St. Tikhon Zadonsky

26. Stranger or wanderer

Whoever has left his home and Fatherland and lives on a foreign side is a stranger and a wanderer there, just as a Russian who is in Italy or in some other land is a stranger and a wanderer there. So is the Christian, removed from the heavenly Fatherland and living in this troubled world, a stranger and a wanderer. The holy Apostle and the faithful say about this: “We have no permanent city here, but we are looking for the future” (Heb. 13:14). And Saint David confesses this: “I am a stranger with You and a stranger, like all my fathers” (Ps. 39:13). And he also prays: “I am a stranger on earth; do not hide Your commandments from me” (Ps. 119:19). A wanderer, living on a foreign land, makes every effort to do and accomplish what he came to a foreign land for. So the Christian, called by the word of God and renewed by holy Baptism to eternal life, tries not to lose eternal life, which here in this world is either acquired or lost. A wanderer lives in a foreign land with considerable fear, because he is among strangers. Likewise, a Christian, living in this world, as if on a foreign land, fears and is on guard against everything, that is, the spirits of evil, demons, sin, the charms of the world, evil and godless people. Everyone shuns the wanderer and moves away from him, as if from someone other than himself and a foreigner. Likewise, all peace lovers and sons of this age alienate the true Christian, move away and hate him, as if he is not their own and is contrary to them. The Lord speaks about this: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; And because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). The sea, as they say, does not hold a dead body within itself, but spews it out. So the fickle world, like the sea, drives out a pious soul, as if dead to the world. A lover of peace is a dear child to the world, while a despiser of the world and its lovely lusts is an enemy. The wanderer does not establish anything immovable, that is, no houses, no gardens, or anything else of the like, on a foreign land, except what is necessary, without which it is impossible to live. So for a true Christian, everything in this world is immovable; everything in this world, including the body itself, will be left behind. The holy apostle speaks about this: “For we have brought nothing into the world; It is clear that we cannot learn anything from it” (1 Tim. 6:7). Therefore, a true Christian does not seek anything in this world except what is necessary, saying to the apostle: “Having food and clothing, we will be content with this” (1 Tim. 6:8). The wanderer sends or carries movable things, such as money and goods, to his Fatherland. So for a true Christian, movable things in this world, which he can take with him and carry into the next age, are good deeds. He tries to collect them here, living in the world, like a spiritual merchant, spiritual goods, and bring them to his heavenly Fatherland, and with them appear and appear before the Heavenly Father. The Lord admonishes us about this, Christians: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20). The sons of this age care for the mortal body, but pious souls care for the immortal soul. The sons of this age seek their temporal and earthly treasures, but pious souls strive for eternal and heavenly things and desire such blessings that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and nothing has entered into the heart of man” (1 Cor. 2:9) . They look at this treasure, invisible and incomprehensible by faith, and neglect everything earthly. The sons of this age are trying to become famous on earth. But true Christians seek glory in heaven, where their Fatherland is. The sons of this age adorn their bodies with various garments. And the sons of the kingdom of God adorn the immortal soul and are clothed, according to the admonition of the apostle, “with mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12). And therefore the sons of this age are senseless and insane, for they are looking for something that in itself is nothing. The sons of the kingdom of God are reasonable and wise, since they care about what eternal bliss contains within themselves. It is boring for a wanderer to live in a foreign land. So it is boring and sorrowful for a true Christian to live in this world. In this world he is everywhere in exile, prison and a place of exile, as if he were removed from the heavenly Fatherland. “Woe is me,” says Saint David, “that my life in exile is long” (Ps. 119:5). So other saints complain and sigh about this. The wanderer, although it is boring to live on a foreign land, nevertheless lives for the sake of the need for which he left his Fatherland. Likewise, although it is sorrowful for a true Christian to live in this world, as long as God commands, he lives and endures this wandering. The wanderer always has his Fatherland and his home in his mind and memory, and he wants to return to his Fatherland. The Jews, being in Babylon, always had their Fatherland, Jerusalem, in their thoughts and memories, and earnestly desired to return to their Fatherland. So true Christians in this world, as on the rivers of Babylon, sit and cry, remembering the heavenly Jerusalem – the Heavenly Fatherland, and raise their eyes to it with sighing and crying, and want to come there. “That is why we groan, desiring to be clothed with our heavenly habitation,” groans the holy Paul with the faithful (2 Cor. 5:2). For the sons of this age, addicted to the world, the world is like a fatherland and paradise, and therefore they do not want to be separated from it. But the sons of the kingdom of God, who have separated their hearts from the world and are enduring all sorts of sorrows in the world, want to come to that Fatherland. For a true Christian, life in this world is nothing more than constant suffering and the cross. When a wanderer returns to the Fatherland, to his home, his family, neighbors and friends rejoice at him and welcome his safe arrival. Thus, when a Christian, having completed his wanderings in the world, comes to the heavenly Fatherland, all the Angels and all the holy inhabitants of heaven rejoice over him. A wanderer who has come to the Fatherland and his home lives in safety and calms down. So a Christian, having entered the heavenly Fatherland, calms down, lives in safety and is not afraid of anything, rejoices and is glad about his bliss. From here you see, Christian: 1) Our life in this world is nothing more than wandering and migration, as the Lord says: “You are strangers and migrants before Me” (Lev. 25:23). 2) Our true Fatherland is not here, but in heaven, and for it we were created, renewed by Baptism and called by the Word of God. 3) We, as those called to heavenly blessings, should not seek earthly goods and cleave to them, except for what is necessary, such as food, clothing, home and other things. 4) A Christian man living in the world has nothing more to desire than eternal life, “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). 5) Whoever wants to be saved must separate himself from the world in his heart until his soul departs from the world. 6) Whoever in this world is looking for how to get rich and famous, thereby shows that the world, and not heaven, is the Fatherland, and is so mistaken that on the day of his death he will understand.

27. Citizen

We see that in this world a person, no matter where he lives or where he is, is called a resident or citizen of the city in which he has his home, for example, a Moscow resident is a Muscovite, a Novgorod resident is a Novgorodian, and so on. Likewise, true Christians, although they are in this world, nevertheless have a city in the heavenly Fatherland, “whose Artist and Builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). And they are called citizens of this city. This city is heavenly Jerusalem, which the holy Apostle John saw in his revelation: “The city was pure gold, like pure glass; the city street is pure gold, like transparent glass; and the city has no need of the sun or the moon to illuminate it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its Lamp” (Rev. 21:18, 21, 23). On its streets a sweet song is constantly sung: “Hallelujah!” (See Rev. 19:1, 3, 4, 6). “No unclean thing will enter this city, nor anyone who practices abomination and lies, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27). “And without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices iniquity” (Rev. 22:15). True Christians are called citizens of this beautiful and bright city, although they wander on earth. There they have their abodes, prepared for them by Jesus Christ, their Redeemer. There they raise their spiritual eyes and sighs from their wanderings. Since nothing unclean will enter this city, as we saw above, “let us cleanse ourselves,” beloved Christian, “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” according to the apostolic exhortation (2 Cor. 7:1). And may we be citizens of this blessed city, and, having left this world, may we be worthy to enter it, by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Source: St. Tikhon Zadonsky, “Spiritual Treasure Collected from the World.”