This, brethren, is what holy obedience means! You see how soon the young Nikon, through unquestioning obedience, comes to the spiritual age of a perfect man, and the youngest in years, the youngest in terms of the time of entering the monastery, becomes hegumen over the elder brethren! Neither fasting, nor prayers, nor any other labors and podvigs can so quickly purify the heart of a monk and make him capable of any good work as holy obedience. I will say more: no virtue can save a person without humility, and obedience is the inseparable companion of humility and his beloved child. "You will say to me: why should we, worldly people, talk about obedience? This is a purely monastic matter. "But is it so, friends?" Is this true? Of course, if obedience is understood in a strictly monastic sense, then this is true: "A novice is like a dead man, he has no will of his own and does not dare to reason about anything," says St. John of the Ladder about monastic obedience. But this is only the highest degree of obedience, and for us it will be enough to take the lowest degree of this virtue. For the other monastic vows are only the highest degrees of the vows given by us at holy Baptism. Thus, a monk promises to preserve chastity until death; and are you, a layman, not obliged to observe the seventh commandment of God? You can get married, but even in married life you cannot renounce the fulfillment of this commandment. Again: a monk takes a vow of non-acquisitiveness; and will you, a worldly person, be right before God, if all your life you accumulate wealth for acquisition, wealth for wealth? You may have the riches with which God has blessed you, but it is said to you: "If wealth flows, do not set your hearts down..." So it is in the virtue of obedience. What is obedience? This is "the renunciation of one's will and one's own reasoning," it is "distrust of oneself in all that is good, even to the end of one's life." Thus says St. John of the Ladder. Now I ask you: do you have the right to follow your own thinking in the matter of your salvation? Are you allowed to believe and be saved as you please, and not as God has commanded? Can you, if only proud self-conceit has not stifled your conscience, rely on your own wisdom, for example, in the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures? And what if you make a mistake? What if instead of benefit you receive harm to your soul? What if what you consider good turns out to be not good at all? How will you test yourself?.. You will say: there are books, read, learn... But will you understand everything in the books as you should? Can't you make a mistake here too? No, my friend, with our minds alone we will not go far, and we can get lost very easily... And if you do not believe yourself, then you need to ask someone else. Who? Of course, the one who has been appointed for this by God – the pastor of the Church, your spiritual father. You hear what the Lord says to His disciples, and through them to all the pastors of the Church: "Hear you Who hears Me, and reject you Me that rejects you" (Luke 10:16). "If anyone disobeys the Church, be unto thee as a heathen and a publican!" (Matt. 18:17). You see, you must be a novice of the Holy Church, an obedient child of your spiritual father, the pastor of the Church. This means that obedience is not proper for monks alone, but also for you, a layman: they remain in obedience to their superiors and elders, and you obey the pastor of the Church; they obey the elder in everything, and you, though in the main thing, in everything that concerns your salvation, ask your spiritual father, and it will be even better if you ask God's blessing for everything through him in your worldly affairs. "In our time, so many wolves roam in the guise of sheep, there are so many superstitious false teachers, so many soul-damaging books are printed and sent to the people to tempt Orthodox people, that one must be especially careful not to become infected with the poison of their false teachings and not to destroy one's soul. And the Shtundists, and the Molokans, and the Pashkovites, and the schismatics of various persuasions — all undertake to interpret the word of God, and each interprets it as he pleases, and each tries to draw into his sect a simple, inexperienced person... Beware of them, my beloved brother! Do not enter into disputes with them, if, in your simplicity, you realize that you will not be able to talk to them... It is better to go to your spiritual father, tell him your perplexities; he was appointed by God to teach and guide you; he knows both the word of God and the writings of the Holy Fathers better than these self-appointed teachers; and most importantly: the grace of God, through the sacrament of ordination, resting on him from the holy Apostles, according to your faith will enlighten him what to say to you for the benefit of his soul. That is the point: if you decide a doubtful question with your own mind, then there is a danger from self-conceit; and if you ask a spiritual father, it will be from humility, but to the humble God is ready to declare His will even through a little infant – He even proclaimed it to Balaam through a dumb donkey – how much more will He enlighten you through His servant, to whom the Holy Church has entrusted your soul into care...

Brethren! The virtue of obedience is a great thing! There is no path to the Kingdom of Heaven more direct than this path! Let us be obedient to the Church of God and to the pastors appointed by God; let us trust ourselves and our own minds less, and ask the advice of our spiritual father more often, and the Lord, for your humility, will tell us through him His holy will, and as good novices, He will not deprive us of the good part in His Kingdom with such zealots of obedience as the Monk Nikon was! Amen.

402. The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple

On the fortieth day after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, He was brought by His Mother and Joseph to the Temple of Jerusalem. This was required by the law of Moses, according to which, from the time of the deliverance of the firstborn of Israel from defeat on the night of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, every male infant born to his mother was brought to the sanctuary to be presented before the Lord. In this case, the mother brought to the priest, as a sacrifice to the Lord, a one-year-old lamb and a young pigeon or turtledove; if she was unable to bring a lamb, she was required to have two turtledoves or two young pigeons. The Most Holy Virgin Mary could bring to Jerusalem only the last sacrifice. When She and Joseph brought the Infant Jesus to the temple in order to perform a lawful rite over Him, they were met by a certain holy elder, named Simeon. In his old age he desired only one consolation, that of seeing Christ the Deliverer, and perhaps he grieved that death would snatch him away before this universal expectation was fulfilled. But it was announced to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Christ of the Lord. And now the Holy Spirit inspired him to enter the temple to meet the Divine Infant. Simeon took Him in his arms, gave glory to God, and said: "Now (now, at last) Thou dost let Thy servant go (out of this life), according to Thy word (promise), in peace (with a joyful spirit), for (behold) my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which thou hast prepared (the Saviour Whom Thou hast raised) before the face of all men (all the peoples of the earth) — the Light for the revelation of the tongues (the light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles) and the glory of Thy people — Israel!" Simeon blessed them also, and said to Mary the Mother of God: "Behold, because of Him many will fall, and (many repenting) will rise up in Israel; It will be a subject of controversy, so that many will discover their way of thinking. And Thou Thyself will once be as heavy as a sword piercing Thy heart." There was also a widow of eighty-four, Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel. She devoted more than sixty years of her widowhood to fasting and prayer, and did not leave the church. Of course, she could not have been unaware of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and perhaps she was one of the interlocutors of Her adolescence. She also approached, began to bless the Lord, and said that all those awaiting deliverance in Jerusalem would find the Deliverer in this Child. Having done everything according to the law of the Lord, Joseph and the Most Holy Virgin Mary with the Divine Infant returned to Bethlehem.

How should we view our death?

The holy righteous Simeon, as soon as he saw the Saviour of our Lord Jesus Christ, became at peace, although immediately he remembered that soon after this he had to die, because this was foretold to him by the Holy Spirit. Seeing the Savior before him, he was not afraid to see his death. "Now lettest Thou Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, in peace: for my eyes have seen Thy salvation..." Christian brethren! When we remember that we too will have to die one day, a great deal disturbs us, alarms us, frightens us, terrifies us; but if at the same time we remember our Saviour, then we can easily calm ourselves in everything. Thus I am sometimes afraid lest I die soon; I want to live longer. But why should I be too afraid of dying soon? My Savior will not allow me to die before my time, my life is in His saving hands. Sometimes I am troubled by the dying torments of the dying: these are terrible torments; It is frightening to see in what torments people sometimes die. But why should I worry too much about that now? My Saviour will be with me when I die; and with Him my death throes will not be painful to me. Sometimes I am terrified by the thought that I will be lowered into the grave, buried in the earth, and there I will rot, decay, turn to earth, to dust. However, why should I be terrified of this? My Saviour will not leave me in the grave, He will preserve my dust there; and at His voice I will rise alive from the tomb. Sometimes I am troubled by the fate of my children, my relatives, who are close to my heart; If I die, how will they live without me? Who will help them in need, who will comfort them in sorrow, who will teach them good, who will preserve them from evil? Ah, to what weaknesses and vices people are sometimes driven by need and poverty, ignorance and lack of education! What crimes people sometimes fall into just because there is no one to watch them, and there is no one to bring them to their senses! And yet, why should I be too anxious about this? My Saviour is their Saviour, and they know Him with me. Thus, O Lord, Thou wilt help in need, and comfort in sorrow, and teach good, and from evil Thou shalt preserve my children, my relatives, and all those who are close to my heart, when I am not with them. To Thee, Christ my God, I now entrust them — "I betray them"; To you I will entrust them when I die; and I believe that Thou wilt not forsake them, Thou wilt intercede, save, have mercy, and preserve them. Eternal torments frighten me after death. These torments are terrible! To mourn forever, to weep forever, to burn forever in fire, to sit forever in darkness! However, why should I be discouraged by this fear? — It is better to pray to the Savior than to lose heart. Yes, my Saviour is my salvation from eternal torment after death. I pray to Him that He will deliver me from the unquenchable fire and other eternal torments, I pray now and I will die with this prayer; and if I die with a prayer to the Saviour, then He will save me from eternal torment. Many things can still disturb us, frighten us, terrify us when we think about our death; but we can easily calm ourselves in everything, if only we remember that we have a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Saviour saves us from all fear, and calms us down in every anxiety. Yes, Lord, I have many things to fear; One day, it seems, does not pass without me fearing something, either for myself or for others, but most of all I fear for myself because of my sins. But when I remember Thee, my Saviour, I immediately calm down from all fear; then I am less afraid of my sins, because I trust that Thou shalt save me from them also, no matter how grievous they may be. Oh, I would be a most reposed person if I always remembered You! Remind me, O Lord, of Thyself when I forget to remember. Remembering Thee and being comforted by Thee, I fear only one thing, and that is that I may not forget Thee afterwards. But even here I believe and hope that You will not forget me, you will not forget me, if I ever began to forget about You. Oh, Thou art always my God, Thou art my eternal hope! Amen.

(From the teachings of Archpriest R. Putyatin)

403. The Exploits of a Layman

During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, someone once asked Him the question: "Are there few who are saved?" The Lord, in answer to this question, said to the people: "Strive to enter in through the strait gate" (Luke 13:23:24). And on another occasion He said to those who heard His preaching: "Enter ye by the narrow gate" (Matt. 7:13). Behold, brethren, how the Lord teaches us to be saved! He shows us the narrow and strait gates to heaven, the path to salvation is difficult and sorrowful. He commands us a strict, ascetic life. "Strive," he says. At the same time, worldly Christians may think: "Does such a commandment apply to all Christians? Does it not have in mind more directly those who live in monasteries, monks, desert dwellers, who have renounced the world, and have really devoted themselves to ascetic labors for their salvation?" The Lord spoke in general to the people who heard Him, and not to the monks; there were no monks at that time. And what kind of division? Are there two kingdoms of heaven, one for monks and the other for worldly Christians? There is one God, and His Kingdom is one, and the path to the Kingdom of Heaven is one. The monks devoted themselves doubly to God, made a double vow to serve Christ, and then took upon themselves the highest feats, such as perfect obedience, perfect chastity, and perfect non-acquisitiveness; for this they will receive the most excellent degree of blessedness and glory. And haven't worldly Christians dedicated themselves to God? Have you not renounced Satan and all his works? Were they not united with Christ and promised to serve Him? And if so, should we not also be participants in Christian feats? If we belong to Christ, can we deny what Christ has commanded? "What does the Apostle say?"

"Who is Christ's, the flesh is crucified with passions and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). What does Christ Himself say? "Whosoever willeth to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up the cross, and come after me" (Mark 8:34). This means that if we have been united to Christ, then we must follow Him, in His footsteps. And what path did He take? Narrow, cramped, suffering, godfather. "Having suffered for us," He also "left us an image, that we might follow in His footsteps" (1 Peter 2:21). That is why all the saints followed the path of podvig and sorrow, and the apostles, and the prophets, and the martyrs, and the saints, and the desert dwellers, and the fools-for-Christ. Have you seen the picture in which Christ is depicted carrying a cross on His shoulders, and He is surrounded by a multitude of other crusaders like Him? Thus those who are saved enter into eternal life, through patience and asceticism, following Christ. Who entered the Kingdom of Heaven without podvigs and sorrows? No one. It is not without reason that the Apostle remarked that "through much tribulation it behooves us to enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). How could it be otherwise? Is it possible that having had enough of the blessings and passions of life, shall we go to heaven? No. The Saviour says: "Enter ye in the narrow gate, for the broad gate and the broad way leadeth into destruction, and the narrow gate and the strait way lead into the life" (Matt. 7:13:14). There in heaven is the abode of the spirits of bodiless, purest Angels. Should we not also be like them as much as possible? So, brethren. The Lord's commandment to attain salvation, to go to the Kingdom of Heaven by the narrow path, is a common commandment. And we, therefore, if we live in this present age, as befits Christians, according to this commandment, then we will inherit, together with the venerable ascetics, the Kingdom of Heaven. Of course, we will not receive the degree of glory and blessedness that will be vouchsafed to the ascetics who renounce the world; but all the same let us be blessed and not be deprived of all heavenly delights and joys. "What is this narrow path, what is the strait gate by which a Christian must go to salvation, and what is the broad path and the broad gate, which he must avoid as pernicious? The narrow path and the strait gate are Christian asceticism. This is a struggle with the flesh, passions and the world. It is known what the Christian faith and the Christian law require. They demand that which is contrary to our natural inclinations. Christians are commanded to work, vigil, prayer, fasting, repentance, purity of soul and body, all virtuous and holy life.

For example, the time for prayer has come—one does not want to pray; force yourself, and that is your feat. You have to go to church — it's hard, it restrains, distracts you from both; arm yourself, leave everything behind, and go—that is the feat. They sing for a long time, it seems difficult to stand: endure yourself until the end of the service, and that is the feat. Fasting is dull, simple food is unpleasant; Be patient, and that is the feat. You hear blasphemy, gossip, laughter, idle talk; evade, or at least keep silent, — that is the podvig. They compel you to anger, to reproach, to quarrel; yield, restrain the agitation of a troubled heart, and that is the podvig. You have enemies and can take revenge on them; Stop — not only that, forgive them, and do them good, if you can, — this is an extraordinary feat. An opportunity and an opportunity for unrighteous and dishonest acquisition opens up to you; Avoid such an acquisition, and that is the podvig. Lustful flesh requires unlawful pleasures, superfluous attire; refuse her, and that is the feat. The world calls you to merriment, to play, and you know that there you cannot escape temptation and sin; Stay in your home, in your family, and in your occupations — this is the feat. This, brethren, are the innumerable feats that lie before a Christian almost every minute, at every step of life! And yet these are such feats that constitute the essence of Christianity, and which, consequently, none of the Christians should renounce if he wants to consider himself among the true, and not imaginary, Christians. Not only desert dwellers and monks, but all Christians, although certainly not to the same extent, must be ascetics, go to salvation by the narrow path, through the strait gate. Everyone is told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is wanted, and the needy delight it" (Matt. 11:12), i.e. the Kingdom of Heaven is attained by effort and labor. And the Saviour says: "Whosoever shall not renounce all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). What kind of estate is it? Possessions are, one might say, our sinful inheritance, our passions, love and attachment to the world. So that's what every Christian ought to be. "After that, there is no need to say what the broad path is and what the broad gate is. From what has been said, it is obvious that this is a free, calm life, without labor, without podvigs, in everything according to the desire of one's passions, in pleasures and always worldly amusements. How pernicious such a life is, it is enough, if necessary, to point out in this case one rich man of the Gospel. He did not know any podvigs or sorrows, he did not constrain himself in anything, he lived luxuriously, brightly, cheerfully; What is his fate beyond the grave? By this example, all who walk the broad path and the broad gates to earthly pleasures and delights should judge themselves. "I feel, brethren, that my word is heavy on your ears. I know, and you know well, that life with podvigs is sorrowful for our weak and sinful nature; But what to do? Such is the holy will of God; such is our nature that it requires purification and correction; such is the world that it is impossible to live in it without sin; such is the Kingdom of Heaven that only the pure and blameless can enter it.

What worldly happiness can be compared with this inner, spiritual world and peace of man? And what about God's grace-filled help? Will she be slow to visit those who will "work for the Lord with fear?" (Psalm 2:11). No. "God is their refuge and strength" (Psalm 45:2), "their protector is in time of trouble; and the Lord will help them, and deliver them, and will tear them out from the sinner, and will save them, for you trust in Him" (Psalm 36:39:10). O our God, glory to Thee.

(From the book "The Sower of Piety" by Archpriest V. Nordov)

404. Angelic Hymn in Honor of the Mother of God