Words and Conversations for Saints' Days

Contents Word for the day of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other Ethereal Forces Word for the day of the Council of the Archangel Michael Word for the day of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other Ethereal Forces. About the Guardian Angel Word on the day of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other Ethereal Powers Word on the day of the Prophet Elijah Word on the day of the Nativity of John the Baptist Word on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist Word on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist Word on the day of John the Theologian, at the all-night vigil Word on the day of John the Theologian, at the liturgy Word on the day of John the Theologian Word on the day repose of the holy glorious and all-praised apostle and evangelist John the Theologian Word on the day of the church holiday of worship of the honorable chains of the holy and all-praised Apostle Peter Word on the day of worship of the honorable chains of the holy and all-praised Apostle Peter Word on the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Word on the day of Saint Anthony the Great Word on the day of Saint Anthony the Great Word on the day of Saint Anthony the Great Word on the day of the saint Onuphrius the Great Word in memory of Saint Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Russia Word in memory of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv Word in memory of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv, whose relics, resting in the Kiev-Sophia Cathedral, are carried around the church during the liturgy Word in memory of the Venerable Theodosius of Pechersk Word in memory of the saint Demetrius of Prilutsky, the Wonderworker A Word in Memory of St. Dionysius of Glushitsky A Word on the reading of the decree of the Holy Synod on the discovery in Voronezh of the relics of the saint and wonderworker Mitrofan A Word on the day of remembrance of the holy unmercenary Cosmas and Damian A Word on the day of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara A Word on the day of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara A Word on the day of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara Word for the Day of the Council of the Archangel Michael and Other Ethereal Forces For those celebrating in honor of high and beneficent persons, it is closest and most pleasant to talk among themselves about these persons during the celebration. Therefore, brothers, I intend to talk with you today about the Holy Archangels. Their sacred images always appear before our eyes in this church dedicated to their name; but they stand at such a height that many can hardly raise their gaze there and are not able to distinguish everything that differs in the image of each Archangel. Therefore, our word may not be a fruitless addition to your hearing and an explanation of what your eye always sees here. Just do not expect, brethren, from me in this case any of my own speculations about the world of the Angels; From this sacred place we should hear one thing that is revealed to us regarding the Angels by the word of God and the legends of those God-wise men, who are not in vain called by the Church itself interlocutors of Angels. The persons now blessed by the Church are called Archangels, or the chief and first of the Angels, because they are the leaders and chiefs of the angelic ranks. For in heaven, brothers, despite the mutual love, joy and bliss of each and every one, there is, however, not that equality that some, out of extreme foolishness, seek on earth; and there some rule and lead, others obey and follow. Essential and complete equality is found only between the three Persons of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Although the number of Angels is extremely large, according to the expression of Scripture, there are only seven Archangels. “I am... one of the seven holy angels,” said Archangel Raphael to the righteous Tobit, “who offer the prayers of the saints and enter before the glory of the Holy One” (Tov. 12:15). And Saint John in his wondrous Apocalypse, pronouncing grace and peace to the churches “from the One who is, and the One who is, and the One to come,” then pronounces the blessing: “and from the seven spirits who are before His throne” (Rev. 1:4). Why are there only seven main Angels – no less and no more?.. This is the secret of creation, known to the Lord and Creator of Angels. We can only note with reverence in the present case that the septenary number constitutes one of the most important laws of the origin and existence of creatures both in the spiritual world and in the material world. For shall we look at the Kingdom of grace?.. We receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven Sacraments. Shall we look at the kingdom of nature?.. We find seven rays of light, seven tones of sound, seven days of creation, and so on. Of the seven supreme spirits, the Holy Church is the first to recognize Michael, which is why the present celebration is called the Council of the Archangel Michael and other Immaterial Forces. Who is God is what his name means; who is like God expresses all his deeds. He was the first to rebel against Lucifer when he rebelled against the Almighty. It is known how this first terrible battle ended - with the overthrow of Dennitsa from the sky. Since then, Michael has not ceased to fight for the glory of the Creator and Lord of all, for the salvation of the human race, for the Church and her children. Therefore, he is always depicted in a warlike form, with a spear or sword in his hand, with a dragon under his feet, that is, the spirit of evil. The white banner that adorns the top of its spear means the unchanging purity and unshakable loyalty of the Angels to the Heavenly King, and the cross with which the spear ends makes it known that the battle with the kingdom of darkness and the victory over it by the Archangels themselves is accomplished in the name of the Cross of Christ, accomplished through patience, humility and self-sacrifice. Therefore, for those who are adorned with the name of the first of the Archangels, it is most fitting to be distinguished by zeal for the glory of God, loyalty to the King of Heaven and the kings of the earth, constant warfare against vice and wickedness, and constant humility and self-sacrifice. Second place in the rank of Angels belongs to Gabriel: a name meaning the power of God. Since among the celestials the name always expresses the thing itself, then this Archangel, in the work of serving human salvation, is especially the herald and servant of the omnipotence of God. So, whether the power of God will be revealed in the miraculous conception of the Forerunner from elderly parents, the news of this conception rests with Gabriel. Whether the seedless conception of the Son of God Himself can occur, the honor of announcing this goes to Gabriel again. This same Archangel, in the opinion of God-wise men, was sent to reinforce the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, and to announce to the Mother of God Her all-honorable Dormition. Therefore, the Church calls him a minister of miracles. But, serving miracles, he, for that very reason, is a special servant of the mysteries of God, for one presupposes the other. Therefore, when it was necessary to reveal future events to Daniel the prophet, he heard a voice: “Gabriel, tell him the vision” (Dan. 8:16). Bearing in mind this service of Gabriel, the Holy Church sometimes depicts him with a branch of paradise in his hand, which he brought to the Mother of God, and sometimes with a lantern in his right hand, inside of which a candle burns, and in his left - a jasper mirror. He is depicted with a mirror - since Gabriel is the messenger of God’s destinies about the salvation of the human race; is depicted with a candle in a lantern, since the destinies of God are hidden until the time of their fulfillment and, after their fulfillment, are comprehended only by those who steadily look into the mirror of the word of God and their conscience. Thus, if anyone bears the name of Gabriel, that faith of God is fitting, for which, according to the word of the Savior Himself, nothing is impossible (Mark 9:23); and if from anyone, then from them there should be as far as possible the punishment that, for the poverty of faith, this Archangel was once forced to impose on the father of the Forerunner (Luke 1:20). Raphael, or God’s help and healing, is the name of the third Archangel, a name that is therefore dear to all who suffer. There is a whole book in the Holy Scriptures that describes how this Archangel, in the form of a man, accompanied the righteous Tobiah, freed his bride from the evil spirit, restored sight to his elderly father, Tobit, and then ascended from them to heaven. Therefore, this Archangel is depicted with a medical vessel in his left hand, and leading Tobiah with his right. The words spoken by this Archangel during separation from Tobit’s family are very instructive. “It is good to pray with fasting and alms and righteousness,” Raphael said, “...alms delivers from death and cleanses all sin... When you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, you offered the memory of your prayer before the Holy One: and when you buried the dead, like those present to you, and when you were not lazy arise and leave your dinner, so that when you go away and cover the dead, you do not hide from doing good to me, but be with you” (Tov. 12:8-9, 12-13). Therefore, whoever wishes to be worthy of Raphael’s heavenly help must first of all be merciful to those in need. Those who are merciful are most likely to be pardoned themselves. Moreover, the virtues of mercy and compassion must distinguish those who bear the name of Raphael, otherwise they will not have a spiritual union with the Archangel. The Fourth Archangel is depicted with a sword turned against the Persians, and in Shuyts with a flame descending to the bottom; and his name is Uriel, that is, the light or fire of God. As an Angel of light, he enlightens the minds of people with the revelation of truths that are useful to them; like the Angel of Divine fire, he inflames hearts with love for God and consumes impure earthly attachments in them. So, this is your Archangel, people who have devoted themselves to science! How gratifying it should be for you to know that your night vigils and your labors over the collection of knowledge are illuminated not by one spontaneous flickering from the lamp, but also by the light from the flame of the Archangel. And here, of course, is the source of many truly useful and great discoveries in the field of science! Those discoveries about which those who made them themselves notice that they came to mind suddenly, as if by revelation from above. Is it surprising to have sudden insights from above when there is a special Archangel of light and knowledge? What, however, can one expect from this world-class mentor? Revelations of the secrets of nature, beyond our reason and our needs? Foreshadowing of future events or something like that? No, this is not the Archangel's business. Listen to what Uriel answered to one pious, but too inquisitive man, when, in the heat of his passion for knowledge, he wanted to learn from him the secret of the Divine world government. The Archangel did not refuse to answer the questions, but demanded that Ezra (as this man was called) do one of three things for him first: weigh the flame of the fire, or indicate the beginning of the wind, or return the past day. When Ezra denied the impossibility of doing this, the Archangel said: “if he asked you, saying: if there are many dwellings in the hearts of the sea, or if there are many springs at the beginning of the abyss, or if there are many veins above the firmament of heaven, or which are the limits of paradise; negli would answer me: I didn’t go into the abyss, nor into hell, below into heaven when I sighed. Now you are not asked about these things, only about the lights and about the wind and about the days in which you were, and you cannot exist without these things: and you answered about these things with nothing. You cannot know these, even though you are your essence and have grown up with you, and how can your vessel contain the ways of the Most High?” ( 3Ezra 4:7–11 ). Take note of this lesson, people devoted to the sciences, and do not forget, following the example of your Archangel, to be servants not only of the light of truth, but also of the fire of Divine love. “The mind... boasts”, one... “creates love” (1 Cor. 8:1). The fifth Archangel is the supreme minister of prayer, and is called Salafiel. Pure and fiery prayer itself can serve instead of a Cherub for the soul, protecting it from all hostile forces. But what are our prayers?.. Weak, short, unclean, cold. And so, the Lord, knowing how necessary prayer is for each of us, gave us a whole face of prayerful Angels with their leader Salafiel - so that with the inspiration of their pure lips they warm our cold hearts and encourage them to pray, so that they instruct us about what, when and how we will pray, and so that they lift up our very offerings to the throne of grace. When you see, brethren, on the icon the Archangel standing in a position of prayer, with his eyes downcast, with his hands reverently placed on his chest, then know that this is Salafiel. And seeing the Archangel of prayer himself in this position, try yourself during prayer to always be in a position appropriate for the one praying. Decent, I say, because many don’t even have this. Looking at how some of us pray, you would think that they do not ask, but command and threaten the One from whom they ask. Is this a prayer!.. The sixth Archangel has a golden crown in his right hand, and a scourge of three scarlet ropes in his shuitz. This is because the duty of this Archangel with the face of the Angels entrusted to him is to encourage with the reward of eternal blessings and to protect in the name of the Holy Trinity and the power of the Cross of Christ people who work in various types of service for the glory of God, which is why he is called Egudiel, or the praise of God. There are no people among us who bear this name; for this, each of us, young and old, is obliged to live and work for the glory of God; and since he truly works at this, it cannot be that he does not encounter various obstacles. For on our sinful earth, among us sinful people, every good deed is accomplished only with difficulty, and many with great and difficult work. What needs? Our Lord and Master “will not offend... forget any good deed of ours and any labor of love” (Heb. 6:10) in His name; The greater the feat, the higher and brighter the reward for a warrior who, during battle, does not spare his life for the Church and the Fatherland, and during peace, “he will offend no one, he is satisfied with his dues” (Lk. 3:14), for the city ruler who does not fall asleep and falls asleep, guard the city entrusted to him; for the judge who firmly holds the scales of righteousness, judges without partiality, sire and humble; this is a reward for a householder who sets an example of God-fearing to his household; for a slave who bears his lot with faith and patience. The last Archangel, the last in order, and not in dignity and power, is given the name Barachiel by the godly teachers of the Church. This is the Angel of God's blessings, as his name means and expresses the appearance in which he appears on holy icons, for he is depicted with many pink flowers in the depths of his clothes. since the blessings of God are varied, the ministry of this Archangel is varied: through him the blessing of the household and the improvement of the family is sent; through him the blessing of the fruits of the earth is received; through him one is granted blessed success in purchases and other everyday affairs. But when are they worthy?.. Then, without a doubt, when they want to accept earthly blessings in order to acquire heavenly and eternal blessings: when, for example, they want to have children in order to raise them in the fear of God; they expect an abundance of the fruits of the earth in order to share them with the poverty that is melting away from famine; They are looking for an increase in income in order to be able to decorate the church of God, look after the orphan, redeem an innocent debtor, and the like. Otherwise, the Lord will not send, and the Archangel will not bring blessings. How, you say, do lovers of peace, who have completely forgotten God, sometimes enjoy all the gifts of earthly happiness?.. For the unrepentant, this is a gift of anger, and not of Divine love; The servant of these gifts is not the Archangel, but the ruler of the darkness of this age, who dared to say to the Son of God Himself: “I will give all this to You, if you fall down in worship!” (Matthew 4:9). This is the Council of the Archangels! This is true for us and our salvation! For what he is like in his heavenly strength, majesty and greatness, this is not given to us now to know. We will see when we are worthy to stand at the right hand of the throne of God and enter into the very council of Angels. I say: enter, for man, according to the understanding of many teachers of the Church, was created for this purpose (much less for this purpose he was recreated) in order to fill with himself in the host of Angels the lack that occurred through the falling away from their bright face of Lucifer with his army. Therefore, while celebrating the Council of Archangels and Angels, we must, brothers, think about our future meeting with them. One of two things is inevitable: it is necessary, absolutely necessary, to be either in the Council of Angels, or among the crowd of rejected spirits. Who can decide on the latter?.. But, desiring the former, one must prepare oneself in advance for cohabitation with the Angels through the acquisition of Angelic thoughts and feelings. For on earth, much less in heaven, only those who strive for one and the same goal and are animated by one and the same Spirit live in peace and constant union. Amen. Homily for the Day of the Council of the Archangel Michael Anyone who attentively worshiped the holy icon of the Archangel Michael, in whose honor we now celebrate, could not help but notice that this Archangel is always depicted in a formidable and warlike form. On its head you see a helmet, in your hand there is a sword or spear, under your feet there is a dragon that is being slain by it. What does this mean? Is it really impossible to walk safely in heaven without a sword? Or does the throne of the Heavenly King need to be protected, like the thrones of the kings of the earth? Or are Angels created to fight? No, brothers, the throne of the Almighty is as immovable as eternity; hosts of the purest spirits were created not for battle and victory, but for praise, peace and bliss. That's how it was in the beginning; This would always be the case if one of the very first spirits had not discovered in himself the source of evil, warfare and disorder, and had not disturbed the heavenly truth. We don’t know how he fell into madness to rebel against the Almighty; but he rebelled! Whether due to the natural dependence of the army on the leader, or due to the spirit of mutual seduction, many other spirits rushed after this troublemaker. For the omnipotent Creator there was and could not be any danger in this, but the spiritual world was shaken; could be completely transformed at its very foundation. This loss would be all the more sensitive the more spiritual gifts and perfections are poured into the spiritual world, the higher its purpose. And at this decisive moment, when the whole heaven was in danger of turning to hell, a champion of the glory of God and a defender of the honor of the angelic world itself appears from among the Angels. “Who is God?” - Mikhail exclaims to his brethren, and together with them he rushes towards the insane troublemaker and his minions. Victory was not suddenly won; for Lucifer, as the highest of the Angels, possessed great perfections; but finally the power of good prevailed over the power of evil; Lucifer was cast out of heaven, and Michael and his Angels remained forever victorious servants of the Heavenly King. Since then (this was before the creation of man and, probably, even before the creation of the visible world), since then Michael has had a sword in his hands, and a dragon under his feet, for Satan, even cast out from heaven, does not cease to fight against the inhabitants of heaven. The Holy Scripture later shows us a few experiences of the Battle of Michael (for it very rarely lifts the veil that hides the spiritual world from us; and when it lifts it, it shows more than that which can frighten and bewilder); but these few indications are such that they force us to assume a lot. Thus, the Apostle Jude in his Epistle (Jude 1:9) says that the Archangel Michael once argued with the devil after the death of Moses over his body, which the devil probably sought to turn into an object of adoration for the Israelites, and Michael suggested burial in such a way that “no one knew his burial” (Deut. 34:6). Such a beneficial attitude of Michael towards the person of Moses, of course, was not limited to concern for the fate of his body, but extended throughout his life, to all his varied and arduous service, and especially to legislation, which, in the words of St. Stephen, occurred through the dispensation of Angels (Acts 7:53). Judging by this, the Angel who spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai (Acts 7:38) must be none other than Michael. And since the law of Sinai was very much not to the heart of Satan - which is why he tried in every possible way to make the people of Israel unworthy of the honor of being the people of God - then Michael, during the establishment of the Church of the Jews by Moses, undoubtedly had many occasions to draw a sword against him and repeat blows to his head. The opportunity for this especially opened up when Satan, shortly before the coming of Christ, as if anticipating an approaching decisive danger for his dark region, raised up the evil Antiochus against the Jewish people and the Church, instructing him to completely eradicate the faith and law of Moses. At this time, the salvation of the chosen people and the Church could not be achieved by natural means alone. Therefore, it was also given to Daniel to contemplate in a vision how Michael would arise at this time for “the sons of your people” (Dan. 12:1). The consequence of this invisible intercession from the Archangel, without a doubt, was that a handful of zealots of the law, led by the Maccabees, were able to put to flight and scatter the numerous hordes of Antioch. The Maccabees defeated the Syrians because at the same time Michael defeated Satan and his minions. Therefore, this Archangel can, in fairness, be called the Protector Angel of the Jewish people, the Archangel of the Old Testament Church. The militant ministry of the Church of Michael did not end with the Church of the Old Testament. In the twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse of John we read that “after the woman clothed with the sun, that is, the Church of Christ, fled from the serpent into the desert, there was war in heaven with this serpent” (Rev. 12:1, 6–7). Who fought against him again? Michael and his Angels. It is not the place and not the present time to determine in what century of Christianity the time of this battle falls - is it in the century of the last, most severe persecution of the primal Church, Diocletian? Or for centuries of unrest later caused in the Church by heretics? Or at the time of the latest falling away from the faith of entire nations? For our purpose, it is enough to note that this battle, in terms of the stubbornness of the enemies and the importance of the consequences, was similar to that first battle in heaven. For even after this battle it is said about Satan that he was cast out of heaven, and with his angels, cast down so that from now on “no place was found for him in heaven” (Rev. 12:8), that is, probably any possibility of penetrating by force or cunning into the highest and best regions of the universe was stopped. This means that Michael is the Archangel of the New Testament Church, just as he was the Archangel of the Old Testament Church. Moreover, in the word of God there are no indications of Michael’s battle with the devil, but even without special instructions it can be reliably added that this battle must become extremely fierce before the end of the world. For the same Holy Scripture reveals to us that then the devil, “knowing that time is short” (Rev. 12:12), will use all his power and all his cunning against the Kingdom of light, and will appear, in the person of the Antichrist, in such a powerful and captivating form that if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived by him (Matthew 24:24). With such a danger for the Kingdom of Light, can the sword of the Archangel, which since the beginning of the world has never rested even under lesser dangers, rest in inaction? After all that has been said, it is clear, brothers, why such a beneficent being, such as the Archangel we glorify, is depicted in such a warlike form. This sight should terrify the enemy of God, and not us, the servants of God, as, however, happens to some of the children of the Church due to their foolishness. In accordance with the dignity and greatness of his power, as the first of the Archangels, Michael is the protector of the entire Church rather than each individual member of it, but many experiences of his miraculous intercession testify that the victorious leader of the Heavenly Forces does not consider it alien to his dignity to accept under his protection anyone who only with faith prays to him for help. Therefore, in the church circle there is even a special day designated for grateful remembrance of such miracles of Mikhailov. Moreover, we, who pray in this church dedicated to his name, all the more, brothers, we can be sure that the protective sword of this Archangel will always be for us, as long as we do not harbor in ourselves a criminal alliance with the enemy whom he always pursues. For, brethren, when talking about Michael’s battle with the devil, we must finally bring to your mind the fact that this battle takes place not only outside, but also within us. And each of us has our own inner, domestic serpent; there is also an internal archangel who constantly pursues him. This inner serpent is the inclination toward evil innate in all of us, that unfortunate, corrupting “lust, which, when conceived,” as the apostle noted, “gives birth to sin,” and through it produces “death” (James 1:15). And the inner archangel is our conscience, which, as long as it is guided by the word of God and grace, constantly speaks into the ears of our hearts: who is God and His holy law? - constantly pursues the serpent - sinful lust - with the fear of God's Judgment and eternal torment. Let us not hide, warm and nourish this inner serpent within us; Let us give our archangel, whenever his sting appears, to strike him at the very head. Without this loyalty to our inner Archangel, the outer Archangel will not come to our aid. For to take up arms for the salvation of people is a duty most pleasant for the Angels and their victorious leader, but for the salvation of which people? not everyone, but only those who fear the Lord (Ps. 33:8). Amen. Word on the day of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other Ethereal Forces. About Guardian Angel At festivals, visitors are usually offered some kind of consolation from the celebrants. At the festival in honor of the Immaterial Forces there should be consolation not of the flesh, but of the spirit. What will we now offer to your love on behalf of this holy monastery on the day of its annual celebration? For our part, we would be ready to offer you a whole spiritual meal, a complete teaching about disembodied spirits and their blessed union with people, but the shortness of time does not allow us to teach or you to fully accept this teaching. Therefore, let us limit ourselves, instead of many, to one meal from a spiritual meal; but for that, let’s take something that would be completely enough to satisfy spiritual hunger and reinforce spiritual strength. This is the teaching of our Orthodox Church about the Guardian Angel, a teaching simple and at the same time profound, as comforting as it is edifying. And to make this product more convenient for everyone to use, let us break it down into small sections through questions and answers. Who is called the Guardian Angel? A Guardian Angel is an Angel who is given from God to a person upon his entry into the Kingdom of Grace - at Baptism, in order to protect him throughout his life and guide him to the Heavenly Fatherland. How is it known that every Christian has a Guardian Angel? This is undoubtedly known, firstly, from the many testimonies about this in the word of God. Saint David also sang about a person who loves God and His law: “He commanded about you with His angel, keep you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their arms, but not when you dash your foot against a stone” (Ps. 90:11-12). The Savior Himself testified before the disciples and the people that the angels of the children “can see the face of the Father... in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Finally, the Apostle Paul says that all angels “are ministering spirits, sent out to minister for those who are to inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Secondly, the presence of a Guardian Angel with a person is undeniably confirmed by many examples and experiences. So, even in the most ancient times, we hear how the patriarch Jacob blesses his children on behalf of the Angel who accompanied and guarded him on all the paths of his life (Gen. 48:16). In ancient sacred history, we then see how the righteous Tobit is accompanied by the Guardian Angel on the way, is delivered from disasters by him, and finally hears from Him that he has long been his guardian and a witness to all his actions (Tob. 12:12-15). As for the New Testament Church, from its beginning to our times it presents so many examples of the action of Guardian Angels over the people they protect, that they should be retold not for an hour, but for a whole day. Is it possible to be convinced from our own experience that each of us has a Guardian Angel? Not only is it possible, but it should be. It is possible, because the guardianship of us by the Guardian Angel, as a constant, powerful and varied action, therefore cannot but be very noticeable for anyone who is attentive. It must, because the lack of feeling of Angelic protection over us always presupposes in us inattention to it and the weakness of our spiritual union with the Guardian Angel. Why do most people not feel the actions of their Guardian Angel? Because most of us do not pay any attention to our Guardian Angel; There are even many who do not know at all that they have a Guardian Angel. Others know from hearsay that a person has a Guardian Angel and would like to see the experience of Angelic protection over them, but more out of curiosity than for spiritual benefit, without trying in the least to make themselves worthy of it; Is it proper for the Guardian Angel to satisfy the wishes of such people? Who is to blame for the fact that they know little about their Guardian Angel, and even less try to be in union with him? The reason for this is our inattention to the matter of our salvation, and the resulting inattention to the teaching of the word of God and the Holy Church about the Guardian Angel and our attitude towards him. The Holy Church does everything on its part to prevent us from remaining ignorant of such an important person for us as the Guardian Angel. Every first day of the week is dedicated to the glorification and prayerful invocation of Angels in general, and the Guardian Angel in particular. In addition, she has a considerable number of touching prayers to the Guardian Angel - for our home use. What is the most reliable way to enter into live communication with the Guardian Angel? Attention to yourself, to your life, conscience and your eternal destiny; frequent prayerful turning of thoughts and hearts to the Guardian Angel; a sincere desire to hear his voice and follow his suggestions; removing oneself from everything sinful and unclean and living an angelic life; here, according to the testimony of the holy fathers, are the surest means to enter into a living union with the Guardian Angel! What serves as a storage item in a person for the Guardian Angel? The whole person: spirit, soul and body, mind, will and conscience; and along with this his external state, and, moreover, in all cases of life. Therefore, one can hope to receive all kinds of help from the Guardian Angel; one can resort to him with prayer in every need and circumstance. But mainly the Guardian Angel is vigilant over the preservation of our soul and conscience. For, even if everything was lost, even health and life itself, if the soul and conscience are intact, then the person is intact; and the Guardian Angel rejoices over him as if he had been saved. On the contrary, even if we acquired the whole world, if our conscience and soul are destroyed, then we have lost everything, and the Guardian Angel cries for us as if we were lost. Is it possible to indulge in dangers in hope of a Guardian Angel? No way. The spirit of darkness once suggested that the Savior return from the roof of the church, in hope, as it is written: “He will keep you with His angel” (Ps. 91:11), but the Son of God answered: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:6–7). All the more so should a Christian answer himself in this way if the tempting thought came to him of daring, without sufficient reason, to do something dangerous and beyond his strength, in the hope of the help of the Guardian Angel. There is one thing we can and must firmly and always decide on, based on the hope of the help of our Guardian Angel, or, what is the same, the help of God; this is a battle with our sinful nature; here victory is always possible, because it is always necessary. How is the action of the Guardian Angel revealed over a person? It is revealed, and miraculously, in those cases where natural means are insufficient, and the need for help is greatest, as for example, when the three holy youths were thrown into the fiery furnace in Babylon. But in all other ordinary cases, the Guardian Angel acts in an ordinary, characteristic way. But we must remember that the Angelic and the ordinary are higher than much of the human extraordinary. since the knowledge and powers of the Angels far exceed all the wisdom and all the power of man, the Guardian Angel, without miracles, can do a lot for the person he protects that he could never do for himself; for example, it can invisibly divert dangers from a person, or warn him against them in good time; can enlighten the mind with secret insights of thoughts, can breathe good desires into the heart, inspire, when necessary, with courage, console in sorrows, and so on. What is the main organ for a person to communicate with his Guardian Angel? The main organ for communication between a person and the Guardian Angel, as well as with the spiritual world in general, even with God Himself, is the heart and conscience. Therefore, attention to one’s heart and conscience is the first duty for one who wants to hear the voice of the Guardian Angel. What should each of us do in relation to our Guardian Angel? The first thing is to constantly remember that each of us has a Guardian Angel, because many, unfortunately, do not think about this at all. Secondly, one should try to come into constant and lively communication with the Guardian Angel as much as possible, using all the above means for this. Thirdly, having achieved a living union with the Guardian Angel, one must support this blissful union with purity of conscience and life; and in the event of a fall, it is necessary to restore it through prompt and sincere repentance. Is it possible to lose a Guardian Angel? Although the Guardian Angel is given to a person for the rest of his life and never leaves him completely until his death, but as soon as a person, repeating the same sins, indulges completely in passions and, falling from one vice to another, finally reaches the point of bitterness in sin and unrepentance, then the Guardian Angel, although he does not leave such a sinner at all, but, prompted by the incompatibility of his pure nature with sin, moves away from him, so that the sinner is deprived of the angelic cover. What happens when his Guardian Angel moves away from a person? Then the closest access to the person of the angel of darkness opens, for there is no Guardian Angel with him; with him the enemy is a destroyer; and where this enemy is, there is darkness after darkness, uncleanness after uncleanness, unrepentance after unrepentance, until death puts an end to a person’s sins. Can a sinner regain his Guardian Angel? The greatest sinner can do this and reconcile with his Guardian Angel through sincere repentance of sins and leaving them forever. In this case, according to the word of Scripture, great joy occurs not only for the Guardian Angel on earth, but also for all other Angels in heaven. What prayers and offerings from our side are especially pleasant for the Guardian Angel? Those in which he is asked for help in performing good deeds, in feats of self-sacrifice, humility and Christian love, in defeating temptations, in eradicating bad habits and passions. With such petitions we reveal to the Guardian Angel all the convenience of bringing down the grace of God upon us with his prayers, for which purpose he is especially given to each of us. Will each of us ever see our Guardian Angel? He will see you at the hour of his death. For the Guardian Angel remains the only companion of the soul, after separation from the body, coming from this world. Here every soul will know who its Guardian is. But this meeting with the Guardian Angel is not the same for everyone. For good souls it is a source of mutual joy and gratitude, and for evil and unrepentant souls it is a source of shame, sadness and eternal remorse. This, brothers, is the essence of the teaching of the Orthodox Church about the Guardian Angel! Could there be anything more joyful and at the same time more edifying than this teaching?.. Let us therefore give thanks to our Lord and Savior, Who loved us so much that He assigned such great and holy mentors to us, as to young children. Let us also be grateful to the Holy Angels for the fact that, out of their love for us, they do not despise our uncleanness and infirmities, and will take each of us into their arms. And thanks to the Lord of the Angels and His heavenly servants, we strive to turn their beneficial service to our salvation into our own good, so that when the time comes for us to leave this world ourselves and enter into the host of disembodied spirits, the meeting of each of us with our Guardian Angel would not be for reproach and shame, but for eternal consolation and joy. Amen. Word on the day of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other Immaterial Forces The Apostle Paul in one of his Epistles (1 Cor. 13:1) mentions the language of angels. If at any time you would like to understand at least some part of this language, then on this day, for we intend to talk with you about Angels. But on earth there is no teacher for the language of the Angels; it is difficult to expect one from heaven for our unworthiness; Therefore, it remains to speak about Angels not in Angelic language, but in human language. So that, however, he is not completely unworthy of the Angels, let us sanctify him as much as possible with the thoughts and words of Holy Scripture, which, according to the admonition of the same Apostle, is so important and sacred for us that anything contrary to it is not worth attention, even if it was announced from the Angel himself (Gal. 1:8). Since the first concept of a thing lies in its name, let's start with the name Angelic. Angel's name means messenger. The Archangel, therefore, is the chief messenger. Disembodied spirits are called this because in relation to people they are the heralds of the will of God. As for the very nature of Angels, they are spiritual beings and, therefore, rationally free, incorporeal - and therefore invisible, who, being endowed with a high degree of strength and power, therefore enjoy the most blissful existence. Their number is known only to God. From the word of God it is clear only that it is extremely great. So, for example, when the prophet Daniel saw the Lord sitting on the Throne, then “thousands of thousands of Angels served Him, and they stood before Him” (Dan. 7:10). Likewise, the seer John, when he heard the praising voice of the Angels around the Throne of the Lamb, their number was tens of thousands and “thousands by thousands” (Rev. 5:11), that is, extremely large. Is there any primacy and subordination between the Angels? There is, for in the Holy Scriptures not only Angels are mentioned, but also Archangels, that is, the main or leading Angels. Some of the Angels are also called Powers and Dominions, no doubt from their power over others. As a result of this, one of the apostolic men, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, on the basis of the word of God, calculates the following ranks in the world of Angels: the first type - Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones; the second type - Dominance, Origin, Power; third type - Forces, Archangels, Angels. From this holy father, anyone can find out how each of these ranks differs from the other. Before man; for, as the Lord says in Job, “When the stars were created (and this happened on the fourth day), my angels praised Me with a great voice” (Job 38:7). The Orthodox Church even teaches, on the basis of this passage, that Angels, or the invisible world, were created in general before the entire visible world, and not one person, and that there was, as St. Basil the Great says, a time, so to speak, before time, when only mental forces existed and there was nothing material yet. Everywhere, but mainly in heaven, around the Throne of God, that is, where God most reveals His glory to them, and through them His will. Is the knowledge of Angels great? Very large compared to humans. And in themselves, by their essence and position, they know much that we cannot know. In addition, they participate in the mysteries of God and receive direct illumination from the Most Holy Trinity. However, Angels are not omniscient: this perfection belongs to the one God. How can Angels know our prayers and petitions if they are not omniscient? Through God the all-seeing. Angels, according to the words of the Savior, “...they see the face of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10); and in this face, as in a mirror, everything is reflected. How great is the power of Angels? Inexpressibly higher than human. Therefore, they can do things that exceed the forces of nature and are a miracle for us. So, for example, an Angel struck one hundred and eighty thousand Assyrians in one night for insulting the name of God. What is the activity of Angels? In glorifying the perfections of God and fulfilling the will of the Creator, especially regarding human salvation. As free beings, at first, like people, they could abuse their freedom and fall into sin, as some did. But those who remained faithful to their Creator, over time became so established in goodness that now sin has become impossible for them; not because they cannot transgress the will of God, but because they will never want this. Did all the Angels remain true to their duty and maintain their dignity? No, not all; Satan, with the angelic face under his control, having given in to pride, fell away from God, and for this he fell forever from the world of the Angels to the underworld. What is the relationship of Angels to people? In the most beneficial thing for people: all of them, according to the assurance of the word of God, “... are servant souls, sent to serve for those who want to inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Isn't the dignity of Angels degraded by serving their people? Not at all; for this service in them is out of love and following the example of the Lord Himself, Who came to earth - not let them serve Him, but serve and give Your soul as a deliverance for us all. Angels serve people as elders serve the young, the healthy serve the sick, the free serve the captive, and the seeing serve the blind. Are there any known experiences of Angelic service to human salvation? All sacred history is filled with them. Angels were the leaders of the patriarchs; through them the law was given to Israel at Sinai; The angels announced the conception, the birth, the resurrection, and the ascension of the Savior. Angels assisted the apostles in spreading the Christian faith. Angels, as can be seen from the Apocalypse, are used to carry out great judgments of God over Kingdoms and nations. Angels, at the end of the world, will gather all people for the World Judgment. Do the Angels still have some kind of special union with people? Eat. This is the union of the Guardian Angel with the person he protects. This union is so important for us that we will never talk about it in particular. Is it sufficient for a person to honor Angels? Dominates; for how can we not show respect to beings adorned with such perfections, who, moreover, are our helpers and guardians? Is it possible to worship Angels the way we worship our God and Savior? No, the Angels do not accept such worship, because it, as befitting the one God, is therefore contrary to their zeal for the glory of God. “Vizhd,” the Angel once said to the seer, when he, mistaking him for the Savior, wanted to worship him as God, “Vizhd, nor: for I am your slander... Worship God!” (Rev. 22:9). What kind of worship is appropriate for Angels? That which consists in recognizing and glorifying their perfections, since the glory of the Creator is reflected in them, in calling them to help with showing signs of love and respect before them and, most importantly, in imitation of their Angelic morals and deeds. Enough questions and answers!.. Let's stop talking about Angels and turn to prayer to the Angels. For although it is good to talk about them, it is even better to pray. The Angels themselves will teach those who pray diligently about themselves. Amen. Word on the day of the prophet Elijah The righteous man who is now blessed belongs, brethren, to the number of those great men who shone like stars in the firmament of the Old Testament Church, before the rise of the Sun of righteousness - the appearance in the flesh of the Son of God. We call this righteous man a prophet, for the special decisiveness of his predictions; but with even greater force the title of miracle worker befits him. Just as Moses was once given, according to the expression of Scripture, by God ... “to Pharaoh” (Ex. 7:1), so Elijah, one might say, was designated for a time by God for Ahab and Israel, who had turned aside to pagan abominations. What did not happen according to the voice of Elijah? The sky closed and opened, and did not give rain and shed entire rivers; the fire fell on the victim and consumed the very water with which it was surrounded. What did not happen for Elijah?.. The corvids brought him food; Jordan exposed his bosom and walked it dry; God Himself appears to Elijah as He did not appear to anyone after Moses. The end of a life that consisted of miracles is even more wonderful: Elijah ascends to heaven in a chariot of fire, as no one has ascended before and, probably, no one will ascend after. And despite all this, “Elijah,” according to the word of the Apostle, “was not a man servile to us” (James 5:17). When you think about this, brothers, at other times you immediately ascend, as it were, to a height, and at others, as if you fall down. In a moment of holy delight, you want to rise in thoughts to the heights of the righteous, to expand in actions to his circle of activity, you hear within yourself voice that “the God of Eli” (2 Kings 2:14) is the God of each and every one, that He has not one chariot of fire, but “over them” (Ps. 67:18), - you feel some desire to fly to Carmel and Horeb, so that after the fire and storm you can hear there “the voice of a thin cold” (1 Kings 19:11-12). involuntarily bows down before the image of the righteous, it is difficult to believe that all this was done with our mortal flesh, you think to see one picture drawn by the hand of a pious artist; you stand in your thoughts at the foot of Horeb, and you do not dare to enter the cave where the Lord appears. This happens when you think about other great righteous people: the spirit soars to them and with them, as if it were our own, and the flesh is denied from them as from strangers. inimitable. Whom to listen to: the flesh or the spirit?.. If you listen to the flesh, then sooner or later you must finally join in as “foolish cattle” (Ps. 49:21), for no matter how the sinful flesh ennobles, exalts, refines and decorates its patterns and pleasures, they are always taken from the circle of sensual, corruptible and unreasonable things. Moreover, “sow to the flesh...,” says the eternal truth, “from the flesh he will reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8). Therefore, it is better to follow the spirit, no matter how high its flight; for, “sow to the spirit,” says the same truth, “from the spirit he will reap eternal life.” It is good for sinful flesh to be earthly and strive down, for it itself is from dust, and will be scattered in dust; but the spirit must certainly be heavenly, for it must, leaving the flesh in the dust, go to heaven. But how will it ascend there if it does not first accustom itself to soar the mountain, and not renounce everything earthly in advance? “What exactly should we imitate in Elijah? And really his wondrous deeds, in which he appeared above all nature? But what, beloved, if they told you to imitate this too? Would they tell a lie? Anything indecent for a Christian? Aren't believers in Christ promised signs? “And these signs will follow to those who believe,” says the Savior Himself, “that in My name demons will be given birth; new tongues will speak; they will take away the serpent; even if they drink of death, it will not harm them” (Mark 16:17–18). Much has been said; but do not think that everything will be listed here; and this much is indicated only as an example. For listen to what the Savior Himself says in another place: “Believe in Me, the works that I do, he will do this also, and more of these he will do” (John 14:12). Did the Savior perform many miracles? But now, even greater things are promised. To whom?.., a believer, and therefore you, if you believe as you should. This seems impossible to us, because we are as far from the heights of Christian perfection as to a man standing in a ditch everything seems higher than him. But let us leave the chariot of fire to those who can sit on it and not be burned; Let us raise with reverence, at least, the mercy of Iliin, which falls directly on our heads; I mean the virtues of the wonderworker of Khoriv. There were many miracles in Elijah, but even more virtues. Let us imitate virtues when we cannot imitate miracles. Virtue is better than miracles, for all miracles come from them, and a miracle does not in itself give virtue. Let us imitate the abstinence of Elijah, according to which he ate for three years a handful of flour and a swagger of oil; Let us imitate the holy inclination towards solitude, which led him to spend almost his entire life in a cave; Let us imitate the humility for which Elijah did not want to have even Elisha as a witness to his ascension to heaven. Above all, let us love Elijah's zeal for the glory of the true God. I say: most of all, for this holy virtue is coming almost into complete oblivion among us. Will they touch our honor in any way? we lose our temper; ready to give our lives for it. But the honor of faith and its brightest Sacraments, and the honor of our Redeemer and future Judge, and the honor of our common mother the Church is nothing for many! Say anything in front of them, against all that is holy, they will not say a word in defense, they will find pleasure in your words, maybe they will love you for it. Is this how it should be between true believers? Isn't this a clear sign that such people have no faith in their hearts, that they are secret pagans? And you never know!.. That is why I invite you to imitate Elijah’s zeal. How to imitate? With the sword of Elijah? No, it is in the hands of the ruling power, which with all its actions proves that it, in the words of the apostle, “does not... carry the sword without mind” (Rom. 13:4); and firstly, by a good example, that is, your personal respect for everything sacred, and secondly, by a good word and conviction, as long as you stop the impulses of madness and admonish people who are violent and unpunished. At the very least, do not listen to blasphemous speeches, do not smile when you hear them, but run, if you can, from the speaker. How much wickedness would be reduced if it were punished by even one inattention. If we thus imitate the heavenly prophet in his virtues, then finally a chariot will appear before us, and we will be caught up into heaven, that is, our death, which we all fear so much, will be for us a peaceful resettlement in the abode of the Heavenly Father. Amen. Word on the Nativity of John the Baptist “The forerunner of Christmas will sharpen the spiritual ax today, with which all the leaping passions are cut off, and the fruits of repentance secretly flourish” (Canon, canto 7, stichera 3) So, brothers, the formidable ax, once seen by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:10) at the root of every tree that does not do good, is intact to this day! And lest anyone think that its sacred edge has already become blunted by the necks of unrepentant sinners, behold, now, according to the testimony of the Church, it will be sharpened again by the Nativity of the Forerunner! Shall we abandon the festival, fearing that a spiritual ax will be sharpened by it? But for someone who died under the sword, it is permissible to bring a sword as a souvenir at birth! Let's better come closer to the formidable axe; Let's look at how it's being sharpened now, against whom and what? And isn’t there a way to make the very edge of it salutary for us? The birth of a righteous person is always a great mercy of God towards people, for the whole world stands and is supported by the righteous. But, nevertheless, the birth of a righteous person is always a kind of conviction for the world, there is a new sentence against its temptations and passions, for the righteous, by their opposite, serve as a constant condemnation for the lives of sinners. Without the righteous before their eyes, sinners could say that God's law is too heavy and human nature is too weak. But when a person subservient to them walked “in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6), fulfills many things even that the law of God does not directly require of people, then the lips of sinful people who want to excuse their betrayals of the law are involuntarily shut, and they, according to the words of the righteous man subservient to them, “have no guilt about sin” (John 15:22). That is why the world has always persecuted the righteous with such bitterness, because in their lives it saw a verdict on itself. This purpose—to serve as a condemnation for the world—is expressed with particular force in the lives of those righteous people who are predestined (for even the righteous have different purposes) to proclaim to people their sins and the need for correction. On the day of the appearance to the world of each of those God-raised preachers of repentance, the ax of God’s wrath is raised and sharpened again to cut off those who do not take advantage of their preaching, are not moved by their example, and remain unrepentant of their sins. But among all the righteous who came into the world to preach repentance, the Forerunner of Christ John is the first and main. Standing on the borders of the two Testaments and connecting the Kingdom of grace with the times of the law by his extraordinary ministry, he, judging by his preaching and deeds, seems to have seen nothing more during his life except two objects: the sins of men and the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. "Repent!" (Matthew 3:2) – was the beginning; believe! (John 6:29) - was the end of all his words. What was contained in the words was also expressed throughout John’s entire life; it combined in itself everything that repentance is severe, and faith is lofty. since John’s contemporaries and compatriots were for the most part people stubborn in prejudices and passions, so that the Savior Himself did not know what to liken “this generation” to (Matthew 11:16), and therefore, despite John’s preaching, many had to remain in their sins, John himself already saw and loudly announced to everyone that “... the ax lies at the root of the tree: every... tree does not make fruit of good,” will be cut off and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10). And there is no doubt that this is exactly what was done with many unsuitable trees at that time. But John is long gone, and John’s ax continues to lie at the roots of barren trees, and now the memory of his Nativity is sharpened again! What and how to sharpen it? The striking contrast of his life to our morals and our lives. For what should every sinner feel now, if every sense of good is not yet suppressed by sin, what should he feel, remembering the life of John, and turning from it to the way of his life? Isn't it embarrassing? Isn't it self-condemnation? Can he who builds palace after palace remember the wilderness of John without reproach? About locusts and honey diviem - the one who does not know the number of his dishes?.. About the belt and the hair of camels - the one who constantly dresses in fine linen?.. About the head on the speculator's platter - the one who himself, among feasts, is ready to give everything for objects of carnal lust. One glance at the image of the great ascetic of Jordan produces in an unhardened conscience a feeling similar to that which occurs in a bodily wound from the touch of a sharp point. But begin to look more closely at this holy image, force yourself to think more and more about the life and preaching of John - and you will see how the ax he pointed out will visibly approach you, you will feel how much there is in you that must necessarily be cut, you will admit internally that the mountain of your soul has long, long ago demanded destruction. After this, you will no longer ask, against whom and what will the spiritual ax now be sharpened? Against the same people and vices that John once thundered against: against the Sadducees, who, not believing in the resurrection and the existence of spirits, limiting all human hopes to earth and earthly goods, say to themselves and others: “Let us die in the morning” (1 Cor. 15:32), “against the Pharisees, who, having an image of godliness, reject its powers” (2 Tim. 3:5), “on the outside they are red and clean, but on the inside they are full of robbery, wickedness and all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:25); against the scribes, who in “the wisdom of God not understanding... the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:21), having been born in Christianity, are wise “not according to Christ, but according to the elements of the world” (Col. 2:8); against all those who, renewing in themselves the vices of the ancient Jews, pride, covetousness, voluptuousness, deserve the ancient reproach of the Forerunner, who called such people spawn of vipers. To all such sinners, John even now, not from the banks of the Jordan, but from heaven, cries out: repent and “create... fruits worthy of repentance! ...Do not begin to say within yourself: father imam Abraham” (Matthew 3:8–9), we call ourselves Christians, we go to churches, we participate in the Sacraments. All this without a change of heart and life is nothing. Repent and believe in the Gospel - believe not in words, but in deeds! It is different now, as it was before and as it will always be, and now the ax lies at the root of the tree, and “every... tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). It's being flogged! rushes into the fire! Ah, brothers, these expressions would be terrible even in our language, which loves to exaggerate concepts, but in the language of people like John, who always say less than they do, they should make every sinner tremble! What should those who feel this holy trepidation do? Nothing more than voluntarily bending your head under John’s ax and letting it, in the words of the Church, “cut off to the roots every leap of passion.” The spiritual ax of the fear of God and repentance has in itself that wonderful property that it completely cuts off those who run away from it with their unrepentance and, on the contrary, cuts off, delivers from dry branches, from impurities and diseases and, finally, from death those who themselves resort to its saving action. So, let its sacred edge rise up, let its sacred edge rise up quickly to everything that is dry and barren in our mind and heart! Let pride, voluptuousness, anger, vanity and, as the Church puts it, “all leaping passions!” cut at the very roots! Our corrupted nature often deceives us with the seemingly innocent play of its powers, which, however, almost always ends in grave falls. May these leaps also be cut off, may the very babies of sin (Ps. 136:9) - evil thoughts - be broken on the stone of abstinence! There can be no truce with evil: there is a battle to death; one of two things: either we are dead, and sin is alive in us; or sin is dead and we are alive. The middle state is the fruit of self-delusion: it does not exist and cannot exist. Only when every impulse of passion is cut off, and a mortal blow is dealt to the very heart of our old man, only then does a new life begin, and the fruits of repentance can flourish. To flourish secretly, for although they are born in our heart, their root is further and deeper - in the grace of the Holy Spirit, whose actions are not subject to the gaze of our mind. Secretly: for just as natural virtues, always dissolved by pride, love to show themselves everywhere, so the fruits of the Holy Spirit, spiritual virtues, being imbued with humility, do not like human pride. The sinner renewed by grace, like the righteous Elizabeth, carries within himself a new person and hides (Luke 1:24), as if not trusting the miracles that take place in him. For success in the great work of spiritual self-denial, let us, brethren, more often, from the vanities of the world, from the noise and bickering of everyday life, be transported in thought to the desert of John and pray to him that in us, as he once did in the people of Judea, he would prepare the way for the Savior. Living in spirit with John, sharing as much as possible his exploits, we, without a doubt, will soon see, like him, the Lamb of God coming to take away our sins. Then, having received from Him, after John’s baptism of tears, the baptism of the Spirit, we will not agree to exchange the spiritual desert for any earthly paradise, and with tears of gratitude we will kiss John’s ax of repentance, which delivered us from spiritual death. Amen. Word on the Day of the Beheading of John the Baptist “And the king sent a speculator and ordered him to bring his head. And he went and beheaded him in prison, and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the maiden: and the maiden gave it to her mother” (Mark 6:27–28) In the very middle of life, spent in the strictest fulfillment of the law of God, just before the “coming of the Kingdom of God with power” (Mark 9:1), for which all the Old Testament righteous would be ready to rise from their graves, - suddenly lose their lives - to please a cold-hearted fornicator, and give their head to the speculator’s plate, so that it serves as a spectacle among a crazy feast - could there be a fate worse than this fate?.. And who suffered such a fate? The most holy preacher of truth and virtue, the Forerunner and Baptist of the Son of God, more than whom, according to the testimony of the truth itself, “no one has risen among those born of women!” (Matthew 11:11). My God, what does our life and death mean after this, what Heavenly Providence and virtue, what this world and everything that is in it! It’s true, brethren, not what we usually imagine; It’s true that we shouldn’t look at life and death in the same way as we usually look at it; Apparently, our Creator has other laws, according to which the greatest righteous man can end his earthly course as John did, and on the contrary, the greatest sinner, like Herod, may not know sadness and tears until his very end. Can we know these laws? We can and we must. The Providence of God has many secrets, but in this regard there is enough light for the most short-sighted eyes. So that we have no reason to grumble and carry each of our crosses more complacently, for this purpose, in the word of God, both the reasons and the purpose of innocent suffering in this world are clearly revealed to us. Let us reveal this for the comfort of those who suffer and for the admonition of those who make others suffer innocently. That happiness is the natural destiny of virtue, that innocence should be followed by joy and peace, and not persecution and tears - this is an eternal law, the immutability of which our heart recognizes in spite of all the wisdom of the obstinate mind, in spite of all examples of persecuted virtue and triumphant vice. You involuntarily and at the same time willingly believe that there was a time when virtues and bliss were one, and that again there will be a time when they will become one. On the other hand, who, without taking his eyes off the face of the Heavenly Father, can say that the separation of happiness from virtue, now seen everywhere, has its basis in the will of Him, the All-Wise and All-Good, and that the source of suffering for the righteous originates in heaven? Who can say it? Who broke the eternal and natural union of happiness with virtue on earth and elevated vice to the Throne? No one but a person; he himself, arrogant and blinded by the serpent’s suggestions, did not observe “his rulership” (Jude 1:6) in Eden, came out of splendid subordination to the Creator, disturbed the order of things, deviated from the purpose of his existence and took with him everything subordinate to him, became unhappy himself and spread misfortune over the entire face of the earth. Since then, the wicked have triumphed and will continue to triumph until the outer world, which lies in evil, ceases to be at one with the evil with which their inner world is filled. Now, when many depraved people are constantly introducing new disorder, corruption and disorder into the universe, of necessity much is out of place here, and is not happening as it should be: what should have been a mountain is cast down to the ground, and what is below is often lifted up to the clouds; the right became left, and the left became right; darkness is called light, and light darkness. After this, to seek in our fallen world a strict order of truth, a correct combination of happiness with virtue, would mean to seek the constant actions of prudence in the house of those devoid of intelligence. “But where is Providence?” Wherever there are people in need. “What is he doing?” Everything that is needed for the benefit of the persecuted, and even the persecutors. In fact, all that should be desired in the present state of human affairs and what can rightfully be hoped from the Providence of God, all this is that appropriate measures are taken against human disorder, that a limit is set beyond which human madness cannot extend, that the suffering of virtuous people is as minimal as possible, and is turned into good for those who suffer, that evil is buried in its very triumph, and truth is resurrected with glory from its very grave. But all this was done by Providence, and in such a way that the most demanding mind cannot wish for more and better. And, firstly, how far can the fierceness of the most fierce persecutors of humanity extend over their own kind? No further than the taking away of the life of the body, in which way many martyrs suffered, John himself and the Savior Himself. “There is nothing more,” to use His own words, “that the tormentors cannot do” (Lk. 12:4); it is not in their power to touch the soul, especially since conscience always remains the property of a person, inaccessible to any external power. But how much does the loss of a mortal body mean, which even without suffering in a few years should become the prey of disease and decay, and which the person himself often gives directly to death, not only in important cases, for example, to protect the Fatherland, but also for unimportant reasons; How much does the loss of the body mean for the spirit, which does not know death and the end and, having put off the mortal church of the body here, where it weighs him down incessantly, immediately finds for itself a new church, “created by God Himself in heaven” (2 Cor. 5:1) - putting on a spiritual body, glorious and immortal? In this regard, doesn’t martyrdom itself mean the same thing as if someone were forcibly taken out of a poor hut and thrown into an eternal home in the royal palace?.. And aren’t the tormentors in this case the benefactors of the tormented, as the latter actually often called them? Like benefactors, although they themselves do not know it, and think of doing unbearable evil for those tormented by them; they take away the temporal, and those who are deprived gain the eternal; the fire of sorrow and torment consumes the last remnants of sinful impurities, which sometimes remain in the most righteous people for a long time. The whole task of those who suffer, therefore, is to be able to endure suffering in the spirit of faith and turn it towards their spiritual perfection, to the purification of the heart and conscience - so that through suffering they can be more closely united with their Lord and Savior, Who is the leader, example and friend of all those who suffer in His name. He who suffers in this way, in the spirit of faith and love, without murmuring against Providence, without hatred of his persecutors, has every reason to rejoice, for he is clearly in the midst of the royal path, and is in the closest spiritual affinity with his Savior; the banner of victory is already waving over him, the gates of heaven are already open to him! Let us apply these truths to the joyfully sad event that we remember. John, due to his zeal for truth and law, could not help but denounce Herod; Herod and Herodias, due to their malice and corruption, were unable to profitably accept the reproofs of the holy man. Truth thus met and battled with vice; everyone, so to speak, did their job, and everyone got theirs. All the power of faith and virtue was revealed in John; in Herod the predominance of earthly power was revealed. The power of faith was not afraid to expose the vice covered with purple; the power of the earth was not ashamed to behead the one who, according to everyone, was the greatest of the prophets. Victory apparently remained on the side of wickedness; the voice that cried in the wilderness fell silent, the lamp of light went out; and vice remained in his beloved, silent darkness. But in fact, the completely opposite happened: John was caught up from the desert into paradise, from the locusts to the supper of the Lamb; the speculator was an Angel who placed the crown of martyrdom on him. Herod continued to feast, feasted for several years, and then he saw a speculator above him, who tore his soul out of his body and threw him there where the fire does not go out and the worm does not die. Who has now gained and who has lost?.. Herod or John?.. If the murderer of John had been asked to return to earth, what kind of deaths would he not have agreed to endure, just to return the insane command given against John! And John? His martyr's crown is so majestic that he has no reason to return to earth, even for all the crowns in the world. And of us now, despite our weakness in virtue, who, if we had to choose one of the two, who would want to take the place of Herod and would not prefer the fate of John? The very name of the latter already arouses reverence and love in everyone; on the contrary, the name of Herod has always meant and will always mean monsters playing with humanity. Thus, brethren, innocence always suffers here - it suffers temporarily in order to receive an eternal reward, - it suffers because it cannot tolerate untruth, just as it itself does not tolerate untruth - it suffers in order to improve itself in selfless service to God. Keeping this in mind, let us be generous in enduring disasters; Let us not grumble at Providence because He allows the wicked to triumph; here is their “time and dark region” (Luke 22:53), but there will be a time of retribution and Judgment, a day of triumph for the righteous and the persecuted; then it will appear in all its strength who has lost and who has gained—whether those who sowed with “tears” (Ps. 126:5), or those who scattered life among insane joys and laughter. In anticipation of this glorious and terrible day, let us bear the cross with patience, not in the least afraid of vice, no matter how powerful and daring it may be. A person who does righteousness, walking in the law of God, must be above all and fear the one God. “Hey, I tell you, brothers, whom you will fear: Fear him who has power, soul and body... he will be thrown into the wilds of fire” (Luke 12:5) - and not Herod, not Caiaphas and Pilates! Amen. Homily on the Day of the Beheading of John the Baptist The martyrdom of such a great and holy man as the Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord was, without a doubt, one of the striking and sad events for all of Judea. Some regretted, no doubt, with all their hearts, that such a great lamp, which illuminated the entire borders of Israel, went out forever in the darkness of prison. Others cursed Herod, who, for the sake of a cold dancer, did not spare the one whom he had respected and listened to until that time. Others, probably, even grumbled at Providence, which allowed the riot of passions to triumph over truth and holiness; and others, finally, perhaps, were affirmed in the thought, seen in some at one time by Solomon, that there is one end to good and evil, to those who eat and to those who do not eat, and that it is not worth living well when a pious life does not receive any reward. No one probably thought that this sad event was under a special secret order of God and was allowed for an extraordinary, extremely high and beneficial purpose. Meanwhile, the matter was exactly like this: “The glorious beheading of the Forerunner was a kind of Divine sight.” What kind of looking? That, and “the coming of the Savior will be preached to those in hell.” The Savior of the world had been on earth for a long time, and was soon preparing to end His earthly career on earth. Those who did not want to close their eyes have long seen, like Simeon, “the salvation that the Lord has prepared before the face” of all people. But the Savior was awaited not only by those living in the land of the living, but also by the dead, whose number in comparison with the living was unspeakably greater. Therefore, it was necessary for someone to announce the coming of the Conqueror of death and hell. And so, for this great work, the same John was appointed by God’s Providence, who foretold the appearance of the Savior on earth: “and the coming of the Savior will be preached to those in hell.” What happened to Herod and Herodias after this? They, without knowing it themselves, fulfilled the secret determination of Providence. This does not lessen their guilt, for they did not know this and acted out of their own insane arbitrariness, to satisfy their passions. But the fate of the righteous man appears in its true form, but the ways of God’s Providence, which allowed the atrocity, turn out to be wise and beneficent. John has already had many crowns for his many exploits and deeds, he is given another new crown of martyrdom, and at the same time a new, great commission - to be the forerunner and herald of the Savior in hell for all those awaiting His coming there. “Yes, and to those in hell the coming of the Savior will be preached.” How glorious it was for John to appear in the cathedral of all those who have fallen asleep from time immemorial with the joyful news that the hour of redemption has approached, that in a short time the One who must crush the head of the serpent and destroy the power of hell and death is coming after him! Without a doubt, then - and this was immediately after his death - his martyrdom in prison from a speculator seemed to him an instantaneous departure from the royal palace to fulfill the extraordinary commands of the Lord of glory. When those reclining at Herod’s wicked meal looked with secret horror at the head of the Baptist on the platter, this Baptist already stood in heavenly glory before the host of the righteous and announced to them the event of what they expected from the century. But, as we noted above, no one on earth knew this; Therefore, the death of the Baptist should have produced in all well-minded people the most sorrowful feelings and, without a doubt, because of it, many tears were shed, many questions and perplexities were aroused, and some, perhaps, stumbled over this stone of temptation to the point that they asked in grief: “Is there a Providence after this when John is beheaded in prison by Herod?” What should we take from here for our edification? Two things: a) do not be embarrassed by the fact that in this world truth and innocence often suffer to the end; this suffering is temporary and brief, but the reward for it is eternal; b) not to be embarrassed by the so-called untimely deaths, especially of people close to us. Homily on the day of St. John the Theologian, at the all-night vigil The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, while containing the principles of the purest morality and teaching many excellent rules regarding various virtues, do not give open instructions in relation to the virtue of friendship. Such silence, no doubt, arose from the fact that the holy writers, or, more specifically, the Holy Spirit, intended not only to cover all situations in life with instructions and to give people a complete collection of rules of behavior, but, through Scripture, to inspire in them such a way of thinking and feeling that they themselves, without prescriptions and rules, would know how a Christian should act in each case. In this regard, we can say: what is said in the Holy Scriptures is said as an example, and what is not said is not said as an example. Meanwhile, there is not a single book that contains so many examples and models for true friendship as in the books of the Old and New Testaments. Who of those who have heart and soul would not revere the friendship of Abraham and Lot? (Gen. 12:5, 13:1, 5). Who can read the description of Jonathan's friendly love for David without emotion? (1 Samuel 18:1–3, 20:2, 12, 17) Elijah and Elisha, Ezra and Nehemiah, Joseph and Nicodemus, Paul and Barnabas, Mary and Elizabeth, Salome and Magdalene - these are names, each of which awakens in the soul a feeling of friendship of the most permanent and pure kind. But most instructive is the example of Jesus Christ Himself, for He Himself was pleased to leave us in His person an example of friendship. You know who was honored to be the friend of the God-man; this is the same apostle whose memory we honor today. Therefore, we will not shy away from celebrating in his honor if we revive, if possible, in our minds the image of his friendship with the God-Man, in order to believe in them the image of our friendship. Saint John had all the qualities necessary to arouse and maintain holy, friendly love. His special devotion to his Teacher was adorned in him by a special innocence of morals and purity of heart; An elevated mind was united in John with such a fullness of feelings of love in the heart, which was inferior only to the abundant fullness of the love of Jesus. Thus, since the soul of Saint John, more than others, was open to the purest soul of Jesus and, more than others, approached it with its purity, the most holy Teacher and the holy disciple were united with each other by bonds of friendly unity. The fruit of this holy union was to be the most perfect example of true friendship. And indeed, the Lord Jesus, in relation to St. John, represents the best example of friends of benefactors; and Saint John, in relation to his Teacher, is an excellent example of the friends of those who benefit. Let us consider with reverence both separately: the first today, and the last tomorrow. We said that the Lord Jesus in relation to St. John is an example of friends of benefactors. Every friendship is made up of love, trust and sociability, but in true friendship there must be love without passion, trust without indiscretion, sociability without waste. The friendship of our Savior teaches us all this. Jesus was the most tender and obliging friend. If He retires to raise the dead, his friend receives permission to be present at the performance of such a great miracle (Luke 8:51). Whether he ascends the mountain for the Transfiguration, His glory seems imperfect to Him if His friend does not witness it (Matthew 17:1). Whether comforters are needed in sorrowful moments before the onset of suffering, His friend is among them (Matthew 26:37). Is it necessary to prepare a supper at which the Body and Blood of Jesus should take the place of the Passover lamb? Its preparation is entrusted to a friend (Luke 22:8). During this supper, the Lord Jesus, with unparalleled tenderness, deigns His friend to recline on His breasts (John 13:23). But the love of Jesus Christ was the love of the God-man; There is not the slightest trace of partiality in her, which so much disfigures human love. For a disciple as dearly loved as Saint John, what could be more characteristic of zeal for the glory of his Teacher? And so he, seeing someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus, but not belonging to the number of followers of Jesus, considers it his duty to forbid him to call on his beloved name. But the Teacher does not approve of his friend’s jealousy, and teaches him to judge the actions of his neighbor more leniently. “Do not scold,” He says, “to call on My name; What is not in you is in you” (Luke 9:50). The inhabitants of the Samaritan villages prohibit Jesus Christ from entering their borders; His friend, in the heat of indignation, asks permission to bring down, like Elijah, fire from heaven to consume the homes of insensitive and lawless people. The Lord Jesus, on the contrary, hastens to extinguish the fire that enveloped the soul of His friend, and reproaches him for ignorance of his spirit: “You do not know what spirit you are; The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save” (Luke 9:55–56). In general, the earthly life of Jesus Christ contains as many denunciations of erring John as signs of favor towards John, who is justly zealous for the truth. It could not be otherwise; because the love of the Lord Jesus for him was not earthly, ordinary love, but true and holy. On the contrary, our love for friends, brethren, is mostly governed by partiality. Just as we dislike everything in the one we hate, so everything delights us in the one we love. We seem to completely forget that the person we love, like others, is subject to weaknesses, and we imagine him as a deity, alien to any imperfection. In addition to exalting beyond measure the commendable qualities and actions of our friends, we often turn their very shortcomings into praise. Instead of using friendly intimacy to mutually notice imperfections and correct them, we consider it a kind of duty not to notice the shortcomings of a friend; and even when they are so visible that they cannot help but be noticed, all our concern is limited to excusing them as much as possible. Hence it follows that so many complain of their destruction from the reckless condescension of their friends towards them, and so few boast of the assistance of their friends in achieving Christian perfection. And thus, mutual love, being transformed into passion, destroys more people than hatred and enmity itself. Oh, let us love our friends according to the example of Jesus, love not for our own pleasure, but for their good, for their and our virtue! The bonds of friendship should not only not deprive us of the freedom to see the shortcomings of our friends, but also impose on us the need to be the guardians of their moral perfection. Friendly love, as we said, cannot yet exist without mutual trust. All His disciples, not excluding the traitor himself, enjoyed the power of attorney of Jesus Christ. That is why He called all His disciples not servants, but friends. “No one,” He says to them, “I say, servants, for a servant does not know what his Lord is doing; but you have been told by others, for all the things that I have heard from My Father have told you” (John 15:15). However, on the basis of this same law of friendship, spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself, it must be said that Saint John was His primary friend, since he enjoyed Jesus’ primary trust in him not only during His earthly life, but (if one is allowed to look further) also in the state of His glorification. Thus, the secret of the traitor, which, apparently, Jesus wanted to hide from His other disciples, is revealed to John alone. This power of attorney, without a doubt, was the reason that the disciples of Jesus used John instead of a mediator to learn the innermost intentions of their Teacher; and after His resurrection with such curiosity they wanted to know from Him about the future fate of His friend: “Lord, what is this?” (John 21:21). It seemed to them that their Teacher, having shown John so many signs of His special favor throughout His life, would take an active part in the subsequent fate of His friend and after His resurrection, and in the events of his life would show new signs of His love for him. In fact, even after the resurrection of his Divine friend, John remained the primary custodian of His secrets. And, firstly, the mysteries of the Divine Person of Jesus: the eternal being, birth and Divinity of the Word, His mysterious union with humanity in the person of the Lord Jesus, the reality of the presence of the Body and Blood of the God-Man under the guise of bread and wine - these mysteries of the Divine Person of Jesus are not described by anyone with such clarity as St. John. The secrets of the house of God, that is, the Church of Christ, such as its growth, oppression and successes; finally, the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven - the final triumph of the Lamb over the serpent, the eternal bliss of the righteous and the decisive rejection of the wicked - are also depicted by Saint John in his wondrous Revelation. Jesus Christ, being already on the Throne of Glory with the Father, accepted these secrets from the Father, and since He Himself could not leave His glory, He sent His Angel to communicate them, for the benefit of the Church, to His friend. “The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show to His servant, which must soon be. And he sent a word through His angel to His servant John” (Rev. 1:1). This is how John himself testifies to the trust of his beloved Teacher in himself. But couldn’t there be some secrets between friends?.. Shouldn’t friends sometimes hide something from one another?.. They should, especially when they are not in a mutual subordination of equality in status. The example of Jesus Christ Himself confirms this rule in all its strength. The Apostles, not yet completely free from the prejudice about the earthly kingdom of the Messiah, after the resurrection of their Teacher, ask Him a question about the time of establishing His kingdom on earth: “Lord, will you establish the kingdom of Israel in this year?” (Acts 1:6). Judging by the liveliness of Ioannov’s character, it must be thought that he was among the first to blame for this issue. But the Lord Jesus answers decisively to His disciples that it is not their place to judge what the Father has left to His will. He could, having hidden the secret of His coming and the conversion of the Jews from the other disciples, reveal it to His friend, could have informed him about the mysterious attachment to the tree of life of the broken off branch of the Jewish people, what was later reported to Saint Paul (Rom. 11:25, 26); but His answer: “You cannot understand the times and years which the Father has appointed in His power” (Acts 1:7), extends to His friend. Having revealed to John everything that was given to His authority, the God-Man does not communicate the secret that the Heavenly Father revealed to Himself. An example of friendly silence, worthy of constant imitation! But how few and how rarely do they imitate him! How often, under the guise of friendly secrets, they communicate what the honor, peace, happiness, even life of their neighbor depends on, without caring in the least about the consequences of their reckless frankness; having no other motive to be frank than the pleasure of entertaining his friend about his neighbor's honor! Our only excuse in this case is that we opened up to a friend; but this friend will reveal himself to no more than one, and, moreover, with an air that requires secrecy, and meanwhile, from this mutual secret a public voice is soon formed; from this crowd of unreasonable friends, unnoticed by them themselves, a crowd of scoffers, ill-wishers, and persecutors is formed. We completely forget that betraying a neighbor’s secret, even to a friend, is theft, and, moreover, very dishonest for us, the most offensive for the neighbor. A union of friendship just as little excuses the betrayal of a stolen secret as a community of robbers excuses the betrayal of stolen things. The law of friendship requires frankness, but prudent frankness, not combined with a violation of the rules of modesty in relation to oneself and others. True friends, further, cannot help but be sociable. Jesus Christ was so poor that he had no place to lay his head; but “had a spirit without measure” (John 3:34). He could not seat on the Throne of earthly glory; but had authority to appoint others as apostles, others as prophets, and others as teachers (Eph. 4:11–12). Possessing such gifts, He imparted them in abundance to His friend. He made John an apostle of the Asia Minor Churches, where the very “throne of Satan” was (Rev. 2:13); an evangelist who conveyed to us the most precious thing from the life of his Teacher - His conversations; a teacher who taught the highest virtue - love; a martyr who testified his faith by fire, poison and exile; a virgin and at the same time the guardian of the purest of virgins. Jesus' generous heart remained open to His friend on the cross itself. From the lips, one might say, of death itself, Jesus extends His voice to John, and bequeaths to him everything that for Him, as a Man, remained most precious on earth - His Mother: “He said to the disciple: Behold, your Mother!” (John 19:27). But by giving so much to John, did the Lord leave the other disciples without signs of His generosity?.. “He found,” says St. Chrysostom (Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew), “in John’s love there was more quietness and tenderness, but at the same time he noticed in Peter’s faith more liveliness and determination; therefore he loved the first more tenderly, and the latter more sublimely; He gave His Mother to the first, as a gift of love, more befitting of his simple character; the latter was promised the advantage of “confirming his brothers in the faith” (Luke 22:32), as a gift of honor, more consistent with the strength of his faith. We, on the contrary, if we are not stingy, then give without measure, without commensurate with the quality, condition, or merits of our friends. The flow of our good deeds, being directed in one direction, leaves all others dry and fruitless. The consequence of this is insatiable greed in some - for what favorite has ever considered himself, I do not say, excessively, even quite rewarded? - and the inevitable grief and annoyance of others - for what applicant ever thought that he was denied quite rightly? How often do they appear before the mighty of the earth with petitions similar to the petition of John: “Give to us, that one may sit on Thy right hand and one on Thy neck... sit in Thy glory” (Mark 10:37)! And how rarely do these strong ones have so much presence of mind to say: “I don’t know what to ask for” (Mark 10:38)! Blinded by pride, you do not see that what you ask completely exceeds your strength, that you do not have so much insight, nor so much zeal, nor even so much time to take this or that place, to enter into this or that position. You do not notice that the fulfillment of your request will serve to the detriment of you and others, that you still have to drink the cup of temptation before you become capable of enjoying glory - “I don’t know what I’m asking for!” This kind of partiality, which often destroys the friends of benefactors and the friends of the benefited, comes, brethren, from the fact that they do not love their friends according to the example of the love of Jesus, or even more from the fact that they do not love the Lord Jesus Himself. Whoever loves Him will always have the image of Jesus’ friendship before their eyes; he will love his friends, but without passion, he will open his heart to them; but without betraying the secrets entrusted to him, he will finally share his benefits with them, but without pouring them out on one so that nothing is left for others. Amen. Homily on the day of St. John the Evangelist, at the liturgy Talking, brethren, with you yesterday about the friendship of Jesus Christ with Saint John, I said that this disciple of Christ represents the best example for the friends of those who benefit. This should form the subject of our current conversation, which we will try to arrange in such a way that it serves as much for our edification as for the glorification of the apostle we celebrate. What is the essential duty of friends of the benefited? To feel the full value of the friendship of their benefactors and, if possible, to pay for it with mutual diligence and loyalty: this is their duty! It is impossible to fulfill it better and more successfully, as John did. To be convinced of this, it is enough to pay attention to how he enjoyed the predominant love of his Teacher and Lord for him, for which he used His special trust in himself, and for what purpose the generosity of his Divine friend served him. The love of carnal friends is very often jealous. They not only want to be loved, but also strive to be the only object of attention and love. Every sign of favor towards others is considered a sign of dislike towards oneself. And therefore, instead of trying to arouse in others love for their friend-benefactor, they try in every possible way to remove from him all those whose love could earn his love for themselves and be useful to him. Saint John, on the contrary, reclined on the breasts of the Lord Jesus in order to tell everyone about the wealth of love hidden in His heart, and thus arouse in everyone love for Him, and make everyone worthy of His love. Other evangelists taught us from the life of Jesus Christ that which primarily serves to strengthen faith in His Divine Embassy; Saint John collected those character traits of Jesus that are primarily capable of arousing love for Him. Who will not love the Lord Jesus, seeing what tender participation He takes in the shortcomings of His friends at the wedding in Cana of Galilee? ( John 2:1–12 ). Who will not love the Lord Jesus, listening to His conversation with the Samaritan woman and seeing with what condescending wisdom He raises her mind from the sensual to the spiritual through questions and answers? ( John 4:7–27 ). Who will not love the Lord Jesus, imagining the heavenly meekness with which He turns from a sinful, but repentant life, shame on the head of its accusers, inveterate in evil? (John 8:3–12). Who will not love the Lord Jesus, shedding tears at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, and begging the Heavenly Father for the return of his life? (John 11:34, 41–45). Who would not love Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and teaching them humility and meekness? (John 13:4–5). Who, finally, will not love Jesus, reading His farewell conversation with the disciples, in which His whole heart is poured out in love for them and their followers? All these Divine character traits of Jesus were preserved for us by Saint John. The love of Jesus Christ left such a deep impression on his heart that, half a century later, in old age, he conveys all its expressions with the precision of a modern writer. In the school of sowing love, he learned that simple but touching language with which in his loving messages he calls all his children to mutual love. But did St. John arouse in others the love for Jesus with his words alone? We see him on Tabor, bowing before the greatness of the Divine glory of his Friend, and we are not surprised that his heart participates in Peter’s exclamation: “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” (Matthew 17:4). But here Jesus, surrounded by his fiercest enemies, is elevated to Golgotha, ascended to the cross: where are you, friends of Jesus, who were blessed by Him, where are you, healed of diseases, fed in the desert, who received from Him the gift of miracles, where are you? Ah, they all, leaving Him, run away! Some, daring to follow Him, reject Him with an oath. John alone courageously follows his Friend to Golgotha, shares with Him the illness of His soul, accepts His last breaths from the cross and with his prayer accompanies His spirit to the Father. Is it possible to more accurately pay for friendly love and more convincingly arouse in others love for their friend? Saint John made equally holy use out of the Lord Jesus’ trust in him. The favorites of the mighty of the earth usually use their trust in order to give themselves as much value as possible in the eyes of others. If they are not always so immodest as to turn the secrets entrusted to them into the subject of their own criminal power of attorney to others, then they are almost always so ambitious that, having been awarded the power of attorney, they take on that mysterious, meaningful appearance that, more expressively than words, inspires everyone about their strength and dignity. Saint John turned all the secrets entrusted to him to the glory of the Lord Jesus, partly protecting them from enemies, partly disseminating them among believers. The Christian Church was still in its infancy when the fierce serpents directed their poisonous sting at it. Cerinthus, Ebion and other heretics rebelled against the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and dared to portray Him as a simple man. Seeing this, Saint John, like a good steward, immediately, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, brings out from the treasury of his heart the wondrous mystery of the eternal birth of the Word, and in the ears of the entire East he proclaims: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word” (John 1:1-2). The words, for all their simplicity, are so sublime, filled with such power of conviction that the most pagan philosophers, according to Augustine (First Discourse on the Gospel of John), could not deny them surprise. In general, Saint John, both in his Gospel and in the Epistles and Revelation, affirmed with such force the Divine dignity of Jesus Christ that Saint Chrysostom (ibid.) did not hesitate to call his writings the pillar of the Christian Churches. With the same zeal with which he defended the Divine glory of his Friend against unbelievers, Saint John spread it among the believers. One would have to be completely insensitive not to be touched by the paternal solicitude with which he taught his beloved children to distinguish between teachers who confessed the incarnation of the Lord Jesus from those who did not recognize it. Beloved, he wrote to them out of fullness of love. - “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tempt the spirits, if they are from God... Of this know the Spirit of God and the spirit of deceit: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God: and this is the Antichrist” (1 John 4:1-3). Not to recognize Jesus Christ as God, according to the spirit of John’s teaching, means not to have an Intercessor for sins, to be deprived of boldness before God, to remain without hope of once seeing God, means to be in the bonds of eternal death. But even recognizing Jesus Christ as God, not conforming to this recognition of one’s life, not acting as He acted, means, in the spirit of the same teaching of John, to be a liar, to represent God Himself as false, Who was pleased to cleanse us in Christ from all filth. Is it possible to explain more purely and sublimely the worship that the Lord Jesus demands from His followers? How, finally, did Saint John use the spiritual gifts received from his Friend and Lord? Is it for this, as usually happens among us, to exalt ourselves before others and, in the intoxication of pride, forget about the benefactor himself? But why am I saying this? Such feelings are only appropriate for carnal friends, among whom good deeds very often give rise to ingratitude. The benefits of Jesus shown to Saint John disposed him to sacrifice everything for Jesus. Not comprehending, during the earthly life of his Friend, the price of suffering for his neighbors, Saint John on Calvary was finally wounded by such a strong love for the cross that nothing could subsequently quench in him the sacred thirst for the “cup” (Matthew 20:23) promised by Jesus. But marvelous is the dispute between the Teacher’s generosity and the student’s gratitude! The disciple thirsts to shed his blood for the Teacher; The teacher deflects all dangers from him until the very end of his life. All the apostles have already united with their Lord and Teacher in His eternal Kingdom; thousands of younger brothers have already come through torture to the monastery of the Heavenly Father; many of John’s beloved children have already received the inheritance of eternal life; for John alone there is no sword, no fire, no cross; He alone among the host of victors remains without a victorious crown. Finally, the hellish fire of persecution kindled in the heart of Domitian; John hastens to offer himself as a burnt offering. Already he is among the boiling resin, he is already touching the goal of his desires, but suddenly the mysterious determination: “I want him to remain until I come” (John 21:22), again accepts strength, and Saint John comes out of the fiery font, according to Tertullian, with greater strength than with which he entered it. A new ray of hope flashed in the eyes of John’s love: he is imprisoned by Domitian in Patmos, condemned to grueling labor along with criminals. The crown of martyrdom, although not so brilliant, is nevertheless prickly, apparently intertwined over his head; but the invisible right hand again captures him from the eyes of John: the tyrant loses his life, John loses exile. Not only torture, but death itself seems to escape John. The earth around the sun has already completed its course a hundred times; but the course of John was not yet completed. The twelve Caesars, like shadows, appeared and disappeared on the throne of Rome; Rome and Jerusalem experienced all the vicissitudes of time; Solomon's temple and the Capitol are reduced to ashes; but the mortal church of a hundred-year-old man remains indestructible among all the storms. Beloved Jesus! When will the time of Your mysterious “coming” be fulfilled? (John 21:22). When will the longed-for day for Your friend to unite with You come? Or has the promise to share with him the cup of Your suffering been forgotten? Where is this cup, so terrible for others, and so desired for him? This, brethren, mysterious slowness consisted of the torment predetermined by Jesus for His friend. To die as Saint John died, that is, to be struck down by a natural death, having an intensified desire to fight for the glory of God with a violent one, to see so many times over your head the crown of martyrdom, the most precious of all royal crowns, and to remain uncrowned, to be carried to the cross by the Beloved and, being constantly rejected, to give up the spirit not at His foot - this is the most cruel torment for those who are wounded by love, strong “like death” (Song. 8:6). But, dear brethren, is this holy mystery at all understandable to us - the suffering of love from a lack of suffering for the Beloved? Is there anyone in this meeting actively participating in it? Is there anyone like this in our century? In our whole world? Ah, instead of seeking suffering for God and Christ, we cannot endure those imposed on us by God and Christ; Instead of suffering out of love and rejoicing, we cannot even endure in truth and not grumble! Is this true love for God? Did He Himself love and love us? Which brave warrior would not agree to sacrifice his life for the life of his commander? And we, followers of the One who Himself laid down His soul for us, we often complain about the performance of any rituals in His honor, and consider our smallest service to Him a great burden! Is this love for our Savior? Did He Himself love us? After this, it is not surprising that our earthly friendship is for the most part weak, like a cobweb, bitter, like marah, and prickly, like thorns. Can someone who does not know how to love their Savior truly love anyone? An enemy of God cannot be a friend of people! Amen. Word on the day of St. John the Evangelist After what was read during yesterday’s service and now from the writings of the evangelist we celebrate about God and our Savior, about love and eternal life, after that, I say, there is almost no need for special instruction. For in what was read, the means are indicated not only how to know God (1 John 2:3-4), but also how to abide in God (1 John 4:16), and moreover, what is necessary for a Christian? But so that this special day for us does not remain even without ordinary teaching, let us pay attention to the life of the celebrated evangelist, and let us take something from it for both our private and general edification. The life of great and holy men is always replete with remarkable deeds, in which, more or less, their great and holy spirit is revealed. But in the life of almost each of these men one can find such deeds in which their spirit is revealed in all its fullness and strength, in which the great and holy man is visible, so to speak, completely. Is there a similar act or event in the life of the evangelist we celebrate? It seems that this is precisely his standing with the Mother of God on Golgotha, at the Cross of Jesus; and when I imagine John, I imagine him standing at the cross. There cannot be a more unique and holier position! If John performed miracles, cast out demons, raised the dead, then this is not particularly different for him; then there was a time of miracles; Almost all believers either performed miracles or saw them performed on themselves. In the same way, if John preached the Gospel, converted cities and villages to Christ, shamed idols and their servants, then the other apostles also worked on this; and one of them, according to his own, unfalse review, “worked harder than everyone else” (1 Cor. 15:10). The very honor of being the writer of the Gospel (although John’s surpasses the others in depth and height) is shared by the son of thunder with the other three evangelists, two of whom were not even among the twelve. But on Calvary John is one and only; here above him, that is, closer to the cross, there is only the Mother of Jesus and him! In fact, of the closest disciples, “all of them left the Teacher in flight” (Matthew 26:56), not only out of a sense of fear, which was so great that the Supreme One renounced three times with an oath, but in some way even in accordance with the intention of the Teacher, who did not want any of His disciples to remain in the hands of enemies; but the son of thunder does not look at anything, he alone remains in the divine guard, one accepts the last testament, is adopted and sweetens with his presence the bitter cup of suffering. Seraphim, being in the flesh, could not contain more than this feat, higher than this honor. 20:22) and that therefore he is worthy to sit on the right hand in glory, for he already stood on the right hand in humiliation. And such a feat of faith and courage was accomplished by John even before the baptism with the Holy Spirit, before being endowed with “power from on high!” (Luke 24:49). Where does such steadfastness come from in a young student? What lifted him above all fears and made him able to stand firm on the wavering Calvary? All this, brothers, was brought about by love - love, according to Paul, “falls away no more” (1 Cor. 13:8). Petrov's faith was eclipsed, Jacob's hope was hidden, but John's love remained unchanged. He lived more by the life of the heart, and therefore he believed in spite of what he saw, he hoped above what he heard. Inspired by love, he, without thinking, would have descended with his Teacher into hell itself. For for him paradise is where the Lord and his Teacher were. To this inspiration by holy love, to this life of the heart in the divine, we must attribute that deep height that is seen in all the writings of John. He would not have written like this if he had not known the heart of Jesus; I would not have known the heart of Jesus if I had not reclined on His breasts; and he would not have reclined on Jesus’s breasts if his own breasts had not contained the fullness of heavenly feeling and divine flame. Love brought John closer to Jesus, love revealed to him the secret of His face and deeds, love made John a Theologian: the cross and love are the symbol of John! Isn't this the same thing, brothers, that should be the symbol of every true theologian? One can know the truths of faith with one mind and memory; but how poor, lifeless and fruitless this knowledge is! You can know the truths of faith through one activity, turning them into rules of life; but this knowledge, although much higher than the first and necessary for perfection, is cold, dry, and instead of joy it often produces “the spirit of work... into fear” (Rom. 8:15). Only the participation of a blessed heart makes the “yoke” of self-sacrifice “good and the burden of the commandments light” (Matthew 11:30); only a living sensation in the soul of the heavenly and divine makes a person related to heaven, and gives him a taste of the “powers of the coming age” (Heb. 6:5); only holy love produces a more or less close and real union of man with God and Christ, and therefore living faith and living hope. Without love there is no true knowledge, and the reason is obvious. God is the main subject of faith, “love is” (1 John 4:16); How can one truly know Him without being in love? (Ibid.). Jesus Christ, the focus of our faith, out of love sacrificed Himself for the salvation of people; How can one understand the mystery of sowing sacrifice without knowing the power of love? The grace of the Holy Spirit comes from the love of God the Father and the Son and produces filial love for God the Father and the Son; Is it possible to be a partaker of sowing grace without love? Love, for this very reason, is the key to all the Sacraments of faith. It is also a ladder to Christian perfection. In love for God and for neighbors, according to the testimony of Love itself, “all the law and the prophets hang” (Matthew 22:40). “Love your friend, fulfill the law” (Rom. 13:8). Therefore, about that teacher of faith who does not know Christian love, it must be said that he, even if he possessed all earthly knowledge, does not understand anything in matters of faith as he should; and, even if he spoke in angelic tongues, there is nothing more than “like a ringing brass or a clanging cymbal!” (1 Cor. 13:1). But where should the feeling of divine love, which should animate a true theologian, be primarily directed? To the Cross of the Savior. In this Cross, all the love for us of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit was concentrated and revealed; in this same Cross all our love for the Most Holy Trinity should be concentrated and revealed. Whoever understands the power of the Cross of Christ knows all the secrets of faith, for they all come from the Cross and lead to the Cross. He who understands the power of the Cross knows all the secrets of Christian activity, for spiritual life begins, grows, and is perfected by the Cross and deeds of self-sacrifice. Without the Cross there is no Savior and salvation, no faith and knowledge, no life and spiritual activity. The cross, for that very reason, is the beginning and crown of true knowledge of God! To you, pupils of piety and future teachers of faith and morals, I would especially like to instill these truths in you, for they belong most to you. You are called to follow in the footsteps of the apostles, to be “companions” (1 Cor. 3:9) of God in the great work of restoring the fallen human race through faith in the Son of God. A lot of money is used for your education; You have many aids in order to successfully achieve your high destiny. But all the means and benefits will remain without full effect until each of you enters the path of active sanctification by faith and love, and begins to live in the objects of faith with your heart. Only tasting the goodness of God makes us understand how good our Lord and Savior is; Only the acceptance into the soul of salvation from the Cross of Christ assimilates us to Christ and to us Christ; and all this is a matter not so much of the mind as of the heart. So, when you form your mind, form your heart, and form your heart more than your mind. In the midst of this formation, let the Cross of Christ be the first and last object of your thoughts and feelings. He who knows him knows everything; whoever does not know him knows nothing, even if he seems to know everything. But true knowledge of the Cross of Christ must and cannot but be combined with bearing it - for without this it is impossible to know what exactly in the Cross constitutes the Cross. But only true love for Christ can bear the Cross of Christ as it should, which therefore must be acquired first and most of all. Whoever does not feel within himself a holy determination to stand with John at the Cross of the Savior on Golgotha ​​is not yet a student, much less a teacher in the order of John! Amen. Homily on the day of repose of the holy glorious and all-praised apostle and evangelist John the Theologian We celebrate the death of John. But did he die? Isn't he still alive? The questions are unexpected, but it is not curiosity that prompts them to be proposed, but the Gospel itself, for you have heard what it says about John: “Now this word went out to the brethren, because that disciple would not die” (John 21:23). The brethren of the divinely luminous Apostolic Church could not frivolously pursue the dream of their imagination and arbitrarily pass it off as an explanation of the words of the Savior. Moreover, the Gospel, mentioning the expectation, “that her disciple will not die,” does not refute it, as unrealistic and stemming from an incorrect understanding of the Savior’s words about John, but only limits the reason and basis for it to the exact limits of any exaggeration: “And I do not say to him... that he will not die, but: if I am willing, he will abide, until I come, what to you?” (John 21:23). In the church song sung yesterday in honor of St. John, we hear even more; here he is directly and clearly called hitherto “living and awaiting the terrible second coming of the Lord” (Stichera at Little Vespers). If Saint John did not die and is still alive, then how do we celebrate the day of His repose? Isn't this similar to someone who remembers a dead person who is still alive? No, John really died, for he is not on earth; although he did not die the way everyone usually dies. This is what the above church hymn expresses when they call him “accepting the earth and not retreating from the earth.” For what is called repose? That is when the man who lived among us was no longer on earth; when he ceased to be considered alive and became invisible forever, as happens with the dead. In this sense, Saint John died, for from the second Christian century he was no longer on earth among people. What do we call death? Separation of the soul from the body, the consequence of which is that the soul departs to another world, and the body is dissolved into pieces and turns into dust. In this sense, it can be said about Saint John, not without reason, that he did not die. In order to better understand this, let us listen to what the holy tradition of the Church says about the death of the Apostle: “And those who were fulfilled in this summer when he became a hundred and dead, his disciples left the house of Domnov for the week, and having reached a certain place, he commanded them to sit down there. By the morning, and he went away, like throwing a stone, and prayed. Then, the disciple dug the coffin in a cross shape in the length of his age, as he commanded them, commandment to Prokhor, let him go to Jerusalem, and let him remain there until his death. And having punished the disciples and kissed them, they said: drawing the earth, my mother, cover me. And kissed his disciple, and covered him even to the knees. And again I kissed them, covered him even to the neck, and laid them on his face I understood, and so kissed him, crying greenly, covered him very much. Having heard this, the brethren who were in the city came and dug up the coffin and found nothing, and a lot of green posters, and having prayed, they returned to the city. Every year, his fine ashes appeared from the tomb on the eighth day of the month of Maya, and gave healing to the sick through the prayers of the holy Apostle John, in honor of God praised in the Trinity, forever and ever.” Having weighed with all accuracy the power of this tradition, should we not say about Saint John the same thing that we said, following the words of the church hymn, that is, that he departed from us and, nevertheless, is alive; died, and did not die at the same time, in accordance with the mysterious prediction of the Lord about him? Thus, the apparently insoluble contradiction regarding the death of John is conveniently resolved: and the Church is right in celebrating the day of his repose; and the brethren of the Apostolic Church are free from reproach for frivolity - for waiting, “for that disciple will not die.” Let this example teach us, among other things, not to be embarrassed if we sometimes encounter anything resembling a contradiction in the sayings and actions of the Church. When delving into the matter, considering all the circumstances, it will probably turn out that this contradiction, as in the present case, is only imaginary. We should not be embarrassed even then if we ourselves could not resolve any confusion. If we don't allow it, others will. If no one had resolved any other bewilderment, it would not be surprising and could not lead to criticism of the Church. Natural scientists boast of their knowledge of nature, but how much remains in it that cannot be solved by any effort of the mind! And no one dares to reject the insoluble, and the one who rejects would seem crazy. But the Kingdom of grace, which the Church serves as its implementation on earth, is indescribably more extensive and sublime than the kingdom of nature; Is it therefore surprising that there is something inconceivable in it? But let's turn to John. What a wondrous fate is his! Why did it fall to his share, and not to any of the other apostles? Is it because he was a disciple “whom Jesus loved?” (John 13:23). But the love of Jesus is not like ordinary human love; there is no partiality in it; she loves as much as the subject deserves. He who does the will of the Heavenly Father, as He Himself said, is His brother and mother (Mark 3:34–35). This means that the reason and basis for John’s wondrous fate is hidden in himself. What exactly? The very name by which the Holy Church distinguishes him from the other apostles can serve as a solution to this. For the names of the Church are not idle names, but express the character of a person or thing. What the hell does she call John? Theologian. And we are sometimes called theologians, but our theology consists mostly of thoughts and words alone. This is not the theology of John. He was in God and God was in him: hence the extraordinary height of his teaching: “for God is light” (1 John 1:5). This is where the abundant love comes from in John’s writings and explanations: for “God is loving” (1 John 4:16). And this light and love, united together, produced such an excess of eternal life even in time, even in John’s mortal body, that mortal, without that revolution that consists in the separation of the soul from the body and which we usually call death, “was sacrificed in him by the life” (1 Cor. 15:54). Wasn’t it a premonition of this very thing that guided John’s hand when he wrote: “We know that we have passed away from death?” (1 John 3:14). Without a doubt, this transition from life to death took place first in the spirit of John, but then, according to the natural order of not only grace, but also nature itself, it spread from above to below, spread to the bodily nature and, during his long life (John lived for more than a hundred years), prepared it for immediate entry into the spiritual world, so that, perhaps, the very protection of his body from the disciples by the earth was commanded to them not because of any need for himself, but by one humility. And what is surprising if the beloved disciple of Christ grows while still on earth, to the extent of the future resurrection of the dead? By the death of Christ the power of death was so decisively overthrown, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit we were given so many means to eternal life that we must be more amazed at how few people achieve such perfection. “The sting of death is sin” (1 Cor. 15:56), says the apostle; therefore, in whom this thorn has been crushed is inaccessible to death. And how can the multitude of believers in the name of Christ not be like those who, by His grace, have been completely cleansed from all sin? And yet you will say, the greatest saints died. We do not dispute this; We only consider it a duty to note that not only John could have had what is attributed to him, that is, that although he walked the path of the tomb, he in fact was not subject to death like us. For, as the scriptures testify (for example, “The Ladder” of John Climacus), the body of not only John was not found after death in the tomb, but also of several other saints, starting with the Mother of God. If the bodies of other saints remain among us, on earth, then at the same time such actions are performed in them, which are no less wonderful than the death of the flesh into heaven. This, firstly, is their incorruptibility. For if anything is most likely to be subject to the destructive action of the elements, it is the human body abandoned by the soul. And the bodies of saints, often in the depths of decay itself, remain unharmed for centuries and millennia. What is this, like an invisible, unceasing reflection of eternal life in them, like its impermanent triumph over death in the very middle of its region? This wondrous property of incorruptibility is usually accompanied by other gifts, such as the healing of diseases, the expulsion of evil spirits, and sometimes the very resurrection of the dead. In this case, it is even more miraculous when we see that the holy flesh, even after separation from the spirit, is so powerful from the presence of the power of grace in it that it performs actions that exceed all the forces of nature. Let us cease to be perplexed and amazed at what is told to us about John. Instead of bewilderment, we’d better follow the tracks he left for us. For all of us, despite our unworthiness, are called to bear the name of theologians and teachers of the faith. Let us, like him, be theologians not in name alone, but in practice and in truth. And we will become such if we walk in the light and do the works of God; if we cleanse ourselves, as “He, our Savior, is pure” (1 John 3:3); if we love our brethren as He loved us; and if, finally, not only our lips, but our whole life will be the organ of the glory of God. Then we too, having finished our earthly career, will pass from death to life, although not as wondrously as John, but as befits every true follower of Christ, especially as a herald of His venerable name, who be with all of you and us in the prayers of the Evangelist of Christ! Amen. Word on the day of the church holiday of worship of the honest faith of the holy and all-praised Apostle Peter Now there is a church festival here; There are many holidays in the Church on other days, but is there ever a holiday in heaven? Happens. When? While the sinner is repenting on earth. On earth, for the most part, they do not notice it, or only a few see it: in heaven, on the contrary! There everyone knows about repentance on earth and a single sinner, and everyone rejoices in this: “there is joy in heaven,” our Savior Himself testifies, “about the one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7). Who there rejoices in this way? God the Father rejoices, seeing that “this son of His, that is, a sinner, who was dead... and perished,” now, through repentance, “come to life... and be found” - for His, that is, love and the inheritance of eternal blessings (Luke 15:24). The Son of God, our Savior, rejoices, seeing that His blood, which He shed on the cross for the atonement of all sinners, did not remain empty, but served for the salvation of the repentant sinner. All the Angels of God rejoice, for they see in the repentant sinner their future brother, whose salvation they have hitherto fruitlessly served. And note, brethren, the power of the Savior’s expression: “there is joy in heaven for one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7). It would mean a lot for a sinner if his conversion and repentance were only favorably received in heaven (for what wonder if they were rejected); it would be even more important and gratifying for a sinner if his repentance brought consolation, albeit small, to the inhabitants of heaven, especially if there is joy; but, according to the testimony of the Lord, it produces much more, produces something that could not have been expected - a special, great joy, a kind of bliss: “there is great joy in heaven!” That is, in heaven at this time there happens exactly what we on earth are accustomed to call a great triumph and celebration. And who creates this holiday for the whole sky?.. Poor, but repentant sinner! What? Just by your repentance! Who could believe this if the Son of God Himself did not testify to it? But since He testifies, there is no room for bewilderment; All that remains is to be surprised, thank, praise the mercy of the Lord and - repent! Yes, my brothers, and repent. For will we hesitate in sin when we can bring joy to the whole heaven with our repentance? It would be necessary to give up sin, to fight with every passion and evil habit - already because every sin destroys us, every passion hurts and corrupts us. And when the Heavenly Father is so merciful to us sinners that he joyfully receives us who repent; when by our return from the path of destruction we can bring consolation to all the Angels of God, then to remain in sin and remain unrepentant means to be a clear enemy not only of God, but also of ourselves. How many, however, are guilty of this latest madness! They hear the voice of the Gospel, proclaiming that there is joy in heaven for a sinner who repents, and yet they remain unrepentant; They are not in a hurry to bring joy to the whole sky with their repentance! Ah, my brothers, if the poisonous power of sin is recognized in anything, it is in this insensibility that it produces in the heart of a sinner! If anywhere the terrible action of the spirit of malice is visible, then in this case! He, he is a murderer, closes the ears of the poor sinner so that he does not hear the voice calling to repentance. He, he is a murderer, blinds the eyes of the poor sinner so that he does not see what an abyss he is in, how close he is to hell. Man on his own could not have reached this level of bitterness; the sinner himself, like the prodigal son in the Gospel, would rush into the arms of the Heavenly Father, who has been awaiting his return for so long and with such love. “But I would be glad,” someone might think, “to repent and confess my sin, if this did not result in punishment from the law.” Ah, beloved, what does temporary punishment from the law mean in comparison with the eternal execution that follows unrepentant sin? We can sometimes avoid this temporary punishment, but will we avoid eternal punishment? Is it not better, therefore, to suffer here than to be punished there? For the punishments here, by their very short duration, are like nothing in comparison with eternal torment. The holy people of God were free from all our sinful filth, they were adorned with all sorts of virtues, and yet, how they constantly punished themselves for small sins and infidelities of conscience! Their whole life here was labor, sorrow and bitterness. And we, covered from head to toe with uncleanness, we who have been drinking iniquity like water for so long, will we avoid punishment? How can we prove the sincerity of our disgust from vice and atrocities, if not by our voluntary consent to suffer what we deserve? This will be for the cleansing of our sins, as a guarantee of reconciliation with conscience and the law. A warrior fighting for the Fatherland, without any guilt, is not exposed to wounds and death itself? Is it surprising if we, too, are subject to these wounds, having earned them through our untruths? And what else, tell me, should law and justice do? Is it really possible to leave a criminal unpunished? But what would come out of human society then? Encouraged by impunity, wouldn't people then begin to tear each other apart like wild animals? “But my sins,” another will think, “are so great that I doubt forgiveness from God; my heart has become so hardened by vice and passions that I do not see the opportunity to give up sin and become good.” Whoever you are, beloved brother, to whom these thoughts come, know that they are from the spirit of malice, who wants to put the last noose on you in order to drag you with him to hell. How! Does our Lord have no forgiveness? Does our Savior have no sacrifice for your sins? Who can say this except the devil? Isn’t it the Lord Himself who says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened” with sins (Matthew 11:28). Doesn’t He stretch out His most pure hands from the cross to everyone? Isn’t it precisely for this reason that the repentant thief was pardoned on the cross itself, so that no one would doubt the mercy of the Redeemer of men? Who can also, except the enemy of our salvation, say that our Lord lacks the grace-filled strength and means to correct our evil heart? We ourselves cannot enter again into the womb of our mother in order to regenerate ourselves into goodness; but He is always able to effect this rebirth. He can take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh; can slay the dragon of hell, nesting in the depths of our soul, and renew the right spirit in our womb. It was for this purpose that the Holy Spirit descended to earth. When He, attracted by fervent repentant prayer, breathes on the heart, then everything will become alive and fruitful. But for this it is necessary, as we said, to attract the grace of the Spirit to oneself. How and with what to attract? Warm prayer, tears of repentance, a complete turning of the soul and heart to Him. If you, a sinful soul, but desiring your correction, enter through constant prayer into union with this almighty Spirit of holiness, then by His power you will not only be freed from all the bonds of sin that lie on you, you will not only receive cheerfulness and ease to perform good deeds, not only will you be adorned with them, but you can, if you have enough zeal and zeal, achieve the highest degree of purity and holiness. We tell you this based on countless examples. For take a scroll with the names of the saints of God: among them there are people who have dedicated themselves to God from youth, who are not familiar with sin and the temptations of the flesh and the world, who have not desecrated, as the word of God puts it, their vestments; but there are also a considerable number of those who had the misfortune of once losing the purity of mind and heart, who were led by the enemy into the very abyss of vice, whom he dragged mercilessly through all the wilds of wickedness, so that it seemed that all hope of their salvation was lost: and, however, through repentance, with the help of grace, they not only emerged from all the wilds and abysses, but also ascended to the heights of life equal to the angels, While still on earth, they were rewarded with extraordinary gifts of grace and became luminaries of the world. What then prevents you, sinful soul, from entering this same royal path of faith and repentance? On earth, in this life, obviously you can no longer expect much; Isn’t it better, without wasting time, to transfer all hopes to heaven, to establish your thoughts for eternity? In this case, the very humiliation, the very deprivation, the very punishment that awaits you for the rest of your life will become for you an excellent means to mortify the old man within yourself, to curb the flesh and passions, to suppress pride and anger within you, to exercise yourself in patience and humility, that is, in all that by which the mercy of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are acquired. O sinful soul, but even in the midst of sins beloved by the Savior, do not neglect this means, or, better to say, this happiness! Perhaps it is for this reason that we came here and entered into a conversation with you, in order to show you this royal path, which lies near you, but can easily remain unnoticed by you. “What exactly should I do,” someone asks, “if I decide to embark on this path of repentance?” Call on God for help, leave sin forever, and live from here on as a Christian - in purity and truth; confess all your crimes before the law, without hiding or weakening anything; endure, if determined, the punishment - in a spirit of humility, without grumbling, even with gratitude to the Almighty, Who bound your feet on the path of lawlessness. What then? Then, whether in freedom - if she is returned, or in bonds - if they are found necessary by the law for us, use the rest of our lives on repentance and doing good deeds; to stop and admonish, when possible, others on the path of depravity, presenting to them its terrible consequences; continually pray within your heart to the Lord, that He may forgive your sins and cleanse your heart from the very thoughts and desires of sin. In the midst of all this, do not exhaust yourself in patience to the end, consoling yourself with the word of God, the example of sinners who have repented and were worthy of mercy, the idea of ​​the transience of our life on earth and the hope of heavenly and eternal blessings. This is our advice to you, sinful soul! This is the path to return from the abyss of sin! Life and death are before you: choose either! If you choose life, that is, repentance and confession, you will delight the whole heaven, the Savior and all the Angels. You will remain in death, that is, in unrepentance: you will bring joy to all hell and the spirits of evil. But you will not do the latter - you will choose repentance and life; - you will choose now, on the day of your holiday, and thus you will bring the celebration to the whole heaven, which will rejoice with great joy, having learned that you have risen from the death of sin through repentance. Amen. Word for the day of worship of the honorable chains of the holy and all-praised Apostle Peter Among the various types of bliss indicated to us by our Savior in His Discourse on the Mount, there is, as is well known, that bliss when someone is persecuted as an evildoer for the truth, and suffers loss and torment without guilt. Without a doubt, this bliss, like all others, is fully revealed not here on earth, but where one truth and truth reigns, that is, in heaven; but since it is difficult for us, short-sighted with the eyes of the heart, to follow the invisible bliss on the other side of the coffin, then on earth, by special order of Providence, traces of it often remain and are preserved for centuries and millennia. Proof of this is the present celebration in honor of the holy, glorious and all-praised Apostle Peter. Herod once put him in prison for the gospel of the Gospel and surrounded him with heavy chains; extreme humiliation for the one who was named the first worker in the founding and spread of the Church of Christ on earth, who was given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven by its King Himself! Malice, no doubt, thought it would triumph, but its triumph was short-lived, for the tyrant soon died a disastrous death, and the humiliation of the Apostle of Christ turned to his greater glory. In addition to that incorruptible crown, which awaited him in heaven for his bonds, and the earth did not remain indifferent to his suffering for the truth: the holy chains of the ascetic of the faith were preserved by the gratitude of the faithful and became an object of worship for all subsequent centuries. This church, dedicated to the memory and glorification of the bonds of Peter, shows that the concept of Peter’s beatitude, that is, the beatitude of people persecuted for the sake of truth, is not alien to us. But how can this bliss be applied to the present place, designated for people persecuted not for the truth, but, so to speak, by the truth itself? For is it possible that in the present state of justice there would be someone, like the apostle, condemned to stay in this prison not for vices and crimes, but for truth and virtue? If, however, such a holy prisoner were to be found here today beyond his aspirations, then may he receive consolation from the holy faiths of Peter! Earthly justice, due to the limitations of human vision, may sometimes not see our innocence; but besides earthly, mortal judges, there is the Supreme Ruler and Judge of all, from whose sight nothing is hidden, who, if not here, then there, and even more so there, if not here, will reward everyone according to their deeds. But what should those who fully deserved their own chains by their disobedience to the laws of God and man feel when thinking about the holy chains of Peter? A feeling of shame and repentance should now permeate such people. “The apostles of Christ,” such a prisoner must reason with himself, “wore chains, endured imprisonment and torment for the name of Christ, for the Gospel and the truth; and in whose name am I bound in bonds? Alas, their sins and passions have been brought upon me; I was thrown into prison by the enemy of God, whom I allowed to drag me through all the wilds of lawlessness! The truth is glorified with apostolic chains, the Church of God is flaunted; and with my chains the truth is darkened, the Church laments because of them, the name of Christ is blasphemed. Oh, if only there was some way to take away from my chains that uncleanness and disgustingness that is given to them not by prison, but by my own sins! If I could make them, although not similar, then not contrary to the apostolic chains!” And what, beloved, despite the depth of your fall, and not only for us, but for Christ Himself, soul, what if we tell you that your desire is not only possible to fulfill, but also very convenient? Let us give thanks to the love of the Heavenly Father! Our holy faith is especially different from all other faiths in that it has a means of turning the chains of sin into chains of innocence. For you hear that the Lord Himself speaks through the prophet to all sinners: “And come, and let us be spent... And if your sins are like scarlet, they are like snow; and if your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white” (Is. 1:18). After this, should one doubt the possibility of cleansing one’s sins, no matter how great and serious they may be? If someone asked, by what miracle our sins lose their power at the judgment of God and in our conscience from repentance? Let us say to such that they lose their own power not from our repentance (does it mean much, and what can it produce on its own?), but from the action of Christ’s merits - because the Son of God died for our sins, and with His death satisfied the righteousness of God for us. After this, as soon as a sinner, repenting of his lawless life, flows with warm faith to the intercession of the Son of God, then his sins are taken away from him, the Redeemer accepts them upon Himself, and gives them to the sinner and assimilates His truth and innocence. Is it surprising after this if the chains imposed by sin in such a person lose their impurity and become similar to Peter’s chains? A striking example of this is the thief who repented on the cross. His cross was a righteous reward for his crimes, for he himself says: “We are in righteousness: for we have received what is worthy according to our deeds” (Luke 23:41). Therefore, the natural path from him was not to heaven, but to hell. But since the unfortunate man managed to resort to faith, managed to make a confession of his sins before the Son of God, managed to cast out the former anger from his heart and breathe into himself the spirit of love, as can be seen from what he said to his brother, wishing him salvation, then everything changed. The cross remained, but without the sign of execution and rejection, it immediately turned into a pledge of pardon, into a ladder to heaven, and in this respect became similar even to the cross of Christ. Likewise, every prisoner has the opportunity to make his bonds similar to those of Peter; This requires only true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. Do we still need a convincing example of this? Saint Peter himself can serve them. He did not always remain faithful to the Lord; there were unhappy moments of forgetting his duty for him too. I mean the time when he, in one hour, three times and with an oath, denied his Teacher. What could be more unworthy of such renunciation in an apostle? But it did not harm Peter, for instead of continuing and attracting new and greater betrayals and falls, as happens with us, it was immediately replaced by repentance: “and he went out,” says the Gospel, “weeping bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). Since Peter did not hesitate to convert, the Lord did not make him wait long for forgiveness. Having appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, He immediately turned to Peter with the question: “Do you love Me?” (John 21:15) repeated it three times, not because he did not know about Petrov’s love for Him, being the Knower of the Heart, but so that by a threefold confession of love on his part, he would completely atone for his threefold infidelity. Therefore, as soon as Peter had time to say: “You know how much I love you... “He returned to him each time part of his apostolic dignity with the words: Feed my sheep” (John 21:16) and thus again handed him the keys of the Kingdom that had fallen from his hands. But Peter, completely forgiven by the Lord and elevated again to the rank of supreme apostle, did not forgive himself until the end of his life. Tradition tells that every night he rose from his bed at the first singing of the loop, knelt down and shed tears, which is why his eyes were always red and his forehead with the ever-present sign of throwing himself to the ground in prayer. Do the same, you, sinful soul, and the bonds you now wear will not harm you, but will turn to your true good, pacifying the violence of your will and feelings, teaching you repentance and turning away from sin. Amen. Word for the Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker “And He lifted up His eyes upon His disciples, saying: Blessed are you who are poor in spirit: for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now: for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now: for you will laugh. You will be blessed when men hate you, and when they separate you and revile you, and carry your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap: behold, your reward is great in heaven” (Luke 6:20–23). There are few, brethren, in the whole year of the Gospels, which could equal those read now in terms of the multitude and variety of important thoughts and expressions. Despite this, there is not a single thought or expression in this Gospel that would not be realized in the life of the Saint we celebrate in the most tangible way. The Savior promises the contemplation of God to those who have acquired a pure heart; and how faithfully this promise came true on this man of God! He was completely alien to all earthly wisdom; Meanwhile, the most enlightened were amazed at his deep knowledge of God; Orthodoxy found in him an invincible bulwark against the heresy of Arius. The Savior assimilates the Kingdom of God to the poor in spirit; and the Church, a faithful connoisseur of spiritual gifts, pleases Saint Nicholas because he acquired riches through poverty. What kind of poverty does she mean if not poverty of spirit? And what wealth is there besides the wealth of heavenly blessings?.. The Savior proclaims mercy to the merciful; St. Nicholas not only received pardon for his charity, but was also honored to be a special instrument of God’s mercy towards distressed humanity, as his countless miracles testify. The Savior appoints the earth as an inheritance for the meek; and how many lands in which the name of the meek Nicholas is glorified! How many countries count themselves in honor of being his spiritual heritage! The Savior calls those who mourn, those who are slandered, those who are persecuted blessed; Saint Nicholas was both slandered and persecuted, but what earthly bliss can be compared with the glory that he now enjoys in the abodes of the Heavenly Father! Thus, the life of St. Nicholas is some experimental explanation of the Savior’s sermon on the beatitudes; just as this sermon can be called a faithful blueprint of his holy and godly life. So, we have no reason, brethren, to seek now any other instruction than that which is offered to us in our lives by the Saint we celebrate. It is enough for all of us if we, following the advice of the Apostle: “remember our teachers” (Heb. 13:7), revive in our memory the great virtues of St. Nicholas. We cannot, not only in words, but also in thought, embrace all the deeds of his piety - their number and greatness are known only to Him, before Whom “all... are naked and declared” (Heb. 4:13), at least let’s do what we can. The image of the righteous, no matter in what abbreviated form it is presented, is always comforting, edifying and life-giving. Those who narrate the famous deeds of the sons of this century consider themselves very happy if they can base their narrative on at least a few virtues with which the person being praised was distinguished; those, on the contrary, who depict the spiritual exploits of the sons of the Kingdom of God, it is impossible not to touch upon the entire circle of virtues, for the holy people of God are not limited, like the sons of this age, to acquiring some only praiseworthy qualities. They, following the example of David, “strive” (Ps. 119:6) to fulfill all the commandments - “hate every way of unrighteousness” (Ps. 119:104); and therefore the image of their life itself becomes an image of all man’s duties in relation to God, his neighbors, and himself. Сей святой необходимости, братие, подлежим теперь и мы. How many of us would like to hear now only about the zeal of St. Nicholas for Orthodoxy? Но он был и образ кротости и милосердия. Другой хотел бы удовольствоваться воспоминанием о его благотворных чудесах? Но Святая Церковь вместе с сим именует его и правилом веры. Some would consider it sufficient to learn from St. Nicholas the love of God and neighbor? Но он, кроме сего, есть учитель воздержания и смирения. Thus, Saint Nicholas teaches us, brothers, in his life a complete lesson of piety; а посему и нам должно выслушать его с полным вниманием. 1. Regarding faith, people, brethren, are mostly subject to two shortcomings. Some, being arrogant in their minds, indulge in unnecessary speculation, and through this fall into heresies and schisms, separating them from the universal union of believers; others, considering purity of faith to be a perfection either inaccessible or unimportant, do not care at all whether they believe as they should. The errors are different, but equally reprehensible for a true Christian. For why did holy faith come down from heaven and dwell among men? Is it to serve as the subject of intense research, skillful debate, refined research? Ah, there are too many similar objects on earth! To illuminate the mind with the light of knowledge of God, to inflame the heart with love of virtue, to tame passions, to destroy or alleviate the misfortunes of mankind - this is its goal! And what is the use of vain speculation about faith? They are unnecessary, because the subject exceeds the mind; harmful; - because they lead to dissent and enmity. On the other hand, not caring about the purity of faith means neglecting faith itself. We try to keep many human traditions unchanged; There are people who devote their entire lives to knowing what happened and when; How can we be indifferent to the purity of that faith on which our eternal salvation depends? The perfection of our love for God requires that we use the light of Divine Revelation in simplicity of heart; but this same self-perfection obliges us to preserve this light from mixing with the darkness of error. Saint Nicholas, in both respects, teaches us, brethren, an excellent rule of faith, for his faith was both simple and at the same time pure and zealous. The century in which he lived was famous for its enlightenment; That is why many of his contemporaries, indulging in speculation, became the perpetrators of heresies that tore apart the Church for a long time. But these vacillations of a perverted mind were completely alien to the God-enlightened shepherd of the World of the Lycian Church. Being the successor of the apostolic men in the title of shepherd of souls, he was also the successor of their simplicity in faith. Like them, he set the perfection of Christian piety not in delving into the incomprehensible, but in faithfully fulfilling what is known; like them, he valued faith not by words, but by deeds. To think as all true believers think, to teach as the fathers of previous centuries taught; This is the royal path of faith along which Saint Nicholas himself walked and led his flock. Such coveted simplicity of faith did not arise in him (as anyone might think) solely from his lack of skill in earthly wisdom. It is true that “the mind, arrogant with false enlightenment, is arrogant and sick with contention” (1 Tim. 6:4); But do debates about faith dominate among the enlightened alone? Are there people who do not know earthly wisdom at all, and yet strive to comprehend Heavenly wisdom? No! Saint Nicholas knew that “the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20), that “the mysteries of the Lord are revealed to a child” (Luke 10:21), that throughout our earthly life we “walk by faith, and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), that our weak mind “even on earth... we find with difficulty, but even in heaven” - neither He cannot know or receive on his own (Wis. 9:16) - and this is the source of his simplicity by faith! But this simplicity was removed from coldness towards faith, from the destructive inclination towards indifference in opinions, so common in our times. There was no one simpler than Nikolai, but there was no one more zealous than him. He testified to this zeal both against pagans and heretics. How easy it is now to keep the deposit of faith intact! But those were different times; then a Christian was considered a transgressor of the laws, an enemy of the gods and Caesar, a plague on society that they tried to exterminate; then one had to choose one of two things: worship of idols or painful death! The malice of the persecutors of Christianity was especially raging against the shepherds of the Church, so that election to shepherd was in some way election to martyrdom. Saint Nicholas endured for Christ everything that can be endured, except death: deprivation of property, reproach, prison, famine, torture and fear of death. Only Providence wanted this lamp of faith to be preserved to drive away the Aryan darkness, which was soon to spread; otherwise we would see the name of Nicholas included among the martyrs. This darkness indeed soon spread. Neither the wise measures of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, nor the paternal care of the shepherds of the Church, nothing could stop the lips opened against the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Church, barely freed from persecution, began to waver again; The First Ecumenical Council was formed. Saint Nicholas did not bring anything to him except simple and firm faith, but this firmness was especially needed, for many did not have it. What tricks did the Arians resort to! What seductive forms did they not transform into before the defenders of Orthodoxy! Eusebius himself, the one to whose enlightenment we owe the history of the Church of the first centuries, Eusebius himself, the friend of Constantine and, therefore, the friend of truth, wavered in opinion. But Nicholas remained as firm as the faith he professed! Other saints defended Orthodoxy with the help of their enlightenment; Nicholas defended the faith by faith itself - by the fact that all Christians, starting from the apostles, constantly believed in the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The holiness of his life, known to everyone, the purity of intentions, recognized by the enemies themselves, the gift of miracles, testifying to a direct communication with the Spirit of God, made Saint Nicholas, despite his simplicity, an adornment of the Council of Nicea and deserved to be called by the Church - the rule of faith! Oh, that all who profess the name of Christ would strictly follow this rule! If all the imaginary zealots of Orthodoxy acquired that simplicity of faith with which Saint Nicholas was animated!.. Then the bowels of the Church would not be tormented by its own children; the destructive art of competition would remain part of earthly wisdom; the holy faith would have appeared in its own form and the prayer of the Church for the unification of all Christians by the bonds of common faith and love would have long been fulfilled. At the very least, brethren, delving into the spirit of our most holy faith, we cannot help but admit that the rule of faith by which Saint Nicholas was guided should be the rule of all Christians, that our faith should be simple and at the same time zealous. So, let us now look at the image of meekness and mercy with which this Saint teaches us love for our neighbors. 2. Like the Apostle Paul, who excommunicated false teachers and blasphemers from the assembly of believers, Saint Nicholas did not tolerate “dogs of evil workers” within the fence of his flock (Phil. 3:2). But following the example of the great Shepherd of souls, the Lord Jesus, with his love he pursued even the most lost sheep, and was meek and merciful to the most stubborn enemies of the truth. If he and the fathers of the Council of Nicaea demanded that Arius and his accomplices be deprived of their church degrees, then this was required by necessity! For judge for yourself, is it possible to allow the enemies of the Divinity of Jesus Christ to be ministers of His Church and shepherds of souls redeemed by His Blood? Meanwhile, without any exaggeration, it can be said that if Saint Nicholas was confident in the possibility of saving all Arians from eternal destruction at the cost of his own salvation, then, without a doubt, like Moses and Paul, he himself would have agreed to be blotted out from the book of the eternal life, if only the names of these lost people were inscribed in it. For what was the distinctive quality of Nicholas? Charity, and at that in the highest degree. It is here, brethren, that the word should most especially spread and rise in praise of this Saint, but here our word is shortened and weakened. For is it possible to exhaust the sea with a small vessel? But Saint Nicholas, as the Church bless him, was a sea of ​​miracles, which, despite their diversity, all consisted of beneficence. Look! There he saves captives from severe slavery; here it nourishes during the famine of the desperate; in one place he returns dead babies to inconsolable mothers; in another - it saves those convicted innocently from the diarrhea of ​​death; it prevents the crimes that poverty threatens; then unexpectedly rewards flagging zeal for piety. The image of St. Nicholas’s beneficence was, so to speak, more comforting than the beneficence itself. Imaginary or true friends of humanity - you, who often take pride in the fact that in your actions you carry out examples of the charity of famous men of Greece and Rome, why do you not fix your eyes on the image of the charity of St. Nicholas? Imitating him, you would surpass all benefactors, you would learn to do good to your neighbor in such a way that the swindler does not know what the right hand is doing, for those benefited by Saint Nicholas often only recognized the name of their benefactor, because such benefits could be expected from him alone; they would learn to be defenders of the innocent, despite any power of their persecutors, for St. Nicholas especially extended a helping hand there, where meager integrity fought with promising depravity; They would finally learn not to limit their good deeds to their neighbors, known people, and even fellow believers, for Saint Nicholas did not leave without help those who did not know the name of Christ. Thus, Saint Nicholas was the most chosen vessel not only of love for God - through his zeal for faith, but also love for his neighbor - through his good deeds to those in need. And what qualities, brothers, should always be inseparable, if not zeal for God and zeal for the good of one’s neighbor? The God we profess is a God of love and peace; for is it possible to please Him by persecuting one’s brothers for the faith? Our Redeemer shed His blood for the very enemies of His Divinity; for will He desire that the zealots of His glory shed the tears and blood of those redeemed by Him? The Holy Spirit, by whom we are sanctified, is the Spirit not only of truth, but also of grace and generosity; for will He dwell in a soul that does not dissolve the truth with meekness and mercy? But alas! the spirit of malice knew how to bring these truths into oblivion, and our most holy faith, which preaches meekness and love, has repeatedly served as a pretext for violence, hostility and warfare! The destructive abuse of the greatest of God's gifts comes from nothing other than the fact that many want to be apostles for others, while in their own hearts “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ has not yet shined” (2 Cor. 4:4); because many zealots of the faith, instead of zeal for God, are zealous, without suspecting it, only according to their own opinions and prejudices. Whoever wants to be a true organ of love for God and neighbor must first of all cleanse his heart of passions and gain dominion over himself. Saint Nicholas teaches us a saving lesson in this regard. 3. What should a person’s perfection in relation to himself consist of?.. As a being inclined towards evil and surrounded by temptations, he has a special need for abstinence; as a being destined for perfection, achieved not by his own strength, but by the action of God’s grace, he must acquire humility. Abstinence tames sensuality and purifies the spirit; Spiritual gifts are acquired and preserved through humility. After this, no matter what we teach abstinence in, Saint Nicholas is the best teacher of abstinence. Shall we reduce this virtue to limiting bodily needs, to renouncing sensory pleasures, to not acquiring earthly goods? These properties are presented by themselves in our Saint. How few physical needs there should be for one who has led a life equal to the angels! How far away must be the pleasures of the senses from one who has known no other pleasure than charity! And there is nothing to say about non-acquisitiveness. Persecution deprived Nicholas of everything, but they could not deprive Nicholas of anything, for at the very beginning of his presbytery he distributed all his property to the poor. If we extend abstinence to the very spirit of man, to taming passions, to cutting off desires, we will find what we want. What quality of the soul is more difficult to control than zeal for the truth? Here, excess zeal involuntarily and imperceptibly carries you beyond the limits; but Saint Nicholas, as we have seen, was an image of meekness and, therefore, spiritual continence. Let us demand from the teacher of abstinence extraordinary feats of moderation and self-sacrifice - and there is no shortage of them; St. Nicholas, as legend tells, already observed the difference in dishes at an age when others do not yet know what dishes are. What can we say about the humility of St. Nicholas? If we did not know that he was chosen primarily for his humility to be the shepherd of Myra of the Lycian Church, that humility distinguished him from the fathers of the Council of Nicea, which was the Council of Humility, that humility forced Nicholas to hide his good deeds and conceal spiritual gifts under the guise of simplicity; If, I say, we knew nothing about these exploits of his humility, then the heavenly glory with which the Lord magnified His righteous man should not have taught us that Saint Nicholas was not only meek, but also humble in heart? For, brothers, in what way is the height of heavenly glory achieved, if not through humility? On earth, high virtues are often acquired by chance, cunning, affection, even impudence; but this does not happen in heaven; there, just as truth rewards, so truth, for the same reason, is rewarded; there, the more humble one is, the higher and closer to the Throne of Grace, on which the meek and humble-hearted Lord Jesus will sit. Thus, brothers, we have now fulfilled one part of the apostolic advice - to remember our mentors: the image of the virtues of St. Nicholas is revived, although not completely, in our memory; each of us sees that he really was the rule of faith, the image of meekness and mercy, the teacher of abstinence and humility. It remains now to fulfill the other part of the apostolic council - “looking at the end of the life” of this Saint, to imitate his “faith” (Heb. 13:7), to be like him in meekness and love, to learn from him abstinence and humility. Saint Nicholas now enjoys eternal bliss, but he was a man like us. We wish to be what he is now—saints and blessed; for they must act as he did: righteously, chastely and piously. He was what we are now - subject to mental and physical weaknesses; therefore, with the assistance of grace, we can accomplish what he accomplished: cleanse our hearts of passions and become a temple of the Holy Spirit. The reward of eternal bliss, the contemplation of which he inspired himself on the path to the Heavenly Fatherland, is also offered to us; the word of God, by which he was guided in his actions, is open before us; the almighty Leader, under whose banner he fought against the enemies of his salvation - the Lord Jesus - is always ready to be our Leader. We have all the means to salvation that Saint Nicholas used; Meanwhile, many of the obstacles that he should have overcome do not exist for us at all. Who now persecutes for the faith? Who now does not respect the holy deeds of piety? After this, what remains for us to win? Our absent-mindedness, attachment to the world, some prejudices, some customs; here are all our persecutors, here are all our tormentors! And we still complain about the difficulty of imitating the saints! Let us better complain about our heart, which has become so far removed from God that for it even the smallest feat of piety seems impossible to accomplish. If, despite all this, it seems difficult for any of us to imitate all the virtues of St. Nicholas, then let us firmly decide to imitate one, for example, mercy or abstinence. It is impossible that he, having felt the sweetness of this imitation, would not subsequently extend it to other virtues of the Saint. Every virtue is multi-fruitful: having settled into the soul, it will not remain alone, but will call to itself, even without our participation, other virtues; If only we didn’t resist this. Saint Nicholas of Christ! You are an inexhaustible sea of ​​miracles and beneficence; but we ask from you only three gifts: make it through your prayers - that we unswervingly follow the rule of faith taught by you, that we unflatteringly imitate the image of meekness that appeared in you, and that we do not forget the lessons of abstinence, of which you were and are the best teacher and example for all of us. Amen. Word for the Day of St. Anthony the Great Who has gathered us here today, to this church?.. Anthony the Great. The Great Anthony?.. But there is no such name in World History. But there are great Herods in it... This is how the very sciences sometimes humiliate themselves before the idols of worldly pride!.. But when and why did the great hermit of Thebaid come here? He came for no small reason, he came at a time when the foundation of this sanctuary of sciences was laid; came in order to take over this church for himself, to be the spiritual guardian and trustee of this place and those living on it. Since then, once and forever, a sacred union has been concluded between the local sanctuary of sciences and the great Egyptian ascetic. Honor and praise to those who understood his greatness, incomprehensible to the world, and did not hesitate to commit the fate of this sanctuary of sciences into his gracious protection! by myself. Since this lesson is depicted in all detail in the person of Saint Anthony, we will touch upon his life and show what this greatness consisted of and how he achieved it. If you like, it consisted of the same thing for which history usually calls people great. For to whom is this title appropriated? Those who became famous for their victories and conquests, those who were the creators of great and generally useful institutions, those who made some important discoveries in the field of science and knowledge. We will find all this - in its best and most sublime form - in the holy hermit of Thebaid. Anthony was a great winner. Over whom? Firstly, over yourself. Some of us probably barely know that a person has an internal, constant, dangerous battle with himself, because he is his own first and last enemy. Having been carried away by flesh and blood from youth, having given themselves up without a fight to the captivity of lusts and passions, having drowned out their conscience, such people no longer feel within themselves the saving opposition of spirit and flesh and the struggle between good and evil, they live and act as if there was nothing spiritual and eternal in them. But those who have not had the misfortune of reaching this spiritual desolation, this loss, not to mention the image of God, but also the image of man, know that in every person there are two people: one - carnal, earthly, passionate, unclean, sinful, ungodly; the other is spiritual, heavenly, godlike, pure and holy, and that between these two people there is a constant and cruel battle to death, so that one of two things - either the spirit must be in strength and dominate, and the flesh and passions must be as if dead; or the flesh will take over and suppress everything spiritual and holy in a person. There is no protection from this self-extinguishing and self-destruction of the spirit, from this slavery of flesh and blood - neither wisdom, nor power, nor happy, so-called nature. The great conquerors of nations, legislators of kingdoms, luminaries of the sciences and arts, unfortunately, often more than others were and are subject to this misfortune. In general, complete victory over oneself and one’s passions is a rare phenomenon in humanity. And in this victory, first of all, lies the greatness of Saint Anthony. His complete separation from the world, while he had the means to enjoy all its benefits, showed his considerable power over himself. But the struggle with one’s own heart does not leave a person, as we know, in the desert; removal from this world in itself does not stop it, but only makes it subtler and, one might say, more dangerous. Anthony knew this, he experienced this internal struggle in all its forms, and in all its forms he remained victorious. Flesh? Through many years of deeds, fasting and vigils, she was weakened, tamed, thinned to the point that Anthony finally resembled more an incorporeal spirit than a being surrounded by a body. Imagination?.. It, through contemplation of God, reflection on death and prayerful offering of thoughts and desires to grief, was purified to the point that it reflected only heavenly objects, and from earthly objects only the most necessary and holy ones. Mind? He is completely subdued by faith, enclosed in the word of God, imbued with illumination from above. Your own will? She was rejected, trampled upon, killed in her most innocent, apparently, movements, and in her place the will of God, good and all-perfect, was installed in the soul. Saint Anthony, therefore, like Paul, could say about himself: “I live not for anyone, but Christ lives in me!” (Gal. 2:20). But even after such a victory over oneself, one more battle remained - with the spirits, as St. Paul calls them, of evil in high places. Carnal people have even less understanding of this warfare; it does not exist for them, because they do not live in the spirit at all; and not living in the spirit and servile to the flesh and passions, they, for that very reason, without war and struggle, are in the power of the enemy of God, who controls and moves them according to all his dark will, although they do not notice it. But whoever, having freed himself from the slavery of the flesh, has risen to life in the spirit, who, having left the realm of sin and curse, has entered the bright realm of truth, righteousness, peace and grace-filled sanctification, he cannot but be subject to hostility and attacks from the spirits of evil, which, in order not to lose their minion and slave in him, use all means to bring him down from the heights and return him to captivity of sin and passions. Anthony the Great was also subject to this battle, the more so the closer, in his spiritual age, he was to the realm of spirits. It is impossible without surprise to read in the stories about his holy life what intrigues the enemy of God and men used to destroy him on his way to heaven. But humility and prayer overcame everything. Each attack served only to a new victory; and the ascetic of Christ, endowed with power from above, finally achieved such omnipotence that the proud Dennitsa trembled, one might say, at his very word and glance. Shouldn’t we call the one Great who won such a great victory over flesh and blood, and also over the spirits of “wickedness” in high places? (Eph. 6:12). After victories on the battlefield, earthly greatness is most achieved through great institutions and social exploits, which have a great and beneficial influence on entire centuries and peoples. He who has distinguished himself by such institutions and exploits is rightly called great. This type of greatness belongs to Saint Anthony in all its fullness and strength. To be convinced of this, let us transport ourselves, my brothers, in thought to the Thebaid desert. Do you see these vast, barren and impassable steppes, left by man for animals and birds to inhabit? What if someone populated this desert, and, moreover, with such people who could create an example for all mankind with their morals and their lives? Would you not call this man wise and great? But this is exactly what Saint Anthony did from the deserts of Thebaid; and how did he do it?.. Not as conquerors do, moving entire peoples and tribes from country to country; not as rich and powerful people do, attracting crowds of the hungry and the poor into the desert with the sound of gold and the promise of benefits; no, Anthony had none of earthly means; he came into the desert with one robe and one staff; filled it with his prayers, the grace of God; and the barren desert flourished like crin! At the end of his life, the hitherto uninhabited places were already crowded with the vast cities of Egypt. But the number of desert dwellers in this case was the last thing; The most important thing is that these were societies of people adorned with all the virtues of the Gospel, exalted above all the weaknesses of human nature. Listen to how St. Chrysostom describes them: “And now, having come to the desert of Egypt, the best paradise of all, you will see this desert, and the numerous faces of Angels in human forms, and the nations of martyrs, and the assemblies of virgins, and all the devil’s torment has been destroyed, but the shining Kingdom of Christ... The sky is not like this bright, speckled with stars, like the desert Egyptian, showing us the monastic tabernacles from everywhere... Having realized by these very things that this is true wisdom and worthy of heaven, even as it was proclaimed from the fishermen; For this reason, with the most diligent preservation of teachings, they demonstrate virtue by their lives; Having been stripped of all their possessions, and crucified to the whole world, they continue to carry out their bodily labor for food, exhaustingly demanding. Below, when they fast and watch, they want to celebrate holidays during their days: but the nights are spent in sacred songs and all-night prayers, and the days are spent in prayers and handicrafts, imitating the Apostle's jealousy... And if anyone is in that country, I tell the same message. If anyone ever goes up to their tabernacles, let him remember to this day in the mouths of all those who exist, after the apostles Egypt carried him, the blessed and great Anthony, and let him think that this one was in that country, and Pharaoh was in it: but in any case, nothing was damaged from that country, but he was also worthy of divine vision, and such is the demonstration life, such as Christ’s laws seek.” Whoever made such a great transformation, was the author of such a holy, beneficial and divine institution, such as the ancient desert habitation of Egypt, should not, as St. Chrysostom himself does, be honored by us with the name of the great? Finally, Saint Anthony will seem Great if we pay attention to the great discoveries and extraordinary experiments he performed; for even for this reason history has been accustomed to call some people great. Probably not one of you, my brothers, will be surprised to hear about the discoveries and experiences of the holy hermit, and perhaps consider our language and expressions not so natural. Yes, if you want to limit the field of experiments and discoveries only to external nature, as happens in schools, that is, over stones, plants and animals, or over a person, but only in relation to his body, and, moreover, for the most part in his sick state, then we readily admit that the holy hermit of Thebaid was alien to such activities. But, my brothers, should the scope of human knowledge really be limited only to what is not man himself? Is it possible that the reflective mind will never look into that abyss of secrets and miracles that is hidden inside the human soul! What a great and sacred field of experience is the one application of the truths of Christianity to the human soul! Who wouldn’t want to know what can come out of a person if he puts into practice everything that is commanded in the Gospel? And here Saint Anthony is the greatest, if you want to call it that, tester, on the one hand, of the Christian faith and its Holy Sacraments, on the other, of human nature and its acceptability, such a tester, the like of whom we would look in vain among all the sages and naturalists whom science presents to us. This is already evident from the method he used for his purpose. For what was this method? This is something that ordinary wisdom does not like to decide on - in applying to one’s soul and life the rules of the Gospel in their highest purity and severity, in actually implementing with all accuracy what Christianity requires of those “who want to be perfect” (2 Tim. 3:17). Isn’t it interesting, isn’t it instructive to know what came out of this experience of Antoniev, which lasted not weeks and months, not even years, but more than half a century? What came out was the very thing that the Gospel promises, and which, due to its rarity, seems to many to be an unrealistic thing. Along with the restoration of the image of God in the soul of the holy ascetic, the wondrous consequences of this likeness to God appeared naturally in his entire being and actions. And firstly, just as in sensual people the spirit itself takes on the coarse and at the same time weak fatness of the flesh, so with Anthony the very flesh became spiritualized, filled with strength and light, and became above the influence of the elements, which act on us so irresistibly. Secondly, in his pure soul, from an abundance of grace, the gift of such knowledge was revealed, before which our ordinary knowledge is like the weak information of a youth before the experienced wisdom of a man. Anthony knew secrets with his heart; perceived the most distant as a near being; foresaw the future as the present. Thirdly, in his will, from the abundance of the same grace, such a mysterious power appeared, before which the forces of nature, as before the omnipotence of God, instantly bowed. For all this we could give many examples from his extraordinary life; but in order not to tire your attention with the length of the word, and at the same time to encourage someone to do their own research on this important and soul-saving subject, we convey those who wish to this life itself. There they will see whether we are speaking correctly when we assimilate to Saint Anthony extraordinary experiments and discoveries in human nature, experiences accomplished not in the form of any science, but out of love for God and for the salvation of our souls, which true science should value all the more. As for us personally, my brothers, we openly admit to you that if we have learned to know human nature in its pure form and not get carried away by various superficial judgments about it, of which, as we know, there are so many both in school and outside it, then we owe this not so much to learned books and reasoning, but to the holy experiences and extraordinary deeds of such holy men as Anthony the Great! Worthy and righteously, this great ascetic was chosen by the founders of this institution to be the heavenly patron of the local church, and with him the whole sanctuary of sciences, for which this church serves as the focus and, as it were, the heart. Worthy and righteous, for he was great in truth, great in spirit and faith, great in virtue and selflessness, great in his closeness to heaven and in his miracles. Having before our eyes the image of this righteous man, in whom human nature shines with all the rays of God's likeness, let us not, like little children, be carried away by vain views of worldly greatness, mostly unclean and sinful; let us strive, in his footsteps, to acquire not only the dead knowledge that science gives us, but also that living knowledge that the Holy Spirit Himself teaches to the worthy; and for this, let us humble our naturally proud mind and subordinate it to the guidance of the holy faith. For it is not in vain that it is said that the secrets of the Kingdom of God are hidden “from the wise and prudent, that is, from those who imagine themselves to be such, and are revealed to a child” (Matthew 11:25). We cannot give you better advice, brothers, on this auspicious day of your holiday! Amen. Homily on the day of St. Anthony the Great “I do not cease to give thanks for you, making remembrance of you in my prayers, so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the enlightened aim of your heart, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:16-18) We do not know, honorable listeners, what was now the special object of your prayers before Lord; and we, standing before this throne of grace, prayed in relation to you for the same thing that the apostle of Christ once prayed for in these words about the Ephesians, so that, that is, you, just like them, would be given the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation and the eyes of the heart would be enlightened to understand which is the hope of our calling” in Christ. We asked this gift, and not others, from the Lord for you because it cannot be obtained otherwise than through prayer; and meanwhile, if any spiritual gifts are necessary for you, then it is precisely this gift of enlightenment from above. In order to explain all this and to encourage even those who for some reason had not paid attention to it to participate in the apostle’s prayer, let us consider its essence in more detail. Obviously, the apostle embraces in this prayer the entire area of ​​spiritual enlightenment from its highest, premium beginning - the Spirit of God - to its last life-giving end - the hope of eternal life. And, firstly, he points to what serves as the source of the spirit of enlightenment in a person. This is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Secondly, he expresses what this Spirit produces in a person and how it makes him capable of knowing God—these are enlightened pursuits of the heart. Finally, he points to the very subject and purpose of spiritual enlightenment: this is the knowledge of what we are called to in Christ and what awaits us in eternity. – The items are majestic! High truths! Let us apply the ear of our mind and heart to them. So, the Apostle of Christ does not consider our mind and science to be a sufficient beginning in the matter of enlightenment, but considers necessary for this the grace-filled communication of man with the very Spirit of God. Is it possible for us to see for ourselves this insufficiency of our mind and this need for illumination from above?.. It is possible. In addition to other ways, for this it is enough to pay attention to the property of our knowledge in general, and to what the human mind could do hitherto without illumination from above. And, firstly, it is clear that the mind in the soul is the same as it is in the body. To see great objects, it is not enough to have eyes; It is necessary that objects act on vision; it is also necessary that there be a mediating principle of light between objects and vision. Without objects we will not see anything, and with objects, but without light we will not see anything. Applying this image of knowledge to the mind, what happens? It will turn out that for the contemplation of spiritual objects, in addition to mental vision or the mind, the action of spiritual objects and the mediation between them and the mind of spiritual light are necessary. Who will bring spiritual objects closer to our minds, or raise us to their holy heights? Who can surround them and us with spiritual light, without which spiritual contemplation is impossible? Our mind on its own cannot do this, just as the bodily eye cannot bring closer or illuminate visible objects. And this is the reason why all the efforts of the human mind, without illumination from above, remained fruitless in the knowledge of spiritual objects. We tried to see the sun without the sun - and what did we see? some passed off the faint twinkling of stars, that is, ideas of the mind, as the sun itself, others madly rejected its very existence. Those who have reasoned in the light of revelation do not imagine such errors, but how long do they not imagine? How long will they not evade this leader? Otherwise, they too fall into the same contradiction and the same inextricable darkness. On the contrary, what a majestic spectacle these fishermen present, these publicans, who, without any acquaintance with science, proclaim to the whole world truths unknown to all the wise of the age, and satisfying everyone! Where does this wisdom and strength come from in them? Because they were led not by the mind, but by the Spirit of God. To whom this Spirit, as the Holy Church puts it, breathes according to its inheritance, it will lift him up from the earth and bring him closer to the heavenly world. Whoever He illuminates with His light does not need to think much, for he also truly and easily sees spiritual objects with the eye of his mind, just as he sees sensual objects with his bodily eyes. Since this Spirit of truth and revelation is not the exclusive property of only a few elect, but is promised to all pure souls who desire it, what remains for a true lover of wisdom but to prostrate himself before the throne of grace together with Solomon, and pray to the One who sits on it to send his own wisdom into his soul, and praying for this to prepare himself for its abode? What does this Spirit of revelation produce in man? How does he become capable of knowing God? This is the mystery of the Spirit, but the apostle touches on it too, lifting the veil - with a brief but very significant expression. A person becomes capable of knowledge of God, in his words, through the fact that the Spirit of wisdom enlightens the “sights of the heart.” Note the peculiarity of the expression. We usually achieve knowledge through reflection; in spiritual enlightenment, it is not reflection that dominates, but contemplation - “combing”. Moreover, if we talk about contemplation, it always refers to the same mind, but the Apostle refers it to the heart, without saying a word about the mind. “The combs of the heart,” according to the testimony of another apostle, these combs of the heart are not suddenly illuminated by the Spirit of God, but first they are anointed with the mysterious “colluria” (Rev. 3:18), through which they become able to see. All this, as well as other expressions of Scripture, necessarily lead to the idea that in our soul there is an organ for the knowledge of spiritual objects, which in its ordinary state is incapable of action and does not act, but in a state of grace, under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, it is revealed in a person and makes him capable of not only knowing, but even seeing what through ordinary reflection with the mind is completely impossible to know, or at least so clearly and correctly. Can science say anything to support this important truth? Maybe. In fact, what do our mental abilities represent before the gaze of the One who is able to penetrate into the inner working church of thoughts and descend with attention to the very last secrets of the springs of self-consciousness? They represent three important shortcomings, which are clearly unnatural, and at the same time clearly inevitable and universal. The first drawback is that they do not have a bright living center from which everything would come out and into which everything would enter. Each of the mental abilities presupposes a higher one; they all finally converge into two principles, but the first is not visible. Our very consciousness, which replaces this principle, like a broken mirror, is constantly fragmented into partial ideas, lacking completeness and unity. In this respect, the soul can be compared to an excellent instrument in which there is no main string. The second drawback is that there is a lack of correspondence and subordination between the faculties of the soul. In this respect, the soul is like a telescope, in which the glasses are out of place and therefore unable to represent objects. The third deficiency is that the organism of the mind (we dare to use this expression) is clearly subject to some kind of spiritual relaxation, so that one or two abilities, like parts in the body, are always affected by soreness: sometimes it is lacking, for example, reason, sometimes memory, sometimes imagination. It is from these very shortcomings that the mental world suffers; It is precisely these illnesses that science is arming itself against. But what does it produce? Does he get much done? No matter how much one increases knowledge, no matter how much he reduces radii in an infinite circle, he cannot produce a focus other than a mental point. No matter how much he polishes the glasses in the telescope, he cannot place them at the proper distance from each other and bring them into line. Finally, no matter how much he scrubs away the lifeless parts, that is, those abilities in which he lacks, through artificial friction and warming, he cannot restore action and strength to them. Is it not possible to do what the most rigorous science reaches in its most chosen lovers? To the sad, bleak recognition that the human mind is incapable of comprehending super-experimental truths, to even worse - that supposedly, according to its principles, it is equally possible to prove and disprove the most important truths. But is it possible to think in this way without offending the greatness of the God of minds, without humiliating the dignity of human beings? That's not how revelation works. It recognizes the painful state of our mind, recognizes in it more natural corruption than science can see, but at the same time it says that this corruption is not the work of the Heavenly Artist, that this disease is superficial, coming, and not a natural, always-present state. Moreover, by revealing a disease, revelation also points to a Doctor who can fix everything. This almighty Physician is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Whoever surrenders to His guidance, attracts Him with fervent prayer, preserves the purity of heart and life, He, by His omnipotent action, produces what no science can produce, opens the eyes of the heart, illuminates the very eyes of the mind with a pre-heavenly light, replenishes what is lacking, strengthens what is weak, brings into line what is upset, and thus makes him capable of seeing the truth. What exactly to see? The Apostle finally points out the subject and purpose of spiritual enlightenment. “So that I may make known to you what is the hope of your calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Naturally, enlightenment from above from the Spirit has as its main subject not earthly, but spiritual, eternal. It would be indecent for the desires of the heart to rush to the contemplation of flesh and blood, for which the sensual eye predominates. A God-enlightened person, in the light of the Spirit of God, contemplates what the natural mind cannot see - the mystery of the fall of man, the source of disasters from which the human race suffers and from which it cannot free itself, the mystery of the redemption of the human race through the incarnation and death of the Son of God on the cross, the mystery of the future restoration of everyone and everything that will take place at the end of the world, he sees without numerical detail, for this is a mystery, but with such confidence that he would rather doubt his own being, rather than in the truths revealed to him. However, he would think very wrongly who would imagine that this enlightenment from the Spirit, being directed towards spiritual objects, is useless for the knowledge of the objects of the lower world. No, the apostle, turning to God-enlightened people, does not say in vain: “You have the anointing of the Holy One and know everything” (1 John 2:20). Not just one thing, and not just one spiritual thing, but everything, everything that is necessary according to a person’s circumstances. The Spirit of God, just as He Himself is the source of all truth, all gifts, also communicates to the person united with Him everything that is needed. Filled with this Spirit - Moses legislates, Daniel rules the kingdom and leads the society of the wise men of Babylon, Solomon knows everything from cedar to hyssop, Job indicates the origin of metals, the inhabitants of the abyss of the sea and impassable deserts, David rattles the harp and sings psalms, Ezra restores the chronicles of the people, Sirach commits to writing the sayings of the elders. Therefore, no matter what type of human knowledge anyone devotes himself to, let him not consider it alien to the Spirit of God; Only lies and ignorance are alien to him. Amen. “Let no one deceive himself: if anyone thinks that he will be wise in you in this world, let him be, for he will be wise. For the wisdom of this world is with God” (1 Cor. 3:18–19) We do not know, brothers, what Saint Anthony the Great would say today, on the day of his feast, if he were now among us and deigned to give us instruction. We, stretching out a voice to you on his behalf, did not find anything better and more useful than to bring to your memory this advice of a language teacher regarding the way to achieve true wisdom. The reason is obvious: you are engaged in achieving wisdom, therefore, who is it more fitting to repeat the apostle’s advice regarding achieving it, if not you, who can immediately put it into action? One thing could stop us and force us to choose another subject: if this advice were known to everyone. But this can hardly be said. Proclaimed among the church itself once a year, on a day that is used for studies and everyday affairs, for that very reason it is not so well known. Even one who has the custom of taking the Apostolic Scriptures into his hands from time to time can easily lose sight of it among many other truths and instructions. Finally, of those to whom it is known, probably few will soon decide to use it in business, due to its extreme unusualness. For, judge for yourself, what does the apostle advise? The wisest person to achieve wisdom is to become a boiimi!.. How many will dare to try such a remedy? And yet it must be the most valid, already because it is proposed not by any person, let us say the wisest, but by the Apostle of Christ, who in the light of the Spirit of God saw everything clearly. And how does he offer? As the only thing - so whoever does not follow his advice, no matter how wise he may seem to himself and others, will remain forever wild, devoid of true wisdom. How bitter it would be to study for a whole century and not come to the understanding of the truth! So, let us gather our attention and consider the advice of the apostle, let us delve into its essence and reasons, and look in its light at our wisdom. “Let no one deceive himself.” With this introduction the apostolic council begins and, of course, not without reason. Man is so easily deceived by his perfection, and especially by his wisdom! Reason, by its very nature, is arrogant, and when filled with knowledge, it is all the more difficult to bow its head to anything... “If anyone thinks that he will be wise in you in this world, let him be, for he will be wise.” This is the essence of advice! The means to wisdom is to become wild! Let's analyze every word, because every word is important. To whom is the apostle speaking here? Members of the Church of Corinth, many of whom were distinguished by wisdom, since the city itself was famous for enlightenment. It is known what earthly wisdom achieved in Greece; she reached such a height there that she never rose further in the entire ancient world. Rome itself, before which Greece fell, fell with respect before Greek wisdom. And so, to these wise men, so to speak, of the first category, who were the oracles of their time, the apostle says that they do not have wisdom, and that if they want to have it, they must become boisterous. “If anyone thinks that he will be wise in you in this world, let it happen, for he will be wise!” You can judge, brothers, what it was like to hear such advice to the sages of Greece from the lips of the Jewish teacher! But this teacher was Pavel! What did he propose to achieve wisdom? To become boiimi - “may it happen that he will be wise!” By this riot, obviously, we do not mean simple deprivation of the mind and mental foolishness. The apostle himself serves as an example of the opposite. It does not go without saying that the knowledge acquired by science is neglected; On one occasion the apostle himself commanded that books should be brought to himself. What does the apostle mean by madness when he points to it as the only means to wisdom? This means renunciation of those principles on which human wisdom is based, renunciation of the confidence by which this wisdom believes that it alone can be truly perfect; renunciation of that stubbornness by which everything that is contrary to it is completely rejected by it as false; means the readiness to admit one’s ignorance and to seek the higher light, the readiness to accept this light, even if it is not of the kind that we are accustomed to seeing in our judgments, the readiness to endure all the blasphemies and condemnations of the world for this, the holy readiness to appear boorish in the eyes of the world; of course, the acceptance of other principles for one’s knowledge and actions; of course, the assimilation of objects of the Christian faith, which to Hellenic wisdom seemed foolishness. Indeed, remember the main points of Hellenic wisdom; they were in complete contrast to the dogmas of the Gospel. According to Greek wisdom, man is recognized as capable of everything, of God-likeness itself; according to the Gospel, he is dead in spirit, able to be resurrected only by the power of the Holy Spirit, and then already capable of anything. According to Greek wisdom, they thought that God could be known in the same way as nature, or that He could not be known at all. According to the Gospel, no one knows God except He Himself, and to whom the Son wills is revealed; and when He is open, He can be seen by everyone, not just a philosopher, but also a commoner. According to Greek wisdom, it was necessary to nourish passions; according to the Gospel - to kill them. According to Greek wisdom, the source of activity is self-love; according to the Gospel - self-sacrifice. All these and similar rules formed the basis and soul of Greek wisdom. To refuse them, as the Gospel demanded, meant to become one with the foolish. “But is this madness?” someone might say. Of course, it is not madness in itself, but the path to wisdom and even its very beginning. But ask human wisdom - what will it say about this? Wouldn't it be called pure madness? Isn’t that what she repeated in ancient times, when she first heard the advice of the apostle? Wasn’t that what she repeated into the next century? Isn’t that what I’m ready to repeat even now? "How? We don't know anything as we should? Our mind cannot discover what we need? Should we believe in something we cannot comprehend? Is there an area of ​​truth that is not only inaccessible to us, but also in many ways contrary to our knowledge? So, will the fishermen and tax collectors of Judah reveal all this? It is proper for common people to think this way, and not for those who have educated their minds with science! How? Should we be led not by will, but by self-sacrifice?” Isn’t this exactly how human wisdom usually responds? And if only she would still respond like that! For we, so as not to burden your ears, convey only the faint sounds of what the trumpet thunders. If this left anyone in bewilderment that the world would honor the one who decided to follow the advice of the apostle, let him begin to live truly as a Christian, and he will see, he will soon see how the world will begin to look at him and talk about him. “If anyone thinks that he will be wise in you in this world, let it happen, for he will be wise!” Without a doubt, Greek wisdom, which turned everything into questions, could not help but offer its favorite in this case - why? The preacher of the Gospel could say that this is what God wants. But, knowing the properties of his listeners, he shows the reason for what is required. What is this reason? The one that “the wisdom... of this world is violence with God,” just as the wisdom of God seems to earthly wisdom to be violence. The reason is decisive in itself; for if earthly wisdom is riot before God, then it is clear that there is no other way to approach the wisdom of God, that is, true, but to abandon your wisdom, neglect it and become its opponent. But another question arises: is the wisdom of this world really a riot with God; and if so, why? In the place we are considering, the apostle does not suggest this question and therefore does not give an answer, because he has already given it on other occasions. What is the reason that the wisdom of the world has become in such decisive opposition to the wisdom of God that it has turned out to be a riot? It is not that the human mind itself is opposed to the Divine mind; not that the wisdom of the world does not have in itself any possibility of not being contrary to the wisdom of God. But the fact is that the sages, carried away by passions, perverted their minds, and with it their knowledge. Of course, not all practitioners of wisdom were equally subject to this perversion of knowledge; there were minor exceptions. But what do they represent in their complexity? They represent a rush towards light, but at the same time the same darkness. And so, since in the wisdom of God, revealed in external nature and in the human soul, the world did not understand the wisdom of God, then God was no longer pleased to save the believers, not through wisdom, but through the violence of preaching. And the wisdom of the world, as if it had become foolish, should be destroyed and rejected. After that, for the so-called wise men themselves, in order to become wise, there was no other way left than to reject their false wisdom, become boisterous, accept the violence of the preaching of the Gospel, and thus become truly wise. “If anyone thinks that he will be wise in you in this world, let him be, for he will be wise.” This is exactly what Justin, Athenagoras, Augustine and Ambrose did. One cannot read without emotion how they describe the pitiful state of their spirit when they sought truth in porticos and academies, and how their souls calmed down at the foot of the Cross of Christ! Those of the wise men, who, on the contrary, remained with their imaginary wisdom, continued to fool themselves more and more, until finally a strict sentence was imposed on wisdom: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (1 Cor. 1:19). But all this, someone might think, is said about the Greek wisdom of the ancient, pagan world; modern wisdom, as Christian, is no longer subject to those reproaches; Nowadays one can be truly wise without becoming violent. No, beloved brother, the advice of the apostle still has all its force and all its application. We also recognize the precious possibility of human wisdom not to become contrary to the wisdom of God. But are we taking advantage of this opportunity? Alas, it is so little that the terrible condemnation deserved by pagan wisdom often falls with all its weight on modern wisdom! It would seem that with the spread of Christianity, the wisdom of this world should have taken on a different quality, ceased to be contrary to the wisdom of God, and therefore not be condemned to destruction. But alas, experience shows the opposite. From what wisdom suffered in Greece and Rome, it suffers everywhere; Therefore, even now the advice of the apostle remains in full force... Those who study wisdom among Christianity obviously have the opportunity to not be like the wise ancient pagans. In this case, one should only begin with what Christianity requires - with the holy violence of the sermon on the cross, and then, having become wise about Christ, adorn oneself with what in earthly wisdom is consistent with eternal truth. Thus, there would be no need to rebuild the building down to its very foundations. But alas, the spirit of pride, passion and many other reasons are to blame for the fact that this precious opportunity for the mind to build a house of wisdom no longer according to its own plans and imaginations, but according to the Divine blueprint, remains for the most part unused. Instead of using guidance from above in achieving wisdom, they try to forget and avoid it, like obstacles and obstacles on the way. And what do they achieve? Having entered on the previous path of paganism, acting with their own mind alone, they achieve the same thing that happened to the pagans: they create wisdom that is contrary to the wisdom of God, which therefore turns out to be foolishness in the eyes of God, and entails the same condemnation to which the wisdom of the pagans was subjected. Ancient wisdom, as if it happened before the Gospel, was not even in such deliberate opposition to it, it neglected it out of pride, but, not rushing at it with such bitterness, it defended itself rather than attacked. The new pagan wisdom, arising under the Gospel, as if already illegal in origin, harbors a kind of innate hatred of it, and the first thing it considers is to drive it out and persecute it. To be convinced of all this, it is only worth remembering what the wisdom of the past century was and what it did. What traces did she not leave of her bitterness against Christianity, that is, against the wisdom of God? This wisdom was no longer earthly, spiritual, but literally hellish and demonic. An ill-fated and terrible fate made her most ardent admirers stop loving such wisdom. But has wisdom ceased to be pagan?.. After this there is no need to prove much that the apostle's advice for wisdom comes to our times in all its strength. Word for the day of St. Onuphrius the Great “And I showed a pure river of living waters, as bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb... and on both sides of the river an animal tree, which produces twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month: the oil of the tree for healing with the tongue” (Rev. 22:1–2) This is what Saint John writes in his wondrous Revelation. After many majestic and varied visions, he was given the opportunity to contemplate the future city of God - Jerusalem, descending from heaven. Here, among various objects, the Spirit indicated to John a river of living water, coming not from the mountains and wilds, as with us, in this poor world, but from the throne of God and the Lamb, along whose banks the tree of life grows with unfailing fruit. What this holy river meant was not told either by the Spirit to the Seer of Mysteries, or to us by the Seer of Mysteries. But it would not be dishonest to think that this wonderful river emanating from the throne of God symbolically depicted for John the stream of creative power, which, emanating from the depths of the omnipotence of God, incessantly pours onto everything created and, flowing around the universe, animates everything - from the first Seraphim to the last insect, so that without it all life, strength and strength, all perfection, as in both the material and spiritual worlds would become completely impoverished. We do not know whether this passage from the Revelation of John was meant by the God-loving creators of this church during its construction; but what we see in this church automatically leads the thought to John’s vision. And here, as you see, the throne of God and the Lamb is erected, on which this Divine Lamb is daily offered as a bloodless sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; and here, if not a river, then a stream of living water comes from under this throne and flows, although invisibly, along the entire length of the church; and here along its banks grows the tree of life - the word of the prophets and apostles, proclaimed from this sacred place at every service; and here, not only every month, but, one might say, every day, new fruits are always found for the hungry, which can feed the soul into eternal life. Briefly say that the beloved disciple of Christ contemplated precisely in a prophetic vision that the blessed inhabitants of heaven would only see the end of this world; something like this is given to all of us to see here - with the very eyes of the flesh. What is it given for? Is it just for idle curiosity, so that, returning to our homes, like young children, we can tell with liveliness that we were in such a church where there are treasures in front of the throne and under the pulpit? For this it would not be worth building this church with such difficulty; It would not be worth it for us, from different, not close places, to come here to spend the morning at his doorstep. No, this church, these treasures and our journey here will only achieve their goal if what is visible here reminds us of the invisible, and the present guides our thoughts to the future. Which future? The very same thing that was pre-revealed only to John, but is being prepared for everyone. Yes, brethren, by the unconditional mercy of our Savior, we are all destined to one day enter that new Jerusalem, descending from heaven, to see this living river flowing from under the throne of God and the Lamb, to quench our thirst from its pure streams and to taste the fruits of the animal tree growing along its banks. And how are they intended? Not only by granting the right to this, but by imposing on us an obligation to all this, so that if someone turns out to be unworthy to enter the holy city of God and drink from this river, then he is such for all eternity - do you hear? - for all eternity he will be removed from the bright face of God and imprisoned to the student of the “abyss” (Rev. 9:1), who no longer flows in cooling streams, but with an unquenchable flame. After this, how can one not think diligently about what will be required of us at the gates of heavenly Jerusalem, and who will be allowed to the streams of the River of Lamb? The answer to these questions is given to us by the same Saint John in the following words: “I went out,” he says, “and behold, a great people, which no one can purge, from every tongue and tribe, people and nations, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with finches in their hands. And they cried out with a great voice, saying: Salvation to him who sits on the throne of our God. and to the Lamb... And one of the elders answered, saying to me: Who are these clothed in white garments, and where did they come from? And I said to him, “These are the ones who came from the great tribulation, and washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb: for this reason they are before the throne of God.” and they serve Him day and night in His church, and He who sits on the throne will dwell in them: they will not hunger, nor will they thirst, but the sun will not be able to feed on them, beneath all the heat: like the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne, I will feed and guide them to the springs of animal waters, and God will take away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:9–17). Do you see now who will be admitted into the heavenly Jerusalem to the springs of animal waters? These are those who came from great sorrow, those who whitened their garments in the Blood of Lambs; These are two qualities, without which there is no access either to the city of God or to the source of life. So, we must acquire them, acquire them here while we live on earth, for when midnight strikes and the Bridegroom comes, then it will be too late, as the example of the foolish virgins shows, to look for oil for the lamps. What kind of great sorrow is this? And why is it necessary to go through it in order to then enter the bright city of God? This tribulation is the same as the strait gate, about which the Savior speaks: “Strive to enter through the strait gate” (Luke 13:24); the same thing that the apostle meant when he wrote: “And they who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). For is it possible to crucify one’s own flesh without feeling great pain and grievous sorrow from this crucifixion? So, do not imagine, my brethren, as some thought, that the host seen by John, clothed in white robes and brought before the throne of God, to the fountains of living water, is a host exactly like the martyrs of Christ. Of course, the martyrs, for their solemn confession of the name of Christ and the enduring of various torments and death for this, are worthy of special praise and reward; but every true Christian is, in his own way, a martyr, for he must crucify his flesh with passions and lusts, and this costs a lot of patience and, perhaps, exceeds many torments. Why, it will be asked, is this great sorrow, this bloodless torment, necessary? Because by crucifixion only of the flesh and self-denial, that purity of heart and freedom of spirit is achieved, which are necessary for the future inhabitants of the Kingdom of Christ in heaven. As the Seer of Mysteries notes, “no filth” can penetrate into it. But how can we expel this filth from our being when it has penetrated him from head to toe? Are they really the sweets and joys of this age? Ah, sweets do not cure body diseases; the less the spirit and conscience are entrusted to them. A bitter medicine is needed; a cross and great sorrow are needed. Only they alone can weaken, kill and eradicate our pride, this root of everything evil and ungodly in us. And that is why the entire host of the righteous triumphant in heaven does not consist of any other persons, but of those who came from great sorrow. That is why we, if we do not arm ourselves with the same holy thought, are not clothed with the same faith and the same long-suffering, and do not graciously endure the temptations and sorrows that are inseparable in the battle with the sin nesting in our hearts, then we will not see either the city of God or the river flowing from under the throne of the Lamb. The second, distinctive feature of the triumphant celestials is that they, as St. John says, “asked for their vestments, and made them white... in the Blood of the Lamb.” What does it mean? Who washes his clothes in blood? The property of blood is not to whiten things, but to make them red. How did the inhabitants of heaven make their garments white in the Blood of the Lamb? From this it is already clear to everyone that this is not any ordinary lamb, of which, for example, thousands were slain as a sacrifice to God in the Old Testament; for “it is impossible for the blood of younglings and goats, as the apostle notes, to forgive sins” (Heb. 10:4); and here, as under vestments, obviously, it is not a garment, and under their cleansing - not liberation from dust or dirt, but the erasing of stains of conscience and spiritual impurities. Who is this Lamb, whose Blood can whiten the garments of our soul and thereby make us able to enter the holy city of God and approach the source of eternal life? This is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, of which the Old Testament lambs served only as a weak pre-image; This is our beloved Savior, who, in the words of the prophet, was led like a Lamb to the slaughter for our sins. It is the Blood that whitens him - and only one can whiten - our vestments; for He takes away all iniquities from the believer in His name and transfers them to Himself and His Cross; and at the same time takes His truth from Himself and assimilates it to the poor sinner who trusts in Him. Whoever has achieved this justification in Christ - and this can only be achieved through living faith and the mortification of sin and passions - can shamelessly appear before the gates of heavenly Jerusalem, with the confidence that they will not say to him: I don’t know you. So, my brethren, if we want to stand one day on Mount Zion, at the throne of God and the Lamb, if we want to eat from the life-giving streams of the River Eden and from the fruits of the tree of life, then we will take the trouble to fulfill the conditions necessary for this; that is, let us not deviate from the narrow path of sorrows and purification, by which the hand of God’s Providence leads us, onto the broad path of peace; Let us try to unite in spirit as sincerely as possible with our Savior, so that we may clothe ourselves in the white and light robe of His Divine merits. Do you want to know what and how can help us achieve this? For this, be attentive to the Gospel, to your conscience and to the Rules of the Holy Church; for in these three mirrors are depicted with all clarity everything that we must do and what we must run away from, in order to enter one day for an eternal stay in heavenly Jerusalem, to the source of living water, from which may we all be worthy to quench the once - otherwise unquenchable - thirst of the soul and heart, through the prayers and intercession of the holy saint of God Onuphrius, in whose honor we have now gathered to this place. Amen. Word in memory of St. Michael, first Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia The memory of St. Michael, which we now celebrate, is important for the entire Russian Church simply because the series of our saints began with him, through him the grace of apostolic ordination passed from the Greek Church to the Russian Church. Not everyone will be allowed by Providence to take such an important place in order to unite two great Churches and begin a new, numerous face of the saints of God. This is a great thing! But Michael fully justified his election as equal to the apostles. His life is proof of this. “But how much do we know about his life?” - someone will think at this. If we ask historians, they will really tell us very little; Almost one thing is that Michael was from Syria, came to Kherson to Vladimir with the Greek princess Anna and, having baptized him and the Russian people, then served as a priest for four years in Kyiv. This is almost what historians say about St. Michael; but we, brothers, will not ask them about the life of this saint, but we will ask him himself. In fact, is it not in this city that the relics of Mikhailov rest? What could be better than this answer to the question, what was the life of Michael? If Michael’s body itself was so elevated above everything corruptible, so cleansed of everything earthly that it escaped the common fate of human bodies - to turn into the earth from which they were taken - then it is clear that Michael’s soul was the temple of the Holy Spirit. And the deeds of such people are known: for them, in the words of the Apostle, “there is no law” (Gal. 5:23), for they always think without the law and always do everything, “as much as is honest, as much as is righteous... as much as is loving... as much virtue as there is, and as much praise as there is” (Phil. 4:8). Such people are guided, according to David, to every commandment, “and they hate every way of unrighteousness” (Ps. 119:104). They are humble, meek, submissive, do not repay evil for evil, bless even those who slander them and pray for those who harm them. Such, without a doubt, was Michael in his actions, as this shows the holiness and incorruptibility of his relics. How precious is this pledge for the entire Russian Church!.. It shows that the grace of apostolic ordination, so important for the hierarchy and for the entire Church, was brought to our Fatherland in a strong, pure and splendid vessel, that our first shepherd was not only in name, but in fact - an angel representative and representative of the newly created Church. Without a doubt, even now this intercessor angel has not left his guard, and does not cease to overshadow with his prayers the people he brought to Christ, especially the shepherds of this people, who all received the grace of the priesthood through him. If the spirit of Michael had left his flock, then his body would not have remained among us. What would a visible sign of unity serve if the invisible and spiritual union were completely broken? In his incorruptible remains, the first Russian hierarch continues in some way to perform his pastoral service even on earth, teaching faith and virtue to his entire flock. He was not destined to teach the newly converted people for long, for he served as a priest, as we said, only for four years, and the converts were not yet capable of accepting the fullness of Christian teaching; and so, as if in replacement of this service, he was given a higher teaching, which will end only with the end of the world. The holy and incorruptible relics of Michael teach all shepherds and all their flocks more powerfully than any word. Michael shows the shepherds what a Christian shepherd should be like. Moreover, if he serves only as an instrument for bringing grace down to the flock in the Sacraments, such an instrument through which grace only flows without sanctifying him or leaving a trace in him - this is not enough for the shepherd, although the flock thus accepts all the grace necessary for their salvation. A true Christian shepherd must be an instrument of grace, not dead, but alive, not merely conducting this grace, but filled and imbued with it, and therefore exuding it - he must be a permanent dwelling and temple of the Holy Spirit. Whether the consequence of this will be incorruption of the body itself or not - this is not in the will of man: the Wisdom of God reveals miracles of incorruption whenever it pleases, and not us. But there is incorruptibility, which must certainly adorn every Christian shepherd. This incorruption of the mind is its freedom from delusions, which sooner or later must dissipate and disappear; incorruptibility of the will - its freedom from unclean rules and vicious habits, which also have no place in heaven, among eternal life; The incorruptibility of the heart is its freedom from lusts, which, constantly arising and constantly disappearing, changing and, as it were, devouring each other, are a clear image of spiritual corruption. In the words of Scripture, what is required in a shepherd is the putting off of “the old man, which is decaying in the lusts of deceitful desires” (Eph. 4:22), and the acquisition of the hidden “heart of man, in the incorruptibility of a meek and silent spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). It is to this incorruptibility and immortality that the first Russian hierarch calls upon all his successors in the pastoral leadership! But, teaching the shepherds, Saint Michael, with his incorruptible remains, teaches instructions to all his flock - to be Christians in more than one name, to firmly guard the Orthodox faith and implement it constantly in life, to strive through virtues and repentance to follow him - to the Heavenly Fatherland. This is what the grave of Michael teaches to each and every one; and I don’t think that any of us left this tomb without thoughts of our salvation. Touching the remains of a saint and kissing them, it seems that you hear a voice from them: all is vanity except faith and virtue. Shall we, brethren, remain indifferent to this and similar voices?.. Providence is so kind to all of us that it has deigned for us to live in a city filled with the incorruptible remains of saints and the voices emanating from them. We will be unrequited if, living among the host of God’s saints, we do not learn to ascend, following their footsteps, to heaven! Amen. A word in memory of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv Saint David, wanting to depict the bliss of the righteous after death, says that they “will be praised... in glory and rejoice on their beds” (Ps. 149:5). How the righteous are glorified in the bright abodes of the Heavenly Father - this is not given to the mortal eye of man to see. And how they rest in joy and peace on their beds - this is in the most tangible form open to the gaze of many, many. And this is especially not hidden from you, inhabitants of this God-saved city! For haven’t you seen from ancient times a whole host of holy men of God resting on their beds? Oh, blessed are your eyes, which can always see what many of the sons of the Orthodox Church are privileged to see barely once in their entire lives! Behold, and now who has gathered us? One of those who are praised forever, in glory, and in the abodes of the Heavenly Father. Where did you collect it? To the bed on which he lay down to rest after many tireless labors in the helicopter city of Christ. Gathered now, for now he himself, crushed by the sword of the fierce Mongols, was gathered, like a ripe ear, into the granary of the Heavenly Father. See how peacefully the righteous man rests on his bed! More than three centuries have passed over this bed, and the bed is the same! Three different kinds of dominions passed over this country, but the region of corruption never touched the one who rests on this bed! The very appearance of our mountains and valleys has changed, but the image of the resting martyr is the same! More centuries and, perhaps, millennia will pass over this holy bed; more and more new changes will take place in the fate of this city and country - everything will change around, and the righteous will remain like Mount Zion, motionless among the aspirations of the stream of time, and will rise from his bed with greater ease than as we rise from the morning sleep. The word of the Wise One is so faithfully fulfilled over those who suffer for the name of Christ that they “were not expected to die except in the sight of the foolish, and their exodus was imputed to their bitterness, and their departure from us was contrived: but they themselves were and are in the world. For even if they suffer torment in the sight of men, their hope of immortality is fulfilled” (Wis. 3:2–5). The sword of the Mongols, which cut off the thread of the life of the holy martyr, only accelerated his triumph in glory and, not allowing him to see the local city, forever united him with it, opening the next opportunity for his holy and incorruptible relics to rest here forever. But the holy martyr did not come here to rest! Was it possible to rest here peacefully when everything around was breathing war, discord and desolation? When was our Fatherland like a body deprived of most of its members, in which only a few drops of life and movement were stored in the heart? When the Church and the flock of Kiev were like a helicopter city, not fenced, not watered, sweeping away the leaves, given over to be devoured (eaten) by all the beasts of the oak forest; when did this very church, chosen as the resting place of the holy martyr, arrest the gaze with its magnificent ruins and serve as a habitat not for the altar servers, but for the birds of the air? When not one of the inhabitants of this city could rest peacefully on his bed, could the supreme shepherd of the distressed Church then rest on his bed?.. And he did not rest! Witness to this is the miraculous fire, seen in those disastrous times more than once in the middle of the night between the uncovered walls of this church, and emanating from the tomb of the holy martyr. What else was fire, if not the visible expression of his fiery prayers to God for his flock and his Church? How powerful this intercession was with the Lord was later shown by events, for from the moment when the holy martyr, who lay down on a bed in the middle of this church, began to rise from it to pray, apparently all the waves that had overwhelmed the ship of the Church of Kyiv began to subside. Politicians are now wondering how this country could so peacefully become part of the Orthodox Fatherland. How could she not enter peacefully when she was led and urged to do so by the incessant prayers of such great representatives of the Lord? Now, when from the previous disorders of the country and the Church of Kyiv, for the most part, nothing remained but sad memories, when the walls of this church, combining ancient and new splendor, began to testify to everyone that the night of our mourning has passed, and the day of joy is approaching, now the time has come for the holy martyr not only to recline, but also to rest on his bed. And every year we dare to approach this bed, and each time we create it again to go with us from the place of its resting place!... Where and for what does this boldness come from?.. From faith, love and gratitude, for faith, love and edification - by wearing out the incorruptible relics of the holy martyr from under the roof of this church to the roof of heaven, we want to show our treasure to the whole world, to all nature renewed in spring; and by carrying them around the church, we thereby gratefully testify that the saint was and is like a wall and fence for his flock, and, without a doubt, the holy martyr himself, moving from us in his holy remains, does not remain motionless, but at the same time strives in spirit to warmly intercede for us, for although fathers love their children and pray for them without their asking for it, they also love, so that children, for their part, arouse their love for themselves as best they can. Finally, we ourselves, no matter how indifferent we are to good, but seeing how the saint of God leaves the place of his resting place and visibly walks among us, we involuntarily feel in our hearts the movement of many holy thoughts and feelings, and we ourselves are imperceptibly disposed to follow the righteous man along the path of his virtues to the place of eternal rest for all. Therefore, it is not our boldness (it is pious and holy) that should occupy our thoughts now, but something else, something completely different; Will the holy martyr now rejoice over us on his bed, and what will he see between us when he leaves this church? Apparently, it is impossible to find a better time to show oneself before him than the present, for we are surrounded by sacred days: not so long ago we celebrated the Holy Pentecost and worshiped the Passion of Christ; then they celebrated the rise of the Lord from the grave; a few days before this they went to the waters to receive the grace of God; on the other hand, we are preparing to celebrate the ascension of our Savior into heaven; we await the descent of the Comforter Spirit; How can one not, among such days and celebrations, not sanctify oneself, not be enriched with holy thoughts and feelings, not refrain from many sins, and not at such a time commit, even out of imitation, although out of necessity, some virtues? All this is a considerable guarantee that the holy martyr can find among us something worthy of his gaze, which, enlightened by the sight of the Heavenly Father, cannot endure sin and spiritual insensibility. But, brethren, hoping in this case for something good in us, can we not fear for much and much evil? How can we hide from the bright gaze of the holy martyr such a multitude of poor people, who in vain appear daily before the eyes of the rich and often do not even receive a tender glance? Where can we hide so many children, who are left by their parents to grow up without the fear of God, without knowledge of the ways of salvation, who are left to go wherever their human heart, inclined towards evil, leads them? Where can one hide the multitude of strife and quarrels that separate not only people who are alien to each other (although all Christians should be brothers), but also those connected by the ties of closest kinship? Where can one hide the greed and deceit with which some are almost superior to the followers of the synagogue, the sensuality and impurity of life with which others argue with the worshipers of Mohammed? In this case, what should we do with our coldness towards faith and the churches of God, disrespect for parents, grumbling against superiors, dissatisfaction with our lot, a stifling tendency to dissipation? The holy martyr will see all this, brothers, and what will he say against our city? Will he not turn away his face? Will he not return with sorrow to his resting place? What remains to be done to please the righteous man with a real celebration in his honor?.. One thing remains: instead of the missing good deeds, surround his sacred bed with holy vows. Let each of us make a firm vow in our souls: either to renounce, in honor of the patron saint of our city, from any sin, or to perform some good deed in his name. Surrounded by these vows, seeing their sincerity and firmness, the holy martyr will return to his resting place without grief and, presenting himself to the throne of the Heavenly Father, will say: “Lord, I have matured my flock; she is weak, very weak; but she has a desire to be healthy; increase Your grace for her in the coming summer, so that all the good things to which my visit aroused her will be accomplished in her!” Amen. A word in memory of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv, whose relics, resting in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral, are carried around the church during the liturgy Among the miraculous signs that surrounded the death and resurrection of the Lord, there was, according to the testimony of the history of the Gospel, the sign that “the tombs were opened: and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose: and... after the resurrection... they went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:52–53). Thus, for Jerusalem at that time, in a small form, one might say, the future resurrection of the dead took place. No matter how striking this sign is, our God-saved city was given the opportunity to see something similar for entire centuries. For how many centuries have the tombs of many saints been opened for us by the grace of God, and have not been closed to this day! How many bodies resting in them have apparently risen from the dust of the earth through their incorruption! Finally, as if to complete the similarity with the ancient event, this one from the host of the saints of God, as the shepherd of this city, every year, in continuation of the divine circle of festivities in honor of the resurrection of Christ, rises from his place, comes out of the church, and appears before the face of the entire city with his incorruptible relics!.. Why is this phenomenon?.. For the same reason for which the resurrected saints appeared in Jerusalem after the resurrection of the Lord: as a testimony that the Lord Jesus, who died for us and rose again for us, is the true Lord of life and death; that the power of death and corruption is truly trampled and destroyed by His death; that “the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God... and having heard them will live” (John 5:28, 25), which is why Christians have no reason to fear “those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but should fear only the One who can destroy the soul and body in fiery hell” (Matthew 10:28). The holy martyr testifies to this before us with the solemn appearance of his incorruptible relics in the midst of our city! What does this testimony produce in us? What is the fruit of his daily appearance among us? Are we strengthened by it in the hope of the future life? Are we consoled by this hope amid the sorrows and vicissitudes of this life? Are we protected from temptation and sin by the prayers of the saint? Are we growing in faith and grace, in love, humility and purity? We will not continue the questions, but note instead that just like all the mercy of God, so the one we use, if not used for good, will serve to our greater condemnation. “If he had not come and spoken to them,” the Savior Himself said about the Jews, “they had no sin; now they have no guilt about their sin” (John 15:22). This is what the saints of God can say about us, especially the blessed martyr, who marches with us every year. Now he rises from his bed to intercede for us and bless us; and one day he will rise up to testify against our bitterness and judge us. Let us be attentive to the sign of God’s grace and, walking behind the incorruptible relics of the saint and wonderworker, let us delve into our life, where its path lies; Are we really going where the holy men of God are leading us with their prayers and their example? Amen. Word in memory of St. Theodosius of Pechersk “Even if I leave you in body, I will remain with you in spirit,” - this is what the reverend abbot of this monastery, piously pleased by us, said, saying goodbye to the brethren before his death. He wished and hoped to be among her in spirit; and the Lord, who does incomparably more “what we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20), gave him the grace of being among his brethren not only in spirit, but also in the flesh. And what flesh! In which traces of the Spirit of God are clearly visible, which, having itself triumphed over corruption for so many centuries, exudes life and incorruption to all who flow in with faith. After this, I don’t know whether it is right to say that we are now commemorating the saint. Memory is created about those who were long ago, or are far away; and he is here, always here, in his place: he comes to prayer first of all, and after everyone leaves it, or, moreover, never leaves. And do not imagine, brothers, that such a stay among you, in this church, of our great mentor and father was ineffective. No, it is more important than the presence of a living boss. Only your external affairs and movements are open to an ordinary boss; before this abbot the very thoughts and movements of the heart are not hidden; he - in God - sees everything that happens in the depths of your souls; sees and notices; notices and acts. You don’t know where such joy or such sorrow comes from, you think that the reason for this is such and such a person, or such and such an incident. So, for both people and cases are not without action on you; just be sure that all their actions, everything, both pleasant and unpleasant, that happens to you here, is, after the all-good will of God, at the special disposal of the holy and God-bearing fathers, founders and patrons of this miraculous monastery, and serves in their holy hands to prepare cures for your various spiritual ailments. Therefore, there is no better rule for you, brothers, than to take whatever happens to you the way patients take medicine from doctors. Whether it’s sweet or bitter, patients take it equally faithfully, at the appointed hour, in the indicated quantity. So accept everything that happens to you, and you, being firmly confident that the God-bearing fathers, invisibly and incessantly vigilant for the salvation of your souls, will never prescribe medicine to you that is incorrect or in excess. No, they would rather carry what you need for you, rather than burden you with anything unnecessary. As soon as you always begin to act in this way, then be sure that everything pleasant and unpleasant will turn into your good, and you will achieve true mental health, for which you have flown under the peaceful roof of this holy monastery. For why did you come here, leaving the world and all its pleasures? Is it really for honors, for acquisitions, for earthly blessings? All this was to be sought in the world, and not here; here is one honor - the highest calling in Christ Jesus, one treasure - faith, virtue and humility, one blessing - the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. But to whom am I saying this?.. is it here to teach, where everyone should learn?.. So, beloved brethren, at the foot of the saints of God we are all nothing more than inexperienced disciples. But it is necessary for someone, in the absence of your Christ-loving shepherd and primate, to be the organ of their spiritual broadcasting: and I do not think to change the thoughts and desires of both our venerable father Theodosius, now blessed by us, and all the God-bearing fathers who rest here, if on their behalf not only you who are under the roof of this monastery, but also everyone present here and sharing our celebration, I invite you to to follow in their holy footsteps. Where to go? into the desert and seclusion?.. No, to self-sacrifice, faith, humility and purity of spirit and flesh. What can prevent us all from imitating the saints in this regard? Isn’t this what we are all obliged to do by calling ourselves Christians? Were they not of the same nature as we are? We encounter temptations, but haven’t they? Read their biographies; and you will see that all our temptations, in comparison with their exploits, are nothing more than a battle in a picture versus a battle in reality. Was grace given to the saints? It is given to us, and it is given to us even more than it was given to them. Marvel at this? But this is what the Apostle of Christ himself assures us: “Where,” he says, “sin has multiplied, there grace abounds” (Rom. 5:20). In addition, the path of faith and virtue, one might say, has already been laid out for all of us by the feet of the saints of God, shortened and protected by their prayers. We will be unrequited if, living among the saints, constantly called upon by their example, drawn by their prayers, we do not have time to come to the place where they are now blissful. Amen. Word in memory of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky, Wonderworker Having gathered here in such numbers not only from the city, but also from all the surrounding areas, you gathered, brothers, without a doubt, not to listen to the word of man, but in order to receive into your souls and hearts the instruction from the saint of God himself, who rests here and is now piously blessed by us. We will not hide from you that we came here not so much to teach, but to receive instructions. For where can the shepherds of the Church, for whom in their turn need enlightenment and admonition, and even greater than for the flock, where can they get instructions for themselves, if not at the foot of the holy saints of God?.. But, brethren, can we therefore expect the saint of God to instruct us to leave his holy bed, ascend to this place and begin to talk with us, just as we are talking with you! Many of us probably could not bear such an interview. It is enough that for so many centuries he stands before the eyes of one and all with his incorruptible remains, like an open book; and everyone should read in this book and take edification from it, depending on their condition and their need. And is it difficult for everyone to be edified in this way by the shrine of holy saints? Against! Just as standing against the summer sun one cannot help but begin to warm up, just as standing by the sea one cannot help but instantly feel coolness, so standing at the foot of the relics of God’s holy saints one cannot help but be filled with spiritual edification. All you have to do is not entertain your imagination on extraneous subjects, you just need to prayerfully direct your attention and thoughts to the saint of God; and the source of holy thoughts and feelings immediately opens in the heart. These thoughts and feelings are the teachings of the saint of God himself to us, which cannot be replaced by any of our teachings, because they always conceal healing directly against the ailment from which we suffer; and preachers cannot know everyone’s mental illnesses; and even if they did know, they cannot indicate in one and the same word the appropriate medicine for everyone. So, if you wish to hear teaching now, stand by the saint’s river, pray to him from your heart and ask for guidance, then listen to your soul and see what thought appears in it. If the thought comes to do some godly deed, for example, to look after the poor, to forgive a debtor, do it quickly; this is what the saint of God wants. If the intention appears to break the shameful connection that has hitherto bound you and drawn you to hell, immediately break it forever; this is what the saint of God commands. If you feel disgusted by the excessive consumption of wine and strong drink, give up this destructive habit; the saint who instilled this feeling in you will himself help you overcome it. Have you previously indulged in anger, disorder, foul language, neglected to go to church, give alms, and your conscience begins to convict you of this - say to yourself: this is the saint of God convicting me, I will no longer be the same as I was; say it and prove it with your actions. Whenever we approached the relics of the holy saints in this way, we would always hear from them the teaching we need. For why do they recline before us for so many centuries, as if they had fallen asleep only yesterday? Is it really in order to receive worship from us? But what is the need for our worship to those whose reward is with the Most High, who enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven? If they remain among us apparently, and do not ascend into heaven in their incorruptible flesh itself, it is precisely because they instruct and teach us, in order to show us the path of eternal life. Let's all go and learn from the shrine of St. Demetrius! Amen. Word in memory of St. Dionysius Glushitsky “If you see me taken from you, you will be like this; Unless you see it, it will not happen" (2 Kings 2:10) This is what the prophet Elijah spoke to his disciple and successor, the prophet Elisha, who asked him before taking him to heaven as an inheritance for himself “the spirit of abundance” (2 Kings 2:9), that is, the power of grace is twice as strong as that which dwelt in Elijah. Elisha fulfilled the wondrous condition exactly: he was honored to see how “a chariot of fire and horses of fire” (2 Kings 2:11) carried his teacher into heaven; therefore, he was honored to accept what was asked: the mantle of Iliin that fell on him from above made it known that along with it the spirit of Iliin had passed on him. We, brethren, did not see the pure and holy soul of the great and holy founder of this monastery, now piously blessed by us, ascending to heaven; None of us asked him for a spirit before his death, much less a serious one; and yet, when he departed for heaven, he, like the ancient prophet, left us his mantle, and what a mantle! Not clothes - although they mean a lot from the saints - but his incorruptible body, which, like mantle, once served as a cover for his pure and holy soul. Why did you leave it? Let us say without hesitation that for the same reason that Elijah was left to flog Elisha, that is, so that in us, if possible, there would be a strong spirit of the righteous. For judge for yourself, if an ordinary mantle served as a sign of the greater spirit, then the mantle left to us, which in itself constitutes a great miracle, cannot but be a sign and a guarantee of the greatest talents. So, he who can contain, let him contain! He who gives “spirit without measure” to those who are able will have spirit for everyone according to his age. But the Lord would grant to most of us to have at least that good spirit that dwelt in the righteous man whom we blessed. For what good deeds would we not have accomplished if we had been quickened by the spirit of Christ to the extent that the Monk Dionysius was filled with it? If someone considered this measure too much for themselves and their weaknesses, take the smaller one, take, if you wish, the smallest one; but you definitely need to take one. For why was the wonderful mantle left for you, along with others? Is it really so that you worship her and kiss her, without borrowing any spirit from the saint of God? But for this, would it be worth it for her to remain unharmed from decay for entire centuries? Would it be worth it for us, leaving everything, our homes and affairs, to gather in such numbers into this desert? No, this wonderful mantle was left to us, without a doubt, for some holy use: what? Elisha divided the Jordan with Elijah's mantle and crossed it on dry land; and with the mantle of the saint of God we will share the flow of time and everything temporary, the flow of worldly pleasures and sweets, the flow of bad examples and temptations, that flow in which many drown so uselessly. How to divide? Throwing the saint's mantle into him. For example, you are surrounded by a stream of sensuality and unclean pleasures, you yourself see that you can perish in its depths; stand mentally at the tomb of the saint, have faith in his holy relics, and the stream of worldly temptations will part before you, you will pass through it, like Elisha Jordan, harmlessly. Before you is a stream of unrighteous profit, your feet slide under it; you are ready to plunge headlong into its depths; rush mentally to the wonderful mercy of the monk, hide under it with a humble heart, call to him from the depths of your soul for help - and the stream will divide, unrighteous self-interest will present itself to you in all its blackness and will lose its power to drag you along with it. You have been treated unfairly, you have been cruelly insulted; a stream of anger boils in the heart, and is ready to pour out in cold words, in murmuring and blasphemy; remember the saint’s mantle, that you kissed his holy relics, and your lips open to blasphemy will close. This should be done in other cases as well. One should not be bored if the holy mantle does not suddenly have its beneficial effect. And Elisha did not suddenly divide the Jordan with the mantle of Elijah; he had to throw this mantle into it twice. “And Elisha struck the waters [with the second blow],” it is written in the fourth book of Kings, “and the waters parted here and there, and walked... on dry land” (2 Kings 2:14). Do the same: place yourself mentally as often as possible at the holy relics of the saint, and do not deviate from him until you feel the presence of his good and strong spirit in yourself. For it was not in vain that he left us all such a mantle - his incorruptible relics, when in vain we do not leave our clothes anywhere. Amen. A word on the reading of the decree of the Holy Synod on the discovery in Voronezh of the relics of the saint and wonderworker Mitrofan You have heard, brethren, the call of the Church and the King of the earth to honor the memory of the newly revealed saint of Christ, Mitrofan. It is the duty of the servant of the word to announce to you the will of the Heavenly King, and to remind you of the expectation of the Church above. Why did the new saint of God appear?.. Left heaven, so to speak, and came back to earth? Without a doubt, not for accepting our worship (he and all the saints are rewarded by the Most High!), but for our salvation, to help us on the way to heaven. The revelation of his incorruptible relics to the world is for him a new feat of serving the Lord in favor of his earthly brothers. Therefore, we can do nothing better to meet the heavenly guest than by turning on this occasion more attention to ourselves, to the state of our soul and heart, our faith and virtue: do we live so that his conversion among us does not become for him, as it once was for Lot, “torment” (2 Pet. 2:8); Is this how we plan to live in the future so that his prayers for us do not remain fruitless? Thus, brethren, having acquired much in the new saint of God, we at the same time commit ourselves to much. This is a new preacher of the truth of our holy faith, a new supporter of our hopes, a new role model, a new helper in all our needs: but at the same time, our new judge and accuser, if we, rejoicing at his appearance, do not arise from the sleep of sin, do not enter on the path of righteousness along which he ascended to heaven, and do not flow, with his help, to our heavenly fatherland. This is exactly what our Lord wants, sending His saints to us. It seems to me that every time a new miracle worker appears on earth, the sky opens, the throne of God is visible, and the voice of Him who sits on it is heard to all earthly beings: “You, who are in the darkness and shadow of death, forget about the heavenly abodes prepared for you, look at your brother, clothed in the midst of corruption with immortality! Through faith and holy deeds, he has already passed from you into the depths of eternal peace; but I am sending him again to you - let him be your leader, guardian and helper. Stop loving vanity; follow in the footsteps of your brother who appeared to you; and you, like him, will come to Me, and “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).” May this voice, brethren, respond in the depths of our souls and hearts!.. May it awaken in us a new determination to continue cheerfully, or to begin without laziness, walking in the commandments of God! For it is precisely for this reason that new saints of God and miracle workers appear among us from time to time! Amen. Sermon on the day of remembrance of the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian Today is the day of remembrance of the saints without silver, Cosmas and Damian, who have been revered since ancient times by the entire Orthodox Church, but even more so have the right to special respect in the country of Tauride. For ancient legend says that these miracle-working doctors once visited and illuminated the local peninsula with their miracles, having been exiled here in captivity by Caesar of Rome. And among your mountains there is still a healing spring, bearing the name of Saints Cosmas and Damian, which was brought out of the earth, according to the testimony of the same legend, by their prayers. With this in mind, we, despite the difficulty of the current circumstances and the inconvenience of the journey, visited this sacred place yesterday, and again gave praise there to Him, Whose almighty right hand has adorned it so wonderfully. For you need to know, my brothers, that this is one of the most deserted and majestic places between your mountains, which are generally so rich in picturesque locations. Imagine three of the highest mountains coming together and forming a formidable gorge in their midst; imagine them covered from base to top with various trees and greenery, with the crown naked, like that of an elderly person; imagine that from the main gorge between these mountains, also covered with forest and crossed by small cliffs, the stream of Alma rushes with a roar, and to the side of it, behind a small cliff, a huge spring gushes out from the side of the mountain and soon connects with this stream; this key is the source of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Despite the great degree of coldness of the water in it, which can be called cold boiling water, the pilgrims who come there reverently drink (as much as possible, because it is extremely tasty) this water, and immerse themselves in it for bathing. A strong cold envelops the person, and seems to penetrate to the bones and the very brain. But among this apparently unsafe effect of water, healing is given to many sick people, which is why the very source in the language of the local Tatars is called nothing less than “water of health.” For not only Christians, but also fans of Mohammed flock to him, glorifying the name of Saints Cosmas and Damian. This place was silent and deserted when I visited it six years before. The holiness of memories, the beneficent quality of the source, the majesty of the location immediately aroused in me special attention and reverence for this extraordinary place. “If anywhere,” I thought, “then in such mountain gorges there is a place for monastic monasteries,” and I suggested, if God wills, to organize a monastery in the name of the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian. The Holy Synod was not slow in blessing this thought, and the most pious Sovereign not only sealed our assumption with his sovereign word, but also deigned to learn all the traditions connected with this place. It remained to find material means to improve the holy place; and perhaps we would not have been able to find them for a long time if the moneyless people themselves had not taken care of it. Having received the gift of healing, they gave it to one of your local fellow citizens for a disease that seemed incurable. But this servant of God (I can call him by this name and not for this one good deed) was likened to the Samaritan healed of leprosy, who, “when he saw that he was healed, returned, praising God with a great voice” (Luke 17:15). In gratitude to the holy saints, the healed man decided (in his heart) from his own excesses to build a small church above the source, with two baths, and several cells near it, both for the residence of monastics and for the reassurance of those who come to the source. The latter, that is, a refuge for pilgrims, I found already erected. We hope that the first will soon be accomplished, so that later, if the Lord willing, we will have the consolation of celebrating the holy liturgy over the celibate spring. It is with intention that I tell you at length about this source. For I want to arouse your attention to it and introduce you to your own treasure. And all this is necessary, because many know in detail almost all the gorges of the mountains, but are still in the dark about the place of the holy and multi-healing spring. Many annually visit, as if on a vow, pagan and Jewish antiquities in different places of your country; but we never thought to see that place that was sanctified by the presence of such great saints of Christ as Saints Cosmas and Damian, and not only sanctified, but also presented to the grateful attention and use of all future generations through the production of a healing spring on it. “It is not proper... to do this” (James 3:10), beloved, the apostle and I will say. We do not forbid you to be attentive to everything that bears traces of special antiquity, whether pagan, Jewish, or Mohammedan; but our first attention belongs to Christian antiquities, for we are Christians. Compliance with this rule is necessary everywhere, especially among you, whose country is so rich in all kinds of sacred antiquities, for in this country Christianity arose from its earliest times; here later, in Chersonesos, was the very cradle of Russian Orthodoxy. There is something for a Christian to see and do not only with curiosity, but also with reverence! Meanwhile, one cannot help but say, to deep regret, that sacred antiquities are in the most unenviable position for you. I don’t mean that they are all in ruins; It is not you who are to blame for this, but time and the fate of the region, which was subject to so many destructive upheavals. But this is what can be blamed on you too! How much time has passed from the establishment of peace and order on the peninsula through its coming under the blessed Russian State, and no one has hitherto thought about these sacred ruins, about how, if not to reward them, then to save them from ultimate destruction, and most of all, from shame before the Gentiles. For shall I tell you in what condition I found your very first sacred places? The remains, for example, of the church where, in all likelihood, the baptism of St. Vladimir took place - the event from which the enlightenment of the holy faith began and spread throughout the Russian land - unprotected by anything, was left to be trampled upon by dumb animals, who destroyed there the last grain that covered the nakedness of the cradle of Orthodoxy. The sacred caves of Inkerman, where Saints Clement and Martin the Confessor labored in captivity, and where the sites of two small churches are still located, were used as a refuge in the heat for a flock of sheep and other animals! Is this what Christians should do? Is this how we express our enlightened curiosity and taste for antiquities? And what do the foreigners and people of other faiths who inhabit our peninsula in such large numbers think about us? And yet, I repeat, we, like little children, strive with such curiosity for the smallest traces of ancient paganism or Judaism in our country!.. Thanks be to God, who has placed in our hearts pity and the desire to preserve and reward the sacred antiquities of your country! The work, as you yourself know, has been started and, with God’s help, is progressing, although slowly (for how could it be otherwise?), but not without success. Give us your hand and unite with us in this feat, which is not easy for us. Honor with friendly attention both what is being done and those doing it. For the difficulty of the matter lies in the invention not only of the means to action, but also of the actors. Where can we find such workers? Who will come to us, to a distant country and to bare, so to speak, rocks? And the one who comes - how long will he work without returning back, when he will still be greeted with coldness and indifference from you? The terrible fire of fierce warfare has already destroyed much of what we have done in this regard, and will probably spread even further; the holy enterprise will therefore become even more difficult for us; but as long as we live, we will not give up our work. Do not weaken in your compassion and zeal. Perhaps this very fire of warfare appeared because of our previous coldness towards our shrine. And when the Lord sees that we have changed, and that zeal for faith and everything that relates to it has sufficiently awakened in us, he will invisibly stop this “flame” (Ps. 28:7), putting an end to destruction; and days of peace and prosperity will return to us, which we sincerely wish from the Lord for you and our entire country. Amen. Word for the day of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara No matter how you look at it, the incorruption of the bodies of the holy saints of God, brothers, as you can see for yourself, is a majestic and instructive spectacle. Those very remains of earthly existence, which usually serve as the last and strongest denunciation of the frailty of our bodily composition, and which, for that very reason, after a person’s death they consider it a duty to remove them from human sight, those same remains here are not only themselves apparently triumphant over corruption, but also shedding life and incorruption for everyone who flows to them with faith!.. Why does the wisdom and omnipotence of God perform such a wondrous and lasting miracle before our eyes? Is it in order to glorify the memory of the holy saints?.. But what is in earthly glory for those who are adorned with the crown of Heavenly glory? The incorruptible bodies of the martyrs are the mantle of Eliin, which they, ascending to heaven, leave for us, as a sign of their inextricable union with us in spirit, so that, under its shadow, we ourselves could silently cross the Jordan - the stream of corruption that awaits us on the way to Heavenly Canaan. The shrines of holy ascetics are pulpits erected by God Himself, from which eternal truths are proclaimed to one and all, not in words, as happens in our weak teachings, but in deeds and miracles. After this, brothers, instead of teaching you from ourselves, we ourselves must now learn together with you from this tomb. And is it difficult to find in it a teaching suitable for everyone? Observing with attention the life of the great martyr, we immediately see: 1) how one must find and know the truth; 2) how to use it for the benefit of yourself and others; 3) and, finally, how to keep it amid temptations and temptations. Now, brothers, we are so happy that not only the truth, but the very grace of God meets each of us at our very birth. The baby’s eyes have not yet opened to the visible light, he still, one might say, does not exist for the objects surrounding him, but the light of Christ already illuminates his soul, and the entire composition of his being is already imbued with the mysterious action of grace and sealed with the sign of redemption. Our very origin from Christian parents already presupposes our nature for good, weakening in it the effect of that ancient hereditary corruption, by which we are all conceived in sins and born in iniquities. But at the time when the great martyr saw the light, something else happened: the darkness of paganism covered the most educated peoples, proud Rome and learned Greece still bowed to idols; Christians, for this very reason, were considered enemies of the gods and the fatherland, and were persecuted for their faith, like serious criminals. And since the father of Saint Barbara was one of the most zealous idolaters, it could have been foreseen in advance that he would place a barrier upon a barrier so that the light of faith would not penetrate to his only begotten daughter. And indeed, the way of upbringing chosen for Saint Barbara, removing her from any human community, apparently deprived her of all means to emerge from the darkness of idolatry. The young girl is married with her friends on a high pillar, so that until the time of marriage she does not hear an alien voice and does not behold an alien human face; Only the heavenly bodies and the trees of the field remain before her eyes. What small and weak means of knowledge of God in comparison with ours! The entire Roman Empire saw this sky above itself and this earth below it, and bowed to heaven and earth as if they were gods; The Greek and Roman sages diligently observed the flow of the heavenly bodies, noticed every blade of grass in the field, and, like an unenlightened crowd, attributed the beauty of heaven and earth to the power of soulless idols, or to a blind and even more insignificant chance. Can a young, inexperienced girl ascend with her thoughts above the beauty of visible creatures and through them reach the throne of the invisible Creator? But in the soul of this young woman there is a pure thought, naturally striving for grief, towards the Creator of all things; there is a pure and holy desire to love Him with all your heart and serve Him all the days of your life; there is a clear conscience, an unceasing guide to all that is good and right; and they will tell her about God what all the unclean pagan wisdom would not reveal. Do you want to know how this inner learning was accomplished?.. “Seeking to understand the one and only Creator of all creation,” says the church hymn in explanation of this, “the holy virgin spoke with her mind, saying: from the dark idols, how could the wondrous heavenly lights be created powerfully, by us? He and the psalmist spoke to her: “All Gods are the tongue of the devil, but there is one Lord, who created the heavens and all their luminaries.” With regard to Saint Barbara, what the holy Apostle Paul once said about the pagans in general has now been fully justified, that is, that “the rational knowledge of God (the knowledge of God necessary for man) is manifest in them, a conscience that helps them to do so, and a condemning or reproving thought among themselves” (Rom. 1:19, 2:15). Since these thoughts in Varvara’s pure soul were pure and bright, their answers to her questions about the invisible Creator were firm and intelligible. And so, as a result of this internal teaching, this truly natural theology, idols are despised, their worship is rejected; a firm intention has been adopted to seek that God whom natural reason forced us to assume, but could not clearly reveal. And the “Lord of reason” and revelations, seeing how the young pagan remained faithful in the background (Luke 16:10), was not slow in granting her more: despite Barbara’s removal from every human community, guided by a special Providence, one of the Christian presbyters soon appears to her and reveals to her in the whole world not only the true God, but also the great Mediator between God and man, without Whom there is no salvation. Is it possible not to rejoice, seeing such an unexpected and happy emergence of a young pagan from the darkness of idolatry to the heights of true knowledge of God? But after this, can one not be surprised to hear how in our times some continue to ask: what should we do in order to be saved? Who asks in this way: Jew, Mohammedan, pagan? No, Christians, who were born of water and the Spirit at the very beginning of their lives, in whose hands the word of God is always and everywhere, for whom thousands of churches with their sacred rites and Sacraments are opened!.. So, we were taught little and insufficiently by the prophets and apostles, little was revealed to us by the Lord and our Savior Himself, little did the holy fathers and the Holy Church admonish us? For us, apparently, we still need revelation, new apostles and prophets: and why is this so? Is it because the old ones are not enough? No, but because they do not know and do not take the trouble to know what they said and tell everyone about the path to salvation. In fact, without regard to those who do not learn anything, and therefore have acquired, as it were, some unfortunate right to remain ignorant regarding faith and its holy sacraments, how many of the students themselves are engaged in learning the truths of faith, even as they are engaged in any science? Are there even those who, having acquired a learned name for themselves, continue to remain in gross ignorance about the most important objects of Christian faith and hope? After this, is it surprising that such people, without first thinking at all about their salvation, then, when by some special coincidence of circumstances, decide to begin the journey to the eternal fatherland, they find themselves ignorant of the path, and must ask everyone they meet: where is the road? Ah, my brothers, what would have happened to us if we had been born into Judaism or Mohammedanism? Do you think, with such neglect of faith and the state of our souls, that we would break through the thick darkness of delusions, through the strong barrier of prejudices and habits, we who do not see the path in the light of midday, and do not follow it, drawn by all the bonds of grace?.. Instead of being martyrs for the truth, how many of us would be persecutors of the truth! That is why, perhaps, the goodness of God placed us from our very birth at the very gates of the kingdom of heaven, so that we, weak and bowed down, could enter them whenever we desired. Let us recognize our advantage, let us not let the treasure of true faith lie idle, and let us begin to use it for the good of our souls, remembering that to whom much is given, much will be demanded from him. The Holy Great Martyr gives us a saving example in this regard. How little she could have made use of the truth she had learned if she had decided to be guided by the example of her contemporaries! Were there not many people then, much more than a sixteen-year-old girl, who saw the vanity and insignificance of idols? What did they do from their knowledge for themselves and others? Nothing significant at all. In the solitude of their inner churches, the sages of Greece and Rome laughed at their gods and their adventures; and in the streets and squares, together with the people, they prostrated themselves before their idols!.. Why is this so? Because they were generally cold to the truth, devoted to the world and passions; because they did not want to expose themselves to danger by going against the general opinion, and valued their temporary peace of mind; because they did not care about their eternal destiny. This is not what the holy girl did! The truth was for her a precious talent, which she considered not to put into action - she considered it to be the greatest sin: therefore, as soon as the ray of true faith touched her mind, she hurried to make every possible use out of this light for herself and for others: for herself - having once and forever rejected the idols of her fathers, accepting with all her heart faith in Jesus Christ, turning it into the unchangeable and only rule of her entire life, devoting her entire existence to it; for others - taking advantage of every opportunity to expose the vanity of idols before them, to preach to everyone faith in the true God and the Mediator of God and men, Jesus Christ. Many, very many things prevented the young girl from using her faith in this way for the good not only of herself, but also of others: youth of age, the weakness of sex, the power of her father, the confrontation of relatives and known people; but the wise maiden did not look at anything; knowing and acting in this regard were one and the same for her; having faith and not living by it seemed the same as not having it. This is how it should be, brothers! For what kind of faith, what kind of heavenly light, if it does not shine and does not warm?.. But, unfortunately, we have found the unfortunate opportunity to have faith in our mouths, and not have it in our hearts, much less in life. In the temples, for the most part, all are Christians, and in the houses - pagans and Mohammedans. And why is that? Is it because we have many obstacles to not only believing, but also living by faith? On the contrary, everything encourages us to do so; prompts the Holy Church, constantly calling on us about the need to live like a Christian; the powers that be encourage, constantly favoring with their orders the satisfaction of all the pious needs of Christian life; stimulates society, persecuting with its opinion, spewing out from the depths of its people people with a non-Christian way of thinking; encourages the good of the family, which clearly succeeds most where there is the most fear of the Lord, evangelical humility and Christian purity; prompts our own heart, which, not satisfied with any good and worldly pleasures, always seeks and does not find peace in anything, earthly or temporary, but we neglect all these impulses, leaving the treasure of faith without any use for our own good; We go to quench our inner thirst for all the treasures of human wisdom, earthly power and the protection of temporary blessings and acquisitions, but we don’t want to look into the source of eternal life flowing before us!.. After this, can we expect that, following the example of the holy great martyr, we would consider it a duty to use our faith for the benefit of other people? It is in vain that whole crowds of Jews appear before our faces and evoke our compassion with their pitiful appearance: not one of them has heard from many of us a word of spiritual edification; and many, perhaps, walked away with the obvious temptation that Christians were worse than pagans in their actions. And what can we say about the Jews? At least for our household we have accepted the work of being teachers in faith and virtue: how many of them, with all their desire to learn something for the salvation of their souls, cannot do this because all their time is used to carry out our orders and to satisfy their whims, and what whims? One name of which would be a punishment for the guilty. Is it possible to do this?.. The third lesson from the tomb of the great martyr, as I said, is that with her life and death she gives us a striking example of how one must preserve the true faith in the midst of temptation and be faithful to it until death. For some, this lesson may seem unnecessary in our times, when there is no longer persecution for the faith of Christ; this does not exist now, and yet, does not the holy faith suffer in us for other reasons? Doesn't she often face dangers of a different kind? For it makes no difference, no matter what causes true faith in us to be lost: from fire and iron, or from a tempting example, or from our own passion. Tell me yourself - are there less passions today than there were during the time of the great martyr? And is each of the passions now less contrary to the faith and law of Christ? Is it less demanding, less painful for the person who possesses it? Passion is an idol that constantly demands sacrifices: as long as you offer them, until then this idol is calm; but begin to despise him, and you will see what kind of warfare will arise in your heart: John the long-suffering is a living example of this bloodless martyrdom. And the world with its servants? Has he ceased to be hostile to true Christianity, because he has ceased to be called the pagan world and has apparently submitted to the Gospel? No, there can never be agreement between the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ, between the kingdom of God and the realm of flesh and blood. Therefore, “if you... want to live a truly godly life in Christ Jesus, just as you were persecuted before, so always, according to the prophetic word of the Apostle, you will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Let us learn from the example of Saint Barbara how one should maintain faith in the midst of all temptations and misfortunes. What was not used to shake faith in the soul of the young ascetic? Which member of the holy body did not fight and was not martyred for the faith? The head saw the heavy weight on herself; the chest and ribs were burned with candles; the nipples are trimmed, the whole body is hung and planed. For a young girl, the most precious thing is shame; the cruelty of the tormentors did not forget this; naked, she is found in the haystacks of the entire city. And all this had to be endured from the hand not of a stranger, but from one who was honored and loved - from the hand of one’s own father!.. Based on such a striking example of courage and patience set by the young ascetic, what sacrifices do we not have the right to demand from you, brothers, for the salvation of your souls? Don’t we have the right, for example, to say in the words of the Savior to some rich man who worships on both knees: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor: ... and follow” (Matthew 19:21) your Savior?.. But we will not demand from you the impossible; Remain in your own state, with your activities, your pastime; only, without making special sacrifices to faith, do not at least make sacrifices for the world and the flesh out of your faith. For to whom and what is holy faith not sacrificed? It is brought to the customs of the world, each of which is more important for many of the very first rules of faith and the Church; sacrificed to everyday needs, which for the few of us do not take precedence over all concerns about the soul and conscience; sacrificed to the very whims - both one’s own and others, indulging in which, they forget about fulfilling the most important duties of faith. For example, Sunday comes, the ringing of the bell from all sides calls you to church, an inner voice calls you there; but by this day the favorite dress has not arrived, there is no fashionable chariot, we can meet in church with such and such a person; and the intention to be at the service was abandoned; the time of prayer is given over to the sacrifice of completely vain activities, for example, to prepare oneself for some evening meeting. Another example: one comes into the hands of some meaningless book filled with objections to religion: and, despite the fact that these objections have already been thoroughly refuted a hundred times, one light reading of a poisonous book is enough to doubt the holy truths that have been believed since childhood, and not only to doubt, but also to become preachers of unbelief for others. Given this state of affairs, what sacrifices, brethren, should we require of you for the sake of faith? Do not sacrifice, at least, we repeat, faith; While you yourself do not endure anything for her, do not force others to endure for her, do not be her enemies and persecutors! Are you surprised by this request?.. But, I would like to know from some what they would do with their servant, who, not being able to be in church almost the whole year, would ever decide, against the will of his master, to go to the church of God? And is this the only case in which an unhappy readiness to go against the demands of faith and the Church is expressed? Look around you and you yourself will see more, much more. I feel that I have touched, perhaps, the most painful place in our worldly morality, but where is it more decent to tell the whole truth, if not at the tombs of the holy martyrs? They shed all their blood for the truth, laid down their very belly, and we will doubt whether to open our lips, raise our voice?.. No, brethren, whoever you are, if you are afraid to hear the whole truth, then do not come to hear it at this holy tomb; here, if we remain silent, then the holy remains of the great martyr will cry out about how we should all know the truth, how to use it, and how we should be faithful to it until death. Amen. Sermon on the day of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara The crown of the bride of Christ, now solemnly honored by us, shines with many precious stones, that is, with great martyrdom and great spiritual gifts; but what shines most in this crown and attracts the reverent gaze of everyone is one valuable pearl. This is a gift received from above by the great martyr: to save from sudden illness and arrogant death everyone who flows with faith and love to her intercession before God. In fact, brethren, who, listening with tenderness to the akathist singing in honor of Saint Barbara, did not stop with special reverent attention at those parts in which this wondrous and beneficial gift is mentioned? Which of us, turning to her in prayer, did not ask her, first and foremost, for protection from sudden illness and blatant death? So, now solemnly remembering the exploits of the great martyr, let us come with reverent thought closer to her crown, and consider this valuable pearl. I say something very valuable, because what is more necessary for each of us, how to depart from this life completely prepared for the new life that awaits us beyond the grave? To depart, that is, having been cleansed by the grace of God from all voluntary and involuntary falls into sin, having brought true repentance for them? But the frailty of our life is so great that many, before leaving this world, do not even have time to think about their sins and raise their repentant gaze to heaven; For this reason, they depart before the heavenly Judge with all the impurities of earthly life, in a state in which they would not dare to appear before the earthly authorities. Therefore, the opportunity to be protected from sudden death is one of the most desirable opportunities for everyone who values ​​the salvation of his poor soul even a little. But where to get this precious opportunity? Who is able to stop the hand of the angel of death raised over us? Without a doubt, not earthly doctors, but that one Physician of souls and bodies, whose “every word fails” (Luke 1:37), who, just as he alone gives everyone “life and breath” (Acts 17:25), so alone can prolong them whenever and as much as he pleases. Therefore, the Holy Church, at every service, among the large number of petitions necessary for each of us, places a petition for a painless, shameless and peaceful death. The request is extremely comforting! But their own unworthiness does not allow many to be sure that the power of this petition also affects us. Due to the weakness of our faith, we would like to have at the throne of God some kind of supporter and intercessor closest to us, who would, so to speak, take our life into his own hands and promise to protect us from any kind of sudden death. And so, by the goodness of God, each of us can have such and such a supporter of our life and death in the person of the great martyr we glorify. Having endured all kinds of the most severe torments for her beloved Bridegroom, right before the very end of her life, she had every right to ask Him for many and different gifts, but she asked for one gift - salvation from the arrogant illness and sudden death of everyone asking her for it. What prompted the great martyr to make such a request? She was prompted, no doubt, by her ardent love for distressed humanity, for whom, as we have seen, nothing is so necessary, and at the same time nothing is sometimes so difficult as having sufficient time for repentance before death. And the closest thing to such a petition could have disposed the great martyr was the memory of her own once danger from brazen death. It is known when this danger threatened her; then, as her inhuman father, having heard her confession of the Holy Trinity over the bath font, suddenly rushed at her with a sword. The Great Martyr saved herself from this sword, first by flight, and then by miraculously hiding in a stone rock. That this flight was not due to a simple fear of death, the proof of this is the unshakable courage with which she later endured many of the most severe torments. Why did she avoid the sword? Because, without a doubt, this death was premature, and would have prevented her from doing everything that she later did for the glory of her beloved Bridegroom. And now, walking with joy under that sword, from which she had previously fled with fear, the holy great martyr remembers her former position, feels what a great difference it is to leave this world with full preparation, and to be caught up there suddenly; - and from the fullness of faith in the power of her heavenly Bridegroom, from the abundance of love for humanity, she dares to ask Him for a gift - to show the same precious mercy to others that she once took advantage of herself. Has this request been heard? Heard, for the Lord of mercy and generosity Himself says: “Whenever you ask, believe as much as you receive, and it will be done for you” (Mark 11:24); and in whom could faith be stronger, if not in the holy great martyr, and when, if not in her last hour under the sword? Heard: for the Holy Church itself, from ancient times to the present, constantly assimilates to her the gift of saving from sudden death: and who can better and more truly appreciate miraculous gifts than the Holy Church, which itself is the keeper and dispenser of grace-filled gifts? “But,” someone asks, “is there experimental evidence for this?” There are, beloved, and in such numbers that the sheer number of them does not allow us to tell them in detail now. Whoever wants to know about this needs only to unravel the life of the holy great martyr, in which there are legends about the wondrous experiences of her protection from sudden death. But why need evidence from dead books? Let us turn to living, indisputable witnesses, let us turn to the entire city in which we live, let us turn to the whole monastery in which we now find ourselves. Who does not know that a destructive ulcer, in different forms, has more than once invaded our city and caused the greatest devastation in it? But the holy monastery, in which the relics of the great martyr rest, always remained safe and sound, without any special means of protection. What is this if not a nationwide experience of miraculous intercession from above? After this, all that remains for us is to use with faith and love the precious gift of the great martyr to save from sudden death. How to use? Is it so that, in the hope of her miraculous protection, we should not take any precautions, not care about our health, and allow ourselves everything that shortens our life and destroys our strength? No, this would mean tempting the power of God, placing the holy great martyr in the need to favor an intemperate and vicious life. Is it so that, in the hope of miraculous salvation from sudden death, we should postpone our preparations for death from day to day, and live without thinking about the end of life, and about the report that awaits all of us beyond the grave? No, this would mean clearly going against one’s salvation, abusing the help of God’s holy men, forcing the Great Martyr to favor unrepentance for sins. All of them have no right to her help. “Otherwise,” someone will say, “why bother the Great Martyr with your petitions?” Because with all our abstinence, there may still be many unforeseen and inevitable cases in which our life may be in mortal danger. We must pray to the Great Martyr for protection from these dangers; and she, without a doubt, will protect or deliver us from them, as long as we pray to her with faith and love, pray so that those saved by her from temporary, physical death can, through repentance, save themselves from spiritual and eternal death. Amen. What's in front of us? The remains of the body of a young girl, tortured, decapitated, which the cruelty of the tormentors would like to turn into nothing. And so, these holy remains, contrary to all known laws of nature regarding the frailty of human nature, remain safe and sound, and constitute an object of worship for entire countries and peoples! Isn't it a wonderful sight? And how long ago did such a triumph of faith and virtue over unbelief and tyranny begin? Ten, twenty years? No, fifteen centuries. When you think about this, you involuntarily come into reverent amazement. What has not fallen and been broken during this time? Where are those idols for non-worship of which the great martyr suffered? They have long since disappeared from the face of the earth, so that their locations are completely unknown. Where are those crazy rulers who, advocating wickedness, shed rivers of blood from innocent followers of the faith of Christ? And their memory died noisily. Everything that was hostile to the truth was completely destroyed. And truth, and holy faith, not only itself prevailed over unbelief and wickedness, but also raised its followers above all earthly greatness. In fact, what kind of king or sage accepts, after his death, for so many centuries, such worship as the holy maiden, whose incorruptible remains are before our eyes and constitute the subject of real celebration? So it is true and before us that the remark of the ancient sage comes true in full force that “the righteous... their souls are in the hand of God and their torment will not touch them, that they were not expected to die only in the eyes of the foolish and only in the eyes of the world and the flesh... the bitterness of their departure and contrition from us is imputed: they themselves are in the world: for even if they suffer torment in the face of men, their hope of immortality is fulfilled... even if they were punished in small quantities, they will receive great blessings; for God has tempted them, and found them worthy; as gold in the furnace has tempted them, and as the fruitfulness of the sacrifice I have received. And during their visitation they will shine... they judge with their tongue and possess people, and the Lord will reign in them forever” (Wis. 3:1–8). The exodus of the holy great martyr from this world was before the face of the world with insult and dishonor, but this insult and dishonor is temporary, but the reward and glory are eternal. The Lord, apparently, accepted for Himself, like sacrificial fruitfulness, not only her spirit, but also her very body, which suffered for Him, apparently reigned both in spirit and in her flesh forever: why her holy remains became not only incorruptible themselves, but a source of incorruption and life for all who flow in with faith, so that everyone would see how the Lord crowns with glory those who are faithful to Him to the point of death. Isn’t all this a new motivation for all of us to keep the faith firmly, not to change the truth for anything in the world, not to spare, if necessary, for God and salvation any sacrifice, our very life? For look around you now: what makes a person truly worthy of respect, what strengthens the peace and well-being of families, what brings blessings from above to entire generations - is it not the fear of God, is it not zeal for the holy faith, is it not purity of morals and life? There are also temptations for those who love God; for whom the Lord loves, He punishes in order to further purify and bring closer to Himself. But these temptations do not crush those who are tempted, but only improve them; The Lord gives them patience and temptation. On the contrary, lack of faith and insensibility even now exhaust, weaken, and eradicate everything. Through the worldly resourcefulness of such people, it is often possible to accumulate wealth, acquire honors and distinctions, become known as special people, and thus rise almost to the top of earthly happiness; but all this, firstly, does not bring peace and contentment to the soul and heart; secondly, it is almost always unstable, so that from the height of honors and abundance they fall into contempt and poverty; thirdly, they are often subjected to punishment from above during their lifetime, so that those who see them recognize the punishing finger of God over them. Bearing in mind all this, brethren, that is, on the one hand, the cross of the good, and on the other, the fragile greatness of the evil, we will be unyielding in goodness and impenetrable to evil, we will not hesitate to reject illegal gain, remembering that it does not enrich us, we will not hesitate to sacrifice everything to the truth, being firmly confident that what was sacrificed to faith will be rewarded to us a hundredfold. Amen. You might be interested in: