The Lord Saves the Innocent From Slander and Punishes the Guilty
April 13
(A Word from the Paterikon about Daniel the Monk, how he raised a murdered man.)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
April 13
(A Word from the Paterikon about Daniel the Monk, how he raised a murdered man.)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
People who have plunged into the depths of evil, when committing some wicked deed with every precaution, often think that, while carrying out their crime, no one has seen them, and therefore they are free from all responsibility for their sin. But they are grievously mistaken. From the all-seeing and just Lord they will not escape; and He, in one way or another, will find them and punish them, while those who have suffered innocently because of them He will justify and will make their innocence known.
Once the Venerable Daniel, passing by a certain place, saw that several men had seized and were holding one of the monks. The elder approached the detained man and asked: “For what reason have you been seized, and what is the cause of your detention?” The monk answered that he was being accused of murdering a man, of which he was completely innocent and knew nothing. Then the Venerable one asked: “Where, then, is the slain man?” They showed him.
Then Daniel approached the dead man and said to all who were present: “Let us pray!” The Venerable one then raised his hands to heaven, and the dead man immediately came back to life. The abba said: “Answer — who killed you?”
The one who had been revived stood up and, before everyone, said: “Having entered the church, I entrusted a considerable amount of gold for safekeeping to one of its attendants; but he, having seized me, killed me, brought me to the monastery, and threw me there. But I beg you, take my gold from him and give it to my orphaned children!”
After this, the Venerable one said: “Now then, sleep until the Lord raises you on the last day.” There is nothing to add to this. The rest is clear of itself.
Therefore, unrepentant sinners, do not say: no one saw what I did, and therefore nothing will come to me for what I have done. Even if no man saw your evil deeds, God — the all-seeing and just — saw them, and He will require an account from you for everything. The Lord, says the word of God about such sinners, “will trouble them in His wrath, and fire shall devour them” (Ps. 20:10); “in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Rev. 9:6). “And there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:42). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
