IGNATIUS
Brianchaninov
ARCHPASTORAL APPEALS
ON THE ISSUE OF THE LIBERATION OF PEASANTS FROM SERFDOM
ST. IGNATIUS
AT THE CAUCASIAN CATHEDRA
THE DEATH OF ST. IGNATIUS
ARCHPASTORAL APPEALS
ON THE ISSUE OF THE LIBERATION OF PEASANTS FROM SERFDOM
Dated January 17, 1859
To the Caucasian Ecclesiastical Consistory.
The nobility of the Stavropol province petitioned His Imperial Majesty the Emperor to form a special Committee from among themselves, which would draw up "a draft regulation on the organization and improvement of the life of landlord peasants in this province." His Majesty the Emperor, having honored to accept this petition, deigned to order by the Highest Rescript to open a special committee in the city of Stavropol on this matter under the chairmanship of Mr. Marshal of the Nobility [1196]. In pursuance of the Highest will, the Stavropol Committee "on the Matter of Improving the Life of the Landlords' Peasants" was opened by the Civil Governor, Lieutenant-General Volotsky on January 15, 1859, after a solemn prayer service in the City Cathedral Church.
It is very natural that in this important matter, in which the beneficent light of Christ's teaching, emanating from the Gospel and taught by the Holy Church, is especially needed to guide the conscience and reason, both landlords and peasants will turn to the pastors of the Church for a word of edification, for a word of advice, for a word of consolation and comfort. For this reason, I consider it my most sacred duty to teach the church pastors of the Caucasian diocese in all clarity and definiteness the direction that they must acquire and constantly maintain in their conversations with the flock on such an important subject – the improvement of the life of the landlords' peasants.
This direction has already been taught by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and is preserved, as in a treasury, in the Divine Gospel, in which the attentive and reverent reader will find the solution of all perplexities and instructions for the most prudent and generally useful behavior in all the various occasions of life. The Holy Evangelist Luke relates (ch. 12, ch<ala> 65 and 66) that once a certain man approached the Lord Jesus Christ and asked the Lord to take up the matter of dividing the property between this unknown man and his brother. The Lord responded with the following remarkable words, full of deep wisdom and holiness: "O man! Who hath appointed Me to judge or divider over you? Guard and guard yourselves from covetousness." Further, the Lord depicted in a parable, which is understandable to all, how dangerous is the passion of covetousness, how deceptive are the seductive dreams depicted by this passion in the imagination, that they never come true in reality, but only deprive the person who is carried away of virtue and eternal salvation, which crowns temporary virtue. The answer of our Saviour and His behavior in the above-mentioned case can be, and therefore must be, a completely satisfactory, completely definitive way for the conduct and conversations of the pastors of the Church in the present national question. It is clearly seen that the Lord's answer to a man who is busy dividing his property with his brother contains two parts of the matter. First, the Lord mentioned the material part of the matter, that is, the division of property itself, and deigned to renounce any participation in the judgment of the matter on the part of its material, civil side. Secondly, the Lord vouchsafed all His attention and deep edification to the spiritual side of the matter, pointing out that in this matter, and consequently in any similar matter, one should primarily fear and beware of being carried away by a part of covetousness, from which, as from a seed, other passions must undoubtedly be born, more obvious, already obviously fatal for individuals and for society. Such are: envy, suspicion, slander, murmuring, and, finally, open hatred, enmity, quarrel with their sorrowful consequences. The beginning of these consequences was the passion for covetousness, and the Lord, as the Omniscient God, shrewdly pointed out to the people to whom the division of property was to be divided, to the hidden principle of evil, which in such circumstances serves as the source of all other types of evil – to the passion for covetousness.
"We are the mind of Christ, imams" (1 Cor. 2:16), said the holy Apostle Paul on behalf of the entire Christian Church. We, Christians, must think, we must reason, we must speak as our incarnate God thought, understood, and spoke. Such unity with the Lord must primarily be carefully planted, carefully nurtured, carefully preserved within themselves by the pastors of the Church, as bearing upon themselves the most sacred duty to lead the entire Christian brotherhood to virtue and salvation. In the matter ahead, let the conversations, advice, and instructions of the pastors be directed to the avoidance of the flock from being carried away by the passions. Pastors! Teach both the landlords and the peasants who will turn to you for advice, so that in meekness of spirit, in pious self-denial, they turn with frequent prayers to God, beseeching His goodness, that He grant them to wisely conceive, process and carry out the great patriotic work, which should raise the state to the highest degree of well-being. Teach the sheep of Christ to constantly graze in the pastures of Christ, that is, to constantly nourish the soul with the teaching of Christ, which commands to carefully and constantly preserve love, mutual peace, mercy, goodness, which rejects all passions, no matter what plausible garments and coverings these passions are clothed in order to deceive people. Where the heat is revealed, there is certainly a secret engine – passion. True virtue is always accompanied by an undisturbed state of mind, a quiet and strong meekness, which constantly serves as a sign that the heart is under the guidance and power of sound reason. Pastors! Unswervingly and holy, keep and hold fast to the instruction given to you here. Pay all your attention so that in the matter the spiritual side of it, entrusted to you by the very Law of God, by your very sacred calling, preserves its dignity, clearly indicated to it by the Gospel. The pious and pleasing direction of souls, which you will nourish and support, will undoubtedly have a beneficial effect on the material side of the matter. At the same time, carefully guard not only from interference in civil decrees and from any judgment about them, but also from any, even private and seemingly confidential conversations and advice about the material side of the matter. This is forbidden to you both by the law of God and by the law of the state. Faithfully fulfilling our sacred duty, entrusted and entrusted to us by God, we will fulfill our Christian duty, which we owe to the Lord, and the duty of our subjects, which we owe to our most pious Sovereign Emperor. Our King, led by the angelic goodness of his heart, desires to bring the highest prosperity to all his subjects without exception.
The Consistory has the right to send this appeal to all the deans of the Stavropol province, so that they immediately communicate it to all the clergy under their jurisdiction, obliging them to subscribe with accuracy and unswervingly adhere to the instruction given herein. It should also be reported to the Seminary Board for its unswerving guidance and timely acquaintance with it of the students of the Theological School, future church pastors.
Ignatius