May: Day 1: Teaching 1: Holy Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kiev

May: Day 1: Teaching 1:
Holy Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kiev
 
(That the High Qualities and Duties of a Shepherd of the Church Require Special Attention From His Flock)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). This is the highest, most distinctive quality of a shepherd, defined by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd! The Holy Hieromartyr Macarius, whom we now piously celebrate, fully embodied this quality in himself. Before his consecration as Metropolitan, he was the abbot of the Vilnius Trinity Monastery. Having become a Metropolitan, he did not hold the episcopate for long. In 1497, the new bishop went to Kiev to visit his orphaned flock and bring them spiritual consolation. Hurrying from distant Vilnius to his Kiev flock, despite all the difficulties and dangers of the journey, despite the warnings that wild Tatars who were destroying Kiev were prowling everywhere along the way, he was martyred by the Crimean Tatars on the banks of the Pripet. His holy relics were glorified by their incorruptibility and rest in the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. Thus he literally fulfilled the words of the Lord: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).

II. a) Of course, only a few of God's chosen ones are given the crown of holy martyrdom, in the exact sense of the word; but it can be said, in all fairness, that true pastoral service has always been and is, in its own sense, also holy martyrdom, as one of the most famous hierarchs of the Russian Church (Philaret, Metropolitan of Kiev) expressed about this.

And in fact, what does constant, albeit feasible, instruction and admonition of all that is good and holy by a shepherd of his rational sheep mean, accompanied almost always by a struggle with prejudices, superstitions, inquisitive doubt, corrupt concepts of this age and the world lying in evil, and hence stubborn contradictions, mistrust, which can, it seems, shake the most zealous desire, the purest intention of a teacher of the Church, if not martyrdom of a kind?

What is the activity of a shepherd of the Church, who is obliged both by word and by his life, forgetting his peace and weakness of strength, to edify the souls of Christians and lead them to the Kingdom of Heaven under the fear of the greatest responsibility for lost souls, if not a constant feat of self-denial and self-sacrifice?

What is the constant and, of course, sincere prayer of a shepherd for his flock, in the face of their indifference, coldness towards him, and sometimes even outright ingratitude, if not a kind of the same provision of his soul for his sheep?

But to resolve not always solvable matters of people’s conscience and to calm it down when, perhaps, at the first encounter with a new ugliness of sin, you involuntarily become outraged in spirit, and at the same time to prayerfully and, of course, with sympathy call upon the sinner the all-forgiving mercy of God, which he sometimes so strongly angers, is this not the position of the shepherd of his soul for his spiritual children?

So, brethren, the difficulty, the many responsibilities and at the same time the sacred height and saving importance of the service of the shepherd of the Church, as a mediator between God and people, always requires him to lay down his soul for the sheep he shepherds and, of course, the most feasible fulfillment of this holy duty, with hope in the mercy of God, will not deprive him of heavenly and righteous reward.

b) The difficult and extremely responsible duties of a shepherd require that the flock pay special attention to themselves in order to maintain the correct, God-established relationships with their shepherd.

The shepherd may be good, vigilant, completely devoted to his high service, but in his flock there may still be sheep who, according to the words of the Gospel, are, as it were, “not of this fold” (John 10:16). Then test yourself in conscience, beloved: are you, in fact, a sheep of the chosen flock of Christ, or a lost sheep? Find out this, and flee from the desert - hurry to the fold of Christ, hurry under the guidance of your earthly shepherd appointed by God. And it is easy to find out. Jesus Christ Himself, in the same parable of His, the words of which we have laid the foundation for our present conversation, points out briefly and clearly the signs that distinguish the true sheep of the flock of Christ from the lost sheep: “the sheep hear his voice;" "for they know his voice;" “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,... no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand" (John 10:3, 4, 27).

So, beloved! If the voice of your spiritual shepherd, who teaches you and guides you on the path of the Lord's commandments, always reaches not only your ears, but also your heart - if in this voice you hear not just an empty sound, but "know" the voice of your shepherd, who wishes you good and spiritual salvation with all his heart, in whatever expressions and in whatever tone it is conveyed to you: in a tone of good-natured indulgence, peaceful love and consolation, in strict words of righteous rebuke and prohibition, in an elegant word from the church pulpit or simple, artless instruction, and you are faithful to this voice - you are a true sheep of the flock of Christ, you are a sheep in His pasture.

If you, beloved Christian, despite all the temptations of the world, despite all the intrigues of self-proclaimed teachers mired in schism or sectarianism, and the people of this age who prefer a broad and pernicious dissipation in life to the right, albeit narrow path to the Kingdom of Christ, always turn away with fear and flee from them; if your hearing and heart are always closed to the false teachings of these self-proclaimed teachers, these wolves in sheep's clothing, who want to drag you into the desert of the passions and destruction - you are the faithful sheep of the Heavenly Shepherd, you are of His fold!

Thus, brethren, the high and difficult duties of the shepherd of the Church should remind you of constant vigilance and attention to yourselves. “Beware, brethren, hat you walk circumspectly” (Eph. 5:15). And especially flee from evil people and uncalled teachers, “For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open tomb; they flatter with their tongue” (Ps. 5:9).

III. May the Lord God, through the prayers of the Holy Hieromartyr Macarius, protect you from such teachers and leaders! May He preserve you forever and number you among the chosen flock of His faithful sheep. Amen. 

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