In fact, if in the presence of the king we do not allow ourselves any negligence, much less indecency, but try to ensure that our every word, every movement is pleasing to him, how much more will he who presents himself in the presence of God not allow himself any sin, will be zealous for a holy cause pleasing to God.

Remember God, and rejoice (Psalm 76:4), said the prophet, and this is the beginning of the joy hoped for from the sight of God in eternity: "Fill me with gladness with Thy face" (Psalm 15:11).

"Arise, O Jerusalem," the prophet cries, "... and behold the assembly of thy children, from the east of the sun to the west, by the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the remembrance of God (Bar. 5:5). New, gracious Israel! You must not lag behind the ancient, but by the pre-eminent grace given to you you must surpass it. Strive always to imagine to Heaven, as you sometimes imagine, as it seems at the present moment, the spectacle pleasing to Heaven of the multitude of your children, led by the word of God, rejoicing in the memory of God. Remember God not only with your mind, but above all with your heart with reverence, with faith, with love, with gratitude for His blessings, with a desire to please Him, so that the Lord will remember you in the goodwill of His people, will visit you with His salvation (Psalm 105:4) in time and in eternity. Amen.

Homily on the Day of the Uncovering of the Relics of St. Alexis, 1822[85]

For the rest, the crown of righteousness is kept for me, which the Lord will reward me in the day, the righteous Judge: not only to me, but also to all who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8)

Unusually bold words! One might think that this person forgets and dreams when, before God's judgment before God, he justifies himself and appoints for himself a crown from God. But his well-known modesty and deeply humble opinion of himself do not allow him to think so. For this same man at another time called himself the least of the Apostles, unworthy of the name of the Apostle (1 Corinthians 15:9), a persecutor of the Church, a blasphemer and an annoyer, who was pardoned only by grace, the first of sinners (1 Timothy 1:13,15).

How did it happen that a man who loves to humble himself so much exalts himself with such boldness? Without a doubt, faith gave him a presentiment of what was in store for him, and I think love prompted him to reveal this premonition. "Suffer evil," he wrote before this to his beloved child Timothy, and immediately, in order to dissolve this bitter commandment with consolation, he pointed out to him the example of his suffering: "I am already hungry" [2 Timothy 4:6] - and to his undoubted reward: "For the rest the crown of righteousness is kept for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me in the day." But as soon as love for the disciple has torn out from the heart of the teacher the secret of lofty hope, humility immediately comes and places the high teacher along with the last disciples: Not only is the crown of righteousness unto me, but also to all who love His appearing.

And all the people of God do not like to be in glory among men, and if they appear among them in glory or manifest in themselves the expectation of glory, it is in order to show them the crown of righteousness, and draw them to the path of righteousness. And you, the Spirit-bearing successor and imitator of the Apostles, who didst do the work of the evangelist, who fought the good fight, when with some of the rays of your heavenly crown shine here on earth – and you, Alexis, after your death, like Paul before his death, preach to us the hope of the Heavenly crown and encourage us to seek it. Not only for me is the crown of righteousness, but also for all who love His appearance.

It is worthy of note, Christians, that the Apostle promises a crown of righteousness to all who love the appearance of the Lord. Through this he teaches us that, among other salvific feats, in order to attain the crown from the Lord, it is necessary that we love His appearance, that is, diligently reflect on the coming of Christ, await it unceasingly, desire it heartily, and prepare for it actively.

When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and the Apostles, although already forewarned of His ascent to His Father, stood with their eyes fixed after Him, either in amazement at the wondrous event, in bewilderment at its consequences, or in lamentation over the separation from the Divine Saviour, then the Angels were sent to calm their agitated thoughts and feelings. What do they do? What kind of medicine is used? As a strong cure, they use the thought of the future appearance of Jesus, hidden from sight: "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will also come, in the same manner you will see Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11). And how truly this spiritual healing helped! Having returned, says the Evangelist about the Apostles, after the ascension of the Lord, having returned to Jerusalem with great joy (Luke 24:52).

It is evident that, having accepted the medicine given by the Angels, the Apostles really and abundantly tasted in it the powers of the coming age. That is why they so often give the same medicine to other people, that is, they give them a taste of the hope of the future appearance of Christ, whether it is necessary to cleanse the infected, or strengthen the weak, or relieve the suffering. Christ, - writes the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews, - is brought alone, to bear many sins, the second will appear without sin, waiting for Him for salvation (Hebrews 9:28). Instructing Titus to teach the doctrine of saving grace, he says that this grace teaches us that, having rejected impiety and worldly lusts, we may live chastely, righteously, and piously in the present age, but how can we fulfill such great requirements of grace? In answer to this, he adds: "Blessed am I waiting for the hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13). Encouraging Timothy to succeed in truth, piety, faith, love, patience, meekness, and to fight the good fight of faith, he commands him to keep this commandment purely and irreproachably. "How long? - perhaps an exhausted ascetic would ask." And the clairvoyant teacher, anticipating this, points out the joyful limit of asceticism: "Even unto the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 6:11-14). Likewise, the Apostle Peter, calling pastors to true pastoral podvig, "Be ye like the flock," arouses in them zeal for podvig only by the thought of the appearance of the Crown-Giver of the Chief Shepherd, and when you appear to the Chief Shepherd, you will receive a crown unknown to glory (1 Peter 5:3,4). With this hope he also dissolves the bitter cup of the afflicted: "Inasmuch as ye partake of the passion of Christ, rejoice, that ye may rejoice also in the appearing of His glory and rejoice" (1 Peter 4:13). The Apostle John demands of the Christian the highest purification of himself, as Christ Himself is pure. By what indestructible fire or by what fiery water does he think to bring about this radical purification? By the hope of the appearance of Christ. "We know," he says, "that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is: and whosoever hath this hope purifies himself, as He is pure" (1 John 3:2,3).