April: Day 20: Teaching 1: Venerable Theodore the Trichinas

April: Day 20: Teaching 1:
Venerable Theodore the Trichinas
 
(About Luxury in Clothing)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The now-blessed Venerable Theodore was the son of wealthy parents living in Constantinople, but he was not enticed by earthly goods, and, leaving the world, labored ascetically in the desert, in Thrace. He wore no other clothing except a coarse hair-shirt. The name “Trichinas” — that is, hair-shirt wearer — he received from the hair-shirt by which he wore down his body.

Glorifying the Venerable Theodore, the Holy Church sings:

“You showed yourself most wondrous in life, O wise father Theodore, having exchanged garments of hair for those beyond royal treasures which are on earth; for this reason you received heavenly clothing. Ever intercede for us, O Venerable one!” (Kontakion)

II. The Venerable Theodore the Trichinas, distinguished by extraordinary moderation in the use of clothing, serves as a living reproach to those Christians who excessively care about luxury in clothing.

a) Let us look at the origin, purpose, and meaning of clothing. Raise your thoughts to the first days of the universe, in which the human race was contained in a single pair, only just come forth from the hands of the Creator in perfect purity and holiness — you will find there no trace of clothing.

“They were both naked,” says the Book of Genesis, “Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25).

One may even say, without contradicting the testimony of the word of God, that they were not naked, because they did not have and did not feel that lack which we call nakedness: just as one is not yet hungry who does not take food, but also does not feel the need for it.

But, deceived by the crafty serpent, they tasted of the forbidden fruit, and “they knew that they were naked” (Gen. 3:7).

Here is the beginning of nakedness!

“And they sewed fig leaves together and made for themselves coverings” (Gen. 3:7).

Here is the origin of clothing!

So then, what is our clothing?

It is the product of lawlessness; it is a weak means for the temporary preservation of the condemned body from the action of the elements carrying out its sentence; it is a covering of moral ugliness that has become natural; it is a visible sign of man as a criminal; it is a universal and constant mourning imposed by repentance after the death of primordial innocence.

What then are those doing who with such care compete with one another to shine in beauty and splendor?

What does this pride mean, with which one clothed in expensive garments scarcely deigns to glance at poverty clothed in rags or half-naked?

What is this insatiability with which some multiply their outfits from day to day?

What is this instability with which they so often change their adornments?

Is this not something like a sick man deciding to boast of the multitude of his sores, or like a slave forced to wear chains wishing to have them in great number and fashioned with varied skill?

b) Therefore clothing ought not to be luxurious.

True, God in some way sanctified that which is simplest and at the same time most necessary in clothing. And “the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). But by this very fact, unreasonable care for bodily adornment is again condemned.

If the material, by the instruction of God Himself used for making clothing, was leather, then why do some regard those who wear simple linen and coarse wool as either miserable or contemptible? Why is it unpleasant for us if the silkworm does not spin for us, if the earth does not produce gold for us, and the sea pearls? Thus the wisdom of God puts to shame not only vain cares about what is superfluous, but also excessive cares even about what is necessary.

Look at the flowers of the field, how they grow: they do not spin nor labor; but you, of little faith, torment yourselves with self-imposed cares about your clothing, as though Providence were less concerned about you than about grass, which today blooms and tomorrow withers, and as though It had forgotten to produce near you what is necessary for you!

If, looking at the flowers of the field, you do not acquire within yourselves the wisdom of bees, in order to gather from them subtle, spiritual honey; if the sight of nature does not bring you instruction that would become in you strength and life: choose for yourselves another, higher vision; lift up your spirit, and behold, members of the Body of Christ, your Head — and examine carefully whether the adornments you love would suit Him.

What incongruity!

The Head is in a manger, on straw — and the members wish to rest on their seats and sink into their beds!

The Head is in humiliation, in poverty — and the members think only of wealth and splendor!

The Head is moistened with bloody sweat — and the members are anointed and drenched with perfumes!

The Head produces falling tears — and the members are overshadowed with pearls!

The Head is in thorns — and the members in roses!

The Head is reddened with flowing blood and encompassed with mortal pallor — and the members, by cunning artifice, supplement in themselves the lack of natural vitality, and, thinking to give themselves beauty which nature denied them, turn the living human image into an artistic representation!

The Head is now in nakedness, now in garments of mockery — and the members love to rest under silver linen, under a golden fleece, or, instead of the nakedness of the Crucified One, with contempt for shame and modesty, invent for themselves clothing that would not so much cover as reveal!

But “let not my mouth speak the works of men” (Ps. 16:4)!

One must beware lest the exposure of customs — which, however, are not considered indecent to follow — be itself considered indecent.

III. All this leads us to the thought that clothing should be only proper.

What then? — people will probably ask, more eager to escape reproof than to correct what is reproved — must everyone really reject all propriety and clothe themselves in rags?

No — no one demands this.

Our Divine Teacher reproves — and therefore obliges us also to reprove — only cares about clothing, and especially those that are excessive, vain, and partial.

“Why are you anxious about clothing?”

There is a kind and degree of propriety, even of splendor, in clothing, which is determined not by partiality but by fittingness, not by vanity but by one’s condition, not by pride but by duty and obligation.

But cares without end, pomp without measure, waste without purpose, daily changes of attire — only because there are people base enough to occupy themselves with inventions of this kind, and because there are too many who have the slavish baseness to imitate these childish inventions — this is incredible folly!

A folly all the more strange and absurd because, without doubt, many guilty of it recognize it, and yet do not cease again to become guilty of it!

And if only it remained folly: the tragedy is that lawlessness is struck by it and nourished by it.

Look how sometimes a beggar asking for a small coin for daily bread is passed by without attention, while thousands are given for unnecessary adornment.

Who will dare to say that here love for neighbor is not violated? Amen.

(Compiled from the sermons of Metropolitan Philaret, vol. 1, edition of 1873).

 

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