By Saint Harmless (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow
To go away one’s homeland and go to distant, wild locations, disadvantaged of lots of the comforts of life, with the intention to convert people who find themselves nonetheless wandering within the darkness of ignorance to the trail of fact and to enlighten with the sunshine of the Gospel those that haven’t but seen this saving mild – it is a really holy and apostolic deed. Blessed is he whom the Lord chooses and locations in such service! However particularly blessed is he who with all zeal, sincerity and love strives within the work of conversion and enlightenment, enduring the labors and sorrows encountered within the discipline of his service! For his reward is nice in heaven. However woe to him who is named and appointed to evangelise the gospel, and doesn’t preach the gospel! And but extra woe to him who, having handed by way of land and sea with the intention to convert others, makes the transformed sons of hell, greater than himself!
And so that you, priest, are appointed to such a job, for which you’ll both enter into the enjoyment of your Lord, as a great and trustworthy employee, or obtain extra condemnation, as a hypocritical, depraved and lazy servant of His. And should the Lord God protect you from the latter, and should He provide the need and power to realize the previous.
Being within the place of your service, you’ll have particular and numerous duties, firstly – non secular, as a priest and preacher of the phrase of God, secondly – exterior, as a member of the well-established administration of society; and due to this fact on your steerage right here I give you directions regarding each.
Half 1. An important directions regarding the non secular duties of a preacher
I. Preparation for preaching
The directions regarding this topic are fairly clearly outlined within the decree of 1777, the place it’s stated, “that he (the preacher) shouldn’t contemplate his calling and obligation fulfilled within the hasty baptism (of these he converts), however ought to attempt to instill in them the ability of Christian instructing and information them to all good conduct, with out which baptism, taught to savages, can hardly be referred to as an abuse of one of many biggest sacraments of the Christian religion.”
1) The primary and actual preparation for that is prayer, which alone can open the supply of the very best directions and ship down a blessing on each good enterprise and deed; and due to this fact all the time, and particularly earlier than any dialog with the ignorant, whom you want to enlighten with the phrase of fact, flip to God with fervent prayer. 2) At all times have a modest and humble disposition of spirit and don’t presumptuously promise your self extraordinary or sure success in your work. Such guarantees come from satisfaction, and style shouldn’t be given to the proud.
3) Each time you’re taking up a job, carry your self to calm and full presence of thoughts; in any other case you won’t be able to specific even what you already know firmly and completely.
4) Don’t start a job with out preliminary reflection and don’t carry out it with absent-mindedness and negligence; on your work is God’s work, and he’s cursed who does it with negligence.
5) At all times do not forget that if a preacher doesn’t have love in himself, each for his work and for these to whom he preaches, then even the most effective and most eloquent exposition of the doctrine might stay with none profit, for under love creates; and due to this fact attempt to have in your self the spirit of holy love.
6) Make it a rule for your self: when visiting distant locations (corresponding to these the place Christianity has already begun) don’t start to conduct divine companies and rites till you could have supplied at the very least a brief lesson to the parishioners you go to.
7) It’s pure to start preaching the phrase of God first the place you’ll have a everlasting residence; but when circumstances drive you, or the chance presents itself to be in different, additional locations, then, even though you could have nonetheless managed to do little amongst these dwelling with you, don’t miss the chance to be wherever attainable, and provide your phrase all over the place and to everybody, in accordance with age, situation and time.
8) Select the time for instructing and speaking with foreigners primarily when they’re gathered. For this you possibly can both go to them, or, if attainable, invite them to you.
9) At first, attributable to ignorance of the language of the foreigners, you’ll have to use an interpreter of your speeches: attempt to decide on him from probably the most well-intentioned and pious individuals, and train them the catechism prematurely. It’s higher if the interpreter is all the time the identical.
II. The order of preaching the religion
10) Christianity is a necessity, satisfaction and comfort primarily of the guts, and never solely of the thoughts; and due to this fact in instructing the doctrine of religion one should attempt to act extra on the guts than on the thoughts. The curiosity of the thoughts is insatiable, however whoever feels together with his coronary heart the necessity of religion and its comfort will settle for it shortly and simply, and it’ll not be fruitless in him. However with the intention to act on the guts, one should converse from the guts: from the abundance of the guts the lips converse. And due to this fact solely he who’s crammed and abounds in religion and love can have lips and knowledge, which the hearts of those that hear can’t resist, and which accurately signifies how, the place and what to say. So, discover and seize the second of the heartfelt disposition of those that take heed to you. This time is all the time favorable for sowing the phrase of God.
11) The strategy of instructing the doctrine of religion varies: each in keeping with the interior state of the soul of the one being taught, and in keeping with age, and in keeping with psychological skills. And in relation to this, needless to say these with whom you’ll deal, in keeping with habits and ideas, are pagans and misplaced, and in keeping with the diploma of training, kids. To this it’s essential to apply the tactic and order of instructing them saving truths.
12) The order in instructing the doctrine of religion should be in accordance with that which Windfall itself has proven us. The regulation of Moses was given earlier than the regulation of the Gospel, and even earlier than the written regulation of Moses, the unwritten pure regulation was identified, and its writer was God, the Creator and Supplier. Earlier than the very time of the regulation of Moses, the solemn signal of the ability, omnipotence and glory of God was revealed. this nice and common picture, set up your small and personal job thus:
a) From the existence and association of seen issues, present the existence (during which, nevertheless, evidently nobody doubts), omnipotence, energy and glory of the Creator of the universe, His goodness, omniscience, and many others. Along with this, briefly inform the historical past of the creation of the primary man and the origin from him of all individuals and nations, who on this regard reside monuments and visual proofs of artistic omnipotence and knowledge. Then set forth the composition of man, consisting of soul and physique, his distinction from different animals, the immortality of his soul, and point out God’s intention in creating him, i.e., bliss.
b) Then present the ethical regulation of Moses, as a God-written pure regulation, as a way to attaining bliss, merely and briefly.
Talking of the regulation, you possibly can most likely hear from the wildest echoes and affirmation of the truths of this regulation, indelibly printed on the tablets of everybody’s coronary heart. Attempt to arouse this sense in them and use it to your benefit.
c) When your listeners are satisfied of the existence of God and the regulation, then present them the need of fulfilling the regulation, as the desire of the Creator, and the seen penalties of fulfilling and never conserving the regulation. On this instance, inform briefly concerning the flood (the custom about it, though confused, is discovered even amongst savage peoples), as a consequence of not conserving the regulation of God, about God’s blessing of the forefathers after the flood, and particularly Abraham (whose descendants exist even to this present day), as a consequence of fulfilling the regulation.
d) After this, start the precise preaching of the Gospel as Jesus Christ Himself started, that’s, by proclaiming repentance and comfort, or the method of the Kingdom of Heaven. Attempt to carry them to a sense of repentance, or near repentance. This may be achieved by convincing them that for failure to satisfy the regulation written of their hearts, they are going to definitely be punished each on this life and the following, or if not on this, then all of the extra severely, eternally sooner or later, as a result of nobody will escape these punishments by himself, and many others. Right here it’s crucial to talk in such a method as to arouse in them some worry of future punishments; and when they’re dropped at this sense, then preach to them Jesus Christ, the Savior, Redeemer, and Hope of all individuals, for his or her comfort.
To carry to a way of repentance and contrition is without doubt one of the most tough works of a preacher; however this state is without doubt one of the most essential within the conversion of an individual and is the cultivated floor for planting the seed of Christianity. For then it may fall into the very depths of his coronary heart and, with the next help of grace, carry forth plentiful fruit. The gospel of the Savior to a sinner who feels himself responsible earlier than the regulation, beforehand and with none persuasion instills in him love for this Savior, whom he doesn’t but know. And whoever loves Jesus Christ on this method will particularly love Him, having come to know Him, and having believed every part that He stated, and additionally, you will converse of Him. Consequently, then the revelation of all of the mysteries of our salvation can be each simple for the preacher and handy for individuals who hear him in such a way of thinking.
d) Having proven the need of the redemption of the human race and the greatness of God’s love for it, train concerning the coming of the promise into the world of the Redeemer, His everlasting delivery from the Father (right here we should additionally converse concerning the thriller of the Holy Trinity), the incarnation, delivery and earthly lifetime of Jesus Christ, His instructing, struggling, demise, resurrection, ascension, fixed presence with believers and His second coming, the resurrection of the useless (which, though in their very own method, all savages imagine in), the long run life, the reward of the righteous and the sinners.
e) Lastly, say that Jesus Christ throughout his earthly life had many disciples, from whom he selected twelve, gave them particular grace and energy, and despatched them into the entire world to evangelise the Gospel to each creature. And every part that they taught and that Jesus Christ commanded is written of their writings, which have reached us, and that are already identified to virtually all nations, and that every one good and simple-hearted individuals who managed to listen to their instructing accepted it with pleasure, and adopted, and can observe Him. Such individuals are often referred to as Christians; and people of them who precisely stored the phrase of Jesus Christ grew to become saints, and the our bodies of a lot of them relaxation for a lot of centuries incorruptible, and many others.
After this, it is vitally opportune to make a proposal to everybody, whether or not they wish to be part of the variety of believers in Jesus Christ and thru him anticipate everlasting salvation, bliss, and many others.
This instructing of religion is sufficient for the primary time for individuals who haven’t heard the phrase of salvation earlier than. 13) In explaining the topics of religion, one should converse thoughtfully, clearly and distinctly, and as briefly as attainable, in any other case your sermon could have little success. In explaining the teachings of Jesus Christ, one should not dwell on them right here, i.e., not point out every part that Jesus Christ stated. However solely say that your complete instructing of Jesus Christ is that we repent, imagine in Him, and have selfless, pure love for Him and for all individuals. In affirmation of His instructing, converse briefly about His miracles. 14) While you see that your listeners have understood you accurately and specific a need to be counted among the many flock of Christ, then provide them: a) the situations for these wishing to affix the ranks of believers; b) about holy baptism as a mysterious rebirth from water and spirit, introducing into a brand new Christian life, and about different sacraments as means to obtain the grace of Jesus Christ, and c) about how one ought to lead his life who desires to be a real Christian and, consequently, to reap the benefits of all of the fruits of redemption.
a) The situations underneath which those that want can be part of the ranks of the disciples of Jesus Christ are: to surrender all their earlier religion, to go away shamanism and to not take heed to shamans, to not observe customs opposite to Christianity, to comply with do every part that the brand new regulation and the church require of them, to admit their sins.
b) Those that want and agree to satisfy all of the above situations are to say that getting into Christianity is a good and essential matter; and due to this fact entry into it should be solemn, the place the one wishing to enter should surrender every part opposite to the Christian religion earlier than witnesses and provides a promise to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and seal all this with holy baptism, which is each a visual signal of entry into Christianity, and a way of cleaning the soul from sins, and a door to the acceptance of different items or signifies that impart the grace of God, that’s, the sacraments of the Holy Church, which we’ll speak about right here. Right here it’s also crucial to point out the dignity of the Holy Cross and the ability of the signal of the cross, in addition to in what thoughts and with what useful intention the Holy Church accepts and honors the holy icons. c) As for the instructing about how a Christian ought to behave, I can’t go into a lot element at first, however will solely say that whoever desires to be a real Christian, i.e. a disciple of Jesus Christ, and reap the benefits of all of the items of redemption, should: 1) give up himself to Jesus Christ with religion, hope, and love, and a couple of) imitate Him in every part, i.e. attempt, so far as attainable, to all the time act as He did. Right here it’s essential to briefly converse concerning the virtues of Jesus Christ talked about within the Gospel, in order that the newcomer may perceive precisely how he ought to act; for instance, Jesus Christ forgave His enemies, and so ought to we, and many others. 15) Lastly, it should be stated that nobody, particularly counting on his personal power and on himself, generally is a true disciple of Jesus Christ with out God’s assist, and if Jesus Christ, out of His nice love for individuals, had not given us His assist, then nobody would ever have been capable of change into an ideal follower of Him. However now anybody who desires can obtain assist from Him. This assistance is the Holy Spirit, given freely; It may be obtained particularly by way of prayer. True prayer is the turning of the guts to God with submission, religion and hope. One can pray all over the place and all the time, however particularly shut is the gracious assist of God in church prayer. 16) Such instructing is ample for brand spanking new converts. The additional instructing of Christianity, corresponding to: a extra in depth and non secular interpretation of the Ten Commandments, and many others., a proof of the phrases of Jesus Christ, transmitted within the Gospel, the teachings of the apostles and partly the traditions of the Holy Fathers, represent the topic of not only a new doctrine and non secular meals not for infants within the religion, however for these of age, or at the very least rising in Christianity.
Supply in Russian: Works of Harmless, Metropolitan of Moscow / Coll. Ivan Barsukov. Ebook 1-3. – Moscow: Synod. sort., 1886-1888. / Ebook 1. – 1886. – VI, 494, [3], p. / Directions for a priest appointed to transform non-believers and information these transformed to the Christian religion. 239-263 p.