April: Day 8: Teaching 1: Venerable Niphon, Bishop of Novgorod

April: Day 8: Teaching 1:
Venerable Niphon, Bishop of Novgorod
 
(On Christian Peace With One’s Neighbors and the Means To Achieve It)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Niphon, whose memory is celebrated today, in the world Niketas, was brought up in a pious family, from childhood showed a pious disposition and, after the death of his parents, while still young, decided to devote himself to the service of God. Having sold his property for the benefit of the poor, he took monastic vows in the Kiev Caves Monastery, under Abbot Timothy. Here he soon acquired from those who saw his ascetic life that respect which he later enjoyed from both princes and people.

In order to thoroughly study the canons and customs of the Church, he traveled to the East. Upon his return from there, already known for his experience, wisdom and firmness of piety, he was chosen by the prince, brethren and people and consecrated in Kiev in 1131 as Bishop of Novgorod. He declared himself in the episcopal field, among other things, as a "reconciler of princes". Thus, in 1135, Bishop Niphon, with his admonitions, imbued with humility and love, stopped the discord that had arisen between the people of Kiev, Chernigov and Novgorod, who were already preparing to act against each other. Venerable Niphon died in Kiev, where he had arrived to meet the new Metropolitan, and was buried in the Kiev Caves Monastery, after a prophetic dream about this.

II. Let us, brethren, focus our attention on the peacefulness of Venerable Niphon, who, with his admonitions, imbued with humility and love, stopped the internecine princely strife and thereby averted a great disaster for his homeland.

Let us also learn to be peaceful in our relationships with our neighbors.

“If it be possible, so far as depends on you, have peace with all men” (Rom. 12:18), says the Apostle Paul.

a) How important and sacred this apostolic commandment is, how necessary it is for our salvation, is evident from the fact that, confirming it in another place, the Holy Apostle Paul adds that without fulfilling this commandment no one will see God. No one, therefore, will be accepted into the Kingdom of God, into the community of angels and chosen friends of God: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

Why?

Because, firstly, God Himself is the God of peace, as He calls Himself in His holy word: how can one appear before His face who has enmity or malice hidden in his heart, and no peace, love, or holiness?

Because, secondly, the Kingdom of God is the kingdom of peace, love and unanimity, the kingdom of goodness, mercy, meekness and longsuffering: how can one enter into it who has grief, annoyance, malice against his brother, who does not have agreement and peace with his neighbors, co-heirs of the Kingdom of God?

Because, thirdly, all enmity originally comes from the devil. He was the first to rise up in enmity against God his Creator, the first to disturb the peace and quiet of the Kingdom of God, the first to draw man into opposition to the will of God and to sow enmity in the human race. What do all those who are irreconcilably at enmity with their neighbors and brothers make of themselves, if not children of the devil, as the Lord Himself calls such people? And where is their place, if not with the rejected spirits?

Therefore, further, the peace of God, broken by the fall and the enmity and division that resulted from it, was restored in humanity at the cost of the blood of the only-begotten Son of God, His sufferings on the cross and death: “For God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, whether on earth or in heaven” (Col. 1:20). What does he who is at enmity with his neighbors do if he does not destroy the work of salvation accomplished by the Son of God, if he does not trample upon and count as nothing His most holy blood?

Because, also, mutual peace is the highest good, which the Lord Jesus Christ bequeathed as a precious heritage to His disciples, departing from them to suffer: “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” – is the highest happiness, with which He first of all greeted His friends after the resurrection: “Standing in the midst of them and saying to them: peace be with you!”

Because, finally, peace of heart is the grace-filled fruit of the Holy Spirit, the betrothal and pledge of His grace-filled presence in our soul: “For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Therefore, a peaceful or unpeaceful state of the heart is a sure sign of whether the Spirit of God dwells in a person’s heart – the Spirit of peace, love and kindness, or the spirit of the evil one, which by its very essence is the spirit of enmity and malice.

b) Do not think, brethren, that the lack of peace with one's neighbors can be replaced by any other virtues or feats of piety. Where there is no peace, there is no true Christian love; and without love, according to the teaching of the apostles, all gifts are worthless, even miraculous ones; all good deeds are fruitless, even if someone gave all his property to the poor; all feats are useless, even martyrdom. Without sincere reconciliation with one's brethren, it is impossible either to approach the throne of God or to open one's mouth in prayer to the Heavenly Father; otherwise, our very prayer will be a sin for us: "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23-24).

c) How, you ask, can one attain a peace-loving frame of mind? The Holy Apostle Paul points out the most reliable means for this. Having laid the foundation of his teaching on sincere, unfeigned love for one's neighbor, as the main source of all virtues, as the beginning of true spiritual life in Christ, as the foundation of peace and unanimity with all, he presents it in the following, more specific features.

1) "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another" (Rom. 12:10). The main source of all disagreements, discord and hostility is our self-love - namely, that we consider ourselves better than others, more knowledgeable and prudent than others, more blameless in our life than others, less sinful before God than others. Lock up this unclean source; imagine yourself as worse than all your brothers before God, more sinful than all people, more inclined than others to mistakes, delusions and falls: then you will see for yourself that we not only have no right to be offended by the words of our brothers, to be irritated by their actions, on the contrary, we are obliged to give them honor and respect.

2) "Bless those who persecute, bless them, and do not curse them" (Rom. 12:14). This is another, higher step to gaining peace with everyone: to speak only good words to everyone and about everyone, to wish only blessings from the Lord to everyone, to pray for the salvation of everyone from a sincere heart; especially do not speak evil of anyone, and more so do not curse even those who do us any evil.

3) "Repay no one evil for evil... do not avenge yourselves... live peaceably with all men" (Rom. 12:17-19). This is the third step to achieving peace with all, that is, not only by words, but also by deeds, you must show your love for everyone. And first of all, do not repay evil with evil. If you cannot so control your heart that it is not at all indignant at the hostile words of others, is not irritated by their harmful actions, then at least restrain your tongue, so as not to arouse from one, perhaps, ill-considered word, a whole flame of enmity and quarrel. Give time to the one who offended you to think over his words, give place to his own conscience to discuss his deed. But if you cannot restrain your tongue, at least restrain your hand, so that it does not repay evil with evil and does not make your enmity with your neighbor irreconcilable; lest the passion of revenge should cause your neighbor much greater insult and arouse in him even greater hatred and bitterness toward you. In such a case you will be doubly guilty before God: first, that you did not fulfill His commandment, which commands to forgive every insult and offense; second, that you did evil to your brother and killed his soul with enmity.

4) The crown of true Christian love is doing good to one's enemies: "If your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink" (Rom. 12:20). "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21). Then you will be "peaceful" even with "those who hate peace." It is impossible that the human heart could become so hardened in malice that it would not be touched by the sincere, true non-malice and meekness of the persecuted. David's most bitter enemy, Saul, finally confessed his unrighteousness before him: "You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, but I have rewarded you with evil."

III. Is it not true, my brethren, that if each of us sincerely decided to follow the apostolic rule, to have peace and holiness with everyone, how many evils, disorders and disasters that burden our life in society would cease and disappear! 

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