And so, this is the object of our activity and the purpose of our ministry among you: we must be your spiritual fathers and pastors, your spiritual judges and mediators, your spiritual guides and guides, your spiritual physicians and comforters; you must take the place of the Apostles of Christ and the Great Hierarch Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.

If on this occasion we were to look at the poverty of our own strength, at the lack of all human means, then on this occasion we would have to exclaim a hundred times with the Apostle: Who is pleased with this? (2 Corinthians 2:16). A hundred times it would have been necessary to say with Moses to the Lord: "Choose another who is mighty, whom thou hastenest" (Exodus 4:13).

But He Who gave His Church pastors and teachers, foresaw our weakness and did everything in advance to make up for our shortcomings. In the books of the prophets and the apostles there is so much light that it will be for the illumination of all those who err, for the driving away of all darkness; in the Christian Sacraments there is so much power and efficacy that they are sufficient to strengthen all those who are weak in spirit, to heal every ulcer of conscience. Besides this, our almighty Saviour is always Himself in the midst of His Church, and invisibly by His power and grace, and visibly by His Body and Blood. Here, among us, there is always the Spirit of truth, Whom He, having ascended into heaven, sent to us from the Father, that He may be with us forever, that He may instruct us in all truth, that He may endow us with power from on high, that He may comfort us in every sorrow and circumstance. After this, it remains for us only to make use of what has long been prepared in such abundance, it remains to be servants and builders of the Mysteries of God, showing faithfulness and diligence in the economy of our salvation.

And we solemnly, before the face of this throne of grace, on which the King of glory Himself invisibly sits, promise Him and you this faithfulness and this diligence. You will hear nothing from us except what is contained in the word of God, what was prophesied for our salvation by the prophets and apostles. Let us teach the truths of salvation in all their simplicity and purity, not flattering our ears and habits, not imitating the word of God to suit the taste of this world, not seeking glory from men, neither from you nor from frost (1 Thess. 2:6). Let us spare neither time, nor effort, nor labor, if only to accomplish our work and achieve the goal. Will it be necessary to proclaim grief to the senseless and unrepentant? - We will lift up our voice with the prophet like a trumpet, we will surround ourselves with the thunderstorm of Sinai and Horeb. Will it be necessary to encourage and comfort the desperate? - we will become, like the Apostle, as quiet as a nurse at the cradle of a child. Let us try, following the example of St. Paul, to be all things... all things, that we may acquire all things (1 Corinthians 9:22).

This is our intention and vows! The knower of the heart sees that they come from the depths of the soul devoted to Him, from the heart thirsting for your salvation. Nothing will deviate us from our path, nor will it obscure the sacred goal we are striving for. Once and for all we have given ourselves over to the will of Him, the Almighty, we have devoted ourselves entirely to the Service of Him and to the cause of your salvation; for this they are ready to lay down their very souls.

Thus opening our souls and hearts before you, we hope that you, too, will be inspired by a new zeal for the cause of your salvation, a new zeal for the Church of God; that you will pay full attention to what will be proclaimed to you, that you will accept with good humor everything that you deem necessary to do to strengthen faith and love in Christ among you. We hope that you will seek in our instructions not beautiful words, but the spirit and power of the Gospel; that you will hear the very rebukes without grief, when they are needed. Finally, we hope that you will help us with your prayers, for if pastors are to be lamps for the flock, then the prayers of the flock for them should be oil for these lamps.

These are our desires and our hopes for you! We do not wish for anything else, and we do not seek anything else.

And so, having called upon the Lord for help, let us all unite in one holy intention, and let us all go together towards one common goal – our salvation. It cannot be that the Lord does not bless this union, does not grant us the grace to serve your salvation, and you to use this service for the good of your souls.

Lord Jesus, the only true and eternal Chief Shepherd of souls and hearts! Thou Thyself was pleased to promise in Thy word: "If ye ask of the Father in My name, I will do it" (John 16:23). Ask, and it shall be given you (Matt. 7:7). Behold, we all ask Thee alone: receive us all under Thy great shepherdship, and be our Leader and Guide, and we are all Thy people, and the sheep of Thy pasture, from henceforth and forevermore. Amen.

Sermon at the Second Service after Entering the Flock of Vologda, Delivered in the Vologda Cemetery Church

Perhaps for some it seems not quite ordinary that we, having not yet looked around, so to speak, at the place of our new service in this city, hastened to serve here, to the last place of each and every one, but for us it was natural. For it is upon the pastors of the Church to care not only for the living, but also for the dead; and for the latter, if it is possible (so to say - ed.), more than for the former, for the living can and must take care of their own salvation, and who can help the dead, except the Holy Church? Prayers for them and the Bloodless Sacrifice for them are their only refuge! For this reason, remembering our duty to the living and the dead, and having done it, as far as possible, in the past service in relation to the former, we have now hastened here to offer prayers for the latter, wishing in this way to give some spiritual consolation to our brethren who have reposed in the Lord.

Do we trust in our weak prayers in this way? - No, whether we pray for the living or the dead, our hope is He Who alone possesses the living and the dead. Without His all-powerful help, on his own, who would dare to stand between earth and heaven? Who can appear before the face of God's righteousness, even with only his own sins? But endowed with the power of Christ's merits, with the Blood of the Eternal Covenant, shed on Golgotha for all of us, we become as if omnipotent: we boldly approach the throne of grace and lift up our hands for the repose of the souls of our departed brethren who rest here.