Часть II. Слова и проповеди Святителя Иоанна

Orthodox theology of St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco Several years ago, one abbess of the Russian Church Abroad, a woman of righteous life, spoke a sermon in the monastery church on the day of the patronal feast, on the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. She tearfully begged the sisters and pilgrims who had gathered for the holiday to fully and unconditionally accept the teaching that the Holy Church transmits to us, which she has so carefully preserved for all centuries, and not to choose for themselves what is “important” in it and what is “secondary” - after all, considering yourself wiser than the Holy Tradition, you can completely lose it. So, when the Church tells us in her hymns and through holy icons that the holy apostles miraculously gathered from all over the universe to be present at the dormition and burial of the Most Holy Theotokos, we, as Orthodox Christians, are not free to deny or reinterpret this, but must believe the Church Tradition simply and sincerely. A young American who converted to Orthodoxy and learned Russian was present at this teaching. Looking at the icons painted in the traditional icon painting style, in which the apostles are depicted on clouds carrying them to the Dormition of the Mother of God, he himself was thinking about this question. The question is, are we really supposed to understand this as a miraculous event, or is it just a “poetic” explanation of how all the apostles gathered for this event, or perhaps even some original “idealized” image of an event that did not take place at all? (These are, in fact, the questions that occupy some modern “Orthodox theologians.”) The words of the righteous abbess deeply struck the young American neophyte, and it became clear to him that there is something deeper in the perception and understanding of Orthodoxy than what our mind and our feelings reveal to us. At that moment, the Orthodox Tradition appeared to him not as books, but as a living vessel filled with this teaching and tradition, and it was necessary to perceive it not only with the mind or feelings, but first of all with the heart, which thus began to be more deeply imbued with Orthodoxy. Subsequently, this young neophyte became acquainted, through reading and personally, with many theologically educated Orthodox Christians. These were our modern “theologians” who studied in Orthodox educational institutions and became “specialist theologians.” They were usually willing to explain what was Orthodox and what was heterodox, what was important and what was unimportant in Orthodoxy itself, and some of them were proud of their “conservatism” or “traditionalism” in matters of faith. But in none of them was one felt the authority of that simple abbess who spoke to his heart, despite all her “theological ignorance.” And the heart of this neophyte, who was just beginning his conscious Orthodox life, longed for an understanding of how to believe, what it meant and who to believe. He was too much of a man of our age and modern upbringing to be able to simply renounce his own thoughts and blindly believe everything that was said to him; and it is quite obvious that Orthodoxy does not require such a thing; after all, the very creations of the holy fathers are living evidence of the labors of the human mind, enlightened by God’s grace. But it is also obvious that there is a certain shortcoming in modern “theologians”, who, despite all their inherent “logicality”, consistency and knowledge of patristic texts, were unable to convey the spirit, character and charm of Orthodoxy, as a simple, unlearned abbess could. The search for our neophyte, the search for contact with the true and living Orthodox Tradition, ended with a meeting with Archbishop John (Maksimovich). In him he found both an educated theologian of the “old” school, at the same time very knowledgeable in the criticism of such theology in modern theological thought, and a person who, with his sensitive mind, could recognize the truth where it could be challenged. But he also had something that all the theological “sages” of our century lacked—the simplicity and authority of the pious abbess, which so struck the heart of the young God-seeker. Vladyka John conquered his mind and heart not because he became “infallible” for him - there is nothing like that in the Church of Christ, but because he saw in this saint an example of Orthodoxy, a true theologian, whose theology flowed from his righteous life and was deeply rooted in the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church... And our young neophyte discovered that, despite his sensitive mind and critical thinking, the words of Bishop John were much more often consistent with the words of a simple abbess than with the words of the most educated modern theologians. The theological works of Bishop John do not belong to a particular “school”; the “influence” of any theologian of the recent past is not visible in them. It is true that Vladyka John was called to theology - in the same sense in which he was called to monasticism and service to the Church by his great teacher, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), and it is also true that he fully mastered the desire of his mentor to defend the need for a “return to the holy fathers” and to a theology based on moral and spiritual life, rather than a purely academic one. But the theological works of Metropolitan Anthony himself differ in spirit, in concept, and in content. He moved widely in contemporary academic and intellectual societies, and many of his writings were devoted to arguments and apologetics acceptable in the circles with which he was familiar. In the works of Bishop John, on the contrary, there is absolutely no apologetics; they are not open to discussion. He did not argue, but simply expounded Orthodox teaching. When there was a need to refute false teachings (the most striking example are his two long articles on Bulgakov’s Sophianism), the bishop’s words were convincing not by the consistency or logic of the argumentation, but by the very power of the patristic teaching he presented and the texts he quoted. He did not appeal to an academic or educated environment, but to an intact Orthodox conscience, and he did not speak of a “return to the holy fathers”, because what he wrote was simply a retelling and transmission of patristic Tradition without any attempt to justify or excuse such an approach. The sources of Bishop John’s theology are very simple: Holy Scripture, patristic works (especially the great fathers of the 4th and 5th centuries) and - most characteristic of him - Orthodox liturgical texts. The latter, which have rarely been used to such an extent by modern theologians, indicate rather a purely practical rather than scientific approach of Vladika John to theology. It is clear that he was completely absorbed in the worship of the Orthodox Church and that his theology was inspired by this direct source. Inspiration came not during leisure hours allocated for theology, but during his daily presence at all church services. He perceived theology as an integral part of everyday life, and undoubtedly this made him a theologian to a much greater extent than formal theological studies. Consequently, we will not find a theological “system” in Vladika John. This cannot be understood as a “protest” against the great works of “systematic theology” of the 19th century in Russia; Vladyka, without any doubt, used the systematic catechisms of that time in his missionary work. (As many great saints of both Greece and Russia did in the 19th and 20th centuries, considering these catechisms to be excellent aids for the Orthodox education of their peoples.) In this, the bishop did not follow fashion and did not belong to any movement among theologians and their followers, either in the past or in the present, since they too often attach too much importance to any particular view of Orthodox theology. He equally respected Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and his “anti-Western tendency,” and Metropolitan Peter (Mogila), who was allegedly too “influenced” by the West. When they told him about the shortcomings of these great saints and defenders of Orthodoxy, the bishop waved it off and said that it was “not important,” because he first of all thought about the great patristic heritage that these theologians successfully passed on, despite their shortcomings. Many modern young theologians, who often approach Orthodox theology in too abstract, theoretical, polemical and one-sided ways, could learn from the bishop. For Vladyka John, the theological “categories” of even the wisest theologians were “unimportant”; more precisely, they were unimportant if they did not convey the truth and essence of the matter, but were simply memorized. One incident that occurred when the bishop was in Shanghai clearly characterizes the freedom of his theological thinking. One day, while attending oral examinations on the Law of God for the senior class at Cathedral School, he interrupted a student's unmistakable listing of the "minor prophets" of the Old Testament with the sharp and categorical remark: "There are no 'minor' prophets!" It is clear that the priest, the class teacher, was offended by the fact that Vladyka was undermining his teaching authority, but, probably, to this day the students remember this seemingly strange denial of accepted “categories”, and perhaps some of them understood what Vladyka John wanted to say: with God all the prophets are great and important, and this fact is much more important than all the “categories” of our knowledge about them, no matter how correct they may be in themselves. In his theological articles, Bishop John often reveals to us a new side or deeper meaning of the subject under discussion with such an unexpected turn of thought. It is obvious that for him theology was not simply a human, earthly science whose treasures are exhausted by our rationalistic interpretations or in which we can become complacent “experts,” but was something leading to the heavenly, which should draw our minds to God and heavenly realities that cannot be comprehended by logical systems of thought. The famous Russian church historian N.D. Talberg invites us (in the Chronicle of Bishop Sava, Chapter 23) to understand Vladyka John primarily as “a fool for Christ’s sake, who remained so in the episcopal rank” and in this capacity compares him with Saint Gregory the Theologian, who, in the same way as Vladyka John, did not correspond to standard ideas about the “appearance” of a bishop. It is this “foolishness” (according to worldly concepts) that gives the characteristic tone to the theological writings of both Saint Gregory and Bishop John; both move away from “public opinion,” from how “everyone thinks,” and are thus independent of any “trend” or “school.” They approach theological issues from an elevated, non-academic point of view and thereby avoid petty quarrels and a contentious spirit. With new, unexpected turns of thought, their writings primarily become a source of inspiration and a deeper understanding of God's revelation. Perhaps what is most striking is the absolute simplicity of the Bishop’s writings. It is immediately clear that he accepts the Orthodox Tradition directly and unconditionally, without any “two-faced” thoughts about how one can believe in this Tradition and still remain a “developed, cultured” person. He knew modern "criticism" and, when asked, could give specific, clear reasons for his disagreement with it on most issues. He had carefully studied the issue of "Western influence" in Orthodoxy during the previous centuries and maintained a sober, balanced point of view, carefully examining what should be excluded as unacceptable for Orthodoxy and what should not be recommended, but what should not be "heated" about, and what could be accepted as consistent with the Orthodox way of life and piety. (From this it becomes clear that Bishop John had no “prejudice”; he checked everything exclusively by sober Orthodox teaching.) But despite all his knowledge and ability to think critically, he continued to believe in the Orthodox Tradition simply, as it was handed down to us by the Church. Most modern Orthodox theologians, even if they are not exposed to the most extreme Protestant-Reformed thinking, still look at Orthodox Tradition through the academic setting that is familiar to them. And Vladyka John was, first of all, “accustomed” to Orthodox services, to which he devoted many hours every day, and, thus, he lacks even the slightest “taste” of rationalism (not necessarily even in the bad sense of the word), which we find in the most outstanding academic theologians. There are no “problems” in his writing; his usually numerous quotations only indicate where the teaching of the Church is contained. In this sense, he is absolutely unanimous with the “thinking of the holy fathers” and seems to us like one of them, and not just a commentator on the theology of the past... Wisdom created a home for herself. Word for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Because Thy works have been magnified, O Lord, Thou hast done them all with wisdom (Ps. 103:24), the Psalmist proclaimed even in ancient times. What is that wisdom (or, in Greek, Sophia) by which everything was created? Another psalm says: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of His mouth was all their strength (Ps. 32:6). And the holy evangelist John the Theologian proclaims: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word. All things came to be, and without Him nothing came into being (John 1:1, 3). The wisdom of God, or the Word of God, by which all things were created by God, is not only an abstract concept of the property of God. The same evangelist further says: And the Word became flesh and dwelt in us; and we saw His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14). So, the Word, through whom all things were created, is the Only Begotten Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is also called the Wisdom of God, as the Apostle Paul says in his epistle: Jews ask for a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom; we preach Christ crucified... God's power and God's wisdom (1 Cor. 1:22-24). The Son of God is called the Word and Wisdom of God, because God the Father creates everything through His Son. Thus, through the Son of God the Father speaks by His works, and through Him the manifold wisdom of God was manifested (Eph. 3:10). God's wisdom first manifested itself in the creation of the visible and invisible world. We now see the world already in its sinful state, having already lost its original kindness; but also damaged by sin, how wonderful the world is and reflects the wisdom of the Creator. Let us look at the sky, there are harmonious movements of the heavenly bodies, everything moves according to the eternal laws given by the Creator to nature at its creation. Nothing disturbs their flow, everything happens in harmony, without interfering with one another. Let us look around us, in every plant, in every animal, in every pebble, we see the wisdom of the Creator! Every animal, down to the smallest insect, has the necessary adaptations for the preservation, protection and development of its life and the reproduction of its breed. Every animate and inanimate body in nature consists of the smallest bodies, harmoniously arranged, and represents a wondrous structure, an elegant fabric, the Great Builder and Artist. Let's take a closer look at ourselves, what a wonderful and wise combination of the invisible and visible world we ourselves represent! Belonging to the material world with our body, we are a most skillful creature in which every cell has its own purpose. The deeper science penetrates into the secrets of nature, the clearer it becomes that it is a creation of the greatest Wisdom, and the higher our mental gaze is directed, recognizing its Creator. Our very ability to cognize, reflect, use discoveries, create, and act wisely shows that we did not arise by chance, but carry within ourselves the stamp of the Wise Creator. Our god-like spirit especially testifies to the All-Wise God, elevating man high above the earth and the sea of ​​life and allowing us, even in this present life, to communicate with the forces above. We have all this even now, in our sinful state of fallen man and nature subject to corruption. What was the beauty and kindness of the world when it was created! Having looked at his beauty, the first of the Angels, Dennitsa, became proud and, desiring to become equal to the Almighty, fell away from God. Cast down from heaven, he envied created man and tempted him to violate God's commandments. Having sinned, the primordial Adam, and with him all of humanity, lost their original glory and honor. The human mind has become darkened, the will has weakened, and feelings have become polluted. Man lost graceful communication with God, the Source of life, and became mortal. With the fall of the crown of creation, man, a change took place throughout the world, for sin brought its consequences to everything. The whole world has become corruptible and sinful. Nature, starting with animals, began to harm man, and he himself internally languished from separation from God. However, the All-Wise God, even before the creation of the world, not only foresaw the fall of man who was created by Him, but also predetermined how to correct it. Before the world began, it was already foreordained in the Council of the Most Holy Trinity that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, would become a man and take upon Himself the sins of the world, making amends for the crime of Adam. The prepared cure for human ulcers was not revealed to anyone; the decision of the Council of the Most Holy Trinity remained a secret for the entire created world. It was necessary to prepare on earth a worthy “friend” for the incarnate Son of God. Among the human race corrupted by sin, it was necessary to find an undefiled vessel into which the entire created Word of God would descend and, with the assumed flesh, dwell among people, Himself becoming Man. It took many centuries for the fulfillment of God's wise economy to be prepared and for the pure Virgin to appear, worthy to become the Mother according to the flesh of Him through Whom heaven and earth were created and through Whom the destiny of the All-Wise Trinity for the salvation of the world was to be fulfilled. When the end of summer came (Gal. 4:4) and the time had come for the Son of God to be incarnate on earth, the secret of the wondrous Council of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed by God to the Archangel Gabriel, and he was sent to Nazareth to announce to the Virgin Mary about the birth of the Savior of the world that was to be from Her. “Revealing the eternal counsel... To the Young Lady, Gabriel appeared” [stichera of the Annunciation on “Lord, I cried”] 537 to the Most Pure Virgin, saying to Her: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women. ...bear a Son, and call His name Jesus; This one will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:28, 31-32). The humble Young Lady was embarrassed when she heard this greeting. From the age of three she was at the church, having been sent there by her parents and constantly being there in prayer. She was brought up in the Holy of Holies, where she heard the verbs of the celestials, but She could not imagine being the Mother of the Redeemer, having also vowed to remain a Virgin. The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; “In the same way, the one who is to be born will be holy called the Son of God,” said the Angel, answering Her question: “How will this happen, where I do not know a husband?” “Behold, the servant of the Lord; “Be with me according to your word,” Mary answered with humility and submission to the will of God (Luke 1:35, 34, 38). Then the Word of God, the Only Begotten Son of God, dwelt in Mary. He for whom heaven and heaven are not sufficient (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18), for whom heaven is his throne and earth his footstool (Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:49), chose the Virgin as his dwelling place, making Her throne a lie and making Her womb wider than the heavens. “Broadening the heavens” (Theotokos, tone 1) the Virgin Mary appeared. Nine months later She gave birth to a Son, God manifested in the flesh. “The mystery that has been hidden for centuries and unknown to the Angel, by the Mother of God, God appeared on earth, is embodied in an unfused union” [Theotokos, voice 4]. The virginity of Mary and the incarnation through Her of the Son of God remained, however, a mystery to the devil until the Lord accomplished the work of our salvation. “We will accept the cross for our sake” [Theotokos, voice 4], having endured death and risen from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ gave life to the human race and opened the paradise that was reserved for them. Incarnated from the Virgin Mother of God, “Adam cried out, took an oath, Eve was freed, death was slain, and we came to life” [Theotokos, voice 2]. Together with man, the whole world is getting rid of corruption, now preparing for the day when the universe will be cleansed by fire, all creation will be freed from slavery to corruption, and the new heaven and earth will reveal God’s creation in all its beauty and goodness. Thus the plan of the devil’s malice is destroyed, and the Creator of the world wisely directs everything according to His will for the benefit of all creation. Just as God originally created the world with His Word, that is, through His Son, so through the Son of God the world is reborn after the Fall. Through Whom the Wisdom of God was manifested in creation, through Him the Wisdom of God was revealed in the restoration of the world destroyed by sins and the return of God's favor to it. Therefore, the Son of God is called the Wisdom of God, or, in Greek, Sophia, for through Him we have come to know and know the All-Wise God. Jesus Christ gave us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and deliverance (1 Cor. 1:30). The Most Pure Virgin, through whom Christ, the Son of God, our Creator and Savior, was incarnated in order to give us eternal life, was the ladder along which God descended to earth, and became for us the bridge along which we ascend to heaven. Long before the incarnation of Christ, prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah about Her. The Prophet Ezekiel sees Her as a closed gate in the East, through which the Lord passes and which remains closed, which means that Mary remains a Virgin before Christmas, at Christmas and after Christmas. The Prophet Daniel, explaining the mysterious dream of Nebuchadnezzar, sees Her as a virgin mountain, from which the stone that filled the earth fell away by itself, without the participation of a human hand, which also means the unfamilyd and immaculate birth of Christ from the Virgin. Behold, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, as it is said: God is with us, exclaims the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:23). In ancient times, the forefather Jacob saw in a dream a ladder established on the earth, the top of which reached to heaven, prefiguring the One through whom the Son of God descended to earth. The psalmist King David praises Her as the Queen, presented at the right hand of the King, clothed in golden vestments and adorned, all whose glory is within Her. And the wise Solomon speaks of Her in the book of Proverbs as the House of Wisdom: Wisdom built for herself a house and established seven pillars (Prov. 9:1). The house in which the Eternal Wisdom lived during the incarnation was where the Most Pure Virgin Mary appeared. The pillars of this House are Her virtues. The number seven among the ancient eastern peoples signified perfection, and the seven pillars of the House signify perfection in the goodness of the Mother of God. Therefore, the icons depict the Wisdom of God, the Son of God, on the Throne, as if in a building on seven pillars, denoting His Most Pure Mother. At the top there are seven Archangels, on both sides there are seven prophets with scrolls inscribed with predictions about the Mother of God, and below are the names of the seven virtues. The septenary number, repeated many times, signifies the spiritual perfection of the Blessed Virgin. Now, when “Your Nativity, O Virgin Theotokos, joy is proclaimed to the whole universe” [the troparion of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary] is sung, an earthly house is being built for eternal Wisdom, a dwelling is being prepared for the Son of God, coming from heaven to save the human race. “Christ from heaven, hide” [irmos of the 1st song of the canon of the Nativity]. To meet Him, an animated Chamber, a consecrated Church, is being created, into which the Eternal Word of God, descended from heaven, will dwell, in order from there to begin the reconstruction of the world, to unite heaven and earth again. Let us rejoice and rejoice in the birth of the God-chosen Youth Mary, let us praise the Most Honorable Virgin of the mountains, the Most Pure Mother of God, the House of the Wisdom of God, and give worthy honor to Her righteous parents. To the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God... Jesus Christ... honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Tim. 1:17; Rom. 14:26). Exaltation of the Holy Cross The cross, which before Christ was an instrument of execution and caused fear and disgust towards it, after Christ’s death on the cross became an instrument and banner of our salvation. With it, Christ crushed the devil, from him He descended into hell and, freeing those who languished there, led them into the Kingdom of Heaven. The image of the cross is scary for demons and is revered by Christians as a sign of Christ. The Lord revealed it in heaven to King Constantine, who was marching on Rome to fight the tormentor who had seized power, and, having built a banner in the form of a cross, King Constantine won complete victory. Having received help through the Cross of the Lord, Tsar Constantine begged his mother, Queen Helena, to find the Life-Giving Cross itself, and the pious Helena, going to Jerusalem, after many searches, found it. Many healings and other miracles have been and are being done both from the Cross of Christ itself and from its image. With this the Lord protects His people from all enemies, visible and invisible. The Orthodox Church solemnly celebrates the Finding of the Cross of the Lord, remembering at the same time the appearance of the cross in heaven to Tsar Constantine. On these and other days dedicated to the Holy Cross, we pray to God that God would grant His mercies not only to individual people, but to all of Christianity, to the entire Church. The troparion of the Cross of the Lord, compiled in the 8th century, speaks expressively about this, when a friend of St. John of Damascus St. Cosmas, Bishop of Maium, wrote the entire rite of passage for the service of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. “Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories to the faithful king against the resistance, and preserving Thy residence by Thy Cross” [troparion of the Exaltation]. The beginning of this prayer is taken from the 27th Psalm. In the Old Testament, the word “people” meant only those who professed the true faith, people who were faithful to God. “Property” or “inheritance” was everything that actually belonged to God, God’s property, which in the New Testament is the Church of Christ. Praying for the salvation of the people of God (Christians) both from eternal torment and from earthly disasters, we pray to the Lord that He would bless, send down grace, His good gifts to the entire Church, and strengthen it internally. The prayer for the granting of “victory to the king,” the bearers of supreme power, is based on Psalm 143, verse 10, and recalls the victories, by the power of God, of King David, as well as the granting of victories through the Cross of the Lord to King Constantine. This appearance of the cross made the kings, who until then were persecutors of Christians, defenders of the Church from external enemies, “external bishops,” in the words of St. Tsar Constantine. The Church, internally strong by the grace of God and protected externally, is for Orthodox Christians the “city of God,” God’s residence, from which the path to Heavenly Jerusalem leads. Various disasters shook the world, nations disappeared, cities and states perished, but the persecuted and even internally torn Church stands unshakable, for the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Now, when the efforts of world rulers to establish order on earth are fruitless, the only true weapon of peace remains the one about which the Church sings: “The Cross is the guardian of the entire universe, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross of kings is the power, the Cross of the faithful is the affirmation, the Cross of Angels is the glory and the plague of demons” [exapostilary of the Exaltation]. Christmas message 1935 Christ is born, praise! Christ from heaven, come down! Christ on earth, ascend! He who sits on the Cherub comes to earth! Eternally born in a sinful world, born of God the Father! From the heavenly heights the King of the Universe is coming to man who has fallen deeply into the pit of sin and unbelief! Take heart, all you who live on earth! The Son of God comes to you and for your sake! He does not come to us for punishment and judgment, but for our salvation. Now He is already here, in little Bethlehem, in a poor manger. Why did He Whom the heavens cannot contain come to a small earth, to a small city? To obtain the diminished malm chim from the Angels (Ps. 8:6), created in the image of God, man. Just as a good shepherd, having left 99 sheep in the mountains, goes to look for only one lost sheep, so the Lord is not satisfied with the silent praises of countless hosts of angels, and He goes to call to praise the humbled and lost human race. Just as a woman who has lost a drachma carefully sweeps the floor to find it, so the Lord goes around the sinful earth to cleanse it. Among the angelic songs, God heard the groan of suffering humanity, and from the fullness of the glory of heaven He beholds the blackness of the earth. And the Lord comes, comes to give heavenly glory to the earth, and angelic bliss to people. Our hearts should be filled with such gratitude to Him! With what loud greeting, coming from the depths of our souls, we should greet Christ. After all, His love extends to each of us, and He wants to raise each of us to heaven. What will we meet Him with? What gifts shall we bring to Him worthy? “What shall we bring to You, Christ, since You appeared on earth as a man for our sake?” [Christmas verse on “Lord, I have cried”]. All of God's creation rushes to worship the born King, their Creator. The angels bring Him singing, the sky - a star, the wise men - gifts, the shepherds - reverent amazement, the earth - a den, the desert - a manger, the human race - the Virgin Mother. What will each of us bring especially from ourselves? With what should I appear before the Lord, bow before the God of heaven? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings and first-year-old calves? (Mic. 6:6) – the Moabite king Balak once asked. Oh man! It has been told to you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: only to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8). Devour the sacrifice of praise to God and reward your prayers to the Most High (Ps. 49:14). Let us therefore... continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips glorifying His name. And at the same time, let us not forget also charity and sociability, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God (Heb. 13:15-16). The Lord opened the heavens for us earthlings. Let us open our souls and hearts to the Lord. Let our lips proclaim to Him singing and praise, and let our hands do works of mercy. To the Lord, who lies in the manger, together with glorification and praise, let us each bring some good deed from our hearts. May the joy of the whole world fill everyone’s heart, dispelling the sorrows of life all around and raising our minds and aspirations to heaven. For from there the joyful angelic gospel is heard: Be born to you today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). Christmas message to Western European and East Asian flocks Oh, the depth of wealth and wisdom, and the mind of God! You moved into the den, Christ God, the manger has received Thee, The shepherd bowed to the wolf. To an earth full of sorrows and sorrows, the Son of God descended from heaven, where the Angels praise Him with incessant chants. The King of Heaven appeared on earth to live with people. The Creator and Creator of the world himself became man. The disembodied God, Omnipresent and Almighty, put on human flesh and took on a weak human body, subject to suffering. At the same time, he did not cease to be God omnipotent and holding everything in His power. He is invisible to the Divine and to the Angels, who cannot behold the fullness of His glory. He is seen in the flesh by everyone, not only by Angels, but also by sinful people and even animals. Born in a wretched den in order to be accessible to everyone. He was born on earth in squalor and poverty to give people eternal wealth. He who wrapped people in swaddling clothes and vices brought liberation from them and remission from those bound by their sins. The King of kings and Lord of lords reclines in the manger from which the dumb are fed. Where the food of livestock is, now lies in the flesh, giving to sinful men His Body to eat and His Blood to drink for the remission of sins and to have eternal life. He appeared as a weak Child and runs away from Herod in order to become close to all the weak, oppressed and persecuted. From His very birth He had no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20) in order to become the hope and support of all the disadvantaged. He who is born now grants eternal wealth and joy that surpasses all thought in His Heavenly Kingdom. On earth he gives peace to souls, strengthens good will and brings joy to those who bow to Him, glorify and praise Him. Come, all of you, come back! Come, let us rejoice in the Lord! Flock together, babies and children, glorify Your Divine Peer, who said: Leave the little children to come to Me (Mark 10:14), who embraces you, lays hands on you and blesses you. Glorify Him, teenagers and young men, together with the shepherds, hasten to know the Savior of the world, proclaim Him to everyone and praise Him! Rejoice with Mary, all virgins and wives, the One who was born of the Virgin brought bliss instead of sorrow, joy instead of sorrow! Bow down to the born King, all men, and with the Magi, bring to Him some of your spiritual and material treasures! Bring Him your strengths and abilities as a gift, give Him also from your possessions, so that instead of the perishable you may receive the eternal, instead of the earthly - the heavenly. Bring to Him, those living in poverty, your patience and good will, in illness and sorrow, your sighs and tears, which He will wipe away. With Joseph, elders Simeon and Anna, glorify Him, all elders and elders, for now your eyes see the Quiet Light and the glory to come. With the Heavenly Hosts and the spirits of the righteous, let us now rejoice, all people, all humanity: “For for our sake, a young Child, the Eternal God, was born.” Christ is born! Christmas 1954 In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Celebrating Epiphany, we remember both that God revealed himself to people as the Trinity, and that Jesus appeared to people as Christ. Where did Christ appear? Where did you start your business? Did He go to the great city and appear there in His glory? Or did he ascend a high mountain, and a crowd of thousands stood below and looked at Him as if at some kind of miracle? No! Christ went into the desert, to the Jordan River, where John baptized the people. John preached repentance and called sinners, as a sign of repentance, to be baptized in the Jordan. But as a sinner, Christ comes and asks for baptism. He who has no sin. John was afraid: “You must baptize me.” Leave now,” Jesus answers, “for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). Adam sinned with pride; he wanted to elevate himself, to become like God. But Christ came to fulfill the truth of God, to atone for the sin of Adam’s pride with humility. Adam wanted to exalt himself before God, but God humbles himself before man. Christ descended into the water and received baptism from His servant. Trembling, John laid his hand on his Master and God, and Christ humbly bowed His head before him. This humility of Christ opened the sky. Then the heavens opened, and the voice of God the Father was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). This is My Son, Who humbled Himself to do My will, My true Son, Who humbles Himself in order to exalt man.” And the Holy Spirit descended from heaven on Jesus, confirming the words of the Father. Thus, with humility, Christ opened heaven and revealed to people the secret of the Trinity of the Divinity. But why did He do this specifically on the waters, and not in some other place? Let us remember how God created the world. When God created heaven and earth, the earth was formless and empty... and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (Gen. 1:2). Then God divided the earth and water, but in such a way that water remained in every place and was necessary for every creation. A person cannot live without water, nor can any animal; there is water (humidity) in the air; Let's take a handful of earth anywhere - and there is water there; there is water in stone; Even if it seems to us that it is not there, it is there, and when God wants, he can bring it out of him, as he did in the time of Moses. The earth is the Lord's, and its fulfillment, the universe and all who live on it. He founded it on the seas, and prepared it on the rivers, says the Psalmist (Ps. 23:1-2). “The heavens and earth were of old made of water and by water the word of God,” writes the Apostle Peter. “Therefore the world of that time perished, being drowned by water” (see: 2 Pet. 3:5–6). When man sinned, he brought the wrath of God not only upon himself, but upon all of nature. Man is the crown of God's creation; he was made king of nature. And when a king became an enemy of another king, his entire kingdom became an enemy kingdom. Punishment was determined not only for man, but for all creation. We know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now (Rom. 8:22). But the creation was subjected to vanity, not voluntarily, but by the will of him who subjected it (Rom. 8:20). Therefore, forgiveness of the culprit frees the creature from slavery to corruption. This corruptible nature will be destroyed and transformed into a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness lives (see: 2 Pet. 3:12–13). To make this change possible, to prepare nature for the incorruption that will come after the terrible day, Christ came to the Jordanian waters. Having immersed himself in the Jordan, Christ sanctified not only the waters of the Jordan, but also the entire watery nature, as the Church exclaims in her songs: “Christ appeared in the Jordan to sanctify the waters” (troparion of the forefeast), “today the waters are sanctified by nature” (troparion during the march to the Jordan). And since water is found everywhere, then, having sanctified the waters, Christ thereby sanctified the entire creation, the entire universe. Christ prepared nature so that it too would experience the good consequences of the sacrifice He came to make. But not only that. He gave the waters the power to wash away human sins. John's baptism was only a sign of repentance. Christian baptism is a new birth, the forgiveness of all sins. God punished the sins of the first world with water and destroyed it with water in the flood. God now saves people with water in the Sacrament of Baptism. So Christ crushed the head of the serpent on the Jordanian waters, as it is sung in church songs, the head of that serpent who deceived Adam and Eve, but was defeated by the humility of Jesus; He revealed to people that God is a Trinity, he sanctified the waters, and with the water he prepared all creation to receive the word of forgiveness and to become incorruptible. And then, having endured another struggle with the devil in the desert, Christ went to prepare people for the future Kingdom and began His preaching with the words: repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17), or, as another Gospel says: the time has come and the Kingdom of God has come near: repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15). Until now, John the Baptist preached repentance and prepared the way for the Lord. Now the Lord Himself is crying out to people: “Repent!” This voice is addressed not only to people who lived during the time of Christ, but with these words Christ addressed all people of all times and centuries. We also heard these words in the Gospel. When the festive songs of Epiphany have not yet ceased, they remind us that the time of repentance is approaching. Let's be careful! These are not the words of a prophet or an angel, but of the Lord Himself. Let us repent and during the fast that is approaching, we will try to overcome our passions and receive forgiveness of sins, so that in the next century we can enter the incorruptible Kingdom that the Lord has prepared for [us]. Amen. “Today nature is sanctified by waters” [stichera at the great consecration of waters]. Today the Son of God is baptized in the waters of the Jordan, not needing purification Himself, but in order to cleanse the sinful human race from filth. Now the heavens are opened, and the voice of God the Father is heard: “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17). The Holy Spirit descends on the Savior of the world standing in the Jordan, confirming that He is the incarnate Son of God. The Holy Trinity appears clearly and is revealed to the human race. The waters of the Jordan are sanctified, along with them all the waters in nature, all aquatic nature. Water is given the power to wash not only the body, but also the entire soul of a person, to revive the whole person to new life through baptism. All nature is sanctified through water, for the world was built from water and moisture penetrates everywhere, reviving everything else in nature. Neither animals nor plants can live without moisture; moisture penetrates into stones and into all places in the universe. The waters are sanctified, and through them the whole universe is sanctified, preparing for renewal and rebirth for the coming eternal Kingdom of God. Every year on this day the glory of God is revealed, renewing and confirming what was accomplished at the baptism of Christ. Now the heavens have opened again, the Holy Spirit is descending again. We do not see it with our bodily eye, but we feel Its power. When a sacred ceremony is performed, the consecrated waters change, become incorruptible, and are preserved for many years. Everyone can see it: believers and unbelievers, wise and ignorant. Where do they get this property of water? That's the action of the Holy Spirit. With faith, those who drink them and anoint themselves with them receive relief and healing from mental and physical infirmities, their homes are sanctified, demonic power is driven out, and God’s blessing is brought down upon those sprinkled with them. Through the consecration of water, God's blessing is again given to the whole world, cleansing it from the sins we commit and protecting it from the wiles of the devil. Now the Holy Spirit, descending on the waters when the Cross of Christ is immersed in them, descends on all nature. It just cannot enter a person without his will. Let us open our hearts and souls to receive Him and with faith from the depths of our souls we cry: “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works, and not a single word will be sufficient for the singing of thy wonders” [beginning of the priestly prayer at the great blessing of water]. Word on the Day of Epiphany before the Blessing of the Waters The sky opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form, like a dove, on the Son of God standing in the Jordan. A voice from heaven from God the Father is heard: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Luke 3:21–22; Mark 1:11; Matt. 3:17). Even now the heavens are opened, the Holy Spirit again descends on the waters, and God testifies of His Son. Oh, if only our spiritual eyes would open! Oh, if only our ears could perceive heavenly verbs! We would see the heavens open above us. We would see the Son of God standing among us, and the Holy Spirit hovering above us, and hear the voice of God speaking about the Divinity of the Savior of the world. We would feel how the Holy Spirit descended on the waters, returned to them the goodness that they had at the creation of the world, and made them a life-giving force, reviving fallen nature. We ourselves would be illuminated with light, our lips would be filled with the spirit and joyfully sing to Him who established us “on the rock of faith.” But only the pure in heart see the Divine. Those who are darkened by sin do not see with vision and do not hear with hearing. People saw heaven at the baptism of the Lord, but only John the Baptist saw that it was open. Many looked at the Lord Jesus Christ when He came to the Jordan, but only John alone felt that it was the incarnate Son of God, while others looked at Him as an ordinary man, a carpenter and the son of a carpenter. Perhaps it was not only John who saw the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove, but only he understood that it was the Holy Spirit, while others mistook it for the flight of an ordinary dove. Perhaps many heard the voice of God the Father on the Jordan, but only John clearly heard God’s testimony about His Son, and others heard it as if thunder had thundered over the waters, just as later people mistook for thunder the answer from heaven of God the Father to the prayer offered by the Son (see: John 12:29). So now we see clouds covering the sky, but we do not see that it is open, we breathe in the air, but we do not feel the Holy Spirit descending on us and the water, we hear the words of church hymns and do not understand their Divine power. But truly He stands between us: Where there are two or three gatherings in My name, that is in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20), truly the heavens are now opened, and their Creator testifies about the Eternal Word, the Holy Spirit will now descend upon the waters and sanctify them. Water, by the grace of God, will become a source of health, mental and physical, sanctification of us, our dwellings and all nature, will be kept incorruptible for many years, will become, as it were, the voice of God, broadcasting that our Savior Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who descended to earth, that He may revive us to incorruption and lead us into the heavenly Church. Let us open our hearts with faith and, opening our lips to praise, let us cry from the depths of our souls: “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works, and not a single word will be sufficient for the singing of thy wonders!” Feast of the Epiphany This day you appeared to the universe, and the light Yours, O Lord, is upon us. The Feast of the Epiphany was anciently called the Day of Lights. The Baptism of Christ is the beginning of our enlightenment - the appearance of Christ to the world, the revelation of the Holy Trinity to people. “Why,” asks the Golden Teacher, “not the day on which you were born, but the day on which you were baptized, is called the Epiphany? Because now He has appeared to the world" 538. Although, when Christ was secretly born in a den, the star revealed this to the wise men and the Angels announced this to the shepherds, but before the time set for that time, Christ seemed to be hiding from the rest of the world, either hiding and running from Herod, or not standing out in any way among the people around him, staying in the house of His imaginary father Joseph. And now Christ appears to the world, from this day on he begins to openly teach, perform miracles, and comes to suffer for the human race, preaching and working out our salvation. The appearance of Christ and the beginning of His ministry are connected with the appearance of the Holy Trinity: “The Trinity appeared in the Jordan” [canon of Epiphany, canto 8]. The Old Testament Scripture only vaguely and covertly announced Her. Now the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are clearly revealed. John the Baptist was sent by God to serve Christ on this great day and prepare the way for Him. With his preaching, he aroused the hearts of people in the land of Israel to a particularly intense expectation of the Messiah. He prepared His first disciples. He announced to the people that the Messiah had come, and indicated Him, saying: Behold, Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). John pointed out the high dignity of the coming Savior of the world: He is not worthy to bow down and loose the strap of His boots (Mark 1:7), he said. With these words he expresses his humble veneration of the One who prepared the way for Whom he was sent. But at the same time, understanding those words in a figurative, spiritual sense, it points to the combination of the Divine and human nature in Christ that surpasses reason. The Son of God took on human nature and walked on the earth in human flesh. But just as much as man is superior to the shoes he wears, God is far superior to His creation. However, it is easy for a person to put on and take off his shoes, but human nature is now inseparable from the Divine in the Son of God. They united unmergedly, unchangeably, inseparably and inseparably. But how was this Divine sacrament accomplished? How this union took place is incomprehensible to the human mind: “Glorified is I in the conception, the image of birth is incomprehensible” (Dogmatist of the 7th Tone). Anyone who wants to theologize about this approach with reverence. Do not dare to reason beyond what is necessary, but learn humility from the greatest of those born of women and bow down, try to understand and teach only what God has revealed. When the time came, Christ came to John. Although they were close relatives, John did not know Jesus, for until that day Jesus did not come into the wilderness in which John constantly dwelt. God foretold to John that by the Spirit descending on the Messiah he would recognize Him. But as soon as Jesus approached, John felt reverence and awe: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? (Matthew 3:14), he said to the One who came. Leave now; So it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), Christ answered. What truth? To fulfill what is predetermined by the will of God for our salvation. To fulfill [that] truth that through humility, and not pride and self-exaltation, that through submission to the will of God, and not through self-will and one’s own art, God is known, eternal salvation is achieved, and the palaces of heaven are reached. John submits and baptizes Jesus. Humbly the King of heaven bowed His head under the right hand of His servant, the Creator bowed before His creation. The Jordan trembled and with it all watery nature. The heavens opened, signifying the opening of the path to God and the heavenly abodes for people, the revelation of the truths of Divine Scripture. The voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended on the Son of God as a man standing in the Jordan. What was predicted by God for John was fulfilled; there was no longer any doubt: the Messiah, the Son of God Himself, stood before him. This is how the Holy Trinity was revealed to the world. “The Trinity appeared in the Jordan, because the Divine nature itself, the Father, cried out: This is the baptized Son, my beloved; The Spirit has come to something like this, which people will bless and extol forever” [canon of Epiphany, song 8]. There were not many people there, only John the Baptist was the representative of the entire human race. From him he announces what he has seen and heard. They begin the sermon about the Holy Trinity, and faith in It is confirmed and revealed more fully through the lips of the Son of God Himself and the revelations of the Holy Spirit. The immersion of Christ in the Jordan and the appearance of the Holy Trinity there sanctified the waters of the Jordan, and with them all aquatic nature. Water is the basis of the entire visible world. At the creation of the world, as the book of Genesis says, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (Gen. 1:2). In the beginning, by the word of God, the heavens and earth were made of water and by water, writes the holy Apostle Peter (2 Pet. 3:5). Everywhere there is water in one form or another, whether in the form of moisture or in the form of steam. Neither animal nor plant can live without water. There is moisture in solid stones, in the depths of the earth, and in the air. With the Fall of man, all nature was defiled, became corruptible, and [now] bears the mark of sin. By saving man, the Lord prepares nature for cleansing from filth. Having sanctified the watery nature in the Jordan, the Lord gave it the power to regenerate a person in baptism and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit during church ceremonies to heal human infirmities and drive away the power of demons. Together with water, all nature is cleansed and sanctified, preparing for the eternal Kingdom of God. While sin continues, the whole creation groans and suffers together until now (Rom. 8:22), says the Apostle Paul, but she also hopes that she will be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). This liberation began in the Jordan, when Christ sanctified its waters. The enlightenment of the human race and at the same time the sanctification of it and all nature will continue until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the burning elements will destroy the present heaven and earth and there will be new ones in which truth dwells. This will not be a new creation, but a renewed nature purified from the consequences of sin, where the saved resurrected human race, enjoying the light of the Life-Giving Trinity, will glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit with the Angels. Come, people, let us worship the Trinitarian deity God is the Holy Trinity. Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible. Consubstantial, that is, one being, one nature. The Trinity is Indivisible: the Son has never been separated from the Father, or the Holy Spirit from the Father or from the Son, and may never be separated. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not three gods, but one God, since They have one nature, but not only for this reason. And people have one nature, one nature. But about people it cannot be said that two or three people are one person, no matter how close and friendly they are to each other. People not only have separate bodies, but everyone has their own will, their own tastes, their own moods. No matter how similar people sometimes are in body and character, it still does not happen that everything is common, everything is the same. The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity have everything in common. The boundless love of the Father for the Son, the Son for the Father, and the same love between Them and the Holy Spirit makes Their will and all Their deeds common. They have one will, everything is done by Them together. Whatever the Holy Spirit turns away from, the Father also turns away. What the Son loves, both the Father and the Holy Spirit love. Everything is accomplished by the Holy Trinity together. The Bible says about the creation of the world: And God said: let there be light. And there was light (Gen. 1:3). What does speech mean, that is, said? This means that God the Father created with His Word, that Word about which the Gospel speaks: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word (John 1:1) and Who is the Only Begotten Son of God. God the Father created everything through His Word—in other words, He did everything through His Son. The Father does nothing without the Son, just as the Son does nothing without the Father; the Father and the Son are always assisted by the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks about the creation of the world: and the Spirit of God was carried on top of the waters (Gen. 1:2). “Hurled” over the creation, not just hovered over it - the word, which does not have an exact corresponding expression in the Slavic language, in the Hebrew original means “to cover, to warm,” just as a hen, sitting on her eggs, revives them with her warmth and living beings emerge from them. By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their strength (Ps. 33:6). Everything that exists was created by God the Father through the Son and brought to life by the Holy Spirit. Or to put it another way: everything that the Father wanted and wants was immediately fulfilled and is being fulfilled by the Son and is inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is how the world was created, this is how everything happened in God’s providence for the world and humanity. In order to save man, who through the Fall fell from God and became mortal, according to the eternal Council of the Holy Trinity, obeying the will of the Father, the Son of God descended to earth, was born by the action of the Holy Spirit from the Ever-Virgin Mary, announced to people the true God the Father and His Divine will, and taught true worship of God; Having suffered for our sins, his soul descended into hell and, having freed the souls of the dead from there, he rose from the dead. Even before His suffering, Christ promised His apostles, whom He had chosen from His disciples, to give them the power to decide and bind - to forgive the sins of people or to leave them on them. After His Resurrection, the Lord gave this gift of grace not separately to any of the apostles, but to all of them together: He created His Church, the guardian of that grace, and united in it all those who believe and love Him. Having promised the apostles to clothe them with power from above - sending them the Holy Spirit, having accomplished everything for which He came to earth, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, receiving throughout humanity the glory and honor that He had as the Son of God even before the creation of the world. The Holy Spirit, who descended on the disciples of Christ, according to the promise, confirmed them in the faith of Christ and poured out the gifts of God on them with His grace. He strengthened them for preaching and implementing in life the teachings of Christ, for the establishment of the Church created by Christ and brought into action by the Holy Spirit. The Church, which has its foundation on earth and is headed by the Son of God sitting at the right hand of the Father, is mysteriously guided by the Holy Spirit. She internally unites her children and connects them with God. The grace-filled gifts of God, through the Church, are poured out on those who strive to walk the paths of Christ, sanctify and strengthen all that is good in them, cleanse them from sin and all defilement, making them capable of becoming receptacles of the radiance of the glory and powers of God. Through the Church, humanity becomes a partaker of the Divine nature and enters into the closest communion with the Holy Trinity. Not only the soul, but also the human body is sanctified and communicates with God in the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, through Christ it is united with the entire Holy Trinity. By the grace of God, with the participation of his own will and effort, man becomes a new creature, a participant in the eternal Kingdom of God. For that coming Kingdom of God, the future nature is also being prepared for the coming cleansing by fire from the consequences of human sins and the curse that lies on it. She receives the beginnings of sanctification by the descent of the Holy Spirit on her during the Epiphany blessing of water and many other church ceremonies, in order to later become a new earth and a new heaven. This will happen when the dates set by God the Father arrive and the Son of God comes in glory to pronounce judgment on the world. Then those who have loved God and united with Him will shine from the rays of the Divine Light and will forever enjoy the uncreated light of the Triune Divinity of the Consubstantial Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity. To her, God, our Creator and Savior, be glory, honor and worship forever and ever: “Come, people, let us worship the Trinitarian Divinity, the Son in the Father, with the Holy Spirit: the Father, without flight, gave birth to the Son, co-essential and co-throne, and the Holy Spirit in the Father, with the Son we glorify: One power, One being, One Divinity. We all worship Him with the verb: Holy God, who did everything by the Son, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit; The Mighty Holy One, who knew the Father, and the Holy Spirit came into the world; Holy Immortal, Comforter of the Soul, proceed from the Father, and rest in the Son: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee” [stichera on “Lord, I cried.” Trinity Day]. Brief recording of the sermon on Spiritual Day In the Old Testament there are only vague indications of the Divine mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Bible says that before the creation of man, God said: Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness (Gen. 1:26), which indicates that God is not one Person. But how many Persons are in God and who these Interlocutors and Creators are - there is no indication of that. And another time, somewhat more clearly, but also only in the visible image of three Angels, the Divine Trinity is revealed to righteous Abraham. In the New Testament, the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed three times: in Baptism, Transfiguration and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. At Baptism, the Divine voice was heard: This is My beloved Son (Matthew 3:17), when the incarnate Son of God, the God-man, set out on the feat of saving man. Here is the glory of God the Father and His rejoicing at the sight of that feat of love. God the Son stands in the streams of the Jordan in the form of a servant, God the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirms the word of the Father, testifying to the Divinity humbly bowing his head under the right hand of the Forerunner of the Son. At the Transfiguration, the same Divine verbs were heard again, with the addition: Hear him (Matthew 17:5). Here is the glory of the Son of God: in the God-man, human nature is illuminated by Divine glory. He appears to the apostles as the omnipotent Lord of the living and the dead, so that later, seeing Him crucified, they would understand that the Lord Jesus Christ freely accepted death and understand the glory of Divine love! And finally, after the resurrection and ascension, when the mystery of Divine love and the path of human salvation is revealed to the holy apostles, then the revelation of the Holy Trinity takes place again in the manifestation of God the Holy Spirit. Here is the glory of the Holy Spirit and His omnipotent power, reviving and transforming man on the Divine path of salvation. Here the Holy Spirit fulfills the promise of the Son and completes His work of salvation. This is how the revelation of the Holy Trinity took place: in the glory of God the Father, in the glory of God the Son and in the glory of God the Holy Spirit. This is how the revelation of the Holy Trinity of One Essence, One Power and One Orthodoxy took place. This is how the One who said: Let us create in Our image is revealed. The mystery of the creation of the world is the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God created the world with the Word: speech and bysha. The Holy Bible calls God the Son by this word. The Word of God is not only like our word - sound, but is a creative Divine power, a personal manifestation of the Wisdom of God: In the beginning was the Word, and... The Word was God (John 1:1). God the Father creates the world through the Son. God the Son, the Word of God, creates the world with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life, according to the mark of God the Father. The Holy Bible says that when the world was created, the Holy Spirit “moved” - hovered over the world that did not yet have a form. The Slavic word “noshashesya” does not fully convey the biblical expression. According to the Jewish original, one must understand not only that the Holy Spirit was - hovered - over that world, but also that He had a special relationship with that world, that He seemed to warm it, like a hen hatching chickens. The world is loved by God as called to participate in the Divine life and glory - through man. After the Fall, the entire material world experienced the consequences of that event and shared the condemnation of man. Therefore, when the salvation of man begins, the renewal of the world element is also being prepared. On the Jordan, the basis of human salvation is established - repentance, and the water element is called upon to serve the renewal of man. “Today nature is sanctified by waters,” the Church sings at Epiphany; the entire material world, represented by the water element, is called upon to serve the new life. Water is sanctified first, since the first world - heaven and earth - is made up of water and by water (2 Pet. 3:5). In the Transfiguration the God-man is glorified. His glory is not just a vision and an image, but a genuine glorification and transformation of human nature and the revelation of new life. Having been transformed, the Lord showed the glory of His Heavenly Kingdom and the glory of His deified human nature, so that the apostles, later seeing His suffering and humiliation, would understand that this is the path that they should follow, so that in the Kingdom of Christ they would also shine with the same light of Divine glory. In the Descent of the Holy Spirit, man, and through him the whole world, is called to partake of that Divine power and glory. The spirit of a person who receives the Holy Spirit and desires that new life is transformed. The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and through them on everyone walking the path of salvation. He descended in tongues of fire: the regenerating and transforming power of the Holy Spirit consumes everything sinful, and the world will enter new life, cleansed by fire. The Holy Spirit gives man the power to accept the new life created by the Son of God, to commune and become natural to Him. During the creation of the first world, first the material world was created, then man, and then a god-like spirit was given to him - God breathed in the breath of life (Gen. 2:7). Thus, in the creation of a renewed world, water was first consecrated - the material world - in Baptism, then human nature - in the Transfiguration; and, finally, the revival and transformation of the human spirit took place - in the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Lesninskaya monastery, June 1/14, 1954 Two great holidays: Christmas of St. John the Baptist and [memory] of the holy apostles Peter and Paul One after another, during one week, two great holidays are celebrated: the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and Baptist of the Lord and [memory] of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul. These are not just days of remembrance of the great saints of God, not just holidays in honor of them. Those two days are revered by the Church as great holidays, they stand in line with the great Lord's and Theotokos, the so-called twelve, and were established before some of them. Since the first times of Christianity, they have existed as holidays of God's providence for the salvation of the human race. These include the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. They are closely related to the Gospel. Merry Christmas to St. John the Gospel opens. True, not this, but the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel in the church to the priest Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, is the first of the earthly events described in the Gospels. But it, although also celebrated by the Church, left some painful expectation, binding the tongue of Zechariah, and was completely revealed and transformed into joy with the fulfillment of the words of the Archangel, the birth of St. John. Merry Christmas to St. John the Baptist begins to fulfill the promise given to the forefathers in paradise about the coming of the Messiah, and God’s reminders of that promise through prototypes and prophets begin to be fulfilled. The Forerunner himself was clearly proclaimed by St. the prophets Isaiah and Malachi, with whose words St. Mark his Gospel. The Old Testament prophetic books end with the prophecy about John, and the New Testament Gospel begins with him. His Nativity shines like the morning star before the rising of the Sun of Truth; By celebrating the Nativity of the Forerunner, we celebrate the Nativity of Christ. The event celebrated on the day of Saints Peter and Paul, their martyrdom, is not mentioned directly in the Gospel, but is closely connected with it, being, as it were, its afterword. The last chapter of the Gospel of John the Theologian, written as an addition to the already compiled Gospel, speaks of Simon-Peter’s threefold questioning: do you love Me? (John 21:15–17) and about his restoration to the apostolic title, which he lost in despair. Appearing then on Lake Gennesaret, Christ predicted Peter’s martyrdom and at the same time left it unclear what awaited His beloved disciple John: whether he would die before the Second Coming of Christ or wait for it. What Christ said to Peter was fulfilled on the day of his death. And they “girdled” him and “led him” where he did not want (see: John 21:18). Although he was ready to suffer for Christ, St. Apostle Peter, but when his execution was being decided, he, according to legend, yielding to requests, decided to flee from Rome, but met Christ on the road and, realizing from His answer that the time had come for him to suffer, he returned back and was crucified. He was crucified, at his request, upside down, since he considered himself unworthy to die like his Teacher, whom he denied. On the same day with him, the Apostle Paul ended his earthly life, whose head was cut off. Paul, who wanted to be resolved and be with Christ (Phil. 1:23), also defended himself from the danger of death until its time came. The day of their earthly death is the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy concerning them, and the beginning of the fulfillment of Christ’s predictions about the future of the Church and the whole world. The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles end, and the history of the Church, founded by Christ and strengthened by the Descent of the Holy Spirit, begins. Their contemporaries reacted differently to the remembered events. Not only his parents Zacharias and Elizabeth rejoiced at the birth of baby John, their relatives and friends rejoiced with them. And now the whole world rejoices in this, all who believe in Christ. But the event that caused the establishment of the feast of the holy chief apostles, their martyrdom, caused deep sorrow to their disciples and all Christians who learned about it. They mourned their teachers bitterly. However, when the acute pain of the loss they had suffered passed and they were able to realize what had happened, grief began to give way to joy. After all, what happened to the apostles? They rested from their labors and went to the Beloved Teacher to receive the crown of righteousness that the Lord had prepared for those who loved Him. The day of their earthly death was for them the day of their heavenly Birth. They were born on that day in heaven to eternally enjoy the sight of the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. The earthly Church of Christ, and with it the heavenly Church, began to celebrate and triumph on that day, the day of their heavenly Birth. This is how the days of remembrance of martyrs were called in ancient times – “Birthdays”. The beginning of the gospel events is the Nativity of John for earthly life. Its completion, the beheading of its head, is also noted and celebrated. The afterword to them is the day of the heavenly Birth of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, celebrating which we profess faith in the life of the future century. We celebrate the earthly Nativity only of Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and John the Baptist, the greatest of those born of women, whose birth foreshadowed the Nativity on earth of the Son of God Himself. The heavenly Christmas is celebrated by the Church of all those who have already entered the Heavenly Kingdom, where near the King of Glory Christ are His Most Pure Mother and His Forerunner, Friend of the “Bridegroom of the Church,” surrounded by the apostles, even called friends by Christ at the Last Supper. Now they enjoy heavenly food, which will be rewarded to those who hear and follow their call: Repent, for fear the Kingdom of Heaven will come near (Matthew 3:2). Word on the Transfiguration of the Lord At the creation of the world, God said: Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness (Gen. 1:26). The image of God in man is manifested in his mental abilities, in his power over nature, in his power, in his ability to create. The likeness of God in him lies in his moral perfections, in his spiritual aspirations, in his ability to achieve holiness. The image and likeness of God, in which our first parents were created, was fully reflected in them before the Fall. Sin violated one and the other, although it did not completely deprive a person of them. The mind and everything else that was the image of God remained in man, but to develop them it is necessary to use great efforts, which only to a small extent achieve what the first parents received completely. There remains in man, to some extent, the desire to be in the likeness of God, although sometimes he falls beyond recognition. In order to restore man to his primitive closeness to God, the Son of God came down to earth and became incarnate. He took upon himself all human nature and became like a man in everything, except for sin. He came to recreate our created beauty in the image of God. But if at first God created man in His image and likeness, who had not yet existed, and man did not take any part in his creation, then to recreate the first image the participation of man himself is necessary. A person must strive for perfection in order to achieve it with the grace and help of God. The Lord showed the path to perfection with His teaching and showed it by His example. This is the path of moral improvement, self-sacrifice, readiness to shed everything sinful. Sin entered deeply into human nature, as if merging with it. Every person is born with the germ of sin, and liberation from it is, as it were, a struggle with oneself. Therefore, this struggle is painful, but it is necessary to draw closer to God. If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and come after Me, said Christ (Matthew 16:24). The cross that needs to be taken up is this struggle with one’s weaknesses, vices and sin. Gradually freeing himself from them, a person approaches God, in whose image he was created. Man himself does not have enough strength for this, but the grace of God, given by God through the Church created by the incarnate Son of God, helps him. For this purpose He became incarnate, so that He could restore His fallen image again. At Tabor, Christ showed the beauty and glory of His Divinity, so that the apostles, and through them the whole universe, would know Whom man is like and what he approaches, rising spiritually. As a person cleanses himself from sin and draws closer to God, the glory of God is increasingly reflected in him. That is why saints are called venerables. Like a mirror, the glory of God is reflected in their soul, filling it with radiance. When the earthly feat ends, the degree of similarity who has achieved what is finally imprinted. At the advent of the eternal Kingdom, all people will be resurrected, souls will be united with their bodies, and then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43), as Christ Himself said with His lips. Jesus entered Jericho and passed through it. And so, someone named Zacchaeus, the chief of publicans and a rich man, sought to see Jesus who He was, but he could not follow the people because he was small in stature, and, running ahead, he climbed up a fig tree to see Him, because He had to pass by it. When Jesus came to this place, he looked, saw him and said to him: Zacchaeus! come down quickly, for today I need to be in your house. And he hastened down and received Him with joy. And everyone, seeing this, began to murmur and said that He had come to a sinful man; Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Lord! I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay him fourfold. Jesus said to him: now salvation has come to this don, because he is also a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:1–10). He is the chief of publicans - “the elder publican.” The usual contrast between the humble publican and the proud Pharisee often obscures the actual outlines of these two images in our consciousness. Meanwhile, in order to correctly understand the Gospel, one must clearly imagine them. The Pharisees were indeed righteous. If in our mouths the name “Pharisee” sounds like a condemnation, then in the days of Christ and in the first decades of Christianity this was not the case. On the contrary, the Apostle Paul solemnly confesses himself before the Jews: I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). And then to Christians, his spiritual children, he writes: I... am from the family of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Jew of the Hebrews, according to the teachings of a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5). And besides St. Apostle Paul, many Pharisees became Christians: Joseph, Nicodemus, Gamaliel. The Pharisees (in Hebrew - perusim, in Aramaic - ferisim, which means “others” - separated, monks) were zealots of God’s Law. They “rested on the Law,” that is, they constantly thought about it, loved it, strove to fulfill it accurately, preached, interpreted it. And the meaning of the Lord’s reproofs against the Pharisees is that the Lord warns them that they depreciate all their feats, all their truly good efforts in God’s eyes, turn them into nothing and acquire condemnation from the Lord, and not blessing, by their exaltation of the deeds of righteousness they perform, proud self-exaltation and, most importantly, condemnation of their neighbors, a vivid example of which is given by the incoming Pharisee, who says: God! I thank You that I am not like other people (Luke 18:11). On the contrary, tax collectors are truly sinners, violators of the basic laws of the Lord. Publicans are tax collectors from Jews in favor of the Romans. We must remember that the Jews, who were well aware of their exclusive position as God’s chosen ones, were famous for the fact that they were Abraham’s seed and had never been slaves to anyone (John 8:33). And here, as a result of well-known historical events, they found themselves subjugated, enslaved by the proud and rude “iron” people, the pagans, the Romans. And the yoke of this enslavement was tightened tighter and tighter and became more and more sensitive. The most tangible, visual sign of the enslavement and subordination of Jews to the Romans was the payment by Jews of all kinds of taxes to their enslavers - tribute. The bringing of tribute for the Jews, as for all ancient peoples, was primarily a symbol of submission. And the Romans, not at all embarrassed by the conquered people, roughly and decisively collected from them both the required and additional taxes. Of course, the Jews paid with hatred and disgust. No wonder, wanting to discredit the Lord in the eyes of their people, the scribes asked Him: is it permissible to give taxes to Caesar? (Matthew 22:17). They knew that if Christ said that it was impossible to give tribute to Caesar, then He would be easily accused before the Romans, and if He said that it was necessary to pay tribute, then He would be hopelessly compromised in the eyes of the people. While the Romans ruled Judea through local kings like Herod, Archelaus, Agrippa and others, this enslavement to Rome, and in particular the need to pay taxes, was mitigated for the Jews by the fact that they directly obeyed and paid tribute to their kings, and they submitted and paid tribute to Rome. But just shortly before the start of the preaching of Christ the Savior, a change occurred in the system of government of Judea. The general census associated with the event of the Nativity of Christ was the first step towards establishing a poll tax on all Roman subjects in this area. In 6 or 7 AD, after the deposition of Archelaus, when a personal tax was introduced on all residents of Palestine, the Jews responded to this with the uprisings of the Pharisee Zadok and Judas the Galilean (see: Acts 5:37), and only with great difficulty did the high priest Jazar manage to calm the people. Instead of local kings, Roman procurators were appointed rulers of Judea and adjacent regions. To more successfully collect taxes, the Romans also introduced the institution of tax collectors, which had existed in Rome since ancient times. But while in Rome and throughout Italy tax collectors were recruited from the venerable equestrian class, in Judea the Romans had to recruit tax collectors from moral outcasts, from Jews who agreed to serve them and force their fellows to pay tribute. Accepting such a position was associated with the deepest moral failure. It was associated not only with national, but above all with religious betrayal: in order to become an instrument of enslavement of God’s chosen people by rude pagans, it was necessary to renounce the hope of Israel, its shrines, its aspirations, especially since the Romans did not take into account the spiritual experiences of their agents: when entering service, publicans had to take a pagan oath of allegiance to the emperor and perform a pagan sacrifice for him spirit (the genius of the emperor). Of course, it was not only the interests of Rome that publicans observed by collecting taxes from their fellow tribesmen. But, pursuing their own selfish goals, enriching themselves at the expense of their enslaved brothers, they made the yoke of Roman oppression even more sensitive, even more unbearably heavy. That's what tax collectors were. That is why they were surrounded by justified hatred and contempt as traitors to their people, who betrayed not the ordinary people, but God’s chosen people, God’s instrument in the world, the people through whom only revival and salvation could come to humanity. Everything that has been said applies to Zacchaeus to a particular extent, because he was not an ordinary publican, but the chief of publicans - architelonis. Without a doubt, he accomplished everything: he made a pagan sacrifice and a pagan oath, mercilessly collected taxes from his brothers, increasing them in his favor. And he became, as the Gospel testifies, a rich man. Of course, Zacchaeus clearly understood that the hopes of Israel were lost for him. Everything proclaimed by the prophets, loved since childhood, from which every believing Old Testament soul trembled joyfully leading an exclamation (see: Ps. 89:16), is not for him. He is a traitor, a traitor, an outcast. He has no part in Israel. And then rumors reach him that the Holy One of Israel, proclaimed the Messiah by the prophets, has already appeared in the world and, together with a small group of disciples, is walking through the fields of Galilee and Judea, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and performing great miracles. Joyful hopes flicker in the hearts of believers. How will Zacchaeus react to this? For him personally, the coming of the Messiah is a disaster. The power of the Romans must come to an end, and the triumphant Israel, of course, will take revenge on him for the damage suffered from him, for the insults and oppression he caused. But even if this is not so, for the Messiah, according to the testimony of the prophet, is coming, righteous and saving, meek (Zech. 9:9), then the triumph of the Messiah should bring him, Zacchaeus, only the greatest shame and deprivation of all the wealth and position that he acquired at the terrible price of his betrayal of God, his native people and all the hopes of Israel. But perhaps this is not the case yet. Maybe the new preacher is not the Messiah at all. Not everyone believes in Him. The main enemies of the publicans, and in particular of him, Zacchaeus, the Pharisees and scribes, do not believe Him. Maybe all this is just empty popular rumor. Then you can continue to live peacefully as before. But Zacchaeus does not want to establish himself in such thoughts. He wants to see Jesus in order to find out - to know for sure: who is He? And Zacchaeus wants the Preacher walking by to truly be the Messiah Christ. He wants to say with the prophets: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” - even if this is connected with a disastrous catastrophe for him, Zacchaeus. It turns out that in his soul there are such depths that he himself had never felt before; there is in him a burning, fiery, scorching, completely selfless love for the “Aspiration of Tongues”, for the image of the meek Messiah outlined by the prophets, who took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses (Is. 53:4). And when the opportunity arises to see Him, Zacchaeus does not think about himself. In the triumph of the Messiah, for him personally, for Zacchaeus, there is disaster and death. But he doesn't think about it. He only wants to see, at least out of the corner of his eye, the One about whom Moses and the prophets foretold. And then Christ passes by. He is surrounded by a crowd. Zacchaeus cannot see Him because he is small. But the thirst, the completely unselfish, extremely selfless thirst of Zacchaeus to see Christ at least from afar is so boundless, so irresistible that he, a rich man, endowed with position, an official of the Roman Empire, among a hostile, hating and despising crowd, not paying attention to anything, absorbed only in the ardent desire to see Christ, for this purpose violates all conventions, all external decency and climbs a tree, fig tree - sycamore growing along the way. And the eyes of the grave sinner - the leader of traitors and traitors - met the eyes of the Holy One of Israel - Christ the Messiah, the Son of God. Love sees what is inaccessible to an indifferent or hostile gaze. Selflessly loving the image of the Messiah, Zacchaeus was able to immediately recognize Christ the Lord in the passing Galilean Teacher, and the Lord, full of Divine and human love, saw in this Zacchaeus looking at Him from the branches of the sycamore tree those spiritual depths that were previously unknown to Zacchaeus himself: the Lord saw that the burning love for the Holy One of Israel, not at all obscured by any selfishness, in this heart of a traitor could revive and renew. The Divine voice sounded: Zacchaeus, having shed tears: today it is fitting for Me to be in your house (Luke 19:5). And moral revival, salvation, renewal came to Zacchaeus and to his entire household. The Son of Man truly came to seek and save what was lost. Lord, Lord, we, like Zacchaeus once, have betrayed You and Your work, deprived ourselves of our part in Israel, betrayed our hope! But may Your Kingdom, Your victory and Your triumph come, even to the shame of us and those like us! Let not Thy enemies mock Thy inheritance! Even if it is deserved, because of our sins, Your coming will bring us death and condemnation, come, Lord, come quickly! But let us at least from afar see the triumph of Your truth, even if we cannot be participants in it. And have mercy on us, above hope, as you once had mercy on Zacchaeus! (St. Clement of Rome testifies that Zacchaeus subsequently became a companion of the Apostle Peter and, together with the holy supreme apostle, preached in Rome, where he suffered martyrdom for Christ under Nero. In a Christian way, he paid the Romans with the greatest good for the greatest evil they almost committed to him. To the proud capital of the Romans who once seduced and enslaved him, forcing him to renounce all the sacred things of his soul, he comes, liberated and reborn by the grace of our Lord, the Lover of Mankind, and brings Rome not a curse, but the gospel, giving his very life for this.) An edifying lesson for young men from the parable of the prodigal son And the youngest said to his father: Father, give me a worthy part of the estate (Luke 15:12). The parable of the prodigal son contains the most instructive lesson for a young man. Indeed, in the prodigal son we see the full character of flighty youth: frivolity, thoughtlessness, passion for independence - in a word, everything that usually characterizes most young men. The youngest son grew up in his parents' house. Having reached his teenage years, he already dreamed that his parents’ house was too small for him. It seemed unpleasant to him to live under the leadership of his father and the supervision of his mother; he wanted to imitate his comrades, who indulged in the noisy pleasures of the world. “I am,” he reasons, “the heir to a rich estate. Wouldn't it be better if I got my share now? I can manage my wealth differently from how my father manages it.” And the frivolous young man was carried away by the deceptive shine of the pleasures of the world and decided to throw off the yoke of obedience, decided to leave his parents’ house. Is it not similar motivations that force many even now to leave, if not the house of their earthly parents, then the house of the Heavenly Father, that is, to leave obedience to the Holy Church? The yoke of Christ seems difficult to immature minds and His commandments heavy. They think that there is no particular need to observe what God and His Holy Church commands us. They can serve, it seems to them, God and not give up serving the world. “We,” they say, “are already quite strong in order to resist disastrous temptations and enticements. We ourselves can hold fast to the truth and sound doctrine. Let us improve our minds with multifaceted information! Leave it to us to strengthen our will in the midst of temptations and enticements! And let our feelings be convinced by experience of the vileness of vice!” How are such desires better than the rash request that the youngest son made to his father: Father, give me a worthy portion of the estate? And so the frivolous young man ceases to heed the commandments and suggestions of the Holy Church. He stops studying the word of God and the teachings of the holy fathers, but inclines his ears to the wisdom of false teachers and kills the best hours of his life in these studies. He begins to visit the churches of God less often or stands in them inattentively and absent-mindedly. He does not find the opportunity to diligently practice piety and practice virtue, because most of his time is spent attending shows, public entertainment, etc. In a word, every day he devotes himself more and more to the world and finally retreats to a distant country. What does such a distance from the Holy Church lead to? Moreover, what did the prodigal son’s removal from his parents’ house lead to? Frivolous young men very soon waste the wonderful strength and abilities of soul and body and ruin everything that they have done good for time and eternity. Meanwhile, there is a strong famine in that country (Luke 15:14); are emptiness and discontent - the necessary consequences of noisy pleasures; there is a thirst for pleasure, which intensifies even more from the satisfaction of vicious passions and finally becomes insatiable. And how often does it happen that an unfortunate peace-lover, in order to satisfy his passions, resorts to low and shameful activities, which do not bring him to himself, like the prodigal son, and do not return him to the path of salvation, but complete his destruction, temporary and eternal! Today is the Week of the Last Judgment, and it is natural for us to talk about the Last Judgment and the signs of the end of the world. No one knows that day, only God the Father knows, but signs of its approach are given both in the Gospel and in the Revelation of St. Apostle John the Theologian. Revelation speaks about the events of the end of the world and the Last Judgment mainly in images and in secret, but the holy fathers explained it, and there is genuine Church Tradition, which tells us both about the signs of the approaching end of the world and about the Last Judgment. Before the end of earthly life there will be turmoil, wars, civil strife, famine, and earthquakes. People will suffer from fear, they will expire from the anticipation of disasters (Luke 21:26). There will be no life, no joy of life, but a painful state of falling away from life. But there will be a falling away not only from life, but also from faith, and when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8). People will become proud, ungrateful, denying the Divine Law: along with the falling away from life there will be an impoverishment of moral life. There will be a depletion of good and an increase in evil. St. speaks about this time. Apostle John the Theologian in his inspired creation, called Revelation. He himself says that he “was in the Spirit”; this means that the Holy Spirit Himself was in him when the destinies of the Church and the world were revealed to him in various images, and therefore that is God’s Revelation. He represents the fate of the Church in the image of a woman who was hiding in the desert in those days: she does not appear in life, as now in Russia. In life, those forces that are preparing the appearance of the Antichrist will have a guiding significance. The Antichrist will be a man, and not the devil incarnate. "Anti" is a word that means "old" or it means "instead of" or "against." That person wants to be instead of Christ, to take His place and have what Christ should have had. He wants to have the same charm and power over the whole world. And he will receive that power before the destruction of himself and the whole world. He will have an assistant, a magician, who, by the power of false miracles, will carry out his will and kill those who do not recognize the power of the Antichrist. Before the death of the Antichrist, two righteous people will appear who will denounce him. The magician will kill them, and for three days their bodies will lie unburied, and there will be extreme rejoicing of the Antichrist and all his servants, and suddenly those righteous will be resurrected, and the entire army of the Antichrist will be in confusion, horror, and the Antichrist himself will suddenly fall dead, killed by the power of the Spirit. But what is known about the man-antichrist? Its exact origin is unknown. The father is completely unknown, and the mother is a nasty imaginary girl. He will be a Jew from the tribe of Dan. There is an indication of this in the fact that Jacob, dying, said that he [Dan] in his offspring [will be] “a serpent along the way, which will smite the horse, and then the rider will fall backward” [Gen. 49:17; lane St. John]. This is a figurative indication that he will act with cunning and evil. John the Theologian in Revelation speaks about the salvation of the sons of Israel, that before the end of the world many Jews will turn to Christ, but the tribe of Dan is not in the list of tribes being saved. The Antichrist will be very smart and gifted with the ability to deal with people. He will be charming and affectionate. The philosopher Vladimir Solovyov worked hard to imagine the coming and personality of the Antichrist. He carefully used all the materials on that issue, not only patristic, but also Muslim, and developed such a vivid picture. Before the coming of the Antichrist, the world is already preparing for his appearance. “The Mystery is already in action,” and the forces preparing its appearance are primarily fighting against the legitimate royal power. The Holy Apostle John says that the Antichrist cannot appear until the one who restrains him is removed (2 Thess. 2:7). John Chrysostom explains that the one who holds is the legitimate pious authority 539. Such power fights evil. The “Mystery” operating in the world does not want this, does not want to fight evil with the power of power; on the contrary, she wants the power of lawlessness, and when she achieves this, then nothing will prevent the appearance of the Antichrist. He will not only be smart and charming, he will be compassionate, will do mercy and goodness in order to strengthen his power. And when he strengthens it so much that the whole world recognizes him, then he will reveal his face. He will choose Jerusalem as his capital, because it was here that the Savior revealed the Divine teaching and His Personality and the whole world was called to the bliss of goodness and salvation. But the world did not accept Christ and crucified Him in Jerusalem, and under the Antichrist, Jerusalem will become the capital of the world, which recognized the power of the Antichrist. Having reached the pinnacle of power, the Antichrist will demand from people recognition that he has achieved what no earthly power or anyone could achieve, and will demand worship of himself as a higher being, as a god. Vladimir Solovyov describes well the nature of his activities as the supreme ruler. He will do something pleasant for everyone, provided that his supreme power is recognized. He will provide the opportunity for the life of the Church, will allow it to worship, promise the construction of beautiful churches, subject to recognition of him as a “supreme being” and worship of him. He will have a personal hatred of Christ. He will live by this hatred and rejoice in the apostasy of people from Christ and the Church. There will be a massive falling away from the faith, and many bishops will betray their faith and will point to the brilliant position of the Church as justification. Seeking a compromise will be a characteristic mood of people. The directness of confession will disappear. People will subtly justify their fall, and gentle evil will support such a general mood, and people will have the skill of deviating from the truth and the sweetness of compromise and sin. The Antichrist will allow people everything, as long as they “fall and bow to him.” This is not a new attitude towards people: the Roman emperors were also ready to give freedom to Christians, if only they would recognize their divinity and the divinity of their supreme power, and they tortured Christians only because they confessed [the commandment given to them]: Worship your God and serve Him only (Matthew 4:9). The whole world will submit to him, and then he will reveal the face of his hatred of Christ and Christianity. St. John the Theologian says that all who worship him will have a sign on their forehead and right hand. It is unknown whether this will really be a mark on the body or a figurative expression of the fact that with their minds people will recognize the need to worship the Antichrist, and their will will be completely subordinate to him. During such a complete – by will and consciousness – subjugation of the whole world, the mentioned two righteous men will appear and will fearlessly preach the faith and denounce the Antichrist. The Holy Scripture says that before the coming of the Savior two lamps, two burning olive trees (Rev. 11:4), two righteous men will appear. They will be killed by the Antichrist with the help of a magician. Who are these righteous people? According to Church Tradition, there are two righteous people who did not taste death: the prophet Elijah and the prophet Enoch. There is a prophecy that these righteous people who have not tasted death will taste it for three days, and after three days they will be resurrected. Their death will be a great joy for the Antichrist and his servants. Their rise [from the dead] in three days will lead them into unspeakable horror, fear, confusion. That's when the world will end. The Apostle Peter says that the first world was created from water and perished by water. “Out of water” is an image of the chaos of physical mass, and “perished by water” [meaning] the water of the flood. “But now the world is being preserved for fire” (see: 2 Pet. 3:5–7). The earth and all the works on it will be burned up (2 Pet. 3:10). All the elements will ignite. This present world will perish in an instant. Everything will change in an instant. And the sign of the Son of God will appear - that is, the sign of the Cross. The whole world, which freely submitted to the Antichrist, will cry. It's over. Antichrist has been killed. The end of his kingdom, the struggle with Christ. The end and responsibility for all life, the answer to the True God. Then the Ark of the Covenant will appear from the Palestinian mountains, - the prophet Jeremiah hid the Ark and the Holy. Fire in a deep well. When water was taken from that well, it began to burn. But the Ark itself was not found. When we now look at life, those who can see see that everything that was predicted about the end of the world is being fulfilled. Who is this man – the Antichrist? St. John the Theologian figuratively gives his name as [number] 666, but all attempts to understand this designation were in vain. The life of the modern world gives us a fairly clear concept of the possibility of the world burning, when all the elements will burn (2 Pet. 3:10). This concept is given to us by the decomposition of the atom. The end of the world does not mean its destruction, but its change. Everything will change suddenly, in the blink of an eye. The dead will be resurrected in new bodies - their own, but renewed, just as the Savior was resurrected in His body. It bore traces of wounds from nails and spears, but it had new properties and in that sense was a new body. It is not clear whether this will be a completely new body or the one that man was created to be. And the Lord will appear with glory on a cloud. How will we see? Spiritual vision. And now, at death, righteous people see what other people around them do not see. The trumpets will sound powerfully and loudly. They will sound the trumpet in souls and consciences. Everything will become clear in human conscience. The Prophet Daniel, speaking about the Last Judgment, narrates that the Elder Judge [sits] on the throne, and in front of him is a river of fire (see: Dan. 7:9, 10). Fire is a purifying element. Fire consumes sin, burns it, and woe, if sin is natural to the person himself, then it burns the person himself. That fire will ignite inside a person: when they see the Cross, some will rejoice, while others will fall into despair, confusion, and horror. So people will immediately be divided: in the Gospel description of [standing] before the Judge, some stand to the right, others to the left: they were divided by their inner consciousness. The very state of a person’s soul throws him in one direction or another, to the right or to the left. The more consciously and persistently a person strived for God in his life, the greater his joy will be when he hears the words: “Come to Me, you blessed” (see: Matt. 25:34), and vice versa, the same words will cause a fire of horror and torment in those who did not want Him, avoided or fought [with Him] and blasphemed during their lifetime. The Last Judgment does not know witnesses or protocol records. Everything is written in human souls, and these records, these “books” are revealed. Everything becomes clear to everyone, and the state of a person’s soul determines whether he is right or left. Some go in joy, others in horror. When the “books” are opened, it will become clear to everyone that the roots of all vices are in the human soul. Here is a drunkard, a fornicator; when the body dies, someone will think that sin also died. No, there was an inclination in the soul, and sin was sweet to the soul. And if she did not repent of that sin, did not free herself from it, she will come to the Last Judgment with the same desire for the sweetness of sin and will never satisfy her desire. It will contain the suffering of hatred and malice. This is a hellish state. “Gehenna of fire” is an internal fire, a flame of vice, a flame of weakness and malice, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12) of impotent malice. The doors of repentance are opening and Lent begins. It is repeated annually, and each time it will bring us great benefit if we carry it out properly. Great Lent is preparation for the future life, and most immediately, preparation for Bright Resurrection. Just as a staircase is built in a tall building so that the steps can easily be used to climb to the height of the building, so different days of the year are steps for our spiritual ascent and ascension. These especially include the days of Great Lent and Holy Easter. During Great Lent we are cleansed of sinful filth, and on Holy Pascha we feel the bliss of the coming Kingdom of Christ. When climbing a high mountain, they try to free themselves from any extra weight. The less someone is loaded, the easier it is for him to climb and the higher he can rise. So, in order to rise spiritually, first of all you need to free yourself from the burden of sin. It is removed from us by repentance on the indispensable condition that we ourselves expel all enmity from ourselves and forgive everyone whom we consider guilty of us. Purified and forgiven by God, we then meet the Bright Resurrection of Christ. What most precious gift of God do we receive then, which is the completion of our Lenten feat? The first hymn, which begins the daily singing of the stichera of Lent, tells us about this: “And the Lamb of God is given to us as food, in the sacred and luminous night of the Resurrection, the slaughter brought for our sake, which the disciple partook of on the evening of the sacrament” [stichera on the stichera on the Meat Week, evening]. The communion of the Body and Blood of the Risen Christ into eternal life is the goal of the Holy Pentecost. They receive communion not only at Easter. On the contrary, communion should be given to those who fasted, confessed and received communion during Great Lent on Easter. Before Easter itself there is no opportunity to confess everything well; time and priests are busy with passionate services. You need to prepare for this in advance. Every communion of the Mysteries of Christ is a union with Christ Himself and is saving for us. Why is such importance attached to communion on the night of Holy Easter and why are we all called to this? Especially then is it possible for us to experience the Kingdom of Christ. Especially then we are illuminated by the Eternal Light and strengthened for spiritual ascent. It is an irreplaceable gift of Christ, an incomparable good. Let no one deprive himself of this joy and, instead of receiving communion on Easter night, do not rush to taste meat and other foods. Communion of the Holy Mysteries then prepares us for a meal in the eternal Kingdom of God. Open the doors of repentance, Life-Giver 540 To repent, to change internally, to be reborn is difficult. You need consciousness of the need for change, a desire for it, and you need grace-filled help. The more consciously and decisively we begin repentance, the wider we open the doors of the soul, the more successfully we achieve our goal. An example of such a complete rebirth is Saint Mary of Egypt, a sinner known throughout Alexandria from childhood. Where people gather, there she is for sin. Here she is among the pilgrims going to Jerusalem, but not for the sake of God, but for the sake of entertainment and sin, and with her behavior she confuses everyone. The pilgrims go to the church, and she is with them. Everyone enters, but she cannot enter, and for the first time in her life she is embarrassed. But she fights with that feeling and tries to force her way into the church, but in vain: bound by a sinful life, she cannot enter the Church of the Holy. Then shame for herself, for her life, enters her soul. Confused, she prays for the first time in repentance before the icon of the Mother of God, and the Most Holy Most Pure Virgin opens the doors of the church to her. The next morning she is at the liturgy and after communion of the Holy Mysteries, straight from the church, having bought three loaves of bread along the way, she goes into the desert. Many years later, the Monk Zosima found her. She told him about her life and about the torment of the struggle with sin and rebirth. Those torments were so severe, the attacks of temptation were so swift, that she beat on the ground. Then came days of peace and light. Now it's easy for her. She asks the Monk Zosima to come to her in a year and give her communion. He came and saw her across the river. She walked across the water to him, took communion and asked him to come again in a year. He came and found her dead, and next to the body was written the day when the Monk Zosima gave her communion a year ago. This is an example of a swift determination to change one’s life and repentance, the intensity of the struggle against sins. This is an example of purification and rebirth. “Open the doors of repentance, O Life-Giver.” Open the doors of repentance, Life-Giver Repentance is expressed by the Greek word metanoia. In a literal sense, this means changing your mind, your wisdom. In other words, repentance is a change in one’s mood, one’s way of thinking, a change in a person within himself. Repentance is a revision of one’s views, a change in one’s life. How can it happen? Just like when a dark room into which a person finds himself is illuminated by the sun's rays: while he looked at the room in the dark, it seemed to him in one form: he did not see much of what was there and did not even imagine that it was there. Many things seemed to him completely different from how they really were. He had to move carefully because he didn't know where the obstacles were. But the room became bright, he sees everything clearly and moves freely. The same thing happens in spiritual life. When we are immersed in sins, and our mind is occupied only with everyday worries, we do not notice the state of our soul. We are indifferent to what we are like inside, and we constantly follow the wrong path without noticing it ourselves. But now a ray of God’s Light penetrates our soul. How much dirt we will see inside ourselves then! How many untruths, how many lies! How ugly many actions that we imagined beautiful will turn out to be. It will become clear to us that we are going the wrong way. It becomes clear to us which path is correct. If we then realize our spiritual insignificance, our sinfulness, and sincerely wish for our correction, we are close to salvation. From the depths of our souls, let us cry to God: “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy according to Your mercy!”, “Forgive me and save me!”, “Grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother!” At the onset of Lent, let us hasten to forgive each other all griefs and insults. Let us always hear the words of the Gospel of the Forgiven Resurrection: If you forgive a person their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14–15). Let's fast with a pleasant fast 541 The time has come for us to prepare for eternal life, the time to meet the Lord who is coming to earth again. The Church calls on all of us to remember that in addition to daily earthly worries and affairs, there is also eternal life, that we are all called to live forever. What should be the preparation? In purification of the spirit and abstinence of the flesh. “The demonic race,” said Christ, “can only be overcome by fasting and prayer” (see: Matthew 17:21). Therefore, first of all, prayer is needed. Great Lent is a longer service, and prayers include constant prayer for the forgiveness of sins. But in addition to prayer, fasting is also needed. Fasting is like a sacrifice to God from our body. What does the word "fast" mean? We know that a post means both a high position in the civil service and a place where a sentry stands. Both the high statesman and especially the sentry on guard must vigilantly observe everything that happens so that nothing happens to the detriment of what he is entrusted with. So our fasting is standing guard over the soul. Fasting is careful observation so that nothing harms our soul. Fasting is observing one’s thoughts, protecting one’s gaze from harmful sights, one’s hearing from soul-damaging conversations, one’s tongue from foul and empty words, one’s lips from inappropriate food. The time of fasting is a time when all our attention should be paid to the inevitable end of earthly life for everyone and the inevitable Last Judgment. Fasting is especially the curbing of one's will. The sentry, standing on duty, does not have his own will. He must do exactly what he is told to do, not allow anything to happen that should not happen, not allow anyone through who does not have the right [to enter]. Likewise, when we fast, we should not fast as anyone pleases, but as indicated by the Church. I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, said Christ (Matthew 16:18). The Church was created by Christ on earth for this purpose, so that She would lead people from earth to heaven. Listen, children of the Church, her voice is like the voice of God, for she is headed by the Son of God and led by the Holy Spirit. What is required from everyone is the desire to fulfill what she has written, and the effort to do it with prayer, may the Lord help him. And whoever is unable to fulfill everything according to the rules or does not know [the rules], let him turn to the priests, who are appointed to lead the flock, leading them along the path of salvation. Orthodox Christianity Soon after the teaching of Christ began to spread among the pagans, those who believed in Christ and became His followers began to be called Christians in Antioch. The word “Christian” indicated that the one who bore that name had devoted himself to Christ, belonged to Him with his heart and followed His teaching. The name “Christian,” which well defined the essence of the followers of Christ, was to their hearts, and calling them Christians from Antioch quickly spread everywhere. Christians treasured that name, being glad to call themselves by the name of their beloved Teacher and Lord. Often, when asked what their name was, Christians answered that their name was “Christian.” Jews and pagans also began to call them by that name, combining with it all the malice and hatred that they breathed against Christ. “Where are you from, what is your name and patronymic?” asks the tormentor Latronian of the elderly presbyter Epictetus and his young disciple Astion (July 7). “We are Christians and born of Christian parents,” they answer. “That’s not what I’m asking you, tell me your names, I know your religion,” says the tormentor. “We are Christians: we worship our only Lord Jesus Christ, and we abhor idols,” continue the holy martyrs. The tormentor commands to beat them, whittle them with iron claws, scorch them with lighted torches, but nothing could be heard from them except: “We are Christians, may the will of the Lord our God be done in us.” This makes such an impression on one of the pagans, Vigilantius, that for three days he constantly repeats in his mind the words he heard from the martyrs, and on the fourth day he declares in front of everyone: “I am a Christian” - and receives holy baptism. After this, Saints Epictetus and Astion were subjected to many torments, but they did not cease to confess: “We are Christians” - and, having accepted martyrdom through the beheading of their heads with a sword, they departed to Christ, Whom they loved and for Whom they suffered. However, no matter how valuable their name was to Christians, soon after the beginning of Christianity it often began to not correspond to its content. People appeared who, calling themselves Christians, were not Christ’s in spirit. Christ Himself also spoke about them: Not everyone who says to Me: Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but do the will of My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). Christ even predicted that many would pretend to be Himself, calling themselves by His name. For many will come in My name, saying: I am Christ (Matthew 24:5). The apostles, in their inspired letters, pointed out that false bearers of the name of Christ had already appeared in their time, and warned against any communication with them. As you heard that the Antichrist was coming, and now there were many Antichrists... She departed from us, but was not maddened from us (1 John 2:18-19), writes St. Evangelist John the Theologian. Instructing the disciples to avoid in every possible way disputes and disagreements on issues that do not matter for salvation (see: 1 Cor. 1:10-14), the apostles at the same time commanded them to completely shun those who do not bring true teaching. They pointed out that a true servant of God is recognized not by name, but by his faith and deeds (see: Rom. 2:17–29), since if the name does not correspond to them, it is false. The Lord Himself in the Revelation given to St. John the Theologian, threateningly spoke about those who falsely appropriated to themselves the name of followers of the Old Testament: ... they say about themselves that they are Jews, but they are not, but the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9). Likewise, a Christian in the strict sense is only one who professes the true teaching of Christ and lives according to it. We were left without Christ, we fell from grace (Gal. 5:4), writes St. Apostle Paul about those who pervert the true teaching. Many such perverters of the true faith, who continued to falsely bear the name “Christian,” lived during the time of the apostles, and even more appeared in subsequent centuries. In contrast to such false Christians, those professing the true faith began to be called Orthodox, for true Christianity lies in glorifying God with one’s life. Thus let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven, Christ commands (Matthew 5:16). It is possible to glorify God with our lives only when we have the right faith and express this faith in what is truly true in words and deeds. Therefore, an Orthodox in the real sense is one who professes the right, that is, true, faith and lives according to it. By calling our faith Orthodox, we distinguish it from false Christianity, and by calling ourselves Orthodox, we indicate that our faith is true, genuine and undamaged Christianity and our duty is to strictly carry out its teachings. And that Orthodoxy does not bear that name in vain, but is a real truth that excludes the possibility of the existence of any other truth, and that the Orthodox Church is precisely the one about which Christ said: I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18), this is attested and confirmed by many signs that took place from the founding of the Church and do not cease to manifest themselves clearly in the Church today Orthodox, as well as by the miracles not only of the ancients, but also in the times close to us of the shining saints of God. Therefore, it is fitting for us to joyfully proclaim on the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy: “This apostolic faith, this paternal faith, this Orthodox faith, this faith establish the universe” [exclamation of the deacon, if the service takes place in the cathedral]. Sermon for the Week of Orthodoxy In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! “In the midst of the two thief, Thy Cross was found as a measure of righteousness: for one who was brought down to hell by the burden of blasphemy; for another, I am relieved from sins, to the knowledge of theology...” (Lenten troparion of the 9th hour, for “Glory”). This is what is said about the Cross of the Lord. Having found a righteous standard in the midst of two robbers, Pilate erected three crosses on Golgotha: two for the robbers and one for the Giver of Life. But only the Cross of the Savior was salvation for all humanity, that Cross that stood in the middle, it is an instrument of peace, an invincible victory - victory over the devil and victory over death. The remaining two crosses - one was saving for the one who hung on it, the other was for him a staircase to hell. Two thieves hung on crosses near the Lord Jesus Christ, one blasphemed Him all the time, and the other, who began to blaspheme, then came to his senses and, recognizing all his sins, cried out to the Lord: Remember me, Lord, when you come to the Kingdom of Xi. And the Lord answered him: Today you will be with Me in paradise (Luke 23:42–43). So through the Cross, through suffering, the prudent thief believed in the crucified Christ, believed, as they say, to the knowledge of theology. But when the Lord forgave him for his sins, he recognized in Him the Son of God Himself, understood that the Man Who hangs in ignominy and dishonor is the glorious King of glory, understood that He Who now seems weak and weak is the Almighty Creator and Ruler of the entire universe. So, the mental eyes, the spiritual eyes of that robber who was hanging on the right side were opened, to which he came through repentance, through humility. So Christ humiliated Himself more than all other people, humiliated Himself in order to thereby erase and destroy the sin of Adam’s pride. So the thief, who humbly recognized his sins, asked the Lord for forgiveness, and through this the Lord appeared to him in all His glory. And that other robber, hanging on the left side, “on the left” - as they say in Slavic, he blasphemed Him all the time, blasphemed because he realized that he was sinful, that he was a criminal, that he had violated both human and Divine laws, but did not want to repent, did not want to humble himself and blasphemed the very laws that he had broken, blasphemed the Lawgiver Himself, Who gave the laws of nature, Who put into people conscience, according to which they write their human laws, although not always in agreement with it; he blasphemed Him and continued to blaspheme until his soul descended into hell through the burden of blasphemy. These are the two paths that lie before people. Before us lies the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. The Lord said: Whoever wants to come after Me, let him take up his cross and come after Me (Matthew 16:24). Where is it coming? First, through suffering, just as Christ suffered, then he will enter with Christ into the eternal Kingdom, into the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ sits on His Throne. There is no other way but to follow the Lord. And the thief, who was hanging on the right side, knew God and followed Him with his soul. He, of course, could not miraculously change then, this is not necessary, he followed Christ with his soul, recognized God in Him, humbled himself for the salvation of men, humbled himself, recognized his sins and went to heaven with Christ. Before us lie [two paths], the paths of two robbers. Which way will we go? All the time, humanity has been going one way or another. The Cross of the Lord was a temptation to the Jews, but to the “Greeks,” that is, to the pagans, it was madness. How can one worship an instrument of humility, an instrument of execution? They did not understand that with this weapon the Lord saved all humanity from the kingdom of the devil, from the kingdom of sin, from eternal destruction. For the Jews, the Cross of the Lord was also a temptation; they wanted to see their Messiah as the king of glory, as the king of the earth, who would elevate their Jewish race, and the Cross on which Christ was crucified was a temptation for them. The crucifixion of Christ seemed temptation and madness; and through this, as St. tells us. Apostle Paul, the Jews are a temptation, but the Greeks are foolish, but for us Christ is “God’s power and God’s wisdom” (see: 1 Cor. 1:23–24). What was death for some, became salvation for others. The Cross of the Lord divides people into two parts. So, some believed in Christ, while others stumbled over a stumbling block and persecuted the Church of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Head of which is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Church of Christ is the Body of Christ, He Himself heads it and with His Divine Body and Blood nourishes the believers, nourishes the children of His Church, so that we are one with Christ, both physically and spiritually. We unite body with Christ through Divine Communion, we must join in soul and immediately follow His commandments. We all sin, but some sin and repent, others blaspheme all the laws that they break. This was the case in ancient times, when Arius and other heretics rejected the dogmas of the Holy Church, and then believers often suffered. Believers suffered when there were wicked rulers who sent them into exile; yes, St. Athanasius the Great spent twenty years in exile out of the forty-seven years of his priesthood. And other saints also suffered for the truth, many believers also suffered, but in the purity of Orthodoxy they were saved and opened the gates of eternal life, the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven. The unbelievers often triumphed, they often trampled on the Church of Christ, but then their death and fall came, and their souls were sent not to the Kingdom of Heaven, but to eternal torment in the underworld, just as Christ once sent the soul of Herod and others who were looking for His soul to hell. Before us lies the path of salvation or the path of destruction. Christians also stumbled over the Cross during iconoclasm, when they began to persecute holy icons, when other shrines and the Cross of the Lord began to be despised. And these are those who called themselves true believers, even considered themselves Orthodox. So, for one hundred and fifty years the iconoclastic heresy reigned until it was finally broken completely. On the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, we celebrate the victory of Christ over iconoclasm and over all demons. The Cross of the Lord separated believers and unbelievers, those who walked the path of salvation, and [those] who walked the path of destruction. The current Protestant iconoclasts and others who deny holy icons also reject the Cross of the Lord. They are ready to allow beautiful images of some gospel events in their homes, but they reject the veneration of holy icons, which remind us that salvation is acquired through the hard, narrow path that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself walked, by struggling with one’s sins and vices, through fasting and prayers. This is not recognized by those who want to see in Christianity only something rosy and beautiful, when you can enter into eternal bliss without any effort, without any strain on yourself, without any struggle with your sins. They follow the path taken by the thief who was hanging on his left side: they deny all the laws that the Lord gave with His mouth and sent the apostles to preach throughout the whole universe; they deny those statutes and scriptures that are sacredly preserved by the Holy Orthodox Church. And through the Cross, some are saved to the knowledge of theology, to the knowledge of the eternal Truth, while others, through the burden of blasphemy, descend into hellish torment. Such a long path lies ahead of us, Orthodox Christians, and here there are temptations that divide believers if they want and desire to follow the path that Christ showed them. We all sin, we all violate Christ’s commandments and the laws of the Holy Church, but some recognize themselves as sinners for violating them and repent of their sins, while others, instead, deny the laws themselves and do not want to obey them, saying that these laws are outdated, the laws are no longer needed, we ourselves are smarter than those who gave the church laws, which the Lord Himself gave through the apostles and His saints. Here are two paths before you - the path of the prudent thief and the path of the one who, through the burden of blasphemy, descended to hell. Here we also have before us those eternal works. Some are ready to recognize images if they are well painted, if they are beautiful and pleasing to the eye, others venerate those icons where the saints are depicted suffering, where their martyrdoms, their fasts and prayers are depicted; It is not external goodness, but internal goodness that is seen in these sacred images. These, brethren, are two paths of two thieves. Some want salvation, others want only pleasure in this world, and when this is not given to them, they blaspheme those laws that were given for our salvation. And now we may also have different divisions. Because the laws of the Church of Christ are immutable, a Christian must obey the laws and statutes of the Church, regardless of how others feel about it, how the surrounding society treats the laws of the Church, favorably or negatively. The faithful of Christ follow Christ along the path of those laws, those statutes that the Holy Church sacredly preserves. And those who want extra comforts and joy in this earthly world, which will perish sooner or later, prefer other laws - not church ones, but those that allow them to live as they want and think as they want, to exalt their will over the spirit of the Church, the spirit that is given from the Lord God Himself, and call on others to follow their path. Perhaps, brethren, soon there will be unrest here again before you and some of you will be called upon to follow the path of denying the holy laws and obey only those laws that are given by human power. Beware of this path! Fear this path that the thief took, hanging on his left hand, for through the burden of blasphemy, the burden of the blasphemy of Christ, he went into eternal destruction. And those who blaspheme the laws of the Church, those who blaspheme Christ Himself, Who is the Head of the Church, for the laws of the Church were given by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. And local laws are based on the same laws, on the laws and canons of the Church. Let us not consider ourselves wiser than those saints who established the rules of the Church, let us not imagine ourselves to be great wise. Let us humbly cry out to the prudent thief: remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom! Pray for forgiveness of sins. If we deviate from the laws of the Church, if we constantly violate them, pray that the Lord will have mercy and bring us into the Kingdom of Heaven with the thief. Then we will not go the same way as the wicked robber, who remained wicked to the end and descended into the underworld. From which may the Lord deliver us all. Amen. [The holiday] of the Triumph of Orthodoxy was established in the 9th century under the Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Methodius after the final victory over iconoclasm as a triumph of victory over all false teachings and heresies. Orthodoxy is pure Christianity without introducing human inventions into it. It is based on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, coming from the apostles sent by the Son of God Himself after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them to preach the Truth to all nations. Subsequently, the Ecumenical Councils and the holy fathers of the Church only established what was consistent with the Holy Scriptures and the teaching of the holy apostles. Being Orthodox is important because the Orthodox teaching about God is that which was revealed by the Son of God Himself. The Orthodox guidance for earthly life is also based on the Gospel and verified by the life experience of many ascetics, crowned by God with holiness, witnessed by miracles. To be Orthodox means to have correct knowledge of the Highest, as far as it is accessible to man, and also to know the path to the heavenly world. Orthodoxy gives not only abstract knowledge, it gives spiritual strength to lead a correct lifestyle, for through the Church the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given, strengthening us in goodness. Any deviation from Orthodoxy is damage to clear spiritual vision, as well as a weakening of spiritual strength. Therefore, those who not only deviate from Orthodoxy themselves, but also entice others, are cut off by the Church in the same way as a part of the body infected with cancer or an equally dangerous disease is cut off in order to protect the healthy part from infection. In Greek, this is expressed by the word “anathema,” which means “separation with ascension upward,” that is, surrender to the Judgment of God. At the same time, prayers are offered so that all those who are mistaken will turn to the truth and “come into the mind of truth,” that is, they will know the Truth and follow it. Homily for the first week of Lent Great Lent and all its services are united by the thought [of] preparing for Holy Easter and meeting the Risen Christ with a pure heart. Why are we preparing like this? What is Easter? Easter is a taste of heavenly joy. Where is the joy? It is to see God and His glory. The Church loves the glory of the Lord. When she celebrates the Triumph of Orthodoxy, she celebrates the day of the restoration of the veneration of icons. The icon is a reminder of Christ the God-Man on earth. Icons of saints are a reminder of all who followed Christ, who are faithful and devoted to Him, who burned with love for Him. Veneration of holy icons is veneration of the glory of the Lord: whoever rejoices in the glory of God and everything that resembles it in this life will rejoice in the next century. Anyone who has strived for God in life will joyfully rush to Him when at the Last Judgment he hears the words: “Come to Me, ye blessed” (see: Matthew 25:34). All those who do not know how to rejoice in the glory of God, in whom the Divine world and its laws cause discontent, who love darkness or twilight, and do not like light, will not respond to the call “Come to Me.” They will recoil in indignation, discontent, envy and anger at the humble and meek - [those] who go to the Light, at God Himself, Whom they will blame for being in such a mood; in anger at themselves with a reluctance, however, to admit their guilt. This mood is true torment. The beginning of hell is already here on earth. In the same way, heaven begins in a person’s soul already in earthly life. There are already touches of the Divine here on the day of the Bright Resurrection and when we receive communion worthily. We must prepare for confession. The entire splinter must be removed, because if a particle is left, suppuration will begin. We must pray for repentance and the joy of purification, so that a ray of light touches the soul and it falls in love with the light. We must pray in order to meet the Risen Christ with a pure heart, in order to then taste at least to a small extent the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Word for the Week of the Worship of the Cross “We bow to Your Cross, Master” [troparion of the third Sunday of Great Lent]. Why do we worship the Cross of the Lord? What is the Cross of the Lord? The Cross of the Lord is a weapon. The Cross of the Lord saved us from eternal death. In paradise, a man wanted to become equal to God, succumbing to the temptation of the devil. When a person allowed this thing into his heart, he lost reverence and love, and violated the commandment of the Lord. Then paradise actually closed for him. The man became proud and believed Lucifer, who dreamed of being equal to the Son of God. The devil was cast out of heaven by Archangel Michael. Man believed the devil-tempter and wanted to become equal to God. He thought, that is, he didn’t think, but a thought suddenly came to him: if he ate from that tree, he would know everything and be perfect, like God, perfect not in His properties, but in strength and power. But as soon as man dreamed about this, as soon as he became exalted, he immediately fell into the abyss. He fell away from God and became [subject to] destruction. Now the door to the heavenly sweetness and beauty in which he found himself was closed, the Kingdom of Heaven was closed for him. But the Lord did not want [man] to perish. If Lucifer destroyed us with pride and envy in relation to the Son of God, in relation to God, who was more powerful than him, then the Lord saves us with humility. And now the Son of God descends from heaven. He, the Almighty, the Lord of creatures, the Creator, becomes His creation, becomes equal to us in everything except sin. Moreover, He endures reproach like a criminal, sharing the punishment without complaint. And, rejected by people, He descends into hell to free the souls of the dead from incorruption. As a man, He was honored with the grace of God, became higher than the Angels, became higher than all creatures. He takes everyone who approaches Him, who shares their feelings with Him, with Him to heaven. And so the Cross is His instrument of patience. From the instrument on which Christ was humiliated, the Cross became the instrument of our salvation. When we worship the Cross of the Lord, we thereby worship the instrument of His suffering, the instrument of dishonor, that with which man has been dishonored from time immemorial. [The cross] is a sign of dishonor and shame. By worshiping the Cross, we seem to promise the Lord to humble ourselves in the same way, to also endure reproach and reproach for Him. When we worship the Cross of the Lord, we also worship His suffering - not His honor, not His glory, but His dishonor. This dishonor of Him as a man is glory in the sight of God. What seems dishonor to people is often glory in the sight of the Lord, and people receive a crown from Him. The martyrs were dishonored - they were deprived of their awards. The martyrs, whose memory is celebrated with us tomorrow, were deprived of their military rank, their insignia was taken from them, they were put to death as criminals. In entering the Kingdom of Heaven they were equal to the Angels. And when the fools for Christ's sake were insane, endured the reproach of people, the same thing became their glory, the same thing made them saints of God, and they are leaders in the Kingdom of Heaven. When a person suffers deprivation, endures reproach, deprives himself of what is earthly well-being, if only this is done for the glory of God, for the sake of the name of God, then he becomes conformed to Him in feeling, in mood. The Holy Apostle Paul says: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5). What did He strive for? Who to fulfill the word of God. And for this He was ready to endure everything; He suffered until death, death on the cross. Who humbled Himself? King of the Universe. Who was crucified by man? God creating man. More than heaven, more than any name, all the Heavenly Powers worship Him, the Heavenly Faces worship Him, worship His human being, glorify Him as God. When He was crucified and when He was mocked, He [suffered] as a man, but at the same time remained God. He remained God by [His] Divine nature. But as a man He [suffered]. The Lord is free, and He did not take credit for Himself, did not say: “Father, I have done Your will, glorify Me.” No, He humbly fulfilled the will of His Heavenly Father. We worship the Cross of the Lord, thanking [the Lord] for the reproaches and reproaches [he suffered]. We worship the Cross when we ourselves endure reproach, we endure wounds, we endure with thanksgiving in the name of God. The Apostle Peter says: Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as one who encroaches on someone else’s property; and if you are a Christian, then do not be ashamed, but glorify God for such a fate (1 Pet. 4:15). As we venerate the Cross of the Lord, we will try to have the same feelings. In His great Kingdom we will forever glorify Him and enjoy His incomparable beauty and kindness, for He is the King of glory and the Lord of the whole world. Amen. (The Annunciation coincides with the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) The Annunciation is the joyful news of the incarnation of the Son of God, His descent to earth to save the world. The Holy Spirit then descended on the Most Pure Virgin, and She conceived the Lord. This was the beginning of the New Testament, the beginning of the salvation of the human race, the coming to earth of the Son of God. And the solemn Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is the beginning of His suffering. With the joyful exclamations of the people, Christ marched to death, to which He was betrayed by the people who had greeted Him so enthusiastically. And the Orthodox Church that day begins, as if following Him, to daily remember the events of the following days. On Great Monday, the Lord on the Mount of Olives, having previously dried up the fig tree with His word, reveals to His disciples the future of Jerusalem, denounces the Pharisees and scribes for only outwardly fulfilling the prescriptions of the Law of Moses. Continuing His teachings, the Lord first in parables and then explicitly depicts the end of the world and the Last Judgment. On [Great] Wednesday in the house of Simon the leper, a woman pours myrrh on His feet, and Judas promises the bishops to betray the Teacher. On Maundy Thursday, the Lord celebrates the Last Supper, and the liturgy of that day especially vividly reminds us that, by partaking of the Holy Mysteries with reverence, we with the apostles partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and those who partake unworthily are likened to Judas. But let everyone strive to receive communion, sincerely repenting of their sins, and receive mercy from the Lord. The Last Supper is followed by Christ's prayer in Gethsemane, Christ is seized and taken to the high priests, where a trial is carried out on Him at night, and in the morning they take Him to Pilate. In the evening of Maundy Thursday, the 12 Gospels of the Passion of Christ are read. Good Friday is coming. The clock also reads the Gospels about the trial of Pilate, the crucifixion and death on the cross of Christ. Christians observe strict fasting on that day. Vespers, celebrated, if possible, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, contains the remembrance of the death of Christ and ends with the removal of the shroud, depicting the removal from the cross and burial of the body of Christ. Then, at the shroud, the canon for “The Lamentation of the Virgin Mary over the Tomb” is read. Matins of Great Saturday depicts the stay of the body of Christ in the tomb and the descent of the soul into hell. The procession of the cross at the end mysteriously depicts the procession of Christ into hell (and not His burial, as is commonly said), which was destroyed by the light of Christ, [after which] the liberated souls of the forefathers joyfully glorified Christ. Having freed the souls of the dead from hell, the soul of Christ returns to His body. No one on earth yet knows what is happening in the other world, warriors stand guard at the tomb, the apostles are mourning, the myrrh-bearing women are ready to go to anoint the body, but the Angels with the prophets and the righteous are already glorifying the Conqueror of death. This is depicted by the readings and chants of Vespers on Great Saturday, combined with the liturgy, in which, when chanting “Arise, O God, judge the earth,” black vestments are replaced by light ones. The anticipation begins for that bright hour when everything is illuminated with light and heaven and earth are filled with victorious praises of the Risen Christ. At the Easter liturgy we partake of the Risen Christ. What is this? You lie lifeless before us, Life-Giver! Thy lips are numb, O Word of God! Thy hand and nose are bloodied, Who created the whole universe with the hand of man and with Thy hand! Thy rib is pierced, from Adam's rib You created Eve! Your eyes are closed, perceiving all that is hidden! How have you tasted death, Immortal Belly [Sunday troparion of the 2nd tone]? Who raised You to the cross, Judge of the universe? What is the essence of Your suffering, Lord Impassive? Your immeasurable love, Your love for the fallen human race - this is what led You to suffering. You did not want to leave Your creation to perish; You called sinful humanity to You. You reminded him with Your good deeds, admonished him with the punishments sent down to him from You. You, Lord, gave Your law at Sinai, sent prophets who proclaimed Your will and exposed human vices. But You could not turn the human race away from the sinful path - they went far along it, they did not feel Your care for them. Something extraordinary was needed, something beyond the mind, to pierce the crust of the human heart. It was necessary to fulfill what You predetermined in the Eternal Council with Your Father and the Holy Spirit even before the creation of man, foreseeing his fall. You decide to show him Your love by suffering his illnesses, by suffering from his ulcers. But You cannot suffer from the impassive Divinity. And so, submissive to the will of the Father, You descend to earth and take on human nature. You descend to earth to raise man to heaven, you humble yourself in order to destroy the fruits of his pride. You, like a man, have endured poverty, persecution, and slander since Your birth; finally, you give yourself up to a shameful and dishonorable death, you give up your soul, so that man may know your love for him, for there is no greater love than this, but whoever lays down his life for his friends (John 15:13). You accept incredible suffering in order to melt the frozen hearts of people with their fire, you accept beatings, strangulation, spitting, and the crown of thorns, you are nailed to the tree of the cross. You suffer for the sins of the entire human race, You suffer with all Your human being. Your body suffers, exuding sweat like drops of blood, in Gethsemane, wounded and bloody on Calvary. But Your soul suffers even more! Praying in Gethsemane in the silence of the night and hanging on the cross on Calvary, with your mind's eye you see all human sins, all the sins that have ever been committed. Nothing is hidden from You, Omniscient God, everything is open and naked before You. You see the sin of Adam and Eve committed in paradise, you see the fratricide of Cain, you see the sins of Noah’s contemporaries during the construction of the ark, the Tower of Babel and all the sins committed in the Old Testament. You grieve for the sins of Your crucifiers, but Your soul is filled with even greater sorrow, seeing the sins of those who will bear Your name, called Christians. You see future heresies and schisms, you see church unrest, cooling of love and discord. You see all the sins, every single one, all the sins that have already been committed and are about to be committed on the day of Your terrible Coming. You see all the sins of us standing here, you see the impurity of our hearts, you see our coldness even here, before You, lying in the tomb. You see every sin of each of us, You see and You suffer from them. For You, the Pure and Righteous, there is no greater abomination than sin. Seeing all our sins as the Omniscient God, You suffer from them as the Most Righteous man. Because of them, Your soul is filled with sorrow. The severity of our sins is greater than the nails pierced into You, it torments You, and for their sake You exclaim: My God, My God, have you forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46). We are all guilty of Your suffering, the sins of each of us, both mine and all of us standing here, tormented Your soul when You prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the crucified One hung on Calvary. We are guilty of Your suffering and death! What do we say to You, who accepted death from us and for us? Forgive and have mercy on us. Forgive us for the torment our sins caused You. Let us also purify them with repentance and please You with the correction of our lives. There is no greater joy for You than the conversion of a repentant sinner. For the torment we inflicted on You, we offer You repentance and heartfelt contrition. Take them instead of peace and fragrances. And like a prudent thief, they say to us: “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” Mournful meeting. A sad sight. Before us is a dead man, and an extraordinary dead man at that. The King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the entire universe, lies before us. He died for us. We sinned, and He suffered. People violated the commandment of God, retreated from God, and God, wanting to attract [them] to Himself with His love, suffers and dies for them. God could not suffer and die as a Divine, therefore He incarnates and suffers and dies by His human nature, without ceasing to be God. He does all this for us to show His love for us. How grateful our hearts should be to Him! How can we adequately thank Him? Flowers were brought to His tomb, candles were lit near Him. The Lord does not reject these sacrifices either, but He wants something else from us, and only with that will He accept the rest of the offerings. “Son, give Me your heart” (see: Proverbs 23:26), God said through the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. The Lord is waiting for our hearts; this is what we must give to Him. To love His commandments and teachings and to fulfill them is gratitude to Him who suffered for us, pleasing and pleasing to Him. As we approach to kiss the face of the lifeless Savior, let us make a firm decision to follow the path indicated by Him. And if you have to endure hardships and experience difficulties along this path, Christ Himself will be your Helper, Who will resurrect those who suffered Him with Himself and give them endless benefits in His Heavenly Kingdom, which may we also be worthy of. Amen. Easter is sacred to us today appears: New Holy Easter... Easter, the Lord's Easter, the all-honorable Easter rises upon us today! God once commanded the Israelites who suffered in Egypt, having slain lambs and anointing the blood of their homes with their blood, to celebrate Passover. The Angel of the Lord then passed through Egypt, and the arm of the Lord delivered His people from death and slavery, leading them to a land flowing with honey and milk. When their descendants forgot the Lord, who reigns forever, they were again subjected to slavery, being taken into Babylonian captivity. But even there, the Hand of the Lord was glorified in the fortress, having saved three youths thrown into a furnace set on fire for observing the Law of God. The Angel of the Great Council descended into their cave, cooled the fire and delivered the youths from death. “There is no other god who could save like that,” the king of Babylon exclaimed then. “How great are His signs and how powerful are His miracles!” His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures throughout generations and generations (Dan. 3:96, 100). “He who delivered the youths from the cave, having become a man, suffers (now) as if he were mortal, and with (His) passion he clothes the mortal in incorruptibility with splendor...” [canon for the Sunday of Holy Pascha, Irmos of the 7th canto]. Not only three youths and not from the furnace of Babylon, but he delivers us all from eternal fire. He tastes death and tramples on it. He is slain like a lamb, and with His blood saves from eternal destruction. Christ, new Easter, living sacrifice, Lamb of God, taketh away the sins of the world, willingly he was slain for all, and again from the tomb the red Sun of Truth rose for us. Not from Egypt to the Red Sea, but to the Kingdom of Heaven the path is illuminated. “Resurrection day, let us be enlightened, people: Easter, the Lord’s Easter, from death to life and from earth to heaven, Christ God has brought us, singing in victory” [Easter stichera for “Glory, and now”]. “My soul magnifies the will of the one who suffered, and was buried, and who rose from the grave for three days” [second chorus on the 9th song of the Easter Canon]. By His stripes we are all healed. Give resurrection to the human race, like a sheep, led to the slaughter: the princes of hell were afraid of this and took the gates of tears. For the King of glory, Christ, is below, saying to those who are in chains, come forth, and to those who are in darkness, be revealed. Oh Easter! Deliverance of sorrow, for Christ has risen from the grave today, filling us with joy. Easter! Let us embrace each other with joy. With our voices, brothers, and those who hate us, let us forgive all by the resurrection, and let us cry out thus: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs [the stichera of Easter]. “The angel cried out with the Most Grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice, and again the river: rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave, and having raised the dead, O people, rejoice” (canon for the Sunday of Holy Pascha, canto 9). Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women,” said Archangel Gabriel, entering the Virgin Mary in Nazareth (Luke 1:28). And he announced to Her the joyful news for the whole world that She would give birth to the Son of God, coming to earth to save the human race. Bring great joy to the earth. Praise, O heavens, God's glory! The Creator of the world will come from heaven and unite the earth with the sky. Rejoice, humanity! Rejoice above all, Mary, who has become a high ladder along which God descends, and a bridge leading people from earth to heaven. The power of the Most High then overshadowed the Virgin, and the Holy Spirit came upon Her. The Eternal Son of God became the Son of the Pure Virgin. The Word of God, who created the world, became flesh. He who created Adam came to call Adam in the flesh, but when He came to earth, He did not find him. Having tasted death, Adam and Eve descended into the underworld with many of their sons and daughters. And there the Son of the Virgin, who became Man, descends after them, the immortal Son of God. He tastes death on the Cross and descends with his soul into hell, leaving His immaculate, pure body on earth in the tomb as a pledge of His rebellion. The Immaculate Virgin sobbed bitterly and cried, seeing Her Son crucified: “Where is the ancient annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel?” She exclaimed. “He called You God and the Son of the Most High, but now I see You naked and wounded as a dead man.” “Do not cry for Me, Mother,” he hears in response, “desiring to save My creation, I deigned to die, but I will rise again and glorify You, like the God of heaven and earth.” Descending to death, the Immortal Lord mortifies hell with the brilliance of the Divine. All the Heavenly Powers cry out: O life-giving Christ our God, glory to Thee! Paradise is now rejected! Today Adam rejoices and Eve rejoices, the prophets and patriarchs glorify the Divine Power of the Risen Christ. The face of Christ's disciples with the myrrh-bearing women rejoices. Christ is risen, trampling down death and raising up the dead. Where is your sting, death? Where the hell is your victory? People, have fun! Take heart, you who are weakened by bodily strength: Christ grants eternal life. Rejoice, you who weep for your loved ones, like Martha and Mary over Lazarus: Christ is risen, and not one is dead in the tomb. Let no one fear death, for the death of Savior will set us free. Today every creature rejoices and rejoices, for Christ is risen. Resurrection day, and let us be enlightened by triumph, and embrace each other! You, Pure One, rejoice, O Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity! Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs! Easter. Bright Resurrection of Christ, 1953 Western European and East Asian flock If anyone is pious and God-loving, may he enjoy this good thing Now everything is filled with light, the heavens and the earth and the underworld. Resurrection of Christ Angels sing in heaven. People on earth praise those who are pure in heart. Today every creature rejoices and rejoices, for Christ is risen, Today Adam rejoices, and Eve rejoices. The apostles now rejoice, having seen their Teacher risen. The myrrh-bearers rejoice, having found alive the One whom they considered dead. All who love Christ rejoice at His rising from the dead. All who believe in Him rejoice, knowing that He will grant eternal life to all of us by His Resurrection. The righteous who see the glory of Christ rejoice, enjoying the sight of the Divine light. The deceased sinners rejoice in repentance, freed from their bonds by Christ’s descent into hell and brought into the light. Those who have turned to Christ rejoice in the last hour of life, and are led by Christ into the villages of paradise with the prudent thief. Let us also rejoice with them on this day, which the Lord has created, we will rejoice and be glad on it! Today Christ illuminates the whole world with the rays of His Resurrection, shows the glory of His eternal Kingdom, and makes us feel the sweetness of heavenly food. He calls everyone who wants to be with Him, rejects no one, and gives His Divine gift to everyone. Just as He appeared to His apostles after rising from the dead, He now proclaims: “Peace be with you,” sending down the peace of God, calming the rebellion of our souls. Like the myrrh-bearers, he exchanges sorrow for joy. Like Luca and Cleopas, He reveals God’s secrets and allows Himself to be known to those who seek Him with a clear conscience. The veil of the coming age is opening [on] this day. That eternal joy, inexpressible by any word, which the righteous will enjoy in the Kingdom of Christ, that which “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man,” that which God has prepared for those who love Him [1 Cor. 2:9; lane St. John], the soul partially tastes it on the Bright Night and Bright Day of Easter. Let us now turn away from what will sooner or later disappear like smoke, and enjoy what will endure forever! Now leave all worldly sorrows, all earthly sorrows, overcome illnesses! Rich and poor, healthy and sick, wealthy and ignorant, free and in chains, old and young, living in cities and deserted places in all corners of the world, we will all rejoice and be glad together now. Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs. Bright Resurrection, 1955 Your Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, and make us pure on earth [Stichera of Easter Matins] Now everything is filled with light, heaven, earth and the underworld, all creation rejoices and rejoices. The earth rejoices, freed from the curse for Adam's sin. The heavens rejoice, seeing Him who descended from them to earth, now ascending from the underworld and bringing out those who languished there. The Angels sing, glorifying the Conqueror of death, Their Creator, visible today. All creation, all the forces of nature, praise the Lord. Each of them sings and praises the Risen One in its own way. Something unusual is happening all over the world. The sacred and saving night gives way to the luminous Great Day. The rising sun plays with its rays, like John the Baptist leaping in the womb, welcoming the Sun of Truth that has risen from the tomb. Everything is now saturated with the grace of God and anticipates the renewal of the universe. Does our heart feel it? Yes, those who greet Holy Easter with faith and reverence now have their souls filled with inexpressible joy, blessed peace touches their hearts. All sorrows and sorrows run far away, even suffering and adversity become bright. The Divine Meal is mysteriously anticipated in the coming eternal glorious Kingdom of God. I would like those blissful hours not to stop, for the night and day of Holy Easter to continue endlessly. Like the apostles on Tabor, we are then ready to exclaim: Lord, it is good for us to be here (Matthew 17:4). But do we always feel it completely? Doesn’t it happen that when everything is rejoicing, our heart is covered with a cloud, and sometimes filled with sadness? Remembering previous years, we then regret the lost ability to feel Easter joy, while others do not understand why and how people can rejoice now. But no matter how they explain it, no matter what reasons they find, there is only one truth: our heart is unclean. If we have wavered in faith, if doubts have entered our souls, if we have fallen away or departed from the Church, like the high priests of the Jews, we drive away the thought of the Risen Christ, for we are afraid of the Resurrection of Christ. If we have committed a serious sin and our conscience convicts us of disloyalty to Christ and His commandments, a stone lies on our heart, blocking the entrance into it of the light of the Resurrection. If we are immersed in the affairs of life and give our hearts to them, it does not feel complete joy. Especially if we have hostility or, even worse, enmity towards our neighbors, if we condemn them and exalt ourselves above them, we cannot rejoice in meeting the Risen Lord. Then on the Day of Resurrection we either doubt, like the wavering disciples, or we don’t believe, like His enemies, or we subconsciously don’t want to meet Him. But let’s cast aside all doubts and bring repentance! Let us embrace each other, forgive those who hate us, and cry joyfully: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs. Let's clear our senses and see the unapproachable light of resurrection, Christ shining, and rejoice, [Easter Canon, canticle 1] Christ is Risen! Universal joy, universal joy. Joy is proclaimed to all humanity, to all creation. May heaven rejoice and earth rejoice! Today every creature rejoices and rejoices, for Christ is risen. Why is it so joyful that Christ has risen? Why do we feel the Resurrection of Christ not only with our minds, but even more with our hearts? Christ suffered not for Himself, but for us. For our sake He came to earth, sitting on the Divine Heavenly Throne. The true God, the Creator of the whole world, He descended to the human race that had fallen away from Him. The Source of life allowed Himself to be killed in order to give eternal life to mortal people. The Eternal Truth and Righteous Judge of the universe was condemned by an unjust court as a deceiver, although he taught everyone the truth and righteousness. Didn’t it seem to everyone then that evil had won in the world, that the last spark of truth had gone out, that death was triumphing over life? That hopeless darkness has come and there will be no more light? Even the sun darkened while the sinless Savior hung on the cross. And when the dark night came after His burial, it seemed to His faithful that the end of God’s world had come. But Christ rose again, and the universe was illuminated with light. The truth has won, the lie has been defeated. Evil is overthrown, truth triumphs, the bonds of death are broken, the gates of eternal life are opened. Christ has risen, the Source of life, giving life and resurrection to all who come to Him and those who follow Him. Just as Christ died for us, so He rose again not for Himself, but for us, remaining on His Heavenly Throne even during His suffering. He rose to give eternal life to those who believe in Him. And just as darkness disappears with the rising of the sun, as everything is illuminated by its rays, so the Resurrection of Christ disperses all sorrows and fills everything with joy. The Angels are triumphant, singing the Resurrection of the Savior in heaven. The souls of the righteous rejoice, enjoying the beauties of heaven. All the departed also rejoice with them, glorifying the Risen Life-Giver. Let us rejoice with them, and we who live on earth will all rejoice! Let us open our spiritual eyes and see the shining light of the Resurrection of Christ! Let us hear Christ in our hearts, saying “Rejoice.” Let nothing darken our eyes, let nothing block our hearing. Malice and ill will blind the spiritual eyes, pride and stubbornness close the ears. Attachment to worldly affairs and earthly sorrows do not allow us to lift our eyes. Let's drive them out of ourselves. Now there is no place for them. Rejoice now, all you who mourn. Let us purify our feelings and feel worldwide joy. Now is the day of forgiveness, now is the day of joy. Now there are no dead, everyone is alive. Nowadays there is great joy and the heavens, the earth and the underworld are illuminated with light. North and South, East and West, air, land, sea, and everything in them glorify the Risen Christ. And we all, no matter where anyone is, will direct our thoughts and feelings to Him and cry out: Truly Christ is risen! Easter 1964, San Francisco Orthodox veneration of the Mother of God 542 The Orthodox Church, containing the true faith, teaches about the Mother of God what Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture have said about Her, and glorifies Her daily in its churches, asking Her for help and protection. Knowing that She was pleased only with those praises that corresponded to Her actual glory, the holy fathers and hymnals of Herself and Her Son prayed to instruct them in how to sing Her: “Guard my thoughts, O my Christ, for I dare to praise Your pure Mother” (ikos of the Feast of the Dormition). “The Church teaches that Christ was truly born of the Ever-Virgin Mary” (Se. Epiphanius of Cyprus. The True Word about Faith). “We need to confess that the Holy Ever-Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God, so as not to fall into blasphemy. For those who deny that the Holy Virgin really is the Mother of God are no longer the faithful, but disciples of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. To Monk John). From Tradition it is known that Mary was the daughter of the elderly Joachim and Anna, and Joachim came from the royal family of David, and Anna from the priestly family. Despite such noble origins, they were poor. However, this was not what saddened these righteous people, but the fact that they did not have children and could not hope that their descendant would see the Messiah. And so, when one day, despised by the Jews for their infertility, they both, in the sorrow of their souls, offered up prayers to God - Joachim on the mountain, where he had retired after the priest did not want to make his sacrifice in the church, and Anna in her garden, mourning her infertility, then an Angel appeared to them and told them that they would give birth to a daughter. Delighted, they promised to dedicate their child to God. Nine months later, their daughter was born, named Maria, who showed the best spiritual qualities from an early age. When She was three years old, her parents, fulfilling their promise, solemnly took little Mary to the Jerusalem Temple. She herself ascended the high steps and, by the revelation of God, the high priest Zechariah, who met Her, was led into the very Holy of Holies, bringing with them the grace of God that rested on Her in the hitherto graceless church (see kontakion on the Feast of the Entry). It was a newly built church, into which the glory of God did not descend, as in the tabernacle or in the temple of Solomon. She settled in the premises for virgins that existed at the church, but spent so much time in prayer in the Holy of Holies that, one might say, she lived in it (see the stichera of the Introduction on “Lord, I cried,” 2nd, and on “Glory, and now”). Adorned with all virtues, She set an example of an unusually pure life. Submissive and obedient to everyone, She did not offend anyone, did not say a rude word to anyone, was friendly to everyone, did not even allow a bad thought (abbreviated from: St. Ambrose of Milan. About the Ever-Virginity of the Virgin Mary). “Despite the righteousness and integrity of the life that the Mother of God led, sin and eternal death manifested their presence in Her. They could not help but manifest themselves: this is the exact and true teaching of the Orthodox Church about the Mother of God in relation to original sin and death” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. Exposition of the teaching of the Orthodox Church about the Mother of God). “Alien to the fall of sin” (St. Ambrose of Milan. Interpretation of Psalm 118), She was not alien to sinful temptations. “After all, there is only God without sin” (ibid.), and a person will always have in himself what still needs to be corrected and improved in order to fulfill God’s commandment: Be holy, for the Lord your God is holy (Lev. 19:2). The purer and more perfect someone is, the more he notices his imperfections and the more unworthy he considers himself. The Virgin Mary, who gave herself entirely to God, although she repelled from herself every inclination toward sin, felt the weakness of human nature more than others and ardently desired the coming of the Savior. She, in humility, considered herself unworthy to be a servant of the Virgin who had Him to give birth to. So that nothing would distract Her from prayer and attention to Herself, Mary made a vow of celibacy to God, so that throughout Her life she would please only Him. Betrothed to Elder Joseph, when Her years did not allow Her to remain at the church any longer, She settled in his house in Nazareth. Here the Virgin was honored with the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel, who announced to her the birth of the Most High Son from her: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; blessed are You among women... The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; In the same way, the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:28, 35). Mary humbly and obediently accepted the angel's gospel. “Then the Word, as He Himself knows, descended and, as He Himself willed, moved, entered Mary and dwelt in Her” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Praise of the Most Holy Mother of God). “As lightning illuminates the hidden, so Christ purifies the hidden nature. He purified the Virgin and then was born to show that where Christ is, there purity is manifested in all its power. He cleansed the Virgin, having prepared him with the Holy Spirit, and then the womb, having become clean, conceives Him. He purified the Virgin in Her purity, which is why, when she was born, he left her as a Virgin. I’m not saying that Mary became immortal, but that, illuminated by grace, She was not indignant at sinful desires” (St. Ephraim the Syrian, Homily on Heretics, 41). “The Light dwelt in Her, washed Her mind, made Her thoughts pure, chastened Her cares, sanctified Her virginity” (St. Ephraim the Syrian. Mary and Eve). “She who was pure according to human concepts was made pure by grace” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. Exposition of the teaching of the Orthodox Church about the Mother of God). Mary did not tell anyone about the appearance of the Angel, but the Angel himself announced to Joseph about Mary’s miraculous conception from the Holy Spirit (see: Matt. 1:18–25), and after the birth of Christ, with the multitude of the Heavenly Host, he announced it to the shepherds. The shepherds, coming to worship the Newborn, said that they had heard about Him. Having previously silently endured suspicion, Mary now silently listened and “formed in Her heart” words about the greatness of Her Son (Luke 2:8–19). After 40 days, She heard Simeon’s prayer of praise and a prediction about a weapon that would pass through Her soul. Afterwards I saw how Jesus advanced in wisdom, heard Him at the age of 12 teaching in the church and “kept everything in His heart” (see: Luke 2:21–51). Although grace-filled, She did not yet fully understand what the ministry and greatness of Her Son would consist of. Jewish concepts about the Messiah were still close to Her, and natural feelings forced Her to take care of Him, protecting Him from what might seem to be excessive labors and dangers. Therefore, She unwittingly first stood in the way of Her Son, which caused His instruction about the superiority of spiritual kinship over physical kinship (see: Matt. 12:46–49). “He cared about the honor of the Mother, but much more about Her spiritual salvation and the good of people, for which he took on the flesh” (St. John Chrysostom. Commentary on the Gospel of John. Conversation 12). Mary understood this and, “hearing the speech of God, preserved it” (see: Luke 11:27–28). Like no other person, She had the same feelings as Christ (see: Phil. 2:5), resignedly enduring maternal grief when she saw Her Son persecuted and suffering. Rejoicing on the day of the Resurrection, She was clothed with power from on high on the day of Pentecost (Luke 24:49). The Holy Spirit who descended on Her taught Her everything (see: John 14:26) and guided Her into all truth (John 16:13). Enlightened, She began to work even more zealously to do what She had heard from Her Son and Redeemer, in order to ascend to Him and be with Him. The end of the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos was the beginning of Her greatness. “Adorned with Divine glory” (irmos of the 1st song of the canon of the Dormition), She stands and will stand both on the day of the Last Judgment and in the next century at the right hand of the Throne of Her Son, reigning with Him, and has boldness towards Him, as His Mother in the flesh and as one of the same in spirit, as having done the will of God and taught others (see: Matt. 5:19). Loving and merciful, She shows her love for her Son and Her God in her love for the human race, intercedes for them before the Merciful and, going around the earth, helps people. Having experienced all the hardships of earthly life, the Intercessor of the Christian race sees every tear, hears every groan and prayer addressed to Her. Those who work in the fight against passions and are zealous for a godly life are especially close to Her. But even in everyday matters, She is an irreplaceable helper. “To all the sorrowing Joy, and the offended Intercessor, and the hungry Nourisher, the strange Consolation, the overwhelmed Refuge, the sick Visitation, the weak Protection and Intercessor, the Rod of old age, the Mother of the Most High God, You art the Most Pure One” (stichera of Hodegetria). “Hope, and intercession, and refuge of Christians”, in “the never-ceasing prayers of the Mother of God” (kontakion of the Dormition), “who saves through Her unceasing prayer” (Theotokos 3rd tone), “day and night she prays for us, and the sceptres of the kingdom are confirmed by Her prayers” (daily midnight office). There is no mind or words to express the greatness of the One Who was born in the sinful human race, and became the Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious Seraphim. “The inexpressible God and Divine mysteries in vain in the Virgin, the grace manifested and fulfilled clearly, I rejoice and am perplexed by the image of understanding, strange and ineffable, how the chosen Pure One appeared above all creation, visible and intelligible. Even though I may praise this, I am greatly horrified in mind and in word, but boldly I preach and magnify: This is the village of heaven” (icos of the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Church). This tabernacle of God is lofty, for, having given birth to the King Christ, She exalted herself more than the Seraphim. Oh, a height inconvenient for human thoughts to praise! And what is the beauty of that mental chamber of Christ - about this, listen to the sweet-tongued John of Damascus, who speaks about Her as follows: “She was brought to God, the King of all, clothed in the splendor of virtues, as if with a golden robe, adorned with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and Her glory is within Her: for just as for every woman her glory is the husband coming from without, so the glory of the Mother of God is within Her, that is, the fruit of the womb Her." And Damascene also says, turning to Her: “O Virgin of God, the Holy Church of God, which Solomon (the All-Wise Creator of the world) who created the world spiritually created and dwelt in Her! She is not adorned with gold, not with soulless stones, but instead of gold she shines with the Spirit, instead of expensive stones she has the valuable beads of Christ.” “Every tongue is perplexed to praise according to its inheritance, but the mind and the most peaceful praise of Thee, Mother of God, are astounded. Otherwise, O good being, accept faith, for our love is divine: You are the Representative of Christians, we magnify You” (irmos of the 9th song of the canon of Epiphany). Word at the All-Night Vigil for the Resurrection (recorded on September 21, on the day of memory of St. Demetrius of Rostov) In the Gospel we just read, we heard how two disciples of Christ came to the tomb of Christ, but returned from it with different feelings. John saw and believed (John 20:8), but Peter, as it is said in another Gospel, went away, marveling at what had happened (Luke 24:12). Why such a difference in mood? Why does Peter, who always tried to get ahead of others in expressing his devotion to Christ, the first of all the apostles to confess Christ as the Son of the Living God, now does not strive to be the first in preaching the Resurrection, and is even surprised and embarrassed when John already believes? The reason for such a different attitude to what they saw lies in the different feelings that were aroused in them when remembering Christ and their behavior during His suffering. Peter is tormented by the knowledge that he has renounced Christ. The renunciation he made came between him and Christ; sin presses with its weight, darkens the mind and does not allow one to raise spiritual eyes to heights. And Peter remained in doubt and heavy thoughts until Christ Himself consoled him with His appearance and forgiveness. It’s a completely different matter with John. He committed no sin before Christ. A pure young man who loved Christ with a fiery, pure love and, for the purity of his heart, was beloved by Christ more than all the apostles, he remained faithful to Christ in his love. He did not leave Christ when He was captured in Gethsemane, he followed Him into the courtyard of the bishop, he stood at the Cross of the Lord on Golgotha, when everyone had already abandoned Christ except him and the wives who followed Christ from Galilee. John did not leave Christ until His last breath, he did not doubt Christ, his conscience was clear before Christ. His conscience did not reproach him for any other actions or thoughts that would separate him from Christ. The Pure One loved the Pure One, gave Him his heart and remained faithful to Him. That is why John, who even in the days of Christ’s earthly life reclined on His forearms at suppers, is adopted by His Most Pure Mother, the Virgin Mary, at the Cross, and after the Resurrection he immediately perceives in his heart the mystery of the Resurrection. Not with embarrassment, but with joy, he awaits a meeting with the Risen One and is honored with it. Having received, together with the others, knowledge of the mysteries of God through Christ’s conversations with the apostles before His Ascension into heaven and having been established in them through the sending of the Holy Spirit, John continues to receive the revelations of God afterwards. And the other apostles received the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and mysteries were revealed to them, but the highest mysteries were revealed to John. All the apostles preached to the nations about the incarnation of the Son of God, all the evangelists described for all times the days of His earthly stay among people, the manifestation of His Divine power, His suffering and victory over death. But only John alone directly reveals the Divine genealogy of Christ. Other evangelists begin their Gospels with a narrative of events that happened on earth, but John takes us straight to heaven. Other apostles, who already came to Christ in adulthood or who followed Him less decisively in the days of their youth, more strongly experienced the burden of spiritual flesh and through many deeds achieved exaltation to the third heaven. John, who from early childhood was devoted to purity of heart, gave his heart to Christ, as soon as he saw Him, although he also was not free from the attacks of sin and temptations, he easily repelled and defeated them. Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). John, pure in heart, while still on earth in flesh, ascended in his spirit to the very Throne of God and, in vain, sitting on it with the Father of his beloved Lord Jesus, loudly proclaimed to all under heaven: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word (John 1:1). With his Gospel he lays the foundation for the dogmatic teaching of the Church, and also reveals the main principle of Christian life - the commandment of love. Being filled with love for the Word who created everything, he is filled with love for His creation, and thereby cognizes the Divine Nature and Divine Providence, as far as is possible for man. So John is “full of love, full of speed and theology,” and having proclaimed to the universe the highest teaching about God the Word, he became “the founder of our pure faith” [stichera on “Glory”], or the founder of Orthodox Christian theology. John is called the Theologian, as he primarily reveals and proclaims the teaching about God the Word, and at the same time all the high Christian teaching about God. Besides John, the Church adopted the title of Theologian only to the great Father of the Church, Saint Gregory the Theologian, and also knows the Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. How is Saint Gregory the Theologian different? Again with the same qualities as John the Theologian - purity of heart, desire for God from early childhood and complete surrender of oneself to Him. Other great saints were like him, revealing to us the true Orthodox teaching. Saints Athanasius the Great and Basil the Great also strove towards God from childhood and, keeping themselves pure, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, set out the dogmas of Christ’s Church in their creations. But the depth and height of Christian doctrine are revealed with particular clarity in the works of the compiler of the famous conversations about God the Word, Saint Gregory the Theologian. Even in infancy, having committed himself to mental and physical purity, vigilantly monitoring all the movements of his heart, strictly treating the manifestations of the weaknesses of human nature in him, he suffered from the shortcomings noticed in himself and diligently studied ways to improve the human spirit in order to make himself an abode of the Holy Spirit. “As I have sought the depth of the Spirit, and the kindness of the broadcast has been added” to him [troparion of St. Gregory the Theologian]. With his divinely inspired verbs, Saint Gregory raises human minds to the highest truths, having received from the Church the titles of Theologian and “Theology of the extreme mind” [kontakion to the saint], himself now contemplating the Holy Trinity, Which he loved from his youth. The Monk Simeon was later called the New Theologian, also distinguished by his special purity of heart, which led him to the knowledge of the mysterious spiritual life of man and the actions of God’s grace on him, which he talks about in his edifying works. The Holy Fathers “in words of reason” explained the teaching that was spread by the power of the Spirit by fishermen, called from catching fish to catching people—Christ’s apostles. The works of the holy fathers brought them closer to the understanding of Divine truths and instructed the children of the Church in the fulfillment of Christ’s commandments and raised numerous faces of the holy saints of God. Over the course of centuries, however, the sacred works written by divinely enlightened men began to be gradually forgotten, and in recent times they were known to very few. Even those engaged in theological sciences drew wisdom not so much from those pure sources as from the wells dug only by the human mind. But in our days the lamp of the Church has shone, once again opening wide the gates of true theology. Striving towards God from infancy, from the age of seven he resolutely devoted himself to serving the Church of Christ, the youth Alexei kept his heart pure and tried not only to study, but also to fulfill the teachings of Christ in everything. Hungering and thirsting for the truth of God, he wanted to see the same purity of heart among those around him. While still a young man, he directed his peers on the path of good. When he, having finally renounced the world, became the monk Anthony, he completely banished from his heart all attachment to everything earthly. His mind was always directed toward the eternal, and he purified his heart with constant contrition and deep humility. He wanted salvation above all else, and only that was valuable to him that led to it. He was not the only one who wanted salvation for himself. He was sick at heart, seeing the vices of others, and passionately sought to correct every sinner. Himself pure in heart, he was not afraid to become polluted by communication with sinners. He seemed to enter their souls, enlightening and purifying them, remaining pure, like a bright ray illuminating dark and polluted places. Everyone was dear to him: old and young, righteous and sinner. Everyone was embraced by his all-loving heart. He was zealous for the conversion of those who did not know Him to Christ, for the correction of those who were in error; he was kindled in spirit, raising up those who were falling. While tending his flock, he did not forget about other sheep. Placed on the priesthood of the bishop, he revealed himself as an ecumenical saint, who not only carried on his shoulders the infirmities of his flock, but also cared for the entire universe. Like Paul, he had “the care of all the Churches” and, like this apostle who labored above all, could say: Who faints, and does not faint? Who is tempted, and I am not relieved? (2 Cor. 11:29) While dealing with all issues of human life, he, being a spiritual man, reasoned about everything spiritually. He assessed everything from the point of view of the highest truth and, being filled with concerns about the whole world, he himself was in spirit outside this world. He counted everything on the vanity of existence for the sake of the surpassing understanding of Christ Jesus the Lord; He counted everything as rubbish, so that he might gain Christ and know Him and the power of His Resurrection, while at the same time partaking of His passion and being conformed to His death (see Phil. 3:7–8, 10). Humbly considering himself to be nothing, he never considered himself to have attained and, forgetting what is behind, he stretched out to what is before, zealously flowing towards the honor of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14). He was obsessed with the desire to be resolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23), considering it much better for yourself. However, feeling that his presence in the flesh was more necessary for his flock, he patiently waited for the end of his course, although, while still living on earth, he could say: “It is not who I live, but Christ lives in me.” And as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20). His spiritual gaze was directed to the Throne of the Holy Trinity, for which he prepared himself for the monastery, to which he gave all his heart, all his soul, all his mind and all his strength. Pure in heart, Saint Anthony purely contemplated the Holy Trinity and, full of love, “full of speed and theology.” Being not only the vicar of the throne, a rightful communicant of the holy apostles, the sole right of the great holy fathers of the Church, he became spiritually related to them and was the continuer of their preaching. His mind, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, understood the deep meaning of their writings and the height of their teaching, and his spiritual experience revealed to him the path to active knowledge of God. Metropolitan Anthony appeared as a new great Theologian. He proclaims about the Holy Trinity, explaining not only how to believe in It, but also why it is necessary for our salvation. He explains why the Second Person of the Holy Trinity is called God the Word, and after the incarnation - the Son of Man. He points out the path to communion with His suffering and Resurrection, explains the gracious action of the Holy Spirit in the world. The Holy Scripture and its interpretation by the holy fathers are revealed with renewed vigor in terms that we understand by His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony of Kyiv. The peculiarity of his works is that he always points out the connection between dogma and life and derives moral teachings from doctrine. He himself, who sought not to study the truths of faith with a cold mind, but through spiritual rebirth to know them and to partake of the Divine nature, he calls on everyone who wants to know the mysteries of God to do the same. Particularly loving and interpreting the inspired works of Christ’s beloved disciple John the Theologian, he, like him, received the gift of theology for his purity of heart and boundless love for God and His creation. With his life and his creations, he points the way to God's glory, illuminated by which, he now falls before the Holy Trinity, praying to disperse the darkness that now hangs over the nations, and to grant peace and great mercy to his flock. The main ideas of the dogmatic views of Metropolitan Anthony Speech delivered on March 17, 1938 in Belgrade at a meeting dedicated to 75th anniversary of the birth of His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) Our Lord Jesus Christ, having become incarnate for our salvation, revealed to people everything that they can know about God and His economy and that is necessary for their salvation. The Lord revealed to us His perfect teaching, spread throughout the world by His apostles and preserved by the Church founded by the Lord. The teaching of Christ is perfect and unchangeable. But since it is the depth of the wisdom of God, then, delving into it, you can always draw from it something new, little noticed before. There are two paths followed by interpreters of church teaching. Some relied on their reason and, with the help of it, wanted to explain Divine Revelation. But that path is dangerous and unreliable; many who followed it were shipwrecked in their faith. There is another way - to try to fulfill Christ’s commandments, to implement the teachings of Christ in your life, subordinating your mind, your feelings and will to it. That is the patristic way. As spiritual and moral improvement progresses, spiritual eyes open and Divine secrets are revealed to them. The holy apostles commanded to follow that path in the search for truth; the holy fathers followed them, imprinting the apostolic teaching with dogmas. His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony also walked that way. From early childhood, the youth Alexei, later Metropolitan Anthony, tried not only to learn, but also to fulfill the teachings of Christ, while at the same time directing his mind into the depths of revealed dogmas. His thoughts were especially occupied with explaining the direct connection of our faith with the moral rebirth of man, and [he believed that] not only faith as the basis of spiritual life is saving for a Christian, but also its individual dogmas are necessary for our salvation. And first of all, he tried to delve into the highest and fundamental dogma of Christianity, the teaching [that] God is One, but trinity in Persons. “How can it be that One is the Trinity, or, in other words, that the Three are One?” asks Metropolitan Anthony. “And why do we need to know and confess this for our salvation? Why is it so important that, defending this teaching, many holy fathers were ready to endure persecution, suffering and even death for its sake, but did not betray it? Why did they try so zealously to establish it in the minds and hearts of Christians?” In his writings, Metropolitan Anthony explains our doctrine as follows. The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, have the same Divine nature. But one community of nature does not yet create complete unity. The human race also has one nature, all people have the same human nature. However, it cannot be said about people that they are “one essence”, just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are “one essence”. People are not “one” because sin has divided them. Egoism manifests itself in every person - selfishness, one's own desires, aspirations and demands that force him to recognize himself as a separate person, to oppose himself to others, and sometimes to be very hostile towards them. The more those sinful properties manifest themselves in human society, the further it moves away from the unity for which the human race was created by God. And the fewer of them, the more love reigns between members of society, the more complete agreement there is in it, so that then it seems that they have one soul and one heart, like the first Christians. If, however, harmony and love create unity among people, although imperfect, just as their agreement and mutual love are imperfect, which are often violated by them, then what complete unity does God have, whose three Persons are united by complete agreement in everything! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have the same will, the same desires, the same desires. What the Father wants, the Son wants, and the Holy Spirit wants. The Son acts according to the will of the Father, and His actions are sealed by the Holy Spirit. And everything that the Holy Spirit desires is in accordance with the will of the Father and the Son. Everything is common to Them, knowledge, will, and action, everything is common and one, except for personal properties. Therefore, the three Persons of the Holy Trinity are not three beings, but One Being, not three gods, but One God, glorified in the Trinity. The complete mutual love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit unites Them into one. Love is the inner life of the Holy Trinity, God lives by love, God is love. God is love, He is the source of love; He who abides in love abides in God, but he who does not have love is far from God. Thus, the highest dogma of the Trinity of the Divine is the basis of the Christian teaching about love. The love of God constitutes not only the internal life of the Holy Trinity, it also manifested itself externally. It was the love of God that was the reason for the creation of the world - God wanted to create the world in order to introduce it to eternal joy. Not wanting to enjoy bliss alone, God created man in His image and likeness, so that in communion with God he would have a share in the bliss and glory of God. Man, created by God, did not fulfill his task. He violated God's commandment, fell away from God, and thereby deprived himself and the entire created world of bliss and glory. However, God did not hate His creation. And how could God hate when God is love? God continued to love the world, a world that had rebelled against the Creator and was tormented by alienation from Him. God continued to love the world, created for bliss, but now suffering. Love for the suffering person manifests itself in compassion. The more we love someone, the more we suffer when we see him suffer. God could not suffer His Divinity. But the love of God prompted the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, by the will of the Father and the participation of the Holy Spirit, to descend to earth, become incarnate and become human. The Son of God, having become the God-man, with human nature accepted everything human, except sin. He accepted all our ulcers, all the consequences of sin, although He Himself did not create sin. Having compassion for us, He “took upon Himself our weaknesses and illnesses” (see: Matthew 8:17). Starting from his birth in a wretched Bethlehem cave until His death on the cross on Golgotha, His life was filled with humiliation and suffering, which He endured, thus joining the suffering of the human race. He endured persecution, ridicule, slander and mockery, which manifested itself with particular force before the end of His earthly life. And before His death, the Lord allows Himself to experience the most terrible consequence of the Fall - the severity of sin, combined with alienation from God. Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus Christ with His spiritual gaze embraces the entire life of the human race and sees all its sins. Then the Lord saw the fall of Adam, the crime of Cain, the sins in the days of Noah, all the sins of all times, including those that will be committed when the last terrible trumpets sound. The Lord saw the sins of each of us. Then the Lord saw all our sins and grieved for them, as we do not grieve, felt their weight on Himself, as we do not feel them in our insensibility. At that time not a single sin was hidden from the all-seeing eye of the Lord; the Lord was tormented and tormented by all of them, having compassion on us who are perishing from sin. The Lord seemed to take our sins into Himself, as if it were not we, but He who had committed them. Sorrow over the sinfulness and bitterness of the human race, now raising its hand against its Savior, shook His soul. The Lord, strengthened from above, then ascended to the cross to drink the cup of humanity to the end. The consequence of sin was death, mental and physical. Spiritual death is the alienation of the human soul from God. Having taken our sins into Himself, the Lord allows Himself to feel spiritual death, feels the depth of the fall of man who rejected God. In incredible suffering He exclaims: My God, My God, have you forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46) - and then tastes bodily death, giving up His spirit, descending into hell. But death cannot have power over the sinless Christ. Having accepted sin only through compassion for those who have sinned, the Lord destroys it by His descent into hell, frees its prisoners, elevating them to the Kingdom of God, and defeats death by resurrection. By His victory over sin and death, the Lord opened the way to the Kingdom of Heaven to all those who unite with Him in soul, who feel the suffering of Christ in their hearts. Whoever feels the power of Christ’s love, whose soul is touched by the torment of Christ, which He endured in his compassion for us, will no longer be able to remain the same - his heart will be melted by the love of Christ. The torment of Christ will shake his entire soul, regenerate him and give him strength for liberation from sin and moral rebirth. To become new, we must share in the sufferings of Christ. Christ was tormented and tormented by our sins - let each of us be tormented and tormented even by our own sins. Remember that each of our sins increased the suffering of the God-man, suffer and try to rejoice our Savior through repentance, for we cannot thank Him with anything else for suffering for our sake. We draw strength to fight sin from the same immeasurable love of Christ. The love of Christ, which revives humanity, remains inexhaustible in the Church. Heading the Church He created, Christ through it pours the grace-filled power of His compassionate love into those who unite with Him with their soul. The distributors of the grace-filled gifts of Christ are the archpastors and shepherds of the Church, living bearers of the image of the Great Shepherd Jesus Christ. Since, burdened with sins, with a darkened conscience, we cannot always directly feel the all-forgiving and compassionate love of Christ, the Lord established a hierarchy in His Church and appoints archpastors and shepherds, so that they, bearing within themselves the gifts of the gracious love of Christ, would have compassion for the ignorant and erring as people subservient to us and attract sinners to repentance. The shepherds of Christ's flock must suffer from the illnesses of their flock, as if containing them in their soul and heart, and long for their healing. Such a good shepherd, a bearer of the love of Christ that regenerates man, was Metropolitan Anthony himself, who confirmed his teaching with his life. Truly, he embraced everyone with his love, warmed the good in purity, grieved with all his soul for those who sinned, cleansing and raising from sin even those who had fallen deeply. He had no rejects - he loved everyone. His love reborn many, for whom he became the author of their salvation. Whatever theoretical objections may be expressed against the theology and system of teaching of Metropolitan Anthony, one cannot go against the fact that he preached his teaching and imprinted it with his very life. The words of St. truly apply to him. Gregory the Theologian, spoken by him over the tomb of St. Basil the Great: “You have shown us a teaching worthy of life, and a life worthy of your teaching.” Metropolitan Anthony did not create a new teaching; he only revealed those aspects of the treasury of the faith of Christ, which until now had been little illuminated by theological science. In order to understand the true views of Metropolitan Anthony, one must always and be sure to remember that he only complemented what was said before him, paying attention to what had so far eluded the attention of theological scholars. So, for example, when explaining the dogma of atonement, he especially dwells on the Gethsemane prayer and interprets it in detail, not because he contrasts it with the suffering on Calvary, but because in this “supernatural” prayer, as it is called in the liturgical books, he sees precisely the explanation of the suffering of Calvary and the cry on the Cross: My God, My God, what have you forsaken me? But, giving his interpretations, he subjugated his mind to the voice of the Church, refusing in advance what the Church would not approve of. For Metropolitan Anthony, it was important not to carry out his views, but to give triumph to the truth. He humbly worked to reveal church teaching, first of all trying to be its executor and not attributing anything great to himself. The Lord gave him for the knowledge of the mysteries of God, which he revealed in his creations. They are not yet clear and accessible to everyone, but great thoughts are gradually assimilated. The time will come when the Church will rank Metropolitan Anthony among the great fathers and teachers of the Church, the bearers of the spirit that he was and with whom he now stands before the Throne of God, overseeing his flock and praying for the entire universe. Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have one nature, one nature, one essence. Therefore, the three Persons are the Trinity Consubstantial. People also have one nature, one nature. But while God is the Indivisible Trinity, divisions constantly occur in people... The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have one thought, one will, and one action. What the Father wills, the Son wills, and the Holy Spirit wills. What the Son loves, both the Father and the Holy Spirit love. What is pleasing to the Holy Spirit is pleasing to both the Father and the Son. Their actions are also united, they do everything together and in agreement. Not so with people. They have constant differences of opinion and different desires. Already a small child manifests his own desires, willfulness, and disobedience to his loving parents. The more he grows, the more he separates from them and, often in our time, becomes completely alien to them. In general, there are almost no identical opinions between people; on the contrary, there are constant divisions in everything, enmity, quarrels between individuals, wars between peoples. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve agreed and were unanimous in everything. Having sinned, we immediately felt alienated. Justifying himself before God, Adam blamed Eve. Sin divided them and continued to divide and divide the human race. Freeing ourselves from sin, we draw closer to God and, filled with goodness from Him, we feel our unity with other people. That unity is far from perfect and complete, since some amount of sin remains in everyone. The closer we are to God, the closer we are to each other, just as the rays are closer to each other the closer they are to the sun. In the coming Kingdom of God there will be unity, mutual love and harmony. The Holy Trinity is always unchanging, All-perfect, Consubstantial and Indivisible. The One and Indivisible Trinity always remains the Trinity. The Father always remains the Father, the Son the Son, the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit. Apart from personal properties, everything with Them is common and united. Therefore, the Holy Trinity is One God. “Holy, Holy, Holy,” we cry to God. The threefold repetition of “Holy” indicates the Trinity, that God is the Holy Trinity. But you cannot say “Holy,” since there are not three, but One God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word At the liturgy on the day of Bright Resurrection, the beginning of the Gospel of John about the Divine Word is read. When everything is filled with the light of the Resurrection of Christ and the heavens are united with the earth in the glorification of the Conqueror of death, the Gospel proclaims who He is: “In the beginning (according to the ancient translation - from the beginning) was the Word.” The Word was spoken about in the Old Testament: By the Word of the Lord the Heavens were established, and by the spirit of His mouth all their power (Ps. 32:6); sent His Word, and I healed (Ps. 107:20). The powerful action of the Word of God is spoken of especially vividly and expressively in the book of the Wisdom of Solomon. However, by the Word of God, Old Testament people meant only the manifestation of the will and actions of God. Now John preaches that the Word of God is the Only Begotten Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Why is the Son of God also called the Word? Because through Him the Father expresses His will. The Word of God is not the same as the word of man. A person expresses his thoughts and desires in words. But the word spoken by a person becomes silent and disappears. The desire he expresses is sometimes fulfilled, but often remains unfulfilled. The Word of God is eternal and omnipotent. It is always with God. A man's word is his ministering power. The Word of God is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. It is God Himself. God the Word is the Son of God, and loves the Father, and does everything voluntarily according to His will. More precisely, They have one will. God the Father loves His Son and does everything through Him. Nothing was created by the Father apart from the Son. Everything began to be through Him, and without Him nothing began to exist that exists: everything came into existence by Him, and without Him nothing came into being (John 1:3). “To him all things were” (as the 2nd member of the Creed says about this). When the book of Genesis says that at the creation of the world God said: let there be light, and said: let there be firmament (Genesis 1:3, 6), this means that God the Father wanted to create light, firmament, etc., and that the Word, His Son, brought this to fruition. The Word of God gives life. It is the source of life: In Him was life, and life was the light of man (John 1:4). The Word of God is Light, through Him God the Father reveals Himself and proclaims His Divine will: it is the true Light that enlightens every person who comes into the world (John 1:9). No darkness can hide that Light: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it (John 1:5). The darkness of sin took possession of humanity after the Fall, but could not hide the Divine Light. According to the will of the Father, the Son of God sanctified the world by descending to earth and becoming incarnate. The Word became flesh and dwelt in us (John 1:14). John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for Him in the hearts of men. He preached about Christ and called to believe in Him, for He is the Son of God. Long before that, the law had been given through Moses. But the law, limiting evil, could not save people. While outwardly fulfilling the law, people remained full of evil within themselves. Therefore, the world did not recognize His Creator, the Son of God, who came to earth: In the world was, and the world was, and the world did not know Him; He came to his own, and his own did not receive Him (John 1:10–11). The guardians of the law did not accept the incarnate Word, for His Light was intolerable to them. But the Source of Life, betrayed by them to death, descended into hell, destroyed it, dispersed the darkness with His Divine Light. Having risen from the dead, Christ opened the gates of the Kingdom of His glory to all who believe in Him. Those who believe in the incarnate Son of God and accept Him into their soul and heart become children of God. The grace of God spiritually revives them, indwelling them and giving them strength to love the Truth and do the will of the Lord. The little ones received Him, and gave them the realm to become children of God, who believe in His name (John 1:12). Those reborn by grace, if they remain in it until the end of their earthly life and follow the path indicated by Christ, the True Light, will be worthy to receive a new gift from Him: they will forever enjoy in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father the vision of the glory of His Only Begotten Son, a glory that surpasses everything in the world, experiencing inexpressible joy and bliss. The same eternal Word of God, by whom the world was created, saved and revived the human race to a new joyful life by His incarnation and Resurrection. The Bright Resurrection is the triumph of God the Word, the day of His victory over hell and death, the beginning of a new life and eternal joy bestowed by Him. “Let us sing faithfully and worship the co-original Word of the Father and Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation, for He deigned the flesh to ascend to the cross, and to endure death, and to resurrect the dead by His glorious resurrection” [Sunday troparion of the 5th tone]. “The only begotten Son and the Word of God, He is immortal... trampling down death by death, the only One of the Holy Trinity, glorified to the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us” [hymn to the Lord Jesus Christ, Divine Liturgy]. Our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). When an object touches fire, it changes: it either burns or becomes hardened. So a person, touching God, either perishes or is saved. Fire is always fire! But when you touch it, you get both ash and steel, depending on what you touch. This happens with a person, and everything depends on what he brings to the Divine fire - in what state he touches God. If you behave like iron, then iron strength will become steel. If it blooms until the straw is weak, it will burn. Every person, sooner or later, will inevitably touch God, and woe to him if he does not prepare for that meeting. [Leo] Tolstoy carelessly, self-confidently, and not in the fear of God, approached God, received communion unworthily and became an apostate. The hour will come when there will be a touch with God's power, whether we want it or not. The shovel is in the hand of the Lord. Grain and straw are thrown with a shovel, and the latter is carried away by the wind, and the grain falls at the feet of the Owner, and it is collected in granaries, the straw is left or burned (see: Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17). A meeting with the Lord is inevitable, and we must prepare for it. Our sins are straw that burns at this meeting. You yourself must pronounce judgment on yourself in advance and, in preparation for that meeting, separate yourself from the straw, burn away the straw of sins through repentance. Either they are burned alone, or the person himself, who has given himself over to sin, is burned along with them. You need to know about the Last Judgment and treat that day and event as it should. You need to cleanse your soul, you need to pray. This event must be approached clearly and consciously, and not like an animal that hides its head so as not to see the danger. He (Christ) is the head of the body of the Church... even His Body is the fulfillment Fulfilling all things in everyone. Repeatedly in Holy Scripture the Church is called the Body of Christ. I rejoice in my sufferings for you... for His Body, which is the Church (Col. 1:24), the Apostle Paul writes about himself. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, he says, were given by Christ for the work of service, for the building up of the Body of Christ (see: Eph. 4:11–12). At the same time, bread and wine are offered into the Body and Blood of Christ during the Divine Liturgy, and the faithful partake of them. This is what Christ Himself established when He gave communion to His apostles at the Last Supper with the words: Take, eat: this is My Body... drink of it, all of you: this is My Blood, the New Testament (Matthew 26:26–28). How is it that both the Church and the Holy Mysteries are the Body of Christ at the same time? Are the faithful themselves members of the Body of Christ - the Church and partake of the Body of Christ in the Holy Mysteries? In both circumstances, the name “Body of Christ” is used not in a figurative, but in the very real meaning of this word. We believe that the Holy Mysteries, while retaining the appearance of bread and wine, are the true Body and true Blood of Christ. We also believe and confess that Christ, the Son of the Living God, having come into the world to save sinners, became a true man and His flesh, received from the Virgin Mary, was real human flesh; that in body and soul Christ was a true man, in everything like the rest, except for sin, while remaining at the same time true God. The divine nature did not diminish or change in the Son of God during His incarnation, just as human nature did not change, but completely retained all its human properties. Immutably and unmerged, forever, “inseparably and inseparably” Divinity and humanity were united in the One Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God became man in order to make people partakers of the Divine nature (see: 2 Pet. 1:4), in order to free man from sin and death and make him immortal. By uniting with Christ, we will receive Divine grace, which gives human nature the strength to overcome sin and death. The Lord Jesus Christ showed people the way to victory over sin through His teaching and grants them eternal life, making them participants in His eternal Kingdom through His Resurrection. In order to receive that Divine grace from Him, the closest communication with Him is necessary. Drawing everyone to Himself with Divine love and uniting them with Himself, the Lord united those who loved Him and those who came to Him with each other, uniting them into One Church. The Church is unity in Christ, the closest unity with Christ of all those who rightly believe in Him and love Him, and the unity of them all through Christ. The Church consists of an earthly part and a heavenly part. The Son of God came to earth and became man in order to raise man to heaven, make him again a resident of paradise, returning him to his original state of sinlessness and integrity, and unite him with Himself. This is accomplished by the action of God’s grace, given through the Church, but it also requires the effort of the person himself. God saves His fallen creation with His love for Him, but man’s love for His Creator is also necessary, without which it is impossible for him to be saved. By rushing towards God and clinging to the Lord with its humble love, the human soul receives strength that cleanses it from sins and strengthens it to fight sin until complete victory. The body also participates in that struggle, now being the receptacle and instrument of sin, but destined to be an instrument of righteousness and a vessel of holiness. God created man by breathing a god-like spirit into the animated body He first created from the earth. The body was supposed to be an instrument of a spirit submissive to God. Through it the human spirit manifests itself in the material world. The spirit, through the body and its individual members, reveals its properties and qualities, which God gave it as His image, which is why the body, as a manifestation of the image of God, appears and is called “our beauty created in the image of God” (stichera at the funeral). When the primordial people fell away from their Creator in spirit, the body, until then submissive to the spirit, perceiving its commands through the soul, ceased to obey it and began to strive to dominate it. Instead of the Law of God, the law of the flesh began to dominate in man. Sin, having cut man off from the Source of life - God, also cut man himself. The unity of his spirit, soul and body was broken, death entered him. The soul, without drinking the currents of life, could not transmit them to the body. The body became corruptible, languor became the lot of the spirit. Christ came to earth to restore the fallen image and return it to unity with Him Whose image it is. By uniting with Himself, God restores man to his original goodness in all its fullness. By giving grace and sanctification to the spirit, Christ also cleanses, strengthens, heals and sanctifies soul and body. Cling to the Lord; there is one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). The body of a person united with the Lord must be an instrument of the Lord, serve to fulfill His will and become part of the Body of Christ. For the complete sanctification of a person, the body of the servant of the Lord must be united with the Body of Christ, and this is accomplished in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The true Body and true Blood of Christ that we have received become part of the great Body of Christ Of course, for unity with Christ, it is not enough just to unite our body with the Body of Christ. Eating the Body of Christ is beneficial when we rush to Him in spirit and unite with Him. Accepting the Body of Christ while turning away from Him in spirit is similar to the touching of Christ by those who beat Him, strangled Him, and crucified Him. Their touch to Him served them not for salvation and healing, but for condemnation. Those who receive communion with reverence, love and readiness to offer themselves to serve Him are closely united with Him and become an instrument of His Divine will. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him, said the Lord (John 6:56). Uniting with the Risen Lord and through Him with the entire Ever-Everlasting Trinity, man draws from Her strength for eternal life and himself becomes immortal. Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live for the Father’s sake, and he who eats Me will also live for My sake (John 6:57). All who believe in Christ and who are united with Him by surrendering themselves to Him and accepting the grace of God collectively constitute the Church of Christ, the Head of which is Christ Himself, and those who enter into it are its members. Christ, invisible to the bodily eye, manifests Himself on earth clearly through His Church, just as the invisible human spirit manifests itself through its body. The Church is the Body of Christ both because its parts are united with Christ through His Divine Mysteries, and because through it Christ acts in the world. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ (in the Holy Mysteries) in order to ourselves be members of the Body of Christ (Church). It doesn’t happen right away. Full stay in the Church is already a state of victory over sin and complete cleansing from it. Everything sinful to some extent removes us from the Church and from the Church; That is why the prayer reads over every repentant during confession: “Reconcile, unite the Saints of Your Church.” A Christian through repentance is cleansed, united closely with Christ in the communion of the Holy Mysteries, but then again the dust of sin settles on him and alienates him from Christ and the Church, which is why repentance and communion are again needed. Until a person’s earthly life ends, until the very departure of the soul from the body, the struggle between sin continues in him and truth. No matter how high a spiritual and moral state someone has achieved, it is possible for him to gradually or rapidly fall deeply into the abyss of sin. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to receive communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, strengthening our communion with Him and irrigating with life-giving streams of the grace of the Holy Spirit flowing throughout the Body of the Church. How important communion of the Holy Mysteries is is shown by the life of St. Onuphrius the Great, to whom, like other hermits who stayed in that desert, Angels brought Holy Communion; Venerable Mary of Egypt, whose ultimate desire, after many years of desert life, was to receive the Holy Mysteries; St. Savvaty of Solovetsky and many others. It was not in vain that the Lord said: Amen, amen, I say to you: unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life within you (John 6:53). Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is the acceptance of the Risen Christ, the Conqueror of death, who gives those who are with Him victory over sin and death. By retaining within ourselves the grace-filled gift of Communion, we have the guarantee and the beginning of the eternal blissful life of soul and body. Until the very Day of Christ, His Second Coming and Judgment over the whole world, the struggle between sin and truth will continue both in each individual person and in all of humanity. The earthly Church unites all those reborn through baptism, who have taken up the cross of the struggle against sin and followed the hero of that struggle - Christ. The Divine Eucharist, the offering of a bloodless sacrifice and its communion, sanctifies and strengthens its participants, making those who partake of the Body and Blood of Christ true members of His Body - the Church. But only with death does a person determine whether he remained a valid member of the Body of Christ until his last breath, or whether sin triumphed in him and expelled the grace that he received in the Holy Mysteries and connecting him with Christ. He who has fallen into grace as a member of the earthly Church passes from the earthly Church into the heavenly Church, but he who has fallen away from the earthly Church will not enter the heavenly one, for the earthly part of the Church is the path to the heavenly one. The more a person is under the influence of the grace of communion and is more closely united with Christ, the more he will enjoy communion with Christ in His coming Kingdom. Since sin in a person’s soul continues to act until death, his body is also subject to its consequences, carrying within itself the seeds of illness and death, from which it will be freed only when it disintegrates after the death of a person and rises free from them in the general resurrection. He who is united in spirit and body with Christ in this life will be with Him in spirit and body in the life to come. The grace-filled streams of the Life-giving Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ are the source of our eternal joy in communion with the Risen Christ and beholding His glory. The same consequences of sin, which has not yet been completely expelled from the human race, act not only in individual people, but through them they also manifest themselves in the earthly activity of entire parts of the Church. Heresies, schisms, and disturbances constantly appear, alienating some of the faithful. Misunderstandings between Local Churches or parts of them have troubled the Church since ancient times, and prayers for an end to it are constantly heard in divine services. “We ask for unanimity among the Churches,” “Give... unity to the Churches” (Sunday Trinity Canon, tone 8), “Order discord for the Church,” “Order discord for the Church” (service to Archangel Michael on November 8, March 26, July 13) and similar prayers have been offered by the Orthodox Church for centuries. Even on Holy Saturday, before the shroud, the Church cries out: “Giver of Life, Immaculate and Pure Virgin, quench the temptations of the Church, and grant peace, as you are Good” (end of Article 2). Only when Christ appears on the clouds will the tempter be trampled underfoot and all temptations and temptations will disappear. Then the struggle between good and evil, between life and death will end, and the earthly Church will merge into the triumphant Church, in which God will be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). In the coming Kingdom of Christ there will no longer be a need for communion with the Body and Blood of Christ, for all those who have been worthy will be in close communion with Him and will enjoy the eternal light of the Life-Giving Trinity, experiencing bliss inexpressible in language and incomprehensible to our weak minds. Therefore, after communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during the liturgy in the altar, the prayer sung on Easter days is always offered: “O great and most sacred Easter, Christ! About Wisdom, and the Word of God, and Power! Grant us more time to partake of You, in the unfading days of Your Kingdom” [Easter Canon, hymn 9]. Word for the day of the Apostle Matthias During the earthly life of Christ, the Holy Apostle Matthias was among not twelve, but seventy apostles. This was already after the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. During a prayer meeting, which was attended by about one hundred and twenty people, the holy Apostle Peter drew the attention of those gathered to the fact that Judas Iscariot, who had become a traitor, had fallen from the face of the apostles, and recalled the words of the 108th psalm, where the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of the psalmist David, speaks of the wicked: let another receive his bishopric, that is, let another receive his office (see: Acts 1:15-20 ). In fulfillment of the words of the psalm, the Apostle Peter proposed to choose two, whom they would present before the face of the Lord, and whom the Lord would point to, to be included in the number of twelve. Matthias and Joseph, otherwise called Barsaba, were chosen, and when the Lord pointed to Matthias through the lot, he was included among the twelve. Thus, the face of the twelve apostles of Christ was replenished, and Matthias, after the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, received grace and power equal to the rest of the apostles, just like them, he preached, healed the sick, performed miracles and suffered for Christ. This event is deeply edifying for us. It teaches us that the Church of Christ will never become impoverished and will not be left without the servants it needs. I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18), said Christ. The Church is a spiritual union of all those who contain the true faith, headed by Christ Himself and with the goal of the spiritual perfection of its members. The earthly half of the Church, preparing its children for their transition to the heavenly one, needs shepherds and other ministers to fulfill their goal. She is invincible at the gates of hell, her grace is inexhaustible, and she will never be deprived of what she needs. It is the great mercy of God to be called among them, but not all who are awarded it are worthy of it, and many who are called do not turn out to be chosen. Judas was not the only one who fell from the apostolic ranks. Of the first seven deacons appointed by the apostles, one - Nicholas of Antioch - fell away from the Church and became a priest of the sect he founded. Of the seventy apostles, four fell away from Christianity, but the Church did not suffer derogation from this and remained intact. The places of those who remained were taken by others more worthy of them. Despite the fall of Nicholas, the deacon's ranks established themselves in the Church, multiplied and exist to this day. Despite the apostasy of hierarchs, priests and other servants of the Church that followed in later times, the Church did not experience damage and their places were occupied by others. Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople fell into heresy and was replaced by the more worthy Saint Anatoly. Dioscorus of Alexandria fell into Monophysitism, other hierarchs fell into other heresies, but the Church remained unbreakable, and the places of those who fell away were replaced by the most worthy and often holy men. Many clergy renounced Christ during persecution, and many, even in times of peace, left the priesthood for earthly reasons or personal weaknesses, moving from the clergy to a worldly state. But no matter what motives or reasons it was done: whether the ministers of the Church betrayed the Christian faith or just left their rank, the Church never became impoverished. The places of those who fell away were always replenished with others, whom sometimes had not been thought of before, and more than once by those whom those who had fallen away looked upon with arrogance at one time. The Church of God will never be deprived of the number of bishops, priests, deacons, subdeacons, readers, singers and altar servers it needs. Therefore, those who are called to serve at the altar or on the choir must pay attention to themselves so as not to be unworthy and not to be thrown out. The history of the Church shows that there are no irreplaceable persons in the Church and the Holy Spirit will always find someone to fill the place of those who have become unworthy. The great mercy of God is to be honored to serve or serve in church, to enter the earthly heaven - the altar, to approach the Holy Mysteries, to perform funeral services or to recite church prayers. Therefore, those who have been awarded that mercy should carry out their work with reverence, remembering the words of the Psalmist: Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling (Ps. 2:11), as well as other terrible prophetic words: Cursed is (man) who does the work of the Lord with negligence (Jer. 48:10); Take heed that you do not deny him who speaks - “See that you do not turn away from him who speaks” (Heb. 12:25); take hold, O imashi, that no one may take your crown (Rev. 3:11). It is scary to become unworthy of a sacred place or, after hesitating, to leave it. Having lost it, many realize what they have lost and want to return to their former dignity, but the doors are already closed, as for the five foolish virgins. May the memory of the Apostle Matthias and his prayers strengthen us in immaculate service, so that we do not lose our sacred place on earth, but in heaven we are rewarded with the Kingdom of God, where the Apostle Matthias, who has completed the face of the twelve, now stands before the Throne of God. Shanghai, August 9, 1940 What Christ prayed for in the Garden of Gethsemane The Lord, having celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and taught them His instructions, went with them to the Mount of Olives (see: Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26; Luke 22:39). On the way, He continued His last teachings, having finished which, He turned to Heavenly Father with a prayer for His disciples and for those who would believe according to their word (see: John 17:6–26). Having crossed the Kidron stream, the Lord and his disciples entered the Garden of Gethsemane, where he had often gathered with them before (see: Matt. 26:36; Mark 14:32; John 18:1–2). Here He left His disciples, except Peter, John and James, ordering them to sit while He prayed. And He Himself went a little further with Peter, John and James. He wanted to be alone as much as possible, and knowing everything that had to happen [with Him], He began to grieve, be horrified and yearn (see: Matt. 26:37; Mark 14:27) and said to those with Him: “My soul is sorrowful unto death: abide here, and watch with Me.” And having gone a little further, He fell with His face on the ground and prayed (see: Matthew 26:38–39). The Lord interrupted His prayer twice - He approached Peter and the sons of Zebedee. Alas! They were here, but they were not awake: sleep had taken possession of them. In vain did the Divine Teacher convince them to watch and pray so as not to fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38). The disciples fell asleep again as soon as the Savior left them to continue His prayer, which ended only when the hour approached for the betrayal of the Son of Man into the hands of sinners. Jesus' prayerful tension reached its highest degree - the bloody sweat that appeared fell in drops to the ground (see: Luke 22:44). What did Jesus pray so fervently for? What did He beg the Heavenly Father for, dropping His face to the ground three times? Abba Father! everything is possible for You; Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; carry this cup past Me. However, not as I want, but as You want, not My will, but Yours be done. My Father! if this cup cannot pass from Me, lest I drink it, Thy will be done (Matthew 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). The Lord Jesus Christ was the God-man. The divine and human natures, without merging or changing, were “inseparably and inseparably” (the dogma of the Council of Chalcedon) united in Him in one Person. In accordance with two natures, the Lord also had two wills. As God, Jesus Christ was consubstantial with God the Father and had one will with Him and with the Holy Spirit. But as a perfect man, consisting of soul and body, the Lord had human feelings and will. His human will was completely submissive to the Divine. The Lord subordinated His human will to the Divine - He sought only to do the will of the Heavenly Father (see: John 5:30); His spiritual food was to do the will of Him who sent Me and to complete His work (John 4:34). And there was a task to be accomplished, which had no equal, which even the insensitive inanimate nature had to be amazed at. It was necessary to redeem man from sin and death, to restore man’s unity with God. It was necessary that the sinless Savior take upon Himself all human sin, so that He, who has no sins of his own, would feel the weight of the sin of all mankind and grieve for it as only perfect holiness can, clearly feeling even the slightest deviation from the commandments and will of God. It was necessary that He, in Whom Divinity and humanity were hypostatically united, with His holy, sinless humanity, should experience all the horror of man’s removal from his Creator, the separation of sinful humanity from the Source of holiness and light - God. The depth of the fall of humanity should have been revealed with one's own eyes at this moment, for man, who did not want to obey God in paradise and listened to the devil who slandered Him, will now rise up against his Divine Savior, slander Him and, declaring Him unworthy to live on earth, will hang Him on a tree between heaven and earth, thereby bringing Him under the curse of the God-given law (see: Deut. 21:22–23). It was necessary that the sinless Righteous One, rejected by the sinful world, for which and from which He suffered, should forgive humanity for this atrocity and turn to the Heavenly Father with a prayer, so that Divine Truth would forgive humanity, blinded by the devil, for this rejection of its Creator and Savior. Such a holy prayer could not fail to be heard, such a power of love had to unite the Source of love - God with those who, at least now, will feel this love and, realizing how far human ways have so far separated from the ways of God, will have a strong determination, through the Creator who has assumed human nature, to return again to God the Father. And now the hour has come when all this should come true. In a few hours, the Son of Man, ascended to the cross, will attract everyone to Himself by His self-sacrifice. Sinful human hearts cannot resist the pressure of His love. The love of the God-man will break the stone of human hearts. They will feel their impurity and darkness, their insignificance, and only stubborn God-haters will not want to be enlightened by the light of God's greatness and mercy. Yet all who do not reject the One who calls them, illuminated by the light of the love of the God-Man, will feel their distance from the loving Creator and long for union with Him. And the greatest mystery will happen invisibly - humanity will turn to its Creator, and the merciful Lord will joyfully accept those who return from the slanderer of the devil to their Prototype. The barrier of hostility was destroyed. “Mercy and truth met, justice and peace kissed each other” (see: Ps. 84:11) - truth came from heaven, for the embodied Truth shone from the earth on the cross. The hour had come when all this was supposed to happen. The world did not yet suspect the greatness of the coming day. Before the gaze of the God-man, everything that had to be was revealed. He voluntarily sacrificed Himself for the salvation of the human race. And now He came for the last time to pray alone to His Heavenly Father. Here He will make the sacrifice that will save the human race - He will voluntarily give Himself up to suffer, give Himself up to the power of darkness. However, this sacrifice will not be salutary if He experiences only His personal suffering - He had to be tormented by those sinful ulcers from which humanity suffers. The heart of the God-man is filled with inexpressible sorrow. All human sins, starting from Adam’s crime and ending with those that will be committed when the last trumpet sounds, all the great and small sins of all people appeared before His mental gaze. As God, they were always open to Him - “the whole essence was revealed before Him,” but now His human nature experiences all the heaviness and abomination of them. The holy sinless soul is filled with horror. He suffers in a way that sinners themselves do not suffer, who with their hardened hearts do not feel how much sin defiles a person and removes him from the Creator. His suffering is all the stronger because He sees this coarseness and hardness of the heart, that people have blinded their eyes and do not see and do not want to hear with their ears and turn to Him to heal them (see: Matthew 13:15; John 12:40). He sees that the whole world is now turning away from God who came to him in human form. The hour is coming, and has already arrived (John 16:31), when even those who have just assured of their readiness to lay down their souls for Him will be scattered. The God-man will hang alone on the cross, showered with a hail of ridicule from the people who came to see this spectacle. Only a few souls remained faithful to Him, but even they, with their silent grief and helplessness, increase the suffering of the loving heart of the Son of the Virgin. There is no help from anywhere... True, at these moments He is not alone, for the Father is always with Him (see: John 8:29; 10, 30). But in order to feel the heaviness consequences of sin, the Son of God will voluntarily allow His human nature to feel the horror of separation from God. This terrible moment will be unbearable for a holy, sinless being. A strong cry will burst from His lips: My God, My God, have you forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46). And in anticipation of this hour, the holy soul is filled with horror and indignation. Even earlier, when the Greeks came to Jesus to see Him, He allowed His human nature to experience the approach of this terrible hour. When these “sheep from another fold” came to Him, the God-Man saw that the hour was already approaching when everyone would come to Him, exalted on the cross. Human nature trembled, His soul was indignant. But Jesus knew that without His suffering the salvation of people was impossible, that without them His earthly activity would leave as little a trace as a grain that lay for a long time on the surface of the earth until it was dried by the sun. Therefore, He then immediately turned to the Father so that He would not allow human weaknesses to take over all the thoughts and desires of His human nature: Now my soul is troubled: and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour. But for this hour I have come (John 12:27). And as if encouraged by the memory of why He came to earth, Christ prays that God’s will be fulfilled - the human race will be saved: Father, glorify Your name - glorify it on earth, among people, show Yourself not only as the Creator, but also as the Savior (St. Basil the Great. Against Eunomius. Book 4). And I will glorify, and again I will glorify (John 12:27, 28), - there was a voice from heaven, announcing that the time was coming for the fulfillment of God’s hidden secret from the ages (see: Col. 1:26; Eph. 1:9; 3:9). And now it has already arrived. If before the human nature of Christ shuddered and was indignant at the thought of what was to come, then what did it feel now when, in anticipation of the coming of His enemies and the traitor, He prayed to God alone for the last time? The Lord, knowing that every prayer of His would be heard (see: John 11:42), knew that if He asked the Father to deliver Him from torment and death, more than twelve legions of Angels would appear (Matthew 26:53) to protect Him. But is this what He came for? Was it in order to abandon at the last moment the fulfillment of what He foretold through the Scriptures? However, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He is burning with the Spirit (see: Rom. 12:11) and now Jesus, wanting only one thing - to fulfill the will of God. But, by its very nature, human nature turns away from suffering and death (St. John of Damascus. An exact exposition of the Orthodox faith. Book 3. Chapters 18, 20, 23, 24; Blessed Theophylact. Interpretation of the Gospels; St. John of Sinai. Ladder. Homily 6. On memory and death). The Son of God voluntarily accepted this weak nature. He gives Himself to death for the salvation of the world. And He wins, although he feels a feeling of fear of approaching death and disgust from suffering (St. John of Sinai. Ibid.; St. Augustine; St. John of Damascus. Exact exposition... Book. 3. Chapter 24). Now these sufferings will be especially terrible, terrible not so much in themselves, but because the soul of the God-man is shaken to the depths. Human sin taken upon Himself is inexpressibly heavy for Him. This sin weighs on Jesus and makes the suffering that is to come unbearable. Christ knows that when suffering reaches its highest degree, He will be completely alone. Not only between people, no one can alleviate them: I waited for the afflicted, and did not receive, and those who consoled, and did not find. And he looked up, and there was no helper; and thought, and no one interceded (Ps. 69:21; Is. 63:5), but even to fully feel the burden of sins, He will be allowed to feel the burden of separation from the Heavenly Father. And at this moment His human will may wish to avoid suffering. Yes, this will not happen. Let not for a single moment His human will diverge from the Divine will. This is what the God-Man prays to His Heavenly Father. If it is possible for humanity to restore its unity with God apart from a new terrible crime against the Son of God (St. Basil the Great. Against Eunomius. Book 4), let it not be better for this hour. But if this is the only way humanity can be drawn to its Creator, let God’s favor be fulfilled in this case too. Let His will be done, and let the human nature of Jesus, even in the most terrible moments, desire nothing but one thing - the fulfillment of the will of God, the completion of God's economy. This is exactly what Christ prayed for in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the days of His flesh, with a strong cry and with tears he offered prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save Him from death (Heb. 5:7). He offered prayers and supplications to the One who could save Him from death, but he did not pray for deliverance from death. It’s as if the Lord Jesus Christ said this to His Divine Father: “Abba, My Father, Father of Him whom You sent to gather together the people of Israel and the scattered children of God - the pagan people, in order to create from the two one new man and through the cross to reconcile both with You! Everything is possible for You, everything that corresponds to Your boundless perfections is possible. You know that it is natural for human nature to turn away from suffering, that a person would always like to “see good days”... But the one who loves You with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his mind, desires only what pleases Your will, good and perfect. I, who came to earth to fulfill Your wise will and for this partook of flesh and blood, who accepted human nature with all its infirmities, except for sinful ones, would also like to avoid suffering, but only under one condition - that this be Your holy will. If it is possible for the work of housebuilding to be accomplished apart from a new terrible crime on the part of people; if it is possible for Me not to experience this mental suffering, which in a few hours will be joined by the terrible suffering of the human body; if this is possible, then deliver Me from the trials and temptations that have already come and are yet to come. Deliver Me from the need to experience the consequences of Adam's crime. However, this prayer is suggested to Me by the weakness of My human nature, but let it be as You please, let the will not of weak human nature be fulfilled, but of Our common Eternal Council. My Father! If according to the wise economy it is necessary that I make this sacrifice, I do not refuse it. But I only pray for one thing: Thy will be done. May Your will be done always and in everything. Just as in heaven Me, Your Only Begotten Son, and You have one will, so may My human will here on earth not for one moment desire anything contrary to Our common will. Let what We decided before the creation of the world be fulfilled, let the salvation of the human race be accomplished. Let the sons of men be redeemed from enslavement to the devil, redeemed at a dear price - the suffering and self-sacrifice of the God-man. And may all the burden of human sins that I take upon Myself, may no mental and physical torments added to this be able to shake My human will in the thirst for Thy holy will to be fulfilled. May I fulfill Your will with joy. Thy will be done." “The Lord prayed for the cup of the voluntary saving passion, as for the involuntary one” (Sunday service of the 5th tone, 8th hymn of the canon), thereby showing the two desires of two natures and asking God the Father so that His human will would not waver in submission to the will of God (St. John of Damascus. Exact exposition... Book 3. Chapter 24). An Angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened (see: Luke 22:43) His human nature, and Jesus, who performed the feat of self-sacrifice, prayed more and more diligently, sweating blood. And for His reverence, for His constant submission to the will of the Father, the Son of Man was heard. Strengthened and encouraged, Jesus arose from prayer (St. John of Damascus. Exact summary... Book 3. Chapter 24). He knew that His human nature would no longer be shaken, that the burden of human sins would soon be lifted from Him, and that by His obedience to God the Father He would lead lost human nature to Heaven. He approached the disciples and said: Are you still sleeping and resting? It is over, the hour has come: behold, the Son of Man is given over into the hands of sinners. Get up, let's go; Behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near; pray so as not to fall into temptation (Mark 14:41–42; Matt. 26:41). Coming out to meet those who came for Him, the Lord voluntarily gave Himself into their hands. And when Peter, wanting to protect His Teacher, struck the bishop’s slave with a sword and cut off his ear, the Lord healed the slave, and reminded Peter that He voluntarily betrayed Himself: Put the sword in its sheath; Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me? Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will present to Me more than twelve legions of Angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that this must be so? (John 18:11; Matt. 26:53–54) And, voluntarily drinking to the bottom the entire cup of mental and physical suffering, Christ glorified God on earth - he accomplished a work of greatness no less than the creation of the world itself. He restored the fallen nature of man, reconciled the Divinity and humanity, and made people partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). Having completed the work that the Father gave Him, let Him do (see: John 17:4), Christ was glorified according to His humanity with the glory that, as God, had before the world was not (John 17:5), and sat down with His humanity at the right hand of God the Father, waiting... until His enemies were made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13). Having become for all those who obey Him the author of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9), Christ, even after ascending into heaven, remains “in two natures, unconfusedly cognizable” (Theotokos, dogmatist of the 6th tone), “two desires, two according to each nature, bearing forever” (Sunday canon of the 5th tone, troparion of the 8th canto), but the glorified body cannot now suffer and does not need anything, and accordingly, His human will cannot diverge in anything from the Divine. With this same flesh Christ will come on the last day “to judge the living and the dead,” after which, as a King not only according to His Divinity, but also according to His humanity, with His entire eternal Kingdom He will submit to God the Father, that God may be all things in all (1 Cor. 15:28). Why was the prudent robber pardoned? One of the accused evildoers blasphemed Him, saying: If You are the Christ, save Yourself and ours. The other answered him more clearly, saying: Do you not fear God, for you are condemned to the same thing? And we, in truth, have accepted what is worthy of our deeds; Do not do a single evil thing. And Jesus said: remember me, Lord, when you come to the Kingdom of Si. And Jesus said to him: Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:39–43). This is how the holy evangelist Luke tells about a deeply edifying and touching event, about the conversion and pardon by Christ of the thief hanging next to Him on the cross on Calvary. What did the robber deserve such mercy? What caused such a quick and decisive response from the Lord? All the Old Testament righteous people were still in hell, including St. John the Baptist. The Lord Himself was going to go to hell, though not in order to suffer there, but in order to bring the prisoners out of there. The Lord has not yet promised anyone to elevate him to the Kingdom of Heaven; he even promised to the apostles that he would take them into His abodes only when He prepared them. Why is it that the robber is the first to receive mercy, why are the doors of heaven opened to him so quickly? Let us delve into the state of mind of the robber and the environment around him. He spent his whole life in robberies and crimes. But, apparently, his conscience did not die in him and something good remained in the depths of his soul. Tradition even says that he was the same robber who, during the flight of Christ to Egypt, took pity on the beautiful child and did not allow His comrades to kill Him, who together with him attacked the Holy Family who fled to Egypt. Didn't he now remember the face of that Child when he peered into the face of Him hanging next to him on the cross? But whether this was so or not, in any case, the thief’s glance at Christ awakened his conscience. Now he hung next to the Righteous One, next to the Red One with kindness more than the sons of men (Ps. 44:3), Whose appearance at that time was dishonorable, more humble than all the sons of men, having no appearance, lower than glory (see: Isa. 53:2-3). Looking at Him, the robber seemed to wake up from a deep sleep. He clearly saw the difference between Him and himself. He is an undoubted Righteous One, forgiving even His tormentors and praying for them to God, Whom He calls His Father. He is a murderer of many victims, shedding the blood of people who did him no harm. Looking at Him hanging on the cross, he, as if in a mirror, saw his moral fall. All the best that was hidden in him awakened and was looking for a way out. He realized his sins, realized that only his own guilt led him to a sad end and he had no one to blame. Therefore, the angry mood against the executioners, which possessed the thief crucified on the other side of Christ, and initially himself (see: Matt. 27:44), was replaced in him by a feeling of humility and contrition. He felt the fear of God's judgment coming upon him. Sin became disgusting and terrible for him. At heart he was no longer a robber. Philanthropy and mercy awoke in him. With fear for the fate of his soul, he was combined with disgust for the outrage that was taking place against the innocent Sufferer. Undoubtedly, he had heard before about the Great Teacher and Wonderworker of Nazareth. What was happening in Judea and Galilee was the subject of many conversations and discussions throughout the country. Previously, what he heard about Him passed by his attention. Now, finding himself with Him and in the same position as Him, he began to understand the moral greatness of His person. Kindness, forgiveness and the prayer of Christ struck the robber. He realized in his heart that this was no ordinary person next to him. In this way, only He who truly recognized himself as the Son of God could turn to God as His Father at the hour of death. Only He who was in close communion with the Source of love or was Himself could not waver in His teaching about love and forgiveness, enduring all the baseness of human slander and the malice of those to whom he did good deeds. The robber remembered everything that he had heard unusual about the One who was now Crucified with him, and a warm feeling of faith arose in his heart. Yes, undoubtedly, He was the Son of God, incarnate on earth, but constantly in communion with His Father, the Son of God, not accepted by the earth and returning to heaven, the Son of God, able to forgive people! He began to hope that he would avoid conviction at a posthumous trial. If Jesus prays to His Father for His crucifiers, He will not reject the one crucified with Him. One must turn to Him so that He, who now shares with him the same fate of bitter suffering, will accept him in His bliss. True, turning to Jesus with words of love and sympathy will be met with ridicule from the surrounding crowd, raging and blaspheming Him. To recognize Him as righteous and the Son of God means to attract attention to oneself and [incur] the wrath of the elders of the Jews. Although they will not be able to inflict more physical torment on him than he already endures, how hard it will be to feel only anger around him, how severe the suffering will become for him when the idle people raging here begin to mock him! However, what is the wrath of earthly authorities to him now, what is human ridicule to him now? No matter how hard it is to be rejected by people at the threshold of death, it is even harder to be rejected by God. He goes to God's judgment, and he only needs to fear God! In the last moments of life one must do what is still within one’s power in order to gain God’s favor! Let him, with his words, at least somewhat ease the suffering of Christ, let at least one of those who blaspheme be ashamed and stop slandering Him. Christ, who promised to reward the cup of water given in His name, will not leave him without reward. Let those who blaspheme Christ blaspheme him too! This will connect him even more closely with Christ! He will share his fate here with Christ, and Christ will not forget him in His glory! And so, amid the noise of loud ridicule, slander and curses, he began to exhort his companion, who was hanging on the left side of Christ, to stop slandering Him. Are you afraid of God, since you are also condemned? And we are in truth: we accept what is worthy in deed; Do not do a single evil thing. And then a humble voice was heard from his lips: Remember me, Lord, when you come to the Kingdom of Xi. It was the call of a former robber, and now a new disciple of Christ, who believed in Christ when his former disciples abandoned Him. “The theologian robber, I was rejected” (sedalen, voice 5), he cried with sorrow after St. Apostle Peter At that time, all the other apostles also doubted the Lord. Even St. John the Theologian, who inseparably followed his Teacher and stood at the cross on Calvary, although he continued to be faithful to Jesus who loved him, did not then have perfect faith in the Divinity of his Teacher: only after the Resurrection, entering the empty tomb, where lay the shrouds and headcloth entwined around the dead body of Christ, he saw and believed (John 20:8) that Christ had truly risen and is Son of God. The apostles wavered in their faith in Jesus as the Messiah, because they expected and wanted to see in Him an earthly King, in whose Kingdom they would be able to sit at the right hand and left of the Lord (see: Mark 10:37). The thief realized that the Kingdom of Jesus of Nazareth, humiliated and betrayed to a shameful death, is not of this world (John 18:36). But it was precisely this Kingdom that the thief was now looking for: the gates of earthly life were closed behind him, and eternity was opening. His calculations with earthly life were over; he was now thinking about eternal life. And at the threshold of eternity, the vanity of earthly glory and earthly kingdoms became clear to him. He realized that greatness lies in righteousness, and in the righteous, innocently tortured Jesus he saw the King of righteousness. He did not ask Him for glory in the earthly kingdom, but for the salvation of his soul. The faith of the thief, born out of admiration for the moral greatness of Christ, turned out to be stronger than the faith of the apostles, although they were captivated by the height of Christ’s teaching, but they believed in Him even more for the sake of the miracles and signs that came from Him. Now the miraculous deliverance of Christ from His enemies did not take place - and the faith of the apostles was shaken. But the patience, all-forgiveness and faith shown by Christ in what His Heavenly Father hears so clearly expressed the righteousness of Jesus, His moral height, that having believed in Christ for her sake, it was impossible for those who sought spiritual and moral rebirth to be shaken. And this is exactly what the robber, who realized his deep fall, longed for. He did not ask Christ to be in His Kingdom “at His right hand or left,” but, realizing his unworthiness, he humbly asked only to “remember” him in His Kingdom, to give him at least the last place. He openly confessed the crucified Christ as Lord before everyone and asked Him for mercy. Humble faith in Christ made him a confessor. By his will, he was even a martyr, for, not being afraid to recognize as his Lord the rejected “King of the Jews” by all, on Whom was concentrated all the hatred of the countless people who gathered in those days in Jerusalem from all over the world for the Easter holiday and, together with their elders and priests, blasphemed Christ, he, of course, would not have been afraid to suffer for Him. Thus, the deep repentance of the thief gave birth to humility and with it turned out to be a solid foundation for such a firm faith, which Christ’s closest disciples did not possess at that time. The believing robber demonstrated a feat that none of them was capable of at that time. “Everyone who has confessed Me before men, let us also confess him before My Father who is in heaven,” said the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:32). The thief confessed Christ, confessed Him before the numerous people who mocked Him, confessed when no one dared to do so and when even the few disciples and women who remained faithful to Him only testified with bitter tears of their love for Him. The thief did what the three youths once did in Babylon, who refused to bow to the golden image, which Nebuchadnezzar placed in the field of Deir and to which all peoples, tribes and languages ​​bowed (Dan. 3:7). The thief believed in the Lord of the suffering, “the confession of the hidden God”, before everyone else he knew Him, and the power of His resurrection, and participation in His suffering, being conformed to His death (Phil. 3:10), before everyone else he understood what the Kingdom is not of this world, he understood what the truth is (John 18:36-38). He was the first to understand that there is the Kingdom of Christ, and therefore he was the first to enter it. He was the first to see Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), the first to preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness, to those who were called Jews and Greeks of Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:23–24). Therefore, he is the first to experience God’s power and wisdom, the power of the compassionate and regenerating love of Christ, the first “to hear the hearing of the power of the Cross, as if paradise was opened to them” (canon of the Ascension, canto 4). Complete repentance for one’s sins and crimes, deep humility, firm faith in the crucified Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself to suffer and confess Him when the whole world was against Him - this is what the crown was woven from, crowning the head of the former robber as a winner and ascetic, this is what the key was forged from, which opened the doors of heaven for him! Many sin and hope for repentance before death, pointing to the example of the prudent thief. But is anyone capable of such a feat? “The Lord had mercy on the thief at the last hour, so that no one would despair. But only one thing, so that no one places too much trust in His mercy” (St. Augustine). “This is his end! What ours will be like, we don’t know, and what kind of death we will die, we don’t know: whether it will come suddenly or with some foreknowledge” (St. Theodore the Studite. Instructions on the sudden death of a brother). Will we then be able to be morally reborn in an instant and spiritually exalted, like the “companion of Christ”, “who let out a small voice and found great faith”? “Will sudden death not delight us, leaving us deceived in the hope of repentance before death?” (St. Cyril of Alexandria. About the Last Judgment // Great Book of Hours). Therefore: “Sinner, do not put off repentance for your sins, lest they pass with you into another life and burden you with an excessive burden” (Blessed Augustine // St. John of Tobolsk. Iliotropion. Book 4. Chapter 5). Let the example of the prudent thief encourage us not to put off repentance, but to “be crucified with Christ” (see: Gal. 2:19) and “to repent warmly,” so that we too may experience the “mercy of compassion” (prayer of Simeon the New Theologian). The flesh is crucified with passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24), let us be zealous for our speedy complete internal correction, surrendering ourselves entirely to the will of God and asking Christ for mercy and grace. “O O thief, grant us repentance, O O One Lover of Mankind, who serve by faith, O Christ our God, and to those who cry unto Thee: remember us also in Thy Kingdom” (Blessed are the Risen, 4th Tone). “Thou hast made the prudent thief worthy of heaven in one hour, O Lord, and enlighten me with the tree of the cross and save me” [exapostilary, Good Friday Matins]. All four Gospels speak of Christ's anointing with chrism during the supper, before His suffering. However, although each of the evangelists mentions only one such myrrh-bearer, who preceded the myrrh-bearers who came to the tomb of Christ already on the day of His resurrection, the stories about the anointing of Christ during the supper are presented differently by the evangelists. They all say that the anointing occurred during the supper, they all talk about only one anointing one, they all point out the great value of the world, they even say that the anointing seduced some, but that is where the similarity in the presentation of the event in the Gospels ends. The individual details, moreover, reported by the evangelists, are so different that, while some interpreters of the Gospels try to reconcile them and prove that all the Gospels speak of the same event, others definitely believe that the evangelists report different events only agreeing on general outlines and that there were two or even three anointings of Christ with chrism before His suffering. The Gospel of Luke tells about the anointing of Christ during His circumambulation of Judea and Galilee with a sermon. Having described that event immediately after the description of the coming to Christ of the disciples of John the Baptist with the question: “Are you the one who is coming, or someone else?” and the subsequent instructions by Christ of the great dignity of the Forerunner (see: Luke 7:18-35), the holy evangelist Luke continues: And so it came to pass that he also passed through cities and villages, preaching and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:1). Thus, according to this Gospel, after the anointing, Christ still continues His preaching. Although not everything is presented in a strictly sequential order in the Gospels, there is no reason to assume that St. Luke, outlining the events that took place during Christ’s travels with preaching, inserted here an event that took place immediately before the very suffering of Christ. Meanwhile, according to other Gospels, the anointing of Christ with chrism during the supper took place not only a few days before the Savior’s death on the cross, but was even placed in direct connection with it by Christ Himself. However, the other three evangelists do not all indicate the time of anointing in the same way. Evangelist John the Theologian says that the supper took place six days before Easter and on the eve of the solemn Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on a donkey (see: John 12:1). The Evangelist Matthew, also one of the twelve apostles, and Mark, who wrote his Gospel from the words of the Apostle Peter, indicate the time of the supper after the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and a whole series of conversations of Christ in Jerusalem, two days before Easter (see: Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:1). The evangelists also speak differently about the place where Christ was anointed with chrism. From the Gospel of Luke we can conclude that it took place in Galilee, somewhere near the city of Nain, or even in Nain itself, since it is spoken of shortly after the story of the resurrection of the son of the Nain widow, followed by the parable of the sower, [which the Lord also told] in Galilee. The evangelists Matthew and Mark report that the woman “poured” myrrh on His head while Jesus was reclining, without mentioning what feelings she showed at the time and with what state of spirit she did it. The Evangelists Luke and John tell us that she anointed Jesus’ feet with myrrh and wiped them with her hair. Luke adds that she did this while crying, and the tears flowed so abundantly on Christ’s feet that she seemed to wash them with tears, which is why she had to wipe them off, which she did with her hair, and, having kissed the feet, anointed them with myrrh. John the Theologian, who was personally present at the anointing, does not say anything about tears, about crying, but they, obviously, would be inappropriate, since the supper was arranged for Christ after He raised Lazarus and was more in the nature of a celebration, being an expression of gratitude to Jesus for His coming to the call of their family and the miraculous mercy shown to him. According to the Evangelist John, Christ’s feet were not wiped from tears, but after anointing them with myrrh, which caused it to spread the fragrance even more: the church was filled with the stench of the fragrant ointment (John 12:3). The praise of the woman for her action, expressed by the Lord Jesus Christ, is also noted differently in the Gospels. According to the Gospel of Luke, the Lord first reproached Simon the Pharisee, who invited Him to the supper, for not showing enough attention to Him as a guest and compared the attitude towards Him of the host and the woman who came. I came into your house, and you did not give water to my nose; She poured tears on Minosa and wiped off the hair of her head. Mi did not give you a kiss; This same one, as soon as I breathed, did not stop kissing Minosa. You have not anointed my head with oil; This same world anointed Minoz (Luke 7:44–46). The Lord then indicated what the woman would receive for the love she showed toward Him through her actions. For his sake, I say to you, her many sins are forgiven, for she loved a lot; but little is left for him, he loves less (Luke 7:47), - said Christ, with his last words again reproaching Simon for the fact that he considered himself righteous and did not thirst for remission of his sins, while at the same time condemning the woman as a great sinner. Afterwards the Lord turned to the woman herself with the words: Your sins are forgiven. Those reclining with Him began to say to themselves: Who is this, Who also forgives sins? - and the Lord said to the woman: Your faith will save you: go in peace (Luke 7:49-50). So Christ gave the woman described in the Gospel of Luke what she was looking for - forgiveness of sins. According to the Gospel of John, the Lord only stopped the murmur against Mary, who anointed Him, saying: Do not do this, so that on the day of My burial He will keep it: for you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me (John 12:7-8). The evangelist does not mention the words addressed directly to her. The holy evangelists Matthew and Mark tell the same story as John, but with only one significant addition: Christ promised that for the good deed done to Him by a woman, it would be preached about throughout the world. Why are you giving her the trouble? You have done a good deed for Me. Always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good to them; You don’t always get me. If you have this, do it: first anoint My body for burial; Having poured this ointment upon My body, make it for My burial (Mk. 14:6–8; Matt. 26:12). Amen I say to you: even if this Gospel is preached throughout the whole world, it is said, “Do this, in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13; almost word for word in the Evangelist Mark: 14:9). Why are these last words not in the Gospel of John, although the first part of His address to the disciples is given almost the same way by the three evangelists? Did he just not bring them, or are there other reasons for this? This can be answered only by a general resolution of the question of who was the anointing of Christ. Beginning his story about Lazarus, the holy evangelist John says: But a certain man Lazarus was sick from Bethany, from the weight of Mary and her sister Martha. But Mary, who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped his hair off his nose, even as brother Lazarus fell ill (John 11:1-2). Thus, speaking about the event that preceded the anointing of the feet described further, the evangelist indicates that Lazarus was the brother of Mary, who anointed the Lord. From this we can conclude that either Mary had already performed the anointing once and what was described later was a repetition of it, or, more likely, the evangelist mentions here the anointing, although it was performed later, in order to more accurately indicate which particular Mary was the brother of Lazarus and that Mary’s act is closely connected with his personality in the memory of contemporaries. Continuing further, the evangelist says: Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus (John 11:5). The description of the Lord's coming to Bethany and His meeting with Martha and Mary, Lazarus' sisters, clearly reveals Christ's love for their family. From the Gospel of Luke it is clear that it truly deserved that love. When the Lord came to their home, the sisters showed zeal for the distinguished Guest with all their hearts, each in accordance with their character. Martha spoke about the great service, that is, she took care of the refreshments, and Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, listened to His every word. Then, in response to the reproach made to Mary by her sister, the Lord uttered great praise to Mary: Mary has chosen the good part, even if it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:38–42). From this it is clear that the event described by the Evangelist John the Theologian cannot in any way be identified with that described by the Evangelist Luke and that they are completely different both in spirit and in external details. In one case, the one who anointed Christ was a sinful woman, perhaps seen by Christ for the first time (see: Lk 7:39), who brought tears of repentance and longed for the forgiveness of sins; in the other, it was Mary, well known to Christ and beloved by Him, who chose to listen to and fulfill the word of God as her part, gave her heart to God, and is now still full of gratitude to her beloved Teacher for the resurrection of her brother. In the first case, the woman, by her arrival and touching Christ, aroused a feeling of self-loathing in the owner of the house and even doubt whether Jesus was a prophet, since He did not abhor her. In the second, the arrival of Mary, whose brother Lazarus was among those reclining [...], was a completely natural phenomenon and in no case could cause a feeling of disgust, since from the description of previous events it is clear that both sisters enjoyed the respect of their fellow citizens (see: John 11:19, 31) and condemnation was caused only by her act, which required a large waste of money. Therefore, we must admit that the events described in the Gospels of Luke and John are completely different and have only partial external similarities, differing not only in their other details, but also in their internal character. The evangelists Matthew and Mark do not indicate either the name of the woman or the attitude of those present towards her. Therefore, one could assume that it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and that the event they described was identical with that described by John the Theologian, if not for a specific indication of its time: for John the Theologian, six days before Easter, on the eve of the Entry into Jerusalem, and for Matthew and Mark, two days before Easter. One could make the assumption that Mary, the sister of Lazarus, repeated her act, anointing Jesus’ feet six days before Easter, and then four days later his head; the words of the Lord spoken for the first time could encourage her and kindle her desire to please Him once again; such a repetition of the anointing could increase the dissatisfaction of Christ’s disciples with her, and if for the first time only Judas openly expressed it, then upon repetition he was joined by others who were indignant at her. However, this assumption is contradicted by a legend that identifies the woman who anointed the head of the Lord two days before Easter with the harlot sinner who anointed the feet of Christ. The tradition was considered so indisputable that it found expression in numerous chants and prayers. The great expert and interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, John Chrysostom, who, when interpreting the Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul, received inspiration from the Apostle Paul himself and was attentive to every word and even letter in the Holy Scriptures, definitely considers the sinner who anointed the feet of Christ and poured ointment on the head of Christ two days before Easter to be one and the same person, expressing this not only in the explanation of the Gospel 543, but also in the prayer he composed: “Just as you did not fail to enter and shine a light on sinners in the house of Simon the leper, so deign to enter into the house of my humble soul, leper and sinner; and even though You did not reject a harlot and a sinner like me, who came and touched You, have mercy on me, a sinner, who comes and touches You; and just as you did not abhor her foul and unclean lips kissing Thee, abhor my foul and unclean lips below mine, below my vile and unclean lips, and my foul and unclean tongue,” says the prayer of St. John Chrysostom before communion (Following to Holy Communion, prayer 2). Here the supper of Simon the leper is definitely connected with the act of the harlot, although in the Gospel the woman who came to the house of Simon the Pharisee is called a sinner. It is even more clearly expressed that she who came to the house of Simon the “leper” two days before Easter was a sinner wife, in the service of Great Wednesday. The woman who then anointed Christ with myrrh is invariably called a sinner in the hymns. “Simon’s house, inconceivable everywhere, accommodates You, Jesus the King, and the sinful woman anoints You with myrrh” - this is how the liturgical remembrance of the event that happened in Bethany begins (the three hymns of Compline on Holy Tuesday, canto 3). “The woman was filled with the mystical incense; she was the first to get rid of the stench, O Savior, of many sins. Myrrh exudes life” (ibid.). “O blessed hands! O hair and mouth of the chaste harlot! In the image of the libations, O Savior, Thy ointment is on Thy nose, wiping me and kissing me often. I recline upon You, the Word, my wife, standing before You, and at your feet, weeping, a glass, O Savior, pouring out peace upon Your head, immortal peace” (the same three-canticle, canto 8). The last two troparions, standing immediately next to each other, speak of the anointing of the feet and head of Christ with myrrh as one act performed by the same sinner, although the Gospels do not say that the woman who anointed the head of Christ was a sinner. Further prayers and chants of Great Wednesday speak almost exclusively of the anointing of the feet of Christ by the harlot. “Whenever a sinner offers ointment, then the disciple agrees with the sinner. The new one rejoiced, depleting the valuable myrrh: but this one strives to sell the Priceless”; “The harlot stretched out her hair to You, O Lady, Judas stretched out the hands of the wicked: for now you will accept abandonment, but you will take the pieces of silver”; “Today Christ comes to the house of the Pharisees, and the sinner woman came to her feet, lying crying: see, immersed in sin... and Lord grant me forgiveness of the wicked.” In these self-vocal stichera, sung at Matins on Great Wednesday and then again at Vespers that day, a comparison is made between the actions of the woman who anointed Christ’s feet and Judas, who betrayed the Lord, and the anointing of Christ is spoken of according to the account of the Evangelist Luke. Thus, the hymns of Great Wednesday, composed in the 9th century and accepted by the entire Orthodox Church, definitely connect the anointing of Christ two days before Easter, which is spoken of by the evangelists Matthew and Mark, with the anointing of Christ by a sinner in the house of Simon the Pharisee, set out in the Gospel of Luke. In the Synaxarion, that is, a brief description of the remembered events of that day, the question of the anointing of Christ at the evening is examined in detail, the various expositions existing in the Gospels are pointed out, and various opinions are given about the anointing woman. Some (for example, Clement of Alexandria, Blessed Augustine, St. Gregory the Great and others) believe that there was one woman, others, led by Chrysostom, say that there were two, some that there were three. The first believe that all the Gospels speak of one evening and that Simon the Pharisee, who was also the leper, was the father of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. However, the pious Mary is clearly different from the sinful harlot; in addition, the Gospel definitely says that Lazarus’ sister anointed Christ six days before Easter. Therefore, her anointing cannot be confused with the anointing of Christ by a sinner. Mary, Lazarus's sister, took advantage of the Master's stay in their home to express gratitude for the resurrection of her brother. It is clear that, in view of this, Christ did not promise her any other reward, but only approved of her action when Judas objected. There is a widespread opinion, especially in the West, that the one who performed the anointing two days before Easter was Mary Magdalene, who had previously come to the house of Simon the Pharisee and received forgiveness of her sins there for a similar act (see: Luke 7:36–50). The indication of the evangelists that seven demons were expelled from Mary Magdalene by Christ (see: Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9) is understood by such interpreters in a figurative sense as deliverance from many vices. However, the Gospel always speaks of Christ’s casting out of demons in the literal sense. The assumption that in this case the demons expelled from Mary Magdalene mean her vices is also contradicted by the fact that she was among the wives who followed Christ and served Him from their estates (see: Luke 8:2–3). Such a presence of a woman [about whom there was such a bad rumor], even if she had already left a sinful life, would inevitably be used by the enemies of Christ. As Saint Demetrius of Rostov writes about this: “If this Magdalene were a harlot, then, after Christ and His disciples, she has clearly been walking for a long time as a sinner, so that the haters of Christ would speak to the Jews, seeking some kind of guilt against Him, so that they would blaspheme and condemn Him.” And Christ directly asked His enemies: Who of you accuses Me of sin? (John 8:46), and none of them expressed doubts about the unconditionally blameless life of Jesus. In view of this, it must be considered that Mary Magdalene suffered from demons not for her sins, but by God’s special permission, just as many righteous people were attacked by the devil and were temporarily in his power, so that then the power of God would be more strikingly felt on them: that the works of God might appear on them (John 9:3). Thus, the assumption that Mary Magdalene was a sinner who came to the house of Simon the Pharisee (see: Luke 7:36–50), although the possibility is not excluded that she poured ointment two days before Easter and received great praise from Christ. The only thing that speaks against this is the already mentioned, widespread and included in church prayers identification of the sinner in the house of Simon the Pharisee and the woman who “prepared Christ for burial” in the house of Simon the leper. In addition, Mary Magdalene was among those who cared for the needs of Christ, and thus partly His disciples, obviously having sufficient means to do so; therefore, they would hardly grumble against their benefactress, knowing that their needs would be satisfied with her assistance. Then the opinion is quite acceptable that the anointing in the first and last case was performed by the same woman, the first time as an expression of repentance, and the second time as a sign of respect and love. Taking into account that the sinner in the house of Simon the Pharisee was identified with the woman who anointed Christ in the house of Simon the leper before Easter, the saints who had studied the Holy Scripture well and are its best interpreters, who also knew very well the legends about the events of the life of Christ, and those traditions were still relatively not particularly ancient for those who lived in the 4th century after the Nativity of Christ, it must be admitted that there is good reason to consider them as one person. a forgiven sinner and one about whom Christ promised that it will be said about her wherever the Gospel is preached. The words of Christ then acquire a particularly deeply mysterious meaning, for although the Gospel proclaims throughout the world the anointing of Christ two days before Easter, the believers especially remember and glorify the anointing of His feet by the sinner who washed away her sins with her tears. The Church constantly gives her example in prayers, and her actions are touching and close to the heart of every Christian. Her image stands before the eyes of everyone before communion of the Holy Mysteries, during the days of Holy Week and with a deep awareness of one’s sinfulness. Truly, throughout the whole world, with the preaching of the Gospel, it is announced not only to the mind, but also to the feeling and will of everyone who hears. Therefore, it is hardly a mistake to assume that the woman, who shed tears and anointed Christ’s feet with ointment, repenting of her sins, then prepared Christ for burial by pouring ointment on His head; the host of the supper in both cases was Simon the Pharisee, healed of leprosy by Christ and taught by Him not to despise repentant sinners. Then it turns out that there were three anointings of Christ at the evening, very similar in appearance, but deeply different in inner meaning. The first - in the house of Simon the Pharisee in Galilee (Evangelist Luke) - was an expression of repentance and prayer for the forgiveness of sins. The second was performed by the sister of the resurrected Lazarus, Mary, in Bethany as a sign of gratitude for the mercy shown (Evangelist John). The third, in the house of the same Simon, but like the second, in Bethany (Evangelists Matthew and Mark), was a manifestation of devotion and love for the Savior who became incarnate for our sake. These three anointings correspond to the three degrees of prayer. There are prayers of petition, thanksgiving and doxology. Every prayer is our communication with God and sanctifies us, but they are still different in their dignity. In petitionary prayer we seek something from God for ourselves or others, for the sake of it we expect the gift of God and our mind is fixed on it. In a prayer of gratitude, we no longer ask God for anything, but, looking at the mercies received from Him, we praise Him. In doxological prayer, we completely direct our minds to God and, mentally looking at the Gospel, we glorify Him, uniting with the Angels, who ceaselessly glorify Him. But just as the sinful wife, having first washed Christ’s feet with tears of repentance, achieved the gift of pure love, so we, through repentance and purification, will ascend from strength to strength in order to be worthy to glorify God with the Angels forever and ever. Now before our mind’s eye are two feasts about which today’s Gospel readings tell us. One feast described in the parable is given by a king full of goodwill and mercy. However, those invited did not come to it when the feast was ready. They preferred to engage in some purchasing, some with their own economic affairs; others, seizing the messengers, insulted and even killed some. The angry king, having severely punished the guilty, sent his servants again to invite everyone they met to the feast. Many people had gathered, and when the king came to see them, he saw one not in festive clothes. The king asked why he came dressed inappropriately, but he remained silent, thereby showing contempt for the king and unwillingness to participate in the celebration, for which he was thrown out. So there were many invited to this feast, but few were chosen to take part in the evening. The other feast is not an influx, but a real one. This is the feast of the lawless Herod. Apparently, none of those invited refused to come; everyone was dressed festively and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. It took place in drunkenness, revelry, not restrained by shame and conscience, and ended in the greatest crime, the murder of John the Baptist. Those two feasts are images of two orders of life, two kinds of pleasure. The first is the image of a spiritual feast, spiritual pleasure. It is arranged by the Lord. That feast is the Church of Christ. We are invited to that feast when we are called to participate in divine services, especially the Divine Liturgy, and to partake of the Divine Body and Blood of Christ, to do good, to be attentive and sober. We refuse to go to that feast when we do not come to church services, when we do evil instead of good, when we prefer everyday worries and pleasures to divine life. We do not come in wedding clothes when we bring an alien, sinful mood into that life. Each of us is invited to that feast many times a day and refuses each time when he prefers the carnal and sinful to the spiritual and Divine. We are also invited to Herod's feast many times a day. We often do not immediately notice that we are being tempted by evil. Sin always starts small. At first, Herod even listened to John the Baptist to his heart's content; he internally recognized the sinfulness of his act, but did not fight against sin and went so far as to kill the greatest righteous man. We go to Herod’s nasty feast every time when instead of good we choose evil, carnal, sinful pleasures, unmercifulness, inattention to our soul, and so on. Having started small, it is already difficult to stop, and if you do not come to your senses in time and do not make efforts on yourself, you can reach the greatest sins and crimes, followed by eternal torment. And now John the Baptist calls to each of us: repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near (Matthew 3:2). Repent in order to enjoy in the bright, eternal abodes the supper of the Lamb, slain for the sins of the whole world, and not share with the devil the feast of malice and torment in Tartarus (in the underworld) and pitch darkness. Some thoughts of the Most Reverend Archbishop John, expressed by him in his sermons at Versailles The resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17). The Savior approaches the gates of the city of Nain, and a funeral procession meets Him - the only son of a widow is buried. The procession moves slowly. And suddenly the Lord orders us to stop. They already know him and stop. Everyone's attention is alert: something is about to happen. The Lord says: “Arise,” and the young man comes to life. Many people died under the Savior. Death caused a lot of grief, but only three were resurrected: the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus. Why did the Savior resurrect them only? The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to give eternal life, and this earthly [life] is only the path to eternal life. The general resurrection will not be the resurrection of this earthly kind of life, and the Lord did not resurrect people in order to resume their earthly life. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to give spiritual help to this earthly kind of life, so that people will desire eternal life. We do not know why it was the son of the widow of Nain who was resurrected, and what his spiritual mood was, and what happened to him [later]. But we know that the news of the resurrection excited many people and traveled far, reaching John the Baptist. When showing mercy to a person, the Lord knows the state of his soul. He knows in whom there is the germ of spiritual life, and calls to life the inner powers of the spirit ready for action. This is the purpose of the Lord, and not the union of spirit and body. Thus the Lord visited and called the Apostle Paul to eternal life. The Lord knew his zeal, which manifested itself in the persecution of the Church, and, knowing his soul, He Himself appeared to him... This is how the Lord calls people who are on the wrong path, when he knows that in their souls the strength of the spirit is ready for action. This is how Elder Ambrose of Optina was called - in the world a teacher, a merry fellow, a dancer, beloved by everyone. [One day], returning from a ball, he feels how empty such a life is, and early in the morning he leaves for Optina. This is unexpected for everyone. In Optina [he is struck] by a serious illness. Hospital. He is weak, unfit for life, and always lies down. Weak for this earthly life, but not for the spiritual. He [appears] to have the gift of insight. He is a teacher of Russia. The voice of God called him, just like the Apostle Paul, and, filled with gratitude to the call of the Lord, [he] went to Him. The Lord calls many, everyone, but many are called, but few come. Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) The first lives in luxury. Lazarus [sits] at the gate of his house, sick and covered with wounds. Nobody cares about him. A rich man died and there was a solemn burial. Lazarus died - no one noticed. The soul of the rich man in hell realized that she had been preparing for him all her life. The rich man had something good [in his soul] - he thought about his brothers and loved them. [True,] he thought only about his relatives, and not about other [people], just as he never thought about Lazar, whom he always saw. The kindness of the rich is not far from the condition of an animal caring for children. The rich have no thought about God, no consciousness of responsibility before Him for their life. He was selfish and felt sorry for his brothers only because they were his brothers. Man must serve God, who loves everyone. A rich man, having everything good in life, could get heaven. Lazarus did not fall into the bosom of Abraham, the great rich man who was “boiling with wealth,” because of poverty, but because he was patient. The rich could obtain [paradise] by works of mercy. The whole point is that there is love for God, and in what way it is manifested, it makes no difference - whether it is in patience or in mercy. The rich man could not enter heaven, could not be with the righteous, because [among them] there is no one in his mood, no one close to him, he is a stranger to everyone, and everyone is a stranger to him. To the words of the rich man: If someone from the dead comes to them - his brothers, they will repent - Abraham answers in the parable: If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then even if someone were raised from the dead, they will not believe (Luke 16:30-31). This is how it happened after the resurrection of Lazarus “of four days”: the high priests decided to kill Lazarus (John 12:10). Our faith depends on our inner mood. Ten lepers (Luke 17:12–19) Leprosy is a severe contagious disease. The Old Testament gave precise rules for the behavior of the sick and their separation from the healthy. This was not an incurable disease: the rules know healing and order those healed to go to the priest, who, after examining the person, gave a certificate - in modern terms, a medical certificate - of recovery. Ten lepers met the Lord Jesus Christ and, raising their voices in a loud voice, asked: Jesus Mentor, have mercy on us. The Savior said to them: Go, show yourself to the priests. And as they walked, they purified themselves. Nine of them accepted this as a joyful natural phenomenon and continued on their way to the priests to receive a medical certificate, and only one realized that God had touched them with His mercy, and returned, praising God with a loud voice, and fell prostrate at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan, that is, he was not Orthodox, but a sectarian. The Savior says to him: go: your faith will save you. He received not only physical healing, but also spiritual salvation. Faith is not only confidence in the very existence of God and Divine life, but also the ability to recognize that life and its grace-filled manifestations. The Samaritan felt that the Lord had touched them with His grace, and, rejoicing in faith, he thanked God in a loud voice. The Lord does not need our praise, but He needs our faith, He needs a soul that rejoices when God’s grace touches it. Bulletin of Orthodox Affairs. 1961, September. No. 10 The Lord spoke a parable about how a master distributed talents to his slaves, in accordance with the abilities of each. After some time had passed, he demanded an account from them and rewarded those who had earned as much as they had received. But he subjected the one who did nothing and brought only the talent he received to severe punishment. That master is the Lord God, talents are His gifts, slaves are people. The Lord gives spiritual gifts, gives to individual people, and gives to entire nations. Before the coming of Christ, the words of God were entrusted to Israel. When Israel wavered in faith, when Judah began to fall, the prophet Baruch, a disciple of the prophet Jeremiah, cried out: This is the book of the commandments of God and the law that endures forever. All who hold on to it will live, but those who leave it will die. Turn, Jacob, and take it, walk in the brightness of its light. Do not give your glory to another, and what is useful to you - to a foreign people. Happy are we... that we know what is pleasing to God (Bar. 4:1-4). However, Israel did not remain in the covenant of God and, having rejected the Son of God, fell away from God. The Lord founded His New Testament Church, which included many former pagan nations. After the victory of Christianity over paganism, Byzantium became a special guardian of Orthodoxy, in which the Ecumenical Councils and the Holy Fathers of the Church established an accurate presentation of the dogmas of faith and Orthodox teaching. After the fall of Byzantium, the Orthodox faith was most preserved by the Russian people, who by that time had already completely absorbed it into themselves. People's life and state laws, customs - everything was based on the Orthodox faith or was consistent with it. One of the personifications of the Orthodox faith are our churches, and the entire Russian land was covered with them. The church itself is already an image of the invisible Universal Church, about which we speak in the Creed: “In one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” That is why our churches are called churches. The dome rising above the church shows us our aspiration to heaven and reminds us of the heavenly vaults under which our prayer ascends to God. It reminds us of the invisible heaven, the heavenly Kingdom of God. Churches are decorated with icons. Icons are not a simple image of a person or event. An icon is a symbol of the invisible. If we see the outer appearance of Christ and His saints, then the icon should also depict their inner appearance - their holiness. Even secular images often represent one idea or another. Take, for example, the famous monument to Peter the Great in Petrograd, where he is depicted on a horse, raising its rider high, which shows how high he raised Russia in many ways. Many other monuments reflect one idea or another. If this is so in secular art, much more should it be the same in spiritual art, where the highest, heavenly, and spiritual are depicted. An icon is not a portrait; the portrait depicts only the earthly appearance of a person, while the icon also conveys his inner state. Even if you depict only the external appearance at different moments, the images will all be different. His Beatitude Metropolitan Anastassy told how, as a student at the Theological Academy, he and his other peers were in Kronstadt at the services of the righteous Father John. And when Father John finished the liturgy, he looked brightly illuminated, like Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai. After some time, Father John received them in his cell and was like an ordinary person. Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself once showed us His Divine glory on Mount Tabor, and the rest of the time He seemed to be an ordinary person, and people wondered where He got such power and miracles. The icon should depict not only the external, but also the internal life, holiness and closeness to heaven. This is mainly conveyed in the face and its gaze, and the rest of the icon should be painted in accordance with this. All the attention of our Orthodox icon painters was directed to depicting the state of the spirit hidden under the flesh. The better this was done, the better the icon was. There were often shortcomings in the depiction of certain parts of the body, not because this was done consciously by the icon painters, but because achieving the main goal did not always allow them to pay enough attention to secondary aspects. However, even if you take ordinary photographs, especially unexpected ones, then, undoubtedly, many would show unnatural positions of human bodies, which we usually do not notice. You cannot paint an icon only depicting the external appearance of the body, but it must display invisible feats and shine heavenly glory. This can be done perfectly by someone who himself lives a spiritual life and who understands and is close to the lives of the saints. Therefore, our ancient icon painters always did this and prepared for it with fasting and prayer. The Lord gave many icons painted in this way miraculous power. Of course, every icon after consecration should be revered and should not be treated with disdain and disrespect, which is why we will refrain from discussing icons already standing in churches, but we must always strive for the best, and most importantly, not so much pay attention to the external beauty of icons as to their spirituality. Icons that clearly do not meet the requirements of Orthodox icon painting cannot be placed in churches and even sometimes in houses. Not everyone with the art and ability to write can paint an icon. Often the mood of the one who paints the icon and the desire to serve God are more important than the art of writing itself. After Peter the Great, in Russia, along with the good that was brought from the West, a new influence, alien to the Orthodox spirit, entered into Russia, to which a significant part of the educated Russian class fell, introducing many unhelpful, bad innovations into their creations. This was partially reflected in the icon painting. Instead of imitation of ancient Russian icon painters, imitation of Western artists alien to Orthodoxy began to dominate. The new images, although very beautiful, did not correspond to the spirit of icon painting. A spirit alien to Orthodoxy began to take root in Russia and gradually undermined it. The words of the prophet are now addressed to us: Do not give your glory to another, and do not give what is useful to you to a foreign people. Both in life and in church customs, we must return to those solid and pure foundations on which Russia was built and maintained. Our icon painting also reflects them. Icons for our churches should not be painted in a spirit alien to Orthodoxy. Those who claim that Orthodox icons must necessarily be painted with dark colors and with an unnatural body position think incorrectly. Ancient icons were painted with bright light colors and only later became dark from time and centuries of dust. But at the same time, we must remember that many saints were indeed dark-skinned, spending their lives in hot deserts, and that indeed many of the bodies were exhausted by many years of exploits. They were famous not for earthly, but for heavenly beauty. May they help [us] with their prayers, so that our churches will be a reflection of heavenly glory, and our flock will be united in the search for the Kingdom of God and preach the truth of Orthodoxy both with their churches and with their lives. Why are prayers for kings combined with prayers to the Life-Giving Cross? The Cross of the Lord as an instrument of our salvation began to be revered by Christians even in apostolic times. However, during the persecution of Christians, his veneration could only be secret. “Christ crucified” was a temptation for the Jews and madness for the pagans. Therefore, Christians did not openly show their veneration of the Cross, so as not to subject it to mockery. They hid the image of the cross or depicted the cross in such a way that the pagans could not guess that this drawing covertly depicts the Cross. In 312, Tsar Constantine the Great, during his campaign against Rome, saw in the sky an image of a cross with the inscription “N I K A”, that is, “conquer.” Having made a military banner in the form of a cross, Constantine entered the battle, defeated the enemy and took Rome. In memory of this victory, Tsar Constantine ordered an image of himself to be placed in Rome with a cross in his hand and the inscription: “With this saving sign I freed Rome from the tyrant.” Soon after this, the Christian profession was declared permissible by the Edict of Milan; Tsar Constantine himself set an example of veneration of the Cross, ordering to depict himself with a cross even on coins. King Constantine's vision of the cross in heaven was repeated two more times during his further campaigns, which further strengthened his veneration of the Holy Cross. At his request, his mother, St. Queen Helena took a trip to Jerusalem and there she found the Holy and Life-Giving Cross. She brought part of it to Constantinople, and the Byzantine kings, going on campaigns, took it with them, trusting in God’s help given through the Cross. That is why, in wonderful chants glorifying the Holy Cross, he was also praised for the help that Orthodox kings received through him. At the same time, the Orthodox Church, fulfilling the instructions of the Apostle Paul to pray for kings, even pagan ones, since they are defenders of order and not persecutors of the faith, has always offered a prayer to God so that the power of the cross will help the kings who trust in the Cross. Services to the Holy Cross on Wednesdays and Fridays, on which days the sufferings of Christ are remembered, and on other holidays of the Life-Giving Cross are full of such prayers. They say: “The cross of kings is a power,” “about you, most faithful, our kings boast, as through your power the Ismailtean people are powerfully punishing,” “giving victories to the pious king against the resistance, and preserving your residence through your cross,” “An honorable tree, giving victory to the king against the barbarians”... Such and similar expressions are filled with the services to the Cross. It is remarkable that many of these hymns were written by holy fathers who themselves suffered cruelly from the iconoclast kings; they did not stop praying for the kings, firmly believing that after the evil kings there would be pious kings. The Orthodox Greeks and Southern Slavs did not change those prayers, even if they were under the rule of the Turks or foreign authorities, even if they were of other faiths. What is the meaning of praying for kings in prayers to the Holy Cross when a nation does not have its own Orthodox king? Firstly, Orthodox peoples must pray not only for their sovereigns, but as members of one body - the Church - also for other Orthodox sovereigns. Greeks, Serbs, Bulgarians and Romanians enslaved by the Turks prayed for the then only Orthodox Russian Tsar. It is the duty of Russians to pray not only for their own people, but also for their sovereigns, especially since the Russian refugees living in their countries enjoyed their protection. Secondly, when offering prayers for kings, we pray not only for current kings, but also for future Orthodox kings, for, according to the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom, Orthodox rulers will hold power until the coming of the Antichrist, restraining the spread of evil. This is why the Orthodox Church never ceases to pray: “the blessed king grants victory to those who resist.” These words are found in the prayer to the Life-giving Cross, which is especially often used, since it is a troparion, that is, a kind of hymn, for the days of the Holy Cross. The first words of that prayer are verse 9 of David's 27th Psalm, and the words that follow are taken from Psalm 143, written by David regarding the fight against Goliath. It was first composed as a sedalion of the 1st tone of the Osmoglasnik (Octoechos) for singing on Wednesdays and Fridays between the readings of the Kathisma of the Psalter. Then it began to be used also as a troparion of those days, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and other days dedicated to the Holy Cross. It is also read at the beginning of every daily Matins, sung at the small blessing of water and on many other occasions. In Russia and in some other Slavic countries, the name of the reigning sovereign was also inserted into that prayer, but its main content always remained unchanged and the original text, the one that the holy fathers wrote: “Save, Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories to the faithful king against the resistance, and preserving Thy residence through Thy Cross.” Will human bones come to life? There was no limit to the sorrow and despondency of the ancient Jews when Jerusalem was destroyed and they themselves were taken into Babylonian slavery. Where is the essence of Thy mercy, O Lord, in the image in which Thou didst swear to David? (Ps. 89:50), they cried. Now he has rejected you and put us to shame... those who hate us have spoiled themselves... and you have scattered us among the nations (Ps. 43:10-12). But when there seemed to be no hope of salvation, the prophet Ezekiel, who was also in captivity, was awarded a wondrous vision. The hand of the Lord was upon me (Ezek. 37:1), he says. The invisible right hand of the Lord placed him in the middle of a field full of human bones. And the Lord asked him: Son of man, will these bones live? Lord God, You weigh this, answers the prophet (Ezek. 37:3). Then the voice of the Lord commanded the prophet to tell the bones that the Lord would give them the spirit of life, clothing them with veins, flesh and skin. The prophet spoke the word of the Lord, a voice was heard, the earth shook, and the bones began to copulate, bone to bone, each with its own composition, veins appeared on them, the flesh grew and became covered with skin, so that the whole field became full of human bodies, only there was no soul in them. The prophet hears the Lord again and, at His command, prophesies the word of the Lord, and souls fly from four countries, the spirit of life enters their bodies, they stand up, and the field is filled with a gathering of many people. And the Lord said: Son of man, these are the bones of the whole house of Israel... they say: ... our hope is destroyed by destruction... Behold, I will open your graves and bring you out of your graves, O people, and will put My spirit in you, and you will live, and I will establish you in your lands (Ezek. 37:11-14). Thus the Lord God revealed to Ezekiel that His promises are unshakable and that what seems impossible to the human mind is accomplished by the power of God. That vision meant that Israel, freed from captivity, would return to its land; in the highest sense, it indicated the entry of spiritual Israel into the eternal Heavenly Kingdom of Christ. At the same time, the future general resurrection of all the dead was also represented here. Therefore, this prophecy of Ezekiel is read at Matins on Holy Saturday, when by His death Christ, having crushed the gates of death, opens the tombs of all the dead. Belief in the resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen, and if Christ is not risen... your faith is also in vain (1 Cor. 15:13–14). If there is no resurrection, all Christian teaching is false. That is why the enemies of Christianity fight so hard against the belief in the resurrection and why the Church of Christ affirms the belief in the resurrection. More than once the waves of unbelief rose high, but rolled back before new signs that revealed the reality of the resurrection, the revival of life recognized by God for the dead. In the 5th century, during the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger, doubt about the resurrection of the dead began to spread strongly, so that even among the churches there were disputes about it. And just at that time a wonderful event occurred, the authenticity of which is confirmed by a number of historical records. Back in the middle of the 3rd century, during the reign of Emperor Decius (249–251), by his order, seven youths were buried with stones in a cave near the city of Ephesus. The son of the mayor of Ephesus, Maximilian, and his six friends - Jamblichus, Dionysius, John, Antoninus, Martinian and Exacustodian - confessed themselves to be Christians and refused to sacrifice to idols. Then taking advantage of the time given to them for reflection, and the temporary departure of the emperor, they left Ephesus and hid in one of the caves in the surrounding mountains. When Decius returned, having learned about this, he ordered the entrance to the cave to be covered with stones so that the youths, deprived of food and air flow, would be buried alive there. When Decius' order was carried out, two secret Christians, Theodore and Rufinus, wrote down that event on tin boards, which were hidden between the stones at the entrance to the cave. The youths who were in the cave, however, did not know what had happened. The day before, having learned about the arrival in the city of Decius and having prayed fervently to God, they fell into a deep, extraordinary sleep that lasted about 172 years. They awakened only during the reign of Theodosius the Younger, just when there were disputes about the resurrection. At that time, the then owner of that place dismantled the stones blocking the entrance to the cave and used them for construction, completely unaware that there were children in the cave, whom everyone had long since forgotten. The awakened youths thought that they had slept for one night, since they did not notice any changes in the cave and they themselves did not change at all. One of them, the youngest, Jamblichus, who had previously gone to the city for food, having prayed with his friends to God, went to Ephesus to find out if they were wanted and to buy food for himself. He was amazed at the change, seeing churches that did not exist just yesterday, as it seemed to him, and hearing the openly pronounced name of Christ. Thinking that he had ended up in another city by mistake, he nevertheless decided to buy bread here, but when he gave a coin for the bread, the grain merchant began to examine it closely and asked where he had found the treasure. In vain did Jamblichus insist that he had not found the treasure and that he had received the money from his parents; People began to flock in and wanted to find out where he had found the old money. Jamblichus named the names of his parents and friends, no one knew them, and finally Jamblichus heard from those gathered that he was really in Ephesus, but Emperor Decius had long been gone, the Christ-loving Theodosius reigned. The mayor and the bishop heard about the incident, and to check the words of Jamblichus, together with him they went to the cave, where they found the six other youths, and at the entrance to the cave they found tin boards and from them they learned when and how the youths ended up in the cave. The mayor immediately informed the king about all this, who personally arrived in Ephesus and talked with the youths. During one of the conversations, they bowed their heads and fell asleep in eternal sleep. The king wanted to transfer them to the capital, but the youths who appeared to him in a dream commanded him to bury them in a cave, where they had been sleeping in a wondrous sleep for many years. This was done, and for many centuries their relics rested in that cave; the 12th-century Russian pilgrim Anthony describes how he worshiped them. That miraculous awakening of the youths was then accepted as a prototype and confirmation of the resurrection. The news spread everywhere - several contemporaries-historians mention it, it was discussed at the Third Ecumenical Council that soon took place in that city. That amazing miracle then strengthened faith in the resurrection. The power of God clearly manifested itself, preserving the bodies and garments of the youths incorruptible for many years. Just as the Lord raised them from sleep, so He will gather the bones and raise up the dead, according to the vision of the prophet Ezekiel. That prophecy, foreshadowing not only the resurrection of the dead, but also the preservation from death of the people who keep God’s law, was just as clearly fulfilled over the Russian land. At the beginning of the 17th century, after the end of the reigning family, hard times set in in Rus'. The Russian land was left without power, torn apart by internal turmoil, and was attacked by surrounding peoples, who captured many Russian regions and even the heart of Russia, Moscow. The Russian people became faint-hearted, lost hope that the Russian kingdom would exist, many sought favors from foreign sovereigns, others pestered various impostors and thieves posing as princes. When it seemed that Rus' no longer existed, and only a few still hoped for its salvation, the last call of Patriarch Hermogen, who was killed there, was heard from the dungeon of the Chudov Monastery. His letter with a message from Archimandrite Dionysius of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and cellarer Abraham Palitsyn reached Nizhny Novgorod. In it, the Russian people were called upon to defend the Moscow shrines and the House of the Mother of God. The certificate stirred hearts, and citizen Kosma Minin, from the porch of the cathedral, addressed his fellow citizens with a fiery appeal to give everything for the Fatherland. Donations immediately poured in and a militia began to gather. The valiant governor, Prince Dimitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, who had barely recovered from his wounds, was called to lead him. But, realizing the weakness of human strength, the Russian people gave themselves under the protection of the Chosen Voivode and, as the greatest treasure, they took into the army from Kazan that miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which the holy Patriarch Hermogenes had once lifted from the ground there, while he was still presbyter Ermolai. The Russian militia moved, relying not on their own weak strength, but on the almighty help of God. And indeed, something happened that no effort could do until now. In a short time, Moscow was liberated, and on the current day of remembrance of the seven youths of Ephesus, the Russian militia entered the Kremlin in a solemn procession of the cross, from where another procession of the cross came towards them with the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which remained in the captive city. The Russian land was cleared of enemies and impostors, the Russian kingdom was restored, and young Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov ascended to the throne. Rus' was resurrected, its wounds were healed, and it went from glory to glory. The Kazan image of the Mother of God, with which Moscow and with it the entire Russian land were liberated, became the greatest shrine of the entire Russian people. His copies, placed in the capital city of Moscow, and then in the new royal city of St. Peter, were also famous for their many miracles. Kazan icons of the Mother of God were in every city, village and almost every house, and the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was celebrated throughout Russia as a great holiday. Now the Russian land is again shaken to its foundations, the waves of unbelief rise high. Grief covers the hearts, and in adversity the Russian people, like the captive Israelites, are ready to cry out: Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, we are killed (Ezek. 37:11). But the memory of the seven youths who arose from sleep, together with the meeting of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, speaks of the almighty right hand of God, and the verb of the prophet Ezekiel from the depths of the centuries thunders with the voice of the Lord: Behold, I will open your graves and bring you out of your graves, My people... and I will set you on your land, and you will know that I am the Lord: I will speak and create, says Adonai Lord! (Ezek. 37:12–14). I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century 544 Our grief for our dying loved ones should have been inconsolable and boundless if the Lord had not given us eternal life. Our life would be meaningless if it ended with death. What is the use then of virtue, of good deeds? Those who say then are right: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die! (1 Cor. 15:32). But man was created for immortality, and with His Resurrection Christ opened the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom, eternal bliss, to those who believed in Him and lived righteously. Our earthly life is a preparation for the future, and with our death that preparation ends. “Man must die once, but after this the judgment” [Heb. 9:27; lane St. John]. Then a person leaves all his earthly cares, the body disintegrates in order to rise again in the general resurrection. But his soul continues to live and does not cease to exist for a moment. Many manifestations of the dead have given us some knowledge of what happens to the soul when it leaves the body. When her vision with her bodily eyes ceases, then her spiritual vision opens. Often it begins in dying people even before death, and they, while still seeing those around them and even talking to them, see what others do not see. Having left the body, the soul finds itself among other spirits, good and evil. Usually she strives for those who are more akin to [her] in spirit, and if, while in the body, she was under the influence of some, then she remains dependent on them even after leaving the body, no matter how unpleasant they may be upon meeting. For two days the soul enjoys relative freedom, can visit places on earth that it loves, and on the third day it goes to other spaces. Moreover, she passes through hordes of evil spirits, blocking her path and accusing her of various sins to which they themselves tempted her. According to revelations, there are twenty such obstacles, the so-called ordeals, at each of them one or another type of sin is tested; Having passed through one, the soul finds itself on the next, and only having safely passed through everything can the soul continue its path, and not be immediately cast into Gehenna. How terrible those demons and their ordeals are is shown by the fact that the Mother of God Herself, informed by the Archangel Gabriel of her impending death, prayed to Her Son to deliver Her from those demons, and, fulfilling Her prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared from Heaven to receive the soul of His Most Pure Mother and ascend to heaven. The third day is terrible for the soul of the deceased, and therefore it especially needs prayer for it then. Having safely passed through the ordeal and worshiped God, the soul spends another thirty-seven days visiting the villages of heaven and the abysses of hell, not yet knowing where it will end up, and only on the fortieth day is its place determined before the resurrection of the dead. Some souls are in a state of anticipation of eternal joy and bliss, while others are in fear of eternal torment, which will completely come after the Last Judgment. Until then, changes in the state of souls are still possible, especially through the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for them (commemoration at the liturgy), as well as through other prayers. How important the commemoration during the liturgy is is shown by the following event. Before the opening of the relics of St. Theodosius of Chernigov (1896), the priest who was performing the redressing of the relics, exhausted, sitting near the relics, dozed off and saw the saint in front of him, who said to him: “I thank you for working for me. I also ask you, when you celebrate the Liturgy, remember my parents” and who named their names (Priest Nikita and Maria). “How do you, saint, ask me for prayers, when you yourself stand at the Throne of Heaven and give people the mercies of God?” - asked the priest. “Yes, that’s true,” answered St. Theodosius, “but the offering at the liturgy is stronger than my prayer.” Therefore, memorial services, home prayers for the deceased, and good deeds done in their memory, such as alms and donations to the church, are useful for the deceased, but commemoration at the Divine Liturgy is especially useful for them. There were many apparitions of the dead and other events confirming how beneficial the commemoration of the dead is. Many who died with repentance, but did not have time to show it during their lifetime, were freed from torment and received peace. In church, prayers are always offered for the repose of the departed, and even on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, in the kneeling prayers at Vespers there is a special prayer “for those held in hell.” Each of us, wanting to show our love for the departed and provide them with real help, can best do this through prayer for them, especially by remembering them at the liturgy, when the particles taken out for the living and the departed are lowered into the Blood of the Lord with the words: “Wash away, Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Your Honest Blood, by the prayers of Your saints.” We cannot do anything better or more for the departed than to pray for them, offering commemoration for them at the liturgy. They always need this, and especially in those forty days in which the soul of the deceased makes its way to the eternal abodes. Then the body does not feel anything, does not see loved ones gathered, does not smell the fragrance of flowers, does not hear funeral speeches. But the soul feels the prayers offered for it, is grateful to those who create them, and is spiritually close to them. Relatives and friends of the deceased! Do for them what they need and what you can. Spend money not on external decorations of the coffin and grave, but on helping those in need in memory of deceased loved ones, on churches where prayers are offered for them. Show mercy to the deceased, take care of his soul. We all have that path ahead of us; How then we will wish to be remembered in prayer! Let us ourselves be merciful to those who have bitten. As soon as someone dies, immediately call or notify the priest to read the “Sequence on the Exodus of the Soul,” which is supposed to be read over all Orthodox Christians immediately after their death. Try to ensure that, if possible, the funeral service takes place in the church and that before the funeral the Psalter is read over the deceased. The funeral service may not be performed magnificently, but it must be performed completely, without reduction; then think not about yourself and your comforts, but about the deceased, to whom you are saying goodbye forever. If there are several dead people in the church at the same time, do not refuse to have a funeral service for them together. It is better to have the funeral service for two or more dead people at once, and let the prayer of all their loved ones gathered be even more fervent, than to have the funeral service for them in turn and, not having the strength and time, to shorten the service, when every word of prayer for the deceased is like a drop of water to a thirsty person. Be sure to immediately take care of performing the sorokoust, that is, daily commemoration for 40 days at the liturgy. Usually in churches where daily sacred services take place, the dead there are remembered for forty days or more. If the funeral service is held in a church where there is no daily service, loved ones should take care of it themselves and order the magpie where there is a daily service. It is also good to send for commemoration to monasteries and to Jerusalem, where there is constant prayer at holy places. But you need to start commemoration immediately after death, when the soul especially needs prayer help, and therefore begin the commemoration in the nearest place where the daily service is held. Let us take care of those who go to another world before us, so that we can do everything we can for them, remembering that the blessings of mercy are that they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). Glorification of the holy saints of God Holiness is not just righteousness, for which the righteous are rewarded with the pleasure of bliss in the Kingdom of God, but such a height of righteousness that people are so filled with the grace of God that it flows from them to those who communicate with them. Great is their bliss, which comes from beholding the glory of God. Being filled with love for people, which comes from love for God, they are responsive to people’s needs and their prayers and are intercessors and representatives for them before God. These were, first of all, the Old Testament righteous, freed from hell by Christ and introduced into heaven, and the greatest of those born of women, John the Baptist (see: Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). This then became the apostles and their immediate successors. None of the Christians doubted their holiness, and after their death, mostly martyrdom, they immediately began to be revered and called upon in prayers. During the high spiritual upsurge in the first centuries of persecution of Christians, martyrs also appeared as such. The martyrdom itself was the door to the highest monasteries, and Christians immediately began to call them as holy saints of God. Miracles and signs confirmed this faith of Christians and were proof of their holiness. Then the great ascetics began to be revered. No one decided to honor Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Nicholas the Wonderworker and many others like them as saints, but the East and the West equally honor them; only those who do not believe in holiness can deny their holiness. The host of God's saints grew continually in all the places where there were Christians, and their own new ascetics appeared. However, the general life of Christians began to decline, spiritual fire began to dim, and there was no longer that clear feeling that there is Divine truth. Therefore, the common consciousness of believers could not always determine who the real righteous and saint of God is. In some places, dubious personalities appeared who captivated part of the flock with imaginary exploits. Therefore, the church authorities began to monitor the veneration of saints, taking care to protect their flock from superstition. They began to investigate the lives of the ascetics revered by believers and check the legends about their miracles. By the time of the baptism of Rus', it had already been established that the recognition of a new saint was carried out by church authorities. The decree of the church authorities, of course, extended to the region under its jurisdiction, however, other places usually recognized the glorification performed somewhere, even if they did not include it in their monthly calendars. After all, church authority only testified to holiness. The righteous became saints not by the decree of earthly church authority, but by the mercy and grace of God. The church authorities only approved the praise in church and the prayerful invocation of the new saint. What authority should and could do this was not precisely determined, at least the episcopal authority. There were glorifications performed by the highest ecclesiastical authority of the entire Local Church; the names of the newly glorified were then included in the church calendars of that entire Church; others were glorified in one area or another, and their veneration gradually spread to other places. Usually the glorification took place in the area where the ascetic lived or suffered. But it also happened differently. Thus, a young man from the city of Kratov (Serbia), George, who suffered in Sofia (Sredets, Bulgaria) from the Turks in 1515, was already glorified in Novgorod 14 years later. Despite the fact that his fellow citizens revered him as a new martyr and even his confessor compiled a church service, they did not dare to show this openly, fearing the Turks, and therefore in Novgorod, which was in trade relations with those places, by order of the archbishop, a service was compiled and the memory of the martyr George the New began to be venerated, from where it spread throughout Russia. When Serbia and Bulgaria freed themselves from the slavery of the Turks, they began to use the service compiled in Russia, and the one originally compiled in Sofia is still the property of the library. For the last two centuries, when Russia lived in glory and prosperity, the glorification of new saints was usually performed very solemnly by decree of the highest authority, sometimes (but not always) taking place throughout Russia, and especially in the area where miraculous relics were found. However, this does not change the general order in the Church, and if the Russian people, under the yoke of a godless government, cannot openly praise and call upon the glorified saint of God, it is the duty of the part of the Russian Church free from the oppression of atheists to publicly honor and call on a wonderworker like St. Nicholas, now revered throughout the world, and to pray to the holy righteous John [of Kronstadt] for the correction of our lives and for the end of the disasters that have befallen according to his prophecy, the Fatherland is ours. May the Lord grant that that longed-for day will come when it will thunder from the Carpathians to the Pacific Ocean: “We magnify you, righteous Father John, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us, Christ our God!” 545 The Paralytic, the Samaritan Woman and the Man Born Blind Before ending today's service, I want to draw your attention to three gospel events remembered on the Sundays between the Week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women and the Ascension. In one the Gospel is read about Christ's healing of the paralytic, in another - about a conversation with a Samaritan woman, in the third - about the granting of sight to a man born blind. Three were honored to talk with Christ and accept His gift: one was healing from a long-term illness, the other was the resolution of issues that she herself could not resolve, the third was bodily vision. But their future fate is different. Historical monuments are silent about the former paralytic, but Tradition, which can be trusted, tells us that he was the one who later, as a bishop’s servant, hit Christ on the cheek during interrogation by the high priest. It is known about the Samaritan woman that she believed in Christ and many years later, during the persecution of Nero, she suffered with her sisters and sons. The Church still commemorates her - the martyr Photinia. And about the healed man born blind, the Gospel itself tells that as soon as he confessed Christ, he was immediately expelled by the Pharisees. So the paralytic, after being healed of a temporary illness, inherited eternal death; Samaritan Photinia, having been honored to speak with Christ, lived for a long time in peace and honor among her fellow citizens, only after many years testifying to her faith with her blood, and the former blind man, immediately after receiving the benefit, suffered persecution for loyalty to his benefactor. But his reward is also great: Christ Himself seeks him and, having found him, opens his spiritual eyes and calls him to follow the path leading to the Higher Kingdom. Let's remember these three examples. Having received any gift from God, be it spiritual or earthly, let us use it usefully to inherit eternal salvation. Let us remember that if we do not use it worthily, we will move away from God and lose eternal life. Let us follow Christ’s teaching, and if we have to suffer for it, Christ Himself will come to support and strengthen us, just as He came to strengthen and enlighten the man born blind who was healed by Him and persecuted by unfaithful compatriots. Amen. Usually, listening to church hymns in which the saints of God are glorified, remembered by the Church, we hear men's names. But today the memory of two saints of God, or rather, saints, is celebrated - both holy names glorified today are female. The Holy Great Martyr Euphemia and the Holy Blessed Princess Olga - both received one more name: St. Euphemia is called “All Praise”, and St. Olga was called by her contemporaries “the wisest of wives.” Saint Euphemia was martyred during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian, and her death and suffering are remembered on September 16th. And today her memory is celebrated on the occasion of one miracle that took place during the IV Ecumenical Council. The Fourth Ecumenical Council had to decide who was right - those who believe that Christ was God and man, the God-man, or those who claim that in Christ the Divinity completely swallowed up humanity, so that even His sufferings were only apparent. When representatives of the Orthodox, led by Saints Anatoly of Constantinople and Juvenal of Jerusalem, proved with many arguments from Holy Scripture and Tradition that Christ is the God-man, then, wanting to receive God’s special indication of where the correct faith is, they wrote two confessions of faith - Orthodox and Monophysite. Both of them were placed in a shrine with the relics of St. Euphemia, who were in the church where the meetings of the IV Ecumenical Council took place. The shrine was enclosed, the church was locked, so that no one could enter it, and when three days later they unlocked the church and opened the shrine, the Orthodox confession lay on the chest of the saint. Euphemia, and the Monophysite was under her feet and she seemed to trample on it. After such a clear indication from God, what we still confess today was finally established: that Christ is the God-man, and the Monophysite faith was condemned. St. Euphemia then received the name “limit of the holy fathers” [see. Kontakion of St. Martyr Euphemia], “affirmation of the Orthodox faith.” Several hundred years have passed since this miracle. The Russian Grand Duchess Olga converted to Christianity and received the name Elena at baptism. She wanted to baptize all of Rus', many followed her example, but she failed to fully realize her desire, and even her son, the stern Svyatoslav, remained a pagan. But her grandson Vladimir decided to change his faith. When he began to lean towards Orthodoxy, he called his boyars and governors to a meeting to make a final decision. After many arguments given in favor of accepting Orthodoxy from Constantinople, the boyars said: “If this faith were not good, Olga, the wisest of wives, would not have accepted it.” This argument was so convincing that the question of accepting the faith was resolved. What Olga could not do during life, she did after death. Her memory as a saint began to be glorified throughout Rus' on the day of her death, July 11, along with St. Euphemia, by whom the relics were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople. Centuries have passed. Gentiles took Constantinople, and Moscow became the capital of Orthodoxy. As if to commemorate this, by God’s favor, the unsewn tunic of Christ was transferred to Moscow under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, who, by the way, was born on this very day. Once upon a time, the Second Rome - Constantinople - had, as protection, the most precious shrines - the robe and belt of the Mother of God. It is known that the first Russian Christian princes Askold and Dir were baptized after they experienced a miracle during the campaign against Constantinople: when the robe of the Mother of God was lowered into the sea by the patriarch, a terrible storm arose that scattered the Russian ships, and the Russian governors and soldiers thrown ashore were baptized, amazed by this miracle. But it was not the robe of the Mother of God that was transferred to Moscow, but the unsewn tunic of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Third Rome led all Orthodox nations, began to liberate the Orthodox East from the Gentiles, and it seemed that the complete end of their power was close. But at the decisive moment, Russia itself fell under the even more terrible slavery of communism. In the enslaved Second Rome (Constantinople), even if they do not dare to organize religious processions and generally openly express signs of veneration of the Orthodox faith, they can, although in their churches, freely offer praises and prayers to God, even prayers for the blessed kings, since the Greeks did not change the text of the prayers containing such petitions. Today, a cancer with the relics of St. is placed in the middle of the Church of the Constantinople Patriarchate. Euphemia with a Slavic inscription that this cancer is a gift from Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg. This inscription seems to indicate that the Russian people, with their prayers, invisibly stand before the relics of St. Euphemia. And where the relics of St. Olga, churches are being taken away and turned into cinemas, museums and theaters; the remaining churches, with the support of the authorities, are invaded by the living churchmen and self-sanctifiers. The godless government wants to enslave both soul and body, controlling even what is done in the churches. But the miracles performed after death by Saints Euphemia and Olga give us hope that even now they intercede for the Orthodox. Let us end our prayer today with the petition found in the kontakion of St. Euphemia: “And now, like heresies, subdue the staggering enemies under the feet of the Orthodox kings.” Amen. Venerable Seraphim of Sarov “In the middle of summer they will sing Easter,” it was once said in Sarov. 70 years passed after the death of the one who spoke these words, and on July 19, 1903, all of Rus' resounded with songs of praise glorifying God and His saint. Indeed, all of Rus' rejoiced then, as on Easter Day, even more. Then terrible days came for Russia, but the memory of St. Seraphim did not die or weaken. Russian people also flock to him, glorifying him both in his tormented homeland and in all corners of the world where they are scattered. Other nations are beginning to become acquainted with the life of St. Seraphim; his biography is translated into different languages, causing not only admiration, but also the desire of many to apply in their lives the lessons given to us by the life of St. Seraphim. So, despite all the changes taking place in the world, the memory of St. Seraphim not only does not fade, but remains a lamp, shining ever brighter for humanity. The same thing happened in the days of his earthly life. Cities collapsed, kingdoms were restored, Napoleon went to Russia with 12 nations, and then Napoleon left it in disgrace, Moscow burned and again rose from the ashes, the Decembrists staged an uprising and were tried, but these events seemed to not concern St. Seraphim. He was all busy achieving “the only thing needed”, working on “his spiritual growth.” “An egoist, closed in on himself,” “an ignorant person who is not interested in anything except what concerns him personally” - this is what many thinkers would say about him, who do not want to see the slightest benefit in the feats of self-improvement. But then the monk Seraphim dies. It would seem that the image of this old man, who so persistently ran away from the world, should now be completely erased from people’s memory. But a whole pilgrimage to his tomb begins, in all parts of Russia those who resort to him receive help, consolation and edification, and his veneration begins to spread among other nations. What is the power of St. Seraphim? What is his feat? He strove to fulfill the commandment of Christ: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48); he worked to restore in himself the original image of man, which was subsequently damaged by sin. The Monk Seraphim achieved his goal: he conquered sin and became a saint, truly becoming in the likeness of God. We cannot see the invisible God. But the Lord allows us to see Himself in His likeness, in His saints. And one of these similarities became the Monk Seraphim. In him we see restored human nature, freed from slavery to sin. He is the incarnate personification of the victory of the eternal over the transitory, holiness over sin, good over evil. St. Seraphim encourages everyone by his example to follow the path indicated by Christ. He calls to fight sin and one’s shortcomings, being himself a beacon and lamp for all those seeking salvation. The Monk Seraphim calls to seek the highest good, the spiritual fruit, about which the Apostle Paul said: The spiritual fruit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control. But for this it is necessary to crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts (Gal. 5:22–24). The path to the Heavenly Kingdom is difficult, for sin has taken possession of human nature and corrupted it. Each of us has personal sins. There are also social sins in which the entire people are guilty. Thus, the entire Russian people are sinful in that they abandoned the pious life and customs of their ancestors, began to accept and seek what was alien to them, unorthodox, that they believed the slander spread about the anointed of God, and allowed first to tear off the crown, and then to destroy with the whole family their pious king, who was the first to fall to the illustrious relics of St. Seraphim. St. Seraphim calls everyone to repentance and to the correction of life, both personal and social. Although this path is difficult, the saint of God will help you walk it. St. Seraphim is a beacon and lamp on this path; he is also an assistant. Through the prayers of Your reverend Father Seraphim, Lord, grant repentance and victory over sin to us sinners, and lead us into Your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen. What a joyful cry of gratitude will burst from the lips of people who have been sitting in a dark cave from birth and deprived of light, when someone, having dissolved their gloomy home, pours the life-giving rays of the sun into it and then leads them to freedom! We should feel the same feeling of gratitude towards the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius. “To those who sit in the land and the shadow of death” (see: Ps. 106:10) of paganism to the Slavic tribes, they brought the light of the true faith of Christ. They announced it to those who did not know about the Kingdom of Heaven and showed the way to it. They turned the servants of false pagan gods into servants of the true God! They taught those who lived in wickedness and rude morals to love goodness and truth, showed them the superiority of virtue, “purified their feelings” and made them pious and moral. They freed those who were under the power of sin and vices from the snares of the devil, revived them through holy baptism and taught them a new life for the glory of God. At the same time, they compiled an alphabet for the ignorant and half-wild Slavs, gave them literacy and, having taught them to use writing, laid the foundation for their mental enlightenment. The success of the Slavs in all areas of life begins with Saints Cyril and Methodius. Former semi-robber tribes are turning into great nations and creating strong states imbued with the spirit of Christianity. So, wherever we look, wherever the light shines among the Slavs and good is done, we see traces of the labors of Saints Methodius and Cyril. Let us look at the spiritual sky - there is a numerous host of holy saints of God who labored in the Slavic countries. These are the fruits of the seeds sown by the holy brothers. Let's look at the earth - we will see the glorious Slavic powers, the history of the Slavic peoples full of exploits, the achievements of the Slavs in the field of science and the arts. For this we should be grateful to our same holy First Teachers. And therefore, on the day of their memory, it is our duty to glorify them and exclaim to them with gratitude: “Glory to you, holy brothers, enlighteners of the Slavs!” Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius Go therefore and teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), Christ commanded the disciples, appearing to them after His Resurrection from the dead. Fulfilling that command of the Lord, the apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, dispersed to different countries, everywhere preaching about Christ, His life, teaching and Resurrection. Almost all the then famous countries were visited by the apostles. In the far West they preached: St. the apostle Simon the Canaanite, also called a Zealot (zealot), in Britain, and James Zebedee, brother of John the Theologian, in Spain. In Rome, the holy apostles Peter and Paul instilled the faith, where they completed their apostolic feat with martyrdom; and before that St. the Apostle Peter preached in Judea and Antioch the Great, and St. Paul traveled around, preaching the gospel of Christ, throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece. In Asia Minor and on the adjacent islands, the beloved disciple of Christ, St., spent the last years of his earthly life. John the Theologian, who wrote his Gospel and Revelation there, St. suffered there. Apostle Philip, who had previously traveled around Ethiopia and Arabia. St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called visited the countries of the future Russia, visiting the North Caucasus, sailing along the entire Dnieper, erecting a cross on the Kiev mountains and reaching Veliky Novgorod, and then preached in the Balkans, installed the first bishop of Byzantium and ended his life in Greece. The evangelists Matthew and Mark enlightened African countries, and the Apostle Simon the Zealot, who completed his apostolic labors in the North Caucasus, near Sukhum, also visited some of them. The Apostle Thaddeus preached in Mesopotamia, and Bartholomew preached in Armenia, who also visited Northern India. And great India, after preaching in Greece, was visited by St. the Apostle Thomas, who reached the distant eastern borders and visited China. So their message went out to the whole earth and to the ends of the world their words (Ps. 18:5; Rom. 10:18), and from the east of the sun to the west (Ps. 49:1) the name of the Lord was praised. In the centuries that followed, new nationalities were formed, young strong tribes replaced the ancient peoples who had disappeared into the realm of history. Being still in infancy and living the life of primitive peoples, they could not immediately perceive all the achievements of their predecessors and feed on the fruits they had already grown. Many treasures of the ancient world were destroyed, the value of which was incomprehensible to almost savages. But among those treasures there was one priceless bead, which could only be hidden in the ground for a while. This was the faith of Christ, the spiritual food by which man lives. The abundant fruits of high theology, which grew from the apostolic preaching, were inaccessible and indigestible for the degree of spiritual development at which the infant nations stood. For them, apostolic preaching was again needed, the seeds of the Gospel had to be sowed again. The Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Methodius and Cyril appeared as such sowers and apostles for the Slavic tribes and peoples, who continued the work of Christ’s apostles. In the 9th century, the Slavs occupied vast areas of Eastern and Central Europe, in the south they approached almost Constantinople and Thessaloniki, and in the west they even occupied what is now Northern Italy and a significant part of Germany. But, living on the land through which St. passed. Andrew the First-Called, they could not take advantage of the fruits of his preaching, forming a completely new population for those countries, speaking their own language and living their own customs and views. The faith of Christ was alien to their consciousness, although their heart was a good field for the seed of Christ's teaching. Workers were needed, and the Lord called and sent them, like once the twelve, and then the seventy apostles. Just as, when choosing twelve apostles, Christ was the first to call two pairs - the brothers Simon and Andrew, James and John, just as the brothers Matthew Levi and James Alpheus were also among the twelve, so two brothers - Methodius and Constantine, in the schema Cyril - became the apostles of the Slavs. Being the sons of a noble nobleman from Thessaloniki, from childhood they became acquainted with the Slavs, their language, customs and beliefs. Having received an excellent education, Methodius was appointed governor in one of the regions inhabited by the Slavs, and Constantine devoted himself entirely to science and, having been educated in Constantinople along with Tsar Michael III, became a librarian at the Church of St. Sofia, where the best works from all fields of science were concentrated. The brothers despised and abandoned all this for the sake of the cause of Christ. Methodius left his high position and the world, became a monk, also accepted monasticism and the priesthood of Constantine, and both brothers were ready to serve where the finger of God pointed. Their knowledge and talents received from God were soon needed to preach the Christian faith in different countries. First they were sent to the Saracens, who at that time took possession of Syria and lived near the Euphrates River. They were ardent followers of Mohammed and exalted his teachings over Christian ones. However, in many debates, Saints Constantine and Methodius refuted all their arguments and showed the insignificance of the Mohammedan faith, so that, being defeated by a word, the Saracen teachers wanted to poison the holy brothers, but were unable to do so. Soon after their return to Constantinople, they were supposed to head to Tauride Chersonesus, where Sevastopol is now located, and then the Khazars lived who professed the Jewish faith. There they found the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, disciple of St. Apostle Peter, exiled to Chersonesus for forced labor, and then drowned in the sea for preaching Christianity. Having now continued the work he had begun, the holy brothers not only preached the word of God in that city, the future font of the enlightener of Rus', St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, but also visited the surrounding northern countries inhabited by the Khazars. They had disputes with the Judaizers and in them clearly and irrefutably showed the superiority of the New Testament over the Old and that the Old Testament was only a prelude to the New. Having defeated the Judaizers, as well as the Mohammedans, as well as the pagans who lived there and baptized many Khazars, Methodius and Constantine returned to Constantinople, taking with them part of the relics of St. Clement. After a short time, they faced the third apostolic feat, which forever shone them with unfading glory. An embassy arrived from the Slavic Moravian prince Rostislav with a request to send preachers of the faith of Christ speaking their language. At that time, the Slavic tribes began to become acquainted with Christianity, but the Greek and Latin languages ​​were incomprehensible to them. Now a wide door had opened before the brothers for preaching the Gospel of Christ, for numerous Slavic tribes were still in paganism and complete ignorance. They did not even have their own written language, and, despite many good spiritual qualities, they were a monster for Christian peoples, being able to destroy everything that stood in their way. The preachers sent to them needed to regenerate them in order to bring them into the bosom of Christ’s Church and the family of Christian nations. That's what the holy brothers did. Realizing the responsibility and difficulty of the divine work they were beginning, they prepared for it by fasting for forty days. Then, after fervent prayer, Constantine compiled the Slavic alphabet, taking the Greek alphabet of 24 letters as a basis and adding 14 letters from other alphabets, since the Slavic language had more sounds than Greek. Immediately then, with the help of Methodius and his disciples - Clement, Naum, Gorazd, Sava, Angelar and others, he began to translate the Holy Scripture into Slavic, starting with the Gospel of John. On May 11, for the first time, it was written in Slavic: From the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word. From that day on, written Slavic speech began to flow and the beginning was laid for the mental enlightenment of the Slavs, Slavic writing and education. Having translated the most important passages from the Holy Scriptures and some liturgical books, the brothers headed to Moravia and, preaching in their native Slavic language, converted many to the Orthodox Christian faith. Slandered by their enemies for preaching false teachings, to justify themselves they had to go to Rome, where they took part of the relics of St. Clement, where Constantine fell ill and died, taking the schema with the name Cyril and bequeathing his brother to continue their work. St. Methodius, consecrated Archbishop of Moravia, returned to Moravia and established the Church there, and after his death his disciples, arriving in Bulgaria and Serbia, spread Orthodoxy there. Since then, the degeneration of the Slavic peoples began. After 100 years, Russia was also baptized, taking advantage of the works of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Grand Duke Vladimir was baptized in the same Chersonese, or Korsun, in which they preached, and from there he brought to Kyiv the chapter from the relics of St. Clement, Pope of Rome, to establish faith in the newly enlightened mother of Russian cities and the whole country. At the same time, Slavic liturgical books were brought, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. The priests who arrived from the South Slavic countries were immediately able to perform divine services in the Slavic language native to the Russian people and explain the truths of the faith in an understandable dialect, especially since at that time the difference between individual Slavic dialects was very insignificant. At the same time, schools were opened where children learned Slavic literacy and were trained to become priests, so that soon Rus', like other Slavic peoples, received shepherds from among them. This was of great importance for the establishment of the Orthodox faith in Russia, as before in Bulgaria and then in Serbia. The works of Saints Cyril and Methodius helped the Slavic soul to understand and assimilate the teachings of Christ, made it akin to Orthodoxy and laid the foundation for the mental development of the Slavic peoples. Everything good that the Slavs had after is in one way or another connected with the internal and life revolution they had that Saints Cyril and Methodius made. The self-awareness, identity and very existence of the Slavs were preserved thanks to them, and they are the spiritual fathers and ancestors of the Slavs. The Orthodox faith they preached revived the Slavs and made Rus' the guardian of Orthodoxy. From it came preachers who, imitating Saints Cyril and Methodius, brought the light of Christ to other tribes, also translating sacred books into their languages, and sometimes compiling an alphabet for them, as St. Stefan Permsky. Their successors carried the light of Orthodoxy to the Far East, where they continued the work begun by St. the Apostle Thomas. Therefore, truly, Saints Cyril and Methodius are the apostles of all the peoples of Eastern Europe and the great borders of Asia! On the veneration of saints who have shone in the West Report to the 1950 Synod of Bishops Provide language limits by number gather Your angels from the scattered sons Adam's Church, multiply in it His saints, like the stars in heaven, shining in the East and in the West, North and Yuz. Only a very small part of them composed church hymns, the memory of which is celebrated throughout the Church. Countless hosts of others are known and especially honored only in certain places; in others, they are partly indicated through narratives about their lives and month-books, in which the days of their memory are given. The monthly words, which began to be compiled from the middle of the last millennium, were largely compiled by certain people on their own initiative, and their meaning depended on the Church’s trust in its compiler and its acceptance. Much later, the Chetya Menaion, collections of the lives of saints, began to be compiled. The Russian people honored the saints of God, both those who shone in their native land, and [those] with whom they were familiar from their lives. Both the month books and the lives of the saints have been repeatedly corrected and supplemented here in Russia on the basis of newly collected data. The basis for current Russian collections of the lives of saints are the Chetya Menaion of St. Demetrius of Rostov, which are one of his main works. Subsequently, with additions, they were published by the Holy Synod in Russian. In the lives of the ancient saints there are also references to such saints, whose memory is not celebrated now and whose lives are almost unknown. The most complete monthly book in Russia was compiled by Archbishop Sergius of Vladimir, including many saints of the East and West. No matter how extensive the information in Russia was about the saints who shone outside of it when the Russians made the great exodus from their Fatherland, it turned out that outside Rus' there are still many saints in other countries, unknown even to careful researchers of lives from the lives and monthly books they have. Even in countries closest in place, spirit and blood, the saints who had a direct connection with it through their works and lives turned out to be unknown in Russia. These are the disciples of the holy first teachers of the Slavs Cyril and Methodius - the wonderworker Naum, St. Clement and others, who helped with their instructions in translating liturgical books into the Slavic language; Saints John the Russian and Pachomius, natives of Little Russia, captured in the 18th century and revered in the Greek Church, but unknown in Russia, although they belong to the Russian saints. Also, besides them, there are many ancient and new ascetics in the eastern countries, hitherto unknown in other regions. Since those Orthodox countries and saints are glorified by the Orthodox Churches, there could be no hesitation or doubt in venerating those saints on an equal basis with the saints already known in Russia. Together with the inhabitants of those countries - Greece, Serbo-Montenegro, Bulgaria and Romania - all Orthodox should resort to them and honor [them]. The situation in the West turned out to be more difficult. Christianity was preached here in the first centuries in many places by the apostles themselves. For many centuries, Orthodoxy stood firm, and even Eastern confessors flocked here to seek support during the heresy (Saints Athanasius, Maximus). Many martyrs and ascetics shone here, strengthening the Church. But at the same time, the departure and falling away of the West from the one Universal Church overshadowed the truth here and mixed it with deception. It was necessary to establish which of those revered here as the pillars and saints of the faith really are such. This could not be left to private researchers; it was the responsibility of the diocese, and it had to do it. The resolutions of the conferences of Russian elders on the veneration of the saints of the West are by no means their canonization, but an establishment that the said ascetic was revered as a saint before the fall of the West and [he] is a saint revered by the Orthodox Church. The absence of chants and information about the saint in the East does not mean non-recognition of his holiness. After all, not all of the saints who were revered in the East and who shone there had church services organized. For almost every day in the Synaxar and Prologue the memory of saints is indicated, not only [those] to whom the service of that day is dedicated, but also others. Many saints are not given a special day of remembrance, although they are mentioned in some services, for example, in the Service to the Saints Who Shined in Lent, or they are already known and revered. The lives of martyrs, ascetics and other saints are known only to God. All of them are glorified together on the Sunday of All Saints, as stated in the Synaxarion for that day. The saints, hitherto unknown [or at the present time] in the East, but revered within the West, belong through their earthly lives to different centuries and became famous in different ways. These are the martyrs of the first centuries, ascetics and saints. The last two faces partly merge, since many of the ascetics later became bishops. Regarding the first, that is, the martyrs, no doubts are raised. Because of their suffering for Christ, they are the same martyrs as others revered by the Church; some are even found in proven Russian monthly books; and now they are mentioned only because they are not known to the majority of the laity, who use only short monthly books and calendars. Such, for example, are St. Pofin, Bishop of Lyon, and the rest of the Lyon martyrs. It was necessary to point out to those living now near the places of their exploits and the remains of holy relics those invaluable spiritual treasures and to call on the Orthodox flock to venerate them. The West is full of such martyrs. Even in the first decades of our exile, private pilgrimages to the local shrines began, but to many they are still unknown, although other attractions are known. Since ancient times, the martyr Victor, who suffered with the guards Alexander, Felician and Longinus who converted him, has been very revered in Marseilles. Above their tombs, St. Cassian the Roman created his own monastery, in which he labored and rested. In the Orthodox monthly book there are several martyrs with the same name Victor, but from the descriptions of their sufferings it is clear that these are different martyrs. The same martyr, revered since ancient times, is St. Albanius, [who labored] near London; His relics still rest there; a detailed description of his exploits has been preserved. The legion of St. is mentioned in some church monuments. Mauritius, who suffered for Christ in the mountains of Switzerland like the squad of Andrew Stratilates in the East; this Mauritius is named after another Mauritius, who suffered with his son Photinus, but from the place and type of suffering it is clear that these are different martyrs. Bishop Saturninus, who was dragged for Christ through the streets of the city in the middle of the 3rd century, also sanctified Toulouse with his blood. All these are martyrs, whose blood was the seed of Christ, whom the Church sings almost daily in various “martyrdom” troparia and stichera, and who are also mentioned where the seeds of their blood blossomed and bore fruit. They are [those] “like the blood,” like the blood of others, “like the martyr throughout the world, like scarlet and fine linen,” the Church was adorned [the troparion on the Sunday of All Saints]. The successors of the martyrs in the affirmation of faith and piety in the West, as in the East, were saints and saints. The first monasticism in the West is closely connected with the East. Information about him and his founders was preserved in the works of their students or other writers close to [them] in time. One of the main breeding grounds [of holiness] in the West was the Lérins monastery. The life of its founder, St. Honorius was preserved in the panegyric of his disciple Hilary, bishop of the city of Arles. From it it is known that St. Honorius traveled with his brother through Egypt and Palestine, upon returning from where he founded his monastery in Lerins. During his lifetime he performed a number of miracles. St. was spiritually connected with the monastery. Peacock of Nolan, on whose instructions St. came there. Eucherius, who left a number of his works, including “The Life of St. Mauritius and St. martyrs of the Theban legion,” which was mentioned here earlier. St. Petersburg lived in the monastery for some time. Cassian, who later founded his monastery in Marseilles. It should be noted that Rev. Cassian, revered by the entire Orthodox Church, although his memory is celebrated only once every four years, is considered a locally revered saint in the Catholic Church and his memory, albeit annually, is celebrated only in Marseille, where in the Church of the Hieromartyr Victor the remains of his relics, preserved when they were destroyed during the French Revolution, rest. In the same monastery St. labored. Vincent of Lerins, revered in the East even more than in the West, a teacher of the Church, who died around 450 and left his work on Sacred Tradition. Through the Lerins Monastery, England and Ireland are also connected to the East, since it was the spiritual support of St. Petersburg, who enlightened England. Augustine and his companions; lived there for some time and the enlightener of Ireland, St. Patrick. Monastery founded by St. Colombe in Ireland, was in relations and communication with the eastern monasteries in the 11th century and even, according to available data, for some time after the fall of Rome and the break between Rome and the East. The remains of that monastery with the relics of its venerable founder still exist, and recently a pilgrimage was made there, which left a deep impression on its participants, as did the detailed life of St. Colomba. Followers of St. Colomba were the monks Columbanus, Fridolin and Gallus, who came from Ireland to Switzerland in the 7th century and served in Gaul and Northern Italy to establish Christianity there and protect Orthodoxy from heretics. During their lifetime, they performed miracles and predicted the future. Their detailed lives were kept in the monasteries there, and their memory is honored in places associated with them to this day. Among the French saints, Saints Genovefa and Clothuald, abbreviated as Claude, stand out. The Venerable Genovetha, born in 423 and reposed in 512, was distinguished by her piety from childhood and spent her entire life in prayer and extreme abstinence. In childhood, her calling was foreseen by St. Herman of Auxerre and blessed her to devote herself to God. She was spiritually connected with the Monk Simeon the Stylite, who knew about her. She performed many miracles during her lifetime, of which the salvation of Paris from Attila through her prayers was especially glorious. The memory of that miracle is not only preserved in legend, but is also marked by a column built on the spot where Attila reached. She is considered the patroness of Paris and France, and neither the destruction of her relics during the revolution nor the struggle against faith could stop this veneration. Reverend Clothwald was from a royal family that died during civil strife. Having grown up and realizing the poverty of earthly glory, he did not want to claim his rights, accepted monasticism and led the strictest ascetic life. For some time he remained in complete solitude, then he founded a monastery, the church of which preserves his relics to this day. He reposed in the middle of the 6th century. The grandmother of the Monk Clothwald was Saint Clotilde, Queen of France, who raised her grandson. For France it has the same meaning as St. Olga and for the Czech Republic St. Lyudmila, and for the Roman Empire St. Elena. Thanks to her, her husband Clovis [Clovis] I was baptized, then finally established himself in Orthodoxy. With her life, instructions and prayers, she preached and established Christianity in France. After the death of her wife, she spent her life in abstinence and caring for those in distress. Warned from above about her death thirty days in advance, she died peacefully on June 3, 533. Her relics were kept and carried around in religious processions until the French Revolution, when they were burned, and [now] only their particles are kept. In establishing Christianity in France, preached there even in the days of the apostles, the saints of subsequent centuries worked a lot, while simultaneously fighting against the heresies that penetrated there. Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, became especially famous. His life is available in the Russian Chetya-Minea, although it is placed on October 12, and not November 11, when he reposed and when his memory is celebrated. His teacher was also the universally revered St. Hilary of Poitiers [Poitevain, Pictavian]. St. Martin, whose memory is widely revered, served to enlighten not only Gaul - France, but also Ireland, since St. Patrick, her enlightener, was his close relative and was under his spiritual influence. St. Patrick was distinguished by a very strict life and, like St. Martin, he combined his saintly labors with monastic deeds. During his lifetime, he became famous for many miracles that contributed to the conversion of the Irish. He has been revered as a saint since the day of his death, which followed in 491 or 492 with a number of signs testifying to his holiness. His contemporaries, who also worked in Ireland, where they came to fight Pelagianism, were two pillars of the Church in Gaul (France) - Saints Herman of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes. Both of them became famous for their fearlessness in preaching and protecting their flock from barbarians, as well as for many miracles during their lives and after their death. St. Herman of Auxerre reposed in 439, his relics were kept incorrupt for centuries until they were destroyed by the Calvinists. St. Lupus, which is mentioned in the Iliotropion by St. John, Archbishop of Chernigov [later Metropolitan of Tobolsk], took monasticism in the Lerinsky Monastery, where he labored under the leadership of St. Honorat, a worthy successor to St. Honorius, the founder of that monastery. Subsequently St. Honorat became the bishop of Arles, where he built a church and was the first bishop of St. Trophim, disciple of the Apostle Paul. St. Lupe was elected bishop of the city of Troyes Troyes, but continued to lead a strictly ascetic lifestyle. Having saved his city from Attila and performed a number of miracles, he died in 479. His relics were kept until the French Revolution, when they were burned, and only small parts of them have survived. A century later than those saints lived St. Herman, Bishop of Paris. His life has come down from antiquity, from which it is clear that he was distinguished by piety from early childhood, which was very difficult for him. Having accepted monasticism in the monastery of St. Symphorian, he led the most austere life, devoting a significant part of his time to prayer. Having become famous for his miracles, he later became the bishop of Paris, where he continued his previous way of life, combining it with works of pastoral and mercy. Notified from above in his old age of his death, he reposed on May 28, 576. His relics were kept for a long time; their current location could not be established. The church that still exists today bears his name; construction began under his care on the site of the church of Isis in honor of St. Martyr Vincent. A church was also built under him in honor of St. Herman of Auxerre, whom he greatly respected and imitated. His activities and life finally established Christianity in France. A whole host of saints and ascetics, pillars of Orthodoxy and teachers of piety in that region, shone in it. Later, the enlightenment of Christianity in North-Eastern Europe began. The saintly works of Ansgarius [Anskhariya], bishop of Hamburg and then of Bremen, are associated with him. The life of Saint Ansgarius, described by his disciple Archbishop Rimbert, has survived to our time. It shows that he was born in 801. At the age of seven, he had a vision calling him to serve God. Brought up in a monastery, he was tonsured at the age of 12. The visions that he had prompted him to lead a strict ascetic life, and then go to preach to the pagans living in Northern Europe. Starting in the 21st year of his life in Hamburg, he then moved to Denmark, where he baptized the king and the people, and from there he went to Sweden. In 831 he was consecrated Bishop of Hamburg and all the peoples of the North. His preaching extends to Sweden, Denmark and the Polbe Slavs (present-day Northern Germany). He was full of zeal and was ready to suffer for Christ. Grieving that he did not receive the crown of martyrdom, he was consoled by a voice from above and peacefully departed to the Lord on February 3, 865. He combined his apostolic labors with internal self-improvement and at times went into solitude. He was full of mercy, extending it [everywhere] wherever he learned about the need, not limiting himself to the place. He especially cared for immigrants, widows and orphans. St. Ansgarius performed many healings during his lifetime, but in his humility he considered himself a sinner. He tried to do good deeds and miracles in secret. But the grace of God that rested on him was so obvious and his veneration was so great that two years after his death he was already ranked among the saints and his name was already in the Martyrologies of 870. His incorrupt relics were kept in Hamburg until the Reformation, when they were interred, and only a part of them has survived [to our time]. His life and the power of God’s grace glorified through him, as well as his canonization when the West was still part of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, should leave no doubt that he is a saint of God. Archbishop Alexander collected information about him in German from both Catholic and Protestant sources, and all of them confirm everything stated here about St. Ansgaria, describing the labors in meekness and virtue of this great man, as well as his miracles. We also received a detailed life in Danish. Only in view of the objections made by one of our congregations, it is necessary to point out that they were made unfoundedly. First of all, there is no evidence to suggest that St. Ansgarius was an instrument in the hands of the Roman throne to establish its rule and a conductor of those ideas that led to the separation of Rome. All efforts to find any indications in the available sources have not given any confirmation, but, on the contrary, lead to the opposite conclusions, since today's Catholics would not fail to use and glorify St. Ansgaria, if only it were. Holiness of St. Ansgaria cannot be questioned due to the fact that his name is not in the Greek monthbook and liturgical books, and this does not at all determine its denial by the Eastern Church. In the Greek monthly books and liturgical books there were and still are no contemporaries of St. Ansgaria of Saints Cyril and Methodius, although they were well known in Constantinople. And the Catholic Church celebrates their memory more than St. Ansgaria. In the Greek books there is no educator of Bulgaria, St. Boris-Mikhail, who was baptized by the Greeks, nor St. Ludmila of Czechia, baptized St. Methodius, nor St. Vyacheslav. There is no St. Vladimir, nor the saints Boris and Gleb, glorified with the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and Peter of Moscow. Of all the Russian saints in the Greek Menaions, only St. is mentioned in the Synaxarion, without dedicating a service to them. John of Novgorod and St. Varlaam Khutynsky. In the Church of Greece the memory of Blessed Princess Olga is celebrated, who has different troparia and kontakion there than we have. This does not at all indicate that we should not honor the saints who were glorified in the Russian land, just as it does not show their denial by the Greeks. There are also many Greek saints, whose names are not in the Menaions and monthly books, but their memory is celebrated in places and services are performed there. Saint Ansgarius served not political goals, but Christ, and the seal of his apostleship is the countries he brought to Christ. Their later falling away does not detract from his ministry, nor from the ministry of St. Methodius does not [detract] from the falling away of Moravia and Pannonia for many centuries. In various places in the universe, the righteous of Christ worked for the One God, were led by the One Spirit and were glorified by Him. The wave of revolutions and reformations destroyed their relics in the West, just as, having reached our Fatherland, it blasphemously touched the Russian saints. She tried to destroy their memory, [just as] how Julian the Apostate burned the holy relics of the monks. But they rejoice in the Heavenly Church, and we must glorify their works even more, thereby glorifying God, who works miracles through them. Saint Equal to the Apostles Nina [Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina] was a relative of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and on the other hand, the niece of the Great Martyr George the Victorious. From an early age she was inflamed with love for Christ and His Church. Having learned that in the north of Palestine, where she lived, there were peoples who had not yet known the true faith, who worshiped false gods, she was very sad that those peoples did not know Christ. When she once prayed in the Jerusalem temple that the Lord would arrange it, the Mother of God appeared to her and gave her a cross made of a vine and a scroll with sayings from the Holy Scriptures, blessing her to go to preach. Having wrapped a lock of her hair around the holy cross, she went north with this precious gift from the Mother of God. Passing through Armenia, she stopped for some time in a monastery headed by Abbess Gayania, she lived there for some time, and then went further to Georgia. Soon after her departure from the monastery, all the nuns, numbering more than thirty, were martyred, and Nina was preserved by the Providence of God for future preaching. Arriving in Georgia, she first lived as a hermit, unnoticed by anyone. When one day a festival was held in honor of a pagan deity, she, deeply grieving over the blindness of the people, fervently prayed to God, and suddenly a sudden storm with a thunderstorm crushed the idol, which was broken into pieces. The people, attributing this to an unknown stranger, were ready to kill her, but she was preserved by the right hand of God. Continuing to live with a widow, she healed several sick people with her prayers, and the news of this spread throughout the surrounding area. At that time, the queen fell ill, and Nina also healed her. Many Iberians believed in Christ and came to holy baptism. The queen herself was baptized. Even earlier, while in Jerusalem, St. Nina heard that, according to Tradition, the tunic of Christ, woven by the Mother of God and given by lot to one of the soldiers during the crucifixion of Christ, was transferred by him to Georgia. While here, St. Nina wanted to find him and found out that he was buried with the sister of this warrior, but by that time they had already forgotten where and in what place. At that time, in one place there grew a large cedar tree, from which a radiance emanated. Nina thought that, probably, under that cedar there was the tunic of the Lord, and after fervent prayer she actually found it under that cedar. The miracles and healings performed by him further strengthened the preaching of St. Nina. Nina toured different regions of Iberia, where Orthodox Christians sent from Greece, priests and bishops arrived. And Saint Nina was given the opportunity to see the Iveron country, enlightened by the light of Christ. Over the following centuries, Georgia, which was subjected to attacks by peoples hostile to Christianity, preserved Orthodoxy in purity and to this day deeply honors St. Nina as his enlightener. So young, weak in body, but strong in spirit, Nina accomplished a great deed, enlightening people who did not know Christ with faith in Christ. She came there, having nothing except the cross and the scroll given to her by the Mother of God, and the clothes that she was wearing. She accomplished all this with the power of her faith, and unceasing prayer, and tireless labor with the help of Christ, who knew her love for Him and the purity of her heart. Without possessing scientific knowledge or any treasures, she saved an entire people from the darkness of error and led an entire people to the Light of Truth. [This is] an edifying example for Christians of all generations of what strong faith and zeal for it can do. It is therefore fair that a brotherhood was created in honor of her name. And now there are many who do not know Christ and do not live according to His teaching. How we need at least part of that zeal for prayer that St. Nina. Here in America, the preaching of Orthodoxy began 150 years ago, in particular the enlightenment of pagans in Alaska by St. Herman. And now preaching is needed not only by pagans, but even more by those who have already been baptized and call themselves Orthodox. If we compare our life with what is said in the Gospel, or even with the imperfect life that has recently been maintained in our Fatherland, how far have we gone from what a Christian needs! Although we have everything in this life, we have now completely moved away from all piety that Holy Rus' adhered to. We are often ashamed to call ourselves Russians, by our true names, so as not to show that we belong to the Orthodox Russian people. We exchange our customs, imbued with the spirit of Orthodoxy, for customs that are not only alien, but even hostile to Christianity. Although we build beautiful churches, do we visit them enough? And they are often empty even on great holidays, not out of necessity, but voluntarily; Moreover, on days and eves designated by the Church for prayer and worship, entertainment is organized by persons calling themselves Orthodox, falsely hiding behind good goals. Thus, people are distracted from the most important thing that a Christian needs, from prayer, through which he communicates with God. On holidays, Christians, in communion with God, will be infused with spiritual strength, which helps them avoid temptations and overcome them. By spending holidays like ordinary days, or, even worse, spending them in various amusements and entertainments, we die spiritually and easily succumb to all sorts of vices. This is especially disastrous for young people, for, having only bad examples before them, they will completely move away from Orthodox piety, and the terrible word from the Holy Scripture may come true over us: “Many will come from the east and north, west and south and will lie down in the Kingdom of God, but the sons of the Kingdom will be cast out” (see: Matthew 8:11). Let it not happen! We rejoice at the arrival of other peoples to the Church of Christ, but we mourn the departure of the people who are called God-bearers and were considered the guardians of the faith of Christ. May the Orthodox faith and pious life in harmony with it be reborn in him again! The real Brotherhood of St. is called to work for this. Nina, who may strengthen him with her prayers and her example. And may the blessing of the Lord be on the Brotherhood and on all of us! Homily on the Sunday of All Saints Who Have Shined in the Russian Land Today is the feast of All Saints who have shone in the Russian land - all the saints who have been raised by the Russian Church, the Russian Land. Today is a holiday of the spiritual sky over Russia. That sky stretches wide, starting from the holy Prince Vladimir and the blessed Princess Olga. They were like the roots of all the saints who shone in the Russian land. The great host has grown, the great tree of holiness. True, even before the Grand Duke Vladimir there were saints, righteous ones who shone in what is now the Russian land. Those parts that now form the borders of Russia, even before they became part of the Russian land, shone as holy saints of God. Chersonesos boasts of seven bishops who visited that region in early times; also subsequently Cyril and Methodius preached there. Grand Duke Vladimir was baptized in Chersonesus, and together with the relics of the ancient martyr Clement of Rome, he brought the Orthodox faith to Kyiv, laying the foundation for the growth of the Russian Church there. Now we celebrate all those saints of God - Saints Anthony and Theodosius and many other miracle workers of Pechersk, all the saints who shone in the Russian land, those saints who affirmed Orthodoxy, acquired Christianity in the Russian land, who affirmed faith and piety among the people, those saints who pretended to be crazy, but in reality were wise and with their seemingly ridiculous actions themselves they humbled their pride, taught their children to bow to holiness and follow the Gospel. We glorify the many saints of God who have shone in different parts of the Russian land; those passion-bearers who patiently endured the suffering sent down to them, and, finally, those martyrs who shone in ancient times in a small rank, but now have abundantly watered all patches of the Russian land with their blood. The earth was sanctified by their blood, the air was sanctified by the ascension of their souls. The sky over Russia was sanctified by the face of the holy saints of God who shine above it. There are countless of them. There is a wonderful book, recently written, “Holy Rus'” 546. The cross of Russian holiness is described in detail there. From this book you can learn how holiness took root and grew in Russia, how others spiritually descended from some saints, how they were connected to each other, and all this truly represents the golden chain of holiness of the Russian land. We celebrate them all today, all of whom are impossible to even list. We see marvelous saints who strengthened the Russian idea with their pastoral work. We see how the Russian land was famous not only for the exploits of tsars, boyars, and warriors, but also how its parts were spiritually connected with each other with age by this holiness. That is why Rus' was called Holy Russia - not because there were no sins, there was no lawlessness, - no, always, wherever there are people, there have been and will be sins and lawlessness. Since the fall of our ancestors, evil has entered the world, but all evil has never seemed ideal or even tolerable in the Russian land. It was evil, but after that they repented. Even the robbers repented; those who ended their lives on the chopping block, most of them remembered the Lord Jesus Christ before their death, bowed to the people, asking for forgiveness for those crimes with which they brought temptation, and asked to pray for the repose of their souls. This is how it was in ancient times, this is how it was in Russian history, and the Russian land still preserves that holiness. And we praise all the saints who, through their exploits and throughout their lives, set an example of that holiness to the Russian land. Here is the Grand Duke Vladimir and the blessed Princess Olga - this is the story of princes who shone forth as saints of God. Why are they saints? Because, although from time immemorial they had power in their hands, had great wealth in their hands, they were not captivated by wealth, they were not enslaved by it. That wealth and that power served either to do good, or to give other people the opportunity to live according to the commandments of God. And other saints of God went into caves, retreated into dense forests and deserts, but there they became magnets that spiritually attracted those who were looking for the strengthening of their souls. And those saints who left and tried to be unknown - their obscurity became known, and people flocked to them. They shine to us from time immemorial in our times. The Lord glorified their deeds, glorified their holy relics with miracles, and to this day they are preachers for the glory of God. St. Sergius - how many years he lived alone in a dense forest, where there was no one but animals. To this day, the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra attracts believers from all over not only Rus', but, one might say, from all ends and ends of the universe. And it is not famous for anything else than the feat of St. Sergius and those saints who were saved by his teaching. And now it is, as it were, the heart of the Russian land, together with our capital city of Moscow, which not only shines with wealth and ancient buildings, but also with the holiness of those saints who labored there and whose relics rest there. We glorify all those who, in different parts of the Russian land, established Christianity and preached to those who did not yet know Christianity. Rus' united everyone in a single shelter not so much by the unity of the border, but by a spiritual call to the holiness of the saints who shone in the Russian land. Many names became part of the Russian people. And although the Russian people are based on the Slavic people, they have many different names, but no one was considered a stranger as soon as they accepted the Orthodox Christian faith. The Orthodox faith saved Rus'. The Orthodox faith sanctified her. The Orthodox faith strengthened her. And in the difficult times of the Tatar yoke, how did the Russian people save themselves? Only by faith in God, and then, in those difficult times, more churches were built than ever, more monasteries were founded than ever. And in those difficult times, the Russian people always especially called on God, and then Rus' was spiritually resurrected. Long before our disasters and outside the borders of Russia, there were saints who belonged to the Russian people, who shone in Rus' and shone in other places. Here in Greece is one of the glorious saints of God - who? John the Russian, who was a captive during the time of Peter the Great, then lived among the Turks and was so strong in the Christian faith that Muslims bowed before him, seeing a righteous life. They tried to convert him to Islam, but he remained firm - they did not insist further and were only surprised to see the righteous life of that Russian man who is among them as a slave and at the same time spiritually reigns over them. And when the Greeks had to leave Asia Minor, they brought his relics to a church on the island of Euboea near Athens. And now it is a place where Greek and now Russian refugee pilgrims flock. Paisiy (Velichkovsky) also labored outside of Rus', not yet glorified 547, but becoming the spiritual father of many righteous people who have been spiritual leaders in Rus' in recent times. We celebrate them all together. How varied are their lives! Some are princes, others are commoners. Some occupy high positions, others wander the streets half-dressed - and at the same time, kings listen to their voices! John the Terrible, before whom everyone trembled, starting from the members of his family, and who exiled Metropolitan Philip, the holy man who denounced him, obeyed the half-naked Basil the Blessed. One day Ivan the Terrible stood in the church and, leaving it, saw St. Basil the Blessed. He says: “Vasily, I didn’t notice you, I didn’t see you here.” “But I saw you, Tsar, not here in the church, but how you walk along the Sparrow Hills!” And King John was embarrassed: “Yes,” he said, “during mass I was thinking about how to build a palace on the Sparrow Hills.” He defeated Veliky Novgorod. He approached Pskov, and another holy fool, blessed Nicholas, offered him meat. “I will not eat meat today. Today is Friday,” says Ivan the Terrible. “But you’re doing worse, you’re drinking human blood,” Blessed Nicholas answers him. “Get out of here quickly.” If you hesitate any longer, you will have nothing to escape from here with.” And Ivan the Terrible was stopped by the words of the blessed one. The words of the blessed one were already beginning to be fulfilled, since the beloved royal horse immediately disappeared. The Tsar quickly leaves Pskov without inflicting any reprisals there. Thus holiness prevailed everywhere. Already in not too distant times, Tsar Nicholas I came to Kyiv. There, sitting on the floor, he is greeted by Blessed Theophilus, also a not yet glorified saint of the Russian land 548. He tells him various instructions, and the tsar, the autocratic ruler before whom Europe trembles, listens to his voice. Until recently there were righteous people of the Russian land. Many of them are glorified, known throughout the world, many of them are hitherto unknown and will shine, if God wishes, when the time comes for this. Saint Hermogenes, for example, after his exploit, rested unglorified for three hundred years. God arranges it so that we look at various examples, not only glorify [the saints] on this day, and then, leaving the church, get down to other things and forget about them. No, we need the saints to be our great leaders, so that we always have them before our eyes. Already here, abroad, in our days we have righteous people, although not yet glorified, but from whom people received wondrous signs. For example, Bishop Jonah of Manchu 549. One can feel the end of his earthly life approaching. He calls the priest and begins to read the funeral service himself, and at the hour when his spirit departs to heaven, the boy, who lies in that city sick with his legs, who for a long time could not walk, runs and shouts: “Mom, mother, Saint Jonah has now appeared to me and says: behold, I no longer need my legs; Here are your legs." That boy who was lying motionless on the bed is now running! At that time, a rumor spreads that Vladika Jonah died at that very hour. In France several years ago, during the relocation of a cemetery, when one grave was dug up, the workers suddenly jumped back in horror. There lay an Orthodox priest in full vestments, and it turned out that this priest had lain there for more than sixteen years. He was dying of cancer, when usually a person decomposes alive, but he lay intact and incorrupt, and now his body has been transferred to Paris. The saints of God shine in our time. And how many of them there are in our unfortunate, exhausted Motherland! How many holy martyrs are there! How many martyrs are there! There are no numbers for them. How many of our saints were exiled in various places, who died, and whose lives are similar to those saints who were persecuted during iconoclasm and other heresies. And Peter Krutitsky, and Kirill Kazansky 550, and many others who died somewhere in the unknown, whose relics will never be found, perhaps, shine like a bright light before our spiritual eyes in the Russian sky. All of them, the holy saints of God, glorified and unglorified, pray for us and show us an example. I repeat that there have always been sins and lawlessness in Russia. They existed from the very first times, since in general sin filled the earth from the hour when our first parents sinned in paradise. But sin should not remain sin, and if someone repents, then a criminal becomes a saint. How sinful Mary of Egypt was. Others were robbers and then became monks. Let us pray now that the Lord will send their spirit into our hearts. So that we abroad, following their example, remember that it is not in vain that we bear the name of the sons of Russia. That it was not in vain that the Lord gave us the gift of having our own roots, that he allowed some to grow up in their homeland, and others to be born from Russian parents. Because if any country boasts of anything, then the Russian land boasts of holiness. “Beautiful France,” they say. Different countries are given different names – which people were surprised by what. But the Russian land is even more called Holy Russia. Only one other land has this name attached to it - the Holy Land, in which our Lord shone. No one from other countries, no one from other peoples accepts this title. Why? Because the most important thing for us, the most precious, the greatest, is holiness. This is the ideal, this is the limit of the aspiration of the Russian people. We forget to turn to the spiritual sky, but I hope we have not forgotten forever. Just as satellites, walking through the desert at night, look at the sky and find their way by the stars - so we must look at our Russian sky, so that the Lord will show us the way and lead us to peace and unity here, abroad, so that the Lord will transform the hearts of Russian people abroad, and then, defeated by the spiritual onslaught, the external chains of space will fall. And Russia will rise again in all its glory and greatness. The blessing of the Lord is upon you. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt - to his glorification Let the heavens rejoice and the earth rejoice! The new saint of God is glorified by the Church. A new prayer book and intercessor for sinful people openly appeared in Heaven. It is not from this day that he became a saint. From the day of his resettlement in the Kingdom of Heaven, he entered the ranks of the saints and with them intercedes for those who turn to him for help. With them he glorifies the Creator and enjoys inexpressible joy. For a long time, even during his lifetime, many revered him as a saint of God. The miracles he performed testified to this. But this was only the opinion or feeling of individuals, and funeral services were performed for him, as for ordinary people. Now the Church proclaims: “Truly this is God’s chosen one. Truly this one is righteous and an intercessor for us before God.” The earthly Church celebrates, and all the saints, angels and saints of God rejoice in it. There is no envy or division between them. When one of them is glorified, everyone rejoices at him. They rejoice not so much at the honor bestowed upon them, but at the fact that through him people turn to God. They rejoice that people turn their mental gaze to heaven from the sinful world. Let us lift our spiritual eyes and see John in heavenly glory. Who is he? He is a great righteous man. All his life he tried to keep the commandments of God and do everything as God commanded. He is a reverent clergyman of the Church. Not by inheritance, like the Old Testament priests, but by a sincere desire to serve God, he became a priest. He fervently offered prayers to God, diligently observed the Church Rules, and truly was a model and example for all clergy. Therefore, His prayer was effective. He was the embodiment of mercy, he pitied everyone, helped everyone. He not only responded to requests for help, but he himself sought out those in need. He condescended to everyone, tried to help everyone, giving material, worldly alms to some, raising others from the fall of sin and enriching them with spiritual gifts. He was also a formidable denouncer of human sins, like the prophets Elijah and John the Baptist, who were not afraid to openly speak the truth to their faces. Gracious to those who repent, no matter how great their sins were, he did not tolerate persistence in sin. A great wonderworker, he filled the whole world with his miracles, like St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and with his teachings he edifies everyone who seeks the path of God. A seer who saw what was inside those who came to him, what their lives were like, and who gave saving advice to everyone, at the end of his earthly life he became a prophet who foresaw future disasters if repentance and correction of life did not come. Let us call to him now, when he has shone in the spiritual sky before everyone: “Pray for us, righteous Father John, turn us all to the path of salvation and deliver your Fatherland and ours from the disasters that have come according to your prophecy, and let us joyfully cry to you: Rejoice, righteous Father John, wonderful miracle worker and prayer book for us to God! Holy and righteous Father John, save us with your prayers!” Pronounced in Belgrade on the day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir at a ceremonial meeting on July 15, 1934 The name that makes our hearts tremble is Rus'. At the word “Rus”, the gaze of many mentally rushes to the vast fields of the Fatherland, others see cities, villages and monasteries, others remember the glorious deeds of its past, others, perhaps, hear their native song. It is impossible to count the various experiences and moods of those for whom the words “Rus”, “Russia”, “Russian” are not strangers. But what is Rus'? It is unlikely that we could immediately find an exact answer to this question. We feel and experience Rus' better than we understand. Our poet [F.I. Tyutchev] put it correctly: The general arshin cannot be measured: You can only believe in Russia. If, however, completely abstract objects are subject to research, then it is all the more our duty to strive to find out what Russia is, what are its essential features and what constitutes its spiritual power and strength. First of all, turning to the word “Rus” itself, we can be convinced that scientists have not yet come to a consensus in determining its philological and historical origin. In the 9th century, this name was assigned to part of the Slavic tribes united by the rule of the Varangians. In the agreement between [Prince] Igor and the Greeks the expression “Russian land” is already used. However, there was nothing that strongly connected its individual parts; moreover, it was difficult to say in general what was Russian and what was not. Only with Saint Vladimir does the concept of “Rus” begin to be invested with certain content. Having baptized Rus', Saint Vladimir gave the Russian people a spiritual appearance, which became their unifying principle, distinguishing them from other peoples. Since the time of St. Vladimir, Russians have begun to recognize themselves as one whole, and the Russian land as their common heritage. A Russian state is being created, striving to embrace the entire Russian land, as well as ensure its security from all external enemies. Having gone a long way in its development, the power, successively called the Grand Duchy of Russia, the Moscow Kingdom and the Russian Empire, recently occupied 1/6 of the globe. The name “Russia” has to some extent replaced the word “Rus” since the 18th century, but not always and in all cases the words “Rus” and “Russia” can be used one instead of the other. In the calendar of a semi-official publication from the time of Empress Catherine II, which I saw in one of the Russian museums, I drew attention to the explanation of the difference between Russia and Russia. When describing Russia geographically, it is indicated that not always Rus' is Russia and not everywhere Russia is Rus'. This is how it is explained there: “Ingria (that is, the Baltic region and part of Finland, then belonging to Russia) is part of Russia, but is not Rus'; and Galicia and Volyn (then belonging to Poland) are Russia, although they do not belong to Russia.” What is the difference between Russia and Rus'? Russia meant the territory of the Russian Empire, while Russia meant the land where the people were Russian not by formal citizenship, but by spirit. At the beginning of the existence of the Russian state, all of it was Russia. With its expansion, especially starting from Peter I, when the Russian state included a number of regions with other morals, customs and laws, the concepts of Rus' and Russia are separated. However, there is always a desire to smooth out this difference as much as possible. On the one hand, the Russian people are moving to non-Russian regions, gradually turning the formerly non-Russian regions of the state into Russia. On the other hand, Russia includes one after another the regions that are Russia; The rulers of Russia strove for this, and besides, the Russian regions, which suffered foreign oppression, gravitated towards this. What are the distinctive features of Rus'? Her clothes? Favorite dishes, folk customs? But they change depending on place and time, and now external constraints have almost destroyed them altogether. Language? But, not to mention the three main branches of the Russian nationality and language, there were and are many dialects that differ significantly from each other. The dialect in different regions of Russia sometimes differs so much that it is difficult for natives of other regions to understand and is even more similar to some other Slavic language than to another Russian dialect. The literary Russian language differs significantly from the folk language of many localities, is often little known to the local population and is less used there than the language of some foreigners in those places where they live among Russians. The opposite often happens, that foreigners who have studied the Russian language speak it more correctly than the Russians themselves. In addition, language changes over time, so that the current language is significantly different from the language spoken a hundred years ago, and a huge difference from the one spoken several centuries ago. So, although the Russian language is great and glorious, it is still not a distinctive feature of Russia and belonging to it. What sign of Rus' was most valued by the Russian people themselves? He himself pointed out what was most dear to him, calling himself and his land Holy Russia. Thus, holiness is the main and most essential sign of Rus'. Holy Rus' is a people who inherited Christianity from Saint Vladimir and made it the basis of their life. Christianity, of course, is Orthodox. The Enlightener of Rus', Saint Vladimir, while still choosing faith, rejected everything except the Orthodox. Rus' was baptized into Orthodoxy and zealously followed it. There are known attempts by popes to introduce Catholicism in Russia, but they were unsuccessful. Individuals and families were rejected from Orthodoxy, but usually they quickly lost their Russian appearance. At the end of the 16th century, it seemed that Southwestern Rus' ceased to be Orthodox forever, having accepted the union. But the union did not penetrate deeply into the people's soul - external support for the union could not strengthen it enough for it to enter the people's consciousness. Moreover, they resorted to deception, abandoning all Orthodox appearance and commemorating “all Orthodox Christians” in churches. The people considered themselves and remained Orthodox at heart, but having figured out the deception, they began to leave the union. Those who are ideological Uniates usually were and are fierce enemies of Rus' and its unity. If Orthodoxy was defended in this way, where it was especially in danger, then the rest of Rus' could not think of itself as anything other than Orthodox. And Orthodox Christianity embraced the entire life of the Russian people, since they did not succumb to outside influences. The Russian person in his ideal has always been an Orthodox Christian. Starting from Saint Vladimir, who strove to live according to the Gospel, Orthodoxy was the basis of both the personal and social life of all Russian people in its ideal. Of course, one should not think that all Russians lived strictly according to the Gospel, that in Rus' there was never any sin or deviation from Orthodoxy. Everything was there. There were dark sins, atrocities, and falling away from the faith in Rus' and among the Russian people. But as far as it was from what the aspirations of the Russian people were directed towards, Rus' remained holy, just as the earthly Church is holy. Sin was committed, but not praised. The sinner repented, society rejected the sin, accepted the repentant sinner, and thus the sin was washed away. There have also been apostasies from the Church by individuals and entire parts of the people, as, for example, in the Old Believers. But the latter, at its core, was precisely the desire to preserve Orthodoxy; conscious falling away from the Church was a break with the Russian people, a departure from them. The Russian people have become known throughout the earth as the bearer of God's truth. Our Rus' seemed holy and enlightening to the unenlightened peoples of the East, sacred and mysterious even to those in the West who despised its lack of external achievements in comparison with them. “This is sacred Moscow,” came out of the mouth of Napoleon, who dreamed of entering it victorious. But when the Russian people as a whole deviated from the views of their ancestors and began to strive to arrange their lives differently, the breakdown of the people’s soul caused the breakdown of the people’s power and state system. But Holy Rus' did not die. To the numerous faces of the holy saints who have shone forth in the Russian Church, another host of martyrs has joined, to whom the words of the church song are addressed: “Blessed is the land that has drunk with your blood” [troparion of martyr. Akindinu and others]. Will Holy Rus' or the godless force win? If the first happens, the moral revival of the people will give strength to the national spirit, which will be able to revive state Rus'. The victory of godlessness and the moral decay of the people will entail their death, as has already happened with many peoples. Holy Rus' is not only a well-known place on the globe and a certain period in Russian history. Holy Rus' is determined not by time and place, but by the totality of the views and life of the people. You can be Russian by blood and not belong to Holy Rus', but the exponent of Holy Rus' is both the holy Tsarevich Peter of Ordynsky and the Lithuanian prince Dovmont; Nikolai Ugodnik, beloved by the Russian people, who lived long before the baptism of Russia, also belongs to it. To the extent that the Russian people are imbued with faith and piety and follow it in life, to that extent they will be Holy Russia. The revival of Rus' is not the work of politicians and leaders, it is the work of each of us. A Russian man who wants the salvation of Rus'! Save yourself and your neighbors from sin, follow in the footsteps of the Enlightener of Rus'! When the majority of the Russian people become morally healthy, then a source of spiritual strength will open, on the banks of which the palm trees of Russian glory will again grow. Russian people! There are two paths before you: moral decay and gradual death, or the fulfillment of your historical task - serving justice and truth and attracting all peoples to them. During the latter, the prediction of the prophets about spiritual Israel will be fulfilled over Russia: For in the last days the mountain of the Lord will be revealed, and the house of God will be on the verge of the mountains, and will rise above the hills; and all the nations will come to her (Isa. 12:2). “For all nations walk, every one in his own way, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever” (see: Mic. 4:5). “The Roman country praises with praiseworthy voices Peter and Paul, who believed in Jesus Christ the Son of God; Asia, Ephesus, Patm - John the Evangelist; India - Thomas; Egypt – Mark; all countries and cities and people honor and glorify their teachers, who taught them the Orthodox faith. Let us also, according to our strength, praise with small praises the great and wondrous work of our teacher and mentor, the great kagan (prince) of our land Volodimer, the grandson of old Igor.” This is what Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, said in the middle of the 11th century, when a little more than half a century had passed since the baptism of Rus'. Even then, the holy man saw with his penetrating gaze the greatness of the work of St. Vladimir and called on Rus' to glorify him with dignity. With what words and colors can we express what St. did? Vladimir, having baptized Rus', we, who have waited for the 950th anniversary of this bright event? Let us remember what Rus' was before Vladimir and what it became after its baptism by Saint Vladimir. Here is Rus' from the time of “old Igor” or Vladimir’s father, Svyatoslav. Each tribe lived its own separate life. Separate clans often quarreled with each other, took revenge on each other and often engaged in mutual self-destruction, observing the laws of bloody revenge. The Russian princes before Vladimir were more conquering leaders than fathers and benefactors of their people. Hiking and mining attracted them more than caring for their subjects. Many tribes were still at a very low stage of moral and cultural development; among some of them, even “kidnapping,” that is, kidnapping girls in order to make them their wives, was common. It would be a mistake to think that the Slavs had only negative traits and represented an exclusively semi-savage mass. No, on the contrary, there was a lot of good in their nature. They were hospitable, courageous and honest. Wives were faithful companions to their husbands, often remaining faithful even to the dead. The Slavs honored their elders and obeyed them in private and public matters. But at the same time, they showed treachery, cruelty, and cunning. At times, especially during wars, they became terrible for everyone around them. The peaceful Slav became a wild beast. Woe to those upon whom his rage was directed; it spared no one! Byzantium was in awe of its northern neighbors, and they themselves were often afraid of each other. So the Slavic world stood at the crossroads between good and evil, now showing the wonderful properties of man created in the image of God, now showing the formidable signs of a beast in human form. What could be the highest ideals among the Slavs? What could their feelings and thoughts be directed towards? What could they be inspired by and to whom should they direct their gaze? The gods in whom they believed possessed all the properties of their worshipers and were the embodiment of their good and bad qualities. The Slavs served the gods they invented, thereby confirming their own shortcomings, the justification for which was the properties of their gods. Serving the formidable Perun, the Slavs waged cruel wars, exterminating their neighbors. It is difficult to say what Eastern Europe would have become if Saints Cyril and Methodius had not shed the light of Christ on the Slavs and laid the foundation for the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples. Saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples enlightened some of the Slavs with Christian teaching. The influence of Christianity immediately affected them and introduced them into the family of Christian nations. In a short time, the countries that adopted Christianity were transformed. But the main mass of the Slavs, the Eastern Slavs, continued to live as before. One could at times fear that their warlike princes, like Svyatoslav, would destroy even the young shoots that had grown in the fields of their brothers watered by Christianity. The darkness hanging over the eastern Slavic tribes was so deep and hopeless that it could not be dispersed by the first Russian Christian princess Olga, who shone on the princely throne like a morning star in the sky. It was necessary for the Red Sun himself to rise, and Olga’s grandson, Grand Duke Vladimir, appeared as such for Rus'. Having received the first beginnings of the Christian faith from his grandmother, but drowning them out with the revelry of passions in his youth, Vladimir, shocked to the depths of his soul by the martyrdom of the Varangian Bolyars Theodore and John, decides to change his way of life. After carefully examining the issue of faith - Vladimir's life was closely connected with his beliefs - Vladimir makes a choice. Being holistic and straightforward by nature, he does not stop halfway and accepts what was best. He is enlightened by the light of Orthodoxy and, having been baptized, becomes a zealous fulfiller of Christ's commandments. With his example and appeals, he carries his subjects along with him. The change in Vladimir is striking, who has become a holy man from a voluptuous and unrestrained young man in his passions. But an equally striking change occurred in baptized Russia. The baptism of Kyiv, and after it the rest of Rus', opens a new life for the Eastern Slavs and becomes the starting point of their glorious history. The disunited Slavic tribes that made up Vladimir's power felt their unity with the adoption of Christianity. The consciousness of unity was especially strengthened by the fact that in church terms all of Rus' for several centuries constituted one metropolitanate, despite the subsequent division of Rus' into fiefs. The Church had the greatest influence on the unification of Rus' into one state. Not only Slavic, but also other tribes living in Eastern Europe, with the spread of Orthodoxy among them, merged with the Russian people. Having a pacifying effect during civil strife, the Church at the same time instilled the consciousness that the Russian people are one and therefore must be one whole in everything. Under the shadow of the Holy Orthodox Church, Rus' developed, strengthened and grew into a great state that occupied one sixth of the universe. The Russian people, who voluntarily accepted Christianity not under coercion, strove from the very first years after baptism to bring the gospel teachings to life. Baptism reborn and internally changed previously rough-hearted people. Having retained their old good qualities, they are freed from the bad properties that came along with them. The struggle between good and evil took place not only in the soul of Vladimir, but in the entire people as a whole, and a turning point in the direction of good occurred. The Russian people after baptism were no longer what they were before baptism. They became truly a new people, “new people.” This does not mean that everyone immediately became perfect, that evil disappeared from everyone’s soul and that it no longer existed in Rus'. No, it was there, it continued to fight against the good in every person. But the driving force of the Russian people was Orthodoxy, which covered all aspects of personal, public and state life. Family and social life was imbued with the spirit of the Gospel; views were formed under the influence of church rules, and state laws were consistent with the canons. The general direction of life of the Russian people was the search for God's truth. The desire to realize the truth of God permeated both legislation and the implementation of justice and government activities. The mental and spiritual life of the Russian people is distinguished by the same desire to serve God. Almost all aspects of its cultural life originate from church life and develop under the influence of the Church. Russian books and Russian art began in monasteries and were so imbued with the Christian spirit that even those writers of later times who set themselves the task of fighting church teaching could not completely free themselves from its influence. The supreme rulers of Rus' themselves, the great princes and tsars of All Russia, were aware of their responsibility to the Tsar of the reigning and looked upon themselves as servants of God, and they were the same in the eyes of their subjects. Therefore, the Russian tsars were not tsars “by the will of the people,” but tsars “by God’s grace.” Of course, not everything in Rus' coincided with that general direction. Much evil has happened to it over the past centuries. If “there is no man who lives and does not sin” [Following the departure of the soul from the body], then all the more there cannot be sins and evil in the history and life of the people. However, just as to characterize a person it is important which qualities are the brightest in him and overcome the rest, so to characterize a people it is necessary to determine what constitutes the main content of their spiritual life. For Rus' and the Russian people, despite all the former individual deviations and even falls, the main thing was serving the truth and standing in the truth. When we remember Ancient Greece, the words of the Apostle Paul about the ancient Greeks come to mind: Greeks seek wisdom (1 Cor. 1:22); although, of course, there were many among them who did not seek wisdom. Associated with the idea of ​​Sparta is the idea of ​​physical development. Phenicia associated its name with trade. Rome boasted of civic virtues. The Russian people acquired the name of a God-bearing people, and the Russian land acquired the name of Holy Rus'. Holy Rus' is due to the multitude of saints who have shone in the Russian land. Starting from the sons of St. Vladimir - the faithful princes Boris and Gleb, the first to become famous for miracles in Rus', and from the baptist of Rus', Saint Vladimir with his grandmother Olga, a countless host of saints lived and were glorified by holiness and miracles in the Russian land. Those holy saints were the “red fruit” of Orthodox Rus', flesh of flesh and bone of bone of the Russian people. They were not alien to him in their beliefs and way of life, no, they were the most vivid expression of the aspirations of the entire people. From the baptism of Rus' to the present day, there has not been, it seems, a single hour when a saint did not live somewhere in the Russian land, and after his death he became a heavenly representative for the Russian land. All regions of Russia, from Carpathian Rus' (Reverends Moses Ugrin and Ephraim of Novotorzhsky) to Alaska, which briefly belonged to Russia (Reverend Herman), had their own ascetics. Every country in Russia, almost every significant city had its own shrines. Its spiritual centers were monasteries, which influenced both villages and cities. Every place, every language was sanctified by the service of God. The history of Russia, full of wondrous evidence of God's providence for it, is the history of God's construction, a new sacred history. The influence of its holy men on the historical events of Russia is so great that it is impossible to separate the history of the Russian state from the history of the Church. Church life determined the way of life of the Russian people. Even Russia's foreign policy was in many ways an expression of its spiritual image. It was never like this... But where are you now, Holy Rus'? Or are you no more? The throne of St. Vladimir fell, shrines were desecrated, churches were destroyed. Did the God-bearing people become a beast or did the red dragon devour Holy Rus'? How did the place of spiritual exploits become a place of heinous crimes, and where the saints were saved, now robbers rule? Is it really true that Holy Rus' no longer exists and will never exist, or perhaps it never even existed, and it only wore the cloak of holiness, which has now fallen away forever? No! Not self-deception and a ghost, but true reality is Holy Rus'! In heaven the incense of the prayers of the saints who have shone forth in the Russian land and are now praying for her before the Throne of God does not cease to rise. But not only in heaven, but also here, on sinful earth, Holy Rus' continues to exist. The power of the God-fighters only enslaved, but did not destroy it. The council of the wicked, which has taken possession of the Russian people, is alien to them, for it has nothing in common with the essence of Russia. The foreign international power, the “international,” has thrown its yoke upon it, but remains its enemy. Even those among them who previously called themselves Russian, being such by blood, have now lost that name, for they have become alien to Rus' in spirit. She departed from us, but did not infuriate us (1 John 2:19) - one can say about such people. They fell away from the Russian people and became the oppressors of Rus'. Having rejected God, they renounced their likeness to God and surpassed wild beasts in ferocity and cruelty. But Rus' remains holy. The face of the apostles did not diminish when Judas fell away from them, nor did the lordship of the angelic order darken when Satan fell from it with the Angels who listened to him. Just as the devil should have appeared from among the Angels, but with the fall of Dennitsa and his followers, the rest of the Angels were even more inflamed with love for God and shone even brighter in the sky, so the atheists also appeared from among the Russian people, but their falling away even more revealed the holiness of Russia and glorified it both in heaven and throughout the heavenly world. Countless hosts of new martyrs testified to their fidelity to Christ. The Russian people as a whole, enduring suffering with unspeakable patience, the likes of which no other people in the world have ever experienced, gave countless new confirmations of steadfastness in the faith. Despite the most severe persecution, the Church remains undefeated. Although many churches have been destroyed, so that in a number of cities that formerly boasted majestic churches, now not a single one of them remains, but believers secretly gather and pray to the Lord God. The times of the catacombs, which she had never known before, have been resurrected for Russia, for she had never before experienced persecution of faith. In the great choir of saints of God glorified in Rus' there were many saints, saints, righteous people, and holy fools. But there were only a few martyrs on Russian soil in all previous times. The “blessed martyr’s army,” whose blood was the seed of Christianity throughout the universe, glorified almost daily by the earthly Church, almost did not exist in the heavenly Russian Church. The time has come to fill its ranks. The small number of martyrs and passion-bearers who suffered in past centuries have now been joined by a countless number of new passion-bearers and martyrs. Among them are the crowned tsar, the successor of the baptizer of Rus', with his entire family, and the namesake baptizer of Rus', the first hierarch of her font, and hierarchs, and princes, bolyars, warriors, priests, monastics, scholars and non-learners, townspeople and villagers, nobles and commoners. Every age, every class, every region of Rus' has produced new passion-bearers. All of Rus' was drenched in the blood of martyrdom, it was completely sanctified by it. O wondrous and glorious army of new sufferers! Who can adequately glorify you! Truly “blessed is the land that has drunk with your blood, and holy is the village that has received your body” [troparion of martyr. Akindinu and others]. Blessed are you, Russian land, purified by the fire of suffering! You have passed through the water of baptism, now you are passing through the fire of suffering, and you too will enter into peace. Once upon a time, Christians reverently collected sand in the Colosseum, filled with martyr’s blood. The places of suffering and death of martyrs were made sacred and especially revered. And now all of Rus' is a field of passion-bearers. Its earth was sanctified by their blood, and its air by the rise of their souls to heaven. To her, sacred are you, Rus'! The ancient writer was right when he said that you are the Third Rome and there will never be a fourth. You surpassed Ancient Rome with many feats of martyrs, you surpassed Rome, which baptized you, with your standing in Orthodoxy, and you will remain unsurpassed until the end of the world. Only the earth, sanctified by the sufferings and earthly life of the God-Man, is holier than you in the eyes of the Orthodox. Shake off the sleep of despondency and laziness, sons of Russia! Behold the glory of her suffering and be cleansed, washed from your sins! Strengthen yourself in the Orthodox faith so that you may be worthy to dwell in the dwelling of the Lord and move into His holy mountain! Arise, arise, arise, Rus', you who drank from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath! When your suffering is over, your righteousness will go with you and the glory of the Lord will follow you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the radiance rising above you. Then lift up your eyes around and see: behold, “your children will come to you from the west, and the north, and the sea, and the east, blessing Christ in you forever” [Easter Canon, Canticle 8]. What is the moral strength of St. Grand Duke Vladimir? Whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Why is Grand Duke Vladimir holy and called Equal-to-the-Apostles? He turned from pagan darkness to the light of Christ, was baptized himself, baptized the people of Kiev and sent them to other cities and regions of his principality to baptize. He was the first of the all-Russian rulers to become a Christian and laid the foundation for the Christian structure of the Russian state. With him, the Russian state begins to be Orthodox and Christianity penetrates into all areas of national and state life. Did he act only as a ruler, were his actions aimed at this only acts of state? No, he showed himself to be a true Christian and preached Christ not so much by word as by his personal example. Brought up in paganism, Prince Vladimir, although he heard about Christ from his grandmother, Blessed Princess Olga, in his earliest childhood, was at first a zealous pagan. He diligently performed pagan rituals, tried to please the pagan gods, and brought them thanks for his successes, because he was convinced that he was serving the truth. When did the murder of St. by a crowd of Kievites take place? Varangian Theodore and his son John, on whom the lot fell to be sacrificed to Perun in gratitude for the victory, Vladimir realized that he was mistaken. He felt the discord between the moral law and the demands of paganism and with a sensitive soul felt its wrongness. The search for truth and righteousness led him to Orthodoxy, and, having overcome all the internal and external obstacles that stood in the way of him, he accepted holy baptism. Now, having become a Christian, he began to serve Christ even more zealously than he had previously served the pagan gods. Now, with his whole being, he sacrificed himself and everything he possessed as a sacrifice to the Truth, for Christian teaching reveals Divine truths and expresses the highest moral internal law. Vladimir became different after baptism. He retained all the best qualities that he had before, rejecting all his vicious inclinations and habits. From a cruel person who did not even spare his own brother, who was killed during an internecine war with him, he became so soft-hearted that he did not want to execute criminals either, doing this in exceptional cases in order to stop atrocities. From dissolute he became chaste, left his numerous former wives and lived in an honest marriage with Princess Anna, who was combined with him in a Christian marriage. From a predatory conqueror he becomes a peace-loving ruler. From a selfish collector of tribute, he became indifferent to earthly treasures, being always ready to sacrifice them to acquire intangible values. For the squad, he was now not so much a formidable leader, punishing the slightest disobedience, but a wise boss, understanding the soul of his subordinates and appreciating his associates. For all the people under his control, he became a loving father, caring for all his many children, which his subjects were now for him, taking care of the satisfaction of all their needs and requirements. His special attention was now attracted to those who were helpless - orphans, widows, cripples. Prince Vladimir especially remembered them during the festivities and sent them carts with food and other necessary things. The festivities themselves were now not revelry, but mutual joyful fraternal communication. In all areas of life, Grand Duke Vladimir the Red Sun showed himself to be a Christian - both in his personal life, and in his family life, and in public life, and in state life. Having learned the truth, he served it with all his heart, spreading light wherever he could. He himself embodied the teachings of Christ and was an example to follow in everything. That is why Orthodoxy penetrated so quickly and deeply into all aspects of Russian life. The prince captivated everyone with his personal feat. He was a conqueror of himself, through which he ruled over others, preaching Christ with his deeds, no matter what area they belonged to. He served the true God as an individual, as the head of a family, as a leader, as a judge, as a ruler, as a sovereign. He was always the same servant of Truth and Righteousness, striving for them to reign everywhere. He deeply realized that only that which is true, that which is honest, that which is righteous, that which is most pure, that which is most loving, that which is most lovable, that which is of good praise, whatever virtue and whatever praise (Phil. 4:8) should be the basis of the life of both an individual and an entire nation. Therefore, he did not separate one from the other and what he showed in his personal life, he carried out in state affairs. That new spirit of integrity, unity in all areas of life and the implementation of truth in everything was shown in himself and passed on to the Russian people by Saint Vladimir. He is its Enlightener and Baptist, sovereign and apostle, commander and teacher, unifier and guardian. He was followed by his best successors, and it is no coincidence that it was on the day of his memory that the Neva victory was won by the blessed Grand Duke Alexander, in whom the spiritual image of his Equal-to-the-Apostles ancestor was clearly imprinted. Service to God, begun by St. Vladimir on earth, continues now at the Throne of the Most High, before which he prays for the Russian land, enlightened and sanctified by him, and shines from the heights with heavenly light, illuminating the path to Truth and Justice for the Russian people. The Day of Remembrance of the Saints who shone forth in the Russian land points us to the spiritual sky under which the Russian land was created and lived. Before Saint Prince Vladimir, scattered pagan tribes lived on Russian soil and were at war with each other. Holy Prince Vladimir brought them a new faith, a new consciousness, the meaning of life, a new inner, spiritual state, gave them a new, unifying spirit of life, and so a single people was formed. The very existence of the Russian people is connected with the emergence of spiritual life in them, with the assimilation of the foundations of the Christian worldview: it is pointless to look for the meaning and purpose of life in earthly life, which ends in death. We must strive to assimilate the divine, grace-filled, eternal life, and then this temporary, earthly life will also be settled: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Faith, the Orthodox Church united disparate tribes into one people, and the most essential characteristic of the Russian people was faith in the Kingdom of God, the search for it, the search for truth. For the sake of the Kingdom of God, for the sake of participation in it, for the sake of prayer, Russian ascetics left the bustle of the world for the forests and uninhabited islands. They sought only the Kingdom of God, they did not want to create or build anything, they left people, but people followed them for the sake of the Kingdom of God, which was on those islands and forests around the righteous, and so laurels and monasteries grew. The search for truth is the main thread in the life of the Russian people, and it is no coincidence that the first written set of laws, which was supposed to streamline life, was called “Russian Truth”. But not only those who left the world and people thought about heaven, about the Kingdom of God, all believing Russian people understood the meaning of life. All who truly built Russia as a state, living in the world and fulfilling their duties, also considered the most important thing to be faithful to the Divine Kingdom and Divine Truth. In Russia there were princes, generals, owners, people of all kinds and occupations, but their main understanding, and aspiration, and the meaning of life was also the acquisition of the Kingdom of God, participation in it. St. Alexander Nevsky spent his entire life in military and state exploits, rode on horseback through all of Siberia to the Tatar Khan to establish peace in Russia, became famous for his military victories, but when he fell ill and death came, he accepted it as liberation from the labors of earthly life and surrendered to what was dearest to his soul, and took monastic vows in order to enter the longed-for Kingdom of God as a warrior not of earthly, but of Christ. Prince Theodore of Smolensk also became a monk before his death. Such spiritual leaders of the Russian people, in their striving for the Kingdom of God, are the best exponents of the main feature of the spiritual life of the people, the main force that directed their historical life. The assimilation of the Christian faith also reborn the Russian princes. Power is always an expression of consciousness and will. Power is always guided by one philosophy or another, one or another understanding of the purpose and meaning of life and its activities. Before Vladimir the Saint, Russian princes were leaders of warring tribes and waged wars for the sake of military booty and glory. Having become Christians, they became leaders of individual parts of a single people. With the adoption of Christianity came consciousness and a sense of unity. There was truth in the brotherhood of princes, and the internecine war became untruth. St. Prince Vladimir gave the Russian people a new meaning of life and new vitality. Disasters, failures, defeats are powerless before the main force of life, powerless before spiritual life. The Kingdom of God and the spiritual joy of participating in it remain unaffected. A terrible storm passes, and man lives again. Thus, the martyrs smiled from the joyful feeling of God’s grace during the most cruel torment. Hence the vitality of Russia. Calamities do not strike her heart. The Tatars burned all of Russia. Kyiv fell, and in the same year Novgorod rose and the great commander and leader of the Russian people, the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, raised the Russian people to fight not against the Tatars, who tortured the body of Russia, but against the Catholic Swedes, who, taking advantage of Russia’s misfortune, wanted to capture the soul of the Russian people and kill the spiritual strength of the Russian people and Russia. For Alexander Nevsky, it was necessary, first of all, to preserve that spiritual strength. The history of the rise of Moscow is a clear confirmation of the same idea. At its inception, Moscow was a small local association. But at its head are the noble princes who have mastered the indicated Orthodox understanding of the truth, and therefore, when the holy hierarch Metropolitan Peter told the prince that Moscow would be exalted and the saint himself would live [there] and be buried there, if the prince built the House of the Most Holy Theotokos in Moscow, then the prince fulfills this covenant. In other words, Saint Peter said that if you are completely faithful to Orthodoxy and first of all seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all this, everything worldly, everyday, state, will be added to you. This was Moscow’s plan, and it was faithful to the behest of St. Peter, and the night military watch roll call on the Kremlin walls was done with the words: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.” This does not mean that both life and people were holy! Oh no! People are always sinful, but it is important, but salutary, when there is a consciousness of good and evil, when there is a desire for truth, for then there can be an uprising [from the depths of the fall]. Sinful Moscow, the capital of sinful Russia, fell to the bottom in its historical life, but rose because the consciousness of truth did not die. During the Time of Troubles, Russia fell so much that all her enemies were sure that she was mortally struck. In Russia there was no tsar, power and troops. In Moscow, foreigners had power. People became “exhausted,” weakened, and looked to foreigners for salvation, to whom they fawned. Death was inevitable, and Russia would inevitably have perished if the consciousness of Truth had been completely lost. But Russia, the Russian people, were saved by Saint Hermogenes. The enemies of Russia kept him in a basement, in the Kremlin, mocked him, tortured him, and tried to force him to submit to them, betraying the Russian understanding of Truth. Saint Hermogenes was tortured to death, but did not give up spiritually and called Russia to its historical path of a Christian state with Christian power, called to remember the Truth and be faithful to it. Saint Hermogenes, in faith and confession, spiritually and morally revived the Russian people, and they again took the path of seeking the Kingdom of God and its truth, the truth of subordinating earthly state life to the spiritual principle, and Russia rebelled. In history it is impossible to find such a depth of the fall of the state and such a quick, miraculous uprising within a year, when people rebelled spiritually and morally. This is the history of Russia, this is its path. After Peter I, public life [in Russia] deviated from the Russian path. Although she did not deviate completely, she lost the clarity of consciousness of truth, the clarity of faith in the gospel truth: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. The grave suffering of the Russian people is a consequence of Russia's betrayal of itself, its path, its calling. But those severe sufferings, the melancholy of life under the rule of fierce atheists show that the Russian people have not completely lost the consciousness of the truth, that the untruth of a godless state and godless government is spiritually and morally difficult for them. Russia will rise just as it rebelled before. Will rise when faith flares up. When people rise spiritually, when they again have a clear, firm faith in the truth of the Savior’s words: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Russia will rise when it falls in love with the faith and confession of Orthodoxy, when it sees and loves the Orthodox righteous and confessors. Today, on the day of All Saints who have shone in the Russian land, the Church points them out, and the Orthodox see with spiritual delight how many there are in the Kingdom of God! And there are countless others who have not yet been glorified. Here, silently and fearlessly, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv goes to his death 551. The murderers take him out of the gates of the monastery to kill him outside the city, as they killed the Lord the Savior, and the saint silently, like a lamb of the slaughter, will accept death for Christ, for the faith, for the Russian Church, for the fact that he sought first of all to acquire the Kingdom of God, eternal life. There are many martyrs and confessors, and again we see God’s blessing over their feat of faith, and again the appearance of incorruptible relics: these are the bodies of the righteous who already live according to the laws of the future life, where there is no suffering and corruption, and the incorruptibility of the relics testifies to this. Thus, the incorruptible remains of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, resting in the Gethsemane monastery, testify to us of her righteousness in the eyes of God. Russia will rise when it lifts its gaze and sees that all the saints who have shone in the Russian land are alive in the Kingdom of God, that they have the spirit of eternal life and that we need to be with them and spiritually touch and partake of their eternal life. This is the salvation of Russia and the whole world. In Russia there is no spirit of life, no joy of life. Everyone is afraid of her, as they are afraid of demons. Russia [previously] was also terrible to other powers, but because it attracted peoples to itself. Loyalty to the commandment, Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, was created by Russian humility; it was also humbled by power, and in the days of its greatest earthly glory, Russian power, through the mouth of Emperor Alexander I, confessed itself as Christian power and wrote on the monument of its glory: Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name (Ps. 113:9). The Russian sky, the Russian saints call us to be with them, as they are with us. They are calling to join the spirit of eternal life, and the whole world thirsts for that spirit. A restored Russia is needed by the whole world, from which the spirit of life has departed, and it is all shaking in fear, as if before an earthquake. Russia is waiting for a Christ-loving army, Christ-loving kings and leaders who will lead the Russian people not for earthly glory, but for the sake of loyalty to the Russian path of truth. Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name. In repentance, in faith, in purification, may the Russian land be renewed and may Holy Russia arise. 1100th anniversary of the Russian state 1100 years have passed since several Slavic tribes united around Novgorod under the rule of the Varangian prince Rurik and his brothers, whom they called upon. That was the beginning of that Russian state, which, having gone through many trials, occupied a sixth of the globe and was until recently a thunderstorm for enemies, and at the same time a reliable support for all those in need of protection. There were times when it seemed that it had already ended its existence, that it did not exist and would never exist again. But after that, having overcome all adversities, it rose again stronger and even more powerful. The Slavic and other tribes that lived among them merged into one people, whose country began to be called by the common name Rus, or Russia. Great were not only the ever-increasing spaces that it occupied, but also its natural resources were enormous, the achievements in all fields of human development were high, and the spirit of the people was especially great. What was his main inner strength, what breathed life into him, what made him stable under all trials? No one can deny, neither we ourselves, nor our friends, nor even our enemies, but we must sincerely admit that it was the Orthodox faith. Before the baptism of Rus', she resembled Adam created from the earth, although beautiful in body, but standing no higher than other dumb creatures, before God breathed into him the breath of life. The Baptism of Rus' was a true rebirth for her and revived her. Just as the image and likeness of God were imprinted on the soul of Adam and he became a “living soul” (see: Gen. 2:7), so the baptism of Rus' under Saint Vladimir left an indelible imprint on the soul of the entire Russian people, on their way of life, state structure, on all their qualities and mental talents. With the baptism of Rus', flowering begins in all areas of human achievement. Especially clearly manifested in Rus' was the striving for the revealed Truth and the search for high eternal values, which so strongly acted and influenced Russian souls, which gave color to all of Rus', its internal life and its external manifestations and gave it the name of Holy Rus'. Countless prayers to God, deeds and good deeds “for Christ’s sake” continually ascended from the Russian land to heaven, and from there grace descended upon her, sanctifying and strengthening her. It is impossible to present and explain the history of the Russian state without paying attention to the invisible, but clearly active force in it, just as it is impossible to explain the movement of a train without pointing out the steam or electric force by which it moves. The entire history of Russia is permeated with those invisible threads. In the 15th century, when there was still the Tatar yoke, but the gathering of Rus' by the Moscow princes had already begun, there lived two saints who bore the name of Jonah - the Metropolitan of Moscow and the Archbishop of Novgorod. They were bound by strong friendship and made a covenant among themselves to pray daily that the Tatar yoke would be overthrown and that the Russian land would unite into one state. The prayer of the righteous was soon fulfilled. Under John III Vasilyevich, who grew up in their time, Rus' was freed from the Tatars and all of Northern Rus' became a single Grand Duchy, beginning to gather other Russian regions that had fallen under foreign rule. On this coming Sunday, the day of remembrance of St. Jonah of Novgorod, let us give thanks to the Lord God for all the good deeds to the Russian land, praying earnestly to Him that the yoke of the atheists will be overthrown and the Orthodox Russian state will arise. Let it be! 1240... The capital city, the mother of Russian cities - Kyiv, is destroyed. Countless hordes of Tatars flood the Russian land, destroying its cities and burning villages. The armies of individual Russian principalities that dared to fight them are dying one after another. But here comes a new misfortune - and enemies moved from the west to Orthodox Rus'. The Swedes send an army against it, and behind them the Teutonic and Livonian knights sharpen their swords. They have a common goal - to take possession of not only the land, but also the soul of the Russian people, to enslave the body of a Russian person to foreign power, and the soul to the Roman throne. The decisive hour is approaching. Swedish troops are already landing within the Novgorod borders. What to do? Submit to them or engage in battle, risking the destruction of the entire small Novgorod army? Novgorod was then ruled by the pious prince Alexander Yaroslavich. He understands that by submission he will save the lives of the Novgorodians and their property, but not only state, but also spiritual freedom will be lost, that - sometimes by violence, sometimes by cunning - the aliens will catch the Russian soul in the Roman net and that Rus' will lose the Orthodox faith! Prince Alexander knows that Orthodoxy is the truth and is a priceless pearl for which one must sacrifice everything. He believes that God will not abandon those who strive for truth and righteousness and decide to enter into battle. On July 15, 1240, on the day of the death of the baptizer of Rus', Grand Duke Vladimir, he attacks the newly landed Swedish army and, with the help of God, completely defeats it. The remnants of the foreign troops hastily abandoned the Russian land, and Prince Alexander soon repelled other enemies from the west. Meanwhile, new Tatar hordes are moving towards Rus' from the east. But Alexander is not afraid of them: the Tatars, while imposing tribute on the Russian population, do not interfere in the internal way of their life. Prince Alexander sees that it is now impossible to fight them by force, but he knows that if the Orthodox soul of the Russian man is preserved, the time will come when he will throw off the Tatar yoke. He sees in the Tatars the scourge of God, sent down to Rus' for her sins, and he decides to humbly endure God’s test. He obediently goes to the Horde, fulfills all the orders of the khan, persuades the Russian people not to resist the Tatar power, but to accumulate spiritual strength within themselves and place their trust in God. It was not easy for the glorious Nevsky conqueror to humiliate himself before the khan, and it was not easy to convince the Russian people to follow his example. But the exploits of the holy Grand Duke Alexander, his courageous stand for the Orthodox faith and humility under God's test bore fruit, although not soon. The Russian people, who preserved Orthodoxy, grew stronger while under Tatar rule, which gradually weakened. The day has come - Orthodox Rus' has straightened up and thrown off the Tatar yoke. And, carrying the light of Orthodoxy, the Russian people themselves moved to places inhabited by Tatars. So the strongest stronghold of the former Tatar kingdom, Kazan, fell on the day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Immediately after the annexation of Kazan to Russia, Orthodox preachers arrived there, and many Tatars received holy baptism. Almost 27 years passed after the conquest of Kazan, and the pious girl Matrona once saw in a dream the Most Pure Mother of God, who commanded her to inform the church and civil authorities to dig up Her icon in the place indicated by Her. The phenomenon was repeated three times, and the girl carried out Her orders. When, on July 8, 1579, they began to dig in the place indicated by the Mother of God, they found an icon buried there. The priest of the Church of St. Nicholas named Ermolai took the icon out of the ground and transferred it to his church. Soon that icon became famous for many miracles and became known throughout Rus' as the miraculous Kazan icon. Priest Ermolai, having become a widower, soon became a monk with the name Ermogen, later became Metropolitan of Kazan, and in the Time of Troubles became Patriarch of All Russia and a pillar of the Russian land. After the death of St. Hermogenes, tormented by hunger by the enemies of Russia for his steadfastness, his letters, sent throughout Rus' along with letters from the Archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, St. Dionysius, did their job. They stirred up Rus', and an army moved from Nizhny Novgorod to liberate Rus' from the Poles who had captured it. With her she carried an icon of the Mother of God brought from Kazan, once found by Saint Hermogenes. With her, she liberated Moscow, and in a solemn religious procession the Russian army entered Moscow, carrying in front the miraculous Kazan Icon, in 1612, on October 22, which day began to be celebrated since then and is now celebrated throughout Russia. In memory of him, a church was built in Moscow, in which an exact copy of the icon was placed. And when Tsar Peter returned to Russia the banks of the Neva, which she had lost during the hard times, and built a new capital there, a monastery named after St. Alexander Nevsky. There, on the shores glorified by the courage of the holy Prince Alexander, his holy relics were transferred from Vladimir, and into the majestic cathedral that was built in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, a miraculous icon was placed, found in the former capital of the Tatar kingdom, before which the Grand Duke Alexander once humbled himself, having prepared with his humility the victory over him, the unification and greatness of the Russian land. Word spoken before the service about the repose of the souls of Emperor Nicholas I and those killed with him The Holy Church tomorrow [July 4/17] glorifies St. Andrew, Bishop of Crete, creator of the Great Canon of Penitence, and we have gathered to pray for the repose of the soul of the martyr Tsar and those like him who were killed. In Russia, Russian people also annually gathered in churches on St. Andrew of Crete, but not the one who is glorified tomorrow, but the venerable martyr Andrew, martyred for confessing Christ and the truth of Christ. On this day of St. Andrew in Russia, people with a joyful feeling gathered to thank the Lord for the miraculous salvation of Emperor Alexander III in Borki on October 17, 1888. During his journey, a terrible train crash occurred; all the carriages were destroyed, except for one, in which the king and his family were. So on the day of St. Andrew of Crete, who was martyred by the enemies of Christ and His Church, the heir, and subsequently the sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich, was saved, and also on the day of St. Andrew of Crete, who peacefully ended his days on earth, the sovereign was killed by atheists and traitors. On the day of the Venerable Martyr Andrew, Russia also glorified the prophet Hosea, celebrated on the same day, who predicted the Resurrection of Christ; Churches were built in their honor, where the Russian people thanked God for the salvation of the sovereign. And 30 years later, on St. Andrew, who taught about repentance, the sovereign was killed in front of the entire people, who did not even make an attempt to save him. This is all the more scary and incomprehensible because Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich embodied the best traits of the tsars whom the Russian people knew, loved and revered. The Tsar-Martyr most resembled Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet, but surpassed him in his unshakable meekness. Russia knew Alexander II the Liberator, but Tsar Nicholas II liberated even more people from the brotherly Slavic tribe. Russia knew Alexander III the Peacemaker, and Emperor Nicholas II did not limit himself only to caring for peace in his days, but took a major step towards ensuring that all the peoples of Europe and the whole world lived peacefully and resolved their misunderstandings peacefully. For this purpose, according to his selfless and noble personal initiative, the Hague Conference was convened. Russia admired Alexander I and called him the Blessed One because he freed Europe from the alien power of one man. Emperor Nicholas II, in conditions many times more difficult, rebelled against the same attempt by another person to extend his power to the Slavic people, alien to him by blood and faith, and in defending them showed steadfastness that knew no compromise. Russia knew the great reformer Peter I, but if we recall all the transformations of Nicholas II, then we do not know who to give preference to, and the latter transformations were carried out more carefully, thoughtfully and without harshness. Russia knew John Kalita and John III as collectors of Russia, but Emperor Nicholas II completed their work when in 1915 he returned to Russia, albeit for a short time, all her sons. All-Russian Tsar - he was the first and only All-Russian Tsar. His inner, spiritual, moral image was so beautiful that even the Bolsheviks, wanting to discredit him, could only reproach him for one thing - piety. It is known for certain that he always began and ended his day with prayer. He always took part in great church celebrations, and mingled with the people who were approaching the great Sacrament, as was the case at the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim. He was a model of chastity and the head of an exemplary Orthodox family, raised his children in readiness to serve the Russian people and strictly prepared them for the upcoming work and feat. He was deeply attentive to the needs of his subjects and wanted to clearly and intimately imagine their work and service. Everyone knows the case when he walked several miles in full soldier's equipment in order to better understand the conditions of soldier's service. He walked then completely alone, and this clearly refutes the slanderers who say that he was afraid for his life. If Peter I said: “But know about Peter that life is not dear to him, if only Russia would live,” then Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich truly, one might say, fulfilled this. They say he was gullible. But the outstanding father of the Church, St. Gregory the Great said that the purer the heart, the more trusting it is. How did Russia reward its pure-hearted sovereign, who loved her more than his own life? She repaid him with slander. He was of high morality - they began to talk about his depravity. He loved Russia - they began to talk about treason. Even people close to the sovereign repeated this slander and retold rumors and conversations to each other. Under the influence of the evil intent of some and the licentiousness of others, rumors spread, and the love (of the people) for the king began to cool. Then they began to talk about the danger for Russia and discuss ways to free themselves from this non-existent danger, and in the name of supposedly saving Russia they began to say that the sovereign must be removed. Calculated anger did its job: it separated Russia from its tsar, and at a terrible moment in Pskov he was left alone. No relatives. There were devotees, but they were not allowed in either. The Tsar’s terrible abandonment... But he doesn’t leave Russia, Russia leaves him, who loves Russia more than his life. Seeing this and in the hope that his self-deprecation will calm and pacify the raging passions of the people, the sovereign abdicates the throne. But passion never calms down, having achieved what it wants, it flares up even more. There was rejoicing among those who wanted the overthrow of the sovereign. The others were silent. The arrest of the sovereign followed, and further events were inevitable. If you leave a person in a cage with animals, sooner or later they will tear him to pieces. The Tsar was killed, and Russia remained silent. There was no indignation or protest when this terrible crime was committed, and this silence is the great sin of the Russian people, committed on St. Andrew of Crete, creator of the Great Penitential Canon, read during Great Lent... Under the arch of the Yekaterinburg basement, the ruler of Rus' was killed, deprived of the royal crown by human cunning, but not deprived of sacred anointing by God’s truth. All regicides in the history of Russia were carried out by a handful of people, but not by the people. When Paul I was killed, the people did not know about it, but when they found out, they brought sympathy and prayers to his tomb for many years. The murder of Alexander II caused a storm of indignation in Russia, which improved the moral state of the people, and this affected the reign of Alexander III. The people remained pure from the blood of the Tsar-Liberator. Here the people, the whole people, are guilty of shedding the blood of their king. Some killed, others approved of the murder and thus committed no less a sin, others did not interfere. All are guilty, and truly we must say: His blood be on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25). Treason, betrayal, violation of the oath of allegiance to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich and his heirs without indicating their names, passivity and petrification, insensibility - this is what the Russian people wove from the wreath with which they crowned their Tsar. Today is a day of mourning and repentance. Why, we ask, did the Lord, having saved the same king on the day of Andrew the Martyr, not save him on the day of another Andrew - the teacher of repentance? With deep sadness we answer: yes, the Lord could have saved him just as miraculously on that day, but the Russian people were not worthy of this. The Emperor has now accepted the crown of martyrdom, but this is not an excuse for us, not a reduction in our guilt, just as Judas, Pilate and Caiaphas and those who demanded that Pilate kill Christ were not justified, but even more strongly accused by the Resurrection of Christ. It is a great sin to raise your hand against God’s anointed. When news of the murder of Saul was brought to King David, he ordered the execution of the messenger, although he did not take part in the murder, but only hastened to bring this news and attributed to himself the murder of the king. Even the slightest involvement in such a sin does not remain unavenged. In sorrow we say: His blood be on us and on our children. But let us remember that this atrocity of the entire people was committed on St. Andrew of Kritsky, calling us to deep repentance. Let us remember that there is no limit to God’s mercy and there is no sin that cannot be washed away by repentance. But our repentance must be complete, without any self-justification, without reservations, with condemnation of ourselves and the entire evil deed from its very beginning. After the rescue of the royal family, an icon was drawn in Borki depicting saints whose names were borne by members of the royal family. Perhaps the time will come when not their heavenly patrons, but the royal martyrs themselves will be depicted on icons in memory of the remembered event. But now we will pray for the repose of their souls and we will ask the Lord for deep tearful repentance and forgiveness for ourselves and for the entire Russian people. Amen. After the death of Saul, who fell on his sword during the battle with the Philistines, one Amalekite ran to inform David, who was being persecuted by Saul at that time. Assuming that David would be very pleased with the news brought, he decided to impersonate Saul’s murderer in order to further increase the expected reward. However, after listening to the story invented by the Amalekite about how he, at the request of the wounded Saul, killed him, David grabbed his clothes and tore them, and all the people who were with him did the same. They wept and wept and fasted until evening. And David said to the young man who was telling him, Where are you from? And he said: I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. Then David said to him: How were you not afraid to raise your hand to kill the Lord’s anointed? And he ordered one of the servants to kill him. Moreover, David said: Your blood is on your head; for your mouth bore witness against you when you said, “I have killed the Lord’s anointed” (2 Samuel 1:1–16). This is how a foreigner was executed, posing as the murderer of Saul. He was cruelly executed, although Saul did a lot of evil, for which the Lord abandoned him, and was a persecutor of the innocent David. From David’s words it is clear that he doubted the veracity of the Amalekite’s story and was not sure that he was the murderer of Saul, but he put him to death, considering even calling himself a regicide and boasting about this act worthy of death. How much more serious and sinful is the murder of the Orthodox anointed of God, how much greater the punishment should lie on the murderers of Tsar Nicholas II and his family?! In contrast to Saul, who retreated from God and was therefore abandoned by Him, Tsar Nicholas II is a model of piety and complete devotion to the will of God. Having received not the Old Testament libation of oil on the head, but the gracious “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” in the Sacrament of Confirmation, Emperor Nicholas II was faithful to his high rank until the end of his life and was aware of his responsibility before God. Emperor Nicholas II gave an account to his conscience in every action, eternally “walked with the Lord God” (see: Gen. 5:22; 6:9; 17:1). “The most pious” during the days of his earthly prosperity, not only in name, but also in deed; during the days of his trials, he showed patience similar to the patience of the righteous Job. The hands of criminals rose against such and such a king, and, moreover, even when he was purified from the trials he endured, like gold in a furnace, and was an innocent sufferer in the full sense of the word. The crime against Tsar Nicholas II is even more terrible and sinful because his entire family, innocent children, were killed along with him! Such crimes do not go unpunished. They cry out to Heaven and bring down God's wrath on earth. If a foreigner, the imaginary murderer of Saul, was subjected to death, the entire Russian people are now suffering for the murder of the defenseless sufferer Tsar and his family, who committed a terrible crime and remained silent when the Tsar was subjected to humiliation and imprisonment. A deep awareness of the sinfulness of what we have done and repentance before the memory of the martyr king are required of us by God’s truth. The memory of the innocent princes, Saints Boris and Gleb, awakened the conscience of the Russian people during the appanage unrest and shamed the princes who started discord. Blood of St. Grand Duke Igor made a spiritual revolution in the souls of the people of Kiev and united Kiev and Chernigov by the veneration of the murdered holy prince. St. Andrew Bogolyubsky with his blood sanctified the autocracy of Russia, which was established much later than his martyrdom. All-Russian veneration of St. Mikhail Tverskoy healed the wounds on the body of Russia caused by the struggle between Moscow and Tver. Glorification of St. Tsarevich Dimitri clarified the consciousness of the Russian people, breathed moral strength into them and, after severe upheavals, led to the revival of Russia. Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II with his long-suffering family is now included in the ranks of those passion-bearers. The greatest crime committed against him must be atoned for by ardent veneration of him and glorification of his feat. Russia must bow to the humiliated, slandered and tortured, as the people of Kiev once bowed to the tortured Prince Igor, as the people of Vladimir and Suzdal bowed to the murdered Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky! Then the passion-bearing tsar will have boldness towards God, and his prayer will save the Russian land from the disasters it endures. Then the martyr Tsar and his fellow sufferers will become the new heavenly defenders of Holy Russia. Innocently shed blood will revive Russia and overshadow it with new glory! Word before the memorial service for the martyr king Forty years ago, in one day, the greatness and glory of the Russian state, the stronghold of world peace, collapsed. The signature of Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich on the act of abdication is a historical boundary separating the great and glorious past of Russia from its dark and painful situation now. The whole weight of the evil of the current government and the way of life is directed at honest, well-intentioned and pious people, and the entire people are in oppression and constant fear. People are afraid They are afraid even of their own unexpressed thoughts, lest they be reflected in their facial expression. What happened on that day 40 years ago? The retreat of the people from the anointed of God, the retreat from the power submissive to God, the retreat of the oath of allegiance taken before God to the sovereign, the anointed of God, and his delivery to death. The one who gave all his strength in the name of God to serve Russia is deprived of power, and then of freedom. For dozens of years, the dark forces of evil waged a struggle against God’s anointed, against state power faithful to God. The same forces also killed the Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich, the Tsar-Liberator. That crime sobered up the people, shook up the whole country, and that moral upsurge made it possible for Emperor Alexander III the Peacemaker to rule Russia with a strong hand. Two decades of peaceful life and development in Russia passed, and a new conspiracy to overthrow the royal throne was created. It was a conspiracy by the enemies of Russia. In Russia itself there was a struggle against its very essence, and, having destroyed the throne, the enemies of Russia destroyed even its name. Now the whole world can see how the royal power, faithful to God, and Russia are connected with each other. There was no Tsar - there was no Russia. The struggle against the Tsar and Russia was waged by hidden atheism, which later manifested itself openly. This is the essence of the struggle against the Tsar and Russia, against the basis of its life and historical development. Such is the meaning and purpose of that struggle, which perhaps not all of those who were its accomplices were aware of. Everything dirty, insignificant, and sinful that could be in a person’s soul was called against the Tsar and Russia. All this rose with all its might to fight against the royal crown, crowned with a cross, for royal service is bearing the cross. People are always raised against the cross with slander and lies, doing the work of the devil, for, according to the word of the Lord Jesus Christ: “He is a liar and the father of lies, and when he speaks a lie, he speaks his own” (see: John 8:44). Everything was raised against the most meek, pure and loving king, so that in the terrible hour of the struggle against him he would be left alone. Dirty slander was first spread against the tsar and his family so that the people would lose interest in him. Infidel allies took part in the conspiracy. The closest employees, when the sovereign needed moral support, did not give it and violated the oath. Some - by taking part in the conspiracy, others - out of weakness, advising renunciation. The Emperor was left completely alone, with “treason, meanness and cowardice” all around. From the day of the renunciation, everything began to gradually collapse. It couldn't have been any other way. The one who united everything, standing guard over the Truth, was overthrown. A sin was committed, and a free path was opened for sin. It is in vain that they want to separate February from October: one was a direct consequence of the other. In these days of March, Pskov was Gethsemane for the sovereign, Yekaterinburg became Golgotha ​​for him. Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich died as a martyr, with unshakable faith and patience, having drunk the cup of suffering to the dregs. A sin against him and Russia was committed by everyone who in one way or another acted against him, did not oppose him, or even took part in the event that took place 40 years ago with sympathy. That sin lies on everyone until it is washed away by sincere repentance. As we offer prayers for the repose of his soul, we also pray for Tsars Pavel Petrovich and Alexander Nikolaevich, who were also killed in the March days. And we pray for forgiveness of the Russian people for the grave sin of treason and regicide. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. Before us, before the Russian people, the path of uprising is the path of consciousness of sin and repentance. For the revival of Russia, all political and programmatic associations are in vain: Russia needs a moral renewal of the Russian people. We must pray for forgiveness of our sins and for mercy for our Fatherland, just as the Lord God, having freed Israel from Babylonian captivity, restored the destroyed city of Jerusalem. The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the earth; and now you are cursed from the earth, which opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother at your hand (Gen. 4:10–11). This is what God said to Cain after he killed Abel. Gentle, meek Abel lay lifeless and speechless on the ground. But his blood cried out to heaven. What was she crying about? The earth screamed, nature screamed, crying out to God for justice. She screamed because she could not remain silent, shocked by the crime that had been committed. There are events that shock even the soulless elements. The Lord Himself then executes judgment on them. This was the first murder, the murder of Cainovo. These are many other heinous crimes. These include the terrible regicide in Yekaterinburg. Why was Tsar Nicholas II persecuted, slandered and killed? Because he was a king, a king by the grace of God. He was the bearer and embodiment of the Orthodox worldview, according to which the king is a servant of God, God’s anointed, who owes Him an account for the fate of the people entrusted to him, for all his deeds and actions, not only personal, but also as a ruler. This is how the Orthodox Russian people believed, this is how the Orthodox Church taught, this is how Tsar Nicholas realized and felt. He was completely imbued with this consciousness. He looked upon his bearing of the royal crown as service to God. He remembered this for all his important decisions, for all important issues that arose. That is why he was so firm and unshakable in those matters in which he was convinced that such was the will of God, he stood firmly for what seemed to him necessary for the good of the kingdom he headed. And when he saw that he was placed [in conditions] of the impossibility of performing his royal service according to his conscience, he put off the royal crown, like St. Prince Boris, not wanting to become the cause of strife and bloodshed in Rus'. The Tsar’s self-sacrifice, which did not bring any benefit to Russia, but on the contrary, gave an even greater opportunity to commit a crime with impunity, brought unimaginable sorrow and suffering. But in them he showed greatness of spirit, which likened him to the righteous Job. The anger of the enemies did not subside. He was dangerous for them even then, for he was the bearer of the consciousness that the supreme power must be submissive to God, receive sanctification and strengthening from Him, and follow God’s commandments. He was the living embodiment of faith in God's Providence, acting in the destinies of kingdoms and peoples and directing rulers faithful to God to good and useful deeds. Therefore, he was intolerant of the enemies of faith and of those who strive to place human reason and human strength above all... Tsar Nicholas II was a servant of God in his inner worldview, in his convictions, in his actions, and such he was in the eyes of the entire Orthodox Russian people. The fight against him was closely connected with the fight against God and faith. In essence, he became a martyr, remaining faithful to the King of kings, and accepted death as the martyrs accepted it. Tsar Nicholas the Long-Suffering The prototype of the suffering and risen Christ was the righteous Job the Long-Suffering, whose memory is celebrated today and the book about whom is read during Holy Week, because the righteous Job was the first prototype of the great Sufferer for our sins, the Savior of the world. Like Job, who from having great wealth became a beggar, the Son of God, leaving His heavenly Throne, “became poor,” becoming a Man like us, enduring all human needs and not having anywhere to lay his head. Just as righteous Job suffered reproaches from his closest friends, so Christ endured reproach and slander from His fellow tribesmen and the betrayal of Judas. But as after the suffering of St. Job was again crowned with glory and wealth, and so the Son of God rose from the dead, ascended to His heavenly Throne, sung by the Angels and receiving worship from the whole world. Just as there were types of Christ before His coming to earth, so after His coming those who believe in Him should be His images. Christ Himself said at the Last Supper: “I have given you an image (example), that even as I created, you also do” (see: John 13:15). And the holy Apostle Paul says: Be imitators of me, just as you are imitators of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Man was created in the image and likeness of God, and every person must demonstrate that likeness in himself with his good qualities, reflecting in us the likeness of God. Sin desecrated nature, and man became incapable of true good, having lost living communication with God. Christ, the Son of God, having become incarnate, again showed us the Prototype, to which we must become like. You should have the same feelings as in Christ, writes St. Apostle Paul to believers (Phil. 2:5). Tsar Nicholas II appeared as such a living reminder of the suffering of Christ in the days of his trials. He was betrayed by those he trusted. He was abandoned by almost all his associates; only a few went with him to his Golgotha. The crowds, who had recently met and greeted him with delight, now reviled him, cheering those who wanted his execution. How Job's friends, who had recently seemed devoted to him, accused him of crimes he had not committed. “Crucify, crucify him,” was heard from everywhere, and those who remained faithful to him did not dare to raise their voices, hiding “for the sake of the Jews.” The martyr king endured this with goodness and forgiveness. “I was born on the day of Job the Long-Suffering, and I am destined to suffer,” he said long before the sorrowful days. With patience and meekness he endured everything that befell him and drank the cup of his suffering to the dregs. Just as Job, who did a lot of good before, became famous for his suffering even more than for his good deeds, so Tsar Nicholas II, even more than for the many glorious deeds of his reign, became famous throughout the world for his suffering and his generous enduring of it. After many thousands of years, he revealed in himself Job, the ancient prototype of Christ, himself becoming like him, and with Paul he can say: I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus on my body (Gal. 6:17). He showed everyone an example of fulfilling the commandments of Christ and will receive from Him, instead of a royal crown, a crown of righteousness. The innocent sufferer Christ was sinless, but neither righteous Job nor the martyr king were sinless. But whoever suffers with Christ will be glorified with Him. Only the righteous Job himself could plead with God for Job’s sinful friends, and for Russia, which has sinned and now suffers, the prayer of the martyr king is now necessary and powerful. 95th anniversary of the birth of the martyr king On May 6, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. righteous Job the Long-Suffering. Righteous Job was blameless, just and God-fearing, and shunned evil (Job 1:1) in the days of his prosperity. He was the eyes of the blind and the feet of the lame; father... for the poor (Job 29:15), trying to help everyone in need and trouble. But no matter how great his virtues were, it was not so much through them as through his sufferings and his resigned enduring of them that he became glorified before the whole world and earned praise and eternal glory from God. He became an example for the entire human race of how to endure suffering and submit to the Providence of God. He was the prototype of the Great Innocent Sufferer who suffered for the whole world. On his memory day 95 years ago, Tsar Nicholas II was born. Distinguished from childhood by his piety, he tried to imitate in virtues the saint on whose day he was born, and [the saint] whose name he bore. His government activities were aimed at raising the people's well-being, and he personally did not miss an opportunity to provide assistance to those in need. Deep faith in God's Providence strengthened him. It especially manifested itself in the mournful days that followed the renunciation. He endured bullying, insults, imprisonment and other misfortunes with such patience that he appeared as the new Job of our days. Having endured all kinds of bullying, he retained fortitude and complete kindness with forgiveness towards his enemies. He became more spiritually elevated by his sufferings than by the glorious events of his reign. He did not see here, in earthly life, after suffering, prosperity again, like the righteous Job, but even more so his reward in heaven, where, instead of a royal crown, the crown of the passion-bearer, who followed the Son of God with his cross, shines on him. May he now rejoice with the saints in the Kingdom of Christ and may his memory shine on earth! The first saints glorified in Rus' were the holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb. Devotion to the will of God, kindness towards their murderers, as well as their previous life, attracted the hearts of everyone to them, and the signs and wonders with which God glorified them revealed their power and heavenly glory. People resorted to them in times of need, they were glorified, commemorating them several times a year throughout Rus'. Their appearance on the Neva at night, on the eve of the repose of their father, Grand Duke Vladimir, inspired strength in the blessed Prince Alexander to win the famous victory over the Swedes that day and served as the beginning of the glorification of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir himself. Those two first passion-bearers were joined a century and a half later by Grand Duke Igor, who became a monk with the name Gabriel and was killed by the people of Kiev, who wanted another prince. All Russia deeply reveres the blessed Grand Duke Mikhail of Tverskoy, who after many torments was killed in the Horde through the machinations of Prince Yuri of Moscow. From that time to the present day, both Tver and Moscow bowed low at the relics of the saint; residents of the surrounding regions resorted to him in sorrows and needs; Russian sovereigns drew strength for the construction of the Russian kingdom. The source of not only healings from bodily illnesses, but also spiritual strength was the noble Tsarevich Dimitri, who was killed in Uglich during the Time of Troubles. Those names shine brightly from the depths of centuries, and gracious help pours out to all who call upon them. They and other passion-bearers of the Russian land stand before God for it. Now the martyr king and his family have joined their host. There are still no obvious signs testifying to their holiness, but the qualities they showed in the days of testing closely united them with the famous passion-bearers. Undoubtedly, having forgiven them their voluntary and involuntary sins, the Lord moved them into His abodes. But He gives power to the prayers of His saints and glorifies them on earth, when it becomes necessary and useful for the earthly Church. The stronger our prayers for the royal martyrs are, the more we honor them, the sooner the Lord will make those whom He has already honored with heavenly glory as intercessors for the Russian land. News is already coming from Gethsemane about healings taking place at the tomb of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. And if our faith and prayer are strong, perhaps the Lord will give strength to the prayer of the martyr Tsar, Tsarevich Alexy and the royal martyrs, and they will shine with a bright dawn over the Fatherland, washed with tears of repentance and martyr’s blood. Word from Bishop John on the day of his angel after the liturgy and offering congratulations before the start of the meal I offer my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has gathered this day to celebrate the day of my heavenly patron, St. John of Tobolsk. First of all, I am deeply grateful to our Eminence, the head of the mission, Archbishop Victor, for joint prayers and services, as well as warm words of attention and support. I thank the clergy who participated with me in the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice, as well as those who came to the prayer service, the church choir, the altar servers who took part in the service, and all those who offered prayers with us. So, I especially thank you for your prayers, because prayer is of great importance to us. She brings down the grace of God upon us, and not only the flock needs the prayer of their shepherds, but also shepherds, especially archpastors, need the prayers of their flock for them, in order to “have the right to rule the word of truth.” I also thank everyone who, being busy, still took time from their work or rest to come and congratulate me. I express my heartfelt gratitude to those who took care of the current celebration and the reception of visitors, and to all those who expressed their attention to me in various ways. I take this opportunity to thank church and charitable organizations for their diligent and useful activities, which are now taking place in very difficult conditions, which, however, did not affect the success of their activities, which for the most part is very high. May the Lord reward their doers and workers, and may their zeal under temptation not weaken: not a single good deed is done without temptations and troubles. And it would be surprising if they weren’t! Can we really expect the primordial enemy of God and humanity to easily allow himself to be defeated? If people in a fight try in every possible way to be winners and usually give in to their opponents with difficulty, how much more does the leader of all evil and the hater of good strive for victory? Just as warring states try to upset the ranks of their opponents, causing internal unrest in them, the primordial murderer tries in every possible way to cause misunderstandings and mutual displeasure between those doing a good deed in order to upset him. But knowing where those disorders come from, let us not succumb to the temptations of the sower of enmity and malice, but let us in every possible way avoid division and maintain peace, lovingly forgiving of the weaknesses of our neighbors. It is impossible for us to do this only on our own, so we must diligently seek help from above. Our representatives will be the holy saints of God, who have passed through a sea of ​​temptations and are now standing before the Throne of God. Today marks 25 years since the Church openly glorifies and calls upon St. John of Tobolsk as an illustrious saint of God, whom Siberia and Chernigov have long revered as a great righteous man and miracle worker. He lived in an exceptional time for Russia, during the reign of Peter I, when Rus' was at a turning point and during the days of the Great Northern War the question of its future existence was being decided. Tsar Peter spent the eve of the Battle of Poltava in conversation with St. John, who was then the Archbishop of Chernigov. Encouraging the king, Saint John prophesied the words of Holy Scripture to the king: May the Lord God give you your enemies who resist you and be crushed before you: they will come against you in one way, and they will flee from before you by seven paths (Deut. 28:7). Indeed, the Battle of Poltava ended in the complete defeat of the enemy, who was forced to flee Russia in different ways, and the days of rise and glory came for Russia. The glorification of Saint John also took place during the difficult days of the Great War for Russia, and Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, recalling the spiritual support provided by Saint John to his ancestor, wrote on the Synod’s resolution on the glorification of the saint: “I believe in the intercession of Saint John (Maximovich) in this time of trial for Orthodox Rus'.” However, the Russian people were not yet ready to receive God's mercy. Even greater trials were required for him. And now the 25th anniversary of glorification occurs when exhausted Russia is again at a turning point and the Russian people are thrown back, waiting for the salvation of the Lord (Gen. 49:18). May the hope of the martyr king and the Lord God, with whom a thousand years are like one day, and one day like a thousand years, through the intercession of St. John, be fulfilled now, may he bring speedy salvation to our Fatherland, revive it to its former greatness, “return the captivity of his people” and give to those who mourn now the anointing of joy... and the adornment of glory instead of the spirit of despondency (Isa. 61:3). Here, in Shanghai, may St. John help us, in complete unity of spirit, to work for the good of the Church and our neighbors, until some of us return to our homeland, while others are destined by the Lord to end their days here, illuminating the country of China with the light of the Orthodox Faith of Christ and thereby continuing the work of the mission, which was begun by the now glorified St. John. memory of St. John of Tobolsk On the spiritual and moral significance of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia All parts of the Universal Church have one common goal - preaching the word of God, preparing people so that they become capable of being members of the Body of Christ and, having become such, more and more, more and more sincerely and stronger, become related to the Divine saving life of the Body of Christ, for this is the salvation of people. In achieving this common goal, each Local Church has its own significance. Each people has been given special gifts by God's Providence. Each Church carries out its task in accordance with those gifts. Therefore, each nation or association of related peoples has its own Church, and such a division of church power helps the work of preaching. Therefore, the Orthodox Church allows the establishment of new local Churches and new centers of preaching. This is how the Russian and other Slavic Churches arose. So, each nation has its own characteristics of the spirit, and that is the basis for the formation of Local People's Churches. All of them together make up the One Universal Church and bring to it those characteristics and gifts, just as good slaves bring acquisitions for the talents given to them by God. This is how a combination of spiritual sounds and colors pleasing to God is created, with which the Church is decorated, uniting all nations for the glory of God. The earth brings this beauty to the sky, like an incense censer. The Russian Church brings its flowers and its sounds to that beauty: let us compare the sometimes severe severity of the righteous of the East and the tenderness of the spirit of the Russian saints. Scattered throughout the world, we preserve the characteristics of the spirit given to us by God. This calls us to maintain unity with the Church, to which God has entrusted work among us, our spiritual care and education, maintaining our spiritual fervor, and developing our talents. Therefore, scattered throughout the world, we establish our Russian churches and together we form one Russian Church Abroad. The spiritual manifestations of the Church are the same in all nations, but the forms—colors and sounds—are different. The division of ministries and gifts pleased the Creator of all, the Savior God. We know and feel the spiritual benefit and experience joy in seeing how different peoples, of different characters and talents, give glory to the One God. Therefore, for example, guided by genuine church consciousness and feeling, the Serbian Church joyfully hosted the Russian Church, testifying to the spiritual benefits of its presence. Our Russian Church Abroad is a free part of the Russian Church. Its unity is also evidenced by the fact that the mercy of God, manifested in our Motherland in the renewal of icons, did not limit its manifestation to the borders of Russia, but was also manifested in Russia Abroad, in Russian churches and among Russian Orthodox people abroad. Spiritually, the Russian Church is indivisible: it is always the same Russian Church, no matter where we are. Being part of the Russian Church, we cannot communicate with church authorities, subordinate and enslaved authorities, hostile Churches. To be in a state of such subordination and dependence is a mentally painful state: it is unnatural for church authorities to be dependent on authorities that have set as their goal the destruction of the Church and the very faith in God. And those who are in such dependence cannot help but feel and be aware of the painfulness of such a state: some, whose conscience is alive, suffer; others, with a seared conscience, accept this position. The church authorities in Russia are in such a position that we cannot separate and understand what is done by it freely and what by force. Church power in Russia is an image of captivity and spiritual impotence: there is neither free will nor free manifestation. We have no one to communicate with: there is no free church authority! The Russian Church Abroad is therefore not administratively connected with such power. But we are united spiritually with the Holy Russian Church, for we are part of the Russian Church. We should not think that everyone in our Motherland is spiritually enslaved by the authorities existing there. We believe the opposite. We do not experience hearts known to God alone, but we know that there is no freedom of consciousness and will, that isolation has taken root there, there is no sociability, there people cannot choose the path of life, following their hearts, there is the state about which the prophet Micah prophesied: there people “do not trust a friend, do not rely on friends” and a person’s enemies are his household (Mic. 7:5-6). Godless power has a detrimental effect on people. It subjugates not only the body, but also captivates the soul, depersonalizes a person and distorts the sincere, frank Russian soul. We, the Russian Church Abroad, maintain our unity by communicating with all the Churches with which it is possible to communicate. In our scattering throughout the world, we do not submit to local Churches not because we are hostile to them, but because we protect the Holy Russian Church and the properties of the Russian soul. Our church unity is expressed in submission to the same church authority for the entire dispersion, and this unity preserves Russian people abroad in fidelity to the feat entrusted to them by God. Our diocese is part of the Russian Church Abroad Address at the opening of the Diocesan Congress of the Western European Diocese When we say the word “foreign”, we refer it to state borders. The borders of the Russian Church did not coincide with the borders of the Russian state. The Russian Church has existed in America for a long time, and this part of it was an inextricable part of the Russian Church. The Russian Church did not care only for Russian people or subjects of the Russian state: the Russian Church included Orthodox Christians of different nationalities, different countries and states. One of the vicars in North America was a Syrian to care for the Syrians. In America, the Russian Church generally cared for all Orthodox Christians, and until the end of the First World War there was no other [Orthodox] bishop there except a Russian one. The Russian Church also cared for the Assyrians, and at the end of the last century there was a special bishop of the Syro-Chaldeans in Iran, who also belonged to the Russian Church. The same situation existed in Western Europe. After the separation of Rome from the Universal Church, it was not determined who should care for the Orthodox in Western Europe, and therefore churches and parishes of different Churches were created there, but predominantly Russian. These were churches not only at embassies, but in different countries beautiful churches were built where there were Orthodox Christians. These are the churches in many places in Germany, Austria, as well as in certain cities of Switzerland, Italy and France - in Geneva, Nice, Cannes, Vevey, Pau. No one has ever objected to the fact that the foreign part of the Russian Church existed in Western Europe, and its administration was carried out through the Kronstadt vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese and Russian churches in Western Europe were listed under the name “churches abroad.” Many Orthodox Christians from different countries and nationalities were nourished by the Russian Church. It included the Orthodox of Japan and China, where there were either churches, or parishes, and even dioceses of the Russian Church. Thus, it is clear that the Russian Church Abroad, or the presence of a part of the Russian Church outside the borders of Russia, is by no means a new phenomenon, the time after the collapse of the Russian state. What is new is not that the Russian Church Abroad exists, but that, firstly, it has increased many times over, and, secondly, that it is now governed independently of the ecclesiastical authority of the rest of the Russian Church. This independent existence is a new phenomenon for the Russian Church, but it is by no means new in the history of the Universal Church, and, beginning such an existence, the Russian Church followed the example of its Mother - the Greek Church. A hundred years before our disaster, a liberation movement began in Greece, with the goal of liberation from Turkish rule. At the request of the Turks, the Patriarch of Constantinople appealed to the rebels to stop the uprising, and threatened the disobedient with punishment in the most terrible terms. What could the faithful do then, who, of course, knew that the patriarch did this under pressure from the Turks? An independent Greek Church was founded in the liberated areas. For about 30 years she had no relations with Constantinople, which did not recognize her. Later, when the power of the Turks weakened, relations were restored, but still the Greek Church not only retained its independence, but after the First World War other liberated Greek regions that were the original part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople joined it. There is no doubt, however, that if the Lord allows Constantinople to again become the Greek state capital, the Greek Churches will be reunited. We see something similar in the Serbian Church. When the Turks took possession of Serbia, part of the Serbian people crossed state borders, and an independent Serbian Church was formed within Austria-Hungary with a metropolitan in Sremski Karlovci. Regarding the Serbian Church, we can say that it was the Serbian Church Abroad. When all the Serbian regions were liberated and united into a single Serbian state, then the solemn unification of the Serbian Church with its foreign part also took place. Let us hope that when the Russian state is restored, freed from godless power, then there will be rejoicing in the triumph of the restoration of the Russian Church. Now is not the time for that. Church power within Russia is completely dependent on Soviet power. The recent appeal of the Patriarch of Moscow and the Synod with a call for clergy to return to their homeland, in view of supposedly various achievements in the field of political and economic life, with silence, of course, about the oppression of the Church and faith, is clear evidence of that dependence. This call clearly reveals the desire to deprive emigration of spiritual support; it pursues a purely political goal, and this confirms that we cannot submit to church power that is completely dependent on power hostile to the Church. In the name of the freedom of the Church, the foreign part of the Russian Church began its independent existence and will continue it as long as the reasons that caused it exist. Christian Public Ministry “We have different gifts according to the grace given to us: if you have the gift of prophecy, prophesy according to the measure of your faith; if you have a ministry, remain in the ministry; if you have the gift of teaching, teach the doctrine; if you can console, do the consolation, give with simplicity; lead with zeal; show mercy with good will" [Rom. 12:6–8; lane St. John]. While indicating here how Christians should relate to the gifts they have, the Apostle Paul in other places in his epistles instructs how to behave when occupying a particular position, whether in the Church or in civil society. In the Church there are shepherds and flocks: some are entrusted with preaching, others with teaching (see: Eph. 4:7-12; 1 Cor. Ch. 12, etc.) or other work. All of them, each fulfilling what is assigned to him, do one great work, build the Body of Christ, the Church. They must work in unity of spirit, without exalting themselves or disparaging others, since each is one or another member of a single body (see: Eph. 4:1–4; 1 Cor. 12:12–27), in which each member has its own purpose. The Church leads her children to eternal life and takes care of the most important and necessary things, which is why church duties are especially important. However, directing the gaze of her children to heaven, she commands them not to neglect their responsibilities related to this life. Reaching to heaven, the Church, however, stands on earth, and people are prepared for the Heavenly Kingdom also on earth. Therefore, Holy Scripture also tells Christians how to approach their responsibilities in public and state life. Here, too, not all are in the same position, but each must perform his duties with diligence, giving due honor to others. At the heart of all commandments is the commandment of love. In fulfilling their civic duties, Christians must remember that they benefit others by contributing to the general welfare, and must work not only for their own personal good, but also for the common good. Outwardly, the same thing is done in non-Christian society. But the Church and Christ’s teaching spiritualize all life. Even John the Baptist, who stood on the threshold of the Old and New Testaments, taught those who questioned him how those holding public positions should behave. Warriors, who can be a scourge and oppressor of the small, must be guided by the teachings of Christ in all areas and manifestations of life: personal, social, and state. They remain Christians always and everywhere. In all deeds and actions one must show the spirit of faith and the Christian love associated with it. Christians living among people of other faiths, especially in a godless environment, often have to encounter social concepts and state requirements that are contrary to Christ’s teaching. What to do then? Many of the Christians were military leaders (George, Eustathius Placidas, etc.), warriors, regional rulers (Demetrius of Thessalonica, Theodore Stratelates, etc.), and courtiers. They diligently fulfilled their positions, distinguished themselves in the service, and were crowned with awards. But when they were presented with demands contrary to the faith of Christ, they refused to fulfill them and went to torture, remembering that “it is fitting to obey God more than men” [see: Acts. 5:29; lane St. John]. They left an example that should be followed in all ages, being crowned with Christ, who is the same yesterday and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). It is another matter when the entire society mainly professes the Orthodox faith of Christ and tries to harmonize the laws and acts of state, as well as social customs, with it. But even then, in some cases, there are deviations from God’s truth, and unshakable fighters for it have to endure persecution, sometimes even to death. But this comes from imperfection in the faith and virtues of individuals or society, just as sinful falls happen to the righteous; In the main, life flows in the spirit of Christ’s teaching and is consistent with the statutes of the Church, as far as possible in the present world. Then everyone has a duty to take special care for the welfare of such a society or state. You can live and be saved in any conditions. But the weak in spirit need external support, and in unfavorable conditions they can easily waver and fall. That is why the Church prayed during times of persecution for their cessation and prays for the well-being and strength of states in which Christ’s teaching is the basis of public life and state activity. Service to the state to some extent becomes service to the Church there. However, they should not merge and be identified. The church and the state are different in essence and in their tasks. The latter can only coincide to a certain extent, and their performers are then guided by both moral and civil laws at the same time. All service to such a state takes on the character of service to the Highest Truth and becomes spiritualized. All ranks of the state must then especially guard its integrity, each carrying out his work not out of fear, but out of conscience. The main responsibility lies with its leader. His duty is to protect the oppressed, take care of the welfare of the population, and protect the country from enemies, external and internal. While in non-Christian countries the head of state is often a limitless ruler, sometimes revered as a deity, the Orthodox tsar is, like other rulers, a servant of God, having power for the good of the people. The higher his position, the greater his responsibility. Other rulers have other superiors over them, but the bearer of supreme power is responsible directly before God. Awareness of such responsibility encourages the pious bearer of power to be especially attentive and careful about his decisions and actions, constantly checking with his conscience. The Church prays for those in power and especially for its head, so that each of them successfully accomplishes his work for the common good. The authorities were established to suppress evil and for order to ensure the peaceful and prosperous life of the rest of the population, in which they could not only prosper, but live piously. Therefore, Christians in power must fulfill their service “with diligence” (zeal) as the implementation of the commandment to love one’s neighbors and through this serve the Lord God Himself. During divine services, the Church prays to the Almighty to help in this, to protect through them from external evil those who are faithful to Him, and thereby give His Church the opportunity to freely call and lead people to the eternal Kingdom. He will be awarded to those who served Him in this life, offering Him the gift of their mind, heart and will and demonstrating this in their deeds, no matter what their rank and circumstances. Address at the opening of the Orthodox Cause Society 552 “Orthodox Cause” aims to promote the implementation of Orthodox principles. Social life is no longer developing along Christian paths. Christianity, expressed in its pure form by Orthodoxy, provides both everything necessary for the salvation of a person’s soul, as well as guiding principles for resolving all issues of social life. Having left the Orthodox paths, public life is inevitably in an abnormal, painful state. The degenerate state of the world is felt by almost everyone. There is uncertainty, mistrust and powerlessness everywhere. They talk about peace, but there is no peace, and everyone is preparing for war. They strive to ensure everyone’s well-being in life, but life becomes more and more tense and difficult. They are looking for new ways of life and will never find them, because they do not exist. Christianity reveals the meaning of life to all people and for all times, and therefore only in it can one find answers to all phenomena and questions of life. This eternal truth about life is preserved by the Church of Christ, and people must learn from it, be able to understand its wisdom, and only on this path will humanity find peace and healing. Public life has moved away from these paths. She seeks healing through scientific advancements or the cultivation of strength and health. But there have never been so many mentally ill people as now, because the human soul, which is the same by nature, seeks another life, churchly, grace-filled, and public life does everything to not give the human soul what it needs. Even those who call themselves Orthodox listen little to the voice of the Church, understand it poorly and are almost completely incapable of finding guidelines for finding the path to Christian community and statehood. The general situation is so alarming that we hear the voices of thoughtful people [that], being cut off from the eternal source of life, humanity is becoming less and less viable and its existence is increasingly aimless and that the end of the world is approaching. We do not know the times and deadlines, but whether they are close or not, people always have the same meaning and path of personal and social life. If to save the world we need the revival of Orthodox Russia, then for the revival of the latter we need the creation of an Orthodox community, assessing and deciding all issues and phenomena of life from the point of view of the Orthodox worldview. The goal of the “Orthodox Cause” is to strive for this. It should call for the spiritual and moral revival of society. It should disseminate the truths of Orthodoxy not as an abstract dogma, but in relation to given conditions, showing how all issues of personal, social and state life are resolved on the basis of Orthodox principles. The Church is waiting for such Orthodox social activity. According to the Orthodox understanding, the Church consists not only of hierarchs and clergy, but also of the entire believing Orthodox people. This totality and unity, which partakes of Christ in the Holy Sacraments, is the Church, the Body of Christ. Hierarchs and clergy are the leaders of the life of the Church, but active participation in it and responsibility for the life of the Church also lies with the laity. The history of the Church tells us how much the laity served the Church both in the era of the Arian distortion of Orthodoxy and in the times of iconoclasm, and in the south-west of Russia Orthodox brotherhoods defended Orthodoxy from heterodox dominance and influence. The task before the Orthodox Cause is not easy. Non-church movements have taken over Russian society. There are anti-church tendencies in it, of an anti-God nature, but most often manifestations of non-churchism, religious indifference and sometimes petrified insensibility. Finally, many do not hear the words of God and therefore do not know him and live in an environment that is hostile or deeply alien to Orthodoxy, not knowing him at all. Such is the bleak situation and environment in which one must act. The Church calls all participants in the “Orthodox Cause” to be co-workers with Christ. When starting such a ministry, they must clearly understand that for the revival of Orthodox Russia, the creation of an Orthodox community is necessary. What is the spiritual strength of His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony? “He was well taught by the grace of the Spirit that the primate of the Church should take care not of that one Church that was entrusted to him by the Spirit, but also of the entire Church throughout the universe; he learned this from sacred prayers. If one must, he said, pray for the Universal Church, from end to end of the universe, then all the more must one show care for all of it, equally care for all (the Churches) and care for everyone” 553. These words of praise to St. John Chrysostom to Saint Eustathius of Antioch are fully applicable to His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony of Kyiv. He was truly an ecumenical saint, delving into all issues of church life throughout the universe, carrying within himself all its illnesses, as if he had lifted the whole burden of them on his shoulders. While still a young bishop of Ufa, his soul is rooted in the divisions that existed in the Middle East, and he offers Patriarch Joachim ways to end them. Soon afterwards he turns his activities to South-Western Russia, extending it beyond the boundaries of his Volyn diocese, and in every possible way contributes to the restoration of Orthodoxy in Galicia and Carpathian Russia. At the same time, he is busy with the issue of ending the schism, communicates with the Old Believer archbishop, and at the same time corresponds with representatives of the Anglican faith to clarify the possibility of reuniting them with Orthodoxy. All aspects of church life are covered by the mental gaze of the saint, but he approaches them not only with his mind, but with his whole being. Deeply believing in the final victory of Truth, he at the same time deeply suffers from all the adversities [existing] in the Church. His personality did not exist outside the Church and, as it were, reflected the Church in itself. Every Orthodox Christian was close to him, no matter what nationality he was and no matter what region he was from. He was a kind father and wise mentor to everyone who needed him. He treated everyone who came to him for spiritual advice as his spiritual relative—physical kinship ceased to exist for him after he accepted monasticism. He considered himself obligated to help anyone who turned to him for support and help as his neighbor, often giving away the last thing he had, and sometimes experiencing deprivation himself. His attitude towards people was not artificial or forced. It came from the depths of his being and was rooted in deep faith and devotion to God. Having loved Christ as a child and wishing to follow Him from his infancy, he grew up and prospered spiritually, reaching high spiritual maturity even in his youth. Possessing a great mind and being highly gifted by nature, he, having received an excellent secular education, then studied theological sciences with such diligence that he seemed to be completely saturated with theology; having combined this with an impeccable moral life, he himself became a source of spiritual wisdom and seemed to pour out currents of theology from himself, feeding his spiritual children with God’s grace. His treatment of people was always simple, natural, there was never any artificial sweetness in him. Believing that the main thing for a person was his spiritual success and the salvation of his soul, he cared about that even when they turned to him on everyday issues, considering all deeds and actions from the point of view of their spiritual benefit and trying to make sure that it had not only everyday benefit, but also moral value. Therefore, he often seemed even harsh in his dealings with people, and those who saw him for the first time were perplexed because of his sometimes seeming rudeness. But coming closer to him, or rather, approaching him in spirit, everyone felt that this was how Vladika Anthony was hiding his ardent fatherly love for people, which even parents are sometimes forced to cover up with visible severity. Metropolitan Anthony could have a particularly strong effect on human souls thanks to the purity of his heart. Having given it to God from his youth, he kept it intact until the end of his life and, while still in the body, was completely attached to the heavenly world. Directing himself more and more towards the heavenly world, he attracted everyone who had contact with him to it, invisibly influencing him with the purity and height of his spirit. Gradually renouncing everything earthly, surrendering entirely to God and remaining in God (see: 1 John 4:13), he became a solid adamantine of faith, and accommodating everyone in his loving heart, he, like a magnet, attracts those seeking salvation, leading them to the knowledge of the Divine Truth. Towards the death of Archbishop Vitaly On Monday of the Week of the Cross, March 8, 1960, His Eminence Vitaly (Maksimenko), Archbishop of Eastern America and Jersey, reposed in Bose. The deceased hierarch was a great church leader and a strong pillar of the Russian Orthodox Church. In his youth, ill and close to death, after he was tonsured into monasticism by the “father of many monks,” later Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), he became stronger physically and spiritually and truly justified the name Vitaly received during tonsure, which means “vital.” Full of spiritual life, he demonstrated it in his vigorous activity for the benefit of the Orthodox Church and her children, as well as for the benefit of Orthodox Russia and the Russian people. Occupying the position of head of the printing house of the Pochaev Lavra, he showed himself to be a strong fighter for Orthodoxy, jealous of the strengthening of the surrounding population in the Orthodox faith and the return to it of the sons of Red Rus who had been rejected into the union. In the days of the first turmoil, he rallied the inhabitants of South-Western Rus' to resist the turmoil and stand faithfully for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. In those days he appeared as a real spiritual and national leader. After the collapse of the Russian Empire, his life was in danger due to his past activities, but he was able to travel abroad, where he continued his ministry. The monastery of St. Job of Pochaev that he founded and the printing house restored with it were important not only for Pryashevskaya and Carpathian Rus'. He undertook the printing of liturgical books in Abroad and other doctrinal and spiritual publications, which enriched the entire Abroad, regardless of division, which made it possible to perform divine services everywhere. As Archbishop of Eastern America, he was a bright torch and pillar of Orthodoxy and a champion for the Russian Church, for the integrity and unity of the Russian people, while remaining at the same time a humble and strict monk. His activities covered the entire Abroad. With his spiritual gaze he always embraced the whole of Russia. It is the duty of all of us to offer prayers for him, to which we encourage the entire clergy and flock. to the clergy and flock of the Western European Diocese, 1960 Word at the burial of the body of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna goes to her beloved brother, Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II. This burial reminds us of the terrible murder of the royal family in Yekaterinburg, the grief of which the Grand Duchess constantly carried in her soul. Let us bow in prayer and repentance for betrayal, for our cowardice, for allowing a terrible murder. Let the departing Grand Duchess convey our repentance to her brother the Tsar-Martyr and with him take him to the Throne of God. May there always be in our hearts a prayer for her and for our great sovereigns, for the Peacemaker Tsar, for the Martyr Tsar and for the martyred members of their family, and may there be eternal memory of them. Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna “revealed in herself the image of a pious Russian princess.” This is a figurative expression of the idea of ​​godly authority. Power is will and strength. The power that considers submission to the law of piety its highest law is the essence of the power of the Orthodox autocratic tsar. His autocracy is not only a way of government, but a confession, or expression of a worldview: the entire life of people, personal, family, social and state, must recognize piety, reverent veneration of God as the supreme law. Communism and democracy are by no means only forms of government, but a confession or expression of philosophy, the path and principle of life, and communism is especially aware of this, and emphasizes its godlessness, and calls for worship. Democracy is also a philosophy that also rebels against the subordination of life to piety and reverence for God, and, instead of honoring God, it considers the will of man, or the will of the majority, the will of impersonality, the will of the Anonymous, to be the supreme law. Both the democrat and the communist are both godless. Communism is an image of complete renunciation. His fight against God, or Satanism, is his positive task or goal, and he calls for service to it. The direct opposite of faith and piety, a direct and complete militant renunciation, communism retains the idea of ​​service. Democracy serves nothing. He has nothing to serve. In place of yesterday's truth, Anonymous can put another today. Having the mindset and spiritual mood of a half-believer, a democrat could never understand a believer, understand that autocracy - the freedom and independence of the king - is not arbitrariness that requires personal worship, but a way of subordinating power and state life to piety. [Russian democrats] could not understand that an Orthodox tsar could never renounce the service of piety, the freedom and independence of an Orthodox sovereign necessary for this service. With strange spiritual blindness, the democrats sought from the martyr tsar such a renunciation and acceptance of the philosophy of democracy. The sovereign did not accept it, did not renounce it, and at the cost of his feat, he preserved the idea of ​​​​an Orthodox tsar, the idea of ​​​​subordinating the entire life of the people to faith and piety. Regarding this blindness of Russian democrats and half-faiths, about this peculiar religious idiocy, if not disguised fight against God, I remember once having such a conversation with His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony: I asked if he thought that these relaxed democrats and half-faiths were even more hopeless for the revival of Russia than the atheists who renounced God, but retained the principle of service and cultivated for that type of reinforced concrete person. Vladyka Anthony replied: “Theoretically, one can argue this way... But what rudeness they have, what spiritual deadness...” These words come to mind in connection with thoughts “about a young and unfamiliar tribe,” which, as we have seen, has sincere contempt for democracy and democracy. And all this was remembered in a grateful and reverent feeling for the blessed Empress and Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, “deeply pious and close in spirit” to her own brother, the most pious autocratic martyr tsar, who endured moral torture with love for her own family and native people and remained faithful to God, faith and piety. Bulletin of Orthodox Affairs. 1960, June. No. 5. Word at the burial of Pyotr Sergeevich Lopukhin A person’s life is varied, and it combines different and even opposing inclinations and aspirations. But still, there is usually something main that dominates it and that is its driving force. What is the main characteristic feature of Pyotr Sergeevich, who is now leaving the earthly world? The search for truth and its manifestation in the conditions of earthly existence. It was not easy for him to find his way, since he was raised in an environment with concepts that, although they arose on Orthodox principles, were later largely distorted by interpretations alien to Orthodox teaching. At first, Pyotr Sergeevich’s life took place under the same conditions, but it did not satisfy his soul. Already abroad he met with a hierarch similar to the ancient ecumenical fathers and teachers of the Church, who spiritually revived many and directed them along the true paths of life. It was the great Metropolitan Anthony, the revivalist of patristic theology. Pyotr Sergeevich felt in him a teacher of genuine truth, not hidden by any human wisdom, and tried to draw from him as much as possible of the Spirit and knowledge. He then met with other pillars of faith and spiritual life, such as Archbishop Gabriel, Archimandrite Kirik, and collected spiritual treasures from each. He did not want to have them only for himself: eagerly listening to their verbs, he wrote them down as best he could so that they would become the common property of his contemporaries and future generations. Years passed, his spiritual leaders passed into another world, his bodily strength weakened, but his soul carried within itself and lived more and more by the truth that the Orthodox Church of Christ preserves. That truth is not just an abstract teaching, but fills life and guides it. This is how Pyotr Sergeevich understood it, and his ardent desire was for truth and justice to again become the basis of Russian social and state life, just as it had been for centuries on Russian soil. That is why he worked so hard for the Orthodox Cause. Another thing that also filled his thoughts in recent years was the Holy Land, the place where the incarnate Son of God preached and revived the world through His suffering and Resurrection. He made every effort to support the monasteries and institutions there and enable them to fulfill their purpose. Of course, no matter how much they strive for truth, neither society as a whole nor an individual are sinless. There are mistakes and falls, but they are erased and corrected through the co-operation of God’s grace. “There is no man without sin, even if he lives only one day on earth” (see: Job 14:4-5), said the righteous Job. But when you come to your senses, you shake off the dust and remain what you are. Pyotr Sergeevich’s transition to another life was accomplished easily, as if he had calmly moved from one room to another. Shaking off everything earthly, his soul now rushes to the eternal fatherland. Where should she go? She is drawn to the one whose teachings constantly filled him and showed him the path of earthly life. Metropolitan Anthony will gladly open his arms to his spiritual son. Like St. Basil the New, who appeared during the ordeal of blessed Theodora and gave a ransom for her soul, he will also be the intercessor for the soul of Peter Sergeevich. Nowadays, the everyday connections of the deceased with everyone and the relationships that sometimes connect and sometimes separate are interrupted. Only spiritual connections remain, drawing us to fervent prayer: may the Lord indwell the soul of His newly departed servant Peter in the monastery where the light of the Life-Giving Trinity eternally shines. Amen. Bulletin of Orthodox Affairs. 1962, December. No. 12. Our late First Hierarch, Metropolitan Anastassy, ​​before becoming a monk, Alexander Gribanovsky, from an early age stood out among his peers both for his abilities and good behavior. Those who knew him in his youth retained the memory of him as a talented and at the same time exceptionally pure young man, who carefully looked after himself and did not allow himself any liberties in conversations or behavior. After graduating from the Theological Seminary and then the Academy under the shadow of the Trinity Lavra and taking monastic vows, he was appointed teacher, and a few years later, rector of the Moscow Theological Seminary. On June 29, 1906, he was consecrated Bishop of Serpukhov, vicar of the Moscow Metropolitan. Having been a student at the Theological Academy of the great theologian and mentor of youth, later Metropolitan Anthony, he now becomes the closest assistant of the then Moscow and later Kyiv Metropolitan Vladimir, the first martyr in later hard times. Then he is already nominated among other bishops, and he, one of the junior bishops, is given responsible assignments. Thus, in 1913, he was entrusted with examining the relics and preparing the glorification of St. Patriarch Hermogenes. On the day of glorification, May 12, 1913, in which about 20 bishops took part, headed by Patriarch Gregory of Antioch, it was he who delivered the teaching during the service to a gathering of thousands of pilgrims. In the same year, he headed the preparations for the Tsar’s visit to Moscow and, together with Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, held it as a nationwide church celebration, with high spiritual uplift. He takes an active part in a number of public institutions in Moscow, attracting the hearts of Muscovites. On May 20, 1914, Archbishop Anthony of Volyn moved to Kharkov, Kholm [Bishop] Evlogy moved to Volyn, and in the place of the latter, Bishop of Kholm and Lublin, Anastasy of Serpukhov. A new period of his activity, already as a diocesan bishop, begins. The small Kholm diocese was, as it were, the border between Orthodox Russia and Catholic Poland. Only in 1875 did the population return to Orthodoxy from Uniatism. Catholics continued to try to influence the Orthodox, and the Orthodox clergy had to work hard to strengthen Orthodoxy in the lives of their flock. Bishop Anastasy drew his attention to the fact that [clergy] located close to the Diocesan Administration had many distinctions, while the clergy in more distant parishes, who often had to carry out heavy pastoral work, remained unrecognized, and ordered that the order [of rewarding clergy] according to the time of ordination be strictly observed. But it didn’t take long to deal with the internal affairs of the diocese, since two months later the First World War began, during which the Kholm diocese was a field of military action. Bishop Anastasy visited the wounded in hospitals, visited active troops, pouring spiritual strength into them, more than once being in places where his life was under threat; His activities were noted by the sovereign by awarding him the Order of Alexander Nevsky on the St. George Ribbon. After the final abandonment of the Kholm diocese by our troops, Bishop Anastasius was transferred to Chisinau. The new diocese was also close to military operations. The activities of Bishop Anastasius at first resembled his activities in the Kholm diocese; soon, however, following the unfortunate events, Bessarabia was captured by the Romanians. Bishop Anastasius was invited to join the Romanian Synod, but he remained faithful to the Russian Church. At that time, the All-Russian Council was meeting, and Bishop Anastasius took an active part in it. When choosing candidates for patriarch, he was named one of them and, according to the initial vote, received 97 votes. After the election of Archbishop Tikhon to the cathedra, he headed the commission to develop the rank of elevation to the cathedra, which had not been accomplished for more than 200 years, and during the formation of the Patriarchal Synod he was elected by the Council as one of its members. Soon after, Archbishop Vladimir of Kiev was killed, and Kharkov Metropolitan Anthony was elected in his place. The Kharkov flock at first did not want to let go of their archpastor, but asked him to name a worthy successor. When the farewell prayer service was served, Metropolitan Anthony without hesitation named Bishop Anastasy, and the protodeacon proclaimed many years to the shepherd - “the named Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyrsky Anastasy.” He could no longer return to his diocese, since, due to his refusal to submit to the Romanian church authorities, he was prohibited from entering Bessarabia, and the Kharkov flock began to prepare for the then existing elections of the bishop, wanting to “place the lamp moved from its place on the Kharkov candlestick.” However, this was not destined to come true. The Civil War prevented the Diocesan Assembly from meeting to elect a bishop, and with its end, many archpastors, including Archbishop Anastassy, ​​found themselves abroad. The Supreme Church Administration of the South of Russia instructed him to manage the Russian churches in the Middle East. After the said Administration arrived in Constantinople and transformed it into the Higher Church Administration Abroad, Archbishop Anastasius, who was in Constantinople and was at that time in the embassy building, also joined it. In Constantinople and the surrounding areas there were then many refugees who were staying there after the evacuation of the armies of generals Denikin and Wrangel. Archbishop Anastassy visited camps and other places where refugees were resettled and established church life in new conditions. With the move of the High Administration to Serbia in 1921, he remained in Constantinople and was there a representative of the emerging Russian Church Abroad, while at the same time maintaining contact with Patriarch Tikhon through Finland, reporting on church events. When the Patriarch of Constantinople Meletius convened the so-called Pan-Orthodox Congress, Archbishop Anastasius resolutely rebelled against the adoption of the new style, defended church canons and did not agree with their violations. At that time, Patriarch Tikhon, deceived by false reports that the entire Orthodox Church had adopted the new style, ordered the introduction of a new style in Russia, which, however, was not accepted by the people, including part of the hierarchy. When Patriarch Tikhon received a message about the actual state of affairs, he immediately canceled his order. When strong pressure began on Archbishop Anastasius to submit, he moved from Constantinople to Jerusalem, to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, and was appointed by the Synod Abroad to oversee it. During the turmoil that arose in Jerusalem, when the bishops rebelled against their patriarch, he helped the Patriarch of Jerusalem Damian cope with the turmoil. Patriarch Damian and Archbishop Anastasius ordained new bishops, removing those who rebelled from their posts, and thus the unrest was stopped. Among the newly ordained was Timothy, who later became Patriarch of Jerusalem. Archbishop Anastassy fully entered into the life of the Holy Land and was forever spiritually connected with it. From Jerusalem he traveled to Serbia more than once to attend the Councils of Bishops, and he always expressed his opinions with great caution, weighing everything accurately, without resorting to extremes. He knew when to stop everything. His title “The Wise One” firmly stuck with him among the Russian episcopate. Standing on solid canonical ground, he showed condescension towards the weaker; Full of peacefulness, he tried to smooth out all misunderstandings. With his close participation, penance was lifted from Metropolitans Eulogius and Platon and their clergy. At the Council of 1934, he was elected successor and deputy of Metropolitan Anthony and was elevated to the rank of metropolitan, despite his place of residence. Continuing to remain an observer of the Orthodox spiritual mission in Jerusalem, from then on he began to live more and more in Belgrade, helping and replacing Metropolitan Anthony, who was weakening physically, and on June 28, 1936, quietly rested “like the great ancient saints.” And the Russian [Foreign] Church was headed by Metropolitan Anastassy. Thus, Metropolitan Anthony’s wish was fulfilled that Metropolitan Anastassy be his successor. During the primacy of Metropolitan Anastassy, ​​there were years of great events and upheavals in the Church Abroad. The Second World War broke out, engulfing [almost] all of Europe and shaking almost all countries and placing the Russian Church Abroad in difficult, unusually difficult conditions for its Supreme Church Administration. Serbia, where the Synod of the Church Abroad was located at that time, was conquered by Germany; a lot of tact and wisdom were needed to maintain fraternal relations with the Serbian Church, while at the same time keeping the Russian Church free from the oppression of the conquerors. During the bombing of Belgrade, Metropolitan Anastasius showed an example of calm and spiritual courage, continuing his spiritual life steadily and without interruption maintaining the spirit of the Russian flock. As Soviet troops approached, Metropolitan Anastassy took with him the miraculous icon of the Mother of God and arrived almost alone in Central Europe. After the end of the war, he immediately restored contact with all Russian diaspora and began the activities of the Synod of Bishops. On the part of ill-wishers and enemies of Russia there was a lot of slander and accusations against Metropolitan Anastasius in order to prevent the existence of the free Russian Church, but they all dissipated like smoke, and the authority of Metropolitan Anastasius grew into global magnitude. In Germany, Metropolitan Anastassy visited refugee camps, raised and strengthened the spirit of the refugees, also visited some European countries, and his spiritual image was imprinted on the souls of the flock there in difficult conditions. When a significant part of the refugees moved to the New World, then, at the request of the Russian bishops who were in the United States, Metropolitan Anastassy decided to transfer the Synod to America. Just before his departure, he consecrated the memorial church in Brussels, and in November 1950, Metropolitan Anastassy arrived in New York. Three days after he consecrated the church at the Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, he opened the first meeting of the Council of Bishops in America, and at the same time, for the first time abroad, the rite of Chrismation and the consecration of the new world was performed. After that, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Anastassy, ​​Bishops' Councils were held in 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1962. The arrival of Metropolitan Anastasius revived church life in America. New churches and parishes began to open, where there were newly arrived refugees from Europe and Asia. Metropolitan Anastassy’s visits to various cities after his arrival in America were a real holiday for those places. The Metropolitan was greeted not only by Russians, regardless of what jurisdiction they belonged to, but also by local authorities. At all the solemn meetings, teachings that were deep in content and powerful in presentation were delivered, captivating and attracting all listeners. The Russian Church Abroad has strengthened and blossomed. Stopping first at Mahopac, the place which was intended to be the seat of the Synod, in accordance with his usual desire to be closer to his flock and the public, the Metropolitan soon himself moved to New York, where he also transferred the Supreme Church Administration. First, a small house was purchased for the Synod, where a synodal church was opened, and then, with the help of admirers of Metropolitan Anastasius, the Synod acquired a new house, in which the hall was converted into a cathedral, and in addition, a small house church was built for daily services. Two schools were opened in the same building - a Saturday school for students in American schools, and a daily school with the rights of American educational institutions. Metropolitan Anastassy visited all the main points of dispersion in America and thanks to this he had a living connection with his flock. At the Councils of Bishops, chaired by Metropolitan Anastassy, ​​a new position on the Russian Church Abroad was developed, which corresponded to the changed conditions. In 1956, all Abroad solemnly celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the fiftieth anniversary of the episcopal service of their first hierarch, rare in history. After that, Metropolitan Anastassy led the Church Abroad for several more years, possessing all his inherent qualities, but his strength began to noticeably weaken. However, Metropolitan Anastasy did not give in to this and tried to do for the Church Abroad everything that was useful to it. Delving into all matters, in 1962 he came to San Francisco to personally familiarize himself with the unrest that had begun there, and largely thanks to him and his intervention, church affairs then took a different direction. At the beginning of Lent in 1963, the Metropolitan fell ill and spent several days in the hospital, after which his health deteriorated so much that he was in a semi-ill state all the time and could not manage affairs with the same attention and experience, not even being able to always attend the meetings of the Synod. In January 1964, he decided to retire and proposed to the Council of Bishops to elect a successor. Gathering on the Week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, the members of the Council elected Metropolitan Anastassy as the honorary Chairman of the Council of Bishops and the Synod, offering him the title of Most Beatitude and the right to wear two panagias. After this, Metropolitan Anastasy, completely secluded, continued, however, to be interested in affairs. Not being able to attend services every day, for several years he listened to them through a specially installed apparatus and received Holy Communion several times a week. His hearing and vision were greatly weakened, so that he heard only loud and clear words and could hardly read or even write himself. Having completely withdrawn into his inner life, sometimes he felt better and invited his loved ones to join him. At the beginning of last year, he had a desire to come to his beloved Burlingame, and the Brotherhood [in the name of] all saints who have shone in the land of Russia, and the flock of San Francisco, lovingly prepared to receive him, but his health did not allow him to do so. Upon the return of Metropolitan Philaret in mid-February, Metropolitan Anastassy invited all the bishops sitting in the Synod for the last time and sat talking with them. The Metropolitan served on Easter, and on the day of Midnight he fell ill again, he was given unction, and against the doctors’ expectations he began to get better, but on the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, before the all-night vigil, during which Easter hymns were sung, he gave up his soul to the Lord God, having served in the rank of bishop for almost 59 years. There has never been such a long service in the entire 1000-year history of the Russian Church. The Risen Christ accepted into His Kingdom His servant, who bore the name of the Resurrection 554. “Father Cadet” Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich rightfully earned the title “Father Cadet”. This is what the students of the Russian cadet corps, who cherish fond memories of him, called him; They usually remember his kindness, availability, affection and care that he showed to them while visiting the cadet corps. He had fun and joked with the boys, spoke sincerely with the elders, and was accessible to everyone. He not only encouraged and with his praise encouraged the good ones to try even harder, but also took care of those who were considered completely hopeless and who were removed from the corps for bad successes and actions. He saved many from moral death and everyday failures by his intervention in their fate and inspired them with moral strength to take the right path and in a new place, making amends for the past, to grow into a good and virtuous person. That faith in goodness, located in the depths of the soul of every young man, made him for a military educational institution what his great contemporary Metropolitan Anthony was for religious educational institutions and young people in general. But it was not only for those good qualities and deeds that the Grand Duke earned the title “Father Cadet”. All his activities, one might say his whole life, from the time he headed military educational institutions, was the desire to breathe into young men all the best, brightest, to establish goodness in them and make them capable of realizing it in life. Himself a deeply religious and Orthodox Christian, who raised his children in the same way, he wanted to pass on that deep faith and devotion to the Church to his pupils. He made sure to awaken and develop a religious feeling in the cadets and at the same time give them enough knowledge about the Orthodox faith. The selection of teachers of the law, the cadets' attendance at Sunday and holiday services, and the daily reading of a passage from the Gospel in classes, explaining to the cadets what they read and checking how well they had mastered what they had read, was the concern of the Grand Duke. At the same time, he instilled in them the desire to assimilate doing good, carrying it out in their lives. The deep thoughts expressed in the religious works he wrote best depict the mood of his soul, which he wanted to convey to others. He himself was an example of piety, and his active and sincere love for his neighbors and especially for the younger generation somehow invisibly influenced the life of the corps and left a mark on the souls of the students. Being devoted to the marrow of his bones to the Fatherland and its supreme leader, the Russian Tsar, he tried to instill in the cadets the same devotion and love for Russia, loyalty to the Tsar and willingness to serve them until his last breath. Concerned about their mental development, he took care of appropriate educational programs and carefully monitored the selection of educators and teaching staff who were to carry out his endeavors. Not seeking personal glory, he made no noticeable changes associated with his name; everything that was good in the buildings before him, he only tried to strengthen and improve; what was not there, he introduced with a soft and at the same time firm hand. He made sure that his orders and demands did not remain only on paper; constantly visiting both nearby and distant cadet corps, he checked how well they were being implemented and how they reflected on the cadets. When visiting the corps, he stayed in the corps itself, having the closest communication with the cadets, sometimes leading their lives as if he were equal with them, allowing them to engage in innocent pranks, so that, feeling the heart of the Grand Duke open for them, the cadets also widely opened their childish souls to him. But at the same time, he knew how to stop in time if something bad was manifested, and to influence those who deviated from what was due in some way. The influence of the Grand Duke was felt everywhere among the cadets, both directly and through the measures he took, why not only in name, but in reality the Grand Duke was the educator of the cadets in his time. His departure was felt immediately and everywhere. It is not his fault if he was not able to put his inner stamp on all the cadets of his time - and among the 12 apostles one turned out to be a traitor. But the majority cannot help but be aware of the influence of the Grand Duke on their personality and always remember him with gratitude, trying to ensure that what was invested in them is passed on further and that an eternal memory of him is preserved. And may the soul rest in the abode of eternal heavenly glory. VII. Shepherd and Archpastor To all my students and students My dear students and pupils! To my great regret, I was not left by your teacher of the law and now I can only contact you in writing. For two academic years I was with you, teaching you the truths of the holy Orthodox faith and preaching to you the word of the Lord. The time I spent with you will never fade from my memories. As always, even now I often remember all of you, each individually, and wish you all the best. I will always consider you my dear students, and I will be pleased if you do not forget me, sending me letters from time to time. I always received and read your letters with great pleasure. But most of all I will rejoice when I know that my work with you was not in vain, that you remembered and are doing what you always heard from me. Love God, be devoted to the Orthodox faith. Remember that without God there is neither good nor happiness, that every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Let each of you have the Holy Scriptures and read them, since these are God's words that teach us how to live and prepare for the future life. Pray every day at home, and on Sundays and holidays come to church, to this holy place, which is designated for the service of God, where the Angels of God are and pray with us. Do not think that now you can not come to church, since I am not there to look after you. You need to go to church not for the sake of people, but for God, who sees who comes and with what heart. Obey the one who will be your teacher of the law, and study the Law of God not for the sake of grades, but in order to know the will of our Heavenly Father. Be submissive to your parents, just as Christ was submissive to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Be obedient to your teachers and all elders who teach you good. Work hard and beware of laziness, which is the mother of all vices. And most of all, beware of quarrels, forgive each other when you are offended. Remember: whoever quarrels amuses the devil; whoever is reconciled makes Christ happy; who makes peace with others helps Christ and will be accepted in the Heavenly Kingdom as the son of God (see: Matthew 5:9). Not being able to send this letter of mine to everyone, I send it to everyone whose addresses I know, but through them I address everyone and would like, if possible, for every student of mine to read it and for my words to fall into your hearts and leave a mark on your souls. I say goodbye to each of you and invoke God's blessing on you. God Almighty and Merciful bless you, protect you and guide you to every good! To him be glory forever and ever. Translation from Serbian by Victor Kosik Appeal on the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women When Christ was condemned to death by Pilate and carried His cross to Calvary, many people followed Him. Among him walked both the enemies of Christ and His followers. However, the majority of the latter hid their closeness to Christ, and only women openly cried and sobbed for their Teacher. Therefore, Christ turned to them alone on His way to Golgotha. Even after the crucifixion, Christ’s disciples did not dare to approach Him, except for one virgin, John the Theologian. But the women who came with Him from Galilee, with His Most Pure Mother at their head, did not leave Him here either. They stood at the cross before Christ handed over his spirit to His Divine Father, and they stood when He hung lifeless on the cross. When evening came, Joseph of Arimathea dared to ask Pilate for the body of Christ and, together with Nicodemus, give Him up for burial. The women remained mournful spectators here too and left when the stone was rolled over the coffin and the darkness of the night began to approach the earth. However, their hearts were filled with such love for Christ that even after leaving the tomb, their thoughts were with him. Since the body of the Lord was not anointed with fragrant myrrh during its hasty burial, they prepared aromas to anoint Him with them the next day. While still in deep darkness, they went again to the tomb, but no longer found there what they were looking for. Christ has already risen from the dead, as the Angels sitting at the tomb informed the myrrh-bearers. They hastily announced this to the apostles, themselves still not believing what they heard with joy. At first, bewilderment also gripped the apostles. But bewilderment and sorrow soon gave way to joy. Christ appeared to those who mourned for Him, and first of all to the Most Pure Virgin Mary and the Myrrh-Bearing Mary Magdalene. Thus, those who showed the greatest devotion to the Savior were rewarded for their loyalty to Him by being the first to hear the good news and the first to see the Risen Lord. Through them, women, joy was proclaimed to humanity, the joy of the Resurrection and eternal salvation. Women, who give themselves more to the desires of the heart than to the judgments of the mind, often go ahead of the male sex when a sacrificial feat in the service of God is required. And it is understandable because it was women who took upon themselves the difficult work of collecting funds for the construction of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Shanghai. In a few days they will go out to collect all possible donations for the Day of Sacrifice, the day of remembrance of Bishop Simon, who bore the name of the Apostle Simon the Zealot - the zealot. Let their call find a response in the hearts of the Orthodox Shanghai flock. Let the coming of the gatherers remind us that today is the day of the joy of the Resurrection, the joy announced through women. Whoever can, let him make his donation immediately; whoever wants to pay gradually, let him make an inscription on the sheet. Let us remember that by giving to the church, we are giving to Christ, who, although he does not need anything material, did not refuse to share the meal offered to Him by the disciples who did not recognize Him. It was when He accepted their treat that their eyes were opened and they recognized the Risen One (see: Luke 24:30-31). May the call addressed to us by those who, bearing the joy of the Resurrection that illuminated the hearts of the faithful on Easter Day, with the words “Christ is Risen!” not remain unheard and fruitless! will ask you to donate to the church of the Mother of the Risen! In their person, Christ Himself will receive us, and our heart will tell us: “Truly He is Risen!” The myrrh-bearers prepared myrrh to anoint the body of Christ. They failed to fulfill this, since Christ rose from the dead before they came to the tomb. Nevertheless, their sacrifice was accepted by the Lord, since He looks at the hearts of people and accepts the intention as done if it could not be fulfilled, despite all the zeal and effort. “The merciful intention to please God,” is sung on the day of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women (2nd session of Sunday Matins). “The God-God is curious, and accepts deeds, and kisses intentions, and honors deeds, and praises proposals” (Word of St. John Chrysostom for Easter). There were, however, myrrh-bearers who not only by intention, but also by deed itself, anointed Christ with myrrh, and they did this even before the days of suffering. They were Mary, the sister of Lazarus, the woman who anointed Christ during the supper in the house of Simon the Pharisee, and the woman who anointed Christ two days before His death on the cross. About the latter, the Lord directly said that she prepared His body for burial and that it would be announced throughout the world, where the Gospel would be preached. Thus, the Lord accepted the “merciful intention” of the myrrh-bearing women, who loved Christ with all their hearts, who relentlessly followed Him from Galilee and did not leave Him even during the crucifixion, He also accepted the anointing of His feet with the myrrh of pure Mary, about whom He had previously spoken: Mary has chosen the good part (Luke 10:42); He did not reject the kissing of His feet by the sinner, who from the uncleanly collected property made a sacrifice pleasing to God - myrrh, dissolved in tears of repentance. “I am rich in aromas, but poor in virtues, like the imam, I bring you: give it to me, like the imam, and weaken me, and leave me,” she cried to Christ (the canon of Compline on Holy Tuesday). “The myrrh is perishable, the myrrh of life is with you,” sounded in her soul (ibid.). And indeed, instead of perishable wealth, the Lord gave her an imperishable gift - He forgave her many sins and raised her soul, mortified by sins, like the four-day-old Lazarus from the tomb. He rewarded and glorified the myrrh-bearers faithful to Him even more, for He appeared to them first and through them announced His Resurrection to the apostles and the whole world. Thus, the Lord does not remain in debt to anyone and rewards with gifts incomparably better than those brought to Him. “Remember, Lord, those who bear fruit and do good in Your holy churches and remember the poor. Reward them with Your rich heavenly gifts,” prays the Holy Church when offering the Bloodless Sacrifice. “Give them heavenly instead of earthly, eternal instead of temporary, incorruptible instead of perishable” (Eucharistic Canon of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great). When we bring something as a gift to God, be it a sacrifice to the church or helping the poor, we essentially do not give, but receive. We give material treasures, and in due time we will receive spiritual gifts according to our diligence. The magnitude of our gift to God in His eyes is determined not by its quantity and value, but by the will of our heart. Truly I say to you, for this wretched widow is more cast down than all others. All of these, out of their abundance, were turned into gifts of God; But because of her deprivation, all the life she had was thrown away,” said the Lord about the widow who gave two mites for the church (Luke 12:3–4; Mark 12:43–44). Likewise, our gifts have value before God, since our love for God, prayers and heartfelt repentance for our sins are connected with them. The Lord accepts all our material gifts only as an external manifestation of our inner admiration for Him, and accepts them just like any other external expression of love for Him and His veneration. Therefore, go boldly, all of you, to Christ, bring gifts to Him, everyone you can; Be like the myrrh-bearers, both those who stand on the righteous path and those who have fallen into the abyss of sins. Bring to Him fervent prayers and repentance from the depths of your heart, and as their external expression let there be gifts to the Church, which is the Body of Christ (see: Eph. 1:23; Col. 1:24), help to His lesser brothers (see: Matt. 25:40), decoration of churches, kissing icons and other shrines. The Lord will accept each of our gifts to the Church as fragrant ointment; he will not reject our tears and kisses, but will reward for them the remission of many sins to those who have loved much. We must only take care that our gift is truly a pure gift to God, that in our feelings there is no vanity or pride, contempt or hatred of our neighbors, and also that all zeal is shown, so that our gift is pleasing to God, so that we do not become like those who said to Christ: “Rejoice” - in mockery of Him. Sacrifices are displeasing to God when they are brought with cold calculation, when, having the opportunity to bring the best, we bring the worst (see: Mal. 1:8, 14), when we try not to do something useful for the church or our neighbors, but to ensure that it is exactly the way we want. It is also abominable before Him to kiss holy things when it is done with lips that testify that our attention is directed to our appearance, and, moreover, with lips that defile holy things. It is not forgiveness, but condemnation that will bring such a fall to God! Let us cleanse ourselves, brethren, from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, let us enlighten the lights of our souls with the love of poverty, not devouring each other with slander” (stichera “cheese heel”), but most of all “let us cleanse our feelings” and then with our hearts “we will see the impregnable light of the Resurrection, Christ shining, and rejoice, crying out, let us clearly hear”, “victorious” over “singing” with our sins [Easter Canon, hymn 1]. Nothing is scary to those who trust in God Orthodox Shanghai flock Where shall I go from Your Spirit? And do I flee from Your face? Even if I ascend to heaven, You are there; Even if I go to hell, there you go. If I take my wings early and dwell in the last of the seas, and there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me. The above inspired words of the psalmist David should be especially remembered by us in these days, when the whole world seems to be shaking and news of various unrest, shocks and misfortunes is coming from everywhere. No sooner does attention have time to dwell on what is happening in one country than it is distracted by even more formidable events that unexpectedly broke out in another place; Before you have time to delve into them, new events distract your gaze to a third place, forcing you to forget about the previous ones, although they have not stopped. In vain do meetings of representatives of different countries gather, who are trying to find a cure for a common disease; they reassure themselves and others, frivolously saying: “peace! peace!”, but there is no peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). Not only do disasters not stop in those countries where they are already happening, but they also occur suddenly in places where it was considered safe and good. Those fleeing one disaster end up in another, often even worse. “It is as if someone ran away from a lion and a she-bear attacked him; or he will jump into the house and lean his hands against the wall - and the snake will bite him” (see: Amos 5:19); or, as another prophet says: “And it will be that he who runs from fear will fall into the abyss, and he who crawls out of the abyss will fall into the net. For the windows of heaven are opened and the foundations of the earth are shaking” (Is. 24:18) [both quotations in trans. St. John]. This is what we see now. Those leaving for peaceful work suddenly become victims of hostilities that occur where they were least expected. Those fleeing the danger of war suffer natural horror in the disaster of an earthquake or typhoon. Many find themselves dying in the places where they escaped death. Others are better prepared to put their lives in danger than to languish in places considered safe, waiting for other disasters that might come to those parts. It seems that there is no place on the globe that in recent times has been a calm and quiet refuge from the world's misfortunes. Complications are political, economic and social. Trouble in the rivers, trouble from the robber, trouble from the relatives, trouble from the tongue, trouble in the cities, trouble in the desert, trouble in the sea, trouble in the false brethren, as the Apostle Paul says (2 Cor. 11:26). To these troubles today we must add “troubles in the air and troubles from the air,” especially terrible ones. But when the glorious chief apostle himself suffered the troubles listed by the Apostle Paul, he had great consolation. He knew that he was suffering for Christ and that Christ would reward him for them: I know in whom I have believed, and I am confident that He is able to keep my pledge for that day (2 Tim. 1:12). He knew that the Lord, if necessary, would give him strength to endure even greater disasters, and therefore he boldly says: I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13). For us, the current disasters are so terrible because they did not befall us for the sake of our firmness in faith and we do not endure them for Christ. Therefore we do not hope to receive crowns for them. And what is much worse and what makes us powerless in the fight against adversity is that we are not strengthened by the power of Christ and trust not in God, but in human strength and means. We forget the words of the Holy Scripture: Do not put your trust in princes, in the sons of men, for in them there is no salvation... Blessed is the God of Jacob, his Helper; his trust is in the Lord his God (Ps. 146:3, 5). And one more thing: Unless the Lord preserves the city, it will be in vain (Ps. 126:1). We try to find solid support besides God, and it happens to us according to the prophetic speeches: this sin will be for you, like a wall of hail that falls suddenly and is firmly captivated, and its fall is certain (Isa. 30:13). Woe to those who lean on such walls! Just as a collapsing wall destroys those who relied on it, so with the death of false hopes those who trusted in them perish. Those hopes for them are “supported by reeds.” When they grabbed you with their hand, you split and pierced their entire shoulder; and when they leaned on you, you broke and wounded all their loins (Ezek. 29:7). It’s completely different with those who seek God’s help. “God is our Refuge and Strength, our Helper in the sorrows that have come upon us greatly. For this reason let us not be afraid, for the earth is always troubled and the mountains are cut into the hearts of the sea” (Ps. 45:2-3). Nothing is scary to those who trust in God. He will not be afraid of a villainous man. “The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom will I fear? The Lord is the Protector of my life, from whom shall I fear?” (Ps. 26:1). He is not afraid of the horrors of war. “Even if an army gathers against me, my heart will not fear; if it rises up to fight me, I will trust in Him” (Ps. 27:3). He is calm living at home. “He who lives in the help of the Most High will dwell in the shelter of the Heavenly God” (Ps. 90:1). He is ready to sail on the sea: “Thy ways are in the sea, and Thy paths are in many waters” (Ps. 77:20). Boldly, as if on wings, he will fly through the air to distant countries, saying: “And there Your hand will guide me and Your right hand will hold me” (Ps. 139:10). He will not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow that flies during the day, from the thing that passes in darkness, from the attack (attack), and from the demon of the midday (Ps. 91:5-6). But death is not terrible for him, for to whom life is Christ, to him death is gain (Phil. 1:21). Who will separate us from the love of God? Is it tribulation, or oppression, or persecution... or nakedness, or misfortune, or a sword?.. Neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, below the Power, nor the present, nor the future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-38). Sitseva, having the promise of love, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, creating holiness in the passion of God (2 Cor. 7:1). This is what the Lord says: resolve every bond of unrighteousness, destroy the obligations of violent scriptures, release the broken into freedom, and tear apart every unrighteous scripture. Break your bread for the hungry and bring the bloodless poor into your house; If you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not despise those belonging to your tribe. Then your light will open early, and your healing will quickly shine forth; and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of God will embrace you. Then call, and God will hear you, and while I am still speaking, he says: Behold, I have come! (Isa. 58:6–9). God! Teach us to do Your will (Ps. 143:10) and hear us, in the same day we will call on You (Ps. 101:3)! May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee (Ps. 32:22). St. Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky What is the best way we can honor our departed loved ones? We often see the desire of the relatives of the deceased to hold a funeral and arrange a grave as richly as possible. Large amounts of money are sometimes spent on luxurious monuments. Relatives and friends spend a lot of money on wreaths and flowers, and the latter have to be removed from the coffin even before it is closed so that they do not accelerate the decomposition of the body. Others want to express their respect for the deceased and their sympathy for his relatives through announcements through the press, although this very method of revealing their feelings shows their shallowness, and sometimes deceitfulness, since a sincerely grieving person will not show off his grief, but one can express his sympathy much more warmly in person. But no matter what we do from all this, the deceased will not receive any benefit from it. It is the same for a dead body to lie in a poor or rich coffin, a luxurious or modest grave. It does not smell the flowers brought, it does not need feigned expressions of grief. The body indulges in decay, the soul lives, but no longer experiences sensations perceived through the bodily organs. A different life has come for her, and something else needs to be done for her. This is what we should do if we really love the deceased and want to bring him our gifts! What exactly will bring joy to the soul of the deceased? First of all, sincere prayers for him, both personal and home prayers, and especially church prayers connected with the Bloodless Sacrifice, that is, commemoration at the liturgy. Many apparitions of the dead and other visions confirm the enormous benefits that the deceased receive from praying for them and from offering the Bloodless Sacrifice for them. Another thing that brings great joy to the souls of the departed is alms done for them. To feed the hungry in the name of the deceased, to help the needy is the same as doing it to him himself. The Monk Athanasia (April 12) bequeathed before her death to feed the poor in memory of her for forty days; however, the sisters of the monastery, due to negligence, performed this for only nine days. Then the saint appeared to them with two Angels and said: “Why have you forgotten my will? Know that alms and priestly prayers offered for the soul for forty days appease God: if the souls of the departed were sinners, then the Lord will grant them remission of sins; if they are righteous, then those who pray for them will be rewarded with benefits.” Especially in our difficult days for everyone, it is crazy to spend money on useless items and deeds, when, by using it for the poor, you can simultaneously do two good deeds - both for the deceased himself and for those who will be helped. Recently, on the anniversary of the death of nun Marina, according to her will, a dinner was organized for the poor using voluntarily collected donations in the fence of the bishop's church. About 150 people came to the announcement of this, and all of them were fed. A great thing was done! But if you don’t provide help on such a scale, but feed at least a few or even one hungry person, is it really a small matter? And this is easy to do by donating a certain amount for the funeral to the Committee for Relief of the Poor at the bishop's church, to the House of Mercy or to a public canteen. With prayer for the deceased, food will be given to the poor. They will be nourished physically, and the deceased will be nourished spiritually. 7th Sunday of Easter, 1941 To our beloved flock in the city of Urumqi and the environs of Xinjiang Always having you in my thoughts, since I took spiritual care of you, being transported in spirit to you and mentally looking at you, whom I have never seen with my own eyes, I deeply grieve that I cannot fulfill my archpastoral duty towards you and satisfy your spiritual needs. Having appointed the rector of your church in the name of the Holy Spirit, I was sure that at the beginning of the Nativity Fast he would arrive to you and the day of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the church would be the beginning of a new church life for the parish of your church. However, God did not want this to happen. At first there were no means of transportation, which, however, were expected after some time, so there was hope that by Christmas you would already be with the shepherd. Then other events came. With God's forgiveness for our sins, new disasters began, which were reflected in church affairs. Due to the current situation in the country, the evacuation of the Russian population was announced, which began before Christmas. Most of our flock is already on the island of Samar in the Philippines, where most of the clergy have followed, the rest are waiting for what will happen next. Remaining for now in our God-saved city of Shanghai with a few clergy, I am sick at heart that you are again left without a shepherd and the opportunity to fast and have church services, especially since it is not known when and how this can be restored. Events and circumstances are not in our will, and only the Lord God must be prayed for peace from above and the salvation of our souls, for the peace of the whole world, the well-being of the Holy Churches of God and the unification of everyone into one flock. Do not lose heart in these sorrows and do not waver in these temptations. Be faithful children of the Orthodox Church and continue to gather in the Church of God on Sundays, holidays and the upcoming Holy Days in the absence of a priest. Sing to God and read what was laid down for worship on those days, like the first hermits, who were also sometimes deprived of a priest for a long time. Do not seek grace in any other faith, for the truth is only in the Orthodox Church, about which Christ said: I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Do not allow any baby to die unbaptized; in case of danger, laymen baptize, as I have given separate instructions. Let us know about those newly presented for funeral services in absentia. You can also send names for commemoration. Live a Christian life, avoiding everything that discredits and defiles a person, live in peace and harmony, without judging other people’s sins and shortcomings, forgive each other’s offenses, so that the Heavenly Father will forgive us. Raise your children in godliness. And most importantly, pray fervently, that the Lord will direct everything for the better and grant us what is useful in this life and especially in the future. May the blessing of the Lord be upon each and every one of you. Week of the Worship of the Cross, March 17, 1949, St. Alexey, man of God Uniformity in worship The divine services and rituals of the Orthodox Church, having one charter at their core and maintaining commonality in everything essential, are very different from each other in execution. Not only do the customs of individual countries and Local Churches differ, but within the same locality, sometimes even in the same city, in nearby churches, services are performed differently. The question of introducing one general, abbreviated charter, which would be mandatory for all churches, has been raised more than once. However, this can only be a theoretical solution, but in reality it is impracticable and even harmful. The difference in the implementation of the church charter occurs both due to ingrained customs, sometimes having a deeply meaningful meaning, but sometimes meaningless, and due to the available possibility of its implementation, and also depends on the zeal and diligence of its executors. Of course, we must take into account what is already a consecrated custom, that is, it has been established since ancient times and has entered into the consciousness of not only the performers of the service, but also the people. However, to a much lesser extent, one should take into account what is only practice, that is, it has become only a habit of those who do it, having no internal meaning and not entering the national consciousness; This should be adhered to only if it is useful for the cause, without contradicting the church charter. Otherwise, we can only give a general indication: the closer to the church charter, the better. Our church charter is not a collection of dead rules and not the fruit of abstract armchair labor. He captured the spiritual experience of holy ascetics who perfectly knew the depths of the human spirit and the laws of spiritual life. The Holy Fathers themselves experienced the struggle with the infirmities of the spirit and flesh, as well as the method of healing them, and studied the path of prayerful feat and the power of prayer. The Church Charter is a guide for accustoming and teaching prayer, and the more you adhere to it, the more benefits will be obtained. If it is impossible to fulfill everything set out in the charter, you must do everything within your power, preserving its general structure and main content. It is necessary, on the one hand, to fulfill what is characteristic of a given service, unchanged in its composition and distinguished from others; on the other hand, it is necessary to supplement as much as possible with those parts of the service that, changing depending on the day, express the meaning and meaning of the memories of the day and event. Divine services combine prayer offered by believers, their receipt of God's grace in communion with Him, and the edification of believers. The latter concerns the teaching through liturgical readings and hymns of doctrine and instruction in Christian life. The divine service contains the entirety of the dogmatic teaching of the Church and sets out the path to salvation. It represents invaluable spiritual wealth. The more fully and accurately it is carried out, the greater the benefit received by those taking part in it. The clergy who perform it carelessly and cut through laziness rob their flock, depriving them of their most daily bread and stealing from them their most valuable treasure. Reductions made due to weakness of strength must be reasonable and [must] be made carefully so that they do not touch what should not be touched. In particular, at Vespers Psalm 103 should be read in its entirety, but when singing it, it is permissible to sing only a few verses, but in a beautiful manner. It is advisable to always sing or read in full the verses of Psalms 140, 141, 129 and 116, beginning with the words “Lord, I have cried”; stichera, of course, are everything. On the appointed days, parimia must be read and litias performed. Matins must be performed in the morning, and its so-called celebration in the evening is unacceptable, with the exception of the days on which the all-night vigil is served, since in essence this is the abolition of the morning service, which is very necessary for believers; Even a short stay in the church in the morning has a beneficial effect on the soul and gives direction to the whole day, sanctifying it. The Six Psalms does not dare to shorten; The psalms of praise must also be read in full. Singing should not be replaced by reading, unless it is completely impossible to sing, since the effect of singing is much stronger and very rarely reading can replace singing. The Theotokos do not dare to descend from the troparions and other hymns, for in them the foundation of our faith is given - the teaching about the incarnation of the Son of God and God's economy. The hours must be completed accurately without gaps, being already short. It is necessary to read all three psalms at each hour, the prescribed troparia and other prayers, and at the end of the hour, with special attention, a prayer expressing the meaning of the sacred event being remembered at a given hour. The Liturgy must be celebrated, if impossible daily, at least on all Sundays and church holidays, regardless of the number of pilgrims who may be present. It is a bloodless sacrifice for the whole world, and performing it is the duty of the priest. Of course, nothing contained in the Service Book should be omitted. One must also perform the chants required for the liturgy. These include Psalms 102, 145 and 33; if it is also permissible to shorten Psalm 102 due to its size (although it is better not to do this), then in any case it is necessary to sing Psalm 145 in its entirety, except for the days on which both of them are replaced by antiphons; Psalm 33 is replaced only on Easter week by the singing of “Christ is risen”; on other days it should always be read or sung because of its edification, and there are no excuses for its omission. The troparia laid down for a given liturgy must also be sung all in the established order, since they are mainly a festive part of the liturgy, while its basic composition remains unchanged. The Church Charter also prescribes strict adherence to the order of the Apostolic and Gospel readings, subject to which the entire Gospel and the entire Apostle will be read within a year in those churches where divine services are performed daily. That order requires that the ordinary beginning be read; its replacement with a festive one occurs only on great holidays, but even then the ordinary conception is not skipped. It is read in a day with the next conception; On middle holidays, the ordinary and festive conceptions are read. The charter calls the reading of only the festive beginnings with the omission of the ordinary ones “unreasonableness,” since this violates the whole meaning of distributing the readings in a certain sequence, and those who do this reveal their lack of understanding of it. The remaining Sacraments, like all the rites of the Book of Breviaries, must also be performed, without being shortened unless absolutely necessary, and even then observing everything essential and the order of the service, remembering one’s responsibility before God for any damage caused to the souls of the flock by one’s negligence. Everyone, performing a divine service, should be zealous for its more accurate and better performance, and thereby bringing spiritual benefit to others, and on the day of reward he himself will be like a servant who brought ten minas [minas], and will hear: Good, good servant: for you have been faithful in a little (Luke 18:17). Parents, with the advent of the New Year, which is not only celebrated by divine services held in Orthodox churches, but also clearly observed in nature, as well as in the entire way of our life, I consider it my duty to appeal to you to pay close attention to your children. For them, too, a new year is coming, a new school year. They will go back to various American schools, where they will receive the knowledge necessary for their path in life. But will they get everything there, no matter how wonderful those schools are? Will they learn there what they need not only for a short, relatively earthly life, but also for an eternal one? Will they hear Christ’s teaching there in its pure, undamaged form, preserved by the Orthodox Church? Will they learn Russian there as their native language, will they be told with love about the glorious exploits of our ancestors, with which the pages of Russian history are decorated, will they be given love for the now suffering Fatherland, which even foreigners call Holy Russia? Will they join the great Russian culture there? Only a Russian school can give children this. Children there are under the shadow of the Church, receiving the necessary knowledge of the Law of God, the Russian language, and national studies. Some parents will say that everything can be obtained at home and there is no need to burden their children with, in addition to American, also Russian school. Don't fool yourself. Yes, everything should be supported at home; parents need to help the work of the school. But it’s almost impossible to do it entirely at home. Parents, busy with work outside the home and household chores, cannot devote enough attention and time. And how many parents themselves have sufficient knowledge? We are indignant at the Soviet government's ban on teaching the Law of God and at the distortion of Russian history and language. But here we are free, the government and population are friendly to us. Why voluntarily do what is involuntarily tolerated in our long-suffering Fatherland? Hurry up. Time passes quickly, and childhood years quickly pass, when knowledge is easily imprinted and a worldview is created. Years will pass, and you will bitterly repent when children grow up alien to you, alien to their Fatherland, without a soul, without conscience, caring only about their personal well-being. And vice versa, those who will regularly send them to where they are preparing to be “to their parents for consolation, for the benefit of the Church and the Fatherland” will fulfill their duty to their children. May the blessing of the Lord be upon them. Orthodox Russian people The Lord said: I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Our churches are the image of that invisible Church, which is spoken of in the Creed: “I believe in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” By building them, we testify to our faith in the Orthodox Church, our faith in Orthodox teaching. When churches are consecrated, they are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which invisibly acts on those praying in them. Prayer flows into them more easily and, having reached the Throne of Heaven, brings down God’s mercies to us from there. Church construction began in Rus' immediately after its baptism and continued until the martyr Tsar, who personally took an active part in the construction of churches. Now, when many churches have been destroyed by atheists and their destruction continues in our Fatherland, they began to be erected in the Russian Abroad. Many churches have already been built in different cities of America and other countries. But in San Francisco, the largest gathering place of Russian emigration, there is still no church built by her. The construction of a new church of the Most Holy Theotokos Joy of All Who Sorrow, which had begun, was interrupted more than a year ago, becoming the subject of divisions and unrest in our flock. Every good deed attracts the attention of the enemy of our salvation - the devil, who tries in every possible way to hinder it. He tries to turn each of those participating in it away from him, to exploit his weaknesses, to create discord and thereby destroy the business. This almost happened with the construction of the cathedral. But let the temporary delay not ruin the whole thing, and let not the devil triumph! Let us perk up in spirit, “let us lift our eyes, thoughts and feelings to the heights” to the Lord ascending to heaven! Let no incidental deeds stop our desire to erect a church to the Lord God, a church of gratitude for our deliverance from many troubles and dangers, for our stay in this country, a sacrifice for the repose of the royal family and all those martyred in our Fatherland, a place of prayer for all those who mourn! Let us complete the work begun and blessed by our late Archpastor Tikhon, let us hasten to finish the Church of the Most Pure Mother of God! She will accept every sacrifice and every labor brought to Her with zeal and from a pure heart, and will change the sorrows that come upon us into joy. And our soul will feel the Divine voice of Her Son: “I am with you, and no one else is against you” [kontakion of the Ascension]. May the blessing of the Lord be on all donors and on everyone who, through their labor or otherwise, helped in the construction of the church! May the Lord bless those who started this godly work, who will help him with their work, their sacrifices, their knowledge, and may He reward them in their present and future lives! To our beloved San Francisco congregation God's enemy the devil, always striving to destroy the work of God, from the very foundation of the Holy Church by Christ tried to sow discord among her children. Even the Apostle Paul had to write to Corinth, exhorting them to stop dividing and not to say: “I am Paul,” “I am Apollos,” “and I am Cephas” (1 Cor. 10–12) Something similar happened in our city, and recently the formerly united flock was divided into several movements, called by the names of their spiritual leaders. In their hostility towards each other, they often do not notice that what happened is not only destructive for each individual, but harms the entire church life, thereby increasing sin. Again we must repeat the words of the holy Apostle Paul: I beseech you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you (1 Cor. 1:10). If it is difficult for many to erase from the soul the traces of the events that have taken place, everyone should try to abstain from everything that could in one way or another disturb the peace, avoid all words, letters and deeds that could interfere with the restoration of peace. I urge everyone to beware of signing any sheets or statements without firm assurance that they will not be used for new divisions. Let us concentrate on building the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos with common efforts, without at all detracting from the spiritual value of the prayed old cathedral, which will also remain a place of prayer. Those who make their sacrifices for the construction of the church bring them as a gift to the Lord God Himself, Who accepts our zeal and rewards it with rich mercies, punishing all who dared to use what was offered to God otherwise. Having cast aside all hesitations and doubts, let us direct everything towards the establishment of peaceful church life and, as an external expression of this, the Council of the Queen of Heaven. Those who are unable to take this path now, let them not hinder others and, God willing, join them! May the blessing of God and the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos be upon all of you and over all of us. Climb the mountain, and carry trees, and build a Church Thus said the Lord of hosts: This people say: “The time has not yet come, it is not the time to build the house of the Lord.” And the word of the Lord came: ...is it time for you to live in your adorned houses, when this house is desolate? ( Hag. 1:2–4 ). To whom are these words of the Lord addressed? Long before the Nativity of Christ, through the prophet Haggai, the Lord spoke thus to the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. But the Lord’s appeal also literally applies to the Orthodox flock of San Francisco. Are these not the same words heard today? “This is not the time to build a church,” say people, many of whom buy houses for themselves, live in their houses in complete prosperity, or resell their houses, moving from better to better and increasing their property. It is understandable when such words are heard from the lips of non-believers. It is understandable when atheists, hating everything that reminds of God, destroy churches built by our pious ancestors. But how can believers who themselves attend church repeat this? The Church is a sanctified, holy place in which the grace of God eternally abides. At the dedication of Solomon's temple, the glory of the Lord in the form of a cloud filled the house of God. This is how it was in the Old Testament church. How much more powerful is the grace of God in the New Testament churches, in which true cleansing from sins is given, in which we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, in which the Holy Spirit constantly descends during the Liturgy on the consecrated Gifts and on the people present? You can pray anywhere, and the Lord hears your prayers from everywhere. But it is much easier to pray in a church, where everything is conducive to prayer. Our prayers ascend from there to God and bring down God’s mercies upon us. Building a church is a sacrifice to God: allocating a plot of land for worship, donating part of your property to God, and most importantly, bringing your love and zeal to Him. Churches were erected under various circumstances, during events both joyful and sad, and were placed like candles from all the people across the face of their native land. St. Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev, visiting the small city of Moscow at that time, told Prince John Kalita to build the “House of the Mother of God.” “What is the need for a new church?” - some would now say, because already in little Moscow there were enough churches built by Kalita’s father, the Venerable Prince Daniel. But without hesitation, the prince began to build the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and as soon as it was finished, Moscow began to rise, and its princes united the entire Russian land around it. Churches are needed not by God, whose Throne is heaven and whose footstool is earth, but by us. Our sacrifices to churches are useful to us, but the Lord accepts not so much the substance as our zeal. Christ approved of the widow’s contribution, saying that she contributed more than anyone else, for the rich contributed much from their abundance, but she gave everything she had, all her food. Our sacrifices in the name of God are accepted by God Himself. Spiritually, our sacrifices go into the heavenly treasuries, God’s, from where no one can snatch them, and if someone steals church property, then he is stealing from God Himself and the Lord God Himself will punish him. This is how the pious Russian people looked, giving their pennies to the gray-haired uncles Vlas who collected for the churches. At every service, the builders of the churches are remembered. By building churches here on earth, we thereby create eternal shelters for ourselves in heaven. Decades will pass, our bodies will decay, perhaps there will be nothing left of our bones. And our souls will live forever. Good for him who has prepared an abode for his soul in the palaces of heaven! Even if the built churches are already destroyed, the names of their builders will be written in the eternal books of God and the prayers offered in them will be recorded. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn your hearts to your ways. Go up the mountain and carry wood and build a church; and I will favor him and be glorified... I am with you! - says the Lord (Hag. 1:7–8,13). Long before Christ came to earth, when Moses led the Israelites to the promised land, when the Israelites sinned, the Lord sent snakes to them, but then ordered Moses to hang a copper snake on a high tree, on a high branch. Those who looked at this copper serpent received healing from the plagues inflicted by the snakes. That serpent represented Christ crucified on the tree. And so the Lord gave us the Cross as an omnipotent, special protection from all troubles and sorrows. The Lord saved us with the Cross from eternal death. The Lord helps us with the Cross in this earthly life. When there was a cruel persecution of Christians and the Lord was pleased to stop it, He showed the sign of the cross high in the sky to King Constantine, and around the cross it was written: “By this you conquer.” Then Constantine made a military banner in the form of a cross and defeated the enemy. Here the Lord gives us the Cross and protects us from all troubles, from all evils and protects us from the prince of this world - the devil. Here we raise the sign of the Cross here, over San Francisco; the Cross rises to protect this city, to protect each of us. The cross is a sign of Christ’s victory over the devil, a sign of Christ’s victory over those who rebel against Him. The cross is an invincible weapon. From now on the Cross rises above us. Overshadows the city of San Francisco. This is our sign. This is our weapon against all temptations, against all troubles, against all misfortunes. When we see from afar the shining cross over our cathedral, we will remember that Christ crucified is with us, Christ Almighty, Christ our Savior. When any evil feeling comes into someone’s head, let him look at this cross and be afraid. And then, when the terrible trumpets sound and Christ appears on the clouds, the sign of the cross will appear as a sign of Christ, as a sign of the end of the world. Let the cross illuminate us both when we travel and when we are at home. Coming from afar and passing by the cathedral, we will look at this cross and perform the sign of the cross of Christ the Lord, who suffered for us. Day and night, let the cross remind us of the Crucified One. May it overshadow us and give us help in our affairs here. Let the glory of God be done, and not the fulfillment of our lusts and desires. May the cross overshadow all those who come to San Francisco. When someone sails from San Francisco, let this cross carry a blessing for the journey; when people come to the city on ships, let San Francisco greet them with a cross, and there will be a blessing on them, so that their stay here will be safe and for the glory of God. The cross overshadows everyone in the city, entering and leaving, and may it forever remind us of Christ, Who for our sake accepted His Cross, settled in heaven and protects us with His Cross. Let us thank the Lord God for giving us His Cross. Let us thank the Lord God and let us not forget that the Cross is both our instrument and at the same time a reminder to us of the Last Judgment of the Lord. I believe, Lord, save us, Lord, by the power of Thy Cross, save us and protect us by the power of Thy Cross, by the prayers of the Mother of God and all the saints. We have all united around our Christ, for the Lord said: By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). “We bow to Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection.” Amen. Christ from heaven, come down! 555 More than a month in advance, the Church calls on its children to prepare to worthily meet the King of glory coming from heaven. When preparing for the meeting of earthly kings, all the places through which the king will have to travel are cleansed and put in a festive appearance. So, in preparing for the meeting of the Heavenly King, we must cleanse our souls and decorate them with good feelings and thoughts. All believers in all countries and in whatever circumstances they find themselves are called to this. We, who are in America, in particular in its western part, are called upon to do the same. How can we prepare ourselves for a worthy celebration of the Nativity of Christ? First of all, we must remember daily the approach of the day when the Son of God Himself mysteriously appeared on earth in the person of the Child. Mentally looking at Bethlehem, we must understand how small and insignificant all our daily affairs are in comparison with the greatness of the coming event. Before him, we must expel from our hearts all malice, all ill will, try to be friendly even to those with whom we have disagreed and whose actions we do not approve. Let us remember that good parents also love disobedient children, although they sometimes punish them, and we are all children of the Heavenly Father! We need to observe the fast established by the Church, with the help of which we restrain our passions, abstaining from both food prohibited by fasting and entertainment. In no case should they break the fast even when in these places part of the population is already celebrating the holiday of the Nativity of Christ in their own way. Jesus Christ was not born twice, He was born only once from the Virgin Mary. You cannot simultaneously prepare for its real celebration and have fun in a secular way, trampling on the traditions and statutes of the Church! This is not a celebration of Christ’s coming to earth, but the satisfaction of our desire to have fun, which does not bring us any benefit. Let us try to prepare for the day when we hear: “Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, arise the worldly light of reason,” and then we will feel the joy of Christmas, our soul will touch Bethlehem and our heart will spiritually accept Christ into itself. Today the waters sanctify nature On Epiphany, that is, on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, a great miracle occurs every year. The Holy Spirit, descending on the water, changes its natural properties. It becomes incorruptible, that is, it is not damaged, remains transparent and fresh for many years, receives the grace to heal illnesses, drive away demons and all evil forces, protect people and their homes from all danger, and sanctify various objects for both church and home use. Therefore, Orthodox Christians reverently partake of holy water, the Great Agiasma (shrine), as the Greeks call it. You should always have enough Epiphany water at home so that it lasts for a whole year, and use it for every need - in case of illness, when going on a trip, in a restless state, for students - going for exams. Those who drink a little holy water every day before any food do well. It strengthens our spiritual strength, of course, if we do it with prayer and reverence, and not just expect a mechanical action from it. Each priest should take care to consecrate a sufficient amount of water for his church, so that throughout the year it will be available for all needs and for distribution to those who ask, and parishioners should stock up on holy water for the whole year at Epiphany and even for storing it in subsequent years. A word to the San Francisco congregation ...I must note the zeal of our San Francisco flock in the affairs of the Church and in attending services on major holidays, and some even daily. The very great sacrifice that was shown during the construction of the cathedral testifies to the devotion of our flock to the Church. However, speaking about the joyful phenomena in parish life, I cannot remain silent about the regrettable phenomena. This is the gradual decrease in the number of people attending religious services. It is in vain to blame the fact that the area has become dangerous; it is not the main reason, but the main thing is that people are drawn into the bustle of everyday life and gradually move away from spiritual life. This is a common phenomenon seen in America. Unfortunately, there are almost no descendants left from our first emigration of the 20s; only a few exist from those families that arrived here in the 20s. Why? They dissolved, they moved away from the Orthodox faith and from Russian nationality, and most of them also changed their surnames, so you wouldn’t recognize that they were Russian. This phenomenon has been noticed before, but those who moved not from sovereign Russia, but from the jugular Rus' - Galicia, Carpathian Rus', Bukovina, have already lived here for many decades and have somehow retained their originality. We must remember those Old Believers who lived in Turkey for 300 years, but arrived in America as purely Russians, speak the purest Russian language and wear their folk clothes. And they came here because the current Turkish government began to oppress them in the area of ​​confession of faith. Now, if our emigration were as firm in confessing their faith and their Russian dignity, then we would truly represent a force before which other nationalities would bow. It was not in vain that the Lord threw us out of our country, not only for our sins, but also so that we could be preachers of the Gospel, in order to [realize what] is said in the Gospel: before the end of the world, the Gospel will be preached throughout the world (see: Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10). When leading others to Orthodoxy, we must be careful lest we ourselves become salt (see: Matt. 5:13), but preserved holy Orthodoxy. Meanwhile, we violate not only fasts, but also other church rules. It is especially harmful that it is customary here to organize charitable entertainment during the holidays. They distract Christians, our pilgrims, from worship. Then, when the main part of the holiday service takes place, when an all-night vigil is celebrated, at which this or that event is glorified, perfected by the Lord God for our eternal salvation, when the saints of God are glorified, when their lives are described in wonderful church hymns and readings, bright examples are indicated, then the majority of pilgrims are absent and instead go for entertainment. According to church canons, providing such entertainment is a grave sin. True, the main worship service is the liturgy. Liturgy is the culmination, the end of the service, when we must already ascend to such a spiritual height in order to realize the meaning of the Sacrament, and if not with our lips, then with our spirit, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. This is why we need an all-night vigil, so that we can become spiritually closer to the holiday and actually attending the liturgy would be complete and saving for us. They may say that such entertainment was organized here in Russia. This, unfortunately, has been the case lately. Even under Alexander III, it was firmly held that there were no entertainments, no amusements, no theatrical performances on fast days and the eves of holidays. Only when the thunder of the revolution began to thunder and began to shake Russia, freedoms gradually began to be given, which led to the current “freedoms”, when millions of people are enslaved. True, this has not only been the case recently. Saint John Chrysostom was expelled from Constantinople for delivering a thunderous sermon against the organization of horse racing on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist. And in those days, people left the services in order to watch some competitions, or comedies, or something else. It was the same then, however, John Chrysostom went into exile, but did not abandon his preaching. And the day after tomorrow we will remember how solemnly his relics were returned to Constantinople. Yes, it was like that. But this does not mean that you don’t have to fight it. There are even more serious crimes, such as murder: for example, Cain killed Abel; however, no one believes that since something was done in ancient times, it is permitted now. And now both the church and the authorities are trying to fight such crimes. The antiquity of the crime does not justify it, therefore we must resist such phenomena in every possible way. It is especially harmful when young people are distracted by these entertainments. Now old people still remember the old holidays in Russia, and from time to time they are drawn, especially on great holidays, to attend divine services. Young people are not particularly used to this, and if they don’t get used to it from childhood, then what will happen after? It is in vain then that we build churches here; they will be empty in two decades. We must do our utmost to encourage, especially in children, to instill a love for the church, and praise be given to those parents who teach them to church from childhood, especially those who teach them to serve in church and actively participate in divine services. This naturally sinks into their souls and, while contributing to the splendor of worship, at the same time educates them in our church Russian-Orthodox consciousness. The Church is not an earthly institution. I need to say a little about this so that we have a clear picture of what we want to do. The Church stands on earth, but its head rises above heaven, and the Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He established that the Church should be governed through persons who received from Him the grace of the Holy Spirit, grace that helps lead people to eternal salvation, to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, those who have received grace through ordination, that is, the priesthood, have the main guiding importance in the Church. And since they lead spiritual life, it is clear that the rest can only be assistants; persons who have not received the grace of the Holy Spirit can only help the clergy. After all, it would be absurd if the leaders were not those who could fulfill the main functions of this or that institution, but [occupying] only secondary [positions]. We cannot imagine that the chairman of the court was the head of the building of that court or if, for example, the army was commanded by the head of the economy. True, under the Soviet regime there were attempts to have the army commanded not by the military, but by political instructors, who had the goal of political propaganda, but what happened then other than collapse? Likewise, in the Church, only those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit and who have received the grace to lead the Church for eternal salvation can stand at the head. Economic issues, no matter how important they are, can and should be handled by the laity, but under the guidance of the pastors of the Church. Therefore, all secular positions in the church are only auxiliary to the clergy, but are in no way leading. Both church ktitors and elders, according to the charter, are only assistants to the abbots. Parish councils arose in our country after the revolution specifically to support the clergy. I was on the first parish council after the revolution in our parish; we have gathered to help our father. And now parish positions are auxiliary to the clergy. Therefore, there can be no question of them having any independent work and feeling like they are the main ones in the church. The laity can be in charge in a private society, in some artistic, literary, or commercial enterprise, but not in the Church. The main meaning of the Church is leading to eternal salvation, and everything else must be adapted to this. The Church has, first of all, its task to fight sin, and in this it must be helped by the laity. I am very grateful on my own behalf, and the Holy Church blesses those who, correctly understanding their purpose, are helpers for the construction of the Church as a ship leading us through the sea of ​​life to where Christ leads us - to the Kingdom of Heaven. I encourage everyone to diligently attend divine services during this Lent. Remember that receiving communion once a year is the minimum after which a person leaves the Church. According to church regulations, anyone who has not attended liturgy for three weeks without good reason is considered to have fallen away from the church community. Therefore, those who violate the rules of church confession or the rules of attending church, or who openly despise church laws, even if guided by civil rules, can be members of civil institutions, but not in church ones. Our Church has its own rules and, regardless of how others look, it goes its own way. She survived the time of Nero and Diocletian... Different laws apply abroad, we are forced to reckon with civil authorities; after all, in the Soviet Union, those laws that are not directly directed against the Church are executed by those who live there. Moreover, we must where the Church is not persecuted, where the state gives the Church the opportunity to develop its activities in every possible way, to fulfill all the laws, but in our inner life we ​​must be guided only by church laws. No one can order us to accept a member of the community or admit to church positions someone who, say, has violated the rules on marriage; whoever has not received the grace of the Holy Spirit during the Sacrament of Marriage is a criminal before church laws, no matter what the state authorities believe. The Church has its own laws, and the Church goes its own way. States are formed and disappear, but the Church is eternal. I urge you, first of all, to be Orthodox Christians, and everything else can only be added to this. From the word at the meeting of the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joy to all who mourn January 25/February 7, 1965 Address to the general parish annual meeting The current general meeting is taking place on the day of remembrance of the Last Judgment, and we must all remember that one day we will appear before the Judge of the whole world, who sees even our innermost thoughts, and we must carefully monitor our desires, words and thoughts, so as not to be condemned at the Judgment. Our meeting is a church meeting to decide matters concerning our churches and church life. Therefore, although we are not gathered in a church, we must behave as if in a church, not allowing anything that cannot be tolerated in a church, including noisy expressions of approval and indignation. We are children of the Orthodox Church and must first of all obey its laws, the laws of the Orthodox Church, established by the Lord God Himself (the basic laws were laid down by Him). The Lord said: I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18) and also said: behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into the apostles, gave them the power to hold and absolve sins, and gave them the power and responsibility of preaching the Gospel throughout the entire universe. Preaching the Gospel, they established the Church on earth as disciples and friends of Christ. They then transferred their power to their successors, that is, to the bishops whom they appointed. We see this already from the Holy Scriptures, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul - all the laws of the Church are important for Christians. There are different relationships between the Church and the state. At first the Church was severely persecuted. There were times when the state did not persecute for faith if state laws were followed, and the state law was to honor Caesar as God; and then there were stages when it was said that you could continue to pray in your own way, you just had to make a sacrifice to Caesar or a sacrifice to some idol, and that was enough. But Christians did not comply with such laws. They were going to suffer. We glorify them as martyrs: Saints Ignatius the God-Bearer, Demetrius, Panteleimon and others. What did they do? They went [to death] for the faith of Christ, showing no respect for those laws that were contrary to the faith. Until the end of the century, Christians will be persecuted, and there will be martyrs until the end of the century... And those who were not sent to death are glorified as confessors. Recently, when we were in the Far East, the Japanese, who occupied Manchuria, passed a law that all residents of the city should go to worship in the church of the goddess Amaturasa - this was declared a state law, since the goddess was revered as the head of the imperial house. Well, did Christians go there? Some went, but Metropolitan Meletius of Harbin and Archbishop Dimitri, the father of our First Hierarch, Metropolitan Philaret, courageously rebelled against this. And when one of the priests, who occupied a prominent place in the Harbin diocese, was about to compromise, he was immediately deprived of all his posts and banned from the priesthood and was not allowed until the Japanese agreed not to apply their law. So the flock remained faithful to their archpastors, because this law went against the faith of Christ. We must always courageously stand for the rules of the church. If they demand something impossible from us, then we should not do it. We see how our brothers suffer in our Fatherland. Many of them endure courageously for their confession of the faith of Christ. They are deprived of their places, they are deprived of earnings, they are deprived of food, and yet they still confess the faith of Christ. If so, then how much should we, being here in freedom, where the law does not persecute for faith, confess our faith. In this country, the laws do not persecute anyone for their faith. The rules concerning church life are established only for internal life, without disturbing others. When this does not threaten anyone or anything, the confession of one’s faith is left to every person and every community. In our inner life we ​​can fearlessly be guided only by the statutes of the Orthodox Church, for which we must be ready to die, if it were otherwise. The Church of Christ is a Divine institution, and the foundations of its structure are given by Christ and the Holy Spirit through the apostles and holy men. The development of church rules and the leadership of the Church was entrusted to the bishops, as we see from the epistles of the apostles and their immediate successors. Both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church venerate Church Tradition as well as Holy Scripture. This is how Protestants and Protestant sects that do not recognize Holy Tradition differ from them. The Holy Tradition regarding church government speaks in the canons. Canons are church rules that are the basis of church life, just as in the state they are the basic laws. The difference, however, is that in the state they are composed of people, but the Church is inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Head of the Church is Christ, and He gave the power to establish the earthly Church to the apostles. This is what the 41st canon of the holy apostles says: “We command the bishop to have power over the church estate, since precious human souls must be entrusted to him: then how much more should he command about money, so that he disposes of everything according to his authority.” According to further church rules, he must have a manager of church property (26th rule of the IV Ecumenical Council). At first they were clergy, then they began to entrust this to the laity, but their leadership continued to remain in the hands of the bishop, as well as spiritual power, since “the people of the Lord are entrusted to him and he will give an answer about their souls.” Why is this so? Because in the Church everything must be consistent with the main goal: the salvation of human souls through faith and life according to the commandments of Christ and the direction of their lives towards the Heavenly Kingdom. Democracy is alien to the Orthodox Church. In the Church of Christ, everything comes from the Divine beginning, and God is given the final account for his actions. Therefore, at the head of church administration are bishops as successors to the apostles. So that they and the rest of the clergy do not become immersed in worldly and everyday affairs, the laity help them in those matters and sometimes take almost entirely the care upon themselves, but acting in the spirit of the instructions of the shepherds, since the shepherds and especially their head, the bishop, are responsible for the life of the church. Leadership continues to remain in the hands of the bishops, and the bishop must be revered until he departs from the true teaching, that is, he does not become a heretic and does not apostatize from the hierarchy. The bishop is responsible for both souls and church life. The common expression “the voice of the people is the voice of God” is relatively true. When people feel the need for God’s help, pray fervently and want, first of all, to follow the will of God, then the Lord admonishes, overshadows them with good thoughts, and the decisions are beneficial. This is what Christians did in ancient times. Our ancestors did the same. When the Zemsky Sobor met in 1613, Great Lent began, all those gathered and all the people prayed and fasted, and only after communion of the Holy Mysteries with one mouth did they name Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov Tsar - and then the voice of the people was truly the voice of God. But here we read in the Gospel about how the trial of Jesus Christ takes place, how they lead Him to Pilate and how Pilate brings Him out to the people: All the people began to shout: death to Him! but release Barabbas to us. Pilate...raised his voice, wanting to release Jesus. But they shouted: crucify him, crucify him! (Luke 23:18, 20–21). Was that voice of the people the voice of God? And when the “people’s representatives,” supported by the commanders-in-chief of the entire front, who imagined themselves to be the spokesmen for the voice of the army, demanded that Emperor Nicholas II abdicate the throne, and noisy crowds then walked around Petrograd and welcomed the onset of the so-called people’s democracy, was then “the voice of the people the voice of God”? We hear the voice of God in the Holy Scriptures, it also sounds in the Holy Tradition, we must obey them, observe church statutes, then the voice of God will touch us, and not when we want to act according to our own will. Now we know that all over the world there is a struggle against Sacred Tradition. Having gathered to decide the affairs of our parish, we must clearly realize that the parish is a part of the great Universal Church, a branch of the Local Russian Church. We must be guided by church rules, created on the basis and in the spirit of the canons of the Church, in the spirit of those church foundations. If we do not trust the church canons and deviate from them, we thereby take the path of Protestantism and already lose the right to be called Orthodox Christians. When we gather in church meetings, we should think about how to make decisions for the glory of God. For the glory of God - this means for our salvation. When we do something for the glory of God, we become like the Angels who eternally praise the Lord God. Let us think not about what is pleasant and desirable for us, but [about what] is in accordance with the truth of God and leads us all together and each individual to eternal salvation and a good answer at the Last Judgment Seat, at which we will all appear, whether we want it or would like to avoid it, whether we remember about it or not. And, remembering the words of Christ: By your words you have been justified and by your words you have been condemned (Matthew 12:37), let us now conduct our meeting as on the eve of the Last Judgment, to which we are called today by the Gospel and church prayers. Let us begin our church meeting in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving and Inseparable Trinity. Square brackets indicate editorial insertions. – Note. ed. St. John Chrysostom. Word on the Day of Epiphany // Creations. T. 2. St. Petersburg, 1896. P. 402. See: St. John Chrysostom. Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians // Creations. T. 11. St. Petersburg, 1905. P. 597. – Note. ed. Stichera for “Glory” at Matins according to the 50th Psalm on the Meat Week. – Note. ed. Stichera on the poem on Monday of the first week of Lent, evening. – Note. ed. Ch. VII from: John (Maksimovich), Hierom. How the Holy Orthodox Church honored and honors the Mother of God // Orthodox Russian Calendar for 1933. Printing house of the Brotherhood of St. Job Pochaevsky in Vladimirova near Svidnik (Czechoslovakia). – Note. ed. See: St. John Chrysostom. Interpretation of St. Matthew the Evangelist // Creations. T. 7. St. Petersburg, 1901. P. 801. Conversation LXXX. – Note. ed. 11th and 12th articles of the Creed. – Note. ed. In Russia, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt was glorified at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on June 7–8, 1990 - Note. ed. Apparently, this means: Talberg N.D. Holy Rus'. Paris, 1929. – Note. ed. St. Paisius (Velichkovsky) was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad locally in the St. Elias monastery on Mount Athos in 1982, and then throughout the church together with the venerable fathers of Optina in 1990. In Russia, St. Paisiy Velichkovsky was glorified at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, dedicated to the anniversary of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', in 1988 - Note. ed. Blessed Theophilus was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine as a locally revered ascetic of the Kiev Pechersk. – Note. ed. Saint Jonah (Pokrovsky), Bishop of Hankow and Manchuria (d. October 7/20, 1925), glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1996 – Note. ed. Peter (Polyansky; 1862–1937), Metropolitan of Krutitsky, glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1997; Kirill (Smirnov; 1863–1937), Metropolitan of Kazan, – in 2000 – Note. ed. Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany; 1848–1918), new martyr, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992 – Note. ed. Bulletin of Orthodox Affairs. Geneva, 1959. No. 1. St. John Chrysostom. Praise to our holy father Eustathius, Archbishop of Great Antioch // Creations. T. 2. St. Petersburg, 1896. P. 647. – Note. ed. The name Anastasius translated from Greek means “resurrection.” – Note. edit Canon of the Nativity, irmos of the 1st canto. – Note. ed.