496. Слово в день Святителя Алексия

(Spoken in the Chudov Monastery, February 12th) “Pray for us: for we trust that the imams have a good conscience, desiring to live in all good things” (Heb. 13:18), writes the Holy Apostle Paul to the Jews, that is, to Jewish Christians. “Pray for us”: we sometimes say to people whom we consider strong in prayer, or at least practicing it with noticeable attention. And now, why did such a multitude of people gather in this church, if not especially to say to Saint Alexis, as a powerful Prayer Book: pray to God for us? Let us use the words of the Apostle to extract from them some thoughts about mutual prayer that are useful for us. "Pray for us". Think about who is asking for the prayers of others: - Paul, who once, with his co-worker Silas in the Philippian prison, performed prayerful praise to God with such spiritual power that “suddenly ... a great coward became, because the foundations of the prison were shaken: and all the doors were opened, and all the bonds were loosened” (Acts 16:25-26); Paul, who with the embrace of compassionate love and prayer raised Eutychus; Paul, whom God suddenly granted through prayer two hundred and seventy-six souls of his companions on the voyage, ready to die from shipwreck; – Paul, whom the Lord Himself called “the chosen vessel” (Acts 9:15) of His grace, and who did not hesitate to confess about himself: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). And this one, all-powerful, asks for prayer help; and from whom does he ask? - Not from any selected strong prayer books, but from all Jewish Christians indiscriminately, not excluding the last layman. What is Saint Paul doing? – Yes, what he does is worthy of our deep attention, and, if we are careful, he can give us important instructions. The example of the Apostle should teach us, Christians, how urgent is the need for mutual prayer for each other, and especially public prayer, when even this strong spiritual ascetic recognizes the need for this spiritual help; - how daring it would be to rely on the power of one’s own prayer, even if someone has already had some experience in it and achieved some success, when a husband who has been blessed so extraordinarily and miraculously does not dare to rely on his own prayer; - with what humility and simplicity we should not reject, not neglect the prayerful help of the weakest of believers, when the perspicacious spirit of Paul did not use in this case discernment, which is difficult to use without exalting oneself and without humiliating one’s neighbor, and which would be without purpose, because the “power” of God “is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9), - consequently, can sometimes be perfected in the weakest, apparently, prayer books. By the way, let us note from the example of St. Paul how true it is that even to this day in the Church of God the same spirit and the same order are preserved, which the Holy Apostles introduced into it by teaching and example. In every Divine service you hear how the Church calls on all believers, not excluding the weakest and the last, to pray both for each other in general, and in various respects, and especially for those who are called to the successive ministry of grace to the Apostles. In order, without difficult reasoning, to clearly show you the beneficial effect of prayer for each other, I will give an example of another Apostle. “Peter to the guard in prison: the prayer made diligently from the church to God for him. When Herod wanted to take him away for trial, and probably for murder, “in that night Peter, sleeping between two soldiers, was bound with an iron rope by two guards before the door of the prison guard” (Acts 12:5-6). The danger is extreme, escape seems impossible; Moreover, Peter himself does not pray for deliverance: “Peter was sleeping”: but what kind of accident? Behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared and woke up Peter; the shackles fell off him by themselves; The angel led him through the locked doors, between the guards standing by them, and left him free. How did Peter not beg, but sleep for his deliverance? - In such a way that “prayer... is diligent, carried out from the church to God about him.” She accomplished the deliverance of Peter, without His effort and without His knowledge. Those who are little knowledgeable in matters of the spirit may ask: why do people who themselves have the gift of prayer, cultivated by exercise, and even bearing miraculous fruits, require outside prayer assistance, or even full action? Some, out of bewilderment, in simplicity, can say about Peter or Paul what the Jews once, in bitterness and reproach, said about Christ: “He who saved another, cannot save himself” (Matthew 27:42)? – To this, for those who sincerely ask, we answer: Paul asks himself someone else’s prayer out of humility; Peter does not save himself from prison - by rejecting his will, by devotion to the will of God's providence: meanwhile, the same Peter, and the same Paul, in prayer for others, is made much more free and daring in faith by philanthropy and compassion; and therefore they truly save others through their prayer and are not ashamed to be saved by the prayer of others. But why does God place this image of spiritual poverty and humiliation on His chosen ones, that they borrow the benefits of prayer from other people who are less blessed? – In order to better preserve the height of their dignity in the depths of their humility. Or, let these wondrous people themselves express themselves about the wondrous vision of God in them: “Imams,” they say, “this treasure is in scanty vessels, so that the exceeding power of God may be, and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7). If only the Saints were always as wonderfully powerful to themselves as they often are to others; then undiscerning people would conveniently attribute to them personally the power of God acting in them; and, consequently, they would rob God of the glory that belongs to Him: but when the same people in one case are God-like with miraculous power, and in another they are servile to us due to the weakness common to humans; then even those who are less discerning should see that there is “a great abundance of power... of God, and not from us.” Let us return to the words of the Apostle, which we took as a guide for this reflection. “Pray for us: we trust that the imams have a good conscience, wanting to live in all good things.” He does not just demand prayers for himself: but he presents something why his demand would be recognized as fair, and what he demands would not be refused: “we trust that the conscience of the imams is good, desiring to live in all good things.” In these words one can see the following reflection of the Apostle: “if I recognized in myself a conscience that was not good, not cleansed of sins, if possible by human possibility, and by the grace of God: if I did not have a sincere intention to lead a good life in all respects; then I would not have dared to ask myself for prayerful help from the church, which a bad conscience is not worthy of, and which cannot contribute to an evil intention: but since, testing my heart before God, I do not find that my conscience convicts me of deeds that are obviously and intentionally evil; but, on the contrary, I try in all cases to have intentions that are pleasing to God, useful to my neighbors, and saving my own soul; then, with unabashed boldness, I resort to the spirit of grace and generosity that breathes in the church, searches hearts, and gives to everyone according to each one’s heart.” So, here is another instruction that we must extract for ourselves from the example of the Apostle: whoever wants to take advantage of the helpful prayer of his neighbors and the entire church must diligently examine his conscience, reject every sinful intention, every unclean desire; to try unfeignedly, in any case, to do such a share of good and truth as is possible for him, by the natural gift of God and by preliminary grace; and then, with hope, ask for further spiritual and grace-filled help from souls who sincerely pray. This, brethren, is the essence of the laws of the public spirit of prayer; this is the order of its operation. Whoever does not obey these laws; whoever does not pay attention to this order will in vain decide to complain about the poverty of the fruits of public and mutual prayer; he should complain about himself, about his foolishness, or, since for simple good-loving ignorance there are simple suggestions of the spirit and the secret help of Grace, he should even more justly complain about his arbitrary negligence or infidelity. The Church constantly calls us to prayer of reciprocity, now especially for the leaders and servants of the church, now for our brethren, who suffer in various ways, now for all fellow believers in general. The established face, every now and then, cries out to the Lord for us to have mercy on us and to give us grace. What are you, upcoming? Are you also crying out in your heart at this time? Do you feel the importance of this communication in order to join your small prayerful voice to the great prayerful agreement of the church? Do you think about your private prayer humbly and humbly; and about the united prayer of the church reverently and trustworthy? Or do you just listen to the passing words of the reader, like the sound of the wind, and the voice of the singer, like the sound of a pipe, and, between those animated by the spirit of prayer, you stand like an insensitive tree, like a cold wall? Oh! Feel yourself, half-dead soul, stir up your heart; cry to the Lord from the depths of your inner being, so that with your zeal you may be able to touch the depth of the spirit of God, who fills the church of God, and attract to yourself the firstfruits of the spirit of grace and generosity, into the renewal and good governance of your life. Others, apparently, turn to the prayers of the church, call on the prayers of the Saints, ask for prayers from some neighbors: but meanwhile they do not sufficiently turn to their conscience, they do not pay sufficient attention to their lives; they do not accept good intentions, or having perceived them, they do not preserve them. They say to the Saint: pray for us, while they themselves carelessly stand in the path of sinners. Have you thought about what you require? Is the spirit of prayer really given to the church so that, like a whirlwind, it could seize an unrepentant sinner and carry it to heaven? What kind of truth would God have in this case? And what would happen to paradise itself if it were filled with sinners who were not purified by repentance and who were not corrected in life? A blessed place cannot make a sinner blessed; but the sinner defiles and damages the blessed place, just as happened to this once blessed world through the sin of Adam. No! the gracious spirit of prayer was given by God to help sinners who felt and hated their sinfulness, who resolutely desired cleansing and perfect correction, who lack only the power to do good, and not good intentions. I wish, brethren, that there be as few as possible among us those for whom in our present reflection we will find reproof. Whoever finds reproof here for himself: let him not be angry with the one who reproaches, out of duty; but may he receive a benevolent reminder and use it for his correction and salvation, which may be given to all of us by the grace of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, through the prayers of His saint, Saint Alexis, and all the Saints. Amen. You might be interested in: