Word XII. On the Day of Remembrance of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called

November 30, 1907.

“«I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden this” (the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word) “from the wise and learned” (that is, from those who consider themselves such), “but have revealed it to babes” (that is, to the simple of heart, who do not devise cunning wisdom). “Yes, Father, for such was Your good pleasure» (Mt 11:25-26).”

The Orthodox Church today solemnly celebrates the day of the falling asleep of the holy First-Called Apostle Andrew, brother by blood of the holy Apostle Peter.

For the opening of God’s word on this day, I have taken the significant words of the Lord Jesus Christ, addressed by Him in prayer to His heavenly Father, in which He, Jesus Christ, thanks and glorifies Him because this greatest mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God—which requires, for its reception, simplicity and purity of the human heart—He hid from the cunning and proud wise men of this age, the scribes and the Pharisees, and revealed instead to the simple hearts of the apostles, and to simple and humble hearts in general.

And it is precisely of this that I wish to speak to you today: that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1Pet 5:5), and reveals to them the greatest divine mysteries for the salvation of many.

In general, the work of Christian preaching, by its very grandeur and wisdom, is such that it demands, first of all, from the hearer, simplicity of faith and complete devotion to it, as to God’s own work—true, saving, unalterable. Cunning unbelief cannot be tolerated in the work of God, for if a man wavers, on hearing it, God is not well pleased with him; the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; let not such a man think that he will receive anything from God.

Consider, then, with particular attention, the very first word of God’s preaching, proclaimed by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, concerning the incarnation from Her of the Son of God: and think what humble simplicity and trust it demanded of the Most Pure Virgin—and She did not doubt with a single word, nor did She contradict the heavenly herald, despite the utter extraordinariness of the words of the annunciation. The Archangel heard from Her only a word of obedience and devotion to the Lord: behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to Me according to your word (Lk 1:38). And the work of God’s incarnation was accomplished according to Mary’s word of obedience. But what if She had not believed, and had begun to reason and to doubt, like Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, on hearing from the Archangel of the birth of a son to him? Then the work would not have been accomplished. But even Zechariah came to believe, having been punished with deafness for his unbelief, and was found worthy to father a son greater than any born of woman. — So too the Apostles, called to the great apostolic labor, in no way contradicted the Lord who called them, but at once showed complete obedience, and remained faithful to their Savior for their whole life. — Compare the scribes and Pharisees with the Apostles, and with the very hypostatic, eternal Wisdom Himself—Christ: how much cunning, pride and malice, envy, self-love, injustice, hypocrisy, love of gain, vengefulness, and stubbornness you will at once notice in these learned men of this age!

Could the work of Gospel preaching, tell me, and the revelation of the greatest truths of the kingdom of God, ever have been entrusted to them? The natural man — and such were all the scribes and Pharisees, with the high priests — does not receive that which is from the Spirit of God—because he considers it foolishness, and cannot comprehend, because this must be judged spiritually (1Cor 2:14).

Only such divine simple folk—and at the same time wise men, spiritual philosophers and orators—as the apostles, could receive from God the Word Himself, from the very Hypostatic Wisdom, the divine proclamation of the renewal of men through the incarnation of the Son of God.

And how the scribes and Pharisees strove, from the very beginning, to destroy the great work of Christ, through every kind of persecution and every attempt on His wondrous, Christ-like life, and dreamed already that they had utterly destroyed His work, when they put Him to death upon the cross! But it was precisely then, when He was lifted up upon the cross, that the true redemption of mankind began, according to the Lord’s own word: when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself (Jn 12:32). The Apostles, who had been scattered during His sufferings, after Christ’s resurrection were especially confirmed in faith in Him, and with great power testified to all of Christ’s resurrection and of the accomplished work of the redemption of the human race. Nothing and no one could destroy or darken the great work of Christ, and the work of the Apostles triumphed more and more. — This is what simplicity of faith in God, complete trust in and devotion to Him, can accomplish.

The Lord has entrusted us, Russians, with the great, saving talent of the Orthodox faith, through which a multitude of the faithful have been saved in the ages before us, and in our own time as well.

Let me ask you, and myself: are we increasing the talent of the Orthodox faith entrusted to us? Do we strive to live according to our faith? Do we strive to justify our Christian calling by good works? Do we bear the fruits of repentance? Do we strive to adorn ourselves with every Christian virtue? — All is drowsy and asleep. They all slumbered and slept (Mt 25:5). Need I speak, need I remind you, of what is happening around us—in society, in institutions of higher learning, in the press, in the legislative bodies, and so on?

Arise, then, O Russian man, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light (Eph 5:14). Amen.