86. Слово в день Святых триех Святителей Московских, при продолжении молитв о избавлении от губительныя болезни

(Spoken in the Assumption Cathedral, October 5th; printed separately and in collections of 1835, 1844 and 1848.) And on the holiday now is not the time to celebrate: because the word of the Lord is being fulfilled over us: “I will turn your holidays into pity” (Amos.8:10). And on the day of the Lord, in the house of God it is not free to Theologize: because the light of contemplation is obscured by the fog of sorrow, and caring thoughts interrupt the thread of reflection and speech. One must carry what the coming day gives birth to: it is necessary, without worrying about the order of the word, to say what inspires and what the present time demands. And anger, and mercy, and punishment, and mercy, and terrible rebuke against our sins, and long-suffering expectation of our repentance, daily and hourly before our eyes. The destroying angel walks from farm to farm and from house to house; leaves most of the inhabitants untouched; does not concern many; some are amazed. You see that the measure of our sins is full: for an extraordinary punishment begins. But you also see that the abyss of God’s mercy is inexhaustible and not concluded: for “His wrath is not quickly kindled” (Ps. 2:12). Let us think, brothers, about the importance of the present time for us. Every time is important; and there is no time that can safely be neglected: for at any time one can be saved or perish. But this time is especially and extraordinarily important for us, when God has already placed us on the scales of His justice, so that one speck of dust added to the burden of our sins, one minute not used to alleviate this burden, can cast us down; when the path of our life is so cramped that with every step we place our foot between life and death, between the hope of salvation and the fear of destruction; when “God the Judge is righteous and strong, and long-suffering, and does not bring wrath on every day,” according to His inscrutable, but, without a doubt, wise and righteous destinies, in these days, especially, close, brought wrath directly upon us, and, “if we do not return, He has cleansed His weapon, His bow is bent and ready, and in it are prepared the vessels of death, He made His arrows scorching” (Psalm 7:12–14). When is there time to hesitate? Where to put saving intentions? Is there a place to sleep safely on the edge of an abyss? It is necessary for each of us to immediately and zealously strive to alleviate the burden of our previous sins through repentance and acts of love for mankind; how to protect yourself from the multiplication of this disastrous burden by suppressing unrighteous deeds with a decisive and firm intention of correction; as if through living faith and unceasing prayer, “to open our spiritual path to the Lord” (Psalm 36:5), and to establish ourselves in it, so that we could walk the dubious path of temporary life with cheerfulness, and enter the dark path of bodily death without fear; as if to extinguish the flaring anger of God with tears of tenderness; as if to hide from the arrows of God’s justice under the impenetrable shield of the cross of Christ. I repeat, and I cannot repeat it enough: repentance, correction of life, prayer, faith in Christ the Savior, and whatever Christian virtues and spiritual fruits are possible for someone according to their condition and gift - these are our true needs for everything, and especially at the present time! Here are the sure means of our safety in any visible danger, and reliable guarantees of inalienable life in death itself! By the grace of God, these saving means are always ready for us; are never removed from us: just each one enter into himself; look with your mind, turn with your heart, sigh in spirit to the mighty, living, and abundantly merciful God. God! You are the only “weight of those who are Yours” (2 Tim. 2:19), also those who begin to be Yours; however, since You showed us the ability to know a tree by its fruits, and the spiritual state of a person by its manifestations; We dare to console ourselves with the thought that among us there are those whom Your real anger has turned to Your mercy, and the fear of imminent destruction has brought closer to salvation. For this reason, be blessed in Your anger, as well as in Your mercy! But, Lord, who once promised not to destroy the whole city of ten for the sake of the righteous in it, and for the sake of the repentance of the only David, who commanded the destroying angel to take his hand away from Jerusalem, spare and save this city for the sake of the number known to You in it who repented from their sins! There should be much to console and encourage us, brothers, and what the Anointed of God, our Most Pious Sovereign, is doing among us. He is not the cause of our disaster, as David was once the first cause of the disaster of Jerusalem and Israel (although, of course, due to the sins of the entire people): however, with David’s self-sacrifice, He accepts participation in our disaster. He sees our danger: and does not think about His safety; rushes towards us at the very moment it notices danger. Sovereign! There is no need for You to expose Yourself to our danger; our sins have brought disaster upon us; ease it as much as you can, but do not approach the places visited by the wrath of God. No, He says, “let me fall into the hand of the Lord” (2 Samuel 24:14); I go to where the formidable hand of the Lord is raised, in order to share the sorrow as much as possible, to alleviate the misfortune of my beloved people as actively as possible. Sovereign! we know how close Your ancient Capital is to Your heart: but Russia is on Your shoulders; Europe stands before Your caring eyes - Europe, infected with a much more deadly epidemic of faithless and violent wisdom; You need to strengthen the barrier against this plague; This requires vigilant observation of events, many pieces of advice, and addition to the ranks of Your army. So, He says, It is My duty to prevent that danger; but the irresistible force of fatherly love and compassion draws Me to the heart of Russia, which trembles painfully. “Our protector, see, O God, and look upon the face of Thy Christ” (Psalm 83:10); accept the sacrifice of His love for mankind, and have mercy on His people! Oh, how, brothers, I would like to completely calm myself with such consolations and rest in hope. But I am still afraid that in the eyes of the All-seeing and impartial Judge the number of those who repent and humble themselves will not turn out to be too small, and the repentance too imperfect; so that the multitude of those who are not sick and crushed, when the scourge of God struck not many, do not bring down upon themselves multiplied blows, so that the wrath of God does not flare up more strongly against those who do not accept God’s punishment. I turn to you and mentally fall down, God-established pillars of the local Hierarchy, Peter, Alexie, Jono, Philippe! What this meager and powerless word cannot do; what is lacking in my own weak and unfruitful 460 repentance: may it do that, may your prayer approaching God fill in, and the abundance of grace given to you. May death not perish your flock. May it be preserved and rest in peace, in the security of temporary life, in the hope of eternal life, not crushed, but guided and protected by the rod of the Supreme Shepherd-Chief, Jesus Christ, the Author of life, glorified among the Saints forever. Amen. In the department of publishing. and in collection 1835: unfertilized... You might be interested in: