May: Day 16: Venerable Theodore the Sanctified

May: Day 16:
Venerable Theodore the Sanctified
 
(On How Shameful It Is To Leave the Church During a Sermon)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Theodore, called the Sanctified, whose memory is celebrated today, was a disciple of the Venerable Pachomios and had deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. When he was only twenty years old, the Venerable Pachomios ordered him to deliver a sermon to the brethren. Theodore, without any disobedience or objection, led the conversation and said much for the benefit of the monks. But some of the elders did not want to listen to Theodore and said: “What is this? Even every novice teaches us!” And, leaving the assembly, one after another they went to their cells. When Theodore finished his speech, Pachomios sent for those who had left and asked why did they leave the conversation? The elders answered: “Because you appointed a youth to teach us, who have lived in the monastery for many years.” Hearing this, Pachomios sighed deeply and said: "Have you not understood that the devil has caught you in his net? After all, you have destroyed all your virtue with pride. You did not leave Theodore, but fled from hearing the word of God and were deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit. I am not younger than you, but I also listened to him with great attention." With these and similar instructions, the Venerable Pachomios finally brought the proud elders to their senses, and they no longer exalted themselves and humbly listened to the teachings of Theodore.

II. The behavior of some monks who left the church during the sermon, which was strictly condemned by Venerable Pachomios the Great, can serve as a strong reproach for those modern Christians who fearlessly allow themselves to leave the church before the beginning of the church sermon or during it. This is extremely unreasonable, shameful and sinful.

a) The sermon is an integral, essential part of Christian worship, and is not something accidental. It is not something that may or may not take place during worship. It is not some kind of superfluous luxury, only for special solemn and festive days. Not at all!

The Savior Himself preached the word of God at all times and in all places, if only there were listeners. He preached not only on the sabbath, but also on weekdays. He preached both in the temple and in homes, He even preached in the field, on the shore of a lake, at a well. The Apostle Paul commanded his disciple Timothy: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2).

After the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles, the true teachers of the faith are the "Bishops and Presbyters of the Church of Christ," who have received successively from the apostles the authority and duty to preach the word of God. The Lord gave to be "some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," that is, His Church, "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph. 4:11-13). This means to preach in the temple during the service and outside the service, in the home, in school, during conversation, and at every convenient opportunity - this is the high duty and sacred obligation of the shepherds of the Church. "It is not desirable," says the Holy Apostle, “that we should leave the word of God and serve tables... But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:2-4).

Moreover, for failure to fulfill this sacred duty, shepherds are heavily responsible before God. “Woe is me,” says the Holy Apostle, “if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). A shepherd is not appointed only to serve in the church and to carry out parish services, but also to teach his parishioners. “If I preach the gospel,” says the Apostle, “I have nothing to boast about: for this is my necessary duty” (1 Cor. 9:16). “The blood” of the sinner “I will require at your hand,” the Lord threatens shepherds for their negligence. The 58th Apostolic Canon says: “A bishop or presbyter who does not teach his parishioners piety, let him be excommunicated. But if he continues in this negligence and sloth, let him be deposed.” The 19th Canon of the 6th Ecumenical Synod says: “The heads of the churches must on all days, especially on Sundays, teach all the clergy and people the words of piety.”

b) When we listen to a church sermon, we, brethren, listen to the words of the divine teacher, our Lord Jesus Christ. When sending His disciples to preach, the Lord Jesus Christ said to them: “He who hears you hears Me” (Luke 19:16). The sermon proclaims the word of God to us. Therefore, we must listen to it with complete love, attention and zeal. We must not talk, laugh, or move from place to place. We must do what is taught in the sermon. The preacher does not speak for his own glory, nor for earthly praise. The sermon is given solely to glorify the name of God, and for the salvation of the listeners, to convince, instruct and enlighten them. The preacher speaks not on his own behalf, but in the name of God, which is why he begins the sermon like this: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The shepherd of the Church is authorized by the Holy Church to speak before the members of the Church. Coming out into the middle of the church to preach, he comes out as if on a worldwide apostolic sermon. He is the messenger of God. The shepherd of the Church, preaching the word of God, is "the mouth of God. If you bring forth the honorable from the unworthy, you will be as My mouth," says the Lord (Jeremiah 15:19). The Lord sends His angel, a faithful mentor, to the aid of pious preachers of the word of God. Thus, one day Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was teaching the people in the church. At that time, an Arian entered the church and saw an angel of God, who was whispering in the ear of Saint Ambrose. It seemed that Saint Ambrose was speaking angelic words to the people. Seeing this, the Arian became an Orthodox Christian. The sermon is the language of the preacher, and the teaching is that of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Saint John Chrysostom says: “For what we say is not ours, nor is it our own language that we utter, whatever we may say, but we are instructed by the Lord’s love for mankind for your benefit, and for the sake of the creation of the Church of God; so do not look at me speaking, nor at my wickedness, but since I bring this to you from the Lord, therefore accept it with a sober mind” (On Genesis).

c) The word of God, preached in the church, is very important, necessary and saving for us. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). It is food for the heart, light for the mind, a guide for the will. It shows us the way to heaven, to eternal blessedness, teaches us how to please God, how to receive salvation, and how to avoid eternal torment in Gehenna. Our very faith, by which we, in connection with good works, are justified before God, is given through the word of God. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” says the Apostle (Rom. 10:17). Saint Ambrose of Milan says: “The word of God is everything to us: medicine, light, water that washes away our impurities, and the source of all our blessings” (Homily on Psalm 36:37). Therefore, we must firmly remember the lessons given to us in the sermon and forever apply them to life.

What a grave sin, then, listeners, those who leave the church before or during the sermon take upon their souls! “He who rejects you,” says the Lord to the Holy Apostles, “is rejected of Me” (Luke 10:16). Not wanting to listen to the church sermon, we, all the same, do not want to listen to Jesus Christ Himself. But look what a terrible punishment the Lord pronounced on those who will not listen to the Holy Apostles, and in their persons, all preachers. “It will be more tolerable for the Sodomites in that day,” that is, on the day of the Last Judgment, “than for that city” (Luke 10:12). You see: those who do not want to listen to sermons, the Lord compares with the most hardened, rejected sinners. The decree of the 4th Synod of Carthage says: “He who leaves the church during the pronouncement of the presbyter’s word, let him be excommunicated.” Indeed, is it not blasphemy to leave the church as soon as the lectern is brought out for a church sermon? The Holy Church offers us its instructions and teachings, and we flee from it! Is this not a mockery of the Orthodox Church! This is a grave sin, it is unbearable, it is intolerable, it is extremely tempting. Take a simple example. It is offensive to us when others, listening to our conversation, leave us without listening to it to the end. Do we not anger the Lord Jesus Christ when we, without listening to His word, leave Him from the temple? And it is offensive to every owner when someone leaves his house prematurely. Is it not offensive to the Lord Jesus Christ when we leave the house of God prematurely? God invisibly punishes those who leave the temple of God before the end of the service. One priest, while celebrating the Divine Liturgy, was honored to see on the right side of the throne an angel of God, who was recording all who came to the temple, and then erasing those of them who left prematurely. And what happened? These unfortunates, who left the temple prematurely, died an untimely death thirteen days later. (Trinity Sheet. 1889, No. 472). May God have mercy on us all from the same punishment.

III. Let us, beloved brothers and sisters, children and youths, men and elders, listen to church sermons with full zeal, love and reverence, as if they were the word of the Lord Himself, and live in accordance with the word of God. Let us not leave the church during the sermon. Let us not grumble at the shepherds when they, sacredly fulfilling their duty, often turn to us with the preaching of the word of God.  

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