360. Речь к Преосвященному Леониду, новорукоположенному Епископу Дмитровскому

(Said in the Assumption Collect. April 26th; printed in TV. St. Ot. 1859 and in the collection 1861) Your Eminence Bishop Leonid! One who enters a new ministry, with humble self-consciousness, should be inclined to seek instruction, and it should be pleasant to find it. But the strength and effect of the instruction given, no doubt, depends a lot on the dignity of the instructor. So, stand with me before the holy Apostle Paul, and let us listen to what he says to the Ephesian shepherds, not bypassing you and me: “Take heed... to yourselves and to all the flock, in whom the Holy Spirit has appointed bishops, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which we have acquired with His blood” (Acts 20:28). This instruction is brief: but it will turn out to be quite complete if we delve a little deeper into it. “The Holy Spirit ordain bishops.” This is a teaching of faith. The bishop should not be seen only as a boss, similar to those appointed by human power, an executor of rules and laws, a guardian of order and improvement. That's not all. The bishop is an instrument of the Holy Spirit. The beginning of his leadership is a sacrament. An agent, supplied by earthly power, receives from it a name and the right to act; one supplied by heavenly power receives from it not only a name, but also power, not only the right to act, but also higher assistance. The Holy Spirit does not depart from what He has set, unless it deviates from Him. So, the bishop must, in every possible way, have a mind and a heart like vessels, open by faith and prayer to the highest Source of light and power. “The Holy Spirit ordain bishops.” This also teaches the fear of God. If an agent appointed by earthly authority is ashamed not to please the good authorities, he is afraid to be subjected to the reprimand of the strict authorities: with what fear must one appointed by heavenly authority carry out his service, so as not to lose the favor of the Comforter Spirit, so as not to be condemned by the All-Righteous and Almighty! “The Holy Spirit ordain bishops.” This word, if fear weighs heavily on us, can lighten us with hope. The Holy Spirit does His work, of course, not in order to neglect and reject it, but in order to support and preserve it. Those whom He called and placed in the ministry of grace, He, of course, did not despair of: may we not despair of the continuation of His grace. So that the saving fear of the great responsibility of shepherding the Church of the Lord and God is not weakened by excessive hope or arrogance, so that carelessness does not creep into hope, so that the numerous external relationships of the shepherd to his flock do not entertain him, and do not weaken his internal relationship to the Holy Spirit, who installed him - warning against this, the Apostle says to the shepherds: “take heed... to yourself.” Be vigilant over yourselves, placed on guard over the house of God: if you indulge in slumber and sleep, you will not save either yourself or the house entrusted to you. Carefully observe the purity of your thoughts and desires, intentions and deeds; the lamp of the law of God and the word of Christ, may it illuminate your inner and outer, and may it remove darkness and evil from you. Only a shepherd who pays attention to himself is capable of caring for the flock with true benefit. Therefore, the Apostle says: “pay attention,” first to “yourself,” and then to “the flock.” What does it mean to “pay attention to the flock”? - judiciously and unremittingly caring for the verbal sheep, just as a good shepherd cares for the dumb. Lead the sheep to fat pasture: that is, feed the souls of those you flock with the sound teaching of truth and Christian life. Shear the sheep from the wolves; that is, protect the Orthodox from heresies and schisms. Look for the lost sheep: that is, try to bring into the Church those who are wandering outside of it. Heal the sick sheep, that is, the sinner, with exhortation to correction and repentance. Stand against the strong rams, goring and howling, and lift up the weak ram: that is, dare to put the word of truth against the unrighteousness of the strong, and with a word of consolation and deed of help, support the poor, the insulted, the despondent. It is a difficult feat, especially when the rams are goring and turning their horns against the shepherds, when the sick sheep, not accepting healing, think to heal the shepherds themselves, when even from those who should not be of the world, the world has no longer forced too much condescension towards it, and has even inclined them to borrow other things from it. But the Apostle, the mentor of shepherds, teaches us a powerful means of strengthening ourselves in asceticism and inspiring ourselves with zeal when he reminds us that the Church for which we are called to strive, Christ the Lord and God “acquired with His blood.” Looking at this immeasurable feat of His for us, will we hesitate before the small feat set before us for Him? If He, out of love for His Church, sacrificed His divine blood for it: will it be hard for us, out of love and gratitude to Him, in the service of His Church, to sacrifice to Him our abilities and strengths, our work and peace, our consolations and sorrows, and, if necessary, even life itself? For you, God-loving brother, the circle of episcopal action is still not extensive. Enter complacently; be strengthened by your trust in the Divine Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus. Let the rod of righteousness be the rod of your leadership. You might be interested in: