February: Day 12: Teaching 1: Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow

February: Day 12: Teaching 1:
Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow
 
(Lessons From His Life)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, now being glorified, was miraculously called to the high calling of his pastoral service from his youth and, as a chosen vessel of grace, was prepared for his great calling by a long, strictly ascetic life. He was born in Moscow in 1293 of noble parents, Theodore and Maria, and was named Eleutherios at baptism. One day, the youth Eleutherios set nets in a field to catch birds; while watching them, he dozed off and heard a voice: "Alexis! Why do you labor in vain? You will be a catcher of men!" By the action of preceding grace, which touched his young heart, Eleutherios immediately felt the power of this calling. Finally, in the twentieth year of his life, he entered the Moscow Theophany Monastery and received the name that was predestined for him in childhood: Alexis. After strict ascetic seclusion, which lasted 20 years, Saint Alexis was called by the Metropolitan to manage ecclesiastical affairs with the rank of deputy Metropolitan, and 12 years later he was elected Bishop of Vladimir.

In 1353, Metropolitan Theognostus of Moscow died of a deadly plague known as the Black Death, and soon after that Grand Prince Simeon Ioannovich also died; both of them, by their dying testament, appointed Saint Alexis to the Moscow cathedra, who was ordained to this rank by the Patriarch of Constantinople Philotheos.

Having assumed the metropolitanate, Saint Alexis was a true guardian angel and comforter of Russia: he was a peacemaker for princes who were quarrelling over their appanages, a shepherd and mentor for all, a provider for widows, a father for orphans, a comforter for those who weep, a corrector of sacred books, and in a word a lamp of faith and piety. The holiness of his life, attested by God to his compatriots in the miracles he performed, was not hidden from foreigners who did not believe in Christ.

When the Tatar Khan's wife Taydul fell ill and went blind, the Khan wrote to the Prince: "We have heard that you have a servant of God who, no matter what he prays for, will be heard by God. Let him come to us." Saint Alexis, with his strong faith in God and hope for His all-powerful help, did not hesitate to go at this invitation and, having received reinforcement of his faith in a miraculously lit candle at the tomb of Saint Peter, he arrived in the Khan's capital with a part of this candle and with his prayer healed the sick woman, restoring her sight.

But as strong as his faith was when he went to foreigners in response to the call of a sick woman, so great was his love for the fatherland when he soon after decided to go to the Horde a second time as an intercessor for Russia before a new fierce khan who threatened to devastate our fatherland. Both of these journeys were very beneficial for our fatherland: they not only prevented many disasters from it, but also brought many benefits to the Church and the fatherland. Until the age of 86, Saint Alexis was a luminary of the Orthodox Church and died on February 12, 1378, glorified by God by the incorruptibility of his relics, which rest in the Moscow Chudov Monastery, founded by the Saint himself.

In conclusion of a brief outline of the life of Saint Alexis, let us listen to his instruction on church communion, which once came from the God-speaking lips of this Saint. “Come to the priest, the spiritual father,” says Saint Alexis, “with repentance and tears. Cast away from yourself all evil deeds and do not return to them. True repentance consists in hating your former sins. Be quick to attend church services: do not say: let us sing for ourselves at home. Such prayer cannot have any success without church prayer. Just as a house without fire cannot be warmed by smoke alone, so is prayer without church prayer... Have the sign of Christ in your souls. Gregory the Theologian writes: 'It is not easy to steal a sheep on which a sign has been placed.' The sign for the sheep of God's flock is the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. You, children, like sheep of the rational flock, do not miss a single fast without renewing this sign on yourselves, but be partakers of the Body and Blood of Christ.”

II. Let us apply to ourselves the soul-saving lessons with which the life of Saint Alexis is so rich.

a) Let us learn from his life, firstly, the truth that no one can be a teacher of the Church unless there is God's will and the Church's blessing for this. Saint Alexis in childhood was called by a mysterious voice to be a fisher of men, which he actually was. Meanwhile, many without any calling from God, such as schismatics, become self-proclaimed teachers, destroying themselves and those who listen to them and acknowledge them.

Many self-appointed teachers multiply the talk of false teachings; and foolish followers multiply false teachers. When you meet with both, remember, brethren, for yourselves and for them, the apostolic warning, so disastrously neglected by them: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" (James 3:1).

Remember that God has placed in the Church the apostles first, the prophets second, and the teachers third. "And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was" (Heb. 5:4), according to the order given by God. Only teachers called by God truly lead to God.

b) We have heard, further, brethren, how Saint Alexis advised Christians not to deviate from common church prayers, in which not only is the grace of God abundantly poured out upon all His true followers gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, but also great help is given beyond this from mutual prayers for one another.

"The Holy Apostle Paul writes: 'Pray for us' (Heb. 13:18). Consider who it is who asks for the prayers of others: Paul, who once with his fellow worker Silas in the prison of Philippi performed a prayerful glorification to God with such spiritual power that suddenly there was a great tremor, as if the foundations of the prison were shaken, 'and immediately all the doors were opened, and all the chains were loosed' (Acts 16:25, 26); Paul, who with the embrace of compassionate love and prayer resurrected Eutychus; Paul, to whose prayer God suddenly granted two hundred and seventy-six souls of his fellow travelers on the voyage, ready to perish from a shipwreck; Paul, whom the Lord Himself called a chosen vessel of His grace, and who said of himself: 'I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me' (Phil. 4:13). And in spite of all this, this great Apostle asks for help in prayer, and from whom does he ask? Not from some chosen, strong prayer warriors, but from all Christians without distinction, not excluding even the last layman. What is Saint Paul doing? Yes, what he does is worthy of our deep attention, and, if we are attentive, he can give us some important instructions. The example of the Apostle should teach us, Christians, how urgent is the need for mutual prayer for one another, and especially for public prayer, when even this strong ascetic recognizes for himself the need for this spiritual help; how bold it would be to rely on the power of one’s own prayer alone, even if one has already had some experience in it and achieved some success, when a man so extraordinarily and miraculously blessed does not dare to rely on his own prayer.” (Homily on the Feast of Saint Alexis by Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow).

c) Then, the example of Saint Alexis, who personally corrected numerous errors that had crept into the Holy Gospel due to the illiteracy of copyists, serves as a strong reproach to the so-called Old Believers who separated themselves from unity with the Orthodox Church because of the correction of liturgical books.

In the wondrous glorification of Saint Alexis and other hierarchs of the Russian Church who were before and after him, what a solemn denunciation of the so-called Old Believers took place, who are alienated from the Orthodox hierarchy, regarding the correction of liturgical books! Saint Alexis himself was engaged in comparing the Slavonic translation of the New Testament with the Greek, made corrections in it, and as a monument to his work, his original manuscript on the New Testament that belonged to him has been preserved... If the matter of correcting liturgical books was such a grave fault that, according to the wise notion of the schismatics, it could serve as the cause of the cessation of the grace of the priesthood in the Church, then how could Saint Alexis have been blessed by God during his lifetime and at his death glorified by incorruptibility and many miracles from his grave?

d) Finally, the example of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, may teach us, brethren, the truth that whoever has faith, even such as a mustard seed, whoever asks with faith for what serves for salvation, will never be put to shame in his prayer, just as Saint Alexis, who was going to the Horde to heal the Khan’s wife from blindness, was not put to shame in his prayer, imbued with living and deep faith.

The Lord said: "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Go from here to there, and it shall go" (Matthew 17:20). "These signs shall follow those that believe: In my name shall they cast out demons; they shall utter new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and though they drink poisoned things, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be healed" (Mark 16:17-18). We read the history of the lives of the saints and see that all this is justified by the deed itself. "Say unto this mountain, Go from here to there, and it shall go": and indeed, mountains moved according to the prayerful word of the Venerable Mark and of Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea (Apr. 5 and Nov. 17). "In My name shall demons be driven out," and not only were demons driven out by the saints, but they even served them (Aug. 10). "They shall speak new tongues": Saint Pachomios did not know Greek, but he prayed and began to understand the Greek monk who came to visit him, and to answer him in Greek (May 15); and Venerable Or read without having learned to read (Aug. 7). "They shall take up the serpent": the Holy Martyr Irene was thrown into a pit filled with snakes; but not only did she not suffer anything from them, on the contrary, they perished from her very presence in the pit (May 5). "Though they drink poisoned things, it shall not hurt them": the Holy Martyr Michael, by order of the torturer, drank poison and remained healthy, while the same poison, drunk by a criminal condemned to death, immediately took his life (June 9). "They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be healed": Saint Paphnutius of Borovsky built a church; one icon painter, named Dionysius, who was working for this church, became very ill in his legs and had to leave his work, but Saint Paphnutius only said to him: “Get to work, Dionysius: God will bless you; the Mother of God will give you health,” and the sick Dionysius immediately set to work, and his illness was gone (May 5).

III. May these examples, through the prayers of Saint Alexis, awaken in us a living faith in God’s help. 

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