August: Day 19: Teaching 3: Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates

August: Day 19: Teaching 3:
Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates
 
(How Can a Layman be Saved?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Andrew, tortured for Christ under the Emperor Maximilian, a cruel persecutor of Christians, was a stratelates, i.e. a military general. But his high military rank did not prevent him from receiving salvation. This points to the truth that even a layman can be saved in the midst of his everyday activities. For this, you do not necessarily need to go to a monastery or a desert.

II. The most merciful God accomplishes our salvation by the Orthodox faith, good works and His grace. The Orthodox faith is that which is contained in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Church; without this Orthodox faith no one can be saved. Good works are the Gospel commandments, without the fulfillment of which, as well as without faith, it is also impossible for anyone to be saved. The Orthodox faith without good works is dead, and good works without faith are also dead. He who desires salvation must have both together: both the Orthodox faith with good works, and good works with the Orthodox faith, and then, with the help of the grace of God, which promotes his good works, he will be saved according to the word of Christ, who said: “Without Me you can do nothing.” And it is necessary to know that Christ the Savior, our True God, Who wants all men to be saved, has set good works, that is, His saving commandments of the Gospel, as a law for all Orthodox Christians, both monks and laymen living with wives and children, and demands from all Orthodox Christians the most diligent fulfillment of them; because His holy commandments do not require great physical labor, but only a good disposition of the soul. For the yoke of His holy commandments is good and the burden of performing them is light. Any Orthodox Christian, regardless of their status, gender, or age — whether old or young, healthy or infirm — can easily fulfill the holy commandments of Christ with the help of God’s grace, provided that there is a proper disposition of the soul. Therefore, those who transgress them and do not repent, at the dread Second Coming of Christ will be condemned together with the demons to eternal torment. 

The holy commandments of the Gospel, especially the most important ones, are so necessary for salvation that if a person lacks even one, then there is no salvation of the soul. These are the commandments about love for God and neighbors, about meekness and humility, about peace with everyone and patience, about forgiving your neighbor's offenses from the heart, not condemning anyone, not having hatred, loving enemies, doing acts of mercy according to your strength, both spiritual and physical, and forcing yourself with all diligence to fulfill all the other commandments of Christ, written in the Holy Gospel.

Most of all, you need to love God, that is, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your thoughts, and your neighbor as yourself, and imitating the meekness of Christ, to strive to the point of blood against the passion of anger.

And to live in peace with everyone is so necessary that the Lord considered it necessary to repeat more than once to His Holy Disciples and Apostles: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). And where there is the peace of Christ, there is Christ Himself; and if there is no peace in the soul, then there is no Christ there.

Patience is also necessary for salvation. Christ says: “In your patience you will possess your souls;” and it is necessary to endure not only until a certain time, but until death itself: “He who endures to the end will be saved.”

He who forgives his neighbor's sins with all his heart, God forgives his sins.

He who does not condemn his neighbor will not himself be condemned by God. And all the other commandments of the Gospel, he who desires salvation must guard as the apple of his eye.

Moreover humility, which is the foundation of all the Gospel commandments, is as necessary for salvation as breathing is for life: just as it is impossible to live without breathing, so it is impossible to be saved without humility. The saints of God were saved in various ways, but without humility none of them were saved, and indeed it is impossible. Therefore, whoever wants to be saved must with all his heart consider himself a sinner before God, the most sinful of people, worse than any of God's creation, consider himself dust and ashes and in the secret of his heart reproach himself for everything, and blame only himself for every sin.

III. Fulfilling in this way in humility of heart all the commandments of the Gospel and the Church, often confessing and partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, praying to God with contrition of heart for the forgiveness of his sins, a person is granted the mercy of God and the forgiveness of sins, and the grace of God visits him and he is saved by the mercy of God without a doubt.

Thus, one can be saved in the world; God will accept us everywhere, if only we live rightly, according to the law of God. Black clothes will not save us, and white ones will not destroy us, if only our deeds are pleasing to the Lord God. So, if you are rich, then save yourself with prayer and alms, read the holy books more often and live as they command. If you are poor, then earn your own bread with your own hands, and feed your family from the labor of your hands. Beware of theft and every sin. Thank God for the very fact that you labor before God not for the sake of wealth, but out of your poverty, preserving yourself in purity and other virtues, and you will receive a double reward from God for this. After all, the Lord Himself said: "To whom much is given, from him much will be required." And your one loaf of bread, given to a poor man like you, God will perhaps value more than many sacrifices made by the rich. 

Remember, it will not be to monks that it will be said at the Last Judgment: "I was naked and you did not clothe Me, a stranger and you did not take Me in, sick and you did not visit Me." Monks are forbidden to leave the monastery without extreme necessity, even from their cells. And it will not be to hermits that the Lord will say: "I was in prison and you did not visit Me." This will be said by the Lord to those who live in the world. 

If someone speaks evil of you, do not allow an angry word to come out of your mouth. If someone offends you, do not grumble at him, do not contradict him. Pray to God for such a person, that he will make peace with you. 

Fast more with spiritual fasting than with physical fasting. 

Do not rejoice when your enemy is in misfortune. 

Do not grieve if you see your brother growing rich. 

Let the name of the Lord come out of your very heart every hour; whether you eat, drink, or do anything else, always say: "Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us!" Only do this in secret, so that no one notices. 

Fear that the evil one does not sow destructive conceit in your heart. If a thought says to you: "See, you have now pleased the Lord God," then remember your former sins. But if it reminds you of your many sins and suggests: "You have sinned greatly, there is no forgiveness for you," do not listen to it, but say: "My Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners." 

Live like this and you will be saved by the grace of Christ. 

 

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