March: Day 17: Teaching 2: Venerable Alexios the Man of God

March: Day 17: Teaching 2:
Venerable Alexios the Man of God
 
(Lessons From His Life: 
a. Contempt for Earthly Goods, and 
b. Love For Reading the Gospel)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. You, without doubt, listeners, know how the Venerable Alexios the Man of God lived and was saved. Being the son of rich and noble parents, in the flower of his youth he renounced all worldly joys and pleasures, even the most innocent and sinless; he voluntarily made himself poor, drank, ate, clothed himself as a beggar, lived and associated with beggars, and thus lived for more than 30 years, enduring from all people every kind of insult and offense, mockery and derision, and finding consolation only in the reading of the Holy Gospel.

II. To few people is granted by God the grace of such a life as his; and such people as he, one may say, appear only once in centuries, for our instruction. What can we learn from Alexios the Man of God?

a) Those among us who have the goods of this world, who have joys and pleasures, must not love them with all their heart nor cling to them with all their soul; that is, they must not occupy themselves only with them, rejoice in them, and take comfort in them.

It is dangerous to love the goods of the world in this way, to be so attached to them: then one may easily forget God and the life to come.

Why, indeed, did the Venerable Alexios the Man of God leave, abandon, and despise the goods of this world? Precisely in order not to become attached to them, and, having become attached, not to forget God and the life to come. With the goods of this world it is easy to forget God and the future life: then even to live without thought of God is not burdensome, then even this present life seems good, so that the rich do not even wish for a better one. Yes, some among us would wish to live forever in this life: so many joys and pleasures of every kind do they have!

b) But those among us who have no particular joys and pleasures in life, who by heavy labor obtain even what is most necessary for life, must not grieve, must not be crushed, must not fall into despondency because of this. We have God, all-good, all-wise, all-powerful; we have the future life awaiting us, life eternal, blessed: this is what they must remember. What comforted, what gladdened Alexios the Man of God, despite the fact that he had no earthly joys, lived with beggars, wore rags, and fed on the most meager food? The thought of God, of the life to come. Yes, God is joy, God is that which gladdens, God is joy itself. And therefore, at the thought of God, in rejoicing in Him, all other joys are forgotten, and none are needed — no other, human nor even angelic ones; and not only joys are forgotten, but everything — even all sufferings are forgotten, are not felt, and do not hinder rejoicing in God. Those who rejoice in God say with the Apostle: “Who shall separate us from the love of God,” that is, from rejoicing in God? “Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution; or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers… nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

c) The life of Venerable Alexios the Man of God teaches us truly to love the reading of the Holy Gospel and to find consolation in it.

We marvel at the venerable ascetics of the New Testament: how is it that they renounced all worldly joys and comforts, spent days and nights in fasting and prayer, gave no rest to their flesh, mortified and crucified it with its passions and desires? The teaching of the Gospel gladdened them, comforted them, gave them peace; it replaced for them all worldly joys, comforts, and consolations.

Therefore, listeners, this is the book which you should read as often as possible: the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The reading of any good, well-intentioned, and pious book brings us peace: when reading such a book, it is as if you are listening to and conversing with a good, intelligent, and reasonable person. But no reading brings us peace as does the reading of the Gospel. Reading or listening to this book, you truly listen to Jesus Christ Himself, because truly His Spirit is in it.

On the book of the Gospel one might write thus: "Come to this book, take it, read it with attention; and you will find peace — you will find peace because its teaching is the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, when He taught, desired only that by His teaching all might find peace."

III. Therefore, do not grieve, do not be distressed if you do not have earthly joys, if in life you often lack much, if sometimes even what is necessary is lacking — do not grieve. For you will not grieve or be distressed about anything; on the contrary, you will be joyful and at peace: only remember that there is God, that there is a future eternally blessed life. Remember this, and your soul will rejoice, and no joys will be needed by you, for with you will be joy itself — God. Amen.

(Extracted in abbreviated form from the homilies of Archpriest R. Putyatin.)

 

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