May: Day 20: The Finding of the Honorable Relics of our Holy Father Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia, the Wonderworker

May: Day 20:
The Finding of the Honorable Relics of our Holy Father Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia, the Wonderworker
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. One Must Be Attentive To The Voice of Conscience, and
b. One Must Walk Worthy of One’s Calling)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The life of Saint Alexis, celebrated today, was rich in various exploits. But history depicts it to us only in general features, with some details dwelling only on particularly remarkable cases, of which one relates to the youth of Saint Alexis, others to mature age, and one, finally, to the hours before his death.

The twelve-year-old youth Eleutherius, the future Saint Alexis, the son of rich and noble parents, who had learned to read and write and was always pious, by the special providence of God, once set a net to catch birds. There was no catch, and the youth Eleutherius, from the deep silence, long waiting and boredom, fell asleep. Suddenly in a dream he heard a voice: “Alexis! Why do you labor in vain? Behold! from now on you will catch men.” In surprise and horror, the youth Eleutherius wakes up and sees no one around him. His first thought was what this new name, Alexis, meant, what this whole vision meant. Good seed fell on good soil: hearing the heavenly voice calling to feats of piety, Eleutherius followed his calling with all his soul. From that hour he began to be “in much sorrow and contemplation.” The parents' lamentable remarks were in vain: "Why do you indulge in such sadness, you are always silent, always have books in your hands, but for us you have not a word? Who taught you to live a monastic life? Why did you dry yourself out so much with fasting and thirst? Enough, do not crush yourself, otherwise you will fall into illness and plunge us into sorrow and grief." Eleutherius, as much as he could, consoled them, asked them not to worry, but, despite this, continued to adhere to his abstinence: he did not go to spectacles, did not play with the youths, ran away from all blasphemies and mockery, but in silence he was diligent in reading the Divine Scriptures and always walked in his sorrow. And having reached the age of nineteen and having loved God with all his soul, he left his father and mother and brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends, and having hated every worldly attachment, he went to a monastery, saying to himself, from a heart full of divine love: “I chose rather to dwell in the house of God than to live in the villages of sinners.”

In the monastery, the monk Alexis began to live a "hard life", exhausting himself with fasting and vigils, prayers and tears, studying the Old and New Testaments. Soon everyone, from the Prince and the Metropolitan to the commoner, loved him, because of his good life and humility. And Metropolitan Theognostos first transferred him to his court as his deputy, then made him Bishop of Vladimir. And after the death of Theognostos, Saint Alexis, by the general election and advice of the Grand Prince, boyars and nobles and all the people, was named Metropolitan. During his voyage to Constantinople for the ordination, a storm arose; the ship was crushed by the waves; everyone began to despair of life, so everyone turned to God with prayer. Bishop Alexis also turned to God and strengthened his prayer with a vow – to create a church in the name of that Saint on whose feast day the Lord would allow them to reach a quiet haven. The storm soon died down. It goes without saying that the Saint, having returned to his homeland, fulfilled his vow. But it is remarkable that he fulfilled more than he promised: he created not only a church, but also a monastery near the church. On the high priest’s table, Saint Alexis constantly reminded himself of the words: “To whom much has been given, much will be required of him... The servant who knows the will of his master and does not do according to his will, will be beaten with many blows” (Luke 12:4). And therefore he subjected himself to even greater feats, and added labor to labor, and was an image and light for all, according to the word of the Lord: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

And for the great virtue of the Saint, his fame spread not only in Christian, but also in the infidel Tatar countries. At this time, the wife of the Tatar Khan Chanibek began to have an eye ailment and asked for the man of God, Alexis, with the hope of receiving healing from him. The temptation was great for the Russian Saint, but he did not shame himself with timidity and did not humiliate himself with self-confidence. He decided to go, but before leaving, with the entire assembly of clergy and laity in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, he began to sing a prayer service and bless the water. And so, as a sign of God's assistance in the dangerous journey undertaken by Saint Alexis, a candle over the coffin of his deceased predecessor, Saint Peter, lit itself. The Saint, taking the blessed water and part of the self-lit candle, set off for the Horde. The infidel Tatars themselves, their ruler Chanibek himself, with his sons, princes and nobles, came out to meet the man of God with great respect. Trusting in the mercy of God and having performed a prayer service, the Saint lit the candle he had brought, and sprinkled the sick queen with the water he had brought, and she regained her sight.

Having approached his blessed end, and having made all the necessary preparations for this great change in our lives in advance, Saint Alexis, feeling the approach of the last hour, himself celebrated the Divine Liturgy, received the Holy Mysteries, prayed for the Grand Prince and the boyars, for the army and all the people, gave all those present the last kiss, and then departed to the Lord for the endless age.

And with such a purely ascetic life, he commanded that his body be placed not in the church, but outside the church behind the altar, in a place indicated by him, “for the sake of great and ultimate humility.”

II. Here are how many soul-saving lessons Saint Alexis offers us through his life!

a) It would be good if in our youth, like Saint Alexis, we were deeply attentive to the inner voice of our conscience and the Lord God, the voice that calls each of us to God, repentance and a good life in Christ, calls always, and in some circumstances of our life especially.

b) It would be wonderful if, upon reaching adulthood, we consciously and freely accepted the calling of either monasticism, or the priesthood, or civil, military, or any other service to the throne of the Tsar and God, like Saint Alexis, we walked worthy of our calling, in a Christian manner, not working only before the eyes, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ - not for ourselves, but for God and our neighbors; if, having taken up the plough, we did not sleep, but thus directed ourselves to salvation; if for every blessing of God we thanked the Lord God with this or that good deed; if we began every good deed with prayer to God and His saints; if we prepared for death as attentively as Saint Alexis prepared; if we always and fervently prayed for the Tsar and his august house and all the people, as Saint Alexis prayed; if, in a word, we lived and died as the Saint lived and died, so that others, seeing our good deeds and peaceful Christian death, would glorify our Heavenly Father. Amen. 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.