291. Беседа по обновлении храма Воскресения Христова, при доме заключения должников

(Said on December 22; printed in the Moscow and Provincial Ved. 1853, in the Works of the Holy Father 1854 and in the collection 1861) For He hid me in His village in the day of my evil (Ps. 26:5). King and Prophet David repeatedly demonstrated in deed and word his extraordinary love for the church of God. Having established Jerusalem as the capital of the new kingdom, he built in it, instead of the dilapidated tabernacle of Moses, a new tabernacle; and with great triumph he transferred the ark of the covenant of God into it. He strongly desired to create a new church for God, stronger and more magnificent than the tabernacle of the covenant; and only by a special command of God was he restrained from this undertaking, which by the fate of God was given to his son Solomon. And when, along with this decree of God about the church, the Prophet Nathan announced to David the high hereditary blessing of God: his first movement of joy was to enter the house of God and offer a prayer of thanks. And in circumstances opposite to this, when in fasting and humiliation he suffered the sorrow of repentance for sin, and sadness about the illness of his son, as soon as he learned of his death, he immediately “changed his garments and entered into the house of God” (2 Sam. 12:20) to offer the sacrifice of submission to God’s court in prayer, no longer sad. Here is one of the many sayings in which he revealed his love for the church of God and the incessant attraction of his heart towards it: “I have asked one thing of the Lord, this I will require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may behold the beauty of the Lord, and that I may visit His holy church” (Ps. 26:4). And here is one of the reasons with which David explained and justified his love and incessant attraction to the church of God: “for he hid me in his village in the day of my evils.” Because, he says, I would like to spend all the days of my life in the house of God, because on the most calamitous day of my life the Lord hid me in His village from the troubles that threatened me, and in His church gave me security. Let the people hear this, for whom, of course, it is not the day of prosperity, but the “day of evil” that has concluded within the walls of this house. The prophet confirms with his own experience that one can hide from the day of evil and find a safe refuge in the church of God. And such a refuge with pious and humane care for the needy, you see how close it is prepared for them, and how well adorned. It is evident that they not only thought to prepare and open a holy refuge for the suffering, but also tried to attract their hearts to the invisible grace of the Lord with the visible “beauty of the Lord.” Take from the venerable David his love for the church of God. Haunted by days of evil, come here to seek days of consolation, grace and peace. The more diligently you come running here, the more surely you will find consolation, grace and peace. Perhaps they will ask: when and how was it that God hid David in His village on the day of his evil? – It seems that the Prophet’s word about what he knows from his own experience can be believed without research, which is not always possible, because often very important events in a person’s life are hidden, inaccessible to inquiry, unknown to history. But, in order to encourage even “the sluggish in heart to believe” (Luke 24:25) if possible, to believe in the grace of the church proclaimed by David, let us look for an event corresponding to his words in his life story, in the book of Kings. After the days of glory, when victories over his enemies made him the favorite of the people, and the son-in-law of Saul, envy of this glory led to days of evil. David learned that his house was being guarded in order to kill him: and he was forced to hide through the window. First, he entrusted himself to the protection of God in the person and in the monastery of the Prophet Samuel: and he was protected. For when the messengers from Saul, and then he himself, approached 748 to take David: the Spirit of God brought upon them a frenzy, in which they did and said things that were not what they intended. But then David found it necessary to hide from here too. Then, on the “day of evil” of many, when he was without a home, without food, without weapons, in danger of his life, in the need to hide his very traces from the persecutor, he resorted to the help of the house of God; and received extraordinary help. The high priest Abimelech asked God about him, and of course reinforced him with the hope of saving him from danger, did not hesitate to break the Law for him, giving him five loaves of bread, which according to the Law only priests could eat; finally, although the purpose of the church is not at all to prepare weapons for anyone, there was also a weapon in it for David, the sword of Goliath. Danger befell 749 David here too: but the invisible shield of God protected him from it. The ill-intentioned Doik was here at that time and saw David: but it did not occur to Doik to inform Saul about this immediately; and when he reported, then David’s trace had already disappeared. Without a doubt, this is not the only experience of God’s help in David’s life, revealed through the church of God; But isn’t this experience alone sufficient to understand and justify his thoughts and feelings: most of all I ask the Lord that I may live in the house of the Lord; for He hid me, and I hope He will continue to hide me in His habitation in the day of my evils. Seeing in the lives of the Saints the wonderful beneficial actions of the special providence of God over them, and believing the truth of the stories about them 750, many, however, look at them as some extraordinary movements occurring in a special world to which we do not seem to belong. They say: it happened with the Saints; can we expect something like this? Can we expect that God will hide me in His village from my persecutors, from my deprivations, from my sorrows and sorrows? And it’s possible for you, and it’s impossible, depending on how you like it. Perhaps, if you believe that God not only “loves the righteous,” but also “has mercy on sinners,” and if, according to this faith, you try to achieve first mercy from God, and then His love. It is impossible if you extinguish the faith in the all-good and wonderful providence of God, which you feel in yourself when you look at the Saints, when you turn your gaze to yourself. Everything is possible with God: nothing is possible for you without God; but “all things are possible for you who believe” (Mark 9:23). Cling by faith to the omnipotence of God: and you will overcome your impossibility; and without ceasing to recognize yourself as a sinner, you will take part with the righteous in the gifts of God’s special providence and grace. With faith, righteous Simeon came to the church, and found the highest good, accepted into the arms of Christ. With faith, the sinful publican came to the church and found deliverance from spiritual evils, which are worse than all external evils. However, as you flow with faith into the church of God, do not look too hard for a quick end to all external evils. This was not given to the righteous David: and for many it would not have been useful. According to the intention of God's providence, external well-being should lead us to God through gratitude; but on this pleasant path many doze off and forget where they should go; and on the contrary, external disasters and persecutions should drive us to God through the knowledge of our weaknesses and shortcomings, through humility, so that a person can finally confess from experience: “It is good for me, for you have humbled me” (Ps. 119:71). May the sinner seek in church to hide from the persecuting conscience, in the mystery of repentance. Let the mourner enter the church to turn grief into prayer; and he can achieve to say with the Prophet: “Because of the multitude of my illnesses in my heart, Your consolations have made my soul glad” (Ps. 93:19). Let everyone bring it to the church as a sacrifice and surrender their will to God. The more we betray, the more we will accept. Let us surrender ourselves to God entirely by faith, as if for a burnt offering in the fire of God’s love; and faithfully 752 let us receive the whole inheritance of new life and eternal bliss. Amen. To the Governorate. Ved.: “they were approaching”... To the Governorate. Ved.: “overtook”... To the Governorate. Ved.: “I believe the truth of the stories about them.” To the Governorate. Ved.: Especially everyone... You might be interested in: