328. Речь Благочестивейшему Государю Императору Александру Николаевичу, по совершении Священного Коронования Его Императорского Величества

(Said on August 26; printed in the Works of the Holy Father, in the Moscow and Provincial Journal of 1856 and in the collection of 1861) Most pious, God-crowned Great Sovereign Emperor! Blessed be the King of kings! He “set...on Your head a crown of honorable stones” (Ps. 20:4). I say this with confidence, because from the lips of the Prophet I take a word depicting the fate of the King, who reigned righteously. God crowned You: for His providence led You to this by the law of succession to the throne, which He instituted and sanctified when, having accepted the King as the instrument of His Divine rule, He uttered His definition about him: “I will set you on your throne from the fruit of your womb” (Ps. 131:11). God crowned You: for He “let him eat ... according to his heart” (Ps. 19: 5), and Your heart desired not only the solemn appearance of Your Majesty, but most of all the mysterious overshadowing from the Lord “of the sovereign Spirit, the spirit of wisdom and ... knowledge, the spirit of counsel and strength” (Is. 11:2). We have heard Your prayer about this now: The knower of the heart heeded it earlier; and when You were slow to accept Your crown, because You continued to defend and pacify Your kingdom, He hastened to calm the storm of war, so that You would fulfill Your royal prayer in peace, and so that the crown of inheritance would be for You also the crown of achievement. So, “in the power of the Lord... we rejoiced,” the God-crowned “Tsar, and rejoice greatly in His salvation!” (Ps. 20:2). Rejoice in the same way, Most Pious Empress, in the glory of Your Most Illustrious Spouse, illuminated and sanctified from above, and illuminating You with a sacred ray. Be comforted and rejoice, Most Pious Mother of the King. The fruit of Your womb has already ripened and is sweet for Russia. Rejoice brightly, Orthodox Church, and let your collective prayer of faith, love and gratitude ascend to the throne of the Most High, when He places the sacred seal of His election on His “Chosen One from among men” (Ps. 89:20), as on the longed-for firstborn of your sons, on your faithful and strong protector, on the successor executor of the ancient word of destinies about you: “kings will be feeders.” yours” (Is.49:23). Glow with joy, Russia. God's favor has shone upon you in the sacred glory of your King. What could be more desirable, what is more joyful, what is more reliable for the kingdom, like the King, Who sets “his heart in the power of God” (Ps. 47:14), to whom the royal crown is then pleasant when received from the King of heaven, - Who desires to sanctify the royal virtues, intentions, activities and sanctifies “the anointing of ... from the Holy One” (1 John 2:20 )? Truly, Most Pious Sovereign, so that from the crown of the Tsarev, as from the center, the life-giving light of the “most honorable ... stones of great value” (Prov. 3:15) of government wisdom would extend to the entire kingdom, - so that the waves of the Tsarev’s scepter would always point to the subordinate authorities and servants of the will of the Tsareva, - so that the hand of the Tsarev would firmly and completely embrace His power, - so that the sword of the Tsars would always be prepared to defend the truth, and with its very appearance would already defeat untruth and evil, - so that the royal banner would gather millions of people into unity and bring millions of people into order, - so that the labor and vigil of the Tsar would be sufficient to excite and elevate their activity, and to ensure their peace - is not the highest measure of human gift required for this in the Tsar? - But for this reason we rejoice most of all, that You, being born to reign, being Your ever-memorable Parent, are destined to reign, and while actually reigning, You will still seek from above the gift of reigning. And He who exalted You from His people is faithful (Ps. 88:20), according to the faith of You and Your people, in the visibly sacred anointing now accepted by You, to grant You an invisibly gracious, luminous, abiding anointing, acting by You for our true well-being, for Your true joy about our well-being, - like in ancient times, according to the royal anointing, graciously and beneficially “the Spirit of the Lord moved upon David from that day and henceforth” (1 Sam. 16:13). You might be interested in: