От издательства

Заступница и Ходатаица эта - Матерь Божия и Матерь всех христиан, Пречистая Дева Мария. И от того эта небольшая книга, сборник проповедей, посвященных прославлению Богоматери и памяти неисчислимых милостей Ее,- целительное врачевство для каждого скорбящего сердца, способное утешить, умягчить боль, исполнить благого упования, наставить на спасительный путь делания Господних заповедей. Одна из причин такой живительной и дивной силы проповедей этих - в том, кому они принадлежат. Их автор - архимандрит Кирилл (Павлов), духовник Свято-Троицкой Сергиевой Лавры, и немного, наверное, найдется сегодня в нашей стране верующих людей, которым имя его ничего бы не сказало, для которых бы само оно не было дорого. Некоторые из проповедей, вошедших в сборник, произнесены в дни Богородичных праздников, другие - в дни чествования икон Царицы Небесной, большая же часть из них - поучения и слова, прозвучавшие на параклисисах (молебных канонах) Божией Матери, которые совершались и совершаются в Лавре каждую пятницу. Слова о. Кирилла просты и безыскусны, но вера и любовь, которыми напитаны они, заставляют их звучать для человеческого сердца с неожиданной силой, обнаруживая сокрытую за простотой и безыскусностью Божественную тайну. О. Кирилл действительно известен очень многим, однако мало что знают люди о нем, мало что говорит он о себе самом. Но вот какая удивительная вещь - человек раскрывается в слове своем: от избытка сердца глаголют уста и износят сокровенное в нем. Так и здесь. Не о себе говорит проповедник с амвона, но раскрывается сердце его. И в нем - безграничная любовь к Богу, к Пречистой Матери Его, ко всем святым небожителям, к каждому человеку.

Слово в день празднования иконе Божией Матери "Всех скорбящих Радость"

Во имя Отца и Сына и Святаго Духа!

Дорогие братия и сестры, счастлив человек, который имеет добрую, сердечную мать! Для него всегда готовы искренняя любовь, ласка, теплые задушевные слова. Около него всегда - добрый наставник, хранитель и руководитель его чистой, нравственной жизни. А какие теплые, пламенные и усердные молитвы возносят уста матери к Престолу Всевышнего за своего ребенка! Даже тогда, когда она расстается со своей жизнью, главная ее забота бывает о детях. В лице матери каждый имеет дорогое сокровище, драгоценнее которого на свете нет ничего. И напротив, люди, которые рано лишаются родной матери, вынуждены бедствовать, скорбеть, испытывая тяжкую долю в своей жизни. Таким несчастным мы сострадаем, называем их сиротами. Но, дорогие, Церковь ныне во всеуслышание говорит, что нет, не было и не будет у Бога сирот! Все живущие на земле имеют мать: дорогую, святую, крепко любящую и нежно заботливую, трогательно пекущуюся о нас с колыбели и до самой могилы; эта Мать - Царица наша Небесная. При жизни Своей Она перенесла всю муку, все волнения, все заботы, весь крест материнства. Меч страданий не один раз проходил через Ее душу и не один раз причинял раны Ее чистому и непорочному сердцу. Она видела, как Сын Ее, сотворивший небо и землю, не имел где главы приклонить. Она видела глумления, оплевания, заушения и гонения на Божественного Своего Сына. Видела Она, как Он, Праведнейший и Святейший Ее Сын, людскою злобой был осужден на позорную казнь наравне с убийцами и грабителями. Видела, как Он упал под тяжестью Креста; видела Его на Кресте, когда на Ее глазах терновник на главе Страдальца из темного стал красным от Его крови. В эти ужасные минуты Она столько пережила, испытала и перечувствовала! Какие тяжкие душевные страдания Она перенесла! После же Ее славного Успения, когда Она со Своим пречистым телом переселилась на небо, все Ее страдания прекратились. Ныне Матерь Божия восседает одесную Сына Своего; пред Ней, честнейшей Херувим и славнейшей Серафим, преклоняются все Архангелы и Ангелы на небесах и Ее славословят все верные христиане на земле. Но, переживая величайшую радость и испытывая неизреченное блаженство, которых мы и представить не можем, Она, тем не менее, помнит и не забывает страну плача и рыдания - землю, ибо в душе Ее глубоко и навсегда остались и запечатлелись воспоминания о пережитых и перенесенных Ею материнских муках. И эти воспоминания родили и закрепили в Ее сердце самую глубокую любовь к страждущим меньшим братиям и сестрам Ее Божественного Сына. Посему-то Она всегда с нами - где бы мы ни были и как бы ни жили. Она всегда готова оказать нам Свою помощь, облегчить наши страдания, влить утешение в нашу истерзанную, мятущуюся и горюющую душу и в Своих материнских объятиях успокоить, утешить, поддержать и ободрить нас. Нет отказа в Ее материнском сердце ни для какой мольбы, ни для какой просьбы! Даже более - Она, как нежная мать, торопится к Своим деткам, когда они скорбят, мятутся и погибают. И Она как Матерь Бога Всевышнего имеет благодатную Божественную силу, чтобы помогать нам. Итак, дорогие, видите, есть у всех, живущих на земле, любящая, светлая, всемогущая Мать. Она - стена нерушимая, надежда ненадежным, Она - радость всем скорбящим. И когда вы страдаете, мучаетесь, когда вам поистине трудно и тяжело жить, когда вы находитесь на краю гибели, когда вы теряете надежду и впадаете в отчаяние, вспомните, что у нас, несмотря на всю грязь, нечистоту нашей жизни, есть крепко любящая Мать! Верьте, что лишь воззовете вы к Ней, как Она сейчас же придет, да и идет уже к вам с помощью, утешением, облегчением и спасением! Только позовите Ее, только скажите Ей со слезами, с упованием, с верою: не имамы иныя помощи, не имамы иныя надежды, разве Тебе, Владычице! Ты нам помози, на Тебе надеемся и Тобою хвалимся, Твои бо есмы раби, да не постыдимся! И не сомневайтесь, что Она, услышав ваш скорбный вопль, придет к вам, отрет ваши слезы, облегчит страдания и избавит вас от опасности, гибели, от злой тоски и уныния. Однажды святой Андрей Христа ради юродивый был восхищен на небеса и видел славу святых, но не смог увидеть там Пресвятую Деву Марию. На вопрос, где же Она, Ангел, сопровождавший святого, отвечал ему, что Божия Матерь сейчас на земле, посещает больных и осушает слезы всех обремененных и угнетенных скорбями. Всех случаев заступления Богоматери невозможно и перечислить. Примером милости Царицы Небесной к нам может служить и нынешнее торжество - в честь иконы Ее "Всех скорбящих Радость". Это было в XVII веке, в Москве: родная сестра патриарха Иоакима именем Евфимия тяжко занемогла, без всякой надежды на выздоровление. Все понимали, что ее недуг неизлечим, и потому поспешили напутствовать больную Святыми Тайнами к отходу в вечность. И вот, лежа на одре после причащения, Евфимия стала усердно молиться Спасителю и особенно горячо Матери Божией, говоря: "О всемилостивая Владычице моя, Богородице! Услыши меня, немощную, и помилуй скорбную, уже на одре смерти лежащую. Весь мир Тобою хвалится, и все приемлют неоскудные Твои милости; только я одна лишилась сей благодати Твоей и, конечно, приемлю достойное наказание по моим безмерным беззакониям. Но, о Всемилостивая! Не яростию, ниже гневом накажи меня, но призри благоутробно на сию лютую немощь мою и помилуй меня". И вдруг после молитвы своей слышит она голос: "Евфимия! Ты так долго страдаешь; почему же ты не прибегаешь к общей всех Целительнице?" Когда больная с изумлением спросила: "Где же мне найти такую Целительницу?", то голос отвечал ей: "Есть в храме Преображения Сына Моего образ Мой, именуемый "Всех скорбящих Радость". Призови священника сей церкви с этим образом, и когда он отслужит пред ним молебное пение с водоосвящением, ты получишь исцеление от своей болезни. Исцелившись же, не забывай Моего к тебе милосердия и исповедуй оное в прославление имени Сына Моего Иисуса Христа и Моего имени". Узнав, что в храме Преображения на Ордынке действительно есть икона Богоматери "Всех скорбящих Радость", Евфимия призвала священника с нею к себе в дом и по совершении перед образом молебна с водоосвящением получила исцеление. Поэтому, дорогие мои, веруйте от всего сердца, от всей души, что Царица Небесная никогда нас не покинет, никогда нас не забудет, что всегда Она с нами - и в горе, и в радости; когда рождаемся и когда умираем; и здесь, на земле, и там, на небе. И для всех Она одинакова в любви и милости Своей - и для праведников, и для грешников, и теперь, и всегда, до скончания века. Ибо Она - наша Мать, неизменная, любящая и спасающая. Поэтому будем же мы, дорогие во Христе братия и сестры, всегда на Нее, милосердную, с упованием и дерзновением взирать и, кланяясь Ее пречистому образу "Всех скорбящих Радость", смиренно едиными устами и единым сердцем с любовью воспевать, взывая: Радуйся, Заступнице усердная, радуйся, Обрадованная, радуйся, Радосте наша, покрый нас от всякаго зла честным Твоим омофором. Аминь. 1962 г.

Слово в день празднования иконе Божией Матери, именуемой "Нечаянная Радость"

Во имя Отца и Сына и Святаго Духа! Радуйся, нечаянную радость верным дарующая! Дорогие во Христе братия и сестры, отмечаемый сегодня праздник в честь иконы Божией Матери, именуемой "Нечаянная Радость", открывает пред нами светлую надежду нашего непостыдного упования на предстательство о нас Пречистой Девы Марии, Ее милость к христианскому роду - не только к людям безупречной жизни, но и к людям, погрязшим в своих грехах, к людям с нечистой совестью, к людям беззаконным. Недаром святая Церковь за Богослужением в своих молитвах и песнопениях прежде всего обращается к Богоматери, зная Ее неизреченное милосердие и человеколюбие, научая этим и нас, чтобы мы в своих скорбях, нуждах всегда прибегали под покров всемощной и милосердной своей Небесной Матери и получали помощь. Вы знаете из истории, что наши предки, русские православные христиане, были людьми очень богобоязненными и всегда имели твердую и глубокую веру в небесное предстательство Богоматери. И Царица Небесная не оставляла тщетной их веру, но посылала всегда помощь всякому, кто с упованием прибегал к Ней. Трудно даже указать такое бедствие или несчастье, от которого не избавляла бы Матерь Божия, когда обращались к Ней с верою и усердной молитвой.

Orthodox Christians know many other examples of Her intercession. But what is most important is that She repeatedly prevented the righteous wrath of God against sinners, brought them to reason and helped them to turn from a pernicious error to the path of repentance and correction of their lives. Among such cases is the event we are celebrating now, which is depicted on the icon "Unexpected Joy". A certain sinner had the custom of standing daily in his room before the icon of the Mother of God for prayer and sending to Her the Archangelic doxology: Rejoice, O thou of grace! And so one day, getting ready for his sinful work, he went into the room out of habit and stood before the icon of the Mother of God. But what is it? Here it began to move before his eyes, the faces of the Most-Pure and the Divine Infant appeared before him alive, wounds opened on the hands, legs and ribs of the Infant and blood flowed from them in a stream. Seeing this, the sinner fell down in fear and exclaimed: "O Lady, who did this? To this the Mother of God answered: - You and other sinners by your sins again crucify My Son, like the Jews. "Have mercy on me, Mother of Mercy!" - then the horrified robber begged. And she answered him: "Behold, you call Me the Mother of Mercy, but you yourselves offend Me by your iniquitous deeds." -No! "Let not my malice overcome Thy ineffable goodness, for Thou art the only hope for all sinful people." Pray for me to Thy Son and My Creator. Then the Most-Blessed Mother of God began to beseech Her Son, saying: "O Blessed My Son! For my love's sake, remember this sinner and forgive his sins. To this the Son answered Her: - Do not be angry, My Mother, that I will not listen to You, for I also prayed to My Father that the cup of suffering would pass from Me, but He did not listen to Me. Three times the Most Holy Mother of God turned to Her Son with a prayer for the forgiveness of the sinner, but He remained adamant. Then She arose, seated Her Son, and would have thrown herself at His feet. - What do You want to do, O My Mother?! The Son exclaimed. "Until then I will lie at Thy feet, until Thou forgivest this sinner his sins," answered the Mother of God. - The law commands every son to honor his mother, and justice requires that the lawgiver should also be the executor of the law; therefore I grant Thy request, let it be according to Thy desire. Now this man's sins are forgiven for Thy sake. Let the sign of the forgiveness of his sins be his kissing of My wounds. With great joy the repentant and forgiven sinner arose and with reverence kissed the Most-Pure wounds of the Saviour, and from that time he began to live a God-pleasing life. Beloved brothers and sisters, the event that is now commemorated bears witness, first of all, to the ineffable love of the Mother of God not only for the righteous, but also for sinners, to Her maternal care for Her children, who are drowning in the abyss of sin, but at the same time it reveals to us the greatest evil hidden in sin. Sin is a terrible evil, the destruction of which required the death of the Only-begotten Son of God. And we crucify the Savior again and again with our sins and kindle His wounds. How many such wounds have we inflicted on our Lord Jesus Christ, living lawlessly and unrighteously! Therefore, my beloved, let us flee from sin and fear it more than any misfortune, any misfortune. Each of us can say that he is weak and everywhere he encounters stumbling blocks and temptations around him, which are not easy to escape. Indeed, we are weak and weak, and there are a lot of temptations: from our own flesh, which is always at war against our spirit; from the world, which, according to the word of God, lies all in evil; finally, from the enemy, the devil, who, like a roaring lion, seeks to destroy some Christian soul. But, dear ones, we have a reliable shelter and protection - in the person of the Mother of God. Let us firmly hope that She is always with us, wherever we are and no matter how we live, and that She will not forget us if we turn to Her with fervent prayer. Let us pray today, on the day of the celebration in honor of Her icon, that She would send Her unexpected joy to us, mired in sins and passions, to soften our hearts and fill them with humility and love for our neighbors, so that we, pardoned and saved by Her, would unceasingly send Her doxology: Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice, Joy of all who sorrow, Rejoice, fervent Intercessor! Amen. 9/22.12.1962

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (I)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters, our ancestors, the Russian Orthodox people, had a firm and deep faith in the heavenly intercession of the Mother of God and often turned to Her in their needs, sorrows and sorrows with warm and fervent prayer. Our people loved to call the Mother of God by special names befitting Her heavenly protection and mercy. And the Mother of God did not leave this faith in vain, but gave prompt help to everyone who asked. The history of the Russian State is full of testimonies of these innumerable mercies of the Mother of God, shown by Her both to our people as a whole and to individuals. From the most ancient times, the Russian people have been distinguished by simplicity, reverent faith and sincere, heartfelt love for our Lord Jesus Christ. And in this simple but firm faith and sincere love lies the reason for the special benevolence and mercy of the Mother of God towards the Russian Land. Although entire countries consider Her their Patroness, in our Fatherland the name of the Most Holy Theotokos has always been surrounded by greater veneration than anywhere else. And on our Fatherland, more than on any other land, the Mother of God poured out Her mercies and Her grace. Look, in every large Russian city there is certainly a source of grace of the Mother of God - Her miraculous images. The All-Merciful Intercessor wished to give people, as it were, a heavenly pledge of Her love for them – Her honorable icons. And it seems that there is no corner in the entire Christian world where there would not be a particularly revered image of the Queen of Heaven. And no icons of the saints of God are glorified by so many miracles as the icons of the Mother of God have been glorified. Among the most revered and glorified icons of Her is the icon called the Kazan Icon, in honor of which the present feast was established. Most of you probably know the history of this miraculous icon, and if anyone does not know, then I will briefly convey the story of its miraculous appearance. In the second half of the sixteenth century, a vast region of the Kazan Tatars was annexed to Russia. At the same time, the beginning of the spread of the Christian faith was laid here; however, Mohammedanism stubbornly fought against Orthodoxy. If at first the preaching of the Gospel was a great success, then, with the lack of preachers strong in spirit and word, the Christian gospel in the newly-conquered region began to noticeably weaken. In addition, in 1579 Kazan suffered from a fire, and this circumstance served as a weapon for the infidels to attack Christians: they pointed to the fire as a sign of God's wrath against them. And in order to strengthen the faith among the wavering and to console the Orthodox, the Lord showed them His love for mankind, in the words of the chronicler, "from the same place from which He poured out His righteous wrath against them for their sins." Not far from the place where the fire started, there was a house of one archer, which burned down along with the others. And so, the daughter of this archer, a nine-year-old girl Matrona, appeared in a dream to the Mother of God and said that on the very ashes of their house, in the ground, there was Her icon, and ordered to announce this to the archbishop. The girl told about her mother's wonderful dream, but she paid no attention to her story. Then the Mother of God appeared to Matrona for the second time and said the same thing again. Again, the mother did not pay attention to her daughter's words. Finally, the vision followed for the third time. The girl saw an icon of the Mother of God, from which fiery rays were emanating. At the same time, a terrible voice was heard, which said: "If you do not tell My words, I will appear in another place, but you will perish." Waking up from this terrible vision, Matrona began to loudly call her mother and beg her to immediately go to the archbishop. This time, the mother listened to her daughter. They went together to the governors and Archbishop Jeremiah, but no one believed their words. Then the mother herself began to dig the earth in the place indicated by the Queen of Heaven. Other people joined her, but no matter how much they dug, they could not find the icons. Then the shovel was taken by the maiden Matrona herself and, starting to dig the ground, she found a precious image, from which a miraculous light emanated. The news of this wondrous phenomenon spread throughout the city, and all the inhabitants gathered and with tears of tenderness prayed to the Most Holy Mother of God: "Lady, save us!" From the very moment of the appearance of the icon, its miraculous power began to manifest itself in an obvious way. When it was transferred to the city cathedral, a man named Joseph was healed, who had seen absolutely nothing for three years. And in the cathedral another blind man, Nikita, recovered his sight from her, and from that time streams of miracles began to pour out from her, and especially many healings were given to people suffering from the eyes. But most of all the icon of the Kazan Mother of God became famous during the struggle of our Fatherland against the invasion and dominion of the Poles in 1612, when the Russian Land was saved through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven. In recalling the history of this feast, it is noteworthy that the appearance of the Mother of God was to none other than an innocent and pure-hearted nine-year-old girl, who was vouchsafed to dig up Her miraculous icon in the ground with her own hands. This leads us to the reasoning that only the pure in soul are close to the Divine holiness, and that the Mother of God is especially well disposed towards pure souls. The Lord said through the prophet Isaiah: "Wash yourselves, and be clean, take away evil from your souls" (Isaiah 1:16). It is clear what the Lord requires through His prophet. He commands everyone to wash away the impurities of his heart and acquire purity of soul. Is there any impurity in our souls? Do sinful defilements have a place in our hearts? Yes, they do. Every sin has its origin in our souls, and every iniquity comes from our hearts. Everyone thinketh diligently in his heart against evil all the days (Gen. 6:5). From within, from the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts (Matt. 15:19). That is why the Apostle Paul says: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement, not only of the flesh, but also of the spirit" (2 Corinthians 7:1). What is this impurity of the soul, and what is this filth of sin in our hearts? Impurity of the soul and defilement of the heart are bad, God-defying thoughts. The abomination of the Lord is an unrighteous thought (Proverbs 15:26), says the wise Solomon. Impurity of the soul and defilement of the heart are all sinful movements of the soul, pride, vanity, hatred, malice, anger, rage. Impurity of soul and defilement of heart are covetous desires and voluptuous lusts. That is why God in His Law commands us not to covet either his sincere wife, or his house, or his village, or his servant, or his cattle, which are inferior to all, since they are thy neighbor (Deuteronomy 5:21). And the Holy Church teaches us to pray: Jesus, keep my heart from evil lusts. Impurity of the soul and defilement of the heart are excessive worldly cares, which the Saviour commands us to shun. Do not be anxious for your soul what you will eat and what you will drink... for all these things are sought by the Gentiles (Matt. 6:25, 32). The impurity of the soul and the impurity of the heart are secret, for the most part unnoticed by us, sin-loving thoughts and desires. Who understands the Fall? Cleanse me from my secrets... if they do not possess me, then will I be blameless, and I will be cleansed from sin greatly" (Psalm 18:13-14). Impurity of the soul and filth of heart are all vain, worldly thoughts. That is why we pray to the Lord: Jesus, cleanse my mind from vain thoughts. With such impurity of soul, a person remains a sinner, even if he does not commit any obvious crimes and sins, even if his outward life is blameless. Such were the Pharisees, whom the Lord rebuked, saying: "Outwardly you are a righteous man, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Matt. 23:28). For God does not look at faces, but searches hearts and bowels. Therefore, one should in every possible way avoid all seductions and temptations, from which impure thoughts and desires are generated in the soul and passions are aroused. Therefore, if temptations have such a pernicious and tempting effect, then it is necessary to turn away the eyes, since they do not see vanity (Psalm 118:37), and to guard the senses, in order to repel all the temptations and snares of the evil one. The Most Holy Mother of God, as we have already said, is especially fond of immaculate souls, being Herself brighter than the sun. It is rejoiced by pure souls, so it is necessary to take every care to cleanse the soul of all sinful defilement and to affirm virtues contrary to the passions. For the Lord also rejoices in the purity of the heart and vouchsafes to behold Himself primarily with a pure heart: blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt. 5:8). If delusion and vanity, or pride, or vain thought, or greedy desire, or voluptuous lust have already crept into the soul, then it is necessary to immediately resist them, to suppress and kill them with sound reasoning and heartfelt prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Most-Pure Virgin Mary. And if it happens that one does not resist deception and falls, if the soul is darkened by the filth of sin, then it is necessary to wash away the filth and cleanse the soul with tears of repentance. To the tears of repentance must be added a fervent prayer. Amen. 8/21.07.1960

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (II)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Come, faithful people, let us glorify the All-Merciful Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most-Blessed Pure Virgin Mary. Dear brothers and sisters, today we once again remember the ineffable mercies of the Queen of Heaven, manifested by Her to our Fatherland in the past, and, remembering them, we spiritually triumph and are comforted and touched by our hearts, and we calm our hearts at the thought that Christians in the person of the Mother of God have for themselves a faithful and vigilant Intercessor, Who always sees our needs and requirements. The unceasing care of the Queen of Heaven for the human race, which is revealed to us in many ways, teaches us a living and strong hope in God's Providence and Her all-powerful intercession for us. It clearly assures us that our whole life passes under the beneficial and salvific influences of Heavenly Providence, that the Most-Pure Lady Mother of God, as well as all the saints, takes the most active part in our fate, delivering us from great misfortunes and evils and sending down Her blessing and help to us from above. Such protection of the Mother of God and the saints appears to us in different ways. It is manifested in the bestowal upon us of various earthly blessings, in the preservation of our lives, and in the innumerable blessings which are constantly poured out upon us from God and dispose us to love, thank and glorify Him with all our heart and with all our soul. It appears in our very sorrows and misfortunes, which teach us patience, hope in God and devotion to His all-holy will. Finally, it appears in miraculous supernatural help, one of the cases of which - in the city of Kazan - we remember today. Therefore, the real feast is the triumph, joy and delight of our hearts. The Holy Church, having established it and having gathered us here, has the goal of giving us joy and exultation over what it carries and contains within itself. Thus, today's feast reminds us that the Mother of God is our Intercessor, that She prays for everyone and brings salvation to all who come under Her sovereign protection. Therefore, how can we not glorify Her for this protection, for this constant and zealous help to us, many sinners, if we not rejoice at this intercession before Her Son and Heavenly Father! The Mother of God is always near us, She is not so much in heaven as on earth. Just as tender motherly love always warms the hearts of children with its warmth, so much, and to an even greater degree, does the love of the Mother of God extend to the Christian race, always ready to console, help and save from any evil and cruel circumstance. There are many sorrows in the world, and who will deliver us from them if not the Most-Blessed Queen of Heaven?! It also delivers us invisibly, and sometimes visibly, as evidenced by many examples in the history of the Christian Church. But in order to truly always be worthy of the heavenly protection and help of our Lady, we must try to preserve love for Her in our hearts and imitate Her pure, God-fearing life. From the history of today's feast, it is especially noteworthy, dear brothers and sisters, that it was none other than an innocent maiden who was vouchsafed the vision, and it was she who was given the command to find the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and it was not anyone else, but only she who was vouchsafed to dig up with her own hands in the ground at the place indicated in the vision, the image that appeared by the will of the Mother of God. This testifies to us that only the pure in soul are close to the Divine holiness, and it is to them that the Mother of God is especially favored. For the Lord also says in the Holy Gospel: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). Purity of heart is that incorruptible adornment of man, by which he is likened to God; it derives its strength from love for God and for one's neighbor. The Lord commands us to cleanse the innermost nature of our souls from all sinful defilement, because it makes our heart unclean. Every sin has its origin in our souls, and every iniquity comes from our hearts. Wash yourselves, and be clean, take away the wickedness from your souls (Isaiah 1:16), says the Lord through the Prophet Isaiah. But what is this, the impurity of our souls? Bad, vain, filthy thoughts, sinful movements of the soul - pride, vanity, hatred, malice, anger, rage, greedy desires and sin-loving unnoticeable thoughts and lusts - all this is the impurity of the soul and the filth of our heart. With such impurity of soul, a person remains a sinner, even though he does not commit obvious crimes and sins, even if his outward life is blameless. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve the purity of one's soul in every possible way, it is necessary to avoid in every possible way all temptations and seductions, from which bad thoughts are engendered in the soul and passions are aroused. If we thus preserve the purity of our souls, then our outward life will also be good and pure, because from evil thoughts and from impure lusts come also evil deeds. Let us in every way guard the purity of our souls, and the favor of the Mother of God will always be with us, and our Lady Herself will become even closer to us. Amen. 8/21.07.1961

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (III)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters, today we solemnly and prayerfully remember and glorify the manifestation of the mercy of the Mother of God to the Orthodox state of Russia, expressed in the miraculous deliverance of our dear Fatherland in 1612 from the invasion of foreigners. Our ancestors, the Russian people, loved the Mother of God and cherished a special, deep faith in Her heavenly intercession for the Christian race, and always turned to Her with fervent prayer in their sorrows and misfortunes. Although entire countries considered the Most Holy Virgin to be their Patroness and revered Her, in our Fatherland the name of the Mother of God was surrounded by a special veneration - immeasurably greater than anywhere else, and the Mother of God did not pour out Her grace and mercy on any other land as on the Russian Land. In almost every Russian city there is certainly a source of the Mother of God's grace - Her miraculous icons, in which She wished to give people the heavenly pledge of Her love and serve as a Consolation for suffering humanity. Our people loved to call the Mother of God by special names befitting Her heavenly protection and mercy, and the Mother of God did not abandon their faith in vain, but gave prompt aid to each petitioner and to our Fatherland as a whole. Especially memorable is the deliverance of our land by the mercy of the Mother of God from the rule of the Poles in 1612. In that sorrowful time, when the royal family in Russia was completely extinct, disorders began to occur in our Fatherland, which led to complete anarchy. The Poles were quick to take advantage of this: they seized Moscow and with it up to half of the Russian kingdom. Fearing to remain forever under the rule of the Polish yoke, the Russian people rose up to defend their Fatherland, placing their trust in the Heavenly Intercessor, to Whom they turned with a fervent prayer for help in the struggle against the enemy. The troops took with them the icon of the Mother of God, called the Kazan Icon and, led by Her, approached Moscow. A fast was declared, all the people and soldiers fasted for three days and fervently prayed before the miraculous icon of the Queen of Heaven for the granting of victory to them. And the Immaculate Lady heard their prayer and through Her intercession asked Her merciful Son and Lord for help and victory over the enemies of the Russian people. The Monk Sergius of Radonezh, who appeared at night in a dream vision to the Greek Archbishop Arsenius, who was languishing in prison among the Poles, told Vladyka that the Lord, through the prayers of His Mother and the Holy Hierarchs of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah and Philip, the very next day would depose the invaders and return the first throne of Russia to the hands of the Russian people. Encouraged by this news, on October 22, our soldiers with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God took Moscow without much difficulty and liberated the Fatherland from foreigners. In this way, both the country and the Church were delivered from foreign enslavement. Reverent before the Heavenly Helper, the grateful army and all the citizens of the capital on the very next Sunday performed a moleben to the Most Holy Mother of God, Who saved the Russian state. In a procession of the cross, carrying the Kazan Icon, they went all the way to the Place of the Skull, and at the gates of the Kremlin they were met by Saint Arsenius with another holy relic – the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he had preserved in captivity. And in order that the memory of the salvific intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos for our Fatherland should not weaken with time, it was soon unanimously decided to make an annual solemn commemoration of Her miracle on this day, October 22. As we see, dear brothers and sisters, the main reason for the salvation of the country from destruction was the firm Orthodox faith of our ancestors. When there was no hope for human strength, then all the true sons of the Church and the Fatherland took upon themselves a three-day fast and prayed to the Mother of God before Her miraculous Kazan Icon. And their prayer was heard. In addition, from the most ancient times, the Russian people were distinguished by simple, reverent faith and sincere, heartfelt love for the Lord Jesus Christ. In this faith and in our love for the Son of the Ever-Virgin Mary lies the reason for Her special mercy towards us. What mother will remain indifferent to someone who will show, who will show obvious signs of sympathy and love for her children? Reverent faith, strong love for the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, undoubtedly brings special joy to His Most-Pure Mother in heaven. And from this comes the fact that Her intercession and help are poured out on all who from ancient times revere and confess the Lord Jesus Christ, reverently worship Him and lovingly obey the Church established by Him on earth. What does the remembrance of the miraculous help of the Mother of God to our Russian Land oblige us to? The closer, the more merciful and attentive the Mother of God is to us, the more careful we must be about our behavior and our faith. The more is given, the more will be exacted from us. Who, if not the people of God, the Jewish people, saw above them such an obvious, so miraculous help of God? His entire history is imbued from beginning to end, filled with descriptions of the wondrous, direct guidance of God. But at the same time, how much, how grievously he, this chosen people of God, suffered for their repeated apostasy from the true God, for their frequent betrayals of the faith of their forefathers! Why? Because justice and the majesty of God require it: the Lord cannot leave unpunished a single offense that offends the dignity of His holy Law. "Let us depart from here," rang out in the very Sanctuary of the Jewish Temple, and soon the abomination of desolation appeared in the holy place and will remain there, according to the word of the Lord, until the end of the age - after the Jewish people did not believe in the Only-begotten Son of God. Let us give thanks, dear ones, to the Lord and His Most-Pure Mother for such great blessings, manifested for the strengthening and exaltation of our Fatherland, which was brought to its glory through severe trials by the right hand of God alone. Let us cherish, brothers and sisters, the holy union with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Most-Pure Mother, Who has chosen our land as Her inheritance. The Lord Jesus Christ and His Mother are zealous for us with love. Let us remember Who is our Intercessor, Who is our help and hope, and let us not break our union with Her, but strengthen it with faith, our life and hope. Considering that Orthodox Christians constitute the inheritance of Her Son and enjoy Her special protection, let us not forget at the same time that the true characteristic of Orthodox Christians is, in fact, to follow Christ in all things as the only Lawgiver and infinitely love Him as our only Saviour. We must hold fast to the path that our Orthodox ancestors walked, which Jesus Christ showed us, which the Holy Church also points out. The Lord has outlined this path for us in His Holy Gospel, and we must keep and observe it sacredly. If we depart from this path, from this covenant with Christ, our Intercessor, the Queen of Heaven, will also depart from us, because in union with the enemies of Her Son, trampling on His teaching, His commandments, His covenant Blood, She cannot be, just as Christ, Her Son, cannot be in union with Belial. Let us pray today to the Queen of Heaven that She Herself would confirm us on the path of salvation, for She is always ready to intercede for us, if only we would resort to Her intercession with fervent and fervent prayer, with firm faith and hope. And then She will never depart from us with Her mercy, but will ever preserve and save us from all evil. Let us lift up fervent prayers to Her with all our hearts, let us call out to Her with tenderness: Rejoice, zealous Intercessor of the Christian race! Amen.