Month: September 2022

A WORD ON DEATH. SERMON ON THE DAY OF THE ENTRY OF OUR LORD INTO JERUSALEM. 17.04.2022

A very important event took place before the six days of Pascha. I am not talking about the Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem, I am talking about what happened yesterday, on Lazarus Saturday. Our Lord said to His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” (Jn. 11:11). The disciples did not understand His words and said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” (Jn. 11:12) Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” (Jn. 11:14) At that moment, all of a sudden, something extraordinary happened, and one of the Apostles said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Jn. 11:16) This event should be considered as outstanding in the history of humankind. Since then people’s attitude towards Death has changed. All at once, a human, who runs from Death even at the back of his mind, who distances himself from the mere word “Death”, for whom the issue of Death is appalling, a common human, not the Lord, who said, “Lazarus is dead”, said, “let us go and die.” That was a fundamental event in the history of people, which made them change their attitude to the frightening issue of Death. Before that, people treated Death as a damnation for their Fall; but when Christ came, He brought just the opposite notion of it. Death ceased to be a damnation; it became a blessing, if it was a death for Crist’s sake.  Earlier, before Christ, even the righteous were supposed to go through the gates of Death and stay in hell, but now, for many people who die in Christ, the gates of Death have become a symbol of passing into the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Some people, who read the Holy Gospel, but do not lead a spiritual life and have not acquired the Holy Spirit, cannot understand some concepts. For example, when the Church sings, “Christ is risen from the dead, tramping down Death by death”, but people still die. All the Apostles died as martyrs, except for Saint John the Theologian. All Christians die; Lazarus, who had been resurrected, died all the same some time ago. That is why people wonder why it happens so and what the spiritual meaning of the words, “Christ trampled down Death by death” is. The point is that previously Death was the entrance to hell for all people without exception. But when Christ was three days in the Sepulcher, He descended to hell and took away Adam and Eve, and all the Old Testament righteous people who had been tormented there waiting for the Savior.  In fact, that is how Christ released people from Death. He annihilated the force of Death and changed it drastically. It became an opportunity of coming into the Kingdom of Heaven. But it depends on how we should pass it. That is how Christ trampled down Death.  

This change happened to the first Christians. They saw that people died, but they did not distance themselves from the mere word “death”, did not run away from it, like they used to, but they ran towards it. They looked insane to their contemporaries, as they ran to the Coliseum. People asked them, “Where are you running to? They torture and kill Christians there, and they will kill you too.”, to which the Christians answered, “That is what we want for us.” 

This is an unalterable law. Every one of us will have to pass through the gates of Death. “But I want to pass it in Christ, I want to give my life for Christ’s sake”, – said the martyrs. The Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste were standing on the frozen pond and realized they were dying. One yielded and left, and one of the guards, who tortured the confessors, ran and placed himself beside the thirty-nine soldiers of Christ.  By the standards of this world, which values this life and thinks nothing of the eternal life, sometimes crossing the line of conscience and betrayal, the feat performed by the guard seems to be insane. “Where are you going?” – “To the death.” “But you are insane!” – “That is how I will come into the Kingdom of Heaven.” 

We live in a challenging time, when everything is so much aggravated. If the Holy Spirit does not enlighten our mind, we will not understand the meaning of this time. When people do not understand the meaning, they break down and get smashed. Now, when our children are at war, we should understand. We should not be terrified by Death; we should not run away from it. Instead, we should come into such a spiritual state, which will allow us to step forward towards Death without any fear. However, “with men this is impossible” (Mt. 19:26). People can experience this only in the Holy Spirit, when their mind and heart pray, and they begin to think and perceive everything the way I am talking about. In this case, they will be ready to say with the Apostle, “let us go and die.”   For this world, it sounds crazy. After all, Christianity itself is crazy to the world. That is why the first Christians were persecuted and tortured. From the point of view of human common sense, they were objectively insane. Who were the Christians in the first century? They were considered a terrible cult who gathered at nights and drank blood. That was exactly what the pagans felt about the Christians then. In fact, Christians gathered at nights near the tombs of the saints and drank Blood, the Divine Blood of Jesus Christ. But the world could not comprehend this and it started to persecute, crucify and kill Christians as an abominable cult. The pagans tried to extinguish Christianity, but failed, and it is still alive. 

That is the reason why Christianity is not understood by the world. Moreover, the contemporary world does not only misunderstand, it rejects Christianity as a foreign substance. The contemporary world fights against Christianity, and it fights severely.  Not only our children are in danger, every one of us is in danger. This may lead us to a blind fear, which makes people lose their mind and act unreasonably. These days, in order to keep sane and remain Christians, not in name, but in essence, we need to have courage and understand spiritual issues. 

We have Passion Week ahead. Let us die together with the Apostles this week and resurrect on Sunday. Let us work a little more. May we not be cowards. Cowardice makes us deny Christ every day. What will my relatives, neighbors or colleagues say about my Christianity? Christianity will deprive me of comfort or something I am devoted to. It is always taking away from me. When we come into Christianity, we step into a discomfort zone; but if we do it voluntarily, everything turns upside down for us. The filth and terror of Death turn into a big hope in Christ. Christ died Himself and passed through those “gates of Death”, and resurrected on the third day. But to die, one needs to suffer much. Your heart aches, your head aches, and everything aches, but this is the price of life. Life is a very precious treasure, and we need to pay a big price for it.  

Glory to our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

About Elder Ephraim of Arizona

There once lived a small and thin old man, who seemed like no big deal. A man having no spiritual vision would have passed by without noticing him. The Elder was our contemporary, he passed away only two years ago.  He had the same flesh and blood as we do. And this humble and thin old man achieved the greatest and exceptional Glory, so that people came to him even in his lifetime regarding him as a saint.  Believe me, it was not just a lot of excitement, it was true. Now, when many people say that men and women are weak and the time of acts of faith and prayer passed, all of a sudden this small old man comes and proves that impossible is nothing. He was small, but had a strong hand. When I kissed that hand, I noticed it was all wiry like a bird’s claw. Because that hand worked hard throughout his life to gain what he had. From his early youth the Elder lived and struggled ascetically  on Mount Athos under Elder Joseph the Hesychast, and what did he see there? He heard his name from the Elder only twice. Elder Joseph called him either “kid” or “hey, you, bring me that thing”, ‘’hey, you, go there’’. In spite of all that, he fell in love with his elder and retained that love through his life. He didn’t see anything, except for hard work. But a man can’t cope with such work without having something. Surely, it’s wrong to say “didn’t see anything”. He saw the greatest Glory and lived by it. 

St. Symeon the New Theologian said: “saints precisely know what they gain”. And they are not carried away by this proud thought, as they realize the character of this phenomenon – not by themselves, but through the Holy Spirit who dwells in them.  Should He leave, and the man will turn to clay again. Come in again, and the pottery vessel will be full with Grace. It is so moving and touching to read the book “My Elder Joseph the Hesychast”. May we try to live like them? Even “try” is too much for us, as we sometimes can’t bear a hostile glance or a little bit less attention paid to us, much less an offensive word.  

Elder Ephraim’s hand at the end of his life became like an eagle’s claw, all tendons. A heart should work hard in order to become humble and encompass the whole world, it can be softened only through pain, sometimes an extreme pain that makes you scream: “My Lord, where are you?” I often remind myself that it is so good that until the last day of Earth saints will be born to the world. Though, they may be lesser in number. If the Church stops to produce saints, then it is dead. And there will always be the means to produce them in the Church. As Holy Father Seraphim of Sarov used to say: “This is not because God is not enough, but because we are not zealous enough.” There has always been the world of God, as there cannot be little of God. 

I’m so happy I realized my nothingness when I held the Liturgy with him. My self-opinion vanished at once. You can be proud among some people like you, but with him… “Thank you for letting me stand by your side”.  One more thing. A saint, if he is a true saint, not a deceived one, when you stand by his side, will never smash you with his Grace, because everything in him is fulfilled with huge love and humility. You stand by his side and regard him with reverence as he allows you to be on equal ground with him. 

May Elder Ephraim repose in the Kingdom of Heaven! He gave hope to so many people for achieving the Kingdom of Heaven. And so, those people, encouraged by him, buckled down and got to work, and it resulted in something. Even though they grew nothing, but potatoes, it is already something. While someone sits on the boundary and says: “It’s impossible”. He has turned sour himself and confuses the others.

ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH. ON THE DAY OF COMMEMORATION OF THE HOLY GREAT-MARTYR AND HEALER PANTELEIMON

Today we commemorate the Holy Great-Martyr and Healer Panteleimon.  When we think of St. Panteleimon, pray to him, we take him as a healer who must cure all the diseases upon our request. According to us, he must study, satisfy and fulfill all the cases. Some other options are just beyond our Orthodox comprehension. 

And now I would like to cast my mind back to Holy Mount Athos and its Russian St. Panteleimon monastery where one hieromonk Anthimos lived, within my memory at the beginning of the 2000-s he was still alive. He was not old, middle-aged, and it was this hieromonk who most of the time brought out the head of St. Panteleimon for pilgrims to veneration. He was the one who was closest to the holy relics.   And then in the 2000-s he developed cancer, burned out very fast and died.  In this regard for many people who don’t see the big picture raises the question: why? Why didn’t Holy Great-Martyr and Healer Panteleimon help? He, whom we ask for recovery, ask most categorically, hoping that by simply reading the Akathist, we would have the Healer’s assistance.   And, suddenly, this man, who carried the wonder-working head of the saint in his hands all the time dies of cancer very fast, just burns out.  Due to that some people, I mean the people who don’t have a profound insight, who don’t think about subtle matters, come to a kind of disappointment which grows with some of them to a big question to God and the Healer.  “How did it happen? You are a Healer, aren’t you? Where were you when we prayed to you?” It happened not once, I assure you. All Orthodox people who died must have prayed to St. Panteleimon. Some suits were granted and miracles happened and some seemed to be left unheard by the Healer and God Himself and people had to pass away. But we can’t make claims on God. We could have, if He wouldn’t have died Himself and passed through the gates of death in great pain and with a great burden. If Our Lord didn’t pass through it, we could tell Him: “How can You, how do you allow this?”

When Elder Sophrony Sakharov was a young man during World War I he saw a lot of sorrow, tragedies, and deaths. As the result of witnessing the death of both soldiers and civilians he came to a protest against God. “O Lord, I, a sinner, feel sorry for the entire world, I can’t sleep worrying about all those deaths of innocent people, of children who seem to deserve no punishment. And what about You?” At that moment Christ appeared before him hanging on the cross with His hands and feet pierced and a wound at His side and asked him a very simple question: “Was it you who got crucified for them? You feel sorry, you just feel sorry, while I am on the cross, I have been here for 2000 years and never step down. I don’t leave the cross not because of My philosophy, but due to your sins, while you can’t even keep vigil with Me, just like there at Gethsemane”.  As at Gethsemane he told his disciples: “What! Could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Mt. 26:40-41). This is the point, every one of us should pass through the gates of death. There is no other way. Of course, there are special cases, like the one of St. John the Theologian, nevertheless, we all must go through the gates of death.  We should die for this world. We have been carrying our sinful nature since the times of Adam and Eve, for more than seven thousand years already, and we pass it on to our children and grand-children. This process must be stopped and our sinful nature dies and resurrects one day.

About Our Holy Lady Theotokos 

When we were children, if someone offended us, we used to say that we would go to our mom and tell her everything. May no one offend our monastery, or else we will tell our Mother. We will go at once and tell Our Holy Theotokos, and you will come to regret it. We have someone whom we can confide in our troubles.  In addition, when one is scared or hurt, he or she cries out “mom” at once. And we cry out: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” 

One day a highly ranked priest came from Moscow to visit us. He approached our Iveron icon and with a touch of irony admitted: “There are so many offerings hanging on it, aren’t there? Did it really work that much wonders?” I didn’t give him any answer then, but now I would have answered: “Yes, and even more.” It can all be covered up with offerings so that it wouldn’t be seen. Everyone has his or her own relationship with Holy Theotokos and everyone has something to tell about. For us this icon is not just a panel and paints, it is fulfilled with the grace of Our Blessed Theotokos.  

Once St. Gregory Palamas was arguing with a theoretician, a learned man Varlaam, who graduated from the academy, but didn’t know what prayer and spiritual life were.  St. Gregory Palamas explained to him the issues he didn’t understand being like a blind and like a deaf one. Due to misunderstanding, he argued, contested. St. Gregory came to his Mother, told Her about everything, and Varlaam was punished at the Council.  Varlaam, for his part, had been fighting against St. Gregory for a long time. He incited some people in the Patriarchy, confused some learned scholars and insisted on calling the local council. St. Gregory came victorious out of it, as the truth was on his side.  Well, that poor man just didn’t realize how a subject can be filled with the energy of God. He didn’t even understand what the energy of God was. Whereas St. Gregory Palamas plainly explained the issue setting apart the essence of God, which is not in any way perceivable by a human, and the energy of God, which comes into the world and dwells with us, and we live by it. Energy is a theological word, it can be replaced by a more common among the church-goers “Grace”. But is it possible to tell about what Grace is to people who are not experienced in spiritual, prayerful life? What are you going to tell them about it? They won’t understand a thing, and, in addition, would laugh at you. 

Happy new year to all of you! You know, there is an age-old question among the Christians. What can we do and what cannot? When people live in Christ and act through Christ, they can do anything, as they won’t spoil it. They will do everything the way the Holy Spirit blessed them. While those who are not in the Spirit, will certainly spoil even a good thing. That is the reason why a number of people wonder if they can wish a happy new year or not.  Some of them insist that we shouldn’t offer congratulations on someone’s birthday, but on a name day only, and so on. At the same time, people who live a spiritual life are beyond all those boundaries. Why not wish a happy new year?  God gives us one more year of life. Let this year be good, spiritual, let us live through it better, then through the previous one which is lost to us and will never come back.  However, we need to thank God for the year that has passed. It could have been worse, but it appeared favorable enough. Spiritual people can do anything as they know when to stop.  For them everything happens through Christ. They accept all things as good, serene, peaceful and kind ones. They would always say: “Glory to God!” While non-spiritual people are full of misunderstanding, inner conflicts, which find their way out, and they are constantly arguing, finding different points of issue that would serve as a pretext to criticize and quarrel with the Orthodox, for instance. Let us become a little more spiritual in the year to follow, let us concentrate and ask Our Heavenly Mother: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us!” As children, when we had trouble doing something, we ran to our mom and said it didn’t work out. And our mom would always help us. In the same way we should run to Her and ask Her sincerely like a child: “Most Holy Theotokos, please, help me”. And She will surely help.  

Happy new year to all of you!

Remember, we are still fasting, keep controlling yourselves. 

ABOUT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Sermon on the day of St. Venerable Seraphim of Sarov 

Very often, I tell you about such a state of being in grace that brings joy to people. A person walks full of this grace, meets his or her enemies, offenders, all those people who remind of some sorrowful moments in his or her life. This state of grace helps to overcome all difficulties and forget all insults, so, this person comes to meet his enemies and in this state of graceful joy says: “It’s ok. Forget it. Let us forgive each other”. 

At the same time, there is another state of some Christians when they go through a deep sorrow and pain, something wrong happens to them, nevertheless, they say: “It’s ok. Let’s forget it. Let’s be patient. All in all, everything will be over”. This is some other sort of state. And it may even be absolutely different from the first one. As the first one is like an inspiration which is easy to be in, while the second one hurts and can be compared to a cross which one bears together with Christ. But this state may occur more deep and durable. For example, someone who has overcome a lot of pain, realizes how it goes with the other one in the similar situation and says: “It’s ok. Let it be”.  

We are used to look upon and recollect Holy Father Seraphim as a man of Easter joy. But what price he paid for it! Thousand days and thousand nights! It was his personal cross. He did not just read the Lives of Saints and decided to get famous due to some special act of faith. On no account!  This standing on the stone must had been preceded by something: it might have been disappointment in his own, loss of relation between him and God. I guess that was the way. It was not a competition in asceticism, who’s the best, who’s the special one. He was overcoming his pain during a thousand nights on his cross. And only after that was: “My joy, Christ is Risen!” 

We so often notice only this in our Holy Father Seraphim, but it always rests between the lines that he was imitating Christ, imitating Him fully. If Christ means cross, pain, great strain, then the Holy Father went through it all.  It is a careless and shallow notion of Holy Father Seraphim. It is also a careless perception of God. This relationship may ruin at first resistance. Jesus the Sweetest, I love You so much! But any misunderstanding should happen and there would be no love any more. As a result, here comes disappointment, contradictions, disputes, conflicts. A true love can only be unconditional.