Homily at Holy Transfiguration Monastery By St. Philaret of New York Beloved brethren! Among the mortal sins by which people sin, there is the mortal sin of envy. Thus, when I visit you, I always sin by means of this mortal sin. Because when I look at your Brotherhood and how you peacefully labor, struggle, and pray here, I, the sinner, become envious. Because now we have to go round the worldly circuit, and now this is worse than it has ever been. Once St. Ephraim the Syrian asked a monk who liked to go into the world: “What are you doing, monk, going round the world all the time? Do you not fear the ‘iniquity and gainsaying in the city’” (Ps. 54:9)? It has always been difficult for monks in the world. True, today it is difficult in the world not only for monks, but for all truly believing Orthodox people. The Holy Hierarch Ignatius Brianchaninov, that great instructor of Christian life, said that it is difficult for one to save oneself in the world. And now it has become ten times more difficult. And it is not just the case that there are too many sins and too much sinful impurity of all sorts – not just this, but that today many spiritual counterfeits have appeared. Someone who is looking for the truth in our times sometimes gets completely lost, coming up against the most varied of doctrines, each one of which declaring that it is true. It makes one dizzy; one does not know where True Christianity and the True Church are. What I have said does not mean that one should despair or become discouraged. One simply needs to remember that our times are difficult times, pre-apocalyptic times. And if we see that all manner of false doctrines are overflowing to such an extent that they seem ready to submerge the truth, we should always call to mind the Saviour’s words: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32). In these difficult times of ours, the small number of true believers should not confuse them: thus did the Lord Himself foretell, thus did His Apostles speak. Happy is he who is able to work out his salvation under the shadow of the monastery. Of course, the surrounding environment can sometimes try to break into the monastery itself. But if the brethren diligently fulfill their podvig, it will not find much food. From my whole soul I wish you, beloved brethren, spiritual success and spiritual prosperity. And I ask your prayers for me, the sinner, and for the entire Church, because now is a time that we can equip ourselves only by prayers. And you know from the history of the Church that the Apostles themselves always asked the faithful: “Pray for us!” If the Apostles, those spiritual warriors, asked for prayers, then all the more should we, who are infirm and weak. Pray for us, brethren, that the Lord might help us to do something in our difficult times. May God’s blessing be with you all! May the Lord save you!
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 15:08:42 +0000
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