Homily at the Paraklesis of the Theotokos:
On the Significance of 'Trivialities' in our Lives
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
(Delivered in 1961, the Third Week After Pentecost)
On the Significance of 'Trivialities' in our Lives
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
(Delivered in 1961, the Third Week After Pentecost)
"Unashamed protection of Christians, unwavering mediator to the Maker, do not disregard the prayerful cries of sinners, but hasten, as one who is good, to our aid, as we faithfully call upon you: Be speedy to intercede, and be quick to entreat, the ever-protectress, Theotokos, of those who honor you."
So very often with special tenderness the Holy Church proclaims in honor and praise of the Most Blessed Virgin Theotokos, casting before Her all our unworthy prayers and referring to Her alone all timely help from above.
The Church accepts as an indisputable truth that the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos extends over the entire human race, and especially over the Christian race, and over all of us in particular. The Most Holy Virgin, as a loving Mother, loves the human race, and most of all, Christians; can She remain indifferent to the lives and destinies of people, not care for them, not provide them with Her protection? The prayers of the Queen of Heaven for us are graciously accepted by Her Son and God. At Her intercession, He performed His first miracle, turning water into wine in Cana of Galilee. And this Gospel lesson serves as the most joyful proof for Christians, an assurance of the truth that the Mother of God invariably intercedes for Christians before Her Son.
Let us recall, dear ones, this Gospel narrative, let us dwell on it in more detail. Let us pay attention to the fact that the event that took place in Cana of Galilee does not seem to have such an important meaning, and yet, the Most Holy Virgin did not leave this triviality of life without Her attention, assuring us that Her patronage extends over our entire life, over all circumstances, both unimportant and those of great significance for us.
The life of individuals, and of entire nations, consists mainly of trivialities – of concern for food, clothing, housing, of modest satisfaction of modest needs, of everyday sorrows, griefs and joys. Important events also occur, but much less frequently than minor events, in which people's lives mainly flow. These trivialities, for all their apparent insignificance, taken together have the greatest significance – both everyday and moral. They make our existence bitter or pleasant, hard or easy. Depending on them, the moral direction and mood, the moral character of people are formed. Under the influence of happy circumstances, some people improve in virtue, while others, on the contrary, begin to drown in vice. Thus, for example, in someone in well-being and carefree life, contentment with their position, good nature, benevolence, philanthropy, gratitude to God grow stronger. In another, self-love, effeminacy, indifference to the misfortunes of others, passion for pleasures and other vices that a happy and rich person may have develop. In the same way, in those living under the burden of failures, under the influence of unfortunate circumstances, some develop virtues, and some vices; in some, patience, devotion to the will of God, courage, diligence, prayerfulness are born, while in others, cowardice, grumbling, laziness, despair with its disastrous consequences.
The significance of the little things in life is very great. Therefore, they cannot be neglected, they must be given special attention so that they are in every way directed and serve for the benefit, for the good of man. And the first confirmation of this is that we see how the Most Holy Virgin does not neglect even seemingly unimportant events in people's lives, and they are under Her protection and serve as the subject of Her intercession before Her Beloved Son. On what occasion did She address the only intercession recorded in the Gospel to Her Son and God? On the occasion of the depletion of wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Is it not a triviality in life that there was not enough wine at the wedding, that there was not enough wine after the wine had been drunk? Was it worth, apparently, paying attention to this triviality to the Most Holy Virgin Mary - the great Saint and Ascetic, and even more so - the God-man Jesus Christ? And yet, what then? Both the Mother of God and Christ look down mercifully on this small matter!
The Mother of God, with her loving heart, understood that the lack of wine at the wedding would have caused grief to both the bride and groom and their guests, would have disrupted the general joy at the most solemn moment in the life of the newlyweds, and would have left them with a painful memory forever. And so She Herself, without outside requests, decided to help these people. The Mother of God, obviously, does not consider this small matter of life to be a moral triviality. She turns to Her Son, the God-man, with a request to prevent the grief that awaited the guests invited to the wedding. "They have no wine" (John 2:3), She says to Christ, begging Him with this reminder to save the newlyweds from the grief that seemed inevitable for them. What about Christ? Does He recognize this triviality of life - the lack of wine at the wedding and the intercession of the Mother of God for it as not worthy of His attention? No, the Champion of Virtue, the Cross-Bearer and the Teacher Christ speaks only of the prematureness of fulfilling His Mother's request, but does not recognize either the petition as inappropriate or the deed itself as unworthy of attention. And in it, as in everything else, He comes to the aid of people, assuring us that we too must be attentive to everything that life consists of - ours and our neighbors. For in it, in life, there is nothing insignificant or unimportant. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
