316. Беседа по освящении храма Нерукотворенного Образа Господня в здании Барыковской богадельни

(Said on November 17th; printed in the Works of the Holy Father in 1856 and in the collection of 1861) We all behold with revealed face the glory of the Lord; we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). The Image of the Lord first consecrated this place: then reverence for the Image of the Lord dedicated this church to it. Forty-three years before this, the enemy’s sacrilegious hand touched this church, and, as a result, the priesthood in it was stopped. But the Lord’s Image preserved itself from the sacrilegious hand; and saved his church from complete destruction; however, for a while he left him not so much in action as in hope and expectation. We looked at this church for a long time, not wanting to destroy it, but also not meeting conditions under which we could return full and continuous 775 sacred rites to it. The prayer books came to the Image of the Lord: but the King of glory did not enter the doors of this altar to perform the great sacrament of His Body and Blood. “There is a time for every activity under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1), said an astute observer of world events. Finally, hope and waiting were in vain. The one praying before this Image of the Lord felt the grace-filled fruit of prayer: and the gift aroused gratitude 776. Reverence and love for mankind united in order not only to restore to this church its holiness, but also to dedicate this house to the work of God - to the work of charity for the helpless. This work of one person became the work of a society animated by the same spirit of reverence and love for mankind: and this church was clothed in splendor, which it had not had from the beginning. “Let the poor see and be glad” (Ps. 69:33). “Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord be glad” (Ps. 104:3). May the believers glorify the Lord, who with His destinies gives honor to His holy Image. And it is not untimely now for reverent admirers of the Image of the Lord to think about how we can and should give it due honor and glory. Usually we approach the Image of Christ and look at it with a thought and feeling of reverence. Dignified and righteous! Because through the image we approach and look at the image Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. We bow before the Image of Christ. Decent and significant! This is a human expression of humility before the majesty of the God-man. We light a candle before the Image of Christ. Since ancient times, this was a sign of appearing majesty, and reverence for majesty. Both in the Tabernacle of Moses and in the Temple of Solomon, in front of the shrine that represented Christ, a seven-light lamp burned, which was also a prototype of the light of Christ. By placing a burning candle before the Image of Christ, by this action we seem to say to Him: You are not the material light of the world; accept from us the least material offering - light and fire, and give us the inner grace-filled light of the mind and fire of the heart. We dare to touch and kiss the Image of Christ. Comforting boldness for the believer! This is a visible sign of the invisible “touch” of faith (Luke 8:46), the movement of pious zeal to meet the expected condescension of grace. Before the Image of Christ we offer a prayer to Christ God. A wise and simple institution! Beneficial help to 777 prayer book! So that the invisibility and incomprehensibility of the Divine does not seem to be His absence, so that while seeking the presence of God the mind does not fall into dreamy ideas, so that thoughts are concentrated and protected from scattering, the holy Image “God, manifest Himself in the flesh 778” (1 Tim. 3:16), is presented at the same time to both sensory vision and spiritual contemplation, and collects thoughts and feelings external and internal to one contemplation Divine. When, through the prayer of ours or others before the Image of Christ, we accept or see God’s good deed: we are surprised, rejoice, rejoice, praise and thank Christ God; and our faith receives a new encouragement to resort to the source of grace, which has been especially clearly revealed to us. All these emotional movements correspond to the essence of the matter and our duty. Is everything done this way? Is this enough? – Don’t rush to answer: that’s enough. Some of us approached the Image of the Lord, bowed to it, said or listened to a prayer, perhaps even received a benefit with gratitude: but then moved away from the Image of the Lord not only in body, but also in spirit; I stopped looking at him not only with my eye, but also with my mind; scattered his gaze over the vanities and delights of the world; quenched the censer of his prayer; filled his soul with images, or rather, idols of passions and lusts. What sacrifice did he make to Christ? What do several words mean that had a prayerful meaning in them, but not the spirit of prayer in the one who uttered them, and which disappeared into thin air? What does it mean to have a moment of gratitude that has disappeared in the heart? What did he buy for himself? Isn’t everything lost, if anything was gained? What else is needed for us to be true, worthy, God-pleasing honorers of the Image of the Lord? – Let’s listen to one of these readers and learn. “We... all,” says the holy Apostle Paul, “beholding with revealed face the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Please note that he is not talking about himself alone, but about “everyone”; Consequently, it does not speak of the special advantage of the God-inspired man, but of an action and state that is available to many, and to some extent to “everyone.” "We... “all of us,” he says, “with a revealed face we look at the glory of the Lord,” that is, we look not just at the face of Christ, but at His “glory” existing within 779, at the light of His Divine truth, His virtues and perfections; We look, not as inactive spectators, but present our soul to the luminous face of Christ, like a mirror for receiving His light; by accepting and assimilating this gracious light, we ourselves “are transformed into the same image” - to the extent of our ability, we actively impress in our soul and in our life the features of Christ’s truth and Christ’s virtues; “Let us be transformed from glory to glory,” continually trying to grow in conformity to the image of Christ; and all this operates in us not as one would expect from human nature left to itself, but as it should be “from the Lord’s Spirit” given to believers. Those who are inattentive to true spiritual life will perhaps say: does each of us really need to be transformed into the image of Christ? How is this possible? - That this is necessary, the faithful word of God confirms to us: “whom... he foreknew,” that is, in whom God foresaw a sincere and unchanging desire to please Him and achieve eternal salvation: “them He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). If God predestined to make us conformed to the image of His Son, then, of course, He made this possible and even convenient. Christ the Savior partly wrote His own image when He said: “I am meek and lowly in heart.” And at the same time he showed how we can be transformed into this image: “learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Blot out the traits of anger and pride in your soul; put in her the features of meekness and humility: and you will put in yourself the features of the image of Christ. Following this example, looking with the eye of the senses at the visible image of Christ the Savior, let us diligently look with the eye of the mind and heart at His spiritual image. And enlightening ourselves with the light of His truth, and imitating, as much as we can, His virtues revealed in earthly life, His zeal for the glory of the Heavenly Father, His ever-abiding in prayer, His goodness and love for mankind, His meekness and humility, His patience and obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father even to death, “into the same image” so that “we may be transformed from glory to glory, as from the Lord Spirit." Even if you are not worthy of Esma; Let us not despair of ourselves: but let us strive with unremitting struggle to achieve this grace, which opens the only entrance to eternal glory. Amen. Handwritten there is no author of this word. Handwritten author: “I received healing from infirmity and the good deed aroused gratitude.” Handwritten The author inserted the word: “to the simple-minded.” Handwritten there is no author of these words. You might be interested in: