Prologue in Sermons: January 25

To the Terminally Ill

January 25

(A Discourse of Saint Gregory the Theologian on the Death of the Righteous)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are many in the world who are incurably ill, for whom the help of physicians is almost useless; they themselves realize this and expect death from day to day. How are such unfortunate people to be comforted? What instruction should be given them? What should be said to them? Let us say to them first of all this.

Saint Gregory, in his discourse on the death of the righteous, says:

“There was a certain servant, poor in possessions but rich in good works. For a long time he was ill, and his illness was such that he could not only not rise from his bed in order to sit, but he could not even turn from one side to the other, nor could he raise his hand to his mouth. His mother and brothers cared for him, and kind people sent him alms for Christ’s sake, which, through the hands of his mother and brothers, he in turn distributed to the poor. He was illiterate, but he loved to listen to the reading of divine things and bought himself books, and with special attention he listened to what was read to him, and by this he was comforted in his illness and continually glorified God. When the hour of his death drew near, he began to sing aloud and to glorify the Lord, and he invited those who had come to visit him to join in the singing. And behold, when the common singing began, he stopped it and cried out: ‘Be silent, be silent! Do you not hear what extraordinary singing is resounding in the heavens?’ And with these words he departed. And the room was filled with fragrance that came forth from his body, and all glorified God.”

Here, sufferers, you have instruction, consolation, and encouragement. The instruction, as you see, which Saint Gregory gives you is that you too, in your illnesses, can do this or that good for your neighbors, and together with this you can, in one way or another, be instructed in the word of God. You will find consolation in the fact that for good works and instruction in the word of God you will be granted a Christian end — painless, blameless, peaceful — and a good defense at the Dread Judgment of Christ. And the encouragement, of course, from the words of Saint Gregory should be for you this: that through death you will pass into that holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven as a bride adorned for her bridegroom, a city that will have no need of the sun or the moon, for the glory of God will illumine it, and its lamp is the Lamb (Rev. 21:1–6); that through death you will pass into that city in which you will be freed from every earthly burden — sorrow, illness, and death: "there God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death; neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain shall be any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4). Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.