! – They say: everything in the world is determined by natural laws and causes and the order established during creation. But is the law higher than the legislator? Is the legislator enslaved to the law that expired from his power? Doesn't the law require not only a legislator, but also a guardian? Can natural causes prevent the action of supernatural causes? On the contrary, do they not need its action, assistance, direction for their continuation, as well as for their beginning? Doesn’t the natural order in experience itself sometimes manifest a supernatural order above itself? For example, rain and hail are in the natural order: but is stone hail in the natural order? And if we concede that this too can be natural: is the stone hail that struck the army of the five pagan kings with whom Joshua fought in a natural order? Why did this hail fall at this time and not at another time? Why against the pagan army, and not against the Israelite? Natural causes and order do not provide an answer to this. Only the word of the Lord can give the answer. “The Lord said to Jesus: Do not be afraid of them; for I have betrayed you in your hands. And the Lord cast upon him great stones of hail from heaven” (Joshua 10:8, 11). Oh, how, above all earthly wisdom, the heavenly teaching about the Creator of the world, the all-watching and all-providing, is authenticating, reassuring, and beneficial! “Are not two birds valued by one Assar, and not one of them will fall on the earth without your Father? For you and the main things, read all the essence. Do not be afraid” (Matthew 10:29–31). What personal security! “Behold, he will not sleep; the guardian of Israel will fall asleep” (Ps. 120:4). What public safety! “The Lord swear unto David in truth...if thy sons keep my covenant and testimonies...this which I will teach; and their sons will sit on your throne forever” (Ps. 131:11-12). What a statement of the kingdom! The Lord said: “I will kill and make life; I will strike, and I will heal” (Deut. 32:39). What a strong fear for those who anger God, and at the same time what a strong protection against the audacity to anger God! And, on the other hand, what life-giving hope for those in need and in danger! “The Lord will judge His people, and He will pray for His servants” (Deut. 32:36). What a joy for those punished for their sins! “God is our refuge and strength” (Ps. 45:2). Often, often let us lift up our eyes to Him who lives in heaven—the eyes of a reverent, believing, loving, repentant, praying, trusting, giving thanks heart. “Like the eyes of a servant in the hand of his masters, like the eyes of a maidservant in the hand of her mistress: so are our eyes toward the Lord our God, until he will show mercy to us” (Ps. 122:2). And just as he has been generous, so he will certainly be generous, as long as we protect or cleanse ourselves from untruths and impurities, from which He turns away His most pure eye. Amen. You might be interested in: