Homily on the Feast of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon and on the Birthday of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Maria Alexandrovna
By St. John of Kronstadt
By St. John of Kronstadt
"Go therefore and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice?" (Matthew 9:13).
Celebrating the memory of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon and the birthday of the Most Pious Empress, what would be more appropriate and edifying to offer a conversation about from the church pulpit than about the mercy for which the Holy Great Martyr was famous during his life and which he miraculously shows to this day to all who resort to him with faith and zeal. A word about mercy is all the more appropriate now that we see this Christian virtue as if embodied in the Empress, this true mother of the Russian people.
So, a brief word about mercy. What virtue is most characteristic of a Christian and constitutes a primary obligation? Mercy. The Only Begotten Son of God, who came down from heaven to earth due to unfathomable mercy toward perishing sinners, and shed His blood for them in the redemptive suffering on the cross, Himself persuades us to be merciful to one another: "Be therefore merciful, as your Heavenly Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36). "Go therefore and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice?" You know that the entire life of Jesus Christ was a continuous manifestation of the greatest benefactions to suffering humanity: He healed all kinds of diseases, cast out evil spirits from people, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, the ability to walk to the lame, restoring uprightness to the hunchbacked. He raised the dead and provided unspeakable joy to those who mourned for them. He preached to the people daily, enlightening their minds and hearts with salvific truths. He healed the souls of sinners oppressed by sins and forgave their transgressions. He called out to all sinners: "Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). To His Disciples and Apostles, He bestowed the grace to perform similar acts of mercy: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). All these deeds they performed before the eyes of many witnesses. After the Apostles, this same gift was also received by many believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in fulfillment of His promise: "These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17-18). Or: "He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do" (John 14:12). Thus, the Saints performed numerous miraculous deeds of mercy.
The Holy Great Martyr and Unmercenary Healer Panteleimon, celebrated today, was instructed in the Christian faith by his mother from childhood, and after her death by his pagan father. In his youth, he was turned to pagan beliefs and became the student of the renowned court physician Euphrosynos, who frequently took him to the royal palace. He became the embodiment of mercy from the moment he received holy baptism; thus, he remaines until today.
His first act of mercy was the miraculous resurrection of a child who had been bitten by a poisonous snake and was lying dead. Saint Panteleimon resurrected him through prayer. This miracle occurred before his baptism and hastened his baptism, as after this miracle he wholeheartedly believed in the Lord. Soon thereafter, Saint Panteleimon became a well-known physician, and many sought his assistance.
Once a blind man was brought to him, whom he healed with the touch of his hand and the words: "In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, regain your sight." At that very moment, the blind man's eyes were opened, and he began to see. This miracle led many, including the father of Panteleimon, Eustorgios, who had regained his sight, to the faith of Christ, as well as many others who were astonished by this sign of God's power and grace.
Saint Panteleimon visited the imprisoned, the sick, and the unfortunate daily, offering them help. The Lord granted him the power to heal every ailment in His name; the sick flocked to him in great numbers, and all the people praised the skilled and selfless physician Panteleimon.
But you will say: these are miraculous deeds of mercy, but we are not given the power to perform miracles. I respond: we do not need miracles; the gift of miracles is given only under special circumstances and to a few chosen ones. However, being kind, compassionate, merciful, patient, forgiving, non-vengeful, and sincerely loving is within our power and capability. Sincere love and genuinely good deeds are more important than miracles and are often more pleasing to God than many miracles: for the purpose and fulfillment of all the law is love, and he who loves his neighbor as himself has fulfilled the entire law (Romans 13:10); he himself is the true miracle.
The duty and necessity of mercy are evident to each of us, particularly in light of the various calamities on earth, afflicted by God's curse due to human sins, and generated by human passions. There are countless such afflictions, and we, as a community, are inherently drawn to compassion for our suffering brethren by our very nature, by an innate sensitivity. Who does not know how much brotherly, Christian empathy alleviates human suffering?
Let us take the recent war as an example. It was harsh and bloody. Let us recall the tremendous marches of our soldiers across the chain of the Balkan Mountains in winter, amidst harsh frosts, and the multitude who suffered from frostbite, as well as the many wounded in bloody battles: who eased the suffering of these heroes, these friends of humanity? Is it not Christian mercy, and especially the maternal mercy of Her Imperial Majesty, the August Patroness of the Society for the Care of Sick and Wounded Soldiers, is it not the brotherly compassion of Russians and their material sacrifices? And what touching love, what cares, selfless concerns of the Mother Empress, followed by the attentions of enlightened and noble Russian doctors and nurses, surrounded our sick and wounded soldiers? Eternal gratitude to the Empress-Mother of Russian soldiers, who throughout the war continued to inspire the society dedicated to this cause of humanitarianism with her lofty patronage! Eternal gratitude to the noble and generous doctors and nurses, and to all Russians and non-Russians who, in one way or another, manifested their sympathy for the suffering soldiers!
Or let us take as an example another terrible disaster – fires. Our cities and villages are ablaze. The devastation is horrific: people are left homeless and without food. What would become of these unfortunate souls if Christian philanthropy had not hastened to their aid; if fraternal love had not brought forth its modest offerings of money or other means for the benefit of the fire victims? They would surely have perished from hunger and cold. However, Christian philanthropy does not allow this to happen. All cities rush to provide whatever assistance they can to the afflicted town or village. At the forefront, the Tsar and after him the Tsarina bring their sacrifice on behalf of the distressed. And thus, heartfelt expressions of gratitude soar to the heavens: the calamity has been alleviated; tears have been dried; the hungry have been fed; the naked clothed; the bloodless given shelter. What a comforting spectacle of mercy! Who will not sympathize with it? To whom would it not inspire, to encourage similar deeds? Good examples attract many to imitation.
Finally, our own weaknesses, illnesses, calamities, sorrows, misfortunes, and the desire that is so inherent to us — that our neighbors are not indifferent and cold towards us during our hardships — serve as an impetus for mercy towards others. If we ourselves are empathetic and assist people in their unfortunate circumstances, then, according to the law of divine and human retribution, others will also empathize with us and help us in our sorrow, in our illness, in our tribulations, and in our persecution. "With the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you," says the Lord. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you," He also says (Luke 6:38).
I will conclude with the apostolic saying: "As long as we have time, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). Lord, preserve the Tsar and the Queen-Mother of the Russian people for their good and happiness for many years! Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Or let us take as an example another terrible disaster – fires. Our cities and villages are ablaze. The devastation is horrific: people are left homeless and without food. What would become of these unfortunate souls if Christian philanthropy had not hastened to their aid; if fraternal love had not brought forth its modest offerings of money or other means for the benefit of the fire victims? They would surely have perished from hunger and cold. However, Christian philanthropy does not allow this to happen. All cities rush to provide whatever assistance they can to the afflicted town or village. At the forefront, the Tsar and after him the Tsarina bring their sacrifice on behalf of the distressed. And thus, heartfelt expressions of gratitude soar to the heavens: the calamity has been alleviated; tears have been dried; the hungry have been fed; the naked clothed; the bloodless given shelter. What a comforting spectacle of mercy! Who will not sympathize with it? To whom would it not inspire, to encourage similar deeds? Good examples attract many to imitation.
Finally, our own weaknesses, illnesses, calamities, sorrows, misfortunes, and the desire that is so inherent to us — that our neighbors are not indifferent and cold towards us during our hardships — serve as an impetus for mercy towards others. If we ourselves are empathetic and assist people in their unfortunate circumstances, then, according to the law of divine and human retribution, others will also empathize with us and help us in our sorrow, in our illness, in our tribulations, and in our persecution. "With the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you," says the Lord. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you," He also says (Luke 6:38).
I will conclude with the apostolic saying: "As long as we have time, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). Lord, preserve the Tsar and the Queen-Mother of the Russian people for their good and happiness for many years! Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
