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The Month of October
Day 24
55. How We Should Conduct Ourselves When We Suddenly Lose Our Possessions
(From the Life of Venerable Arethas of the Kiev Caves)
Day 24
55. How We Should Conduct Ourselves When We Suddenly Lose Our Possessions
(From the Life of Venerable Arethas of the Kiev Caves)
It happens, brethren, that some of us, by God’s permission, are deprived, sometimes suddenly, of all our possessions. Some, for example, are robbed by thieves; others lose everything in a fire; others frequently suffer unforeseen losses in trade; for others, the sea swallows up their possessions; etc. Indeed, one could never enumerate all those who, because of one misfortune or another, lose everything and go from being rich to being poor. What, then, remains for such people to do, brethren? How can they console themselves? How can they take courage? What should they say? How can they strengthen themselves in patience? To whom should they turn for help? Since the solution to these questions will not be without benefit for the people mentioned above, who have suddenly become impoverished, and perhaps equally for all of us, since we too are not protected from misfortune, we therefore present the following example for everyone’s consideration as a solution to these questions.
In the Life of Venerable Arethas of the Caves, we read, among other things, the following: the monk Arethas was very rich and very stingy. He secretly kept a great deal of money in his cell, but he never gave even a single kopeck from it to a beggar, and he denied himself everything as well. But this did not continue for long. One day, while Arethas was absent, thieves entered his cell and stole all his money. Arethas fell into despair and at first wanted to take his own life; then he began to suspect everyone around him of theft, to reproach everyone, and to trouble everyone; it is even said that he unjustly tormented many. No matter how much the brethren tried to reason with him and console him, all their efforts were in vain.
But then Arethas fell gravely ill and was at the point of death. It might seem that at least then he should have come to his senses, but even then he did not cease to grumble and blaspheme. At last, however, the Lord brought him to his senses. As he lay on his sickbed, suddenly, to everyone’s astonishment, Arethas began to cry out: “Lord, have mercy! Lord, forgive me! Everything is Yours; I do not grieve over what was stolen! I have sinned, O Lord; forgive me!”
After these words, he immediately rose from his bed and said to the monks gathered around him: “I saw that angels came to me, and with them demons, and both sides began to dispute among themselves over the wealth stolen from me. The demons said, ‘When Arethas was robbed, he did not praise God but blasphemed Him; therefore, he is ours.’ Then the angels said to me, ‘O wretched man! If you had given thanks to God when your possessions were stolen, that thanksgiving would have been credited to you in place of almsgiving, as it was credited to Job. Whoever gives alms does something that means much before God; but know that it also means much when a person who has suddenly lost his possessions bears this loss with thanksgiving to God and thus struggles against the devil, who prompts him to blaspheme. For such a person, the loss of his possessions will be credited in place of the alms he has given.’ When the angels told me this, I began to cry out, as you heard: ‘Lord, forgive me! Lord, I have sinned!’ And know that at that moment the demons immediately disappeared, while the angels credited my lost silver to me in place of almsgiving.”
Hearing this, the monks glorified God, and from that time Arethas changed completely. Instead of blaspheming, he glorified God every day in the words of Job: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; as it pleased the Lord, so it came to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” Along with this, Arethas sincerely repented of his former sins, diligently pursued genuine poverty, fulfilled the duty of obedience, cared for outward and inward purity, and became an exemplary faster. “Growing rich in virtues,” it is said, “after sufficient labors, he departed to the Lord for eternal rest.”
Therefore, brethren, this is what we must do when any of us is deprived of his possessions: first, we must remember that nothing can happen without God’s permission and that there is a God above us all who sees everything and judges righteously. Second, we must not forget that the Lord will credit the loss of his possessions to anyone who bears it with patience and thanksgiving to God, counting it in place of almsgiving, and will return what was lost a hundredfold in the life to come. Finally, third, at such a time we must drive away with all our strength the devil who prompts us to blaspheme and who, without doubt, wages a fiercer war against us at such a time. Let us, then, be patient even in misfortune; let us drive away from ourselves grumbling, despondency, and blasphemy, and say to the Lord, with Job: “You, O Lord, gave, and You have taken away; as it pleased Your will, so let it be. Blessed be Your name from now and forever.” Amen.
Questions for Discussion 55:
1. Under what condition, according to the angels’ words to Arethas, would his thanksgiving have been credited to him in place of almsgiving, as it was credited to Job?
2. How much does it mean before God when a person who has suddenly lost his possessions bears this loss with thanksgiving to God and thus struggles against the devil who prompts him to blaspheme?
3. In place of what will the loss of his possessions be credited to a person if he bears this loss with thanksgiving to God?
4. What did Arethas grow rich in after his vision of the angels and demons?
5. What will the Lord do with what we have lost if we bear the loss of our possessions with patience and thanksgiving?
Therefore, brethren, this is what we must do when any of us is deprived of his possessions: first, we must remember that nothing can happen without God’s permission and that there is a God above us all who sees everything and judges righteously. Second, we must not forget that the Lord will credit the loss of his possessions to anyone who bears it with patience and thanksgiving to God, counting it in place of almsgiving, and will return what was lost a hundredfold in the life to come. Finally, third, at such a time we must drive away with all our strength the devil who prompts us to blaspheme and who, without doubt, wages a fiercer war against us at such a time. Let us, then, be patient even in misfortune; let us drive away from ourselves grumbling, despondency, and blasphemy, and say to the Lord, with Job: “You, O Lord, gave, and You have taken away; as it pleased Your will, so let it be. Blessed be Your name from now and forever.” Amen.
Questions for Discussion 55:
1. Under what condition, according to the angels’ words to Arethas, would his thanksgiving have been credited to him in place of almsgiving, as it was credited to Job?
2. How much does it mean before God when a person who has suddenly lost his possessions bears this loss with thanksgiving to God and thus struggles against the devil who prompts him to blaspheme?
3. In place of what will the loss of his possessions be credited to a person if he bears this loss with thanksgiving to God?
4. What did Arethas grow rich in after his vision of the angels and demons?
5. What will the Lord do with what we have lost if we bear the loss of our possessions with patience and thanksgiving?
Source: The Cheti-Minei: Homilies for Every Day of the Year (Book 1: September, October, November) by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. Publication of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, 1896. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
