After the prayers, it is very appropriate for the present day to pious contemplation of the destinies of God, which appear both in the lives of kings and nations, and in the life of each person. Such meditation is always instructive and very useful, for nowhere is so much wisdom of God revealed as in the management of human fate; but various cares and affairs prevent many of us from indulging in this salvific meditation. Let us do this, at least, on those days which, one might say, are dedicated to this: on the solemn birthdays of sovereign persons. Who divided the land among tribes and peoples? Who set up kings and rulers? Consider, how, in all earthly modifications, by the will of man, by the confluence of circumstances and accidents, the essential power of the whole earth nevertheless always remains the hand of the Lord (Sir. 10:4), and He, He alone, raises up those who are needed in time on it? As the smallest generations grow into vast powers, when they unswervingly follow the path of truth and truth; And how, on the contrary, do tribes and kingdoms, the most extensive and flourishing, diminish and fall, or are they transferred from tongue to tongue, for the sake of iniquity and their sins? (Sir. 10:8). As all earthly kingdoms serve, according to the intention of Providence, the invisible Kingdom of God, so does Creative Wisdom accomplish its destinies through the so-called "scourges of mankind"

And such thoughts and feelings are one of the best adornments of solemn days, for the very reason that they correct and sanctify the whole life of the celebrant.

Remembering in this way the birth of your lord, do not forget your own. For, in the words of the Most Wise, no king had any other origin of existence (Wisdom 7:5). The laws of birth, as well as death, are the same for everyone. And so, if ever, then on a day like the present it is opportune to ask each one of himself: Where were we before we saw the light? Who, how and for what purpose gave us breath and life? What is the law of our existence? What will happen to us after that? What should we all strive for and prepare ourselves for? Where are those who were before us, great and small, kings and slaves? It can be said beforehand that when contemplating these subjects, many will wake up from distraction and ponder, many will have their eyes watered with tears of repentance or tenderness, few will not accept it as a rule to behave better, few will not direct their thoughts beyond sensual blessings, above all that is visible and perishable.

Finally, the present royal day can be honored most of all with deeds of truth, mercy and Christian love. Whoever truly rejoices on the day of his Tsar's birth, truly considers his life to be a blessing from heaven for himself and for his Fatherland, for him it should be highly desirable to mark his gratitude to the King of Heaven and on earth with some kind of sensual sign, to bring them for this, so to speak, some gift. But what can we bring to those who do not demand our good things? For the King of Heaven and on earth, our virtue is most agreeable; moreover, for this very reason we must express our gratitude to them. Every work of civil counsel and wisdom, every feat of peace and social order, every active expression of pious feeling and brotherly love is a true tribute of gratitude before the anointed of God.

In this respect, our deeds of mercy and Christian love should especially attract attention. The King of Heaven, wishing to dispose people to mutual love, declared that He would accept as a blessing to Himself everything that would be done in the name of His least and needy brethren (cf. Matt. 25:40); there is no doubt that the earthly king is always ready to imitate the King of Heaven in this respect, ready to honor as a gift to himself everything that will be given to suffering mankind for his sake. Therefore, everyone who now wishes to rejoice the heart of his people, ease the lot of the suffering, wipe away the tears of the unfortunate - this is the best sacrifice to the tsar and the Fatherland. Even if such feats of private charity remained unknown to the ears of the king, they would not be hidden from the eyes of the King of Heaven, and He would find a means to rejoice the heart of the monarch for the virtues of his subjects, who cares that we should all be virtuous.

And so, this is the most appropriate way to sanctify a day dedicated to the remembrance of the birth of God's anointed: prayer and visits to God's churches, pious reflection on the ways of Providence regarding the origin, life, and fate of people and kingdoms; finally, by works of truth, mercy and Christian love. Such a pastime may seem too ordinary to someone. If only it really were! The fulfillment of duties should be the most ordinary occupation for us, and there is not a single day or hour in which we would be allowed to completely forget about God and His Providence, about the deeds of faith and Christian love.

However, whoever spends the present and similar days in the activities we have indicated, other means will open up to him of their own accord to honor their sacred solemnity in the most decent way.

We only wanted to point out to those who wish the path on which, having embarked, it is possible to go safely to the goal. Amen.

Sermon on the Day of the Coronation of the Most Pious Tsar Nicholas Pavlovich, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Delivered at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on August 22, 1832

Thy processions have been seen, O God, the processions of my God the King, Who is holy (Psalm 67:25)

The porphyry-bearing singer of Israel, in the midst of prophetic raptures and visions, once turned his gaze to the past fate of his homeland - and his bright eye almost drooped from the multitude and greatness of the miracles performed by Providence for the glory of his people Israel (Luke 2:32). He saw the wondrous exodus of the Israelites from Egypt; an even more wondrous crossing of the Red Sea; legislation and miracles at Sinai; he sees Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, dwelling in the midst of his people, and leading them as a pillar of fire and cloud in the wilderness. how the earth shakes and the heavens melt at the presence of the God of Sinai, he sees, and from the fullness of grateful feeling he exclaims: "Thy processions have been seen, O God, the processions of my God the King, Who is in holiness!

This royal day, listeners, calls upon us to turn our gaze to the fate of our Fatherland. We believe that the God of Israel is both our Lord and our fathers, that our kings reign over Him, and our mighty ones burn righteousness with Him (Proverbs 8:15); we believe that our most pious sovereigns, accepting visible anointing... from the Holy One (1 John 2:20), at the same time they are clothed with invisible power from above (Luke 24:49), that the Spirit of God hovers over them from that day (1 Samuel 16:13), guiding them into all truth (John 16:13). It is impossible that this blessed faith does not have confirmation in the very fate of our Fatherland, that in the sacred tablets of the history of our kings there is not found empirical evidence of the great truth that there is given to them from the Lord power and power from the Most High (Wis. 6:3). When is it more appropriate to proclaim this great and joyous truth in the ears of one and all, if not on this royal day, in remembrance of the sacred coronation of our most pious sovereign Nicholas I, not only in name, but also in deeds?