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

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Saviour, for He has looked upon the humility of His servant, for from now on they will bless Me in all their birth." Thus spoke the Most Holy Theotokos in a prophetic spirit, when Her righteous kinswoman Elizabeth called Her the Mother of the Lord. And all the Christian peoples, all Orthodox believers in Her Son and God, glorify and bless Her, the Mother of God, and compose hymns in Her honor, and sing Her glory in the Church of God. But it is not only we, the earth-born, who glorify the Most Honorable Cherubim and the incomparably more glorious Seraphim: She is also sung by the Angels of God in heaven. "I will glorify them that glorify Me," said the Lord. And he glorified His Most-Pure Mother with ineffable glory, as She Herself says: "Make Me mighty greatness." What greatness? "The Queen stands at Thy right hand" (Psalm 44:10). And if the Lord Himself so exalted His Mother, then how can we not glorify Her to the Angels of God?.. And they, the celestials, truly glorify Her with a wondrous song, and this sacred hymn was brought to us from heaven by the glorious herald of God's miracles, Gabriel the Archangel, and this hymn is sung by the Church of God in honor of the Ever-blessed Mother of God – every day, at Vespers, at Matins, and at Liturgy...

This is what the ancient legend, preserved on the holy Mount Athos, tells about this angelic song to the glory of the Mother of God. "Not far from Karyes there is a fairly extensive valley in which there are many cells. Among these cells, there is one, with a small church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Here, during the reign of the Greek kings, the brothers Basil and Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a hieromonk elder asceticized in solitude with his novice-disciple. Once he wished to listen to the all-night vigil on Sunday in the Protatsky Karyes Cathedral and went there, and the disciple, having received the commandment to perform the service at home as best he could, remained in his cell. Night came, and then the young man heard a knock at the door. He opened it and saw an unknown wanderer, a monk. He led him into his cell and hospitably left him for the night. Meanwhile, the time of God's service was approaching, and both of them – the host and the guest – with reverence began to glorify the Lord in the silence of the night. Their all-night vigil service flowed quietly in its own order; the time had come to magnify the Exalted One above all and to glorify the Most Honorable Cherubim and the Incomparably More Glorious Seraphim, and so they stood before Her icon and began to sing... The home monk, full of heartfelt tenderness and reverence for the All-Sung One, touchingly sang the ancient hymn of St. Cosmas of Maiuma: "More honorable than the Cherubim..." But his wondrous guest, in a sweet angelic voice, began: "It is worthy that Thee be truly blessed, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Immaculate, and the Mother of our God," and to this he added the Most Honorable to the end. "Wonderful! The home singer, moved to tears by the new song, exclaimed: "But we sing only 'Most Honorable...', and of such a song, 'It is truly meet...' Until now, not only we, but also our ancestors have never heard of it. However, I beseech you: write me this song, so that I, too, may magnify and glorify the Mother of God as you do." "Very well," said the stranger, "give me some paper and ink, and I will write you this song to remember." "Forgive me, brother! – the home singer replied to the guest with sorrow, – while we are engaged in prayer and needlework, we rarely need them, and therefore now there is neither one nor the other." "Then bring me at least some stone slab," said the visitor. The monk-host immediately brought and handed him a slab, and with his finger he began to write on it the entire aforementioned hymn, and — lo and behold! Like wax, the stone softened under the miraculous hand of the monk-visitor; His writing finger cut deep into the stone, and the words were clearly and distinctly imprinted on the slab. Having finished writing, the mysterious guest gave the host a stone and said: "From now on, sing like this forever, and you and all Orthodox Christians," said and like lightning suddenly became invisible... This was the Archangel Gabriel, sent from God to proclaim to Christians a hymn composed by angels in honor of the Mother of God. Joy and trembling seized the humble young monk; for a long time, struck by the miracle, he stood with reverence before the writings inscribed by the hand of the Archangel, and, not trusting himself, felt them with his hands, reread them and memorized them.

At dawn the elder returned from Karyes and found him singing a new song. "Where did you learn to sing like that?" he asked the student, surprised by his singing. The disciple told him everything that had happened, and pointed to the board itself with the miraculous inscription of the hymn on it: "It is truly meet..." The elder looked with amazement at this stone slab inscribed with an unearthly finger; he reread the sacred hymn many times, and finally, taking the stone, both of them presented it to the Protatus (an assembly of selected elders from all the monasteries of the holy mountain) and told all the details of this event. Then everyone glorified the Lord as a miracle-worker to the glory of His most-blessed Mother and sang a new song to Her. Then they reported everything that had happened to the Ecumenical Patriarch Nicholas and the tsars, and presented the slab itself with a song inscribed on it. And from that time they began to sing everywhere to the glory of the most glorious heavenly hosts of the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God, this angelic song: "It is truly meet..." And that holy icon, before which the Archangel sang this hymn, was taken from the cells of the hermit to the Protatus Cathedral, where it still stands on a high place. (The reader can see the image of this icon in the attached picture). It is called "It is truly meet," and the very cell where this miracle took place bears the same name.

According to ancient tradition, this miracle took place on June 11; on this day the Athonite fathers celebrate in honor of this holy icon, and since this day falls for the most part during the Fast of Peter, the feast in honor of the Archangel Gabriel, who proclaimed to us this most sweet hymn to the glory of the Mother of God, has been moved to the 13th day of the month of July.

Thus, in our holy Eastern Orthodox Church we know four songs sung by the Angels: 1) "Glory to God in the highest"; 2) Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; 3) the Trisagion, that is: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us," and 4) this hymn to the glory of the Mother of God: "It is worthy to truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Immaculate, and the Mother of our God..."

405. Testament of Vladimir Monomakh