Prologue in Sermons: April 2

Weapons Against Enemies

April 2

(A Word from the Leimonarion about robbers who took things from an elder.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

“Do not be overcome by evil,” says the Apostle, “but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). What do these words indicate? That fire is not extinguished with oil; that is, evil cannot be stopped or cut off by evil, and that the evil we suffer from our enemies and offenders can be stopped and overcome only by good.

What, then, are the means by which we overcome evil with good?

The first means is to do some good to your enemy. Once robbers came to an elder and said to him: “Whatever you have in your cell, we will take.” And they took everything, forgetting one sackcloth. The elder took this sackcloth, ran after them, and, handing it to them, said in turn: “My children, you forgot this also.” This act so touched the robbers that they returned to the elder everything they had taken, repented, and said: “Truly, this man is a man of God” (Prologue, April 2).

The second means is to humble oneself before the enemy. Two bishops quarreled with each other. One of them was rich, the other poor. The rich one sought an opportunity to harm the poor one. The poor bishop, learning of this, said to his clergy: “We shall conquer him.” The clergy answered: “Who can stand against him, master?” “Wait and you will see,” said the poor bishop. And so, when the rich bishop was walking surrounded by a multitude of people, the poor bishop fell at his feet with all his clergy and cried out: “Forgive us, master, we are your servants!” The other, struck by this, himself fell at the feet of the poor bishop and said: “You are my master and father!” And from that time there was great love between them (Leimonarion, ch. 208).

The third means is inward self-accusation before the enemy. A certain monk, having been offended by a brother, went to him to make peace, but the other did not receive him and did not open the door. The rejected monk then went to an experienced elder and told him about it. “Do you know,” said the elder, “why the brother who offended you did not wish to be reconciled with you? When you went to him to make peace, in your soul you justified yourself and inwardly accused him. I advise you to do this: although your brother sinned against you, establish in your soul the thought that you sinned against him, not he against you; accuse yourself and justify him.” The monk followed the elder’s advice, went to his brother — and what happened? He had not yet knocked on the door when the other immediately opened it and received him with outstretched arms (Prologue, Sept. 17).

The fourth means is gentle admonition of the enemy. There was in Alexandria a nobleman who, despite all the exhortations of Saint John the Merciful, did not wish even to hear of reconciliation with his enemy. Once the Saint invited him to his house church for the Divine Liturgy. The nobleman came. In the church there were no worshippers; the Patriarch himself was serving, and on the kliros there was only one chanter, whom the nobleman began to help in singing. When they began to sing the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father,” the Saint also began to sing it; but at the words, “Give us this day our daily bread,” Saint John suddenly fell silent himself and stopped the chanter, so that the nobleman alone sang the words: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Then the Saint said to him: “See, my son, at what a fearful moment and what you are saying to God: forgive me as I forgive! Are you telling the truth? Do you forgive?” These words so struck the nobleman that, in tears, he fell at the feet of the archpastor and cried out: “Whatever you command, master, your servant will do.” And he fulfilled it: that very day he was reconciled with his enemy and from his whole heart forgave him all offenses (Life of John the Merciful).

The fifth and final means is patience. A certain monk lived in a cenobitic monastery, and there five brethren loved him, while one offended him. The monk could not endure the insults and left, thinking to find peace in another monastery. There eight brethren loved him, but two hated him. He fled to a third. There seven loved him, but five hated him. What was he to do? “I will go somewhere else,” said the monk, “there it will be better for me.” And he set out for a fourth monastery. On the way there, once sitting down to rest, the monk began to reflect. “What will come of this,” he said to himself, “if I keep running from place to place? Then I will not find peace even in the whole world. I will rather endure.” And with these words he took a sheet and wrote: “I will endure everything for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!” Having tied this writing to his belt, he came to the new monastery and remained there. As in the previous ones, so it happened here: after a short time they again began to offend him. But he no longer despaired. As soon as he received an insult from anyone, he immediately read what he had written and at once calmed down. In the end, his patience completely triumphed. Those who offended him asked his forgiveness and ceased to offend him (Prologue, Feb. 15).

It seems that we have now given you enough means, brethren, for overcoming enemies — if you have any. What do these means show? What do they teach? They show and teach that evil, as we said at the beginning, is overcome not by evil, but by good — not by hatred, but by love. The Holy Fathers also teach the same, following the word of God. “If someone has an enemy,” says Saint Dimitri of Rostov, “who is angry and enraged against him without cause, and he loves that enemy and does good to him, he gradually transforms him from an enemy into a friend, from an angry man into a loving one” (Vol. 2, Homily on the 19th Sunday, p. 519). And Saint Ambrose says: “These are the weapons of the righteous — to yield in order to conquer, as skilled archers are accustomed, while retreating, to wound those pursuing them even more strongly” (ibid., p. 521).

There is nothing to add to this, for you yourselves know that the word of God teaches the same. It remains only to ask the Lord that He Himself, by His all-effective grace, would remove anger and malice from our hearts and dispose our hearts so that we may always live in peace with everyone and never have need of reconciliation. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.