Homily on the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (II)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, today the entire Church of Christ, and with her you and me, spiritually triumphs and rejoices, glorifying the glorious Dormition and the transmigration from earth to heaven of our common Christian Mother, our Sovereign Intercessor, the Most-Blessed Virgin Mary. Sung by the ancient Prophets and blessed by the Holy Spirit for the joy and bliss predestined for Her by God, She, the Most-Pure One, living on earth, does not yet see the fulfillment of these Divine prophecies in Herself; on the contrary, great sorrows, needs, and spiritual experiences accompany Her earthly life. In Her earthly life, the words of the righteous Simeon were fulfilled over Her exactly: "And a sword shall pierce Thy own soul" (Luke 2:35). How much grief the Most Holy Virgin endured, how many hidden tears She shed on earth, when She saw the terrible sufferings and death of Her Beloved Son! And now, on the very day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Her tearful sowing and work ends. From the moment of Her transmigration from earth to heaven, Her unearthly majesty, Her glory and bliss begin - and are revealed before the eyes of the entire universe. The Holy Tradition about the glorious Dormition of the Mother of God tells the following. After the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven, His Most-Pure Mother visited with special love those places near Jerusalem which were marked by the prayer, suffering and death of Her Beloved Son. The Mount of Olives, Golgotha, the vineyard where the Body of the Savior was buried, became the favorite places of Her prayers and outpourings of the holy feelings of Her heart. Often and for a long time She pondered over Her death and future life after death, often She even turned to the Lord with a prayer for Her speedy departure from this life and blessed union with Him – Her Son and God. And then one day, when She was praying on the Mount of Olives, a Heavenly Messenger appeared to Her – the Archangel of God Gabriel, who had previously announced to Her the seedless conception and birth of the Savior of the world from Her. Now, standing before the Most-Pure One, he foretold Her that the time had come for Her to transmigrate from earth to heaven and to partake of the grace-filled consolations of the Holy Spirit. Filled with deep faith in the future eternally blessed life, She received this news from the Archangel not with fear and sorrow, but with a feeling of the liveliest joy and the greatest gratitude to God. The Archangel of God gave Her a paradise branch, a symbol of Her future joy and bliss. Before Her death, the Most-Pure wished to see the holy Apostles and prayed to Her Son for the fulfillment of this desire. The Apostles were at this time scattered throughout the world, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations. And so, through the prayer of the MostHoly Virgin, they instantly, caught up in the Divine power, flock through the air on clouds to the place where the Most-Pure One dwelt in Jerusalem, in order to pay Her last respects and with their holy hands to bury Her immaculate body. But this miracle was not enough; at the moment of Her dormition, the very heavens were opened, and the Lord of Glory with a multitude of Angels and saints Himself descended to meet His Immaculate Mother. The Lord Himself appears in order to reveal to all ages and peoples that greatness which the Grace-filled Mary attained by the height of Her humility and the holiness of Her life equal to the angels. Her most pure body, which bore within itself God the Word, saw no corruption, no longer subject to the law of natural destruction; on the third day after Her dormition She was resurrected by the Lord and in a new glorified body She was lifted up from earth to heaven. The holy Apostles were convinced of this wondrous transmigration into heaven by the following miraculous events. By God's providence, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ, the Apostle Thomas, did not arrive in Jerusalem on time with all the disciples, but reached it only on the third day, greatly grieving that he was not vouchsafed to be near the Most-Pure Mother of God in his last moments and to receive Her blessing. Then the other Apostles, in order to console him, went with him to Gethsemane, where the body of the Most-Pure One was buried, in order to venerate Her; however, when they opened the tomb, Her body was not in the tomb. The Apostles were greatly grieved and perplexed about what had happened. But in the evening, when they were all gathered together in the Upper Room, the Mother of God appeared to them, shining with heavenly glory, with a multitude of angels and saints, and said: "Rejoice! I am with you all the days." And, of course, the Apostles rejoiced greatly and were comforted by the fact that the Mother of God, according to Her own word, would be with them unceasingly, preserving them by Her prayerful intercession on all the paths of a difficult life full of dangers, at the same time assuring them even more of the truth of the resurrection of the dead. Thus, the death of the Mother of God is only a quiet, restful sleep or, as the Orthodox Church calls it, dormition.

Death is inevitable and death is harmless - these are the two truths that we must always remember in order to worthily prepare ourselves for the hour of death and not to be afraid of it and not to tremble. Death was very terrible for man before the coming of Christ the Savior to earth, when sin – its power – reigned in the human race and there were no means to free oneself from it and from death. But after the Lord's appearance on earth, when He gained victory over sin and death, all its horror disappeared, it became like a peaceful sleep, after which comes the joyous morning of the universal resurrection. Dear brothers and sisters, a worthy veneration of this feast on our part will be a worthy preparation for death, and for this we must try to the best of our ability to overcome the sin or vice that dwells in us as its cause. Imitating the example of the Most-Pure Mother of God, let us walk the narrow, narrow path that leads to eternal life. Patience is needed on this path, strengthened by which, with hope in God's help, one must generously endure all misfortunes, sorrows and illnesses, so that, having stood on it, one may attain the endless bliss of the Heavenly Kingdom. If we, like the Most-Pure Virgin Mary, spend our lives pleasing to God, in keeping the commandments of God, in purity of spirit and body, and in constant repentance of our sins, then on the day of our dormition a wondrous miracle will take place over us, and our grave will become a ladder to heaven. Let us turn today with fervent prayer to the Mother of God, Who then ascended to heaven in order to appear as the protection and Intercessor of the world; with tenderness let us ask Her Her Motherly protection over all our lives, so that through Her intercession we may all attain a peaceful, serene end and repose with the righteous. Let us pray to Her from the depths of our souls and call out to Her with love: Rejoice, O Rejoicing One, Who dost not forsake us in Thy Dormition. Amen. 1962

Homily on the Akathist to the Mother of God

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Christ is risen! Come, people, to this quiet and good refuge, the speedy Helper, ready and warm salvation, the protection of the Virgin... (Kontakion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God). Dear brothers and sisters, once upon a time, a certain woman, enraptured by the wondrous teaching of Christ the Saviour, raised her voice and exclaimed: "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that nourished Thee" (Luke 11:27). These few words express the greatness and glory of the Mother of God, with which the whole world, visible and invisible, gave Her for Her love and mercy to suffering humanity. It is always a joy for a believing Christian heart to remember this love and mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, but it is especially gratifying for us, the brethren and visitors of this holy monastery, which was honored with a wondrous visit from the Mother of God, over which She promised to constantly spread Her Divine protection. The Orthodox Church of Christ, above all creatures, earthly and heavenly, venerates the most honorable Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, our Most-Holy, Most-Pure, Most-Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. According to the teaching of the Church, She is the only hope of sinners, the salvation of all who come to Her from troubles and misfortunes, the source of mercy and the invincible wall, the immutable intercession to the Creator, the hope and intercession of the faithful, the Joy of all who sorrow and the Intercessor of the offended. She vigilantly intercedes in prayers for us before God. An innumerable multitude of people stand before Her gaze every day, every night, every hour and moment, some of whom are surrounded by innumerable hordes of invisible enemies seeking their destruction, others are burdened with immense sorrows and misfortunes, and others suffer from grave illnesses and illnesses; and all of them are seen by the Most-Blessed Mother of God. In Her boundless love for the human race, She takes to heart every tear, every misfortune and every sigh, and unceasingly prays to Her Divine Son and Lord, that He be merciful to human iniquities and deliver His servants from all evil. St. Demetrius of Rostov writes: "Being the Mediator between God and our sins, the Most Holy Theotokos does not allow our sins to ascend near before God, and with the voice of Her prayers for us reflects the voices of our sins, crying out against us to God." Therefore, there is not a single true Christian who would not lift up his private and public prayers to the Mother of God with complete trust and love and would not feel Her grace-filled help. Dear brothers and sisters, the word of God announces to us that there is a world of evil spirits who constantly care about the destruction of human souls. The Holy Apostle Peter says to Christians: "Be sober, be watchful, for your adversary the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Therefore, where can a poor and infirm person take refuge and find refuge from the treachery of these adversaries? A Christian finds refuge from them only in the protection of the Mother of God. In the akathist we have just read, we heard the following words: Rejoice, O thou who hast slain the demons (Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, Ikos 2), Rejoice, O thou who hast swept away the inhuman tormentor from the authorities (Ibid., Ikos 5), Rejoice in the torment of invisible enemies (Ibid., Ikos 4), Rejoice, O thou who hast cast down demons (Ibid., Ikos 6). These words assure us that the Mother of God drives away demons from us, and Her very name puts evil spirits to flight. And the Holy Church of Christ knows many cases when the Most-Blessed Mother of God delivered people from invisible enemies. The Prologue tells of a man named Codratus. He was possessed by demons, and once the demons chased him through the wilderness for ten weeks. He was dying of hunger and was already expecting death. But then, at the moment of enlightenment of his mind, he turned with a prayer to the Mother of God, and the Most Holy Virgin Herself appeared to him in the wilderness, cast out demons from him, strengthened him, showed him the way to the house of his parents, and he became completely healthy. There are many other similar examples. But the Most Holy Theotokos delivers not only from invisible enemies, She also delivers pious people from visible enemies. In Alexandria there lived a certain reverent, merciful, Christ-loving man, who had a wife who was humble in disposition and fasting, and a daughter of about six years old. One day he had to travel from Alexandria to Constantinople on commercial business. When he was already leaving, his wife asked him: "To whom do you entrust us, our lord, during your absence?" "Our Lady the Mother of God!" answered the husband. Leaving one slave in the house, he left. The enemy of all good, the devil, inspired this slave with the evil idea of killing his master's wife and daughter, robbing the estate and running away with the stolen property. For this purpose, he took a knife and went to the upper room, where the mother and daughter were. But as soon as he approached the door of the upper room, where they were engaged in needlework, he was suddenly stricken with blindness and, seeing nothing, could not move forward or backward. Exhausted and unable to find a way out, he began to cry out and call for his mistress to come out to him and help him. Not suspecting any malicious intent, she nevertheless answered him: "Come to us." Then he began to call for her daughter, but the mother and daughter would not allow her daughter to come to him. At last, seeing that his plans were not carried out, he stabbed himself with a knife in a fit of anger and fell to the ground with a terrible scream. At the noise the neighbours came running, and the lady came out, and he, being still alive, told them of his evil intent and the misfortune that had befallen him. And all those gathered glorified God and His Most-Pure Mother, who preserved the lives of Their pious servants. This example teaches us, dear ones, that we too should always resort to the help and intercession of the Mother of God. There was and still is a pious custom among Christians to entrust their parishioners and children to the protection and protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, letting them go on a long journey, or, on the contrary, leaving them for some need. Dear brothers and sisters, our earthly life is full of sorrows and sorrows. It is not without reason that it is so often called the vale of weeping and lamentation. A man is born with weeping, and he goes to the other world with many sighs and torments. So no one can avoid sorrows and tears in this life; A person has much more troubles and misfortunes than joy. Everyone knows from experience how sometimes the grief of life oppresses the soul from all sides, the heart is exhausted by anguish and sorrow, and sometimes tears involuntarily flow from the eyes. It is difficult for a person to endure misfortunes, and sometimes he falls into despondency, and a feeling of sorrow takes possession of him. When a cloud of sorrows surrounds you, so that there seems to be no way out of this situation, then remember that you have in heaven a Mother, the Queen of Heaven, Who sees you, hears you, and knows all your spiritual movements. Call upon Her in faith, and She will come to you at once and deliver you from troubles and misfortunes. Let us pray to Her that She may hear us at this hour and deliver us from all sorrow and misfortune, cleanse us from all vice and sin, and vouchsafe joy in the eternal Kingdom of Her Son, so that we may always call out to Her with love: Rejoice, all-good Quick to Hearken, Who fulfillest our petitions for good! Amen. 1963Friday of the week about the paralytic

Homily on the Paraclesis of the Mother of God

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Christ is risen! Come, people, to this quiet and good refuge, the speedy Helper, ready and warm salvation, the protection of the Virgin... (Kontakion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God). Dear brothers and sisters, once upon a time, a certain woman, enraptured by the wondrous teaching of Christ the Saviour, raised her voice and exclaimed: "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that nourished Thee" (Luke 11:27). These few words express the greatness and glory of the Mother of God, with which the whole world, visible and invisible, gave Her for Her love and mercy to suffering humanity. It is always a joy for a believing Christian heart to remember this love and mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, but it is especially gratifying for us, the brethren and visitors of this holy monastery, which was honored with a wondrous visit from the Mother of God, over which She promised to constantly spread Her Divine protection. The Orthodox Church of Christ, above all creatures, earthly and heavenly, venerates the most honorable Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, our Most-Holy, Most-Pure, Most-Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. According to the teaching of the Church, She is the only hope of sinners, the salvation of all who come to Her from troubles and misfortunes, the source of mercy and the invincible wall, the immutable intercession to the Creator, the hope and intercession of the faithful, the Joy of all who sorrow and the Intercessor of the offended. She vigilantly intercedes in prayers for us before God. An innumerable multitude of people stand before Her gaze every day, every night, every hour and moment, some of whom are surrounded by innumerable hordes of invisible enemies seeking their destruction, others are burdened with immense sorrows and misfortunes, and others suffer from grave illnesses and illnesses; and all of them are seen by the Most-Blessed Mother of God. In Her boundless love for the human race, She takes to heart every tear, every misfortune and every sigh, and unceasingly prays to Her Divine Son and Lord, that He be merciful to human iniquities and deliver His servants from all evil. St. Demetrius of Rostov writes: "Being the Mediator between God and our sins, the Most Holy Theotokos does not allow our sins to ascend near before God, and with the voice of Her prayers for us reflects the voices of our sins, crying out against us to God." Therefore, there is not a single true Christian who would not lift up his private and public prayers to the Mother of God with complete trust and love and would not feel Her grace-filled help. Dear brothers and sisters, the word of God announces to us that there is a world of evil spirits who constantly care about the destruction of human souls. The Holy Apostle Peter says to Christians: "Be sober, be watchful, for your adversary the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Therefore, where can a poor and infirm person take refuge and find refuge from the treachery of these adversaries? A Christian finds refuge from them only in the protection of the Mother of God. In the akathist we have just read, we heard the following words: Rejoice, O thou who hast slain the demons (Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, Ikos 2), Rejoice, O thou who hast swept away the inhuman tormentor from the authorities (Ibid., Ikos 5), Rejoice in the torment of invisible enemies (Ibid., Ikos 4), Rejoice, O thou who hast cast down demons (Ibid., Ikos 6). These words assure us that the Mother of God drives away demons from us, and Her very name puts evil spirits to flight. And the Holy Church of Christ knows many cases when the Most-Blessed Mother of God delivered people from invisible enemies. The Prologue tells of a man named Codratus. He was possessed by demons, and once the demons chased him through the wilderness for ten weeks. He was dying of hunger and was already expecting death. But then, at the moment of enlightenment of his mind, he turned with a prayer to the Mother of God, and the Most Holy Virgin Herself appeared to him in the wilderness, cast out demons from him, strengthened him, showed him the way to the house of his parents, and he became completely healthy. There are many other similar examples. But the Most Holy Theotokos delivers not only from invisible enemies, She also delivers pious people from visible enemies. In Alexandria there lived a certain reverent, merciful, Christ-loving man, who had a wife who was humble in disposition and fasting, and a daughter of about six years old. One day he had to travel from Alexandria to Constantinople on commercial business. When he was already leaving, his wife asked him: "To whom do you entrust us, our lord, during your absence?" "Our Lady the Mother of God!" answered the husband. Leaving one slave in the house, he left. The enemy of all good, the devil, inspired this slave with the evil idea of killing his master's wife and daughter, robbing the estate and running away with the stolen property. For this purpose, he took a knife and went to the upper room, where the mother and daughter were. But as soon as he approached the door of the upper room, where they were engaged in needlework, he was suddenly stricken with blindness and, seeing nothing, could not move forward or backward. Exhausted and unable to find a way out, he began to cry out and call for his mistress to come out to him and help him. Not suspecting any malicious intent, she nevertheless answered him: "Come to us." Then he began to call for her daughter, but the mother and daughter would not allow her daughter to come to him. At last, seeing that his plans were not carried out, he stabbed himself with a knife in a fit of anger and fell to the ground with a terrible scream. At the noise the neighbours came running, and the lady came out, and he, being still alive, told them of his evil intent and the misfortune that had befallen him. And all those gathered glorified God and His Most-Pure Mother, who preserved the lives of Their pious servants. This example teaches us, dear ones, that we too should always resort to the help and intercession of the Mother of God. There was and still is a pious custom among Christians to entrust their parishioners and children to the protection and protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, letting them go on a long journey, or, on the contrary, leaving them for some need. Dear brothers and sisters, our earthly life is full of sorrows and sorrows. It is not without reason that it is so often called the vale of weeping and lamentation. A man is born with weeping, and he goes to the other world with many sighs and torments. So no one can avoid sorrows and tears in this life; A person has much more troubles and misfortunes than joy. Everyone knows from experience how sometimes the grief of life oppresses the soul from all sides, the heart is exhausted by anguish and sorrow, and sometimes tears involuntarily flow from the eyes. It is difficult for a person to endure misfortunes, and sometimes he falls into despondency, and a feeling of sorrow takes possession of him. When a cloud of sorrows surrounds you, so that there seems to be no way out of this situation, then remember that you have in heaven a Mother, the Queen of Heaven, Who sees you, hears you, and knows all your spiritual movements. Call upon Her in faith, and She will come to you at once and deliver you from troubles and misfortunes. Let us pray to Her that She may hear us at this hour and deliver us from all sorrow and misfortune, cleanse us from all vice and sin, and vouchsafe joy in the eternal Kingdom of Her Son, so that we may always call out to Her with love: Rejoice, all-good Quick to Hearken, Who fulfillest our petitions for good! Amen. 1963Friday of the week about the paralytic

Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, in our days the holy Church of Christ, and together with her, brightly celebrates the all-joyful, holy days after the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Church proclaims to us: Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, is the joy of proclaiming to all the world: for from Thee hath shone forth the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God (Troparion of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos). A woman, according to the words of Christ the Savior, when she gives birth to a child, no longer remembers the sorrow of joy, because a man was born into the world (John 16:21), that is, the birth of every person into the world brings joy and consolation to the parents of the newborn child and to all relatives and friends. And not only the birth, but also the very memory of the birth of a famous member of the family, his day is almost always a day of special joy and a special, deliberate celebration for the family. And as for great men who have glorified themselves by beneficent work for the glory of their country, their birthdays are invariably joyfully celebrated at the appointed time, even after their death. The reason for this joy is clear. The birth of a person is always an important event - as the triumph of being and life over non-existence. But if people rejoice at the birth of even ordinary people, who for some reason are close to them, and even more so at the birth of great people in their country, then how great must be the common joy! Now we remember the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, from Whom was born not a simple or even just a great man, but Christ our God, the Sun of Righteousness, Who delivered us from sin and slavery to the lord of sin – the devil – and granted us eternal salvation, eternal life. Imagine a traveler. A dark, impenetrable night catches him on the way; he loses his way, does not know where to go, a storm rises, it rains, the cold pierces him through, he is exhausted and falls to the ground in despair, in fear and trembling crying out for help to the Most High God, already waiting for his death. And with what an indescribable feeling of joy he will greet the appearance of the morning dawn, heralding the sunrise! Such was the calamity experienced by the entire human race, it was like an unfortunate traveler when he was surrounded by a spiritual night of wandering and foolish deeds for almost five thousand years. And what these deeds were, the holy Apostle Paul convincingly speaks of in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans. After being deceived by the evil tempter of the forefathers, when sin, and through sin and death, entered the world, the human race lost its way and became alienated from the life of God and perished. The Lord foresaw this destruction and, not being completely angry, after the Fall He pronounced a joyful and deadly decree for the human race, and for the tempter-devil. And the morning dawn, which heralded the fulfillment of the consoling promise, was the birth of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Most Pure and Immaculate Virgin Mary, for suffering people. Amen. 196016th Sunday after Pentecost

The Mother of God is the Intercessor for us, sinners

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, in one church hymn it is said: "Every tongue is perplexed to praise according to its inheritance, but the mind and the most worldly are amazed to sing Thee, O Theotokos, O Good One, accept faith, for our Divine love is great: for Thou art the Intercessor of Christians, we magnify Thee! (Irmos of the 9th canon of the canon for the Epiphany.) In fact, what praise can we give with our sinful and meagre lips to the Purest of all creatures, the Most High Angels and Archangels, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Who was vouchsafed to be the Mother of the Most High God, the Intercessor of the Christian race! But nevertheless, in order to be worthy Christians, we must always glorify (and not be disobedient to the will of God!) the Author of our salvation, looking at Her love for us. The Most Holy Virgin Mary is and is called the Mother of God and the Mother of Christians. She is the Mother of God by the natural birth of God the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Mother of all Christians by the grace of adoption. For if our Lord Jesus Christ called all those who believe in Him His brothers (Matt. 12:49-50; Lk. 8:21), and if He dwells among believers as the Firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29), then it follows that we are the sons of the Mother of God. As the Mother of God, according to Her maternal dignity, She must have with God such grace and such honor as it befits a mother to have a son; on the other hand, as the Mother of Christians, by virtue of motherly love, She should show Christians the same mercy that a mother should show to her children. But the grace that the All-Holy Virgin has from God must correspond to the dignity of the Mother of God, and this dignity is infinite; therefore, the grace that She receives is infinite. In the same way, the mercy that She shows to Christians must correspond to the love of a mother for her children, and this love is also boundless. Measuring the boundless grace that She receives as the Mother of God from God, and the boundless love and mercy that She, the Mother of Christians, gives to Christians, it is necessary to recognize that the Most Holy Virgin Mary is a great sea of grace-filled powers and gifts. And indeed, the Church worthily praises and glorifies the Most-Pure Virgin with many spiritual hymns and praises composed in Her honor, knowing that we have no other, so quick and faithful, helper in God except Her. As the Mother of God, She has boldness with Her Son and God more than all the saints and all the Angels, and as the Mother of Christians, She bestows blessings on us, Her children, more than the saints and Angels. That is why the Holy Church, calling the Mother of God our Intercessor and Intercessor before Her Son and our God Jesus Christ, commands us to turn primarily to the Most Holy Virgin with prayer. But perhaps someone will ask: why is it necessary to turn to Her intercession, when Christ our Savior has redeemed us from sin and accepts our prayers Himself directly? Yes, indeed, we, believers, have boldness before the Lord, but only if our conscience is not burdened with sins, if our heart does not behold us (1 John 3:21). And who can boast that he has a pure heart? Who does not confess that not only after baptism, but also after repeated confession, he very often angered and angers his Redeemer by breaking His commandments? We sin every day, hour and minute. Let everyone's conscience say it. Woe to us! With what manifold sins our lives have been defiled! It is one continuous and continuous series of the most serious iniquities. How much impure is there in our thoughts, how much shame is in our language! How much deceit the Son of God sees in our deeds! He sees and endures, because He is long-suffering. But when we, the foolish, remain unrepentant, uncorrected, persist in our evil, then by our ingratitude we offend Him and provoke His righteous wrath against us. And then He no longer tolerates us, is ready to punish us, threatens us with eternal torment and sickness, bodily death and other misfortunes. He will purify His weapons, He will bend His bow and prepare His bow, and in it He will prepare the vessels of death (Psalm 7:13-14) - where will we, unfortunate sinners, flee from the righteous indignation and wrath of the Son of God? For us there is no other way out than to repent and fall at the feet of the Lover of Mankind our God. But, being transgressors of the commandments of our Saviour, we lose boldness towards Him, we do not dare to turn to God ourselves because of our sins, and we have a need to intercede for us before Him. We find such intercession in the person of the Most Holy Theotokos. We ask Her intercession, and She propitiates Her Son for us by Her intercession, which is stronger than the intercession of all the saints, of all the Angels: for She, as the Mother of God, is higher than all the saints, She is more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim. And when the Most Holy Theotokos asks Her Son and God for someone, the Lord does not refuse Her petition. With love She intercedes before God for all those who believe in Him, if they decide to abandon their iniquities and be true, zealous Christians. With love, we say, because She is, so to speak, of our kind; She knows our weaknesses, our temptations, and how difficult it is to struggle with them without help from above. The Most Holy Virgin loves Christians with the love of Her Mother, and for this reason will She refuse to help those who, although they sin through weakness, repent and wish to be saved, despite all the obstacles to salvation? As for these obstacles, they are known to everyone who has ever begun to live in a Christian way, with the desire to attain blessed eternity, the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for the righteous. We always carry with us the enemy of the Christian life – the flesh, which fights against the spirit and oppresses us to the earth. Outside of ourselves, we have the sinful world with its innumerable temptations, and the worst adversary of our salvation – the devil, who, like a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). People who care little about their salvation are little attacked by his temptations, but those who wish to attain perfection in the Christian life are in a constant struggle with him, with his cunning intrigues, which are innumerable. And where can we find the strength to succeed in overcoming these obstacles? - In the grace of God and in prayers to the Mother of God. For if Thou hadst not stood before praying, who would have delivered us from so many misfortunes? Dear brothers and sisters, our ancestors especially revered the Mother of God, and their hope and hope were never put to shame. The history of our Fatherland bears witness to the special mercy of the Mother of God to it, manifested by Her in the most difficult days of the trials of the Orthodox Russian people. The miracles that flowed from the Most Holy Virgin are so many that it is impossible to count them all. The entire history of our people is full of testimonies to these mercies of the Mother of God, Who especially favored the Russian Land for the simple, good-natured disposition of the Russian people, for the firmness and purity of their Orthodox faith. In the lives of the saints it is narrated that our pious ancestors had the custom of entrusting themselves and their loved ones to the protection of the saints, and especially of the Mother of God. The Queen of Heaven and the saints of God were invincible intercessors for those entrusted to them. Thus, a certain pious man had a wife, a meek and reverent woman, and a six-year-old daughter, whom he also raised in piety and the fear of God. One day he had to leave home on his business business. His wife, seeing him off, asked: "To whom do you leave me and your daughter in your arms?" - "Our Lady Mother of God," answered the husband, and taking leave of them, he set off. And so the devil inspired the servant of this pious family to raise his hand against his mistress and, having killed her, to steal the best things and flee. The villain took a knife from the kitchen and went to the upper room to commit this criminal deed. But as soon as he touched her door, he was suddenly stricken with blindness and could not move either back or forth. For a long time he tried to enter, but an invisible force restrained him. The madman, not knowing the Almighty Providence of God, which cares for the whole world and especially for man, wanted at all costs to realize his thought, put into his heart by the devil! And he began to call his mistress to him, asking her to come to him. Suspecting nothing, the lady, however, was surprised at his request, did not go to him, but ordered him to come himself. Then he began to ask her daughter to come to him, to which, although she did not know anything about his intention, she also refused. After that, the villain, not coming to his senses, in despair and anger at the fact that he could not carry out his intention, stabbed himself with a knife. At the cry of the mistress, the neighbors immediately gathered and, finding the servant still alive, found out what had happened and how. In this case, everyone then came to know the inscrutable ways of God's Providence and glorified God and the Intercessor of the faithful, the Mother of God and the Ever-Virgin Mary. Thus, knowing the ineffable mercy of the Mother of God, let us treasure Her love for us and ours for Her, let us keep ourselves pure from all iniquity and vice, and with deep faith venerate Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as our pious ancestors revered Him. Let us always have recourse to Her, to the wondrous Intercessor of the Christian race. If any misfortune befalls us or spiritual sorrow befalls us, let us hasten to prayer to the Lady; sins or passions torment us, or evil habits take possession of us, let us have recourse to the Surety of our salvation. Whether sorrow, sorrow or illness befalls us, let us remember the Most-Blessed Virgin, who stood at the Cross of Her Son, let us turn our prayerful sighs to Her and be sure that She understands our sorrows, She sees our misfortune, She will shed mercy and warm our sick soul with Her Motherly love, save us from danger and circumstance. To whom shall I cry, O Lady, to whom shall I turn in my sorrow, if not to Thee, Queen of Heaven! You help us. In Thee we trust and glory in Thee. Rejoice, our Joy, cover us from all evil with Thy honorable omophorion. Amen. 1960

On the Preservation and Strengthening of Our Communion with the Most Holy Theotokos

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, the history of the Church knows very many examples of the special intercession and help of the Mother of God, both to a nation or city as a whole, and to individual God-loving Christians. The protection of the Queen of Heaven especially extended to the Greek Church with the capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, to the Holy Mount Athos with its inhabitants, the holy monks, and to our Russian Land, when our ancestors were distinguished by piety and piety, firm and deep faith. We will not talk about examples of this patronage now, but they are very comforting and precious for everyone and always. The protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God teaches us a living and strong hope in God's Providence and in Her merciful and all-powerful intercession for us. It clearly assures us that our entire life passes under the beneficial and salvific actions and influences of the Higher Providence, assures us that the Most-Pure Virgin, like all the saints, takes the most active part in our fate, delivering us from great misfortunes and evils and sending down to us from above heavenly blessing and help. The protection of the Mother of God and the saints appears to us in different ways. It is manifested in the bestowal upon us of earthly goods, in the preservation of our lives, and in the innumerable blessings which are constantly poured out upon us from God, disposing us to love, thank, and glorify Him with all our hearts and souls. It is also manifested in our very sorrows and misfortunes, which teach us patience, hope in God and devotion to His All-Holy will. Finally, it appears in supernatural help. True, in their beginning, all these actions are the actions of God's Providence and proceed originally from God, Who, being the One Almighty and Most Good Lord of the world, governs everything and serves for all as the inexhaustible Source of all blessings, spiritual and bodily. But in pouring out upon us the ineffable gifts of mercies and bounties, the Lord acts through the instruments of grace chosen for this purpose. He glorified the faces of His saints, who, being filled with grace, abundantly exude it to all who ask and pray. However, just as in the visible world all the stars emit the same light, but not in the same degree, so in the spiritual world all the saints exalted and glorified by God can bestow the grace of God on others, but not in equal measure and measure. The Mother of God, as the highest of all saints, more honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, is the first intercessor for us before God after Jesus Christ, and the first Giver of grace-filled gifts to all who seek them. No one, flowing to Thee, is ashamed of Thee, O Most-Pure Virgin Mother of God, but asks for grace and accepts the gift of a useful petition – thus the Holy Church believes and teaches. But in order for this inexhaustible Source of all blessings, spiritual and physical, to be always open to us, so that we may always be worthy of the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, we must try in every possible way to preserve and, as far as possible, strengthen our inner communion with Her. The closer the spiritual communion between us and the Most Holy Theotokos, the stronger our inner connection with Her, the more and more often we will enjoy Her all-powerful protection and receive great mercies from Her. What measures, it may be asked, should be taken in order to preserve and strengthen this spiritual communion with the Queen of Heaven? - The same ones that help people to draw people closer to each other and strengthen friendly relations between them. In ordinary everyday life, people are brought together primarily by frequent meetings, lively speeches, and the exchange of thoughts and feelings. The same is required for the preservation and development of our inner connection with the Mother of God. Therefore, frequent prayerful appeals to the Most Holy Theotokos and reverent contemplation of the greatness by which She rises above all earthly and heavenly beings - this is the first condition for preserving and developing our spiritual communion with Her. We know that many holy ascetics, through constant prayer to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, managed to place themselves in a completely filial relationship with Her, so close that they were vouchsafed a visible visit to Her, as was the case, for example, with St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, St. Sergius, St. Seraphim, and many, many others. Let us also try, dear brothers and sisters, to pray to our Heavenly Queen as often and earnestly as possible. If lengthy prayers, such as the great ascetics performed, are impossible for us in our worldly activities, then reasonable and attentive prayers are always possible.

May our pious ancestors serve as a good example for us in this, who not only in times of calamity, but also at any other time, loved to turn with fervent prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos and repeatedly received from Her miraculous, supernatural help. She will not allow us to perdition, but will always help and save us, if we turn to Her more often and more intensely with our appeals, warm and sincere sighs. However, let us also remember, dear brothers and sisters, that in our ordinary life, frequent meetings and lively speeches are not the only condition for strengthening people's acquaintance and closeness. Most of all, people are brought together and friendship between them by like-mindedness, communication in occupations, work and pleasures, similarity of characters and views on things. Therefore, another most important means of maintaining and strengthening the connection and religious unity with the Most Holy Theotokos that we desire is to have the same exercises in virtue as Her and to imitate Her God-like qualities. Wondrous and numerous are these qualities. There is no virtue of which the Mother of our Lord would not be the highest example. Everything that we know about Her from the holy books and the tradition of the Church is worthy of our imitation. Whether we wish to acquire faith in the Lord God and devotion to His holy will, whether we wish to learn patience, whether we desire Christian humility or moral purity and chastity – in all these cases we must look to the Most-Pure Virgin Mary and borrow from Her life the rules for our life and our behavior. But the most important and distinctive feature of the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos is Her unceasing striving towards God, Her constant renunciation from earth and ascent to heaven. As a three-year-old girl, She was led into the Temple for upbringing, and here, removed from all the temptations of the world, She dwelt in constant prayer, reading the word of God, and contemplation of God. With love and attention the MostHoly Virgin Mary exercised herself in these feats of piety and ascended to the unattainable height of holiness and moral perfection, so that she was vouchsafed to become the Mother of the Son of God. And after the sufferings of the Cross, the Resurrection and Ascension of the Saviour, the Most-Pure Mother of God most of all desired only one thing – to move from earth to heaven as soon as possible, in order to be forever united with Her Divine Son. That is why, dear brothers and sisters, how important it is for us to borrow, at least a little, from the Mother of God this detachment from the earth, this striving for the Heavenly Fatherland, this prayerful contemplation of God and sincere love for the Lord Jesus Christ! With sorrow we must say and confess that today our Christian piety has begun to weaken more and more, and indifference to everything to which Jesus Christ invites and teaches in His Gospel has begun to increase. The constant vanity, cares and worries about the needs, comforts and pleasures of earthly life absorb all our attention, as if we had lived on earth for a century. This is a disastrous direction. Let us, dear brothers and sisters, look more often at the radiant face of the Queen of Heaven and more often recall Her holy life. Let us always try to imitate the god-like qualities of Her soul. May our God-loving ancestors, who were distinguished by sincere Christian piety and love for the holy Orthodox faith, serve us as a good example in this. If we, like them, sincerely and with all our might strive for piety and holiness, then the Most Holy Theotokos will take us under Her protection with love and will give us Her assistance and help in all that is good. Amen. 19607th Sunday after Pentecost