Sermon to the people

In the essay “Sermon to the People,” St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslov) calls for repentance and prayer in the face of a great disaster, probably an epidemic or pestilence. As consolation and hope, quotations from the Holy Scriptures are given, emphasizing the mercy of God, who does not want the death of the sinner, but his conversion. Examples are given of the repentance of the Ninevites and the thief on the cross. The saint announces a general prayer service (of 7 processions) to jointly mourn sins, appease God and end the disaster. It is fitting for us, beloved brothers, to tremble before those blows of the scourge of God, which we previously had to fear in the future and which we are experiencing now. May our sorrow open the door to repentance, and may the cruelty of our hearts be softened by the very punishment that we endure. As predicted by the testimony of the prophet, “the sword reaches the soul” (Jer. 4:10); for now the whole people is pierced by the blade of heavenly wrath, and one by one is carried away by sudden death. And death is not preceded by illness, but, as you can see with your own eyes, the slowness of illness precedes death itself. The one pierced by the blow is abducted before he can turn to repentant lamentations. Think about how someone who has no longer been given time to mourn what he has done will appear before the face of a strict Judge. For the inhabitants of our city are not gradually torn away from us, but many are dying at the same time. The houses remain empty, the parents watch the burial of their children, and their heirs are ahead of them on the road to death. Let each of us seek refuge in repentant lamentations while he is still given time to weep before the mortal blow. Let us resurrect before the eyes of our minds everything that we, being mistaken, have done, and everything that we have done unworthy, we will punish with our tears. “Let us stand before his face with praise” (Ps. 94:2). The prophet also instructs us: “Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God” (Pl. 3:41). To lift up our hearts and hands to God means that the fervor of our prayer is worthy of being strengthened by the accomplishment of good deeds. For truly he gives us, who tremble in fear, true hope, who through the prophet proclaims: “I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). Therefore, let no one, seeing the immensity of his sins, despair. For by three days of repentance the long-standing sins of the Ninevites were erased into dust (Jon. 3), and the thief who repented received life as a reward in his death sentence (Luke 23). Let us change our hearts and believe that we have already received what we ask for; for the judge is more inclined to fulfill the request if the requester himself has corrected himself from his depravity; and before the sword, threatening such a terrible punishment, we will be persistent in our prayers; after all, persistence, which usually annoys people, is pleasing to a righteous judge; for the good and merciful God wants us to win mercy from Him through our prayers, but He does not want to be angry with us as we deserve. That is why He says through the psalmist: “Call Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me” (Ps. 49:15). So, God Himself testifies to Himself that He wants to have compassion on those who call on Him, since He commands us to call on Him. Therefore, dearest brothers, with contrite hearts and having performed works of repentance, tomorrow at dawn of the fourth (quartae feriae) holiday day, let us gather for prayer in seven processions in the order indicated below, with reverence and tears. Let none of you go out into the fields to do agricultural work, let no one undertake any business; but, having gathered in the church of the Most Holy Mother of God, we, all who have sinned together, will begin to mourn our evil deeds together, so that the strict Judge, seeing that we are punishing ourselves for our sins, will Himself spare us and refuse the death sentence prepared for us. The prayer procession (Iitania) of the clergy leaves the church of St. John the Baptist, the procession of lay men - from the church of the blessed martyr Marcellus, the monks - from the church of the martyrs John and Paul, the procession of the servants of God - from the church of the blessed martyrs Cosmas and Damian, the married women - from the church of the blessed first martyr Stephen, the widows - from the church of the blessed martyr Vitaly, the procession of the poor and children (infantium) - from the church of the blessed martyr Cecilia. You might be interested in: