Homily Three for the Entrance of the Theotokos (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Entrance of the Theotokos 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"Long ago the prophetic order was foretold… 
Let us faithfully praise Mary, the God-bearer in her infancy; 
for today she is brought into the Holy of Holies 
to be dedicated to the Lord" (Oikos at Matins)

We celebrate today, brethren, the solemn commemoration of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. What does this entry mean, why was it performed, and by whom? The holy and righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Most Holy Virgin, having been childless for a long time, prayed to God to grant them a child, and if God granted, they promised to dedicate the child to God for life and service in the Temple. God heeded their prayer and granted them a daughter, Mary. Until the age of three, the infant lived in her parents' home, and at the age of four, they brought her from the city of Nazareth to the city of Jerusalem, to Solomon's Temple. Here, the High Priest Zechariah received her, leading her into the Holy of Holies of the Temple, where only the High Priest could enter once a year. From that time on, the Most Holy Virgin, until her coming of age, lived at the Temple along with other virgins dedicated to the service of God, learning to read the Holy Scriptures, writing and needlework, and having free access to the Holy of Holies for prayer, to which she devoted most of her time, and here she often received food from the Archangel Gabriel. Thus, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was brought into the Temple to be nurtured by the Lord.

But each of us, brethren, has a duty, beyond the duties of our calling, to be educated and to educate our children, even while we are educated in this world, for the Lord. The necessity of this education for heaven, for the Lord, is obvious to everyone, since the Creator created us for another life in the age to come, which will have no end, completely distinct from this present, temporal life. "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

Military skill, trade, industry, agriculture, earthly sciences and arts, earthly affairs — they are necessary only on earth, and, like all earthly things, they will pass away and end, just as heaven and earth pass away (Luke 21:33). But since our unearthly, eternal soul is too preoccupied with earthly and impermanent things due to the deep-rooted corruption of sin, forgetting the constant, eternal heavenly homeland, we must strive in every way to prevent it from becoming completely carried away by worldly cares, worries, affairs, and the temporary sweetness of sin, and from forgetting the other life. We must, with God's help, direct it heavenward in every way, acquainting it early with the light and needs of that world, educating it in heavenly ways, forcing it to breathe, so to speak, heavenly air in advance. This is what education for heaven, for the Lord, means. In order for heaven to accept us in time, it is necessary for each of us here on earth to imbue our souls with something akin to heaven, otherwise there will be no place for us in heaven. The Most Holy Virgin was brought into the Temple and left there for a certain time precisely to establish her kinship with heaven, for the Temple is the best place for this. The Heavenly King received her and dwelt in her womb precisely because she had been prepared for His reception by spiritual upbringing, because her natural, good dispositions and inclinations had fully developed and strengthened here, so that she became akin in spirit to the pure inhabitants of heaven, having been pre-purified by the Holy Spirit. In heaven there can be only that which is akin to heaven. "The wicked shall not dwell with God, neither shall the wicked dwell in His sight" (Psalm 5:5-6).

What exactly is required in the spiritual education of each of us for heaven? First of all, it is necessary to train the mind to turn more often to heaven, to God, to the eternity prepared for us and awaiting us. For a layperson, this is not an entirely easy task, especially if he lives in constant concerns about worldly matters, or in comfort and well-being; because the mind, having become accustomed to engaging in something with love, turns to it most easily, it is necessary, therefore, to attend the house of God more frequently, to read the Holy Scriptures, and also to converse with those experienced in spiritual life. The Holy Church is the best educator of a Christian; the generously-gifting Lord has placed in it all the means for our spiritual education; all the divine powers, which are given for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), are provided to us in it.

But we must also reflect from time to time that everything earthly is too fickle and passes too quickly, leaving only emptiness in the heart of a person devoted to the world; that our soul is eternal and must be cared for. It seems to us that this life is rather long, and many think it is given for pleasure and therefore seize pleasures, rushing to have fun before time passes, neglecting the eternal, heavenly needs of the soul without any respect or care. How much error there is in this! This life seems rather long because of our limitations, our blindness, our shortsightedness; experienced people say that our earthly life is nothing more than a vapor, which no sooner appears than it vanishes. "What is your life," asks the Apostle James, "for it is a vapor which appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). And all people who have lived to a ripe old age usually say that their entire past life is like a passing dream. If our soul is eternal, and everything earthly quickly passes without satisfying it, then it is easy for anyone to conclude that this present life was not given for pleasures, which are nothing more than the bait of a sinful world, like a snare in which cruel, bodiless hunters ensnare our souls. Although one cannot reject innocent pleasures, which, however, have their time and measure. This present life is given to us for the development of our spiritual powers in harmonious harmony.

Secondly, one must acquire a pure, contrite, humble, and simple heart; one that is soft and tender, easily aware of the poison of every sin, one that is pained by everything contrary to the most holy Lord, and through its pain draws tears that cleanse the heart's impurities. One must accustom it to sincerity and genuine love for all people, and, in particular, to compassionate love for the poor and unfortunate. God will never despise a contrite and humble heart (Psalm 51:18), and the pure in heart will see God in the future life, and even in this life, only the pure in heart are capable of sincerely loving God and their neighbors. Simplicity and sincerity of heart are pleasing to God. The Holy Apostles were chosen not from among the wise and prudent men of this age, for they are for the most part very complex, but from among infants — that is, from among men who, in their understanding, simplicity, and innocence, are like infants (Matthew 11:25). Earthly wisdom is sometimes ashamed of the simplicity of the Gospel; but this simplicity is precisely the wisdom that all men must learn if they value eternal salvation. Yes, from the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles we all need to learn simplicity and sincerity, purity and love. "Unless you turn and become as children," says the Savior, "you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

Finally, thirdly, one must acquire a love for virtue or for holy living. There is much evil in the world, and it has been entirely in wickedness (1 John 5:19) since the time of the first sin; therefore, people, by nature evil and wicked, inclined to sin, must take care to avoid opportunities to sin and seek opportunities to do good. And the opportunity to do a good deed is presented to everyone, in every calling. Every calling from God and the conscientious fulfillment of its obligations is already a good deed, although one can find an opportunity to do many other good deeds. Good deeds are necessary for us for the future life. The Lord God has such a law that all people, like plants, which are innately capable of producing fruit and thereby being useful to living creatures, must also certainly bear the fruits of good deeds. Otherwise, He threatens us with cutting, as in the parable of the gardener who wanted to cut down the barren fig tree, or with binding into sheaves destined for burning. The world is God's threshing floor. On this floor there is wheat and tares, that is, virtuous people, pleasing to God and useful to others; and wicked people, inept at any good deed, contrary to God, and sometimes of little or no use to others. But God's word is true: only the wheat will be gathered into the heavenly barn, that is, into the Kingdom of Heaven, while the chaff, or worthless grass, will be burned with unquenchable fire, or the fire of eternal torment (Matthew 3:12).

Therefore, brethren, in the worldly affairs of our calling, let us be educated for heaven, just as we will give spiritual education or direction to our children, in their worldly education.

Most Holy Theotokos! Help us in this important matter and strengthen us continually in our intention and in our labors of raising ourselves for the Lord, for eternity. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.