322. Беседа в день Благовещения Пресвятой Богородицы, пред благодарственным молебствием о заключении мира

(Spoken in Chudov Mon. March 25; printed in the Works of the Holy Father, 1856 and in the collection of 1861) On the day on which heaven preaches to the earth, secret in the beginning, glorious in the end, the coming of the Divine “Principal ... of the world” (Is. 9: 6), peace is solemnly preached to this reigning city, acquired by our most pious Autocrat for our Fatherland, ending the difficult war. What do you think about this, faithful sons of Russia? How do your hearts feel? Do they feel inner peace? Or is the anger still not quenched, indignation still simmers at the untruth that prompted the abuse against us, and which hardened it? Let us remember the law, let us fulfill the will of the Divine “Chief of ... the world” - remember no evil, forgive insults, “be peaceful” even “with those who hate the world” (Ps. 119:6), much less with those who offer an end to hostility, and extend a peaceful hand. Let the anger fade away. May the resentment cease. Peace not only to weapons, not only to cities and towns; peace to the thoughts of the heart, peace to the souls in their depths. Let us thank God, who sent down help in battle. Let us thank God, who gave peace. Let us encourage ourselves to take advantage of the world. One cannot indifferently remember what difficulties the Russian army had to overcome in this battle, what hardships the people had to endure, what hardships and suffering our compatriots who were close to the disgrace of war were subjected to from their enemies. But with these sad memories there is also something consoling and majestic. Our warriors of the sea, having begun their exploits by destroying the Turkish fleet, when they had to evade the excessively superior sea power of several powers, not only did not give up their ships, but also made of them an underwater fortification for the defense of the pier and the city. Then, for eleven months, the united warriors of sea and land victoriously resisted in Sevastopol the most numerous troops of the four powers and destructive weapons unprecedented to this day. Finally, although the enemies were allowed to work on the ruins left by them to multiply the ruins, the Russian army still stands in Sevastopol. In the Far East, a small fortification with a handful of people repelled sea and land attacks from incomparably powerful enemies, who admittedly participated in this more by prayer than by force. In the west, the two strongest fleets were uselessly exhausting their efforts against one fortress, and only looked at the other from afar. In the north there was a strange confrontation: on the one hand, military ships and firearms, on the other, clergy and monks walking along the wall of the monastery with shrines and prayers, and several people with weak and faulty weapons: both the monastery remained undefeated and the shrine inviolable. Troops of four powers acted against Russia; and among these were the strongest in the world. Of the peaceful powers, some were completely peaceful: and some, with their unclear position, reduced the convenience of our action, and this turned into convenience for the enemies. And, despite all this, in Europe we are not defeated, but in Asia we are winners. Glory to the Russian army! Blessed is the memory of the ascetics of the Fatherland who sacrificed courage, art and life to it! But above all - may Russia speak with the Prophet - “Blessed is the Lord my God, teach my hands to fight, my fingers to fight; my mercy and my refuge, my protector and my deliverer, my protector” (Ps. 144:1-2). Let us bless God, who “teaches our hands to fight in the militia,” seeing how villagers and civilians suddenly turned into warriors of the militia, and fought on a par with trained and experienced warriors. Let us bless God the “deliverer”, hearing how in the east our warriors of the sea, on a few ships, flew harmlessly through the superior naval forces of the enemies into the domestic harbour. Let us bless God, who is our “mercy,” who aroused in our hearts sympathy for the exploits and for those who strive, the desire to promote the exploits, to make it easier for those who struggle. How willingly and abundantly help was offered everywhere for the war and the soldiers! The talents of the rich and the contributions of the poor poured into the military treasury and into the treasury of mercy for the wounded and sick soldiers and their families. Especially in the Royal House the sources of this mercy were opened; and flowed and flowed in beneficial streams. Let us bless the God of “mercy” for the fact that He has shown in us and towards our enemies not only truth, but also mercy. Not only do they not have the opportunity to reproach us with cruelty, or destruction and extermination, not required by military necessity, but they cannot fail to recognize our mercy towards their prisoners. Entering the world, we do not want to resume warfare with the weapon of words. Let us only allow ourselves to remember that even during the truce, when it was not allowed to fight with our soldiers, some of our opponents continued to fight with the stones of our even peaceful formations. Because of this, the stones became angry with them, struck, and buried one of the sages of destruction under them. Let us dare, not praising ourselves, but thanking God for mercy, to say that there is a bloodless victory on our side - a moral one. However, even if the war that was taking place presented some consoling views on our side, this should not have led to the desire for the war to continue. Thank God that Orthodox Christian Russia was not to blame for the outbreak of the war; and she did not declare it, but accepted what was announced: she had to protect herself so that not the slightest part of the guilt of continuing the war would fall on her. Thanks to the Most Pious Sovereign Emperor, who protected us from this, who philanthropically spared the blood of our own and those of strangers, who Christianly preferred a meek peace to vengeful exactingness. Blessed be God, who helped Him in this. God speaks through the mouth of the Prophet: “I am the Lord who created the light, and the creator of darkness, the creator of the world, and the builder of evil: I am the Lord God who created all these things” (Is. 45:7). Wonderful and strange! God is good, and self-existent goodness, testifies of Himself that He “created darkness,” that He “creates evil.” But he who delves into the affairs of Providence will not be embarrassed by this. For example, it was necessary for God to darken the eyes of the Syrian soldiers, so that Elisha, almost the only Prophet in his time and defender of the faith in the true God, would not perish from them. It was necessary for the corrupted tribe of the first world to perish in the flood, so that the small remains of the good tribe did not perish from the general infection of evil, and so that the earth did not turn into hell. If God’s Providence also controls the punitive forces acting on the human race, then it is all the more certain that it controls the beneficial forces. If God allows war, it is all the more certain that He “creates peace.” Is the current world structured only by human forces and means? True, those who fought with us bore the heavy burden of both the war itself and the disasters sent by fate from above: but they continued to rely on their numbers; and the extensive preparations they made for war just before the world still showed both strength and a battle-loving thought. However, peace is offered to us; and the noise and cries of the enemies of the world could not drown out the quiet voice of the world. Who, too, calmed the hearts that were inflamed for battle? Let us not be dull in the eyes of our minds and hearts. Let us see the secret wave of the invisible Creator of the world over visible actors. Let war, God's punishment of nations, pass by: let us accept peace with gratitude as a gift from God, “creating peace now.” How quickly we recognize that peace is a gift of God: then at the same time we must recognize and internally feel our duty not only to accept in a worthy manner, but also to use this gift of God in a worthy manner. Every gift of God is a talent that must be used for business and benefit, in accordance with the intention of the Giver. The Gospel parable teaches that those who make good use of the talents given to them receive an increase in gifts beyond merit and expectation, while those who misuse them are deprived of what was previously given. What can I tell you about the good use of the world? Would I recommend using it to restore material well-being shaken by the war? But is it necessary to advise? Your need and benefit will advise you of this; and by accepting this advice, not much will be done, since, on the contrary, it would be a lack of not only spiritual wisdom, but also worldly prudence, if we used the free time of the world on carelessness and idleness, on amusements and wastefulness, and not on useful activity. Let us work primarily, in greater abundance, to acquire and preserve spiritual acquisitions - God's grace, faith, truth, virtue: they will create and establish our inner world, and will elevate and strengthen our outer world. “Thus says the Lord: ...if only thou hadst obeyed my commandments, then the river would have been like thy peace” (Is. 48:17-18). “Listen” from now on to the “commandments” of the Lord, if you did not sufficiently listen to them before: and let “there be... like a river your peace.” Amen. You might be interested in: