Проповедь в Неделю всех святых

Man always admires the saints and glorifies God, who gave them so much strength and grace that they were able to enter into the struggle and win victory in this struggle. The Prophet David said: “God is wonderful in His saints” (Ps. 67:36). God gives His strength to each person, but He is glorified only in His saints, just as the sun from above sends its rays to all people, but only those whose eyes are open see it. The sweet light of the dawn of Christ is enjoyed only by those who have clear eyes and strong vision. From above, God continually gives help to everyone through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The power and effect of this grace is felt by those who, having good will, prove their love for God and faith in Him through their deeds. Such people, by their own choice, completely turn away from everything false and unclean. At the same time, they direct their minds upward, to the Sun of Truth, Jesus Christ, Who not only extends an invisible helping hand to those who struggle, but also audibly speaks to all of us with the words of His Gospel. Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks about this: “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). On our own, without the power of Christ and His assistance, we cannot boldly confess faith in Christ. However, in order to give us strength and assistance, He must first find some reason in us for this. That is, by our good resistance to evil, patience and willingness to keep His commandments, we are united with Christ and accept His blessing. After all, the one who truly loves God carries out and manifests his confession, and God glorifies him at the same time. Each of the saints is a servant of God. With boldness he confesses in this temporary life before mortal people his faith in the Savior Christ. The reward and crowns prepared for this by God cannot be seen by the eye, heard by the ear or felt by the heart of any person. However, for saints even in this earthly life, the reward is amazing. Who can adequately describe the glory that the remains of saints and their relics receive from God? A sacred fragrance continuously emanates from them to us, myrrh and gifts of healing of illnesses flow, various saving phenomena and miraculous interventions occur. The saints labored boldly for a very short time, confessing their faith in Christ before princes and kings. They did not renounce Christ and endured everything. Now kings, princes and all believers sing and magnify, venerate, glorify and venerate not only the relics of saints, but also their sacred images. Saints receive honor in this world greater than kings and princes. Believers come to them in a continuous stream, kneel before their icons, and do this with spiritual warmth, with great joy and trembling. All Christians want to leave their children a rich inheritance that surpasses any treasure - faith in Christ and veneration of the saints. Sanctification and the beneficial presence of those who have pleased God reveal to us that our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His Life for our salvation, wants us to strive and despise in this life everything that hinders our life in Christ. For the sake of life in Christ, it is worth sacrificing everything if it turns out to be necessary. During times of peace, a person is called to heroic deeds in order to, with the help of virtue, mortify evil passions and lusts, to pick up his cross with humility and love and follow the Lord. And during the persecution of Christians, everyone is called to despise their own life. It is difficult to implement all these great things; it is suitable only for those who have decided to actually implement the commandment of Christ and crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts. He who truly loved Christ is ready to sacrifice his very life to Him. At the same time, such a person feels within himself the spiritual consolation that is given to all who strive. Every believer who venerates the saints receives great spiritual reward. After all, he accepts and honors not only them. At the same time as the saints, he receives the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is an honor and a blessing for us to obey the living saints, to give them comfort and to welcome them into our homes. The rewards of the one who accepts and comforts the man of God will be great. The Church of Christ always honors those who truly lived according to God. Every day of the year she commemorates a different saint and presents their lives for our edification. And on the Sunday of All Saints, following Holy Pentecost, the Church proclaims hymns addressed to all saints, since all saints are united with each other. This is how the Church shows how many beautiful fruits are united in it by the grace of the Holy Spirit. All of us, brothers, are called to venerate the saints. This will be realized in practice if we imitate them, cleansing ourselves from all defilement and turning away from everything that interferes with our holiness. So, let our tongue stop empty talk, and let our lips not utter lies and slander. Let's cleanse ourselves. It is impossible to dare to remember the names of saints and glorify their deeds and virtues and at the same time hate a virtuous life, banishing spiritual and physical purity from oneself. Faith, so degraded by improper actions, is unpleasant even to the saints of God. How can a person who has fallen into grave sins be cleansed? Repentance, confession, many years of prayer to God and good deeds. When, according to church regulations, it is forbidden to work on the days of remembrance of saints, our activities should be to retreat and free ourselves from those defilements and sins into which we previously fell. We must take care to become people free from spiritual slavery. And if, despite all this, we continue to neglect our soul and harm it, then how can we claim that we are celebrating the memory of the saints? Let us, brothers, be attentive and begin to honor the saints with our holy lives. By doing this, we, through the prayers of the saints, will also become partakers of that indescribable glory, joy and triumph that they enjoy in eternal life. We can all inherit this life through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.