April: Day 7: Teaching 2: Venerable Daniel of Pereslavl

 

April: Day 7: Teaching 2:
Venerable Daniel of Pereslavl
 
(Causes of Unexpected and Unfortunate Death)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Daniel, commemorated today by the Church, in the world Dimitry, was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky in 1453 of noble parents. He grew up as a meek and kind youth, and even in his youth he showed an inclination for strict feats. At the age of 17 he took monastic vows with the name Daniel and after some time settled in the Goritsky Monastery, where he lived for about 30 years, received the rank of priest there and became the abbot of the monastery.

Experienced in the spiritual life, he was famous for giving useful spiritual advice, and many began to come to him for confession and advice. But he, in addition, chose for himself a special feat of love for his neighbors. He took upon himself the work and care of burying all those who died an unexpected and sad death - killed by robbers, drowned, frozen, accidentally died on the road. As soon as he heard about such, he went, carried the body of the unfortunate person to the cemetery on his shoulders, sang funeral hymns over it and piously buried it. He asked others to tell him about such cases, and went to perform the funeral service and bury the deceased. The cemetery became like a native place for him; those who found their last refuge there were dear to him; after all, he found this refuge for them, and he saw them off to eternal rest with funeral prayers and tears.

Often at night he looked out the window of his Goritsky cell at the cemetery, and he thought: how many secret servants of God lie, perhaps, in this cemetery, who pleased God unknown, lived unknown, and died unknown! And sometimes something wondrous was seen and heard at the cemetery – sometimes a fire would ignite, sometimes church singing would be heard from there! "It would be good to build a temple in Bozhedomye," thought Elder Daniel, "so that a bloodless offering could be brought there and prayers for the repose of those buried there could be raised daily." But there were no means. The Venerable One decided to wait for three years, wondering if the Lord would send help from somewhere, and help unexpectedly came after this period.

It happened that the Saint, through his prayers, delivered two boyars from princely disgrace. Grateful to the Saint, they presented him personally to the Grand Prince Vasily Ivanovich and obtained for him the right to own the entire Bozhedomye and build a church in it. Benefactors were found, and a church in the name of All Saints was built at Bozhedomye with the idea that among all the saints, those buried there who pleased the Lord and were deemed worthy of being in heaven before the face of the saints would be honored. A monastery was formed. Over time, Venerable Daniel moved to it from the Goritsky Monastery and became its abbot.

Venerable Daniel reached a ripe old age and died at the age of 87, on April 7, 1540. His holy relics rested in the ground for 112 years, but during all this time the brethren believed in his holiness, and long before the discovery of his relics, his icon was painted and a troparion, kontakion and canon were composed for him. In 1652, his holy relics were solemnly opened and now rest in a silver reliquary in the side chapel of the cathedral church, built in the name of the Saint.

II. Let us reflect, brethren, on the feat of Venerable Daniel, who took upon himself the labor of burying those who died an unexpected death, and let us draw edification from this.

Nowadays, news is constantly being announced about people were killed, drowned, frozen, burned, and other unfortunate deaths without Christian guidance. The question involuntarily arises: why do so many suffer such a terrible death, unnatural and violent?

Usually sudden death is called "in vain". This expression, if we take it in its modern meaning, is not quite accurate. With God nothing is in vain. "What could be the reasons for it?"

a) Those who die so miserably is not always due to sins. Once a tower fell in Jerusalem, killing eighteen people. The Savior, pointing out this misfortune, asked the Jews surrounding Him: "Or do you think that those eighteen people were more guilty than all those living in Jerusalem?" With this question He warns us not to consider those who die an unnatural death as rejected by God: it can befall a person who is not sinless, but not very sinful, perhaps even pious.

Saint Chrysostom gives the following explanation of such cases of innocent death: “If you see that a righteous man suffers an evil end, do not lose heart, for his misfortunes are preparing a bright crown for him. God punishes some on earth in order to lighten their punishment there, or to free them from it altogether” ("On Lazarus" 3,9). Here it is appropriate to recall one hermit whom a lion tore to pieces. Another, who knew his life, was perplexed: how is it fair that one who lived blamelessly and holy was subjected to such a cruel death? The next night an angel appears to him and says: “This one, torn to pieces by a beast, had one secret sin, for which he asked God for punishment for himself, and the Lord sent him such an end for the sake of the complete purification of his soul.” Thus the righteous “even though they suffer torment before the face of man, their hope of immortality is fulfilled” (Prov. 3:4).

b) Meanwhile, the death of those who suddenly die is always directed by Providence to the admonition of the living. The Lord did not deny that those who were killed by the tower were sinners, but by their misfortune He called the living to repentance: "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Since the Jerusalemites did not learn this lesson, did not correct themselves, did not believe in Christ, and during His trial cried out: "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matt. 27:25), then His prediction was fulfilled over them. All the Jerusalemites who were stubborn in unbelief perished when Jerusalem, as a rebellious city, was taken and destroyed by the Romans (Luke 13). And in our time, if others die suddenly and violently, we should not think that we are safe, as if we are right; on the contrary, God allows accidents to happen around us so that we can take care of our correction.

c) Saint Basil the Great likens the Lord to a physician who, when he sees that a wound is rotting and becoming infected, takes away the entire diseased part of the body. Thus the Lord “stops injustice before it has spread to excess. Therefore, if disasters happen to anyone, they stop the growth of sin, and He makes national vices chaste by national executions. Hence earthquakes, shipwrecks, and the destruction of people by water, fire, and other causes. All this has its origin in the excess of sin.” The disastrous end of evil people stops the pursuit of vice. The wrath of God is proportionate to sins (Gregory the Theologian).

d) However, not all the wicked die suddenly; others, even committing wickedness, live a long time. “When you see,” answers Chrysostom, “that some have either perished in a shipwreck, or been crushed by a house, or drowned in a river, or in some other violent way had their lives ended, while others, either like them or sinning even worse, nevertheless remain unharmed, do not be troubled, and do not say: why is it that those who sin equally have not suffered equally? God allows one to be killed, easing his punishment there, or cutting short his sinfulness, so that, continuing an impious life, he will not collect greater condemnation upon himself. But he does not allow another to die such a death, so that, taught by the punishment of the first, he will become more moral. If those who are admonished do not correct themselves, it is not God who is to blame, but their carelessness” ("On Lazarus" 3,9).

III. Although the word of God and the teaching of the Fathers somewhat explain the general causes of violent death, but why this lot falls on someone in particular is very difficult to determine, and how many murders have been committed in the world, the secret of which is buried in the grave of the murdered! From this mystery of human fates, two suggestions follow for us. The first, that there will be a universal judgment, when everything that is not solved here will be revealed, and a full retribution will follow for all; in this confidence, of course, the Church prays for the suddenly deceased. The second is that it is not our business to judge who of the departed is more sinful, and for whom prayer is more necessary; but our duty is to merge our heartfelt sighs with the voice of the holy Church, which cries out:

"Those whom the waters covered, the battle reaped, the coward embraced, the murderers killed, the fire fell, those who were food for beasts, those who perished in the cold, whom You allowed, O Lord, to die suddenly from death, deliver them from eternal torment, and grant them to stand before You, O Word, uncondemned at Your coming" (Canon of Meatfare Saturday). Amen. 

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