Поучение на память иже во святых отца нашего Гурия, Архиепископа Казанского, месяца октября, в 4 день

Now celebrating the most honorable memory of our father Gury, the first archbishop and educator of the land of Kazan, a communicant of apostolic morals, who labored apostolically for the salvation of human souls, it is fitting to praise him with the following apostolic words, read at the Divine Liturgy in honor of hierarchs: “This is how our High Priest should be: holy, not involved in evil, immaculate, separated from sinners” (Heb. 7:26). These words were once spoken by the Apostle Paul about Christ Himself, “the Great High Priest who passed through the heavens” (Heb. 4:14), but are now used in the Church of Christ in the days of memory of His bishops. For bishops are the image of Christ on earth, becoming like Him not only in rank and power, but also in life, pleasing Him as much as anyone can. And when we pronounce and discuss these words in our minds, we see how clearly they outline the entire godly life on earth of the now celebrated bishop of Christ, Saint Guria, who reflected in himself the Son of God, becoming a sharer of His sufferings and becoming like Him in caring for the salvation of many. In our present spiritual conversation, the life of Saint Gurias of Christ - although all of it from youth to old age, from an honest birth to a blessed death was truly “holy, not involved in evil, immaculate, separated from sinners” who mortally sadden God - for a clearer identification of his virtues we will divide into three parts: his life in the world, in monasticism and in the bishopric. And, according to the above apostolic words, we will show that this saint of Christ in the world, even before accepting the monastic order, was “not involved in evil and blameless,” in monasticism “saints,” and in the bishopric “separated from sinners,” and we will clearly see that with these virtues he reflected Christ the Son of God in himself and truly pleased Him. "Part One." About the suffering life of Saint Gury in the world Before accepting the venerable rank, that is, the monastic rank - for the title "venerable" is appropriate for monks - while still living in the world, Saint Gury revealed himself to be "not involved in evil, immaculate." There are two kinds of kindness: one in babies, the other in husbands. The kindness of babies is not a virtue, but a nature, for by nature they cannot do and do not know any evil, as well as good, while the kindness of men who know and can do evil, but do not do it, is a great virtue. Therefore, let us leave in the life of Saint Gury his infantile gentleness and let us talk about the gentleness of a man, with which, as a great virtue, he greatly pleased God. Gentleness has other names in the Holy Scriptures. It is called innocence and forbearance. The gentleness of husbands consists in not doing any evil, not being angry with anyone, and not making anyone angry. To be innocent means not to be guilty of any sin, either one’s own or someone else’s, and not to be worthy of any punishment. Forgiveness consists in not only not repaying evil for evil, but also not remembering the insult caused by someone, not only not thinking about revenge, but also doing good to the one who inflicted the insult. Therefore, kindness, innocence and kindness are one and the same. Chastity consists in not only not creating filth with sinful flesh, but also not desiring filthy sin in thoughts, and being pure in soul and body. Both of these virtues - kindness and innocence - form one, as if connected with each other and with two names they have the same power, for where there is kindness, there is no sinful defilement. Saint David says: “He who is innocent in his hands and pure in his heart, he will receive a blessing from the Lord” (Ps. 23:4–5). “He who is innocent with his hands,” that is, who has not touched an evil deed, is innocent and at the same time pure, that is, gentle and blameless. Gentleness and integrity are united together in heaven, as St. John the Theologian says: “Undefiled, they follow the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4). In the godly life of Saint Gury, we read that even in his youth, when he served in the house of his master, he showed good morals, among which two stood out: gentleness and chastity. “In character,” it is written there, “he was humble, quiet and gentle; Moreover, he loved the virgin life.” So, we see the saint in his youth, gentle and immaculate. His master made him the builder of his house, just as the Egyptian commander Pentephry once did the beautiful Joseph. His peers and comrades envy him, secretly and openly they are at enmity against him. He, knowing and seeing their enmity, is not angry with them, does not enmity against them, and therefore is not malicious. He spends the days of his youth in virgin chastity, unseduced among so many worldly temptations, not at all damaged among so many dangers to the soul, like a lily among thorns, and therefore blameless. Evil enemies are plotting a fierce attack against him, slandering the innocent, allegedly he secretly desecrated his master’s bed, but in the name of God he endures the malice of slanderers with meekness, does not repay evil for evil and insult for insult, and therefore is not malicious. He is clean from the sin caused by slander, for even in his thoughts he did not desire bad sin, and therefore he is blameless. The unreasonable gentleman, having believed the unjust slander, without consideration, commands to kill him immediately, and the innocent young man is led like a lamb to the slaughter, without doing any harm, without exposing the evil lies of his slanderers, and therefore was not malicious. The prudent son of the master, having tested him and learned that he was innocent, freed him from death, and therefore Saint Gury revealed himself to be blameless. Thrown into a dark prison, he has no malice in his heart against those who did him such evil, and therefore is not malicious. He endures close bonds for sin not committed, and is therefore blameless. So, Saint Gury in his youth had in himself both of these virtues, gentleness and chastity, united together. Shout out, O Holy Church, with boldness about this bishop with the apostolic words: “Not involved in evil, immaculate.” With these two virtues united together, the saint of God truly reflected in himself the natural morals of the Son of God, gentle and blameless, and pleased Him so much, for which he was loved by Him, to the extent that he became like Him, for like loves like, gentle loves gentle, blameless blameless. The forefather of Christ, Saint David, indicating to subsequent generations his character as it was during his reign, and calling gentleness the primary virtue, says: “I walked in the gentleness of my heart in the midst of my house” (Ps. 100:2). He says about himself that he did not at all like evil people and abhorred them: “I did not know the evil one, a corrupt heart was not close to me, he who secretly slandered his neighbor I drove out, with a proudly looking and unsatisfied heart I did not eat with him” (Ps. 100:4-5). But, O holy David! Who was your friend, whom did you love, with whom did you communicate on friendly terms? David answers: “The gentle and righteous cleave to me, and those who walk in the blameless way serve me” (Ps. 24:21). We see who was kind to Saint David: the one who was gentle and blameless. The Son of David, Christ our Savior, now speaks the same thing through the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers: only those who are kind and upright, those who are innocent, those who walk on the blameless path, cleave to Me, only them do I love, with them do I have friendly fellowship, with those who are kind, with those who are blameless. He says to them in the Gospel: “You are my friends” (John 15:14). In a similar way, the Savior says about Saint Guria: “My saint Guria was gentle and right, blameless and undefiled, and therefore he is My beloved friend, clinging to Me.” We, sinners, having taken boldness from here, will say to Christ the Lord: O Master, Lover of Mankind! If You love those who are not malicious, then why do you allow them to suffer grave insults and insults in this world? If you love the innocent, why do you multiply the wounds of the innocent in this life? Before we receive an answer to our daring question, let us stand mentally near the gloomy prison of the innocent young man, Saint Guria, and look with our inner eyes at the insult inflicted on the gentle one, and at the punishment inflicted on the innocent one who has not committed any sin. We see the cramped conditions of Saint Gury in prison, the darkness of the prison, the unbearable hunger, for he was given not human, but animal food: they threw in one sheaf of oats for three days and a little water. What can we say about his other experiences of adversity in prison, where there was not only a scarcity of everything necessary, but there was not even free air to breathe, since he was imprisoned in a deep underground ditch and was, as it were, buried alive. Such sufferings of his lasted for about two years, and when we consider them, we can only be amazed at the wonderful providence of God about Saint Guria - and about other saints like him - which allows such severe insults, misfortunes, sorrows, and long suffering in the present temporary life of those who constantly preserve themselves from all sin and try to please their Creator in everything. However, Solomon advises not to be surprised by this, saying in Proverbs: “Whom the Lord loves, he disciplines and favors, as a father does to his son” (Prov. 3:12). But if there is no guilt, why punish him? If there is no sin worthy of cruel punishment, what punishment is a gentle, blameless person subject to? However, the Lord punishes him, punishes him because he loves him; He loves me for my kindness, for my innocence, as David says: “He accepted me for my kindness,” that is, he loved me. Here is the answer to the question why the Lord allows various misfortunes for His chosen saints in this world! Because He loves them, He loves them because they are like Him in patience and suffering, in innocence and kindness. The kindness of every saint of God is like a kind of spiritual, sweet-sounding music with which the Creator is amused, as St. John Chrysostom says: “Nothing pleases God more than for people to be kind or gentle. Just as the master commands more often and longer to sing and play that song or melody that he loves to listen to and that amuses him, so our Lord, rejoicing in the kindness of each of His faithful servants, who endures troubles with grateful tears, allows many misfortunes and bitterness to fall upon him, so that he will endure and thank Him more. He allows it because he loves, and the more he loves someone, the more cruel insults he allows, and the more insult he allows, the more he loves him” (Discourse on the Epistle to the Philippians, beginning 4; Discourse 14, moral teaching 14). The Lord loved His disciples with the greatest love, as beloved John writes about this in his Gospel: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). What does He do to His beloved? What grace is bestowed on earth? He does not seat them on thrones of temporary honors to His right and left, He does not present them with feasts and perishable pleasures, He does not fill them with worldly joy and joy. What then? He offers them sorrow, lamentation, endurance of adversity and dishonor, saying: “You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad” (John 16:20). Why does the Lord allow all this to happen to His beloved servants? In order to more clearly show them His love, great and endless, in the likeness of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who typified Him in ancient times. The Old Law Joseph, raised from prison to the royal throne in Egypt, when his brothers came to him and did not recognize him, loving his half-brother Benjamin more than anyone else, as the Scripture says: “And Joseph lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and he was ready to weep, and he entered into the inner room and wept there” (Gen. 43:29-30), - loving with his such great love, he commanded that a cup be placed in his sack, with which he greeted his brothers: “The cup,” he said, “put it in silver in the sack of the youngest” (Gen. 44:2). For what? In order to temporarily sadden him, fill him with sorrows and sobs, and return him from the path as a captive. Joseph’s steward says: “Whoever has the cup, let him be a slave. my lord" (Gen. 44:9). What need and gain was there for Joseph to plunge the young lad Benjamin into such sadness and make him shed tears? That need, that gain, in order to be even more comforted about him, by returning him to himself, to reveal to him that he is his half-brother, to fill him with even greater joy and joy and, having made him a participant in his blessings, to actually show him how much he loves him. Reasoning about this, Saint Gregory the Dvoeslov says: “The cup is secretly put into the younger brother’s bag and the question of theft is raised. A steward is sent to bring them back from the path, enslavement is carried out: “Whoever has the cup, let him be my master’s slave,” and it is in the younger man’s bag; then Benjamin returns as a caught thief, the sad brothers follow him. O merciful torment! O insult of love! He tortures because he is merciful! He insults because he loves! (Conversation 21 on the prophet Ezekiel). Our Lord does something similar to this with His beloved servants: into the bag of their temporary life on earth He puts the cup about which He once spoke to His disciples James and John: “Can you drink the cup that I will drink” (Matthew 20:22), i.e. a cup of troubles, sorrows, a cup of suffering. And he does this in order to captivate them into His love and enslave them into sweet slavery, so that after all these bitter troubles, sorrows and sufferings, He can delight them even more, showing them His great and ineffable love, and console them with endless joy, making them His co-heirs in His eternal kingdom. Now we know why God allowed such cruel misfortunes and undeserved insults to fall on the holy, blameless and gentle Gury. Because he was loved by God, as a faithful servant of the Master, who lovingly punishes his servant, as a true son of the Father, who “beats the son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6), like Joseph, who, overcome by love for Benjamin, his closest brother, temporarily saddens him with a cup. Shout to us, O Saint Gregory, the above words of your surprise: “O merciful torment! O insult of love! He tortures because he is merciful! He insults because he loves! It is the custom of earthly rulers to honor the one they love with the cup from which they themselves drink. Our Heavenly Lord, Christ the Savior, does the same, Who, having poured the cup of suffering from the cup of His free suffering to Saint Gury, says secretly in his heart: “Can you, My beloved and faithful servant, drink the cup that I have drunk? Suffer innocently, as I, the Sinless One, suffered!” And the Lord gives that cup to His servant, knowing that he will gratefully accept it from His hands, saying with Job: “Shall we really accept good from God, but not tolerate evil?” (Job 2:10). The sufferer of Christ took this cup of suffering from the hand of the Lord with love and drank it sweetly, diligently speaking in the words of the Apostle: “I rejoice in weaknesses, in insults, in needs, in persecutions, in oppressions for Christ’s sake” (2 Cor. 12:10). He drank with gratitude, for, having been asked by one of his peers who approached the prison window: “How do you like it here?” - answered: “I thank God and the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints! Good for me! And when he thanked God in this way for this cup of his suffering, his thanksgiving was like beautiful music before the ears of the Lord, and his prayer for those who had offended him was like the sweetest song before Christ the Lord, with which He, who loves us, rejoiced. So Saint Gury, while still in the world, with innocence in adversity and gentleness in suffering, reflected in himself the Son of God, Gentle and Immaculate, and pleased Him, Christ, his God. But it’s time for us to move on to his reverence. "Part two." On the Venerability of Saint Gurias in Monastic Life After a two-year stay in prison and after a miraculous release from there, Saint Gury, having accepted the monastic rank, revealed himself to be a monk there. The word “reverend” comes from the word “similar”: similar - reverend. One icon painter, the most skilled in icon painting, will paint the image of a living person on a board more skillfully and more similar than another; and this image of the most skillful craftsmanship in comparison with the second will be reverend, that is, the most similar (resembling) to a living person. And those who look at them will say that the second of them is like a living face, and the first is reverent. The image and likeness of the Creator God, that is, the human rational soul, although it is the same in all people, each of whom has his own soul, for it is said: “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26), but the likeness of this image of God is not preserved in the same way for everyone. For those who have defiled themselves with many sins and iniquities and do not try to cleanse themselves by repentance, the image of God is darkened, disfigured, and the likeness of “those who are like foolish beasts” (Ps. 48:13) is very different from the likeness of God. For those who carefully guarded themselves from sinful defilement and tried to become like and please God with good deeds, the spiritual image of God is bright, beautiful and similar to its Creator. The more someone works to become like God, the brighter the image of God shines in him and the more like God his likeness becomes. A worldly pious husband works, trying to the best of his ability, as far as he can, to please his Master, living according to the natural law established by God in the fear of the Lord and walking in all His commandments blamelessly, and in his soul the image of God is similar to God. A godly monk works above the natural measure, with his fasting deeds, unmarried life and preservation of immaculate purity, fulfilling the laws above natural, and daily exhausting himself with various mortifications, and in his soul the image of God is more like God than in the soul of a worldly man. And that is why the monk is called a monk. We, talking about the Christ-like life of Saint Gury, will say that this saint of God, while still in the world, before becoming a monk, was like Christ the Lord in his undeserved suffering, for, having not committed a sin, he was tormented as a sinner. He was like Him, because with His help he showed himself to be gentle and blameless. He became a saint, that is, more like Him, in monasticism by voluntary daily self-mortification in the name of the love of Christ, “always bearing,” according to the apostle, “in the body the death of the Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:10). The saint of God suffered first of all involuntarily from evil people, then he deigned to suffer voluntarily from more evil enemies, “from the spirits of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12), always fighting against those who please God and from the flesh, which desires what is contrary to the spirit (see Gal. 5:16). These are the domestic enemies of man: the holy saint of God began to endure their abuses, tricks and constant struggle with them when he ascended to the cross of monasticism and “crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24), becoming like his freely crucified Lord. Many of those who please God become like Christ in humility, kindness, meekness, mercy, unfeigned love and other virtues performed without much effort. For what work is there in being friendly, merciful, meek, kind, humble?! What work is it not to offend anyone, just as Christ did not offend anyone?! What work is it not to kill, not to steal, not to covet someone else’s property (see Ex. 20:1-17), not to lie, not to judge, and to do other similar good deeds through which blessed men become Christ-like?! But few are like Christ in His free suffering, in the difficult bearing of the cross and in the crucifixion. The Apostle Paul, pleadingly, exhorts us: “I beseech you: imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 4:16). But, oh holy apostle! Tell us, in what ways are you like Christ our Lord? “I,” he says, “are likened to the crucifixion: “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:19).” This is where the apostle’s likeness to Christ lies: in his crucifixion with Christ. Perhaps someone will say: “We did not read in the life of the Apostle Paul that he was crucified on the tree of the cross, as Christ was crucified.” Let such a one know that the apostle is speaking here not about a material cross and crucifixion, but about a spiritual one, which is clear from other words of the same apostle: “The world is crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14) - for to be crucified with the world means to be crucified with Christ, and to be crucified with Christ is to be crucified with the world. Therefore, let us say to the apostle again: O true likeness of Christ! You are not only like Christ, your Lord, in your spiritual crucifixion, but also more like Him than others! For who was crucified to Him like you, who “beared the marks of the Lord Jesus in your body and made up for the lack of the tribulations of Christ in your flesh” (Gal. 6:17; Col. 1:24)? Who is so dead to the world as you, who say: “I have given up all things, and count them but rubbish, that I may win Christ” (Phil. 3:8)? Addressing our words here to our holy and venerable father Gury, it would be necessary, first of all, to carefully consider and interpret what a spiritual crucifixion is? But in order not to increase the conversation and shorten the time, we will only say briefly that spiritual crucifixion is an everyday death by which a spiritual man dies to the world and his “flesh, which desires what is contrary to the spirit” (Gal. 5:17), and to all demonic temptations. Our venerable father Gury, in order to more clearly reflect in himself the likeness of the crucified Christ, to become reverend to Him, took on the cross of monasticism and bore it on himself, daily crucifying on it and dying, according to the words of the Psalmist: “For Your sake we are killed all day long” (Ps. 43:23). There are two types of death: natural and spiritual. Natural death is laid down for everyone, as Scripture says: “It is appointed for men to die once” (Heb. 9:27), and spiritual death is only for those who wish, for the Lord says: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross” (Mark 8:34). He does not force anyone, but says: “Whoever wants.” But we see that others face only one natural death, but the venerable saint of Christ faces a double death: first spiritual, and then natural. Someone said well when discussing the resurrection of Lazarus: “Christ brought Lazarus back to life so that a person born into the world once would learn to die twice.” For natural death cannot be good and honest before God unless it is preceded by spiritual death. No one can receive eternal life after death unless he gets used to dying before death. Moses left Egypt with the people of Israel on the journey leading to the promised land, no earlier than when the firstborn of Egypt were killed (see Exodus 13:15). Likewise, a person will not enter eternal life unless he first kills sinful lusts within himself by mortification. Blessed is the one who has learned to die to sin before death, and before being buried in the tomb will bury his passions in his mortified body. The Monk Gury died this kind of death every day. First, he was crucified to the world, rejecting it and all its charms, not demanding riches, not seeking glory, not caring about the affairs of this life (see 2 Tim. 2:14), not being caught up in temporary sweets. And when the world, together with the devil, tried to bring him down from the cross with its seductions, it always found him dead and insensitive. If he ever offered gold, he imputed it to a swamp; whether he showed the beauty of any face, he looked at it as “a painted tomb, which on the outside appears beautiful, but inside is full of the bones of the dead and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27); whether anything else vain presented itself to his vision, he “turned away his eyes so as not to see vanity” (see Ps. 119:37). And just as everyone abhors a dead thing eaten by worms, so the monk despised this world, for it is dead and does not give hope for eternal life, and we are always eaten by the worms of everyday worries, vanity and worries. So, having succeeded in nothing, this world departed from him. If the holy saint of God was ever praised for his virtuous life in monastic labors and fasting exploits, he accepted such praise as dishonor for himself. If he was dishonored, he accepted dishonor for great praise, well remembering the instruction of the Monk Macarius of Egypt, who, in response to the question of one brother who came to him at the monastery: “Tell me, teacher, how to be saved?” - he answered: “Go to the cemetery and slander the dead!” The brother went and cursed them, threw stones at the tombs, and then returned to the elder and told him. “What did the dead tell you?” - asked the old man. “Nothing,” he answered. And the elder said to him: “Now go and praise them.” The brother went and began to please the dead with praise, saying: “You are saints, you are apostles, you are prophets, you are reverent!” Then, returning to the elder, he told how he praised them. The elder asked again: “What did they answer you?” “Nothing,” the brother answered. Then the elder said to him: “You see: whether you slandered them or praised them, they answered you nothing. So you, if you want to be saved, be like a dead man, do not be angry when you are dishonored like a dead man, do not be proud when you are praised, and then you will be saved.” Saint Gury preserved this character of true monasticism in every possible way, not becoming proud when he was praised, not getting angry when he was blasphemed; was like a dead man. The monk also died for his flesh, that is, carnal lusts, crucifying them with various mortifications, as the apostle says: “But those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). The flesh is a close, domestic enemy of man, acting and living in the same church of human composition with the spirit, and therefore it is proper to guard oneself from this enemy every hour. This is a strong enemy, defeated by few and conquering many, sometimes defeating even saints. Saint Cyprian laments for those who, through carnal passions, fell from great holiness into the depths of sin. For in his time, when the persecution of Christians by idolaters began, some of the faithful, who at first boldly confessed the name of Christ and endured many torments later, when they were released, disgraced themselves by carnal fall and made their bodies, which