Prologue in Sermons: January 9

For Those Who Love the Monastic Life

January 9

(Commemoration of our Holy Father Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the Wonderworker)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are many who desire to become monks, but unfortunately, few among them understand what true monasticism should consist of and know how to prepare themselves for it. Such people, for example, fall into the following error regarding monasticism: they think that life as a monk is easy and pleasant, and that in monasteries one only needs to pray to God and do nothing else. And this error alone leads them to the saddest of things. Having entered a monastery, with their idea of doing nothing there, they become the most pitiful monks and serve only as a mockery and a stumbling block to both the monks living with them and laypeople alike. Is this good? As you can see, it is very bad. What is to be done? Yes, we will do this: we will point out to everyone who desires monasticism, but does not understand its essence, for the first time at least one example of how true servants of God prepared for monasticism and how they behaved after accepting it.

Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, was the son of a nobleman and in his youth was given into the service of the Tsar. In his thirtieth year, one day, while he was in church, he was deeply impressed by the words of the Savior: "No man can serve two masters." Soon the thought of becoming a monk came to him. This thought grew stronger over time, and he finally decided to put it into action. How did he begin? First, he traveled to the holy places and there fervently prayed to the Lord and His saints to be his helpers in his new life. Then, to better accustom himself to the labors he would encounter in a monastery, Saint Philip settled with a villager in the Novgorod region and hired himself out as a herdsman. After living there for a considerable time, he went to his beloved Solovetsky Monastery and there finally began to prepare himself for monasticism. How? "He chopped wood," says the chronicler of his life, "and dug earth in the fence, and carried stones, and sometimes even carried manure on his back, and did other difficult deeds. And when he was humiliated and beaten by the foolish, he was not angry, but joyfully endured it all, and with humility, no one knew who or where he was." Having spent quite some time in this struggle, Saint Philip began to ask the abbot for his tonsure, and the abbot granted his wish. Here a new life began for Saint Philip, and he spent it thus: "He was sent to the kitchen by the abbot, and there he worked silently for the brethren, kindling a fire and chopping wood." Having spent many days in this service, he departed from there to the oven: "He became lazy in this service, but also dragged firewood on his frame and carried water." Having labored thus long, the novice monk, in order to more easily learn prayer and contemplation, withdrew into the desert for a time, and then returned to the monastery. There, as the best of the monks, Saint Philip was made assistant to the abbot, and then, nine years later, was appointed abbot.

This is how true servants of God prepared for monasticism and conducted themselves after accepting it! Their example clearly demonstrates to frivolous lovers of the monastic life that monastic life is not a life of idleness, but a life of toil, filled with all manner of temptations, hardships, and sorrows along the way! Let lovers of monasticism understand all this and, instead of their foolish notions about monastic life, prepare themselves for it, not only through prayer, but also through labor, humility, and obedience. This will be for them the best and holiest work. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.