September: Day 30: Teaching 1: Saint Michael, First Metropolitan of Kiev

September: Day 30: Teaching 1:
Saint Michael, First Metropolitan of Kiev
 
(The Orthodox Faith is a Gift from God; It Must Be Firmly Held)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Michael, whose memory is celebrated today, was a worthy successor to the exploits and piety of the great Eastern hierarchs, who were the successors of the authority and spirit of the apostles. He came to us from Greece with apostolic zeal, with the spirit of pastoral love and wisdom that inspired the ancient Eastern hierarchs. The first deed of the first archbishop of Kiev was the baptism of the twelve sons of the Holy Prince Vladimir and all the people of Kiev; then the Saint, with fatherly meekness and love, took care to strengthen the faith of the newly converted and to spread the faith among the unfaithful sons of the Russian land. He zealously built churches in Kiev and other cities and villages; appointed and instructed priests; choosing experienced mentors, he entrusted them with the upbringing and education of children, urging them to teach them with meekness, especially the fear of God, good behavior and chastity.

But the great luminary of the Russian Church shone far with the light of his good deeds, and not only in the city of Kiev. Saint Michael undertook a difficult journey to Novgorod, and then visited the land of Rostov, enlightening many unbelievers with the faith of Christ, carrying everywhere the life-giving words of the gospel of Christ, dispelling the darkness of idolatry and impiety with the effective word of God. Like the sun, he walked around the Russian land, enlightening, comforting and strengthening believers with fatherly conversations and prayerful intercession before the Lord God. And throughout his life, Saint Michael showed himself to be a zealous and at the same time meek and humble shepherd, a tireless servant of the Church of Christ, constantly adding labor to labor, a merciful father to his flock.

His pastoral valor was attested by his blessed departure to the Lord, when all his flock and first of all Saint Vladimir inconsolably mourned the death of the archbishop and father, the great luminary of the Russian land: "Much weeping and lamentation came to the city of Kiev by his departure to God." Finally, the holiness of his life was revealed to the whole world by God Himself, through the appearance of his incorruptible relics, resting in the Kiev Caves Lavra, which we, the distant descendants of his first listeners and flock, piously venerate.

II. This celebration in honor of Saint Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev, the first archbishop of all Russia, reminds us, brethren, of the greatest mercy of God to our ancestors and to each of us, i.e. the granting of the Orthodox faith to our fatherland, the conversion of our ancestors to Christ through the Eastern Orthodox Church, and together with this our first duty to the holy faith - to firmly and unshakably hold to it until the last minute of our life.

Let us pay reverent attention to the faith given to us by the Lord, and we will clearly see that it is truly the greatest mercy, which has brought with it countless other mercies of God - a most precious gift for which we owe eternal gratitude to the loving Savior.

a) For a long time our ancestors lived in the darkness of idolatry, in ignorance of the true God and Savior; for a long time they remained in spiritual poverty, alienated from the treasures of God's life, wandering outside the holy Church of Christ, which is the only ark of salvation for fallen man, the only quiet haven for all people tossed about by the waves of life. Finally, the time came, prophesied by the Holy Apostle Andrew, the day of salvation came for the Russian land, when the holy gospel of Christ, brighter than the sun, illuminated the Russian land with heavenly light, enriched it with priceless treasures and innumerable blessings acquired for the human race by our suffering Savior. We believe, and to the extent of our faith we understand, and to the extent of our faith and understanding we confess that it was salvific for our ancestors to accept the faith precisely at that time, and not at another, from the Greek Orthodox Church, and not from any other society. In ordinary life it happens that a mother, while still carrying a child in her womb, prepares in advance everything necessary for the life and peace of the future family man, everything that her maternal love can invent: so the mother of our Church - the Eastern Orthodox Church - by the power of the Holy Spirit living in her, prepared everything for her young daughter. There the faith of Christ, planted by the holy apostles, was always preserved in all purity and inviolability - it was unshakably confirmed by the ecumenical synods, protected by the saving decrees of wise shepherds and pious kings, explained and set forth in the God-wise writings of the Holy and God-bearing Fathers.

There the truth and holiness of the gospel, the sweetness and life-giving nature of the faith of Christ, were sealed with the blood of a countless host of martyrs and confessors, tested and witnessed by a multitude of ascetics - voluntary martyrs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. There faith passed through the fire of trial, was tested in the furnace of the most severe misfortunes and persecutions and was miraculously preserved amidst storms and turmoil.

There the sacred liturgy is the divine vestment and bright adornment of faith, the liturgy which serves as a necessary means for strengthening and increasing faith and love, constituting the sweetest food for the pious soul, is brought into a harmonious order, adorned with beautiful rites and touching hymns. And it was this faith that our blessed ancestors were honored to accept and passed on to us, their descendants. It was this liturgy that captivated our ancestors so much that some of them, finding themselves for the first time in a Greek temple, thought that they were in heaven, in the bright abodes of the heavenly kingdom, and bequeathed to us to love this magnificent liturgy to God the Savior! It is this faith that shines to this day in the Russian land and illuminates all the faithful sons of the Church and the fatherland! It is this liturgy that nourishes and comforts the hearts of all who grieve and thirst for salvation and eternal life. Let there be glory and thanksgiving for all this to the Lord, who has enriched the Russian land with His priceless treasure!

b) What should we, Orthodox, do in view of such goodness from the Lord to us? How should we thank Him for His mercies, which are the foundation of our temporary well-being and the pledge of eternal salvation? First and foremost, we must in every way preserve the precious gift brought to our ancestors by Saint Michael and steadfastly adhere to the true confession of faith. Let each of us say to ourselves: “Hold fast what you have received until your last breath,” and with gratitude and reverence preserve the precious treasure given to you by the merciful Heavenly Father solely as a result of the sufferings of His Only-begotten Son! Let the gospel of Christ be the only lamp of our life, a guide for the mind, food for the heart. We will be without answers before God if, amidst the abundant light of heaven, we wish to remain in darkness; if, amidst the sea of spiritual blessings, we are in thirst and hunger; if even in God’s paradise – in the holy Church of Christ - let us seek the forbidden fruits of vanity and wickedness, distorting the commandments and statutes of the Church, handed down to us by our blessed ancestors. We will be shamed at the judgment of God by the unbelievers themselves, who will convict us of unreasonableness and ingratitude before God - the Savior and Benefactor; our most holy intercessors will not defend us before the justice of God: the most sacred name "Orthodox", with which we are accustomed to adorn ourselves and all the people, will serve for our condemnation. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth," the Lord will tell us, "therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2).

III. Let us keep the heavenly treasure – the holy faith - in purity of conscience and purity of heart, like our pious ancestors! Let us always treasure it, like the man who, having found treasure hidden in a field, for joy went and sold all that he had, and bought the field with the treasure; like the prudent merchant, who, having found a precious pearl, went and sold all that he had, and bought the pearl (Matt. 13:44-46). In the matter of preserving the faith, may the Lord Himself, who gave us faith, help us. May all the holy saints of God and the ever-blessed Saint Michael of Kiev help us, who constantly intercedes for us before the great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.