Поучение на празднество Пресвятой Богородицы Смоленской именуемой «Одигитрия», месяца июля, в 28 день

Having now come with reverence to this holy monastery, as if into a paradise planted by God, and having entered this holy church, as if into a mental and God-established heaven, I will ask: what does this voice of those celebrating mean? What festival is taking place here? What thing or what person is collectively pleased with song praise? The Holy Church answers me in the month of the month: on this day we celebrate the appearance of the Smolensk icon of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, called Hodegetria. So, having bowed with faith to the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and kissed it with love, I want to find out the meaning of this name “Hodegetria”. The Russian lexicon says that “Hodegetria” means a joyful, strong helper, mentor, and the Greek lexicon explains that “Hodegetria” means a guide and companion. Hodegetria is strong. The Mother of God is strong, for she has power, as Her most blessed name, Mary, shows. Mary translated from Syriac means “lady” or “one with power.” But who is strong if not the dominant? And about the Heavenly King the Scripture says: “Mighty God, Sovereign” (Is. 9:6). Strong, because the Lord rules, and without power who can be strong? And the Most Holy Lady is strong, for She is the sovereign Lady, the Queen, the Lady, the strong Hodegetria. We, the weak, need this strength very much, for we are greatly exhausted, being not possessed, but possessed, and possessed by our own passions, as the apostle says: “Everyone is tempted, being carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14); and as possessed slaves and captives, “we do not do what we want, but what we hate, we do. It is not we who do it, but sin that dwells in us” (Rom. 7:15, 17). Now let’s look for who in heaven can be called a strong ruler? I know that one of King Darius’s bed servants would say that the king is the strongest. “The king,” he says, “conquers everything and dominates everyone, and rules over them.” He gathers military strength, sends it to battle against the adversaries; he will say to them: “Strike,” and defeat. He takes possession of strong cities and says: “Destroy,” and they destroy. He takes captive countries and says: “Sweep,” and they flog; and all the people and regiments listen to him (see 2 Ezra. 4:3 et seq.). This is how King Darius’s bed-boy reasoned. I would have followed this reasoning if I had not been rebuked by Saint Gregory the Dvoeslov, who says: “The strong rule of the righteous lies in overcoming oneself, that is, in going against one’s own passions, in extinguishing passionate and sinful fervor in real life.” So, that strong ruler is the one who is able to overcome himself, resist his own passions, and extinguish the kindling of passionate and sinful feelings in real life. The Pritochnik speaks well about this: “A man who is long-suffering is better than a brave man” (Proverbs 16:32), - he who is long-suffering, that is, not only enduring insults from people, but also conquering his passions with patience, is better than a strong man. In some translations, the following is added to this: “And the man who rules over his heart is better than the conqueror of cities,” that is, the man who rules over his heart is stronger than the one who conquers and destroys fortified cities. So, now it is clear that a strong ruler can truly be called one who controls himself, who overcomes his lusts, firmly and courageously resists his lusts, resisting even to the point of bleeding, like those saints who decided it was better to suffer and die than, having destroyed their chastity, to be defeated and defiled by carnal sinful passions. Let us turn our eyes to ourselves and see with reasoning: is there any strength in us? Do we own ourselves? Do we have mastery over our passions? No! We, like the weak, fall defeated, for the power and dominion of sin, reigning in our members, is so strong in us that we are by no means able and do not even want to free ourselves from it, overcome by the love of sin. A sinful disposition already takes away our spiritual strength - memory, will and reason - and makes us its slaves, captives, and senseless beasts. It takes away memory, so that we do not remember God: “There is no God before us,” and therefore “our ways are defiled for all time” (Ps. 9:25–26), and we become like those two bad old men about whom it is written in the book of Daniel: “They turned away their minds and turned away their eyes, so as not to look at heaven” (Dan. 13:9). The power of habitual sin takes away the will, like that of slaves: “Whoever is overcome by someone is his slave” (2 Pet. 2:19), and like that of bound captives, for everyone is bound by the bonds of his sins; takes away reason and makes them seem like unreasonable beasts. “I have become equal,” says the Psalmist, “with foolish beasts and become like them” (Ps. 48:13). The power of sin dominates us so much that it takes away our head and hands and makes us, as it were, ineffective idols, for, constantly committing the same sins, we break, like an idol falling from its place. And here you are, so weak and subject to sinful habits, strength was given from above - Hodegetria, the strong Lady, the Heavenly Queen. Strong, for in Her womb “the Lord is strong and strong, the Lord is strong in battle” (Ps. 23:8). The mistress of all creation, possessing everything and strengthening all those who serve Her. And if we resort to Her diligently, She will “strengthen us with power from above” (cf. Luke 24:49). The people of Israel were weak in Egypt, forced to do hard work and insulted by insults and wounds. However, they also gained great courage and, having strengthened themselves, defeated the Egyptians, and solemnly sang songs of victory over the corpses of their enemies. What strengthened them there? The prototype of Hodegetria, our strong Lady, who was in the sea, as the Church sings: “In the Black Sea, the image of the Blessed Bride was sometimes painted”; there is Moses, here is Gabriel; there is Israel, here is Christ; there “the sea remained impassable after the passing of Israel, but the Immaculate One remained imperishable after the birth of Immanuel.” And if in the Old Testament the transformation of the Most Holy Hodegetria alone could so strengthen weak Israel and elevate it above its enemies, then much more in the new grace this Hodegetria Herself, our strong Lady, has the power to strengthen our weakness and confirm us with a dominating spirit, so that, without succumbing to sinful wiles, we dominate our lusts, subduing the worst to the best and enslaving the flesh to the spirit. Hodegetria - Mentor on the right path or, as the Greek Lexicon explains: “Guide and Companion”; for She instructs sinners on the path of repentance and guides them to salvation, accompanying them with her mercy while they walk the path of this life. Thus, She instructed Mary of Egypt and accompanied her in the desert with Her invisible grace, leading her to perfect salvation, until She brought her into the chamber of Her Son as a beloved bride. It is fitting to be amazed at the mercy of God and the Most Pure Mother of God, so great that even sinful women who have truly repented are honored with the glory of virgins, brought into the chamber of the Heavenly Bridegroom, like the immaculate virgins. Let us remember here what the gospel sinner was awarded with her repentance! But who instructs and guides them and all sinners to such repentance? Truly, none other than Hodegetria, the Guide, the Guide, as She instructed the aforementioned Mary of Egypt. May our Teacher and Guide to saving repentance, the most joyful and strong Helper, the Most Blessed Hodegetria, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, in the Lord God, have honor, glory, praise and thanksgiving from us and from all generations forever. Amen.