41. Речь к Преосвященному Епископу Дмитровскому Кириллу, по рукоположении его

(Spoken in the Assumption Cathedral, October 26; printed in meetings of 1844 and 1848) Much and great things have happened to you today: and many and great things have been demanded of you. You have accepted a great gift: and you have made great vows. In the gift given to you lies the guarantee of many blessings for you: and the vows you have given call you to many exploits. I greet you, generous with the great gift of God: I fear with you, experiencing the burden of the vows we share. With what thoughts, with what feelings will I let you go from here, after the mystery that has been performed on You? With thoughts of fear? But the church, which called you into the ministry of peace for her, had no intention of taking your own peace from you; and, moreover, the indignation of the spirit by the fear of difficulties and dangers does not reduce difficulties, does not avert dangers, if it does not bring them closer or increase them. With feelings of joy? I fear the joy on earth that thinks it has nothing to fear. Fear died with faith in the grace that visited you, and with hope in the One who chose and accepted you: die down joy with distrust of yourself, and lack of trust in your own strengths, and between fear and joy, as between two fences from despondency and insolence, on a narrow but safe path, “go in peace!” (Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50; Luke 8:48) In order to be more firmly established on the path of service on which you are now placed, turn your gaze to where this path begins. It begins, as far as I can see, from Jerusalem, and in it from a certain house, where “I am late, one from the Sabbaths, and the doors were shut,... for the assembly of the disciples” (John 20:19) of our Chief Shepherd. See Him there, standing in the midst of them, announcing them with peace, giving them to feel His resurrected body, filling them with fear and joy, breathing on them with the Holy Spirit, and thus resurrecting those killed by His death and restoring them to the communion of His risen life, and immediately showing them the path that they must follow in this power of the Spirit. “As the Father sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). See then these messengers flowing through the universe, sowing the word of truth and salvation, distributing the treasure of grace of the Holy Spirit, and, upon reaching the limit of their earthly career, also handing over their mission to our God-bearing Fathers. See the God-bearing Fathers, who extend the Apostolic tradition from generation to generation, from century to century, continuously and unchangeably, so that the lot that has now reached you is the same one that came from the hands of the Apostles; and the path now laid before you is a continuation of the same path that was paved by the first messengers of Christ. What a marvelous chain of messengership! “As the Heavenly Father sent” His Only Begotten Son; and the Only Begotten Son of God sent the Apostles; and the Apostles, or rather the Holy Spirit through the Apostles, sent our God-bearing Fathers, and these others who succeeded them; and thus, finally, we, even if we are frail or meager, are joined to the pure golden 217 and Divine chain of the messengers of the Lord. “As the Father sent Me, I send you.” May the thought of the Divine messenger of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the original image of the ministry now accepted by you, be your constant guidance in the passage of 218 it. “Father of the Ambassador of the Son of the Savior to the world”: strive, following the One Supreme Savior, to be an instrument for the salvation of human souls. “The Son of man did not come and let them serve Him, but serve, and give His life redemption for many” (Matthew 20:28): according to this most perfect example, you strive to serve as much as possible for the sake of love, and for the sake of humility, to allow as little as possible, so that they may serve you; Receive the spirit of the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. “I am,” says the Lord to Pilate, “to this I was born, and to this I came, that I may testify to the truth” (John 18:37): dare you also to follow Him to this, that you may testify to the truth, not fearing its enemies, and not being embarrassed by the sight of the mighty of the earth: “speak about the testimonies” of Him “before the kings, and do not be ashamed” ( Psalm 119:46). In accordance with the image of His meekness, beware lest you break the broken reed, and quench the smoking flax (Matthew 12:20): and if you find those selling and buying in the Church entrusted to you; remember the zeal of the House of God that consumed Him. If difficulties and even dangers met you: remember that there was a cup before Him, which, even before the suffering of the cross, drank His blood; and yet neither the extreme danger was mortal to Him, nor even the actual death itself was dangerous to Him; Moreover, think that He who passed through all danger and even death 220 into the life of resurrection is now among us; that His breath, giving the Holy Spirit, extends here from Jerusalem; that the word: “I am sending you,” has not fallen silent to this day, and this word is creative, therefore, when we “embassify according to Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20), we must undoubtedly believe and trust that He who sends us at the same time creates strength for us, and prepares true, spiritual security: “The Lord will send you a rod of strength” (Psalm 109:2). Strengthened by such reflections, be complacent, beloved brother in the Lord, as you enter the field that is open to you; and with your help ease me part of the burden, just as terrible for me as it is for you, but together, for the sake of the One who laid it down and for the sake of those whose burdens we must bear, the beloved 221 burden. Behold, I hand over to you the rod as a sign of the strength sent to you from the Lord, partly as a sign of the pastoral care of the verbal flock expected of you. May you pray for the Lord, and with an unconstrained heart, lift up to the heavenly Throne His prayers for His Holy Church, and for His Most Pious Anointed One, and for those who have served in your true sanctification. According to the Hebrew collection: incorruptible... According to the European collection: continued... According to Euro collection complete destruction... According to the European collection: death... According to the European collection: assigned. .. 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