Offer to God a sacrifice of praise and present your prayers to the Most High; call upon Me in the time of your distress, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me (Psalm 49:14-15). At this moment, I turn to you, O Saint Alexios, not in my own words, but in the decree of the Sovereign. I come as an envoy of the devout Emperor Nicholas Pavlovich, who has sent His token of respect to you as evidence of His reverence. He urges you to accept this offering of beauty and majesty, not because you need earthly coverings—being already cloaked in heavenly light—but to signify that the Emperor recognizes the sacred shield of your prayers and blessings. Accept this token of remembrance and honor, this ‘denarius’ commemorating the battles of Persia, a struggle that demanded both sweat and blood. The Giver believes that you were not a passive observer in this conflict but, in your unseen way, fervently interceded before God for the faithful sons of Russia against the deceitful followers of a false prophet, just as you valiantly defended the Church and the homeland against foes in your earthly life, either through miraculous supplication or through stern words of urging. Although you can perceive the King’s heart in the divine light without words, I hasten to address those who need a herald to speak to them and a guide to help them understand. The endeavors of the King, visibly sealed with solemn signs before you, O faithful citizens of the ancient Capital, represent in essence a royal obedience to the command given by the King of kings through His Prophet: ‘Call upon Me in the day of your affliction, and I will bring you out, and you shall glorify Me.’ There was a sorrowful day, a day whose memory continues to cast shadows over the soul of the Russian, even after the sun of peace and joy has returned—a day that threatened to cloud the future of Russia, if not for the elevated spirit of Nicholas the First, which shone brighter than the darkness of despair. With the passing of Alexander the Blessed, those who harbored wicked thoughts assumed that the blessings had departed from Russia. The neighbor, who posed no threat, believed that his lack of fear made him dangerous. In response to our peace delegation, he invaded our territory with an army and initiated a devastating conflict. Consider the burden placed upon the new Tsar, who faced grief at a time when the strength of the soul was already stretched thin by efforts to alleviate and heal the myriad sorrows of the homeland. This war was not only forced upon Russia but brought into her midst without justification, amidst friendly relations and without prior warning, trampling upon the rights of the people and insulting the dignity of the Empire—with attacks from an adversary who delights in preying upon the defenseless—fighting in an area that made it hard to send in reinforcements, necessitating the dispatch of a commander from afar. It is difficult for an outsider to recount such trials apathetically; one can only imagine the Emperor's turmoil. Initially, He struggled to accept the unfolding reality, for a pure heart struggles to believe in the existence of such injustice. Then, with resolve and urgency, He moved to mobilize His forces and calmly turned to God, the Source of strength, seeking His blessing upon the new reign, as well as His aid against all adversities.
Observe how in these very occurrences ‘the Lord is faithful in all His words’ and how He is ‘near to all those who call upon Him in truth’ (Psalm 144:13-18). Immediately after the holy rite of His crowning, the devout Emperor ‘offered to the Most High’ His first special ‘prayer’ (Ps. 49:14) as the Anointed One, solidified by His pious pilgrimage into the sacred wilderness and the fellowship of faith with the venerable Sergius, who stands as a powerful intercessor. Almost immediately, the Most High revealed His salvation, sending the first messenger of victory in His reign. With reverence, He bowed His exalted head and knees before the King of kings and glorified the ‘Exorciser’ of sorrows, having Sergius beside Him as a fellow director of thanksgiving, just as Sergius had been an advocate for His petitions. It is clear that this communion (Psalms 103:35) ‘pleased the Lord’; the King found his heart uplifted through this dialogue with God, receiving renewed hope: from that moment on, God granted Him triumph after triumph, sending confirmations of these victories into this very temple where He extolled God for the first of them. Look upon how His army, steadfast in faithfulness and righteous deeds, tirelessly overcame adversaries and the challenges of nature—be it swift rivers, rocky fortifications, the chill of the Caucasus, the heat of Transcaucasus, and the heights of forbidding mountains. When ‘the enemy’s weapons were exhausted in the end’ (Psalm 9:7), not only was peace restored, but also the security of our broadened borders was established; honoring the bravery of His soldiers, the Pious Sovereign seized the opportunity to offer again a ‘sacrifice of praise’ (Psalm 49:14-23) to the Lord of Hosts. Oh sons of Russia, do you not ‘rejoice in your Tsar,’ especially when ‘the Tsar rejoices in God’? Your joy is evident, and I share in it as one among you; I rejoice in your joy, for in your gladness for your King, love for him shines forth. Yet, I dare not be too insistent if I assert that this is not the full extent of what this moment summons you to do. It is well to regard the pious deeds of the Tsar with reverent joy, but it is far greater to embrace these deeds as your own, not merely in outward appearances and signs, but in spirit and substance—how?—by becoming not only onlookers to the noble efforts but also imitators of his virtuous example. Let the command of the King of kings be inscribed upon your hearts: ‘Call upon Me in the day of your affliction, and I will take you out, and you shall glorify Me’; in every distress, be it public or private, approach God with your prayers, and when He has alleviated your troubles, remember to return to Him in gratitude.
It might seem unnecessary to remind a beggar to ask for alms, or a needy man to beseech God’s favor. But indeed, such reminders are often needed; it is not sufficient that men encourage each other in this universal human necessity, for God Himself deemed it vital to speak through His prophet, demanding prayer from humanity in His ultimatum, ‘Call upon Me in the day of thy affliction.’ There are unwitting beggars, desolate from misfortune, who require nudging and guidance to seek refuge; there are proud souls who, refusing to lower their heads before their benefactors, desire instead that their benefactors bow in deference to their wants: these represent individuals before God who either refuse or fail to acknowledge their need for divine intervention in times of despair. Some, in their desolation, only mourn, saturating their days in grief. Have mercy on yourself, beloved! If you find yourself drowning, is it better to resign to despair than to cry for help? Others exhaust themselves seeking human assistance, forgetting God, ‘the helper in tribulation, who has found us greatly’ (Psalm 45:2). Reflect, if you are not utterly indifferent: is it better for you to chase after a man who frequently dismisses you—‘don’t ask me, I cannot assist you; seek another’? Or shall you go to God, who does not send you onward to another helper, who does not delay His aid, or waver in His promises? He remains constantly nearby, inviting you to pray and reassuring you with His omnipotent support: ‘Call upon Me in the day of your affliction, and I will deliver you.’
One might say, ‘God knows my needs without my asking,’ thus feeling unnecessary to pray. This thought, though rooted in truth, can be twisted by a heart filled with doubt. Christ teaches us, ‘Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him’ (Matt. 6:8); however, He immediately continues, ‘This is how you should pray,’ providing us with the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13). Therefore, according to Christ’s own doctrine, the notion that God is aware of our needs does not imply that we need not pray at all, but rather that we should approach God with trust and sincerity, invoking Him as our Father, without the superstitions of paganism. To assert that God’s knowledge of our needs negates the necessity of prayer is akin to a beggar, shrouded in rags, declaring, ‘The wealthy man notices my plight, and thus I need not utter my plea or extend my hand.’ O you who are impoverished in spirit and wealthy in pride, do you truly wish for the rich man to scatter his treasures before you, woefully throwing breadcrumbs on the ground? Is it not more absurd and shameless to expect God to lavish His divine gifts and scatter the bread of heaven upon those indifferent to receiving His offerings? God, in His boundless kindness and mercy, stands ready to give abundantly, yet humanity often remains unprepared to accept His blessings. For a beggar to receive alms, one must reach out their hand; for a child to be fed, they must open their mouth; similarly, one must reach out to God to accept His grace, needing an open spirit to receive His gifts. Prayer signifies an outstretched hand to welcome God’s grace, an open mouth to partake of the heavenly food. As God declared, ‘Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it’ (Psalm 80:11). Grace is of a wholly spiritual nature and necessitates a pure spirit to receive it; prayer cleanses the spirit and calms the soul and its faculties. Thus, pray with your spirit to receive the Spirit of God; pray with your intellect to be filled with the Spirit of wisdom; pray with your heart to be endowed with the Spirit of devotion; convert all your faculties, both of soul and body, into tools of prayer, so that each part may become a blessed instrument of grace, healing and elevating the wounded and troubled nature.
Once you realize, either through external signs or inner conviction, that the pleas of the sorrowful are not disregarded by God, but that He alleviates your suffering or at least provides comfort, do not forget, ‘man of desires’ (Dan. 9:23), that you must also be a man of gratitude; as you witness God’s fidelity in fulfilling His promises, remain steadfast in honoring His command: ‘I will take you out, and you shall glorify Me’ (Psalm 49:15). Faithfulness in small matters cultivates trust in larger ones. He who sincerely thanks God for small gifts finds the courage to seek greater blessings. Indeed, you may experience personally that the heart which expresses gratitude opens wider and more willingly than the heart that merely petitions; thus, the more one is willing to receive abundant grace. When one neglects to call upon God during trials or forgets to glorify Him for His blessings, one’s connection to the Source of all goodness and wisdom is severed, leaving only despair and folly as humanity’s inheritance.
THEOSIS