315. Беседа по освящении храма святой великомученицы Варвары, в Варваринском сиротском доме

(Said on November 1st; printed in the Works of the Holy Fathers, 1855 and in the collection, 1861) The Holy Psalmist, in a lengthy psalm filled with the spirit of prayer, love for God and spiritual teaching, after a prayerful appeal to God: “Give me understanding, and I will learn Thy commandments,” with some unexpectedness, as if illuminated by a sudden light, exclaims: “I have understood, Lord, for the truth of Thy destiny” ( Ps.119:73, 75). Apparently, before this, looking at his life and at some events, he was at a loss about the destinies of God. Apparently, he encountered such events about which his mind could only ask: how, why and why this was arranged or allowed by the Providence of God, and what is the truth of God’s destinies in this, but he did not know how to give an answer to this. How was ignorance cleared and confusion resolved? - He did not try to comprehend the secrets of God’s destinies, he only wanted to “learn the commandments” of God, to understand the will of God enough to please God, and for this he prayed: “Teach me understanding, and I will learn Your commandments.” And this simple, humble prayer attracted him to a light that illuminated him not only with the knowledge of God’s commandments and the saving will of God, but also with the revelation of the mysteries and the understanding of the hidden truth of God’s destinies: “I understood, Lord, that Thy destiny is true.” This spiritual experience of the holy man gives us instructions worthy of deep attention. Do not be embarrassed when you encounter sorrowful or painful events, and you do not understand how they were allowed by the Providence of God, and how to reconcile them with the truth and goodness of God. Do not think that the truth of God is no longer there, where your subtle eye does not see it. Do not try to penetrate into the secrets of God's destinies. The Saints did not dare to do this either. Understand what can and must be understood before anything else, namely, that your mind alone is insufficient not only to penetrate into the secrets of God’s destinies, but also to understand God’s commandments in all their space and depth, and in their varied application to internal and external life; and that for this it is necessary to acquire the gift of understanding by fervent prayer to God: “Give me understanding, and I will learn Your commandments.” Understand this comforting truth that a sincere and active desire to learn the commandments of God, and to do the will of God, can elevate the soul to it, and attract to it the lightning of spiritual light, which does not blind and strike, but enlightens not only by leading the right path of life, but also by revealing the mysteries of God’s truth. The reflections now proposed, usefully used always and everywhere, are especially not alien to the present time and this place. The natural order is for descendants to build monuments to their ancestors, and children to build monuments to their parents. But this church, with its adjacent charitable institution, is a monument from ancestors to descendants, from parent to children. His two sons, carefully brought up in pious behavior, having reached the age that sons of sons could soon promise him, went to the invisible house of the Heavenly Father. The daughter, who had already begun to fulfill such a hope, having become a wife and mother, like brothers, hastily retreated beyond the visible, taking with her her offspring. There is still hope for the father of the family: but many hopes have already been lost irrevocably. The cloud of fate is dark over these events. But blessed is the Lord of destinies, the Father of bounties, the God of consolation. He admonished the distressed love for children to seek consolation in love for neighbors, in the act of love for mankind. Consolation, no doubt, has been found. Is it possible to find light to discern the truth and goodness of God’s destinies, through the darkness of events that are not bright and not joyful? - It seems possible. It happened that the young man’s soul revealed itself to me to its depths. He was looking for a solution to his bewilderment. He saw his parent’s desire to introduce him into married life, while he himself wanted to devote his life to God in virginity. Two virtues were put into conflict in him: respect for the parent and love for virginity. He did not want to refuse his parent’s desire: he did not want to give up his love for virginity. I gave him advice so that, without contradicting his parent, he should ask for time to think, and meanwhile diligently run to God with prayer: “Tell me, O Lord, the way, where I will go, for I have taken my soul to You” (Ps. 143:8). The Lord listened to the prayer; stopped the difficulty; preserved virtue: - after a short time he took to Himself a young man who retained both virginity and respect for his parent. Is this not an immortal ray of light from the grave? Don't you see the truth and goodness of God's destinies here? And the fate of the ever-memorable servant of God, the boyar Varvara, mourned at one time by parental love, should not now be blessed, and will continue to be blessed, by Christian love? The young tree withered, and the early, unripe fruit fell into the ground: but art appeared, the action of which creates a garden that begins to bear a new kind of fruit that can be renewed continuously. She who leaves no natural offspring receives artificial offspring, born and begotten not from flesh and blood, but from the spirit of Christian love. If it is considered a “blessing” to see one’s “sons..., like new olive trees around a table” (Ps. 127: 4-5): is it a lesser blessing, or even the highest blessing, to gather, out of love for mankind, a multitude of other people’s sons or daughters, orphans, helpless, fill the house with them, prepare for them a meal, clothing, peace, useful instruction, and most of all, lead them to God through teaching faith, through prayer and the shrine of the church? Those who care for their children follow the inclination of nature 774: he who Christianly looks after and educates other people's helpless children brings selfless service to the earthly and heavenly Fatherland, and to the Heavenly Father Himself. The heavenly “Father of the orphans” (Ps. 67:6) and the helpless shows them His goodness, arousing in the heart of man a compassionate desire to squander his treasures on them: the God of righteousness gathers up these perishable treasures and makes up from them an imperishable treasure in heaven for the benefactor. “Give to the needy: his righteousness endures for ever and ever” (Ps. 112:9). Let us give glory to the destinies of God, often incomprehensible to us, but always right and good, which sometimes lead to light through darkness, and through deprivation of natural consolation - to grace-filled consolation. If sometimes we do not reach the point where we can say: “I have understood, Lord, that Thy destiny is true”: let us at least learn to say: I believe, Lord, “For Thy destiny is true”; and I submit to them with confidence. Let us praise in our neighbors, and as an instruction to ourselves, let us praise the art of healing sorrow by doing good. This medicine is excellent. Rejoicing in goodness and in those who receive good deeds, let us wish that God will increase what has been planted by man. O Christ, who loves mankind, who once said: “Leave the little children to come to Me” (Mark 10:14)! Behold before You a host of children. No one forbids them to come to You, but we strive to bring them closer to You and to bend them under the shadow of Your right hand. Bless and bless them, that they may grow in piety and good behavior; may they be worthy of Christian society, may they become children of Your eternal kingdom. Amen. In the author's manuscript and in the Works. Holy Father here the words are inserted: “and almost for the most part they serve themselves, preparing for themselves consolation and support in them, although at the same time they do not lose sight of the higher goals of education.” You might be interested in: