Prologue in Sermons: May 24

The Word of God Has a Powerful Effect Upon the Human Heart

May 24

(Repose of our Venerable Father Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereslavl.)
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The word of God has a powerful effect upon the human heart. In this we shall now try to convince you. 

 

Our Venerable Father Nikita, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates on May 24, was born and raised in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. From his youth he was not distinguished by piety. He was harsh, irritable, stirred up disturbances, brought many sorrows upon people, dragged them into lawsuits, and robbed them. And as he himself was, so also were his companions. Once, during Vespers, he entered a church. There he heard the following words of Scripture: “Wash yourselves and be clean; put away the evil from your souls,” and the rest. These words produced such an effect upon Nikita that he was seized with terror, and returning home, he spent the entire night sleepless, continually thinking about what he had heard. In the morning he remained in fear for a long time, and then, coming to himself, he sighed from the depths of his heart and said: “Woe is me! Greatly, greatly have I sinned!” And he went out from his house, praying and weeping. Then he came to one of the monasteries, fell at the abbot’s feet, and said: “Save a perishing soul!” The abbot gave him a penance, and for three days he stood at the monastery gates, weeping and confessing his sins to all who entered and departed. Afterwards he went completely naked into a swamp, sat among the reeds, and began praying to God. Gnats and mosquitoes swarmed about him in great clouds. When he returned to the monastery, it was impossible to recognize his body, so abundantly did blood flow from it. The abbot said to him: “My son, what have you done to yourself?” Nikita answered nothing else, but only kept saying to the abbot: “Father, save a perishing soul!” Afterwards he continued in constant prayer and fasting, spending days and nights without sleep. Then he made for himself a pillar near the church and dug a narrow passage beneath the church wall, by which he would come into the church for prayer. For such struggles he received from God the gift of working miracles. And many who were afflicted with various diseases came to him and received healing.

Such was the effect produced upon Nikita by the above-mentioned words of Isaiah: “Wash yourselves and be clean” (Isaiah 1:16). They made from a sinner a great ascetic and holy wonderworker. And such a powerful effect has the word of God had upon human hearts both in others before and now as well. Look in church at the multitude of people shedding tears. Who brings forth these tears in them? The word of God. Look at the sober-minded: how many of them, having through drunkenness fallen into poverty, turned to the Church for help and, after hearing church instruction, abandoned wine forever and became honest people! And how many hostile to one another has the word of God reconciled? How many seemingly incorrigible people has it turned away from sin and converted to virtue? How many vices has it destroyed? How many has it set upon the path of truth? Indeed, they cannot all be counted.

Therefore remember that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hasten to Him, and He will give you living water, and whoever drinks of it shall never thirst forever. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

 

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