Instruction Two

From our previous discourse there remains for us the explanation of one quite important position. We told you that now too, amid the great disagreement of the people around us, it is natural to ask: Lord! What must I do to inherit eternal life? Lord! What shall we do to be saved? We also said that such a question is unnecessary for a Christian living in the heart of Christ’s Church, according to the spirit of Christianity; because Christianity itself is the sole path, traced by God on earth, to the Eternal Kingdom, or the path to salvation. Why should one who walks this saving path ask about the path to salvation? Be a true Christian—and you will be in paradise; be a true Christian—and you will be saved.

But it may not be clear to everyone what it means to be a true Christian, or what exactly Christianity presents as an indispensable condition for salvation and at the same time as a decisive sign that someone is heading to eternal life and not to ruin. Explanation of this very point remained for us. Then we answered this with a general statement—now we will elucidate it in detail, taking as our guide a comparison of the path to salvation with an ordinary road.

For one preparing to travel, to complete his journey successfully, he must know this path, know its direction and length, as well as all that might be encountered along its course; and in the actual traveling he must see both it and all that surrounds it. So too the Christian wishing to attain eternal life must know both the path leading to it and everything connected to it, all that is above it, around it, and ahead of it—he must illuminate the intellectual atmosphere with a collection of sound notions about all that exists and happens. He must know: what is God? What is this world, how it stands and where is it led? What are we, why are we here and what awaits us beyond the grave? How should we conduct ourselves in relation to all that surrounds us: toward the supreme Being—God, toward our brothers—humans, and toward the invisible world—angels and saints? He who knows all this walks in light; but he who does not know sits in darkness, and if he should try to walk, he will stumble, because darkness blinds his eyes. And only Christianity dispels this darkness, giving true answers to all this in its teaching. It teaches that God, in the Trinity worshipped—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—created all by a single word of His, sustains all by the word of His power, and leads all to His appointed purpose, and especially preserves man and, when he fell, supernaturally restores him in Christ the Savior, enlightening him through revelations and guiding him by commandments, which determine all his necessary relations and constitute properly the path which he should follow. The sum of all these notions is the light pointing us to the path and illuminating it. So learn the Orthodox teaching of Christianity and hold it with all your heart—and you will see the path into the Kingdom, all that surrounds this path, and all that might be met in its course. This is the first.

But let one know the path, and let the path be illuminated—what good is this knowledge if there is no strength to walk it? A sick man, paralyzed, without legs, lying by the path he must necessarily walk—and so necessarily that if he does not walk, he will perish—will only be more distressed by knowing and seeing this path. We would be in such a position if the Lord, having enlightened us with the light of knowledge, had not given us strength to walk according to this light’s guidance; for we ourselves cannot walk, we have no strength, we are paralyzed, we are broken. But do not be troubled! “All… the divine powers… that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3) have been prepared for us by the Lord, who called us “into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9), and are given to every believer in the holy Mysteries of the Church, given abundantly, as much as each desires and is able to receive. Baptism regenerates, chrismation strengthens, holy communion most truly unites with the Lord Jesus Christ, holy repentance raises up the fallen, who falls again after baptism, and so forth. Every Mystery gives a special divine strength needed by man on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven… So, knowing the Mysteries held by the Church, be as often as possible a partaker of them with faith and according to all the order established in the holy Church of God—and the divine powers necessary to complete the path to the Kingdom of Heaven will never be exhausted in you. This is the second.

But on the path our strength can weaken and be exhausted, temptations and enticements can meet us. From the first our walking should cease; from the second we should take a false direction; the end of both is ruin. What is to be done? One must renew strength and cast off temptations and enticements. What is needed for this? One thing—to unflinchingly fulfill all the statutes of the Church and all her rites—the sacred services, prayers, and rites of sanctification. And here is why! In the holy Mysteries we receive the grace of the Holy Spirit as a divine spark falling into our nature. As for a spark that has fallen into matter to turn into flame, air is necessary and movement of that air, so likewise a certain atmosphere is necessary and movement of that atmosphere for the divine spark of grace that we receive in the Mysteries to penetrate our nature and turn into flame—this atmosphere is constituted by our churchness: all the rites of sacred services, prayers, and sequences of the Church surrounding a person in all his circumstances; and the movement of this atmosphere is the unceasing succession of the Church’s sacred rites one after another and man’s continuous participation now in one, now in another. Here are meant the daily services: vespers, matins, the liturgy, church feasts, processions, prayers for various occasions—in homes and churches, pilgrimage to holy places, and most especially the holy fasts with confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries. The more zealously one participates in all these sequences, the more strongly the spark of grace will burn in him until it becomes a flame consuming his entire being—soul and body. He who acts thus will never exhaust his strength, will never lose courage on the path, and will not fall into carelessness. This same way is also given us to cast off the temptations and distractions of the world. He who lives according to the Church’s rule, like one hidden behind a hedge, does not fear its seductions. Churchness is like a chanting and exorcism against the darkening produced by the breath of worldly spirit. If this infection touches someone—flee to church and it will depart; or be unfailingly faithful to the Church’s guidance—and the world will find no opportunity to touch you; for all that exists in the world exists also in our Church, only in its purest and most divine form… There are entertainments—we have holy feasts; there are balls—we have church services; there are theaters—we have divine sacred rites. Let each compare which is better and do not be seduced by empty enticements or abandon what is true, fruitful, and nourishing for them. So live by the Church—and you will live as in a spiritual atmosphere and a fence, your strength will never weaken in you to continue the path, and no enticements will lead you astray. This is the third.

To avoid wearying you, I will speak the fourth point briefly.

There may be obstacles on the path one cannot imagine how to overcome; there may be snares spread that one cannot avoid; there may be junctions of paths where one cannot determine which way to go; a cloud may come that will hide the path entirely and terrify with thunder and lightning—to whom then should one turn? What is to be done? Who will help in all such cases? Angels from Heaven? But they appear only in extraordinary circumstances, leaving the usual course of affairs to the order existing among us. So who will help? Shepherds—spiritual fathers, who are given to the Church, according to the apostle, so as not to allow Christians to be swept away by confusion and to lead all unfailingly on the path to eternal life, teaching each to attain “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). So be obedient to the guidance of spiritual fathers—and you will avoid wrong paths and stumbling blocks on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, and will quickly and safely reach the gates of paradise.

Here is all that Christianity offers us regarding the path of salvation: (1) to know and hold the Christian teaching, which imparts sound notions about all that exists and points out the very path to the Kingdom—in the commandments; (2) to be under the action of the holy Mysteries of the Church, through which are given the powers that pertain to life and godliness; (3) to participate in all the sacred rites, prayers, and sequences of the Church as appointed by the rule, so as thereby to kindle in ourselves the spark of God’s grace and cast off the enchantments of the world; (4) to entrust ourselves to the guidance of lawful shepherds and spiritual fathers and obey their guiding instructions. So learn and hold in your heart all that the holy Church teaches, and, receiving the gracious powers through the Mysteries and kindling them through all other sacred rites of the Church, walk unfailingly in the path of the commandments written for us by the Lord Jesus Christ, under the guidance of lawful shepherds—and you will undoubtedly attain the Kingdom of Heaven and be saved. Amen.