Word XV

On July 17 Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev returned to Petersburg after a two-month journey to his native land. In the final two weeks the highly venerated pastor visited the city of Yaroslavl, where he served the Liturgy in the house church of the governor of Yaroslavl province, spent some time with him, and then set out for the city of Rybinsk. There, together with Tikhon, Archbishop of Yaroslavl, he served the Liturgy in the cathedral church. The people of Rybinsk earnestly invited their dear guest to share the festive meal with them, but batushka, feeling somewhat unwell, went straight from the cathedral to his steamship and made his way to the city of Ustyuzhna, to his longtime devoted admirer Ya. M. Pozdeyev. Here the following touching telegram was received by Fr. John from Rybinsk: “We are sincerely grateful for your prayerful participation in our spiritual solemnity, and deeply grieve that you were physically unable to share the meal with us. With one voice we proclaim many years for your precious health, and send you a grateful, warm welcome; may the Creator preserve for many years you, most Christian man of prayer of Russia. Archbishop Tikhon, Archpriest Sergii Bogorodsky, warden Kozma Eltekov, the numerous devout admirers of Rybinsk.”

From Ustyuzhna, batushka arrived for the second time at the Vaulovsky Skete, where he spent a whole week, celebrating the Divine Liturgy daily and instructing the sisters and the pilgrims in a good, Christian life.

Having returned to Petersburg, batushka first of all went to his own St. John’s Monastery. In the altar, before the holy Table, he glorified and thanked the Lord for his safe journey and his happy return, for which daily prayers had been offered up in the monastery throughout the whole time of his journey. Then he greeted the members of the clergy, the sisters of the monastery, and the pilgrims, read the stichera and canons of the day, and the solemn Liturgy began, at the end of which batushka delivered the following instructive homily.

Let us explain the parable we heard today from the Holy Gospel: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away (Mt 13:24-25). Who is meant by the good seed? Believing, godly people are meant, who love God and one another, who are zealous for a virtuous life. The field in which this seed is sown is the world. While men slept, the enemy—the devil—came, sowed weeds in the minds of men, that is, pride, envy, cunning, and every other sin, sowed them and went away, as though nothing had happened. And so, when the blade sprang up, then appeared the weeds also (v. 26). Sin enters into men and takes hold of them by reason of unbelief, sloth, negligence, attachment to this age—to games, amusements, pleasures, to costly garments, riches, and the like; on account of these, a man cares nothing for pleasing God and for his own spiritual upbringing, which is above all things necessary.

The angels, who hate sin, marveling at the dominion of evil in the world, say: Master! did you not sow good seed in your field? From where, then, do the weeds come? He told them: an enemy has done this. The servants asked him: do you want us to go and gather them up? (vv. 27-28). The Lord created all men in His own image and likeness—good, pure, righteous. And what have we become? Who is to blame that there is so much weed in us? As has already been said, this comes from our own carelessness and negligence, of which our enemy makes use to sow his weeds. It would seem that wicked people ought to be plucked out from among the godly and destroyed; yet the Master did not permit His servants to pull up the weeds. He said: no, lest while you gather up the weeds, you root up the wheat with them; let both grow together until the harvest (vv. 29-30). The angels are not all-knowing; God alone knows all things; He knows that many who are now bad may yet become good, that the slothful may become diligent, the sinful righteous, or that virtuous men may yet be born of them. This is why the Lord does not destroy at once, but for a time bears patiently with wicked people—thieves, drunkards, adulterers, gamblers, revolutionaries. But when it becomes fully evident that no good fruit—repentance and amendment—can any longer be expected of such people, that they will never become good wheat, then, by the command of God, they will be cut down by the scythe of death and cast into the everlasting fire: at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: gather together first the weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into My barn (v. 30). If the Lord sees that people are making spiritual progress, that they are humble, meek, patient, temperate, merciful, pure in heart, truthful, loving God and their neighbor with their whole soul, then even in this life He fulfills their good desires, crowns them with His mercy and bounty, and in the life to come prepares for them eternal rest and blessedness.

Strive, then, dear brothers and sisters, to become a full grain, or ear, of wheat (I speak by way of comparison), that you may all obtain eternal life, eternal joy. Amen.