June: Day 9: Teaching 2: Venerable Cyril of White Lake

June: Day 9: Teaching 2:
Venerable Cyril of White Lake

(On the Means of Achieving Christian Peace Among People)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. There was in the Monastery of the Venerable Cyril of White Lake, commemorated today, a monk named Theodotus, who, without knowing why, began to hate his abbot, and in this hatred he became so embittered that he could not only look at him with indifference, but also hated hearing his voice. No matter how much the other monks admonished him, no matter how much they proved that Venerable Cyril was worthy of all their love and even reverence, Theodotus could not or would not be healed of his illness. Finally, unable to bear the abbot, he decided to leave the monastery and went to Venerable Cyril to tell him about it. Venerable Cyril knew the reason for his departure, knew of his malice against him, and yet received him with fatherly love and affection. Theodotus was ashamed of the venerable gray hair of his superior and did not know what to say to him. Then the insightful Cyril, taking him by the hand, instead of any reproaches and censure, said: "Beloved brother in Christ! All were deceived and sinned, considering me a good man; you alone judged truly, having learned my sins and malice. But I trust in the mercy of my Lord, that He will help me to correct myself, and you forgive me my annoyances and insults and pray for me to Him Who does not want the death of a sinner." The monk, deeply struck by the humility of the elder, fell at his feet and with tears admitted that he hated him in vain, asking for forgiveness. From that time on, Theodotus found peace in his soul and began to love his mentor more than anyone else.

II. Regarding the wise peacefulness of Venerable Cyril of White Lake, whose experience is offered to your attention, pious listeners, let us discuss the means of achieving Christian peace among people.

Here are these means, as indicated by the word of God and the God-wise fathers and teachers of the Church:

a) Curb your passions, because of which Christian peace is most often disturbed. “Whence come these wars and quarrels among you?” asks the Apostle James. “Is it not hence, from your lusts, which war in your members?” (James 4:1). This means that as long as passions exist in our nature, there can be no perfect peace among people.

b) Arm yourself with patience. Here is the apostolic lesson of patience: “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (John 1:4). “I exhort you to walk worthy of the calling wherein you were called, with all humility and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:1, 2). If the patience of a Christian be thus constituted, what can overcome it, and what cannot it conquer? If a Christian, when reproached, does not rebuke the afflicted, if he even binds his lips the more to answer reproaches, the more loudly and violently they revile and slander him: then the arrows of the enemies must necessarily be exhausted, weakened and dulled, the flame of hatred and malice, no longer finding food for itself, must go out. Thus David overcame Saul’s malice with his meekness and patience, and brought him to the point that he condemned himself and said: “I have done foolishly, and have sinned greatly” (1 Kings 26:21).

c) Further advice for achieving Christian peace may be offered in the form of the following commandment: do good to thine enemies. Patience must be combined with philanthropy towards enemies. "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head" (Rom. 12:20). If patience alone does not conquer evil, then evil will finally yield to philanthropy. For what is more tangible, what will make me see more strongly what dangerous state I am in, than if coals of fire were raining down upon my very head? Thus, most quickly and tangibly, I recognize the injustice and guilt of my hatred towards my neighbor, when I experience his good deeds, when I see that he repays my hatred with love, and my insults with philanthropy. Such Christian love is powerful enough to disarm the most hardened enemy, to soften his cruel heart, to reason with him and even to dispose him to repentance and reconciliation. And this is the love that the heavenly Teacher of love commanded us: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who harm you” (Matthew 5:44).

d) Pray for enemies who violate Christian peace - this is at once a commandment, and advice, and a means of reconciliation with people. Prayer for enemies is beneficial for the one who prays; for by praying that the Lord forgive the sin of those who are at enmity, a Christian extinguishes the last sparks of bitterness or ill will that may be hidden in his heart, and arouses his love for his neighbors more strongly. This prayer is also beneficial for our enemies; for it propitiates God's justice, ready to punish them, and instead of wrath attracts mercy to them.

e) Then we can point out the following means to Christian peace: avoid people who violate Christian peace. Let us recall the ancient rule of the saints: “Avoid evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 33:15).

People who are proud, irritable, devoted to the flesh and the world, by their nature always hate peace and are constantly inclined to disturb it. One must avoid them with all one's might, lest oneself be burned by the flames of enmity.

f) Preparing oneself in advance to endure hostility is one of the most powerful means of preserving Christian peace. Before the death of Abba Roman, his disciples gathered to him and asked: "How shall we manage after you?" The elder answered them: "I know that I have never entrusted any matter to any of you without first deciding in my mind not to be angry when my word is not fulfilled. Thus we have lived all our time in peace."

g) But if, despite all your efforts towards peace, enmity flares up, then do not be ashamed to make peace with your neighbors if peace is broken.

Saint Gregory the Dialogist develops this truth thus: “We often fear contempt from our neighbors; we find it unpleasant to endure verbal insults; if, beyond all expectation, a quarrel with our neighbor occurs, then we are ashamed to be the first to begin to end it, because the carnal heart, desiring the glory of this life, rejects humility. And most often the very person who wants to be reconciled with the enemy is ashamed to be the first to go to reconciliation. Let us reflect on the deeds of truth, in order to see where the deeds of our return lie. If we are members of the supreme Head, then we must imitate Him with Whom we are united, for what does the glorious preacher Paul say as an example of our teaching? 'We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God' (2 Cor. 5:20). Behold, we have sinned to bring discord between us and God, and in spite of this, God was the first to send His messengers to us, so that we, who have sinned, might, at their request, come to reconciliation with God. So, let human pride be ashamed, let everyone be thrown into confusion, if one does not first approach reconciliation with one's neighbor, when the offended God Himself, through His messengers, begs, after our guilt, that we be reconciled with Him" (32nd Homily of Gregory the Dialogist on the Gospels).

h) Convincing yourself that you are more to blame for the quarrel that has occurred than your opponent greatly facilitates the first steps towards reconciliation. This peace-loving disposition of your soul will be a healing balm for your enemy and will most likely incline his soul towards peace.

A monk, insulted by his brother, came to him to make peace with him, but the latter did not receive him and did not open the door to him. The rejected monk then went to an experienced elder and told him about it. “Do you know,” the elder said to him, “why did your brother who had offended you not want to make peace with you? When you went to make peace with him, you justified yourself in your soul, but mentally accused him. I advise you to do this: although your brother has sinned against you, but you should establish in your soul the thought that you have sinned against him, and not he against you – accuse yourself, and justify him.” The monk followed the elder’s advice, went to his brother, and what happened? He had not yet managed to push the door when the latter opened it immediately and met him with open arms. (Prologue for September 17).

So, if you want to live peacefully or make peace with someone, and he does not want to, then try to justify him in your soul, even if he is really innocent before you, and blame yourself, even if you are right before him in everything. “Our souls somehow understand each other,” and our heartfelt dispositions strongly affect the heart of another. The moment you justify and excuse another, he, on his part, will justify and excuse you; thus there will always be peace and harmony between you.

i) Finally, the love of silence is one of the most effective means for preserving Christian peace. Silence is the most important means for ending hostility. “As soon as a spark of restless discontent smolders within you,” says the ever-memorable Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, “at once take care not to give it outside air, lest the smoke turn into flame and the fire embrace you. No matter what causes your inner confusion, carefully cover your vessel with silence and let it stand in patience until the restless fermentation ends and your wine is cleared.”

III. Let us, brethren, use these means to preserve Christian peace among ourselves and our neighbors, never forgetting the high reward that is promised to peacemakers: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”

 

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