December: Day 4: Teaching 4: Holy Great Martyr Barbara

December: Day 4: Teaching 4:
Holy Great Martyr Barbara
 
(Nature is the Great Book of God, Understandable Even to the Illiterate)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the feast of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara, who came to know the one true God from the study of nature and as a result rejected idols and accepted the Christian faith, for which she suffered as a martyr, it would be appropriate, my beloved brethren, to talk with you about how nature is truly a great book of God, understandable even to the illiterate, clearly and loudly speaking about God.

II. Indeed, nature, or the world of God, is a book — not written, but created by the Lord Himself, a living and vast book, a book always and everywhere open to all — a book that every rational person can read and learn goodness from. We see the sky, and in the sky the sun, the moon, the stars, clouds, and storm clouds; we see the earth, and on the earth the mountains, valleys, fields, meadows, cities and villages, rivers and lakes, grasses, trees, birds, beasts, livestock, and people; we hear thunder, storms, the sound of rain, the patter of hail, and so on – all of this together exists and is called by a single word: the world. The Holy Fathers very often refer to nature or the world as a book.

“Just as the author of a book,” teaches Saint Tikhon of Voronezh, “brings words forth from his mind, writes them on paper, and in this way composes a book, seemingly creating something out of nothing; so too did the Wise and Almighty Creator, who had in His Divine mind what He desired, create all things, and in a manner compose a book of two leaves, that is, heaven and earth, in which we see God's omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness” (Treasury of Spiritual Reading, Part 1, “The World”). 

“Every thing and all of God’s creations,” writes Saint Basil the Great, “are also like letters, through which we read Providence and the highest wisdom of the Creator.” 

Thus, the world is a book, and all things in the world are like writings, or letters and complete words, which can be arranged and read almost as they are read in written and printed books.

You ask: how should we read it? – I answer: by vision, hearing, and reasoning.

a) You "see," for example, "the sky," and in the sky there are many "stars;" you see "the earth," and on the earth there are many, many different things. Where did all this come from, and how did it come about? You will tell me simply: God knows where and how. Now you have already read the most important and greatest word, "God;" you have already understood that if there is heaven and earth, then it is clear that there is God.

b) "You see one heaven and one earth," you know that there is one sun in the sky, one sovereign in the state, one father among his children, and one master in the house. And only in that house is it good, in that place where there is order, arrangement, and harmony, where one rules the house; but where there are many masters, where the husband begins to rule in his own way, and the wife in hers, the father one way, and the children another – there will be no good. Each of you knows this: what can he learn from this? What word can he read about the Lord God? Such a word, that our Lord God is "One" God.

c) Let's go further: "When you look at a field covered with beautiful, thick, and ripening wheat or rye, you say: it did not grow by itself; someone sowed it and cultivated the field well." When you see a rich, superbly arranged garden, you again say: someone planted it. When you look at a house, you also think: the house did not grow by itself, but was built by a wise builder. In a word: no matter what you look at, you will find that it did not grow by itself, but that someone else made it. Look again at the sky, at the earth, at everything that I previously called the world. What house, or garden, or field can compare with this great world? Look and ask yourself: where did it come from? Just as a house doesn't grow by itself, but must be built by someone, so the world didn't come into being by itself, but was built, made, created by someone. By whom was it created? The simplest reasoning will tell you that it was created by God. And so you have read in God's great world, as in a book, that "God is the Creator of the world," the Maker of heaven and earth, "of all things visible and invisible," that is, the Creator of all that you see, and even more of all that you do not see; for you do not see everything that is in the world.

d) Continue to ponder, my friends. "Throw a stone into the air; it will not remain suspended in the air, but will fall and lie on the ground." We humans stand, walk, and lie on the ground, as do cattle and wild animals; cities, villages, trees, waters — everything is supported by the earth and on the earth. A bird may fly through the air, but not for long; it flies and flies, and then settles either on a tree, or on a roof, or on the ground. But what is the earth itself supported by? Nothing: "Who by Thy command hast suspended the earth on nothing," says one church hymn. How can such an immeasurable weight support itself? It cannot; you can easily guess that some great force is holding it. Whose force? You will not guess any force here other than the almighty force of God. God upholds all things, moves all things, governs all things through the laws of nature He wisely established, which obey His all-holy, all-wise, and all-powerful will at every moment. Thus, you have read in the book of the world one great word about God: that He is the "Almighty."

e) But what can we say about the earth? "Look at small things wisely, and they will all speak to you, like a book, about the Lord God Almighty." You see, for example, green grass, a beautiful flower - come up, admire it, and ask: who dressed it up, decorated it, adorned it? He will tell you: the Heavenly Father. You see birds flying in the air, walking on the ground; they themselves do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet they are always well-fed and content. Ask: who feeds them? The Heavenly Father, they will say. Perhaps you will think: the birds eat our peasant bread. But where did your bread come from, by whose will and command did it grow? When you throw seeds into the ground, do you know that they will certainly sprout, grow, and ripen? You don't know, but you only say as you sow: "Bring forth, O Lord, Heavenly Father!" And the Heavenly Father will bring forth when you ask Him, like a good and obedient son, and when it is His holy will, His Divine mercy. Don't we now see that God is not only the Creator and Almighty, but also the "Father"?

In truth, He is the "Father," all-merciful, all-good, and all-powerful. And firstly, He is the Father of His Only-begotten Son, the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Secondly, He is the Father of all that lives, grows, and feels, for He gives life to everything, preserves, nourishes, and clothes everything. Thirdly, He is the Father "Benefactor" of all people, not only the good, but also the bad, not only the faithful, but also the unfaithful; for He commands His sun to shine for the good and the evil, for the righteous and the unrighteous. Fourthly, He is especially the Father of the Orthodox world, of good and true Christians who attend His holy church, fulfill His holy commandments, and obey both Him and His Holy Church in everything. "Like children," teaches Saint Tikhon of Voronezh, "out of love they call their father 'father,' or 'little father,' so Christians out of love call God 'Father,' and cry out to Him: 'Abba Father' (Rom. 8:15; Galatians 4:6), - that is, as if like this: little father, our Father!"

Now you see, my dear brethren, that every man can read the great book of God; you see that although we have not studied or read much, yet how many words and truths have we read and learned — important, great, and holy! In the book of nature, or in the book of God's world, we have read the same as is read in ordinary books made of paper and ink; that is, we have read the beginning, or first article, of our holy Creed: "I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible." Likewise, in the same book one can read the first commandment of God: "I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt have no other gods before Me."

III. Consider, then, fellow Christians, everything as a word and teaching about the Lord our God. Read, I say, the great book of the world of God, or the book of nature, inscribed by God Himself about Himself; you see that it is not difficult to read! Let us conclude our conversation with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, Who guides us into all truth: “Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, Who is everywhere present and fill all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life! Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One!” 

 

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