August: Day 30: Teaching 5: Venerable Alexander of Svir

August: Day 30: Teaching 5:
Venerable Alexander of Svir
 
(Against Those Who Do Not Honor Their Parents)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we celebrate the memory of Saint Alexander of Svir. This great ascetic was born in a village in the Olonetsk province. From early childhood and adolescence he showed great piety, loved fasting and prayer, later avoided marriage, and with all his soul strove for the hermit's life. When he was 26 years old, the Saint went to the islands of Valaam and there took monastic vows. He spent 13 years in a monastery, following not his own will but being obedient to all, and constantly engaged in labor and prayer. Afterward, he received permission to live in solitude; and having arranged a small hut six versts from the Svir River, he lived there for seven years in complete isolation. Then, laborers began to gather around him. Initially, hermits lived in separate cells; but as the number of brothers increased, the Venerable One began to build a monastery with a stone church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. "Where shall we find the means?" the brothers said: "This undertaking is unreasonable." But the Venerable Alexander replied: "Indeed, we can do nothing if the Lord does not help; but He assists those who trust in Him." The church was constructed and consecrated in 1526 with the blessing of Archbishop Macarius.

The name of Saint Alexander became known far and wide; many came to him for guidance; they also brought gifts to the monastery. The monk, made wise by the Lord, instructed and consoled those who came, prayed with them, convinced them to turn to the Lord in all sorrows and to please Him with faith, mercy, and purity of life.

Here is one case of the foresight of the Venerable Alexander. When he consecrated the Church of the Holy Trinity, after the service the people gave him money and things. At that time the villager Gregory also wanted to give something of his own, but the Venerable One did not accept it. Two or three times Gregory tried to put his gift in the Venerable One's phelonion, but the latter pushed his hand away, and finally said: "I will not accept your gift; you beat your mother and thereby brought upon yourself the wrath of God." - "What should I do?" asked Gregory in contrition. "Go, ask forgiveness from your mother and do not dare to insult her in the future," answered Alexander.

II. So grave is the sin of disrespect for parents that even a sacrifice to the temple from such unfortunate children is not accepted by God.

Brethren! Let us turn to ourselves: Is it not this very ailment that afflicts our time? Are there many children today who maintain proper relations with their parents, love them, honor them, cherish their advice and teachings, and strive to earn their love and blessing? But let us inquire more deeply: how many parents remain who thank God for their children, who do not complain about them or weep over them? "Children regard us as nothing, call us outdated, find our advice strange and impractical, mock our reasoning, take offense at our remarks, do not ask but demand our blessing for their ventures, and sometimes even manage without it." Thus do parents lament about their children. And from this arise divisions in society, where professions are chosen without parental counsel, and marriages take place without their blessing in other classes. A mother or father who are in poverty – their children feel ashamed and are burdened by the obligation to take them in, as is proper given their kinship. A mother or father who are wealthy – children do not want to be indebted to them, submit to them, or utilize their means for living. Parents with weaknesses – their children slander and dishonor them both in their presence and behind their backs, showing them no respect. There are children who are not ashamed to entirely reject assistance to their poor parents, even placing them in a charitable institution when they could easily support them themselves. There are also those who reach such audacity that they raise their hands against their parents. But what is not seen, what cannot be observed or heard in these present times?

a) Do they not wish to honor their parents, are they not afraid to insult them?! But what could be worse, more unnatural than this? To disregard those who gave us life, who love us, who once cradled us, who deprived themselves of all comforts for our sake, who were ready to endure every hardship for us – what sin could be greater than this? You, who are indifferent to your elderly father and mother – remember what your father endured for you, what your mother suffered! The father toiled from early morning until late evening – for whom? To earn a living for you, who could not even think of yourselves yet. And the mother? Oh, who can recount her sleepless nights spent by your cradle? Who can quantify her sighs, her tears, her suffering during your illnesses and hardships, which are inevitable in childhood? And for whom has a parent's prayer been so fervent, so passionate? It has all been for you, for your health, for your happiness and well-being, for the salvation of your soul. And is it not this very parental prayer – warm and fervent – to which above all else you owe everything you have been rewarded with from God? And yet, you do not feel ashamed or afraid to leave such people, so close to you, so dear to you, so loving towards you, in neglect, carelessness, and oblivion?

But it will be said: not all parents are so caring towards their children; there are negligent ones, cold towards their children, there are despots who treat their children cruelly. What of that? If so, they should not be insulted, and such should be honored. Your virtue before God and man will be all the greater if you bestow love and respect even upon those whom you believe to be undeserving, as if they truly deserved it. Honor them for the sake of the Lord, for your own good and happiness, repay with love. For the good of others, to set a good example, honor all parents, whatever they may be. The Lord did not command in His decree: honor only the good father and mother, but simply said: "Honor your father and your mother;" therefore, honor them, regardless of whether they are good or bad. Do not follow their deeds or lives if they are not commendable, but respect and honor them as individuals.

b) All of us, of course, wish for our affairs to prosper, for our lives to be long, passing without sorrows and exceptional misfortunes and hardships. We all desire that God should be favorable to us, that His blessing may rest upon us. But how will this blessing rest on one who lacks parental blessing? Was Ham fortunate, who dared to laugh at his father? No, cursed by his father, he was also cursed by God; for his sin, all his descendants suffered. Certain parents brought their sick son to the Venerable Parthenios, Bishop of Lampsakos, asking him to pray for his healing. The Venerable One did not pray. "He has earned such a disease for his disrespect towards you, his parents," he said to them. "Let him suffer now." Here, the parents explained to him that he was indeed insulting them and that they prayed for him to receive punishment from God for this disrespect; however, they have now begun to feel pity for him. Only due to the persistent pleas of the parents did the blessed Parthenios finally heal him. Thus, one who does not honor their parents is an enemy, first and foremost, to themselves, to their own well-being, and to their own salvation. Rejected by God in this world, he will be rejected by God in the next; those who do not wish to honor their earthly father will not be worthy to praise or behold their Heavenly Father in the life to come. As a sign of this, in the days of the Old Testament, those who did not honor their parents were stoned.

III. Therefore, children, be afraid to offend your parents, rather honor them, comfort them with whatever and as best you can – do not shun them if they are simple and uneducated, do not be burdened by the sick and the old, but be patient, indulge those who are subject to weaknesses. Amen. 

 

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