had previously been temples of the Holy Spirit, churches of sinful carnal voluptuousness. Such a powerful enemy is our flesh! This is an annoying enemy, because it constantly attacks, constantly fights and, always trying to overcome, embitters. The elder sent by God to Saint Euphrosyne said well: “If you can bear the sorrow of the flesh, leave everything and flee from this world, like Israel from the slavery of Pharaoh” (Memory September 25). These words are worthy of consideration: “if you can bear the sorrow of the flesh.” Where the flesh dominates and the spirit serves the flesh, there cannot be sorrow of the flesh in this life; it can only be in the future Gehenna. And where the spirit tries to dominate the flesh, there is daily sorrow, warfare, struggle with the opposing flesh, fighting with the help of natural or sinful attractions caused by the tempter. And truly, that monk who can bear the sorrow of the flesh, this heavy burden for our spirit, is like a rotten corpse for a living person. A certain torturer is mentioned in the stories, a Tyrennian king named Mezentius, who tortured captives in this way: he tied the corpses of the dead to living people, putting them face to face, hands to hands, legs to feet; and the living carried the dead until he rotted and killed him with his stench. How great is such torment! Similar is the commonwealth, or the strong union of cohabitation between our body and spirit. A sin-loving body, always desiring bad pleasures, is like a stinking corpse: “My wounds have grown stinking and rotten because of my madness,” says David (Ps. 37:6). The spirit, trying to please God, is like a living person striving for eternal life. How difficult it is for a living person to carry a corpse tied to him! How difficult it is for the spirit to bear, that is, endure, sinful lusts! It is not in vain that the apostle says: “Poor man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Rom. 7:24). Truly, valiant is the ascetic who can bear the sorrow of the flesh without hindrance. Those who wish to understand the monasticism of our venerable father Guria should not examine in reality his fasting deeds, day-night prayers and various mortifications of the flesh, which the saint performed in secret, in a closed cell, only before the eyes of the Omniscient God. Let him contemplate his all-honorable reliquary and, seeing his incorruptible myrrh-streaming relics, let him understand that he truly was a perfect monk who knew how to patiently bear the sorrow of the flesh, who overcame this domestic enemy, a strong and fierce tormentor, enslaving the flesh to the spirit. For what does the incorruption of his honest relics mean, if not that he preserved his virgin purity throughout his life? What does the healing myrrh flowing from his relics indicate, if not that he shed a lot of his sweat, working and trying to overcome a strong enemy and kill him with all his lusts? Truly, this ascetic could say about himself in the words of the apostle: “I do not fight so as to only beat the air; but I subdue and enslave my body” (1 Cor. 9:26–27). Therefore, “the Lord did not allow His venerable one to see corruption” (Ps. 15:10). For to whom is the incorruptibility of relics granted by God, if not to the one who spent his life in immaculate virginity? To whom is the miraculous outflow of peace given, if not to the ascetic who performs his labors by the sweat of his brow? And, without a doubt, it can be said about the Monk Guria that just as much healing myrrh flowed from his honest relics, he poured out just as much sweat in this temporary life before God, struggling to preserve his spiritual and physical purity, and constantly mortifying himself, therefore his life was daily martyrdom, and every drop of his sweat was as favorable before God as a drop of martyr’s blood shed for Christ. For the sweat of a hard worker who daily mortifies his flesh for the sake of the love of Christ, and the blood of a martyr who dies in the same hour, have equal dignity, since they receive from God equal grace and healing power. If the relics of the holy martyrs who shed their blood for Christ give healing, then the relics of the saints also give healing, who, although they did not shed their blood for the name of Christ, nevertheless work miracles, like the martyrs, for they shed much of their sweat pleasing Christ. It is not surprising that miracles were performed by Pavlov’s hands, healings were given, for they suffered more than once for Christ, they were tied up and beaten, but it is surprising that Pavlov’s handkerchiefs and belts, which did not suffer in anything (for can soulless objects suffer?), performed the same miraculous actions as Pavlov’s hands themselves. The Acts of the Apostles says about this: “They put handkerchiefs and aprons from their bodies on the sick, and their illnesses ceased, and evil spirits came out of them” (Acts 19:12). Both Pavlov’s sweat, flowing during labor, and his blood, shed in suffering, have equally miraculous power. You, drops of saintly sweat, are no less honest than drops of martyr blood! And your outpourings of sweat, Rev. Father Gurie, daily martyr of Christ, are not the least in the eyes of God! We believe that you pleased God as much with your exploits as the holy martyrs did with your sufferings. The source of your peace testifies to this, as once upon a time in Thessaloniki with the Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-streaming One (October 26). By your flow of peace, the image and likeness of Him is clearly inscribed in you, whose name is called “poured out ointment” (see Song 1:2), the sweetest, I say, Jesus, for you followed Him “for the aroma of His peace” (Ibid.). So, the reverence of Saint Gurias is clearly visible in his monasticism, when he, crucified on his spiritual cross for the world and all lusts, was crucified with Christ and defeated all the enemy’s tricks, becoming dead and ineffective for sin and alive for God, speaking in the words of the Apostle: “And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). "Part Three." About the bishopric of St. Gury When God deigned to the blessed Christian Tsar to conquer the kingdom of Kazan, darkened by the Saracen wickedness, and wanted to “send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2), He chose His saint Guria by lot for this work, so that he would go and bear fruit, and installed him as a bishop in the newly enlightened city of Kazan. Then Saint Gury, like a lamp taken from under the bushel of his secret godly pleasures and placed on a candlestick, began to shine with all good deeds and already clearly showed himself “separated from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), like the Savior, Who, having bore our sins as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), was Himself without sin, according to Scripture: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). The rank of bishop is likened in Divine Scripture to the heavenly bodies. Thus, Sirach says about the Old Law bishop Simon: “Like the morning star among the clouds, like the full moon, like the sun shining over the church of the Most High” (Sir. 50:6–7). About the newly blessed bishops, the Lord Himself says in the Gospel: “You are the light of the world” (like heavenly bodies illuminating the world), “so let your light shine before people” (Matthew 5:14, 16). The Church of Christ on earth is like heaven, for just as God lives in heaven, surrounded by Angels, so He lives on earth in His Church, glorified by people, as David says: “The Lord is in His holy church, God is in the midst of His people; praise be to Him in the Church of the venerables” (Ps. 10:3, 149:1). And just as the sky is adorned and shines with its luminaries, so the Church shines with its luminaries - its shepherds and teachers, of whom some shine like stars, others like the moon, and others like the sun, each according to his rank, honor and title and according to his perfection in a virtuous life and spiritual wisdom. The heavenly luminaries, placed at an immeasurable height by the dispensation of God, are far removed from the earth, and bishops occupy not a low, but the highest place in the church heaven, being images of the Son of God, and are very different from their subordinates in sanctity and power. For those who are governed by a bishop are sheep, and the bishop is a shepherd. Those are children, and he is a father, those are students, and he is a teacher, those are people, and he is an Angel in his pure and holy life. The heavenly luminaries are like the eyes of heaven, looking at everyone, shining equally for the good and the evil (cf. Matt. 5:45), and the bishops are also like the eyes of the church, watchfully and vigilantly looking at the flock entrusted to them, seeing the needs and weaknesses of everyone, and equally concerned about the salvation of everyone, both good and evil. For they, according to the words of the apostle, “care for the souls” of men, “as those who are obliged to give an account” (Heb. 13:17). The heavenly bodies, although very large, for each of them is not only equal in size, but also surpasses the earth, however, due to the great distance, they seem small to our eyes. In the same way, persons of the clergy in the eyes of the proud laity, who are far removed from pleasing God, seem small and are imputed to nothing, although many of them are great before God and the world is unworthy of them. The heavenly bodies, when we look at them, seem to stand in one place, while in their incomprehensible flow they move day and night and in twenty-four hours they go around the entire great circle of heaven, and do not get tired. Likewise, church shepherds, working unceasingly and unswervingly in their calling, must follow the path established for them by the Law of God, according to the words of the Psalmist: “I walked in the path of Your commandments, when You enlarged my heart” (Ps. 119:32) - and like those about whom the prophet Isaiah speaks: “Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength: they will mount with wings like eagles, they will flow and not they will be tired” (Isa. 40:31). The heavenly bodies shine on the inhabitants of the earth and warm them. In the same way, the office of bishops is to shine with their good deeds and warm everyone with love. And just as the light of heavenly bodies, passing through bad places on earth, is not desecrated, so the healing bishop, who binds and resolves human sins, who bears the infirmities of the weak, must carefully preserve himself from sinful damage, so that, while healing the ulcers and suppurations of others, he does not harm himself, so that, while washing others, he does not become defiled himself, instructing others, and does not deviate from the right path, preaching to others, do not become worthless yourself. By keeping himself pure from sinful prophets, he truly becomes “separated from sinners,” although he lives on earth along with sinners, like the rays of heavenly bodies passing through earthly defilements and not being defiled in the least. Such was the bishopric of the now celebrated great saint of God Guria, the first archbishop of Kazan, who, although he lived among sinners, having come to a newly enlightened country, he did not partake of their sins, but cleansed them, washing the wicked with holy Baptism, just as Christ our Lord, who came to save sinners (see 1 Tim. 1:15), ate and drank with them, but He Himself was “separated from sinners” and, washing away the filthiness of the wicked, He Himself remained blameless. And then the saint of Christ was in the land of Kazan as a light, shining in the darkness and not darkened by darkness, as Scripture says: “And the darkness did not comprehend Him” (John 1:5). In his life the saint of Christ was like the above-mentioned heavenly luminaries, to which Sirach in the Holy Scripture likens the face of a bishop. When in his youth the saint of God began his virtuous, gentle, immaculate, virgin life, he became like a morning star, rising to the heights of a shrine, shining among troubles and misfortunes, as if among the clouds. When he ascended to the monastic veneration, he revealed himself as a full moon, shining all night, for, being in prayer from evening to morning, from the rising of the moon to its setting, he spent whole nights without sleep. When God elevated him to the episcopal throne, he became like the sun, shining in the Church of the Most High God. But first, let's see how this mental sun rose to the heights of the church sky, to the honor, I say, of the bishop? How was this lamp placed on the candlestick? How did this city establish itself on the top of the mountain? In his holy life we ​​read that the blessed Tsar and the most holy All-Russian archpastor, wanting to give the first bishop to the newly conquered Kazan kingdom and imitating the ancient apostolic custom, decided to choose the most worthy one by lot, so that God Himself would show them a husband. For this, they chose four worthy, spiritual and famous monastic men, among whom was Saint Gury, and, having specially written each of their names, placed them on the throne in the holy great cathedral church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then, with the singing of prayers, they took two lots from the throne, among which one was Guria. Then they again placed these two lots on the throne and, while singing prayers, took one of them from the throne, on which the name of the Monk Guria again appeared. Then the Tsar and the Metropolitan, and the entire consecrated cathedral, and all the people rejoiced, and gave glory to God and the Most Pure Lady Theotokos for having chosen a holy and venerable man after Their hearts. From here we see how Saint Gury’s ascension to the bishopric took place: he did not look for him himself, but they looked for him; did not choose himself, but was chosen by God; He did not ascend on his own, but was elevated without wanting it. The words of the apostles came true on him: “And no one accepts this honor of his own accord, but he who is called of God, like Aaron” (Heb. 5:4). What are we going to say here? Shall we not call Saint Gury of Christ “excommunicated” from some present-day persons who, being overcome by the love of power and love of glory, seek power for themselves, consider themselves worthy of a high rank, elect themselves, try to ascend to unknown degrees, not by lot accepted from the hands of God, but by the grace received and even purchased from people, like that commander of a thousand who The Acts of the Apostles says: “I acquired this citizenship at great expense” (Acts 22:28). Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, the pinnacle of theologians, complains about such people in his eulogy to Saint Basil, mentioning how someone anticipated the episcopal throne of Caesarea in Cappadocia not by the election of God. He says the following: “It is dangerous now that that rite, which is considered the holiest in all of Christianity, does not become an object of ridicule among us. For some receive the honor of presidency not so much through virtue as through deceit and flattery, and not the best and most worthy, but the strongest sit on the thrones. While no one can call himself either a doctor or a painter until the first has learned to recognize the diseases of nature, and the second to prepare paints and make various images, - on the contrary, those who have easily become presidents are not those who have worked, but, as it were, sown and grown together with dignity, as is narrated in poetic fables about giants. And one day we elevate them to sainthood, calling them wise and reasonable those who are not wise in anything and have not shown themselves to preside in anything other than the desire for that honor. He who is worthy of a high place stands humbly in the lowest.” But perhaps someone will say that the Apostle Paul did not blaspheme those who wish to become a bishop, for he says: “If anyone desires episcopacy, he desires a good work” (1 Tim. 3:1) - therefore, the desire for episcopacy is not a shameful desire. Let him who speaks thus heed the last words of the apostle: “He desires a good deed.” Desires deeds, not power; labor, not honor; worries, not satiation. The apostle praises the desire, for the order of the priesthood was established by the Lord on earth not for peace and pleasure, but so that the saint always bears the greatest labors, caring for the salvation of all, not for collecting wealth, but for feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, for the property of the Church is the property of the poor. You need to be a bishop not in order to be magnified and self-important, being revered by everyone, but in order to always and unhypocritically demonstrate the image of Christ’s humility, to be a champion of the truth, without being offended, regardless of faces, to always be ready to lay down your soul for Christ and the Church of Christ. The Apostle did not blaspheme those who wished to become bishops precisely because in those apostolic times martyrdom followed episcopacy, and both of the apostles and of the bishops, few died a natural death, but very many died in martyrdom. For the wicked tormentors first of all sought bishops and Christian teachers as leaders, and therefore if anyone desired episcopacy, he also desired martyrdom, desired dishonor, spitting, strangulation and wounds, and not proud exaltation and honors. That is why, in those days, whoever wanted a bishopric wanted a good deed. Nowadays, one who seeks the episcopal rank must be afraid lest, having taken upon himself the care of the salvation of others, he will destroy his soul. No wonder Saint Chrysostom says: “I doubt that any of the leaders could be saved.” And then, surprised at those who want the episcopacy, this teacher says: “I see those who have it and strive to take on such a burden of leadership; If those who are drawn to the episcopate out of need have no forgiveness and justification when they are not caring and do things poorly, then those who themselves strive to receive such a rank are even more guilty. They deprive themselves much more of all justification and forgiveness. It is proper to fear and tremble both out of conscience and because of the burden of authority” (Discourse 34 on the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 13). This is what Saint Chrysostom says. But let us turn to the bishop chosen by God, Saint Gury. Saint Gury was excommunicated from such desirers of the episcopate, “as the east is from the west” (Ps. 102:12) and the heavenly lights are from the earthly vale. When he came to the throne of his newly enlightened flock, he truly became the light of that country, and then the words of Scripture came true: “The people walking in darkness will see a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death the light will shine” (Isa. 9:2). For the saint of Christ shone forth as an image of a virtuous life, according to the apostolic command: “Be an example to the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). We, listening to these apostolic words, think that the bishop is commanded to have life together with the word and the word with life, for it is said: “Be an example in word and life.” In words - to teach, in life - to show in practice what he teaches to his flock. It is not good for a bishop not to have words in his mouth, to be called a teacher and not to teach, to wear “sources” on his mantle, but not to exude sources of teaching from his lips, to be called a shepherd, and not to offer pastures to his sheep, to bear the rank of apostle, and not to preach the gospel in an apostolic manner. About such shepherds the Holy Apostle Paul says: “Woe to me if I do not preach the good news” (1 Cor. 9:16). But it is even more bitter for a bishop not to have a good life, looking at which people would benefit from him. For if a teaching word emanating from the lips of a bishop can bring much benefit, then his good life can bring even more benefit to everyone, since the voice of deeds sounds stronger than the voice of words. The word is heard only by those who are present, but the deed is preached to the ends of the earth. May you carry the honey of sweetness on your tongue, but if you have the gall of love of sin in your heart, your word will be ineffective, like thunder without rain in the clouds. What good is this cloud thunder if there is no rain to fall on the thirsty earth? What tenderness is there for souls from the voice of a teacher if it does not bring them benefit by the deed itself? He who speaks good and does evil will tempt more than he will teach, and from everyone he will hear the parable: “Physician, heal yourself” (Luke 4:23). God Himself says to the sinner: “Why do you preach My statutes and keep My covenant in your mouth? After all, you hated instruction and threw My words back” (Ps. 49:16-17). Therefore, it is fitting for a saint to have both word and life together, in order to be a bright image for those who look at him, like the sun shining in the sky. The sun illuminates the world with its rays from heavenly heights, and the bishop shines his image of good deeds on his flock. And while the sun is shining from the sky, illuminating the day, all people are working, everyone is working on their work, but when it “knows its west” (Ps. 103:19), everyone is directed to sleep and inaction. In a similar way here: as long as the bishop manifests himself in pleasing God, sets an example for his flock, so long do the verbal sheep, looking at him, strive to do the commandments of God. If he does not shine with himself, and especially if he darkens himself with displeasure to God and negligence, then who will not neglect his correction! For if, according to the Gospel saying, light can become darkness (see Matt. 16:23), then how much more darkness? Therefore, Chrysostom says: “It is fitting for the ruler of every world to be the brightest and to have an immaculate life, so that everyone can look to him and imitate his life” (Conversation 10 on the Epistle to Timothy, chapter 3). Saint Gury was a bright image for his flock, teaching many with a teaching word to believe in Christ, the True God, and enlightening them with holy Baptism, as the holy apostles once taught and enlightened. The good shepherd found the lost, converted the lost; the new teacher, the chosen vessel, turned goats into sheep, bearing the name of Christ before an unbelieving people. And he truly became the mouth of the apostles, the mouth of Christ, according to the words of God, once spoken to the prophet Jeremiah: “If you extract something precious from an unworthy one, you will be like my mouth” (Jer. 15:19). For its wickedness, the Hagarian country was unworthy of God's mercy, but after preaching and teaching and through the prayers of Saint Gurias it has now become worthy, and not only before people, but also before God and His Angels, it has appeared worthy for its piety. Having removed the precious from the unworthy, the saint was like the mouth of God, from which came the commandment of the Lord, bright, enlightening the spiritual eyes (cf. Ps. 18:9) of the people of Kazan. The saint of God was a bright image in his life, having an immaculate life, separated from the morals of sinners and able to benefit everyone. And even though this teacher did not say anything, by the very doing of good deeds he had the power to teach and admonish those who looked at him, just as the heavenly creature silently teaches us who are on earth, according to the word of Scripture: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands” (Ps. 18:2). Does heaven have a mouth, a tongue, and a throat? Are they telling us? Is any word spoken aloud before all the earth? No. They teach us only by their height, beauty, splendor, their luminaries: the sun, moon and stars, illuminating all the ends of the earth, shining on both the evil and the good, and not with their lips and voice. Without words they admonish us so that we know God, who created everything with wisdom (Ps. 103:24), and know how beautiful, rich and glorious the kingdom of heaven is, prepared for the holy saints of God. That is why David says: “I have found instruction in all Your works, I have learned from the works of Your hands” (Ps. 142:5). Let's see how he learned about the works of the Lord's hands? “As I look,” he says, “at the heavens, the works of Your fingers, the moon and the stars that You founded” (Ps. 8:4), - that is, looking at the sky, I recognize You, the wondrous God, the Creator of everything. This is how heaven silently teaches man! Likewise, a godly man, adorned with good deeds, like the sky with luminaries, can teach others without preaching or lofty words, just by the way of his life. He who has both, word and good deeds, becomes an excellent teacher. Such was precisely the saint of Christ Gury, “a man strong in deed and word before God and all people” (Luke 24:19). And how he was able to teach, enlighten and enlighten the flock entrusted to him with these two - word and life! Having become the cause of the salvation of many, he delighted not only the Church militant on earth, adding to it so many souls converted from the wickedness of the Hagarians, but also the Church triumphant in heaven. For if “there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7), then the greater and inexpressible joy was brought to all the angelic ranks and the souls of the righteous over countless sinners who were in error and ignorance of Christ and brought to the knowledge of the truth and repentance, enlightened by holy Baptism. The Lord, the Righteous Rewarder, seeing such diligence and care of His saint Saint Guria for the souls of men, prepared for him “the crown of righteousness, which he will give on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8), as he rewarded the ancient great hierarchs. Such was the life on earth of Saint Guria, shining with good deeds: in her youth she was gentle and blameless, in monasticism she was reverend, but in her bishopric she was excommunicated from sinners who angered God with mortal sins. Therefore, let us say about the now celebrated saint of Christ Guria in the words of the apostle: “This is what our high priest should be: a saint, not involved in evil, blameless, separated from sinners!” (Heb. 7:26). You, O Bishop of God, Saint Gury, who now stands before the Throne of Christ in the triumphant Church, do not forget us, who lovingly celebrate your holy memory, look from heavenly heights at our badness! Good Father, look mercifully on your children! Good shepherd, do not despise your flock, which you have purchased for God. Although you are separated by your holiness from sinners, do not separate yourself from us sinners with your mercy, remain with us through your prayers to God for us. Look at the city in which you worked a lot, look at the people who are enlightened by you, and be for everyone a helper, intercessor, patron, protector, provider and manager of our lives! Warm intercessor! Don’t stop begging God for us, ask for peace to the world, silence for the Christian kingdom, victory over enemies for the sovereign Tsar, and temporary and eternal blessings for everyone! Amen.