December: Day 1: Teaching 2: Holy Righteous Philaret the Merciful

December: Day 1: Teaching 2:
Holy Righteous Philaret the Merciful
 
(Lessons of Philanthropy from the Life of Saint Philaret the Merciful)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Philaret the Merciful, whose memory is celebrated today, belonged to a wealthy and noble family. His parents instilled in him a love of God from an early age, and he lived in a contentment and happiness rarely enjoyed by people. But Philaret remembered his duties. "God did not give me wealth," he told his wife Theosevo, "for me to enjoy it alone, but for me to share it with the poor." And indeed, Philaret shared his last with the poor not only when he was rich, but even when he became poor. By helping the poor, Philaret himself reached such poverty that he needed daily food for himself and his family. Sometimes, neighbors, out of pity, sent him bread or flour, but even then Philaret shared his share with the poor. "Accept it, and thank God," he said, often giving his last to the beggar and refusing any gratitude to himself. God was pleased to once again bestow wealth upon the kind and meek Philaret. His granddaughter became the wife of the emperor himself; Philaret was honored and given rich estates. But Philaret remained as merciful, meek, and humble as ever, rejoicing in the opportunity to further help the poor.

II. a) First of all, brothers, we are remarkable for the motives by which the righteous Philaret chose the field of mercy as the main goal of his entire life. The son of pious and noble parents, George and Anna, the righteous Philaret learned piety from his earliest years, and the heart of this good youth, burning with love for God and neighbor, undoubtedly asked more than once: "Lord, what do you want me to do ( Acts 9:6 )? What path will you show me by which I can attain salvation?" The answer was given. His marriage to the good and pious Theoseva enriched him, and then the blessings of life flowed to him in abundance. He had many herds, rich estates, his house was a full cup of every abundance, and he became one of the first wealthy men in his country. How did the righteous man understand the path that God's providence had shown him? He considered in his heart: "Is all this given to me, that I might gratify my belly by wasting my wealth? And if I preserve my wealth through stinginess, what benefit will I receive from it at the last judgment?" He remembered the Psalmist's admonition: " When riches flow, set not your heart upon them" ( Psalm 62:11 ). Another commandment of the Savior also presented itself to his intellectual gaze: "I will buy until I come" ( Luke 19:13 ). Wealth, the righteous man reasoned, is a talent that must be put into circulation, increased by deeds of love, and returned to the giver through the hands of the poor. And so he opened his generous right hand to give alms to the poor, looked for them, rejoiced at the opportunity to help someone, and soon his name became famous as the name of a great benefactor in the country.

This is how we all should view the blessings the Lord bestows upon us in life! These are talents given to us not for our own enjoyment, but for good use in works of love. The righteous Judge will strictly demand them of us if we do not make timely efforts to increase them and return them to Him in useful service to our neighbors.

God's gifts are varied: not only the rich will give thanks for the use of their treasures; physical strength, a mind capable of knowledge, a tender heart — these are also gifts from God, which can be used either for selfish gain or, in accordance with God's will, in works of love and mercy. No one is deprived of the opportunity to be useful in their circle, and the Lord will be pleased if each of us, like the righteous Philaret, recognizes the duty to be merciful, strives to fulfill this duty as best we can, and hastens to deeds of love and mercy while time and opportunity permit.

b) While the righteous Philaret was squandering his treasures on the poor, the country in which he lived was subjected to a devastating invasion of enemies, and he himself went from being rich to being poor, so that with the hard labor of a farmer he could barely feed himself and his family.

One might think that with the cessation of abundance, the calling to philanthropy also ceases. The righteous man thinks and acts differently. From his own experience, he now feels the need of others even more deeply and does not cease to give alms from the little that remains: one after another, he gives the two remaining oxen to a poor farmer, the last horse to a soldier, when his treasures are depleted, he feeds the poor with honey from the hives, distributes wheat borrowed from neighbors, and finally, shares with others what he himself was sent by a benefactor. Undoubtedly, if need be, he would give his life for others. This is true mercy, the fruit of "love that never fails" (1 Cor. 13:8), and another lesson for us from the life of the righteous man! We must remember that it is not only a person's faith and patience that are tested by God; but the virtue of mercy also faces its own temptations. Thus, the merciful person is tested when, in his charitable work, he encounters difficulties from others who do not understand his good intentions, when he sees coldness and ingratitude from those he has benefited, or when, like the righteous Philaret, he himself suffers hardships and shortcomings. Only then will we prove ourselves faithful servants of God when, even amid these unfavorable circumstances, we do not extinguish our love, do not harden our hearts, and do not close our beneficent hand.

c) Finally, the very manner of philanthropy practiced by Saint Philaret deserves mention. He carefully removes any thought of himself, deliberately concealing the noblest movements of his love-filled heart, presenting God as the sole author of his generosity. "Accept it, and give thanks to God," was what he usually said when giving charity. A poor soldier, to whom he had given his last horse, tried to influence him toward generosity by depicting the punishment he would suffer from the overseer for having no horse. The righteous man said, "Accept it, but know that I give it to you not to escape the overseer's wrath, but for the sake of God's mercy." In this instance, the righteous man not only humbly acknowledged that "it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13), but he also testified to the profound truth that our mercy toward the poor is a benevolent act of God's providence, accomplished only through our hands. We should strive to act in the same way if we wish for the words of the Savior to be applied to us: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). The Lord God, the Provider, must be pointed to, and the poor who receive from our hands should be directed to the glorification and gratitude of Him alone. The Lord said, "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3). How is it possible to hide an act of mercy not only from others but even from oneself? It becomes possible when we always remind ourselves and remind others of God working through us, who is the one Father of the orphans and the sustainer of the poor. Filled with this conviction, the holy and righteous Philaret attained profound humility in his acts of philanthropy, which could not be shaken even by the high honors he was surrounded with at the end of his life as the empress's grandfather. Remarkably, the humility of the righteous benefactor was revealed when, having ordered a lavish feast to welcome and entertain the emperor, he, following the Savior’s command (Luke 14:13), invited the poor, the lepers, the blind, and the lame, and served them himself as a servant, together with his son and grandchildren. Presenting himself with deep humility as an instrument of providence caring for people, Saint Philaret took comfort in observing how the unseen hand of God truly guided his benevolent hand. When, examining the appearance and clothing of one seeking mercy, he judged him to be less needy than others, his hand, obeying higher guidance, would take from the store more than he intended — and indeed, it often turned out that someone seemingly well-dressed was greatly in need of assistance, and vice versa. “God knows the needs of every supplicant; He also directs the hand of the giver as He wills”: this was the conviction of the merciful righteous man! Yet humility could not conceal this lamp. Even during his lifetime, he was highly “set upon the lampstand” and “shined for all” (Matthew 5:15): lovers of charity sought his guidance and instruction, and entrusted him with their treasures for distribution to those in need.

III. Let the image of the merciful righteous man be imprinted on our hearts for our instruction and guidance in deeds of mercy! Let us, like him, feel the duty of mercy as one of the most important in life; let us not betray it in days of good fortune, and in times of adversity and temptation; let us not weaken it with short-sighted fear for our fate and that of our loved ones; finally, let us humbly surrender ourselves to the instrument of Providence, which cares for all, and let us seek through prayer and faith His ways in the field of philanthropy, that there may be one God acting all in all, and to Him alone be glory and thanksgiving.

 

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