310. Беседа в день Тезоименитства Благочестивейшего Государя Императора Александра Николаевича

(Spoken in the Chudov Monastery on August 30th; printed in the Works of the Holy Father in 1853 and in the collection of 1861) The iniquity of the proud has multiplied against me: I will try Your commandments with all my heart (Ps. 119:69) The sacred and beloved name of Alexander called us to the church and united us in prayer of faith, hope and gratitude. We reverently honor the memory of Saint Alexander Nevsky, who with the power of faith repelled both the material weapons of the enemies of the fatherland and the mental weapons of the enemies of the Orthodox Church; and before a strong, unfaithful ruler he confessed his faith in such a way that with his straightforwardness and boldness he disarmed him. With consolation we remember Alexander the Blessed, who, together with his loyal subjects, also inspired by faith and hope in God, not only healed the wound inflicted on Russia by the enslaver of many kingdoms, penetrating to her heart, but also pierced the power of the enemy to the heart, and this does not lead to death, but to healing from enslavement. With thanksgiving and hope we pray for Alexander the Second, who inherited the name blessed before, as a guarantee of future blessings. Love for the king would not want to diminish the brightness of the present day with any cloud of unpleasant thought; but the same love cannot spend even one day without caring thoughts about the difficult feat into which the Tsar and our Fatherland have been placed by the untruths of our former allies, and now our enemies. Truly, Russia can now bring the ancient complaint to the God of truth: “the iniquity of the proud has multiplied upon me.” After the untruth of a neighbor who, having been protected by the Tsar of Russia from a strong rebel, instead of gratitude, violated royal treaties and the ancient rights of the Holy Places, oppressed Orthodox Christians and thus began a feud, how many more untruths were born! The “untruth of the proud” arose, which could not calmly look at the victorious power of Russia, which, however, was not burdensome for any kingdom or people, but beneficial for many; and, judging by herself, she did not want to believe the truth of Russia; she invented dreamy suspicions and accusations against her, and irritated the minds of the people with them. The untruth of self-interest arose, and, not content with the many, wide paths to acquisitions, it sought to open new ones for itself, through weapons and bloodshed. Was there truth in the peacemaking enterprise when those who proposed peace terms, which they found harmless for both discordant parties, having received Russia’s consent to them, instead of uniting with her and supporting the common cause of peace with her, turned to the side of her enemy and started a war? Was there truth in another similar enterprise, when the trustees of the belligerent and non-belligerent powers found a way by which they all believed it was possible to reach peace, but the two powers again decisively turned to the path of war, without justifying this with any reasons, and hiding their intentions? Are not the untruths of war obvious, in which our enemies think to reward their failures against fortified places by devastation of the defenseless, treacherously use the banner of peace to kill or rob those not expecting battle, do not spare the weaker sex and age, insult the shrine with desecration and sacrilege? Is there truth in the alliance into which Christians entered with infidels against Christians, with desire, treaties in favor of Christians, concluded by right, without the right to destroy - in which those who defend trample on the protected - into which, not by the promptings of justice, but by threats and seductive promises, they try to draw kings and peoples so that they shed blood for a cause that is alien to them? What do you think about this, Christian Russian? Aren't you embarrassed that so much has been allowed to lie? - “Do not be jealous of those who are evil; See below those who do iniquity: they will soon dry up like grass, and like herbs they will quickly fall away” (Ps. 86:1-2). Israel suffered; Pharaoh caused him suffering: Israel is delivered; Pharaoh died. Sennacherib and his numerous army invaded the kingdom of Judah, cursed at the Jerusalemites and Hezekiah, and even blasphemed God; Hezekiah prayed: Sennacherib and his army perished; Hezekiah and Jerusalem are saved. I recalled the ancient complaint about “the increase of untruths among the proud,” and I pointed out to you, brothers, the untruths that have now multiplied against us, not in order to increase your sorrow or shake your firmness, but to find you and yourself consolation, reinforcement and protection from evil. Let us listen carefully to the words of the ancient opponent of untruth, see if we can find in them a shield to protect ourselves from it, and a weapon to repel its attacks. “Multiply,” he says, “the wickedness of the proud, will multiply upon me.” If untruth has multiplied; if it rushes towards you: what are you doing? how do you protect yourself from it? How do you reflect it? Show an example, especially to us who are unarmed. - He continues: “I will try Your commandments with all my heart,” O God! – Do you see a remarkable image of a feat against the attacking untruth? Unrighteousness rebels against what is right: but he “tests the commandments” of God with all his heart, as if it were a repository of victorious weapons against unrighteousness. But what can he do with the commandments of God against unrighteousness, which has decided not to fear them? – He can, by testing God’s commandments, testing himself according to God’s commandments, recognizing his sins, repenting of them, correcting them, defeat untruth in himself; and as a result, it is clear that he is confident that he can defeat untruth even outside himself. In fact, if the truth of God allows the unrighteousness of the enemies to attack us with force; then, of course, most of all because we, being right before our enemies, are at the same time wrong before God: and if we, by faithfully fulfilling the commandments of God, enter into peace and union with God; then, without a doubt, the God of truth will not deprive us of His omnipotent protection. The Kingdom of God in the world long ago decreed, wrote and proclaimed its covenant, in the person of Israel, with all the kingdoms of men, the following: “If you listen to the voice of your Lord, keep and do His commandments: the Lord God will deliver your enemies over to you; those who resist you will be crushed before you” (Deut. 28:1, 7). Whoever has delved into what has been said now will not think that he, or any other of us, is not a participant in the ongoing battle for the Fatherland against unjust enemies. No. Every single one of us participates in it - if not in its business, then in its success. By our faith, prayer, repentance, integrity, good deeds, in short, by fulfilling God’s commandments, we attract God’s power and help to ourselves and to the defenders of the Fatherland, who strive for it with such unshakable courage: by our forgetting of God’s commandments, by our sins we remove ourselves from the power and help of God; and what if among us there are more who withdraw the grace of God than those who attract it? In the history of the wars of the people of God, we see that after Joshua and his army miraculously crossed the Jordan, which opened its bottom for this purpose, miraculously overthrew Jericho with the sound of trumpets and exclamations of soldiers - suddenly, during an attack on a small city, the Israeli soldiers were repulsed and defeated. Both the leader and the army were confused, not understanding why God’s help retreated from them. Why? – “The Lord spoke to Jesus: ... people have sinned; ...for this reason the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies” (Joshua 7:10–12). The fact is that Achar took a golden vessel, money and clothes from the spoils of Jericho, which was forbidden by the leader under an oath. The criminal was exterminated: and God's help and victory returned to the Israeli army. If one sinner and one sin were so dangerous: how much more dangerous must be the multitude of sins of many sinners! Let us come to our senses and make sure that our own untruth is more harmful to us than someone else’s; What is more terrible than our enemies are our sins. Let us stand strong against these domestic enemies. A reliable weapon against them is near us: it is in the word of God, in the commandments of God and in our conscience! Then, as the “unrighteousness of the proud” has “multiplied” among us, we, with humility and special zeal, “test the commandments” of God with all our hearts, so that in their faithful fulfillment we can find our safety and salvation. Amen. You might be interested in: