August: Day 27: Venerable Poemen the Great

August: Day 27:
Venerable Poemen the Great
 
(On Non-Condemnation)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Poemen, an Egyptian by birth, whose memory is celebrated today, was born about the year 340 A.D. While still young, he took a vow of silence and renunciation of the world and began to struggle in a desert skete near Diocles. His brothers also struggled with him: the elder, Anubius, and the younger, unknown by name.

Thus, Venerable Poemen strictly kept his vow of renunciation of the world, that he even refused to meet with his mother when she came one day to visit her children in the skete, and only at the insistent persuasion of the brethren, Poemen, approaching the door behind which his mother stood, said to her: "If you graciously endure this temporary separation from us, then in the life to come you shall see us; thus we hope for God's benevolence!" And comforted by this promise, the mother left the skete, no longer striving to see her children and not distracting them from the feat of the life they had chosen.

Later, the ruler of the Egyptian region, who had heard about the strict asceticism of Venerable Poemen and wanted to visit him, was not received by Venerable Poemen, reasoning that if high-ranking secular persons were to visit him, then many of the common people would begin to disturb his solitude, and then he would be in danger of losing humility and falling into pride.

Meanwhile, the Venerable Poemen, burdened by his growing fame, avoiding the veneration of people, wandered for several years in various places; then, returning to the Egyptian desert, he remained there until his death around 450 AD, continuing his rigorous asceticism, while at the same time not neglecting to guide people with his teachings, many of which have been preserved in writing to this day.

Once the brethren asked Venerable Poemen: "Should one remain silent and cover the sin of a brother upon witnessing it?" - "Yes," replied the Venerable Poemen, "if you cover the sin of your brother, then God will also cover your sin."

"I hear immoral things about one negligent brother," said one of the monks to Venerable Poemen one day, "and his life tempts me so much that I would even wish to depart from here."

"Is it true what you heard about the brother?" – asked Elder Pimen.

"It is true, because a trustworthy person conveyed it to me."

"No, he is not a trustworthy person," replied the ascetic; "if he were trustworthy, he would never have told you bad things about the brother. And you, do not believe what you have not seen yourself, and even if you see it with your own eyes, do not immediately believe."

"But what answer will you give to God, that having seen someone sinning, you did not reprove him?" 

"I will say: Lord! You commanded me first to remove the log from my own eye, and then to take the speck out of my brother's eye... I have fulfilled Your command."

II. Let us, brethren, pay attention to this instruction of Venerable Poemen and let us refrain from condemning our neighbors, unless we are called to do so by the Church and civil authorities.

a) In our private lives, we have no right to condemn our neighbors, for only God is the "Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy" (James 5:12); He alone has the authority to judge the ungrateful sinner. "But who are you to judge another's servant?" (Romans 14:4)? "Whether he stands or falls, you are not to judge that, but the Lord is," says the Apostle Paul. "For God is able to make him stand." By presuming to judge human actions, we, in a sense, usurp God's right. And is this not the greatest sin before God?

b) We should not condemn the moral behavior of our neighbors, especially because we are unable to pronounce a correct judgment about a person. "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him?" says the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 2:11). In judging a person's actions, it is easy for us to err in our judgments; our judgment will be based solely on external signs, which often do not correspond to inner qualities. Let us leave this matter to the individuals appointed by God to bind and resolve the consciences of people according to their heartfelt confession before the face of God.

Perhaps at the time when we condemn our sinful neighbor, he has long been in tears and contrition, repenting before God and asking for His forgiveness. Perhaps, in condemning our neighbor, we become instruments of slanderers, whom the devil has taught to speak lies about others, in order to sow discord and disunity among Christians. Perhaps we are deeply mistaken in deciding to condemn others for what we should approve and respect them for.

c) Moreover, we should be restrained from condemning others by the full awareness that through the condemnation of others we invite upon ourselves the justified condemnation from both people and God. "Judge not," says the Lord, "that you be not judged" (Matt. 7:1). Often we condemn our neighbor for what we ourselves are guilty of, excusing in ourselves not only our faults but even praising them. By condemning others in this manner, do we not also condemn ourselves? "You are inexcusable, O man," says the Apostle Paul, "whoever you are who judge another; for in the same judgment you condemn yourself, because you who judge do the same things" (Rom. 2:1) and are culpable as well.

d) Acknowledging our lack of attention to ourselves, the same Apostle admonishes us: "Examine yourselves, test yourselves!" (2 Cor. 13:5). This is a lesson for Christians that should always be before their eyes! This is a subject for their study, efforts, and concerns! But do we give this the attention it deserves? To enter the temple of our own soul, to contemplate and examine our own thoughts, desires, feelings, and inclinations seems almost like an afterthought. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye," says the Savior, "but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:3). "Hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (5). With these words, the Savior teaches us to be more attentive to ourselves, to notice our own weaknesses, shortcomings, and faults, in order to eradicate from ourselves the harmful tendency of judgment.

e) We will give here several examples showing how sinful it is to condemn one’s neighbors and how the saints avoided this sin.

Abba Paphnutios recounted his experience: "Once, while traveling, I lost my way due to the fog and found myself near a certain village. There, I witnessed some people who were shamelessly conversing with one another. Stopping, I began to pray for my sins. And behold, an angel appeared to me with a sword and said: 'Paphnutios! All who judge their brethren shall perish by this sword! But you have not judged, rather you have humbled yourself before God, as if guilty of sin. Therefore, your name is inscribed in the book of the living.'" 

Therefore, let us pay attention to ourselves and take more care of our sins so that we may be freed from them. One pious elder, seeing that his brother had sinned, sighed and said: "Woe to me! just as he has sinned today, so shall I sin tomorrow." In a similar manner, each of us ought to reflect on our own unworthiness and weakness, guarding our minds against the proud thoughts of judging our neighbor.

One monk was rather negligent on the path of salvation, in fasting and prayer. Finally, the time came for him to part with life, and the brethren gathered around his deathbed were extremely astonished to see that this monk, in their opinion negligent, was departing from the world not only without trepidation but also giving thanks to God and even smiling. "Why are you so unconcerned in this fearful hour of God's judgment?" they asked: "We know your life and do not understand your indifference; be strengthened by the power of Christ, our God, and tell us, that we may glorify His mercy." Then the dying monk, having slightly risen from his bed, said to them: "Thus, fathers and brethren! I have lived carelessly, and now all my deeds are presented to me and have been read by the angels of God. I have confessed them with sorrow, and awaited the full severity of the Lord's judgment... But suddenly the angels said to me: 'Despite all your negligence, you did not condemn others and were not malevolent,' and with these words they tore up the record of my sins. Behold the source of my joy!" Having said this, the monk peacefully entrusted his soul to the Lord. "Judge not, and you shall not be judged; forgive, and you shall be forgiven," said the Lord (Luke 6:37).

“Here is one of the shortest paths leading to the forgiveness of sins,” says Saint John Climacus, “namely, ‘Judge not!’ If you do not judge, you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37).

How strict ascetics of piety tried in every way to avoid the sin of judging their neighbors - this can be clearly seen from the example of one pious elder. A certain monk committed a sin; the brethren, having gathered to discuss his guilt, sent for Abba Moses; but the humble elder refused to be in their council. The skete priest ordered that he be sent for a second time and told that the brethren were expecting him with the entire council. Then Moses went, but how? He poured sand into an old basket and carried it with him. "What does this mean, Abba?" the monks asked, meeting him. "See how many sins I have," Moses answered, pointing to the pouring sand. "I do not see them, and meanwhile I am going to pass judgment on another?" Hearing this, the monks said nothing to the sinning brother and silently forgave him.

f) But there are, brethren, other cases in which it is permissible to speak ill of someone.

"I think," says Saint Basil the Great, "that there are two cases in which it is permissible to speak ill of someone: namely, when it is necessary to consult with others who are experienced in how to correct the one who has sinned, and also, when there is a need to warn others who, out of ignorance, may often associate with a bad person, regarding him as good; whereas the Apostle commands us not to associate with such individuals (2 Thess. 3:14), lest we inadvertently entrap our own souls. The Apostle himself acted in this manner, as we see from what he writes to Timothy: 'Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm: of him you should beware, for he strongly opposed our words' (2 Timothy 4:14-15). Conversely, anyone who speaks of another without such necessity, with the intent to slander or defame, is a slanderer, even if he speaks the truth."

III. Let us pray to the Lord that He may open our spiritual eyes to see our sinfulness, and by the power of His all-acting grace may destroy in us the malicious and pernicious passion of condemning our brothers.

 

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