How Can We Be Saved?

Archpriest Gregory Dyachenko (+1903)

 

 

Many people sometimes say: “How can we be saved? We are worldly people, sinners; all our lives we bustle about and sin: cares and concerns have overwhelmed us.” It is sad, brethren, to hear such words from an Orthodox Christian. Pagans who lived before the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, who did not know His teaching, had not been baptized into the Orthodox faith, and had not partaken of the Holy Mysteries, might have spoken in this way. But we, the beloved children of Christ, ought neither to think nor to speak thus, for the path to salvation has been shown to us. It is spoken of, for example, in the Gospel that you heard today during the Liturgy. Let us read it once more and reflect upon what we have read:

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I also will confess before My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me before men, him I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32–33).

Do you hear? The Lord requires of the one who seeks salvation that he be His confessor before men. But what does this mean? To understand this, listen to how the Holy Apostle Paul speaks of the same thing: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Rom. 10:9). This, first of all, is what it means to be a confessor of Christ: not only to believe in Him in your soul, but also openly to declare with your lips that you believe in Him; not to conceal your faith from others, not to be ashamed of it, but boldly and openly to show yourself to be a Christian. We speak plainly and fearlessly that our earthly fatherland is Orthodox Russia. In the same plain and fearless manner, confess that you believe also in another Fatherland—the Heavenly One—and that you walk under the protection of the Lord who is in heaven. Yet this alone is not enough to be a true confessor of Jesus Christ. He Himself said elsewhere: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Therefore verbal confession alone is not enough for the Lord—He also expects from us confession in deed, so that all our actions may accord with His will, and so that we may likewise openly and boldly show ourselves everywhere and always to be Christians by our deeds. Judge for yourselves: if one of you had a son who praised his father with words but offended him by his actions, would not his father say to him, “My son, your affectionate words are not enough for me; prove by your deeds that you love me”? So too we say: “We are an Orthodox people; we are not Jews or Tatars,” but we must demonstrate by our deeds that we are an Orthodox people, enlightened by the light of Christ’s gospel. A living example for us in this regard is the holy confessors of Christ. They lived long ago, in those centuries when the Church of Christ was still persecuted by pagan emperors. These pagan emperors searched everywhere for Christians and brought them before their tribunals. “Who are you?” they asked the Christian. “What is your name?” “I am a Christian,” the holy champion of the faith of Christ courageously replied, and fearlessly went to the most cruel tortures and to death itself for his Orthodox faith. This is what it means to be a confessor of Christ.

“I also will confess him before My Father who is in heaven.” Such is the reward that the Lord promises to His confessors. He Himself will bear witness before His Heavenly Father to the love of His confessors for Him. For love He promises love; for our earthly confession, His heavenly confession. If in earthly life you sometimes say, “You may ask anyone about me; everyone will tell you that I am an honest man”; if a servant proudly displays a written commendation given to him by his master, should we not all the more seek and desire heavenly testimony concerning ourselves—the testimony of Jesus Christ regarding our virtues before His Father who is in heaven? And if we believe human promises, can we doubt the promise of the Lord? “Where I am,” He said, “there My servant will be also” (cf. John 14:3); “I go to prepare a place for you” (cf. John 14:2). That is why we should never lose heart if good is repaid with evil, truth with falsehood, or love with malice. Only remember always that we have in heaven a true Witness of our good, who sees everything and hears everything, and who has prepared blessed dwellings for those who love Him. The holy martyrs who shed their blood in His name placed their hope in Him, and He wondrously helped them during their sufferings. Recall the sufferings of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon. He was thrown to wild beasts, but they fell at his feet; he was cast into the sea, yet he walked upon it as upon dry land. The Holy Martyr Boniface had molten tin poured down his throat by his tormentors, yet he remained unharmed; he was thrown into a cauldron of boiling pitch, yet he emerged from it safe and sound. Thus even on earth the Lord glorifies His confessors. What joy, then, awaits them in the Kingdom of Heaven!

But just as one may confess the Lord by word and deed, so one may deny Him by word and deed. If a man does not live according to the commandments; if foul language never leaves his lips; if he indulges excessively in wine; if he sows discord within his family; if he drives the poor away from his windows; if he oppresses orphans—then all such people deny Christ, and He will deny them before His Heavenly Father. But consider what could be more grievous than this. If it is bitter for a man, even a criminal, when all people reject him and send him away in chains to Siberia and beyond, how much more bitter will it be for us when the Lord Jesus Christ renounces us? What shall we feel when we hear His terrible voice: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire” (Matt. 25:41)? We shall stand before the Lord and Judge, tormented by conscience, with all the evil we have done set before our eyes, down to the smallest detail. A fire caused by arson will reveal who the arsonist was; a theft in a church will reveal the thief; if someone accepted a false oath for money, to the ruin of an innocent person, that too will be revealed. Every evil deed will be exposed before the whole world to our shame. Then the gates of Paradise will be closed to us, and the torments of hell will receive us. Let us therefore strive to amend our lives while the sentence has not yet been pronounced and the eternal gates have not yet been closed behind us.

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37).

Here is yet another commandment that the Lord gives. For us He must be dearer than what is dearest to our hearts: children, wives, and parents. Love Him more than you love your family; think of Him more than of your family; submit to His laws more than you submit to the feelings of parental and family affection. Listen to how holy people fulfilled this commandment.

You have probably heard that the relics of Saint Theodosius the Abbot repose in the Kiev Lavra. When this Saint was still a youth, he already loved God more than anything in the world. His mother loved him dearly, made beautiful clothes for him, and tried to feed him the finest foods. But, to his mother's sorrow, he gave his clothes to the poor, fasted, and wore chains. In vain she urged him to associate and play with children his own age—he knew only the road to the church. Several times, to his mother's alarm, he disappeared from home, departing with pilgrims for monasteries. But his mother would find him and bring him back. At last he received the monastic tonsure in the Kiev Caves Monastery. There too his mother found him and long implored him to return home, but the Saint refused even to see her, having loved Christ more than her.

You may think: “But a saint could overcome himself in this way; how can we possibly stand as firmly?” Yet the saints were people just like us. They had the same weak bodies, endured greater temptations from Satan than we do, and at times even fell into sins, just as we sinners do. For example, the Venerable Erasmus, another Saint of God from Kiev, had formerly been a merchant. Later he entered a monastery and devoted all his wealth to the adornment of the monastery church. But the devil began to suggest to him that he had wasted his riches to no purpose, that it would have been better to distribute them to the poor. Erasmus fell into despondency and even became seriously ill. But the Lord had mercy on him: in a dream the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius appeared to him, together with the Most Holy Theotokos, and assured him that he had not used his wealth in vain, but for the benefit of his soul. So you see that the saints also fell, just as we do; only they wept over their sins and did not remain indifferent as we do. And God, seeing their sorrow and repentance, manifested His power in them. Therefore we should not say: “Those were holy people; we can never attain to them.” Such despondency is inspired by the devil. No, with God's help we too can accomplish much.

Do not allow your heart to grow cold. Struggle against the temptations of the devil, call upon the Lord for help, cleanse yourself more often from sins through confession, and nourish your soul with the Body and Blood of Christ—and then you will become an imitator of the saints.

The Venerable Theodosius placed his love for Christ above his love for his mother. In our own lives there are often occasions when we too should follow his example. Let me point out first an ordinary situation that may seem hardly worth mentioning. Your children, while playing outside, quarrel with the children of your neighbor. Has it never happened that you, as a father, or you, as a mother, without first looking into the matter, immediately rush upon the neighbor's children, scold them in anger, and perhaps even rebuke their parents: “Just look at the rascals they are raising,” and so forth? What can come of this? A quarrel between you, the parents. But if you wish to act as a Christian, then calmly reconcile the children, examine their dispute, and if your own children are at fault, instruct them, require them to ask forgiveness from those they have wronged, and correct them. This will not be a humiliation either for you or for them; it will simply be justice, the fulfillment of God's law, and in accordance with Christ's commandment you will have preferred love for Him above love for your children. Perhaps you think this is a small matter, unworthy of attention, but consider that always indulging children means corrupting them; secondly, disputes such as these often give rise to quarrels among parents; and thirdly, it is from such small things that our entire life is formed.

I think you have seen how beads are strung on a thread: one small bead after another is threaded onto it, and in the end a large necklace is formed. So it is with our lives: day after day passes through countless little incidents, and blessed is the one who watches over his soul in all these small things.

Yet there are also not infrequently more serious situations in which love for God must be placed above family affection. Your father, your brother, or another close relative has fallen, through human weakness, into wrongdoing and asks you to testify that he is innocent; or he is selling some object to an inexperienced person and asks you to praise it; and how many similar situations arise in life! Do not become accomplices of sin and deceit. Remember that the Son of God loved us to such an extent that He did not spare Himself for our salvation; and therefore He requires from us a love that is whole and undivided—with all our soul and with all our mind.

“And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38).

To be a confessor of Christ means to show oneself everywhere by word and deed to be a keeper of His law; it means to love Him above everything in the world. But this is often difficult and painful. These very sorrows, which are always inseparable from a virtuous life, are what the Lord compares to the cross that a man bears upon himself. In the time of Jesus Christ, criminals were crucified upon crosses. Christ Himself was crucified among criminals. The cross was then an instrument of shame, and carrying it was both humiliating and burdensome, since crosses were made very heavy. For the follower of Jesus Christ, it is necessary to overcome love of self; sometimes even love for family, parents, and children. It is not uncommon for a Christian to incur the hostility of neighbors or even of an entire community; or to forgo an obvious advantage, even great wealth that could easily have been acquired by dishonest means. Mockery, reproaches, persecutions—all these must be endured. One must carry upon his shoulders this sorrowful cross in order to remain a confessor of Christ.

But as the Teacher is, so also should His disciples be. Jesus Christ, though guilty of no sin, endured for our sake spitting, beatings, blows, and crucifixion upon the Cross. We, His followers, must likewise courageously endure temporal afflictions for His name's sake. “Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). But will we have the strength to bear these sorrows? you may ask. Brothers, the Lord sends every trial according to our strength, for He is longsuffering and abundant in mercy. He does not desire that the affliction He sends should crush a person’s strength as a hammer shatters glass, but rather that, by enduring sorrows, a person may grow stronger in love for God, just as iron is strengthened when it is forged. And by overcoming temptations and courageously bearing afflictions, we shall find them increasingly light, thus proving true in ourselves the words of the Lord: “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). Remember the story of the righteous Job. At first the Lord struck him by taking away part of his possessions: raiders carried off his oxen and donkeys. Job endured this loss courageously. Then further losses followed: his sheep and camels perished, and Job endured this as well. Then his children died, yet even then Job did not murmur against God. Finally, a terrible disease afflicted his body, and at the same time his companion in life, his wife, lost heart, leaving him alone in his struggle with grief. Yet Job remained steadfast in his love for God. The same happens in our lives. Misfortune may come upon a person: a fire, a failed harvest, theft, or some other calamity. But do not lose heart—this is the hand of God. God sees that you are able to bear all these things; otherwise the righteous Lord would not have tested you in this way, but would have sent a trial suited to your strength.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:27–28).

Up to this point we have spoken about what the Lord requires of us; now He points to the reward we shall receive if we are His confessors. It was the Apostle Peter who asked Him about this reward, and therefore the Lord first speaks of the reward of the apostles. He promises them great glory and honor: when He comes to judge the world, they too will judge the universe together with Him. Great is the reward, but great also were the labors borne by the holy apostles! When the Lord called them, He promised them no earthly joy—neither wealth, nor human honor, nor rest—but rather labor, afflictions, persecutions, sufferings, and death. “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33), He told them; “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). “The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2). Yet the apostles were not afraid of the world. They left everything behind, because they loved Christ more than their wives and children. They followed Him and courageously endured every sorrow and persecution for His name's sake. As with them, so with us: a great reward awaits us in heaven if we walk in their footsteps. Listen to what the Lord says next.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29).

Perhaps you may think that, according to these words of the Lord, one can be saved only by entering a monastery and renouncing everything—family, possessions, acquaintances, and the like. But this is not how we should understand them. The path to the Kingdom of Heaven is one, yet each person walks it in his own way. These words of the Lord can be fulfilled while living in the world, within a family, and possessing property. Each of us undertakes only the work that he is capable of performing. So it is in the spiritual life: take upon yourself only those labors and vows that are within your strength. The Lord Himself teaches this: “Not all can receive this saying, but only those to whom it has been given... He who is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matt. 19:12). That is, whoever recognizes himself to be strong enough in spirit to bear all the labors of the celibate life may take such a vow upon himself; but from one who is unable to do so, it will not be required. Live in the world, live in a family, acquire possessions—but do not imitate those people who forget God because of these things. There are people who know neither fasts nor feast days; there are those who, when the church bell rings for the Divine Liturgy, set out for work instead. But you must place God's law above everything else. Do not concern yourself with excessive gain—the Lord feeds even the birds. Love God, as we have already said, more than wife and children. Visit God's house more frequently, read the Holy Gospel more often, do not begrudge alms to the poor. By purifying your soul through repentance and nourishing it with the Body and Blood of Christ, you will fulfill the Lord's words by preferring love for Him above love for the world.

One can be saved everywhere, and one can perish everywhere. David was saved while seated upon a royal throne; Judas was an apostle, and he perished. The Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer and the Martyr John the Soldier were soldiers; Saints Vladimir, Boris, and Gleb were princes; the Righteous Philaret the Merciful was a farmer—all of them were laypeople, and they were saved. Saint Macarius of Egypt was a great desert ascetic and a saint of God, yet once the Lord revealed to him that two women living in the world surpassed him in virtue. Macarius went to them in order to learn from them. Having found them, he asked what good works they performed that had so pleased God. They answered that they were sisters-in-law who had desired to enter a monastery, but their husbands would not allow it; therefore they had resolved to serve their husbands until death, and they never quarreled or engaged in idle talk. Thus, even while living in the world, one can become a great ascetic.

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matt. 19:30).

We shall receive a hundredfold in heaven for what we endure on earth, and this reward will be given without distinction to all who fulfill the law of Christ. On earth there are rich and poor, noble and common, educated and uneducated. But beyond the grave there are only the righteous and sinners. There the rich man, to whom everyone flattered on earth, goes to hell, while the beggar despised on earth rejoices in the Kingdom of Heaven. Truly, we shall take nothing there with us except the good and evil we have done.

This is the path that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. Be everywhere and always a Christian not merely in name but in deed, and you will be saved. The true Christian loves God above all things in the world and gladly bears the Cross of Christ. Rank does not save; only a virtuous life saves, and such a life will be rewarded a hundredfold in heaven for all the righteous without distinction. May God grant that the doors of His glorious Kingdom may not be shut against us.

Parental Love for Their Children Through Love for God

“He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37). Parental love for children often, without any intention on the part of father and mother and unnoticed even by themselves, loses its Christian character. While exercising the rights of lawful love for their children, it can at the same time become hostility toward God and His holy law, making Christian parents with such feelings toward their children unworthy and deceitful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. To love a son merely out of natural affection, without paying attention to who is growing up and maturing under the shelter of parental love—whether an honorable man or a libertine, a faithful servant of his country or a rebellious agitator and enemy of all order, a true Christian or a man without faith and good convictions, a defender of the gospel and truth or a betrayer of the faith and a traitor to the truth—is such love worthy of a Christian father? Is it the kind of love that the duty of a Christian father and the clear law of the gospel require of him? No. This is to love only the flesh and blood of one's son, while failing to love his soul and rational life. It is an animal love, not a human one, and still less a Christian love, which acts according to the spirit of Christ's love and the law of the gospel. Such love is contrary to love for the Lord and to the demands of His holy law; such love is enmity against God. Amid examples of this kind of paternal affection, it is refreshing, for its rebuke and correction, to encounter in the history of the ancient Christians examples of true parental love—parents who selflessly sacrificed every natural attachment to their children for the sake of love for the Lord and His holy faith whenever the former became sinful in relation to the obligations of the latter.

Here is one such example. The apostasy of the Roman Emperor Julian found many followers among Christians who were weak in faith and fainthearted. One such follower of the apostate was a young man, the son of a noble citizen of the city of Beroea, a high-ranking state official who was pious and devoted to the Christian faith. When the son revealed to him his unbelief and his fall, the pious father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, spared neither his son's honor nor his name nor even his own affection for him: he deprived him of all rights of inheritance and publicly disowned him.

The ambitious young man went to the apostate emperor seeking his protection, defense against his father, and rewards and honors for renouncing Christianity in order to please the emperor, an enemy and persecutor of the name of Christ. Julian, who dreamed of converting the whole world back to the ancient pagan idolatry that was then in decline, was greatly pleased by every example of apostasy and spared no rewards or favors to increase the number of people like himself. He welcomed the young man, reassured him, and promised through his own mediation to restore his father's favor and his inheritance rights.

Upon arriving in Beroea, Julian invited many of the city's distinguished citizens to dine with him, including the pious father and his apostate son. During the meal Julian addressed the father of the rejected son with these words: “It seems to me unjust to use force against people who think differently and to compel someone against his will to adopt another's opinions. Therefore, do not force your son to follow your teaching when he does not wish to do so. After all, I do not compel you to follow mine, though it would be very easy for me to do so!” “Are you speaking, O Emperor, about that lawless man who preferred falsehood to truth?” the pious father replied, filled with indignation against his apostate son.

There was such unconquerable zeal in the Christian father's defense of the holy faith of Christ, and at the same time such fearless indignation at his son's apostasy, even though the son stood under the protection of the emperor himself, that the traitor to faith and conscience could find no boldness within himself to defend falsehood against truth. Realizing his own helplessness before the holy zeal of Christianity's defender, Julian assumed an appearance of feigned gentleness and, turning the matter into a joke, said to the young man: “I myself will take care of you, since I could not persuade your father to do so.”

Indeed, the father of the young apostate did not abandon his righteous anger toward his lawless son. Neither the flatteries nor the threats of the wicked emperor had any effect upon him. For him there was nothing more fearful than the judgment of the Lord Jesus: “He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

One Can Please God in Every Calling

Many people, especially among the common folk, complain that with their occupations it is impossible to please God. Such a complaint is unjustified. The Lord God, in His boundless mercy, calls everyone to salvation, provided only that there is a desire for it on our part. The lives of the saints contain many examples of this.

Many are probably familiar with the Holy Unmercenary Martyrs Florus and Laurus, who lived in the fourth century. They were simple stonemasons, yet their profession did not prevent them from living pious lives and benefiting others. The Lord rewarded these laboring brothers with the gift of working miracles. In a neighboring province, it was decided to build a magnificent pagan temple, and the governor sent Saints Florus and Laurus there because they were known to all as the finest craftsmen in their trade. While they were cutting and shaping stone, the son of the chief pagan priest approached them. Suddenly, a fragment of stone flew into his eye. The injury was so severe that it threatened to cost the boy his sight. When the father angrily cried out and reproached them, the Saints calmly replied that they would heal the innocent child’s eye if his father would allow the boy to stay with them for a time. With the father's consent, they took the boy to their humble hut, prayed for him throughout the night, and instructed him in the Christian faith. In the morning they made the sign of the Cross over him. Immediately the child's eye was restored, and he could see as before. This miracle affected the priest so deeply that he and all his household believed in the One True God and joined the Orthodox Church. For their miracles and virtuous lives, the holy unmercenary physicians Florus and Laurus were granted the crown of martyrdom—they were thrown into a dry well and buried alive under earth. Many years later, the bodies of the Holy Martyrs were found incorrupt and were transferred to Constantinople. The Lord granted their relics the power of healing.

Here is another remarkable man—Saint Mark of the Caves. The most astonishing thing about him was the simplicity of his ascetic struggle. He did not lead a lofty contemplative life. His occupation was very ordinary: he dug the earth. Living in a cave, Mark dug out many caves with his own hands and carried away the soil on his shoulders, laboring day and night for the Lord. He dug many graves for the burial of the brethren and accepted no payment for it, except what someone might voluntarily offer, and even that he distributed to the poor. Through such labor Mark attained a high degree of spiritual perfection, one achieved by only a few. He is the most convincing example of how, in the midst of physical labor, the soul can advance spiritually when the spirit labors for the Lord, drives away all impurity from the soul, fills it with holy thoughts and sighs, and carefully guards it through humility and meekness.

One Saint, in order more surely to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, became a stonemason. This is what we know about him from the life of Saint Ephraim, governor of the city of Antioch. Ephraim had been entrusted with rebuilding the city after an earthquake. Many laborers were hired, and the work proceeded energetically, but among all the day laborers one man stood out: his clothing was worn and tattered, his face gaunt, and he worked more diligently than anyone else. One day Saint Ephraim saw a vision in which a pillar of fire rose above this laborer while he slept. Astonished by the vision, the blessed Ephraim asked the remarkable worker who he was, from what city he came, and what his name was. The man replied, “I am a poor resident of Antioch and support myself by daily labor.” Not believing him, Saint Ephraim urged him to reveal the truth. “Believe me,” said the governor, “I will not let you go until you tell me the whole truth.” Unable to conceal himself any longer, the supposed laborer replied: “I was a bishop, but for the Lord's sake I left my episcopate and came here to a foreign land, where I work and earn my daily bread through my labor.”

These examples clearly show that no occupation—provided it is honorable—prevents a person from pleasing God. Therefore, it is a poor excuse to say that one cannot please God while engaged in difficult labor. On the contrary, in such labors it is easier to be saved than to perish. Labor is a great and good thing; labor is a blessing, while idleness is a misfortune for man. “There is nothing,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “truly nothing in human affairs that idleness does not ruin. Water, if it stands still, becomes corrupted; but if it flows, it retains its nature. Iron, if left unused, becomes covered with rust; but when it is forged into something useful, it benefits others and shines like silver.” It is not without reason that people say, “God loves labor.” Why does God love labor? Because labor leads to goodness and happiness, whereas idleness—the mother of all vices—destroys a person and makes him miserable. The Apostle Paul says that “if anyone is not willing to work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). Yet while you labor, ask God to bless your undertaking, and when it is completed, give thanks again to God the Creator and Benefactor, for every perfect gift and every good gift comes from Him. When you are free from work—on a Sunday or feast day, for example—go to the church of God. There you will receive both sanctification and enlightenment for your soul. And when you return home, do not give yourself over to revelry, drunkenness, quarrels, or, even worse, fighting. If you fear being bored, read some spiritually beneficial book. If you spend your time in this way, you will rise the next day with renewed strength and easily return to your ordinary labor. Is it not possible to please God while living in such a manner? Of course it is. Our righteous saints are living proof of this.

Therefore, no occupation, however humble it may seem, can prevent us from pleasing God if there is a sincere desire for it in our souls. Follow the command of Christ's Apostle: “Let each one remain in the calling in which God has assigned him, and in which the Lord has called him” (cf. 1 Cor. 7:17).

All Christians Are Called to Holiness

If a citizen or a peasant were told: “Do this and that; become a close servant of the king, who grants you the right to this privilege and calls you to it,” with what eagerness and zeal would he undertake the tasks required of him, even if the undertaking were difficult and the labor prolonged! But now the herald of the will of the Heavenly King says to us, who are unworthy even in the smallest degree of citizenship in that Kingdom: “Be holy”—be morally holy, and afterward you shall be blessed; live piously and virtuously, and you shall become close to the Heavenly King, who permits you not only to draw near to Him but even to abide in Him, and who Himself desires not only to draw near to you but to dwell within you. What then? How is this calling received? Do all—or at least many—follow it with readiness, fervent zeal, unflagging devotion, and complete self-surrender? Do we not more often think and say: “How can we be saints? We are sinful people; it is enough if somehow we are saved through repentance.”

“How can we be saints?” But have we considered what we shall be and what will become of us if we do not strive to become holy? There are higher degrees of holiness in which especially chosen and grace-filled souls shine brightly, but holiness in general is not merely a special distinction among Christians, commendable for some to possess while others can easily do without it. According to the apostolic teaching, everyone called by the Holy God into the Kingdom of God—that is, every Christian—must find in this very calling and in the thought of the God who called him both a law, a duty, and a motive compelling him to be, or to become, holy. “As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written: ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:15–16). If, however, you live without striving and without hope of becoming holy, then you do not live in accordance with the Holy One who called you, nor do you correspond to the dignity of those called by God and made sons of His covenant—you are Christians in name only. Where such a life leads can be seen from another apostolic saying: “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). More plainly: have peace with all, possess holiness; for without peace and without holiness no one will see the Lord, that is, no one will attain eternal blessedness.

Therefore, if we carelessly and thoughtlessly assume that we are not meant to be saints, we are in effect writing our own sentence—that we shall not see the Lord and shall remain strangers to eternal blessedness.

“We are sinful people,” some say. This seems undeniable. For, on the contrary, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). But if we call ourselves sinners without contrition of heart, without hatred of sin, with indifference, slyly implying that everyone else must admit the same thing and therefore there is no shame in confessing it and no danger in remaining after the confession exactly what we were before it, then such an acknowledgment of sinfulness will certainly not lead to holiness. In that case, even while speaking the truth that we are sinners, we deceive ourselves, because there is no truth in our hearts and in our lives, though our lips may confess our sinfulness. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we imagine that we shall be saved while remaining the same kind of sinners. Christ saves sinners by giving them the means to become holy.

“We shall somehow be saved through repentance,” people say. Yes, repentance belongs among the means of salvation that Christ gives to sinners when He proclaims: “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). But if we think we can somehow repent and somehow be saved, then we judge too lightly a matter of the highest importance. Would a servant please his master if he performed his work carelessly rather than as well as possible? Certainly not. How much less will a person please God if he performs the work of God—which is our salvation—in a careless manner. Moreover, the perfect teacher of repentance, John the Baptist, says that true repentance requires something further. “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matt. 3:8), he says. Repentance clears the soil of the heart of thorns, cultivates it, and softens it; faith sows within it the heavenly seed; the growth of this new plant is the keeping of the commandments and the doing of good works; its blossom is spiritual inner illumination; and its ripe, perfect fruit is holiness. Wheat must reach maturity before it can be gathered into the granary. A person must attain holiness before he can be brought into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Indeed, if we were required to attain holiness by merely human and natural powers, it would be reasonable to say that it lies beyond our ability. But when we possess the grace of God, which goes before us, enlightens us, strengthens us, assists us, and guards us, no one should lose hope of attaining that for which “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” And He chose us “that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love” (Eph. 1:3–4).

Examples of the Intercession of the Saints

Who among you, Orthodox Christians, doubts that the saints of God can obtain from God this or that gift for us sinners? Here is the teaching of the Eastern Church: “We invoke the saints as mediators between God and ourselves, that they may pray to Him for us. We do not invoke them as gods, but as His servants, who glorify, praise, and worship Him. We seek their help not because they can aid us by their own power, but because through their intercession they obtain for us grace from God... Although the saints do not of themselves know or understand our prayers, they know and hear them through divine revelation... Therefore we rightly honor them and seek through them help from God... We do not render to them divine worship, but entreat them as our brethren and fellow servants, that they may obtain help for us from God and intercede for us before Him.” Nor are our prayers to the saints of God sometimes offered in vain. Here are examples.

In the Life of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew it is related that Saint Joseph the Hymnographer held the memory of the Apostle Bartholomew in special honor. He obtained a portion of the Apostle’s relics, built a church in his monastery in honor of the Apostle, and placed the relics in the newly constructed temple. He was often granted the grace of seeing the Apostle in dreams. Saint Joseph desired to adorn the feast of the Apostle with special hymns, but he did not know whether this would be pleasing to Saint Bartholomew. Therefore he began to pray fervently to God and to the Apostle that he might receive an answer concerning it. Forty days of earnest and tearful prayer passed, and on the eve of the feast of Saint Bartholomew, Joseph saw him in the altar clothed in white garments. The Apostle drew back the altar curtain and called Joseph to him. When he approached, Saint Bartholomew took the Gospel from the Holy Table, placed it upon Joseph’s breast, and said: “May the right hand of the Almighty God bless you, and may the waters of heavenly wisdom flow upon your tongue. May your heart become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and may your hymns delight the whole world.” Having said this, the Apostle disappeared. Filled with inexpressible joy, Saint Joseph began composing church hymns and canons. He composed not only canons in honor of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew, but also in honor of the Mother of God, Saint Nicholas, and other saints, for which he received the title “the Hymnographer.”

Here is another example from the life of Saint Theodore of Sykeon. Once this Saint fell gravely ill and despaired of life itself. He already saw the holy angels who had come for his soul, and therefore he wept and lamented, considering himself unprepared for death. Above his head hung an icon of the Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian. They appeared to him in a dream and, feeling his pulse, conversed for a long time with one another, as though uncertain of the outcome of his illness. Then the holy physicians asked him: “Brother, why do you weep and grieve?” “Because,” answered the Saint, “I have not sufficiently repented before God, nor have I properly ordered my flock.” Then the Holy Unmercenaries asked him: “Would you like us to entreat God to prolong your life?” The sick man replied: “If you do this, you will become the cause of much good and will receive a reward for my repentance.” Turning to the angels, the Saints asked them to wait a little while as they went to the King and God to plead on Theodore’s behalf. The angels agreed to wait, and Saints Kosmas and Damian went to Christ God, the Almighty King, and obtained from Him an extension of years for Saint Theodore. Soon they returned, bringing with them a youth who resembled the angels but was far more radiant than they. This youth said to the angels: “Leave Theodore alive. The Lord and King of Glory, Master of all, has been entreated concerning him.” Immediately the holy angels and the radiant youth departed into heaven, while Saints Kosmas and Damian said to Theodore: “Rise, brother, and attend to yourself and to your flock, for our good and merciful Master has accepted our prayers for you.” Theodore arose from his bed, and the Holy Unmercenaries disappeared.

Finally, who among us does not know and honor Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, our fervent intercessor and mighty helper in every affliction? How many times has he appeared to those who sought his help, sometimes in dreams and sometimes openly? One such instance concerns a Greek military commander named Peter, who was once captured by the Saracens and imprisoned. There he lamented not so much his bitter fate as his own conduct. “A similar thing happened to me before,” he said, “and I prayed to Saint Nicholas to deliver me from my enemies, promising to receive the monastic habit in Rome. He fulfilled my request and freed me from captivity, but I, ungrateful man that I am, forgot my promise. For this I now suffer here. O Saint of Christ, save me, and I will certainly fulfill my vow!” Saint Nicholas appeared to him in a dream and said: “I have heard your prayer, but God has not yet appointed the time for your deliverance. Nevertheless, do not lose heart and do not cease praying. ‘Knock, and it shall be opened unto you’ (Matt. 7:7).”

After some time, the Saint of God appeared to him again and said: “I have prayed to God for you, but I do not know how He will dispose of the matter. However, I shall point you to a most worthy intercessor—Saint Symeon the God-Receiver. Pray to him continually. He is powerful before God and, together with the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint John the Baptist, stands nearest of all to the Throne of God.”

At last Saint Nicholas appeared to him openly, together with the righteous Symeon, and both said: “Take courage, Peter, and call upon the Lord in your affliction.” Then they made him swear that he would fulfill his promise. Afterward, righteous Symeon touched his chains with his staff, and they fell apart. He led Peter out of the prison, and Peter received complete freedom. At that same time Saint Nicholas appeared to the Bishop of Rome, holding Peter by the hand. He recounted Peter’s story, instructed the bishop to tonsure him a monk, and then disappeared. When Peter arrived before the Bishop of Rome, the latter immediately recognized him and related what Saint Nicholas himself had told him. Having received the monastic habit, Peter spent the remainder of his life on Mount Athos in great ascetic labors.

Another account is told concerning Saint Bassian. Into the city of Ravenna, where the man of God lived, there came an imperial order commanding the execution of an official named Vithimnius, who had been falsely accused. He was immediately seized, bound in chains, and brought to the place of execution. Knowing himself to be innocent, Vithimnius remembered the holy servant of God, Bassian, and, bowing his head beneath the executioner’s axe, prayed: “Saint of God, by the grace given to you by God, be my helper this day.” And what happened? The moment the executioner raised his axe, it slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. Taking hold of the deadly weapon again, he attempted to strike, but the axe fell from his hands a second time. The same thing occurred a third time. The governor, suspecting deliberate negligence on the executioner’s part, summoned another man to carry out the sentence. Yet the axe likewise slipped from his hands three times. The people, witnessing so extraordinary an event, recognized in it the invisible protection of God and demanded the prisoner’s release. When the emperor was informed of what had happened, he ordered a thorough investigation into Vithimnius’ case. It was discovered that he had indeed been the victim of slander. The emperor commanded that he be freed and restored to all his offices and honors. Vithimnius publicly glorified the servant of God, Bassian, through whose prayers he had been delivered from an unjust death.

Therefore, as we listen with living and heartfelt faith to these ecclesiastical accounts of the heavenly intercession of the saints of God on our behalf—saints who are always ready to help and console us in the sorrows and trials of life—let us give thanks to the all-merciful God, who grants to us earthly creatures, through the mediation of the saints, greater boldness and strength in prayer.

"O Lord! If we did not have Your saints as intercessors and Your goodness showing mercy toward us, how would we dare, O Savior, to sing unto You, whom the angels glorify unceasingly?"

Because of the multitude of our sins, both our body and our soul are weakened. As grievous offenders, we would not dare lift our eyes to the throne of God the Judge were we not encouraged by faith in the intercession of the saints, who, being near to God as His friends and initiates of His grace, possess great power before the Heavenly King. At the same time, they can fully sympathize with our infirmities, since they were human beings like ourselves and experienced the whole burden of life in its struggle against sin.

Let us therefore not grow cold in our prayers to the saints of God, especially to those whose names we bear and to whom the churches in our own communities are dedicated. “The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

 

Russian source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Grigorij_Djachenko/prostoe-evangelskoe-slovo/9

English source: https://www.mystagogyresourcecenter.com/2026/06/first-sunday-after-pentecost-sunday-of.html