Homily One on All Saints Day*
By Righteous Alexei Mechev
(Delivered on June 1, 1914)
By Righteous Alexei Mechev
(Delivered on June 1, 1914)
The Sunday after Trinity Day is called by the Church the Sunday of All Saints, and it is called so because on this Sunday the Holy Church has decreed to celebrate the memory of all Saints.
Every day is dedicated by the Holy Church in memory and honor of a certain Saint of God, but it was necessary to designate one day for all Saints as if to gather them all for veneration on one day, to demonstrate that they all acted with one power; the power of Jesus Christ, our Savior, directed everything, albeit through different paths, but towards one goal – the Same One Lord. It could not be otherwise, for they all looked to, that is, took as an example the One who is the Author of their labors – that same Jesus Christ, and thus they were crowned by Him with a single crown of Glory, each according to their worthiness, constituting the One Holy Church of Heaven in the celestial realm; this Church, in turn, unites with the earthly Church, along with all believers on earth.
Dear ones, we are all created for life; life is dear and precious to everyone. However, this true earthly, temporal life does not satisfy or quell our innate yearning for eternal life. Here, everything is but a shadow or reflection of true life: you hardly get to observe it, you hardly get to enjoy its manifestation before it begins to fade, weaken, and disappear, leaving only a memory, a regret for it, and a new desire for it.
Look at nature surrounding you: everything now is fragrant around us – it is summer, everything is covered with bright greenery, beautiful flowers, all lives and inspires life, but this precious time of year will pass – and everything will disappear, life will hide, only to long for it again. And our relatives, friends, and acquaintances – all will, with time, cease to live.
What shall we do? Can we only desire true life without attaining it? No, the earthly life, the preparatory life, is given to us for the true, eternal life: "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). Here lies the essence of life: in God the Father and His Son, our Savior – His will, His holy teaching, faith in Him and obedience to Him will prepare us, and we shall merit this life, and finally inherit it, this life, with the Angels and all the saints. Here, man shall find peace, and his thirst for life, which has troubled him so much, shall be quenched.
The Holy Gospel tells us that in order to inherit eternal life, it is necessary to be a completely true Christian, a completely faithful disciple of Christ and a executor of His Holy Law. In order to enter the Kingdom of Heavenly Glory, one must be a Christian both in soul and in life, sacredly observe the regulations of the Holy Church and zealously cultivate Christian virtues in oneself.
Saint Paphnutios,** a strict ascetic of piety, once prayed to God to reveal to him which of the saints he resembled. And a voice came to him from God: "You are akin to the elder of the nearest village."
The Venerable Paphnutios went to a village and found an elder who welcomed the elder joyfully. "Tell me about your way of life, for you have surpassed many monks, as God has revealed to me," said the Venerable one to the elder. The latter replied that he was a sinful man and unworthy even of the name of a monk. However, at Paphnutios's earnest request, the elder recounted that he was married and had three sons who assist him in his endeavors. He receives wanderers and the poor into his home and feeds them; he comforts the sorrowful in their misfortunes, reconciles those in conflict, and always upholds justice in all matters, never causing anyone distress or passing judgment.
Let us, dear ones, also live virtuously and holy. Let us address with warm prayers to all the Saints who pleased the Lord God and inherited the Kingdom of Heaven, so that they may help us with their intercession before God, and let us imitate their holy life. They were saved in many and various ways. Let us choose a model of holy life that pleases us most, and let us conduct ourselves accordingly, and the Lord will have mercy on us, and we shall be saved and do well.
All you saints, pray to God for us. Amen.
Notes:
* Delivered on 1 June 1914, the 1st Sunday after Pentecost. Published for the first time from the “Typewritten copy” from the archive of E. V. Apushkina.
** Saint Paphnutios - a hermit and renowned desert dweller of Thebaid. Commemoration on November 29. See about him: "The Life of the Desert Fathers." Work of Presbyter Rufinus. Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra. 1898. pp. 78–83.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
