341. Речь к новопосвященному Епископу Дмитровскому Евгению

(Said October 6; printed in the Works of the Holy Father, 1857 and in the collection, 1861) Your Eminence Bishop Eugene! The Church Rite, which usually combines teaching with prayer and the sacrament, commands me on this deeply significant day for you not to let you go from here without teaching. And I can do this without difficulty. You yourself delivered a teaching to yourself at the very time when, in the hearing of the Church, you pronounced Your confession, Your vows, and, by the way, the promise “not to seek the same” as You; "but even the Lord Jesus." Preach what you have confessed; do what you have promised, and you will bear good fruit for the Lord Jesus and His holy Church. But for this purpose, don’t forget, God-loving brother, that in order for our feat for the Church to be reliable, it must be preceded by our feat taking precedence over ourselves. St. Maximus the Confessor, speaking about the internal, “in the heart... ascents” (Ps. 83:6) of spiritual life, says that “he who drives away passionate thoughts from himself has the quality of a deacon, who enlightens the mind with the knowledge of things, the quality of a presbyter, and whoever completes the sanctification of the mind with the world of God-worshipping knowledge of the Holy Trinity, he has the quality of a Bishop” (Prov. Max. about love. hundred. 11. Ch. 21). Therefore, and conversely, about the degrees of the Church hierarchy, it should be said that the feat and quality of a deacon should be spiritual purification, the quality of a presbyter should be spiritual enlightenment, and the advantage of a bishop should be the highest anointing and sanctification of the mind with such knowledge of the Holy Trinity, which would be at the same time constant worship of Her. This is a great demand from a bishop! Will you involuntarily say with the Apostle: “Who is pleased with this” (2 Cor. 2:16)? Who will volunteer to satisfy this demand? To resolve this, I offer you the teaching of the Apostle Paul to Bishop Timothy, written in his letter: “Do not neglect your gift... which was given to you... through the laying on of the hands of the priesthood” (1 Tim. 4:14). And in another letter to him: “I remember you to kindle the gift of God that lives in you by the laying on of my hand” (2 Tim. 1:6). He writes one instruction twice, apparently very useful. Truly, the more is required of us: the less dominant are our abilities and strengths; all the more must we seek our contentment in the gift of God, acceptable through the sacramental laying on of hands. And upon you is the apostolic and spirit-bearing ordination, although through many successive hands, but extended to you by the continuous wave of the Holy Spirit who descended upon the Apostles. And you accepted the “gift of God: do not neglect” it; “warm up” it. Do not provide yourself only with your mind, do not like to act according to your own will and power; groan to the “Spirit of the truth” (John 14:16–17, 15:26, 16:13; 1 John 4:6); precede your actions with a heartfelt desire for light, strength and help from above; Before pleasing the will of God, put aside man-pleasing and self-pleasing. The lot of service given to you is, in part, connected with mine. I expect your help, especially since this is the tenth time you’ve come to the aid of me alone, who is becoming dilapidated day by day. But I also hope from you that you will give me the right assistance, and not demand favors. Let us unite your new strength by the grace of God and my old weakness in a unanimous and, to the best of our ability, active effort to please God, always and in everything “to seek the Lord Jesus,” that is, to seek the peace of His Church and the salvation of souls redeemed by His most pure blood. And let the shepherd’s rod, acceptable to you, remind you that you must not only walk, but also lead the verbal sheep on the path of righteousness, to salvation, to heaven. You might be interested in: