Homily Two on the Repose of Saint Sergius,
Abbot of Radonezh, Wonderworker of All Russia
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
(Delivered in 1961)
Abbot of Radonezh, Wonderworker of All Russia
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
(Delivered in 1961)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
“He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3), the Lord tells us from the pages of the Holy Gospel.
Dear brothers and sisters, once again and again let us give thanks to our most merciful Lord Jesus Christ that, by His mercy, we have gathered together today in a solemn setting to prayerfully glorify the departure of the great servant of God, the intercessor for the Russian Land and its protector, the founder of the renowned Holy Trinity–Saint Sergius Lavra, its humble abbot, our Venerable and God-bearing Father Sergius.
The entire life and ascetic labors of Venerable Sergius are deeply edifying and instructive for every person who seeks eternal salvation and strives to please God. His whole life was filled with self-abasement, humility, ascetic struggles of love, and service to God and his neighbors. Having loved the Lord from his youth with all his soul, the meek and quiet young Bartholomew, after the death of his parents, withdrew into the dense and impenetrable wilderness, to the very place where we are now gathered, and here, in silence and solitude, devoting himself continually to prayer for the purification of his heart, he gave himself to the struggles of a severe life in the wilderness, enduring hunger, thirst, various fears and temptations that cannot even be enumerated. “Venerable Father, who can tell of your labors and sufferings? Or what tongue can speak of your harsh way of life, your vigils and dry eating, your lying upon the ground, the purity of your soul and body, your complete silence of lips and mind, your sincere humility, unceasing prayers, sound discernment, poor clothing, and remembrance of death?” Thus the Holy Church sings of the ascetic labors and struggles of Venerable Sergius.
Having become the abbot of the brotherhood that had gathered around him, Venerable Sergius, being meek and good-natured by nature, advanced here as well more and more in humility, for before him there always stood the image of our meek and humble Savior, whom he loved above all and to whom he had cleaved with all his heart. He firmly remembered Christ’s commandment: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). Constantly keeping these words of the Lord in his mind and heart, he strove with all the strength of his soul always to preserve a contrite and meek disposition, and therefore attained a truly unattainable and incomparable height of spirit and life.
His entire life was an unceasing struggle of humility and self-abasement. He strove to see his weaknesses and shortcomings, hiding from himself and from the world his ascetic labors, efforts, and virtues. Recall from his Life how, having become the abbot of the brotherhood that had gathered around him, Venerable Sergius was their cook, baker, tailor, carpenter, and whatever kind of laborer was needed, serving them as a purchased slave. And humility and self-abasement exalted, magnified, and glorified Venerable Sergius, raising him to the greatest moral height, so that not only do faithful people venerate the radiant image of the Wonderworker of Radonezh, but even people who have no connection with the Church honor him.
God glorified His servant with the gift of extraordinary purity of heart, profound peace of soul, discernment, wonderworking, and prayerful intercession. In Russian history, the name of Venerable Sergius is associated with memories of some of its most glorious and radiant pages—with the moral revival of the people and the liberation of our land from the grievous two-hundred-year Tatar-Mongol yoke. Through his moral influence and prayer, Venerable Sergius breathed into Russian society a sense of moral vigilance and spiritual strength; he raised the fallen spirit of his native people, awakening within them faith in their own strength and faith in their future. And through his blessing before the battle and through his prayers, our people, after two hundred years of foreign enslavement, received moral and civic freedom.
Under the wise guidance of the Venerable one, a monasticism of high moral character and humility was nurtured. His attention and love for people taught him quietly and gently to “tune” the soul of a person and to draw out from it, as from a good instrument, its finest qualities and feelings.
Venerable Sergius settled in the midst of a dense forest, in a place far removed from the paths of men, and despite this, the light of his good works spread everywhere; from there, too, the fragrance of his holy, God-pleasing life was heard. And so people streamed to him in the wilderness to tell him of their sorrows and griefs, to receive his counsel and instruction, to ask for his prayers, and to be healed of their illnesses. And the loving Venerable Sergius never left anyone who came to him in need and sorrow without consolation. He was accessible to everyone, and his humility, simplicity, and meekness drew human hearts to him, so that he became for the Russian people a loving father, a comforter, and a swift helper in times of sorrow. The Russian people loved him with all their soul, for he too was Russian—flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone. Even during the lifetime of Venerable Sergius, his name became known in every corner of our land, and there was no Orthodox family in which his name was not invoked in prayer. Thus God glorified His servant.
Venerable Sergius departed to the Lord. The Russian people mourned him, but they believed that the servant of God had not died, but had merely departed from earth to Heaven and would now remember them before the Throne of God. And indeed, Venerable Sergius became a fervent intercessor for the whole Russian Land, helping through his prayerful intercession during years of national trials and sorrows.
It is impossible to enumerate all the miraculous signs through which Venerable Sergius has manifested his grace-filled help to all who have called upon him in prayer with faith and humility. Therefore, from every corner of his vast realm, the Russian people have gone and continue to go to venerate their mighty intercessor and man of prayer at his holy monastery. Here, amid the unceasing miracles at the most glorious shrine containing his relics, the believing heart receives consolation and grace-filled help in its sorrows and the troubles of life.
Dear brothers and sisters, neither wisdom, nor holiness, nor authority and glory, nor sorrows—nothing shook the humility of Venerable Sergius or awakened pride in his soul. That humility raised him to the highest degree of moral perfection and, bringing him into the abode of the Heavenly Father, made him our intercessor, helper, and protector against visible and invisible enemies. To this day, he remains for those who have recourse to him in prayer the same loving father and comforter that he was for our ancestors who came to him with faith. Venerable Sergius lovingly looks upon those who have gathered in his monastery to honor his memory and is always ready to help and comfort us.
Believing that he has great boldness before God and that he loves us, let us pray to him with love and faith, that he may not leave us without his prayerful protection; that he may help us acquire the spirit of humility, meekness, and love—for we are weak and have no humility, we are irritable, wrathful, impatient, and proud—and that he may preserve his monastery for our consolation and moral growth, so that we may cross the stormy sea of this vain life and reach the quiet harbor of blessed eternity.
Let us all pray to him and, from the depths of our hearts, lovingly cry out to him:
“Rejoice, Sergius, our swift helper and most glorious wonderworker!” Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
