Thinking thus in his soul, blessed Philaret became merciful to the poor, as a father is to his children: he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, received strangers into his house, and with love gave them all peace. And this righteous man was like the ancient stranger Abraham and the poor man Job. Therefore, it was impossible to hide under a bushel such a lamp, decorated with deeds of mercy, and he became famous throughout the country, like a city flaunting on top of a mountain (). In his house, as in a safe haven, all the poor and miserable hurried to take shelter. And whichever of them asked him for something: food, clothes, a horse, an ox, a donkey, or something else, Filaret delivered it to him with benevolent generosity.

But now the time has come when the Lord of mankind, who arranges everything for the benefit of man, allowed the righteous Filaret, like His ancient saint Job, to be tempted, so that the patience of the saint could manifest itself like the patience of Job and that he, purified by temptation, like gold in a furnace, would be a worthy servant of God. It began with the fact that the blessed Philaret began to fall into poverty: however, this did not in the least change his compassion and mercy for the poor, and he continued to distribute to the needy from what he had left.

At that time, by God's permission, the Ishmaelites attacked the country in which Filaret lived; like a crushing whirlwind and a burning flame, they devastated the whole country and carried away many inhabitants into captivity; Philaret also took away all his herds of sheep and oxen, horses and donkeys, and many of his servants were taken captive. Then this merciful man reached such ruin that he finally had only two slaves, a pair of oxen, a horse and a cow. The rest of all the property of Philaret was either distributed to the poor by his generous hand, or plundered by the Ishmaelites; its villages, gardens and cornfields were taken over by the farmers living around, some by requests, others by violence. And Filaret had only the house in which he lived, and one field. Enduring such poverty, deprivation, and such misfortunes, this good man never mourned or grumbled, and, like the second righteous Job, he did not sin against God in anything, not even with the word: “he did not sin with his mouth.” But just as someone rejoices in the abundance of his wealth, so he rejoiced in his poverty, which he counted for a great treasure, understanding that poverty is a surer path to salvation than wealth, just as the Lord said that "It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" () .

One day, taking his two oxen, Filaret went to cultivate the field he had left. While working, he praised and joyfully thanked God that, according to His commandment, the saint begins to eat his bread in the sweat of his face (), and that work saves him from laziness and idleness, these teachers of all evil.

He also recalled the words of the Apostle, who forbids a lazy person who loves idleness to eat: “If someone does not want to work, then do not eat”(2 Thess. 3:10). And the blessed Philaret cultivated his land, so as not to be unworthy of eating his bread.

On the same day, one villager cultivated his field. And suddenly one of his oxen fell ill and fell. The farmer wept bitterly and grieved inconsolably, especially since he did not have his own oxen - he barely begged them from his neighbor to cultivate the field. Then he remembered the blessed Philaret and said:

“Ah, if this gracious poor-lover himself had not become impoverished! Now I would go to him and receive from him probably not only one, but even two oxen. But he himself is now in great need, and he has nothing to help another, no matter how much his heart desires. However, I will still go to him - at least he will have pity on me, and at least with his word will console me and ease my heavy grief and sorrow.

Taking his staff, the villager went to the blessed Philaret and, meeting him at work in the field, bowed to him and told him with tears about his grief - the unexpected death of an ox. Blessed Philaret, seeing how upset this man was, immediately unhooked one of his oxen from under the yoke, gave it to the villager and said:

- Take, brother, this ox of mine and go to work your land, thanking the Lord.

The villager bowed with gratitude to blessed Philaret, accepting his generous alms, and said:

- My lord! Great and admirable is your decision, and your mercy is pleasing to God, but it is not good to separate two oxen who have labored together, and it will be difficult for you to manage one yourself.

“Take, brother, the ox that I give you,” the righteous man answered him, “and go in peace; I also have an ox at home.

The farmer bowed to the blessed one to the ground and, taking an ox, departed, glorifying God and thanking the merciful benefactor.

Philaret, taking the remaining ox and putting the yoke on his shoulders, went home. As he approached the gate of his house, his wife, seeing that the ox was going ahead, and her husband following him with a yoke on his shoulders, said to him:

- My lord! Where is your other ox?

Filaret answered her:

- While I was resting after work, and the oxen were grazing in freedom, then one of them left and got lost - or maybe someone took him and took him away.

Hearing this, Philaret's wife was very upset and hurried to send her son to find the missing ox. Having walked around many fields, the young man finally found his ox in the yoke of that farmer. Recognizing the ox, he angrily said to the farmer:

"Evil, dishonest man!" How dare you harness someone else's ox and work on it? Where and how did you get this ox and harness it to yours? Isn't this the same ox that my father lost? And you, having found him, stole him like a wolf, and appropriated him. Give me the ox, and if you do not give it back, then you will answer for him in court, like a thief!

The farmer meekly answered him:

“Do not be angry with me, young man, son of a holy man, and do not offend me without any fault on my part. After all, your father, taking pity on my misfortune and poverty, voluntarily gave me this ox of his, since my ox, working under the yoke, suddenly fell unexpectedly.

Hearing this, the young man was ashamed of his futile anger. Hurrying home, he told all this to his mother. She, having listened to him, exclaimed with tears:

“Woe to me, the poor wife of an unmerciful husband!

And she tore her hair and, screaming and screaming, running to her husband, reproached him:

“You inhuman, stone-hearted man! Why did you think of starving us prematurely? For our sins, we have already lost all our property, but the Lord, who has mercy on sinners, left us two oxen so that we, with their help, could feed our children; but you, who formerly lived in great wealth and never worked with your own hands, being now in poverty, have become lazy and do not want to work and cultivate the land, but you want to rest sweetly in your room. And therefore, not for the sake of God, you gave your ox to the peasant, but for your own sake, so as not to labor to harness it to the yoke, but to live in laziness and idleness. However, what answer will you give to the Lord if, because of your laziness, I and your children perish from hunger?

Looking at his wife, blessed Philaret answered her meekly:

“Listen to what God Himself, rich in mercy, says: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you much better than them?"(); Will He not nourish us, who are incomparably dearer to Him than the birds? He promises to give a hundredfold reward to those who, for the sake of Him and the Gospel, distribute their property to the poor. So, think: if for one ox we get a hundred, then why should we grieve for the will that I gave in the name of the Lord to the needy?

The merciful husband said this, not because he consoled himself with the hope of a hundredfold reward in earthly life, but in order to calm his faint-hearted wife. And she fell silent, finding no objection to the prudent words of her husband.

Less than five days later, the ox that Blessed Philaret gave to the villager ate a poisonous plant and fell. This perplexed the villager and, again coming to Filaret, he said to him:

- Mister! I have sinned against you and against your children, that I separated your pair of oxen; right, that's why the righteous God did not allow me to benefit from your will, for he overate some kind of potion and died.

Without uttering a single word, blessed Philaret quickly brought his last ox and, giving it to the villager, said:

“Brother, take this ox and take him away; but I must go to a far country and do not want the working ox to remain idle in my house without me.

The blessed one said this so that the man would not refuse to accept another ox from him. The peasant, taking the ox, returned to his house, marveling at the great mercy of the blessed husband. Meanwhile, everyone in Philaret's house soon found out about his deed. The children began to cry with their mother and said:

“Our father is truly unmerciful and does not love his children, because he squanders our last property; we only had two oxen, so that we would not die of hunger, and he gave them to a stranger.

Seeing the grief and tears of his children, blessed Philaret addressed them with these words:

- Children! Why are you grieving? Why are you torturing yourself and me? Do you think I am cruel? Am I really planning to ruin you? Calm down: I have so much wealth and so many treasures in one place that you don’t know that it will last you a hundred years of life, even if you don’t do anything and don’t care about anything. I myself cannot even count all the treasures prepared for you.

Saying this, the righteous Filaret did not deceive his children, but truly saw with his spiritual eyes what was to come true later.

Soon after that, a royal command came to that country, to gather all the soldiers in their regiments and oppose the impious barbarians who had rebelled against the Greek Empire; at the same time, it was required that every warrior appear in full armor and with two horses. One poor warrior, named Musilius, was also assigned to one of those regiments; he had only one horse, but even that, just at that very time, suddenly fell ill and fell. Having no money to buy a horse, the poor warrior went to the blessed Philaret and said to him:

- My lord! Have pity on me, help me. I know that you yourself have become extremely impoverished, and you yourself have only one horse. But, for the sake of the merciful Lord, I beg you, give me your horse, so that I don’t fall into the hands of the Thousander, and so that he doesn’t beat me severely.

Blessed Philaret said to him:

- Take, brother, my horse and go in peace; but only know that I give it to you not for the fear of punishment from the Thousander, but for the sake of God's mercy.

The warrior, taking the horse from the saint, left him, praising God. And then Saint Philaret was left with only a cow and a calf, one donkey and several bee hives. Meanwhile, a poor man from a far country, having heard about Philaret the Merciful, came to him and began to ask him, saying:

- My lord! give me one calf from your flock, so that your gift will serve me as a blessing from you, because I know that your giving brings blessing to the house and enriches it in every possible way.

Blessed Filaret then brought his only calf with joy and gave it to the one who asked, saying:

“The Lord bless you, brother, and give you abundance in all that you need.

And that man bowed to Philaret and left him, taking the calf with him. Meanwhile, the cow, not seeing her calf, began to look for him and, not finding him anywhere, raised a plaintive roar to the whole yard. All of Filaret's household greatly regretted the cow, and Filaret's wife was especially upset. With tears she began to reproach her husband, saying:

“How long are we going to endure all this from you?” Who will not laugh at your recklessness? I see clearly now that you do not care at all about me, your wife, and you have killed your children; and now he did not even feel sorry for the dumb cattle feeding his calf and without mercy took him away from his mother. To whom did you do this favor? And he deprived and grieved his house, and did not enrich the one who asked you for a calf, because even his calf without a mother will die and without our calf his cow will grieve and roar; so what good is it for us and for that person?

Hearing such words from his wife, the righteous Filaret answered her with meekness:

“Now you have told the true truth, my wife!” Indeed, I am not merciful and not merciful, since I separated the small calf from its mother; but now I'll do better.

And, hurrying after the man who had taken the calf away, Filaret began to call him:

- Return, brother, return with the calf; a cow without a calf haunts us, roars and lows at the gates of the house.

The poor man, hearing this from Filaret, thought that he wanted to take away the calf he had been given, and said to himself: “It seems that I am not worthy to receive from this righteous man even this one small cattle; he probably took pity on him and calls me to take him away from me. When the man returned to Philaret, the calf, seeing its mother, ran to her, and the mother also rushed to him with a joyful lowing. The calf, crouching at her breasts, did not leave its mother for a long time, and Theozva, Philaret's wife, seeing this, rejoiced that the calf had been returned to the house. Blessed Philaret, seeing the poor man, standing sadly and not daring even to utter a word, said to him:

“Brother, my wife says that I have sinned by separating the calf from its mother, and she told the truth. Therefore, take along with the calf and the cow, and go in peace; May the Lord bless you and multiply your flock, as once mine!

And the man took the cow with the calf and went home with joy. And God blessed his house, for the sake of His saint Filaret; from the cow with the calf given to him, after a few years, he already had more than two herds of oxen and cows.

Shortly thereafter, famine came in that country, and the righteous Filaret reached the last extreme of poverty; having nothing to feed his wife and children, Filaret took the donkey, which was the only one left with him, and went in the other direction to one of his friends; having borrowed six measures of wheat from him and loaded it on a donkey, he returned joyfully to his house and fed his wife and children. When Filaret was resting at his home after the journey, a beggar came to him and asked him to give him one sieve of wheat.

- Wife! - then said this worthy imitator of Abraham, addressing her while she was sowing wheat, - I would like to give this beggar one measure of wheat.

His wife answered him:

“Wait until your children and your wife are satisfied, and first of all give me one measure and your children according to the measure and also to our worker, and what remains in excess of that, then give it to whom you want.

He looked at her and, laughing, said:

"Won't you leave anything for me?"

“Yes, you are an angel,” Feozva objected to him, “and not a man, and you do not need food; if you were in need of food, you would not distribute to others the wheat you borrowed.

Philaret silently poured out two measures of wheat and gave them to the beggar. Then Filaret's wife completely lost her temper from chagrin and annoyance and shouted to him:

- Give the beggar a third measure already, because you have a lot of wheat.

Filaret measured out another measure and let the poor man go. Annoyed at him, Theoseva divided the remaining wheat between herself and her children. Meanwhile, the borrowed wheat soon ran out, and Theoseva and her children again had to starve.

Then she went to her neighbors, asked them for half a loaf of bread, boiled quinoa to it and gave it to the hungry children and ate herself with them, and they did not even remember to invite the old man to their meal.

Meanwhile, one of his old friends, a rich man, heard about Filaret's plight. He sent him four wagons loaded with wheat, ten measures each, and at the same time wrote to him: “Our beloved brother, man of God! I send you forty measures of wheat to feed you and your household, and when everything works out for you, then I will send you the same amount; and pray to God for us.

Having accepted this gift, Filaret, in a feeling of gratitude for the mercy of the Lord, fell to the ground; then, rising and stretching out his hands to the sky, he said:

- I thank You, Lord my God, that You did not leave me Your servant, who placed all hope in You.

Seeing such mercy of God, Philaret's wife calmed down and meekly said to her husband:

“My lord, give me as much wheat as you need, and for our children, and also give back what you borrowed from your neighbors – take your share for yourself and do with it as you like.

Philaret did so according to the words of his wife and divided the wheat, leaving himself five measures, which he distributed to the poor in two days. This again infuriated Theozva and she did not even want to eat with him, but dined with the children separately and secretly from him. One day, blessed Philaret accidentally caught them at dinner and said to them:

- Children! accept me also to your meal, if not as your father, then as a guest and a stranger.

They laughed and took him in; while they were eating, his wife said to him:

- My lord! How long will you hide from us the treasure that you say you have somewhere? Maybe you are laughing at us and teasing us like foolish children with false promises? If this is true, then show us your treasure, and then we will take it and buy food for ourselves, and again we will dine together, as we did before.

“Wait a little longer,” answered the blessed Philaret, “and soon you will be shown and given a great treasure.

Finally, Saint Philaret reached such poverty that he had nothing more than a few beehives with honey, from which he fed himself, his wife and children. But even in such a need, if the needy came to him, then, for lack of bread, he shared honey with them. His household, seeing that they were thus deprived of their last food, slowly went to the bees to rob all the remaining honey, but they found only one hive, from which they took the entire supply. And the next morning the beggar again came to Filaret and asked him for alms. Filaret went to the hive, but it was already empty; seeing that the beggar had nothing to give, blessed Philaret took off his outer garment and gave it to him. When he came into the house in only his underclothes, his wife said to him:

- Where are your clothes? Have you given that one to a beggar?

“I walked near the beehives,” Filaret answered his wife, “I left her there.

Then his son went to that place and, not finding his father's clothes, told his mother about it. She, ashamed to see her husband in an inappropriate form, changed her clothes for him into men's and put them on Filaret.

In those days, the throne of the Greek kingdom was occupied by the Christ-loving Empress Irina with her son Constantine. Since he had already reached the age of majority, chosen, reliable and prudent people were sent throughout the Greek kingdom in order to find a beautiful, virtuous and noble girl who would be worthy to marry the young king Constantine. The sent men, wishing to fulfill the royal command more successfully, carefully went around all regions, cities and even remote places; by the way, they also came to the village of Amnia in Paphlagonia.

Approaching it, they still saw from afar the beautiful and lofty house of Filaret, whose beauty surpassed all others. Thinking that some noble and wealthy owner of the area lives there, they sent their servants there to prepare a room and a meal for them there. But one of the soldiers who accompanied the royal ambassadors said to them:

“Do not go to that house, gentlemen, because although it is large and beautiful on the outside, it is empty inside, so that you cannot find in it not only any conveniences, but even the most necessary things; in it lives one old man, poorer than whom there is no one in this area.

However, the royal messengers did not believe the words of the warrior and ordered his servants to go and do what they were instructed to do.

Blessed Philaret, as soon as he saw people approaching his house, took his staff and went out to meet them; bowing to the ground to them, he received them with joy and said:

- The Lord, truly, brought you, my lords, to me your servant; I consider it a great honor for myself that I was honored to receive such guests in my wretched home.

Hurrying then to his wife, the blessed one said to her:

– Dear Feozva, prepare a good dinner to treat honored guests who have come from afar; I liked them very much.

Theoseva objected to this:

What can I make a good dinner out of? There is no lamb in our whole house, not even a chicken. Only I can cook quinoa, which we ourselves eat, and even then without oil; I can’t even remember about oil and wine when they were in our house.

But her husband said to her again:

- Light a fire at least and prepare the upper chamber, and wash our old ivory dining table - but the Lord, who nourishes all flesh, will also give us food, which we will treat those men.

Theoseva began to fulfill the command and desire of her husband. Meanwhile, the wealthy inhabitants of that village, having learned that the royal messengers were staying at the house of Filaret, hurried to bring there sheep, rams, chickens and pigeons, bread and wine, and in general everything needed to receive so many guests. Having received these offerings, Theoseva began to prepare various dishes from them and arranged a supper in the upper room. Here the royal ambassadors gathered to dine and marveled at the magnificence of the room in the house of a completely poor person and the luxurious dining table made of ivory, shining with gold. But most of all they were touched by the deeply sincere hospitality of the host, who, both in his appearance and in his address, resembled Abraham the Hospitable himself. While the guests were sitting at the table, the son of blessed Philaret, John, who looked like his father, entered here, and the grandchildren of the blessed one also gathered, who began to diligently serve the guests at the table. Looking at them, the guests admired their decorous and decent manners and asked Filaret:

“Tell us, most honest husband, do you have a wife?”

“Yes, my lords,” Filaret answered them, “but these young people are my children and grandchildren.

And the king's ambassadors said to him:

“Let your wife come here and greet us.

Theozva has come. Seeing her, although still beautiful, but already an elderly woman, they asked:

- Do you have daughters?

“My eldest daughter,” blessed Philaret answered them, “has three maidens—daughters.

Then the guests continued:

“Let those maidens come here so that we can see them; for we have a command from our kings who sent us to examine all the young maidens in all the Greek regions and choose from them the most beautiful, worthy of royal marriage.

The Blessed One said:

- This word does not apply to us, our lords and rulers, since we are your servants, the poor and the poor. However, eat now and drink what God has sent and be cheerful, and rest from the journey, and sleep, and tomorrow - the will of the Lord be done!

In the morning, when the sun had already set, Filaret's noble guests woke up and said to him:

“Command, sir, to bring your granddaughters to us so that we can see them.”

“As you command, my lords, so be it,” blessed Philaret answered them. “However, at the same time, I ask you to listen to me graciously, deign to go into the inner chambers of my house, where you will see our girls, since they have never yet left our poor housing.

The guests immediately got up and followed Philaret to his family chambers; there they were met by three girls, bowing modestly and respectfully to the guests. When the royal ambassadors saw at the same time that Philaret's granddaughters were the most beautiful of all the girls they had seen in all the Greek regions, they could not refrain from expressions of enthusiastic surprise and said:

- We thank the Lord, who gave us the opportunity to find what we want, because one of these girls will be a worthy bride for our king - it’s better for us not to find them, even if we had to go through the whole universe.

And, in accordance with the growth of the king, they chose as a bride for him the eldest granddaughter of the blessed Philaret, named Mary, who was taller than the other sisters. Satisfied with the success of their work, the royal ambassadors invited Mary, along with her father and mother, grandfather and all their neighbors - including thirty people - and went with them to the royal capital - Constantinople. Together with them went ten more girls chosen in other places, among whom was the beautiful daughter of a certain noble dignitary Gerontius. During this journey, the sensible and humble granddaughter of blessed Philaret turned to her friends, other girls, with these words:

“O my sisters, girls! Since we are all gathered here for the same reason - to be presented to the king, let us agree among ourselves what to do when the King of Heaven gives one of us the kingdom on earth, appointing her as the wife of the king. Since it is impossible for all of us to enter this height, but only one of us will be chosen, then let her remember in her royal majesty and not leave us with her patronage.

The nobleman's daughter Gerontius answered this to Mary:

- Let it be known to all of you that none of you can be chosen as the wife of the king, except for me, since I am above all of you in noble birth and in wealth, and in beauty, and in mind; with your poverty, thinness and simplicity, how can you hope to enter the royal halls, relying only on the beauty of your face?

Hearing these crazy and proud words, Mary fell silent, but gave herself over to the will of God and relied on the prayers of the holy elder, her grandfather.

Finally, the embassy reached Constantinople and the girls were escorted to the royal palace, where their arrival was immediately reported to the close king and head of his palace, Stavriky. First of all, the daughter of Gerontius was introduced to Stavriky. Her pride did not hide from the keen gaze of an experienced courtier, and he said to her:

“You are good and beautiful, girl, but you cannot be the wife of a king.

And, having generously endowed her, he let her go home. So the words of Scripture came true: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted" ().

After all, the granddaughter of the righteous Filaret, Maria, was presented, together with her mother, with her grandfather, and with all her neighbors. Seeing them, both the king, and his mother, and Stavriky were amazed at their kindness and decency. Everyone marveled a lot at the beauty of Mary, on whose face her good qualities were clearly expressed: meekness, humility and the fear of God. Modestly lowering her eyes, Mary stood before the king, while a bright blush spread over her cheeks. And the king liked her very much, and he betrothed her to his bride. Her second sister was chosen as a bride by one of the nobles close to the king, the noble patrician Constantiki, and the third sister was married off to the ruler of the Longobards, so that through this kindred union, the marriage of the king with the granddaughter of blessed Philaret was accompanied by great amusements; the royal nobles, the people, and the whole family of blessed Philaret took part in them. The king sincerely fell in love with the blessed elder and, amiably hugging him, kissed his venerable head. Having praised Filaret for the piety of him and his whole family, the king surrounded them all with great honors and presented them with silver, gold and precious stones, luxurious clothes, large and beautiful houses and other property. Having honored the blessed one in this way and kissed him, the king let him go with his family to the magnificent dwelling given to them.

Having received such rich gifts, Philaret's wife and his children and all his household remembered the words of Philaret, who told them more than once that he kept treasures that God had prepared for them in a secret place. Falling down at the saint's feet, they said to him:

- Forgive us, our lord and lord, in which we all sinned so madly before you! Forgive us for condemning you and reproaching you for your generous almsgiving to the poor and needy. Now we have just confirmed that “Blessed is he who thinks of the poor [and beggar]!”(). Truly, everything that a person gives to a brother in need, gives it to God Himself, Who rewards him a hundredfold in this world and grants him a blessed life in eternity. So, for the sake of your almsgiving to the poor, man of God, the Lord sent you His rich mercy, and for the sake of you and to all of us.

The blessed elder stretched out his hands to heaven and exclaimed:

“Blessed be God, Who has pleased this. "May the name of the Lord be blessed from now and forever" ().

Turning then to his family, Filaret said:

- Listen to my advice, we will prepare a good dinner and beg you to come to us at the feast of the king and our lord with all his nobles.

“As you wish,” they answered, “so be it!”

When everything was ready for the feast, the blessed one left his house and began to walk around the city and around, looking for the poor, the lepers, the blind, the lame, the old and the weak. Gathering them up to two hundred people, he brought them to his house and, leaving first in front of the gate, went alone to his household and said to them:

- My children! The king approaches with his nobles. Are you ready for a meal?

“Everything is ready, honest father,” they answered him.

The blessed one gave a sign with his hand to the poor, and now, to the indescribable amazement of the household, a great multitude of the poor and the poor entered the house; Filaret seated some of them at the table, while others, due to lack of space, had to sit on the floor, and the householder himself fit between the latter. Seeing this, Filaret’s household understood that, calling the king, he meant Christ Himself, Who now appears in their house in the form of the poor, and the nobles of the King of Heaven are all the poor brethren who can do much with God with their prayers. And the household was amazed at the great humility of their father, who, having achieved such fame and being the grandfather of the queen, did not forget his love for alms, and now lies down among the poor and the poor and serves them like a slave. And they said:

- Truly, this is a man of God and a true disciple of Christ, who has well learned the commandment of Christ, who said: "Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart" ().

The blessed one also commanded his son John, who was already a spafar, as well as his grandchildren, to be at the dinner table and serve the reclining brethren. Calling, then, all his family, the blessed one said:

“Behold, my children, you quite unexpectedly received wealth from God, as I promised you, trusting in the mercy of God. This promise has been fulfilled. Tell me, is there still a debt left for me?

And they, remembering his former words, wept, and all with one accord said:

- Truly, our lord, you foresee the future, as a saint of God; and we were mad that irritated you, venerable old man. Therefore, we implore you: do not remember the sins of our ignorance!

The Blessed One said to them:

– Merciful and generous is the Lord, who rewarded us a hundredfold for the little that we gave to the poor in His name; but if you want to inherit eternal life, then let each of you set aside ten pieces of gold for this wretched brethren, and the Lord will accept them from you like two widow's mites.

With all their hearts they hurried to fulfill his desire. And the blessed Philaret, having treated the poor enough, gave each of them a gold coin and let them go.

After some time, blessed Philaret again called his wife and children and said:

Our Lord said: "use them in circulation until I return"(). And I want to follow this Divine instruction; I want to sell part of the property given to me by the king; but you will buy this part from me and give me gold, for I need it; if you do not agree to buy, then I will distribute everything to my brothers - the poor; it is enough for me to be called the grandfather of the queen.

They examined his property, valued it and bought from him for 60 liters of gold. Having received this gold, the blessed one distributed it to the poor. When the king and his nobles found out about this, they were very pleased with Filaret's generosity and from then on they began to give the righteous a lot of gold to distribute to the poor. Once Filaret arranged three boxes, exactly the same in size and appearance, and filled one of them with gold coins, the other with silver, and the third with copper. He entrusted the supervision of them to his faithful servant Callistus. When a poor man came to him asking for help, Filaret ordered Callistus to serve the petitioner. When the servant asked from which box he should help the one asking, the saint answered him:

- From what God commands you, for God knows the need of everyone, poor and rich, and satisfies all living things according to His good pleasure ().

The righteous one said this in order to show the difference between the poor who beg for alms. For there are petitioners who used to be rich, but due to various misfortunes and misfortunes, they were ruined and lost not only all their property, but also their bread; however, having retained some of their former clothes, they hide their need under it, being ashamed of it, and only for the sake of extremes ask for help. There are other petitioners who purposely dress in poor clothes and, hiding their wealth, under the guise of poverty, lure out an allowance; these can already be called covetous and idolaters. Having all this in his mind, the merciful Filaret said:

“God knows the need of everyone, and He, as He pleases, directs the hand of the giver of alms.

So this blessed beggar himself, giving alms, put his hand into the treasury without consideration, and what he accidentally took out of the box - copper, silver or gold, he gave to the supplicant. And this venerable old man told with an oath, calling God to witness, that how many times he, seeing a person in decent attire, put his hand into a box, having in mind to get a copper coin, because, judging by the clothes, he did not consider such a person poor, and each time his hand involuntarily fell into a box with silver or gold, which he gave out to that petitioner. Sometimes a completely different person, dressed in rags, asked Philaret for help, and he would already stretch out his hand, wanting to give more generous alms, but meanwhile his hand seemed to stop, and he took out very little. All this did not happen by chance, but was directed by the providence of God, who knows our real needs.

Every four years, blessed Philaret came to the royal palace to visit his granddaughter, the queen, but he never dressed here in purple clothes, with a golden belt. When he was forced to dress in such luxurious clothes, he said:

“Leave me alone,” I thank my God and praise His great and marvelous name for raising me from poverty and obscurity to such a height. Is it not enough honor for me to be called the queen's grandfather? And this is already enough for me.

And the blessed one was in such humility that he did not even want to use any rank or title, simply calling himself Philaret of Amnia. Thus, spending his whole life in humility and charity, Filaret approached the blissful end of his life. Informed of this by God, blessed Philaret, while still healthy, secretly from everyone, took his faithful servant and went with him to one of the Tsaregrad monasteries, called "Rodolphia", where the black-maiden maidens were saved in the ascetic life. Having handed over a significant amount of gold to the abbess for the needs of the monastery, he asked for a new coffin to be delivered to him and said:

– I want you to know, but do not tell anyone about this, that in a few days I will leave my earthly life and move to another world and to another King. And I ask you that my body be laid in this new coffin.

And he forbade his servant to speak of this to anyone until he himself revealed it. Soon after, having distributed all his property to the poor and needy, Filaret fell ill in that monastery and went to bed. On the ninth day, he called his wife and children and all his family to him, and said to them kindly, in a quiet voice:

“Let it be known to you, my children, that the Holy King calls me to Himself today, and now I am leaving you and going to Him.

They, not understanding these words, but thinking that Filaret was talking about an earthly king, objected to him:

- It is impossible for you to go to the king today, as you are lying sick.

Filaret answered them:

“Those who want to take me and introduce me to the king are already ready.

Then they realized that Filaret was telling them about his departure to the King of Heaven and raised a loud cry, as in ancient times Joseph and his brethren over their father Jacob (). And he, making a sign to them with his hand that they should be silent, began to teach and console them, saying:

- My children, you knew and saw what kind of life I led from my youth, just as God knows that I did not live by the labor of others, but earned my own bread with my labor; I did not exalt myself with the wealth that God gave me, but, avoiding pride, I loved humility, for the sake of obedience to the Apostle, who forbids: "Exhort the rich in this age not to think highly of themselves"(), - do not think highly of yourself, do not exalt yourself. Also, when I fell into poverty, I did not grieve and did not blaspheme God, but, like the righteous Job, I thanked Him that out of His love He punished me, and seeing my grateful patience, again brought me out of misery and brought me into honorable fellowship. and kinship with kings and princes. When I was raised to such a height, my heart was always in deep humility: "God! my heart was not puffed up and my eyes were not lifted up, and I did not enter into the great and inaccessible to me.() . And the wealth that the king of the earth gave me, I did not use for earthly goods, but handed it over to the King of Heaven by the hands of the poor. So I ask you, my beloved, to imitate the example given to you; but if you do more good, you will be rewarded with even greater blessedness. Do not value fleeting wealth, but send it to where I am going now. Do not leave your possessions here, so that strangers or enemies who hate you do not take advantage of them. Do not forget strangeness (). Stand up for widows, help orphans, visit the sick and prisoners in dungeons. Do not shy away from communion with the Church, do not steal someone else's, do not offend anyone, do not slander, do not rejoice in the sorrows and calamities of even enemies. Bury the dead and commemorate them in holy churches; also remember me, unworthy, in your prayers, until you yourself pass on to a blessed eternal life.

Having finished his soul-beneficial teaching, blessed Philaret said to his son John:

- Bring me your sons - my grandchildren.

When they arrived, he told them about what would happen to them in their lives. He told his eldest grandson:

“You will choose for yourself a friend from a far country and live piously and wisely with her.

To the second grandson he said:

- For 24 years, in the rank of a monk, you will bear the yoke of Christ well and, having lived pleasingly, you will go to the Lord.

Likewise, the blessed one predicted the future for his third grandson. And all those predictions of the blessed one subsequently came true in his descendants. Just as in ancient times the patriarch Jacob, so this blessed man, like a prophet, foresaw the whole future and clearly predicted the fate of his grandchildren. Together with others, two of his granddaughters, girls, came to Filaret and said to him:

“Bless us too, father!”

“And the Lord will bless you,” Filaret told them. - You will spend your life in virginity, alienated from this sin-loving world and not defiled by its carnal passions, and having served the Lord for a short time, but pleasing to God, you will be worthy to receive great blessings from Him!

And all these dying words of the righteous came true; for both these pious maidens entered the virgin monastery Holy Mother of God, who was in Constantinople, and after 12 years of asceticism in virgin purity, fasting, prayer vigil and other monastic labors, both, at the same time, rested in peace in the Lord.

Having prayed for his wife, for his children, for all his relatives, and for the whole world, the blessed Filaret shone his face like the sun, and began to joyfully sing the psalm of David: ().

At the end of the psalm, the whole room was filled with a wonderful fragrance (as if from spilled fragrant aromas). After that psalm, the blessed one began to say a prayer: "Our Father who art in heaven", when he said: "Thy will be done!" then, raising his hands to heaven and stretched out on a bed, he gave his soul to the Lord; he was then 90 years old. However, even at such advanced years, his face did not change, but shone with inexplicable beauty, like a ripened apple.

Hearing about the repose of the saint, the tsar with the tsarina and with his nobles hastened to arrive at the monastery, and they kissed the holy face of Philaret and hands. And everyone wept over his death and gave generous alms to the poor in his memory.

When Philaret's coffin was carried to the place of burial, an amazing and touching sight presented itself to the eyes of everyone: an innumerable number of the poor and the poor gathered to his burial from different cities and villages, and all of them, with cries and sobs, like ants, crowded around his coffin, others - lame, others - crawling and calling:

- Oh, my God! Why did You deprive us of such a father and our breadwinner? Who without him will feed and clothe us naked and hungry? Who will shelter strangers in his house? Who will clean up the dead, abandoned on the street, and give them an honest burial? It would be better for all of us to die before him than to lose our benefactor!

Seeing the tears and hearing the cries of these wretched ones, both the king and the queen himself, and their nobles, who walked with them behind the coffin, were touched and wept.

While the body of the blessed one was being carried to the prepared tomb, suddenly a wretched man appeared among the crowd, by the name of Kavokokos, who often accepted alms from St. Philaret. From his very birth, this man was possessed by an unclean spirit, which many times threw him into fire, then into water - during his demonic possession on the new moon. When this wretched man heard about the death of Filaret and that his holy body was already being carried to the place of burial, he immediately hurried after his coffin. And so, when he had already reached the tomb, the evil spirit that was in him could not endure his zeal for the saint and began to torment him, and aroused him to blaspheme against the saint; and the sick man barked like a dog, and so firmly grasped the bed on which the body of the deceased lay, that it was impossible to tear it away from him. When the bed was already brought to the prepared grave, the evil spirit, knocking the suffering man to the ground, left him, and he stood up healthy, praising and glorifying God. All the people marveled at this miracle and glorified God, who bestowed such grace on His servant Filaret. After that, his honest body was laid in the intended coffin in the virgin monastery, in the very place that he had chosen for himself during his lifetime.

This is how God pleases the merciful both in the present life (as we have seen from what we have just read), and in the future (which we will learn from later on).

One of Philaret's close friends, a sensible, pious and God-fearing man, calling on God to witness, said the following with an oath:

“Once, some time after the death of Blessed Philaret,” he says, “at night, with horror, I felt myself transported to some place that cannot even be described; there I saw some man, bright in appearance, who showed me a fiery river flowing so noisily and menacingly that none of the people could bear the sight of this sight. On the other side of the river, a beautiful paradise was visible, full of inexpressible joy and joy, fragrant with an inexpressible aroma; huge, beautiful and prolific trees swayed there from a quiet wind and made a wonderful rustle. And it is impossible even to convey in words about all the benefits of that paradise, What has God prepared for those who love Him? ().

And there I saw a multitude of people dressed in white, rejoicing and eating the fruits of those trees of paradise. Looking attentively at those people, I saw one man (it was Filaret, but I did not recognize him), clothed in bright clothes, sitting on a golden throne in the middle of that garden; on the one hand, newly enlightened children stood near him with candles in their hands, on the other hand, a lot of beggars and wretched people in white clothes, who crowded around him, since each of them wanted to get closer to him. And there appeared a certain young man with a bright face, but a terrible look, holding a golden staff in his hand. Then I, although with fear and trembling, dared to ask him:

- God! Who is the one that sits on the bright throne in the midst of those bright-looking men? Isn't that Abraham?

And the bright young man answered me:

– This is Philaret of Amnia, who, like Abraham, settles here for his great love for the poor and alms, and for his honest and pure life.

After that, this new Abraham, the holy and righteous Philaret, looking at me with his bright eyes, began to call me to him and said quietly:

“Child, come here too to enjoy the same benefits.

I answered:

- I can’t, blessed father, go there: this fiery river frightens and hinders me: the passage through it is narrow and the bridge is inconvenient for crossing, and many people in it are burned by fire; I'm afraid that I won't be able to get there, and then who will take me out of there?

The saint said:

– Do not be afraid and boldly cross over, since all who are now here came here by the same way, and there is no other way but this. So you, child, without any fear come to us, and I will help you.

And he stretched out his hand to me, calling me. But I, feeling courage, began safely to cross the river, and when I approached the hand of the saint and touched it, this wonderful vision immediately disappeared; I woke up and, weeping bitterly, said to myself: how will I cross that terrible river and how will I reach the paradise village?

This story was confirmed with an oath by one of the relatives of the blessed Philaret, so that we would know what kind of mercy from God those who give alms to the poor in His name receive.

The blessed Theozva, the wife of Saint Philaret, after the burial of her husband’s honest body, returned from Constantinople to her fatherland, the country of Paphlagon, and there she used her wealth, received from the king and queen, for the construction and renewal of the temples of God, burned by the Persians in former times. She also furnished those temples with sacred vessels and garments. She also established monasteries there, hospices and shelters for the poor and sick, and then again went to Constantinople to her granddaughter, Empress Mary. Here, having spent the rest of her life in the service of God, she peacefully reposed in the Lord and was buried at the grave of her righteous husband.

Through their prayers, let us also receive mercy on the day of judgment from the only generous and merciful Lord Jesus Christ. To him, with His Beginningless Father and the Holy Spirit, honor and glory befits forever and ever. Amen.

That is, the Old Testament biblical patriarch Abraham. In his life, Abraham presents us with an example of very many and most instructive virtues, such as: philanthropy, meekness, righteousness, patience, peacefulness, generosity, selflessness, hospitality, and especially piety, firm and unshakable faith and hope in God, deepest humility and reverence for Him, perfect obedience to Him and total devotion to His will. – See () and beyond.

Under Ishmaelites(i.e., the descendants of Ishmael) here we mean Arabs - Mohammedans, whose power in the VIII century A.D. Chr. was in full bloom. The rapid and extraordinary growth of Mohammedan power was a misfortune for Byzantium. The Mohammedans waged incessant and devastating wars with the Greeks. The famous Arab caliph, Harun al-Rashid, undertook devastating campaigns against Byzantium eight times; the areas of Asia Minor, where the righteous Philaret lived, always suffered first of all from these raids. When ferocious enemies approached, the inhabitants hurried to take refuge in mountain gorges, in forests, leaving their houses and households to the mercy of fate. Often, after the departure of enemies, flowering areas turned into deserts. So it was precisely in the time of the righteous Filaret.

Saint Philaret lived after the marriage of his granddaughter, which took place in 788, for four years, hence he died in 792.

That charity is a charitable deed, but what should it be like in order to really lead a person to the Kingdom of Heaven? After all, it is no secret that both pride and vanity can become the real reason for those deeds that people will consider virtue. And then it can hardly be called a feat. But what kind of asceticism in the field of serving one's neighbor is really pleasing to God, was shown by the example of the righteous Philaret the Merciful - the righteous man whom the Church remembers today, December 14.

St. Philaret the Merciful, a native of Paphlagonia (a historical region in the north of the Ankara peninsula), was neither a reverend, nor an Equal-to-the-Apostles, nor a martyr. He labored in the rank of the righteous, that is, he was a pious layman with a family and children. The canonized righteous in Christmas time are a minority in comparison with the martyrs executed for Christ, and the monks - holy ascetics who pleased God in the rank of angels. Of course, it is impossible, based only on numbers, to conclude that one feat is easier than another. The Church, having before her eyes examples of the lives of many saints of God, speaks of the equivalence of the two paths, the monastic and the opposite, involving the creation Christian family and, as they say now, social service.

Someone will say that it is much more difficult to be a monk who has renounced everything and become dead for the world of Christ, and he will be, in general, right. In most cases, it is. But the hagiographies of such saints as Philaret the Merciful clearly prove something else: living in a sinful world, one can belong not to him, but to the Lord. It is enough just to act according to the law of God, for the world, unfortunately, incomprehensible and ridiculous.

Righteous Filaret was not only a rich man, but also a noble aristocrat, a nobleman. Having believed in Christ, he constantly meditated on the words of the Savior: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:25). Some people interpret (and even then interpreted) these lines as an argument for proving the sinfulness of wealth, while in the heat of a dispute demonstrating a real sewing needle. But the thing is that, according to one version, a narrow gate-gorge was called “needle ears”, and a camel could squeeze through there, albeit with difficulty, but still could - provided that the owner took off his luggage. The one who hopes for his wealth, like the unfortunate mosquito-bearer from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, indeed, could hardly reach the heavenly Jerusalem, and just about him the Lord mournfully exclaims: "... children! how difficult it is for those who hope for wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Matthew 19:24). But the merciful Filaret did not cling to his wealth with his soul and did not serve mammon - he gave everything he had to people, having become famous for his kindness and care for the poor.

But not all people, alas, were grateful to the righteous man for such mercy. Their lack of understanding of the true purpose of what Saint Philaret was doing after the trial sent to them by God was especially evident. Having attacked Paphlagonia, the Ismaili Arabs plundered the estate of the ascetic, and the former benefactor was left with only a house, two oxen, a cow and a couple of beehives. But even then he did not stop doing his feat for the glory of Christ - all this was gradually given to those who needed more than his family. Of course, here the world also did not fail to mock the righteous Philaret, the "fool" who prefers a charitable soul to a full stomach. Even his own children laughed at him, it was hard to endure the reproaches of his wife Theozva. But the Lord soon showed how much he appreciates the labors and hardships of his slave Philaret.

At that very time, Empress Irina was looking for a worthy wife for her son and future co-ruler, Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Historically, the throne of the Byzantine Empire was not always occupied by people of noble birth; practical skills to manage and protect their state were much more valued. The same was true for the wives of emperors. Although dynastic marriages, of course, also existed, but a poor aristocrat who was not from the royal family could theoretically be engaged to the heir to the throne. For the pious ruler Irina, the main feature of the future daughter-in-law was her virtue. Therefore, the imperial ambassadors, in the truest sense of the word, plowed the expanses of the empire, looking for the bride Constantine; some of them were sent to Amnia, where the family of Philaret the Merciful lived.

And so they had to go into the house of an impoverished nobleman, where there was nothing to treat such high-ranking persons with. But, despite the sadness of Theozva, the righteous Filaret only rejoiced. And everything that was needed for the feast was brought by the neighbors, who respected him very much for his kind heart and charitable life. All this was not in vain - among the ten most beautiful contenders for the hand and heart of Tsarevich Konstantin, Maria, the granddaughter of Philaret the Merciful, also went to Constantinople. And just this girl surpassed all rivals, and not so much with her natural beauty, but with the kindness and modesty inherited from her grandfather.

Of course, Tsarevich Konstantin and his family took good care of the newly-made relatives, but Philaret the Merciful disposed of these gifts in the same way as he did with his previous estate - he took care of the poor and the suffering. By the way, he approached charity in a very interesting way: on the one hand, he gave to everyone who asked him, as Christ said, on the other hand, he gave in different ways. Filaret ordered his servant to make three boxes and fill them with coins: one with gold, another with silver, and the third with copper. The first was intended for those who literally had nothing to eat, from the second assistance was provided to those suffering less hardships, and the third was intended for ... hypocrites and swindlers, for whose correction the saint hoped.

Saint Philaret the Merciful as the hero of God's fairy tale come true.

Life's difficulties did not appear in the 21st century - they are coeval to mankind after the fall of Adam and Eve. Domestic troubles and family quarrels torment people almost more than global troubles and wars.

Far from the big cities of the Byzantine Empire, there lived a man whom few knew about. His wife sawed him, his children often did not understand him, and he stubbornly believed that the most important thing was to bring a smile to someone who is now hurt and sad. To do this, he gave away what he had. He did not skimp on giving gifts, and it happened that he even gave the necessary. In the end, he gave everything away. His wife and children now made scandals to him every day, accusing him of leaving them all without means by his kindness. But he believed that the Lord would be able to take care of him, since he, a simple man, took care of everyone around him all his life. And his hope was not in vain. Then everything was like in a fairy tale. The emperor's ambassadors were looking for suitable girls for the prince's wedding. From among the many, his daughter was also chosen, and it was she who the future emperor married.

The whole family now lived in the capital's palace, but the man still handed out what he had until his death, and he knew: of all the acquisitions, the most is to bring joy to the heart of someone who is sad. Before his death, he gathered his relatives and asked them to understand that no good will be forgotten by the Lord, although the reward for it will not come immediately, but it is necessary, because without this we will not know how important it is to believe that in due time all those who comfort will be comforted. ...

Our world was created by God, and the Lord is constantly present in the world. This means that the world is beautiful and the good in it cannot be in vain. A fairy tale is an image of our world. The world exists according to spiritual laws, and therefore goodness wins in it, although it goes through many trials. Just like in a fairy tale. A fairy tale is so dear to us precisely because we feel with our hearts that it contains the truth about our world. Evil can triumph, but it cannot win. A good man knows pain, but in the end he will be rewarded.

Through a fairy tale, one can tell the truth about the world to the greatest extent, because the whole world is wonderful.

A fairy tale only expresses what is already in our world, but expresses it so vividly that then we no longer doubt: no matter how difficult it is, help comes to everyone who has helped himself. No tear, no pain is in vain - they only prepare the coming of the dawn.

People live their whole lives and come to the same thing that the fairy tale tells them at the beginning of their journey: no good will be forgotten by God and no evil will triumph to the end.

That special feeling when you endure grief, but your whole soul is warmed by the thought that today you helped a person who would be unhappy without your help.

All pain will end, but you know about it only when you do good.

It is difficult for you, but you have done the Lord's work in the life of another. And now you are God's accomplice who lit the candle before the dawn came.

Important Aspects of the Saint's Life

There is such an episode in the life of St. Philaret the Merciful: the saint has already given away all his wealth, and the children and his wife turn to him with reproaches. Filaret replies that he knows for sure that everything will be fine with them soon, as it happens later.

The author of the life sees in this the gift of Philaret's foresight, but the events of the saint's life themselves do not confirm this point of view. Filaret's confidence that everything will be fine does not come from the gift of clairvoyance, but from his foreboding of a good end for all that is good. It is this feeling, which gave birth to all fairy tales in the world, that is the hope of the righteous.

Indeed, there has never been a single case in history when God failed those who trusted Him and served Him.

Saint Philaret is an example of a good family man. Yet life still keeps echoes of his conflicts with his wife. The reason for the quarrels was that the saint wanted to distribute all his property, and his wife wanted him to save for his family and children. There is no doubt that the neighbors of the saint and the wives of his acquaintances were saving up. And the wife was hurt by the discrepancy between the behavior of her husband and her neighbors who carried everything into the house. The saint, on the other hand, desired to give, and in this he experienced true bliss. He could repeat after Maximus the Confessor: "Yours is only what you gave."

There is no holiness without trials. What is tested, as a rule, is what is dearest to us. Filaret valued his family, but his family did not understand him. But the hardest thing is to be misunderstood by those you love. But blessed is he who, in such misunderstanding, chooses God.

There was a case when a certain unbelieving husband, angry at his believing wife, said to her: "Choose - God or me." She chose God. Her husband immediately abandoned her, but the Lord did not abandon her. She raised a wonderful son. The women of my generation are almost always single, abandoned by their husbands when they come to faith.

It is always difficult and difficult when in a family one wants happiness horizontally, and the other vertically. But this is precisely what Christ says: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me."

Of course, God will always support the person who chooses Him. But this support does not cancel the pain that a person will suffer due to a misunderstanding by loved ones. One can only guess how tormented Filaret was when his own wife, and then his children, scolded him for his former almsgiving. After all, they were the ones from whom he would first of all want to hear words of approval. Such pain for the heart is martyrdom.

I remember when, after graduating brilliantly from the university, I became a watchman in the temple in order to live next to the confessor and learn Christianity from him, a real hell began in my house. No one understood or wanted to understand me. My parent cursed angrily, and my mother was upset that I had given up on a successful worldly career as a scientist. What strengthened me? Secret fertile confidence that I did the right thing. Later I will find the words of Elder John Krestyankin that the Holy Spirit invisibly strengthens the right heart. But even this does not reduce the pain when you want to be understood by your relatives, but your life by faith is foolishness for them and they want you to live like everyone else.

However, a person who wishes to learn to love cannot be a church inhabitant. He desires only achievement as an expression of his love. Such was Filaret, but none of the people around him understood this. Only later, having gained worldly fame, honors and wealth, he will return the lost affection of his relatives. Filaret will not condemn them in anything, because they always lived in his big heart, that heart that wanted to consider not only blood relatives, but the entire human race as its family. Philaret is an example of the fact that Christ-like love for everyone is possible both for a monk and for anyone who serves another for its sake.

It is hard for a person not only because he suffers, but more because he does not know when his suffering will end. The torment itself experienced fills the whole soul, and every second of being causes pain. Nevertheless, we know from the experience of many people that all suffering is finite. Once there is Christ, then our suffering cannot but end, for it is not pleasing to God that we suffer.

Mercy

St. John Chrysostom says that "the clothes of the merciful are lighter than the clothes of the priests." In this he is in tune with other holy fathers, who assigned the most important place to works of mercy. Even the apostle Paul is commanded by other apostles, besides the work of preaching, to help orphans and widows.

Only mercy heals the world. Saint Philaret did not know this at the level of theology, but he invariably felt it in his heart.

Here are the lines from his life: “If someone lost a bull, horse or other animal, he went to the blessed one to complain to him, and everyone, according to his choice, received from his flock the cattle that he needed, but no matter how much the blessed one gave, his herd doubled."

The healing of the world by grace is a secret known to the good. I remember how during one of my volunteer trips to a psychiatric hospital there was such an incident.

An aggressive patient approached me. He waved his fists and spoke loudly about who offended him and how. I spoke to him, began to analyze his situation, gave advice, and then offered to pray together. When I read the prayers, he buried his head in my shoulder and sobbed. And I thought that this is an image of the attitude of many men towards their wives. Husbands are aggressive and vicious, but they know that they are not needed by anyone except God and wives.

The human heart blossoms only in love. And love, in turn, cannot but be expressed in deeds. To serve a loved one is the need of a kind person. It is as strong as the desire of an egoist to serve himself.

Renowned missionary Nick Vujicic says, "There is nothing better in this world than helping someone else." This truth he understood life. We feel the fullness of being only when we care about another person. Marriage, and monasticism, and virginity, and any righteousness are built on this.

Saint Philaret gave away all his property, but he did not do it all at once, but gradually. This was his wisdom, the growth of good deeds corresponded to the secret growth of the soul. The more goodness in the soul, the more goodness in deeds. The more he gave, the more he wanted to give. The New Martyr of Optina Trofim expressed this state as follows: “I am in the mood that I would take everything out of the cell and distribute it.”

It is wrong to think that Filaret never felt pity when he gave away his property. Life does not write about this, but it certainly happened, at least sometimes. But he overcame the temptation with a feeling of mercy that kindled in his heart at the sight of those in need.

Gregory the Theologian says that a person can be a god for those who suffer. And all Filaret's neighbors perceived him as their last hope. He was someone you can always come to. There must be someone in the world for whom other people's problems and pain are more important than their own. Philaret was just that. To meet even one such person in life is to know that you will never be alone again.

I remember one time my friend told me that if I was sad, I could call her even at midnight and she would console me. Of course, I never called her so late, but her words warmed and consoled me for the rest of my life. When I remember them, my heart overflows with tenderness for being, where, in spite of everything, those who love live ...

Filaret was the same for everyone. Everyone found in him both support and consolation. Everyone, meeting him, knew that you can always come to him. Filaret did not say to anyone: "This is none of my business" or "These are your problems." He believed that for a Christian there are no other people's problems or strangers. After all, they do not exist for God either, but “we must have the same feelings as in Christ Jesus.”

Man, both on earth and in Heaven, most of all needs love. Once, when I was hard and sad, and there was no one around, I went outside and hugged my dog. She did not drive me away or push me away, and I felt a little better. But many, many, even in big cities, have no one to hug, except for a dog. And this is with all the crowds nearby. “Comfort, comfort My people,” says the Lord in the Old Testament. This is a very important commandment, which later will sound like "Carry one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ." This alone. However, that is exactly what it is. To give another a sense of being left behind and needed, to show him the fullness of life by this - Divine deeds that He entrusts to people. Blessed are those who do this, for those who comfort will be comforted.

happy ending celebration

The life of St. Philaret suggests that our life is like a fairy tale, in which there will certainly be a good end for all the good. Only this end, as in a fairy tale, does not come in the middle of the story. Every good person goes through trials, but they make him even more beautiful and kinder. Those people whom the saint helped died long ago. Someday we will die, and everyone we helped will die. But our deeds will forever remain in the world, for, according to the words of the elder Edda: "The loud glory of worthy deeds does not know death." Each of our good deeds will warm many more and many more who will come in due time for us, just as the virtues of our ancestors warm us. And when we finish the journey, then we will be met by the One Who truthfully said: “With what measure you measure, it will be measured to you.” And so it will be, if only because everyone whom we helped will ask that joy come into our lives, as we once gave it to the best of our ability to loved ones we met on earth ...

Artem Perlik

Hello dear viewers! Today, December 14, Orthodox Church commemorates the holy righteous Philaret the Merciful.

Righteous Philaret the Merciful, the son of George and Anna, brought up in piety and the fear of God, lived in the VIII century in the village of Amnia in the Paflagonian region (Asia Minor). His wife, Theoseva, was from a rich and noble family, they had children: son John and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia.

Filaret was a rich and noble nobleman, but his wealth did not please him. Knowing how many people suffer from poverty, he recalled the words of the Savior about the Last Judgment and small ones(Matthew 25:40); the words of the apostle that a person, dying, does not take away anything from the world (1 Tim. 6, 7); the lines of King David about the reward of the righteous (Ps. 36, 25). And Filaret became famous for his poverty.

Once the Israelis (Arabs) attacked Paphlagonia, devastated the country and plundered Filaret's property. He left two oxen, a cow, several beehives and a house. But this, the last, he gradually distributed to the poor. Steadfastly and meekly he endured the reproaches of his wife and the ridicule of his children. “I have in secrets, unknown to you, such wealth and such treasures,” he answered his relatives, “which you will get, even if you live a hundred years without labor and without worrying about anything.”

And the Lord repaid Philaret for his mercy: when the last measure of wheat was given away, his old friend sent him forty measures, and after warm clothes were given to the beggar, wealth returned to him.

At that time, the Byzantine Empress Irina (797-802) was looking for a bride for her son, the future co-ruler Constantine Porphyrogenitus (780-797), and for this purpose she sent ambassadors throughout the empire. The ambassadors did not pass by Amnia either. When Filaret and Feozva learned that the highest guests were to visit their house, Filaret was very happy, and Feozva was sad: there was no food at all in the house, and there was nothing to think about a proper treat. But Filaret ordered his wife to thoroughly clean the house. Neighbors, having learned that royal ambassadors were expected, brought everything in abundance for a rich feast. The ambassadors selected for the royal show, along with ten most beautiful girls, Filaret's granddaughter, Maria. Maria surpassed her rivals in kindness and modesty and became queen, and Constantine Porphyrogenitus generously endowed Filaret.

Thus fame and fortune returned to Filaret. But, as before, the holy poor-lover generously distributed alms and arranged meals for the poor, and himself served them during these meals. Everyone marveled at Philaret's humility and said: "Truly, this man is all of God, a true disciple of Christ."

He ordered the servant to make three boxes and fill them separately with gold, silver and copper coins: from the first, the completely poor received alms, from the second - those who lost money, and from the third - those who hypocritically lured money.

Thus, not accepting honors, in humility and love of poverty, the blessed elder reached ninety years of age. Anticipating his death, he went to the Rodolphia Monastery in Constantinople, where he distributed everything that he had with him to the monastic needs and to the poor. Having called his relatives, he instructed them in love of poverty and non-acquisitiveness, and peacefully reposed to God. He died in 792 and was buried in the monastery of the Court of Rodolpheus in Constantinople.

The holiness of the righteous Filaret was confirmed by a miracle that appeared after his death. When the body of the saint was being carried to the burial place, one man, possessed by a demon, grabbed the coffin and followed with the funeral procession. At the cemetery, the demoniac was healed: the demon knocked the man to the ground, and he himself came out of him. Many other miracles and healings took place at the tomb of the saint.

After the death of the righteous Philaret, his wife Theozva labored, restoring monasteries and temples in Paphlagonia, destroyed during foreign invasions.

Dear brothers and sisters, today the saints are also commemorated:

prophet Naum (7th century BC);

mch. Anania Persian.

To all who bear the names of saints glorified by the Church today, I heartily and warmly congratulate you on your name day! I bless you from the Lord with peace of mind, bodily health and the inexhaustible help of God through the prayers of your heavenly patrons. Be protected by God! Many and happy summer to you!

Hieromonk Dimitry (Samoilov),
monk of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra