Lessons of the Great Archpastor, the Ever-memorable
Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19, 1867)
Faith in Christ has
existed on earth for almost 2,000 years now, and is in no way overcome.
Hundreds of thousands of people have joyously borne terrible torments out of
love for Christ, for faith in Him. And if in present times there have appeared men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning
the faith (II Tim. 3:8) and stood against the Faith and the Church of
Christ, all their efforts are in vain: the Lord said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against [His Church] (Matt.
6:18). Let us look at ourselves. Is there among us firm faith and love for
Christ? Do we not stifle it with our passions, laziness, doubts? Ah, friends,
without faith in the Lord Christ there is no salvation! We must by all means
kindle in ourselves the spirit of faith, that is, stimulate it, feed it with
prayer, the Word of God, patience, sincere remembrance of the Saviour Who
suffered for us. All of this can be done every day.
What to do in the morning
When you wake up,
first of all let your soul and heart say “Glory to Thee, O Lord, Who has
preserved us this night! Glory to Thee, Who has shown us the light! Lord, bless
this day for us!” In doing this, think about how God gives you the day which
you could not give to yourself, and devote the first hour, or perhaps the first
quarter hour of the day given you and offer it as a sacrifice to God, in
grateful, supplicatory prayer. The more zealously you do this, the more you
will sanctify your day, the more strongly you will protect yourself from the
temptations that we meet every day.
The Dwelling and Clothing of the Christian
From the start of
the morning and throughout the day, make the thought about Christ the soul of
your life, the moving force of your actions. So, for example, if you glance
over your dwelling, remember Christ in the manger, in swaddling clothes, lying
on straw, all this life not having a place to lay His head, finally imprisoned,
nailed to the Cross, and thank God for your house, your shelter, however humble
and poor it may be. Do not envy magnificently decorated mansions: the mansion
of Christ is a pure heart!
As you dress in
your simple clothing, remember Christ stripped naked and then robed in the
clothing of mockery. Do not dwell on apparel, do not follow slavishly the whims
of fashion, but try to garb yourself in goodness, humility, meekness,
long-suffering, gazing mentally on the meek and humble heart of Jesus.
If you are eating a
meal, remember the vinegar and gall that Christ tasted, and do not demand
plentiful, luxurious food and drink: the heavenly Guest loves to enter not the
house of feasting, but always to the one that opens the door of his heart to
Him. Place in your heart Christ suffering and dying on the Cross, and in His
unseen presence mortify your passions and lusts.
Contact with people
Later, when you
deal with people, both relatives and others, before saying a word, think about
what will be its effect, and think even more seriously before you do something
in their presence, for actions speak louder than words.
Worldly Affairs
If you are undertaking
anything, before asking any other adviser, ask the advice of faith. Appeal in
the words of the Apostle: Lord, what wilt
Thou have me do? (Acts 9:6). Is what I would undertake pleasing to Thee,
Lord? If it is pleasing, bless it; if not, do not let me do what is displeasing
to Thee. And then listen to what the Lord tells you in your conscience, in your
reason, in the counsels of pious and wise people and, having begun the course
that you select, pray in your heart, O
Lord, make haste to help me (Ps. 69:1).
Absences
If you are going
anywhere, go with God, as our pious
forbearer said as a farewell, walk before
meas the Lord Himself demanded (Gen. 17:1); always see Him before you, for
He is at thy right hand (Ps. 15:8).
As much as possible keep in your thoughts and in your heart that God sees you,
so that you may be both ashamed and afraid to attempt anything unworthy before
the eyes of God.
Word and Feelings
If you enter the
company of people, behave with extreme caution. If you hear a word of praise for
yourself there, be careful: praises frequently conceal flattery and can arouse
in you self-satisfaction and neglect of your further improvement. If you hear
an insulting or humiliating word, take care not to become inflamed with anger
which worketh not the righteousness of
God (James 1:20). Answer the one who insults you either with silence or a
meek word of truth. If you hear a word that accuses a neighbor, be careful that
you not take part in the sin of someone else’s tongue. Do not join in words
that are more harmful to the one who judges than to the one being judged. If
you hear a word that saddens one with bad news, be careful lest your sorrow
become stronger than your common sense; dissolve it with hope in God’s mercy
and with the warm prayer: O my Rejoicing,
deliver me from them which have encircled me (Ps. 31:7). Endure without
complaint sorrows and misfortunes. Sorrows are inescapable on the path leading
to the Kingdom of God! Many are the sorrows of the righteous! Christ Himself
endured them; the Mother of God endured them as well. Without sorrows we will
not be saved, but even in the depth of sorrow believe that the Lord loves you
truly, and is only testing you. Remember: you sometimes return home from afar
by a bad road, in a storm, in frost, or in terrible heat, but you go patiently,
willingly; likewise patiently go by the difficult and sorrowful path to the
heavenly home, the Kingdom of God.
Caution regarding harmful books
If you see in a
letter or a book a word of unbelief irreverence, or indecency, turn your eyes
away from it quickly, do not entice yourself with the thought of reading it out
of curiosity or for amusement. Do not touch filth. Do not play with fire. Do
not desire to experience the taste of poison.
In general, in your
relations with people be peaceable, just, compassionate, do good even to your
enemies, imitating Him Who shines His sun on both the evil and the good.
If you will live
and act in this manner, then, when you pray, nothing will obstruct your
prayer’s path to heaven.
Attending Church
When the time
comes, and especially the time put aside for God and His temple, a feast day or
the hour of Divine Services, hurry to tear yourself away from business and
worldly cares and voluntarily and zealously offer yourself to God in His
church. When you enter the church bring to mind the promise of the Lord to
those that gather in His name: there am I
in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20), and stand reverently in church, as
before the very face of Christ, and pray to Him that he sanctify you by His
holiness, animate you by His prayer, and enlighten you with the word of the
Gospel and the Grace of the Mysteries.
Take note of this,
too: in the church, angels serve with us and guard the holiness dwelling there.
Once, in the Lavra of Saint Theodosius near Jerusalem, Abba Leontius, coming
one Sunday to church to receive the Holy Mysteries, saw an angel standing on
the right side of the Holy Table, and when the elder, being afraid, turned to
run to his cell, the voice of the angel called to him: “From the time this Holy
Table was consecrated, I have been charged to stay by it.” Remember this,
beloved, and stand reverently. And, if you feel that only your body is standing
in church, while your mind thinks of home, or the market, or a place of
merriment, collect yourself. Hurry to bring back your mind that has strayed,
join it to God in your heart, force it to strive towards God, Who looks upon
you. When you hear the word of God, open up not only your bodily ears, but your
spiritual ones as well, open your heart, receive this heavenly Bread and with
it nourish not only your memory, but also your life and work.
On Communion
When you are
preparing to be a communicant of the Body and Blood of Christ, or are simply
present at this Mystery, cleave in mind and heart to the Cross and the Tomb of
the Lord, to the Body of Christ, suffering, dying, buried, risen, glorified and
believe that your faith’s touching Him will be more substantial than the
touching of His garment by the woman with an issue of blood, and Christ’s power [will] go out (Luke 8:46) to purify and elevate your powers of soul and
body.
How to celebrate feastdays
Having left church
and returned home, do not rush to worldly business on days dedicated to God:
business that you illicitly conduct in festal times will bring you no benefit.
Realize most of all that if you do not come to thank and glorify God in His church,
then you can be sure that He will not send down His blessing on your business
outside the church (Haggai 1:9). And if sometimes you decide to excuse yourself
from attending the church, be in fear lest you suddenly be overtaken by death
and lest it be said of you: Remember that
thou in thy lifetime received thy good things… but now (in eternity) thou art tormented (Luke 16:25). God
preserve you from this fate.
Never forget that
your soul is also God’s temple, and if at any time an impure thought and evil
desire draws near to your soul, and will draw your body as well towards sin,
hasten to protect yourself with the words said to the first Christians, and
consequently to you: Know ye not that ye
are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (I Cor.
3:16). Then say to yourself: how can I dare to ruin the temple of God, by sin
and inequity! How can I be so bold as to insult and alienate the Holy Spirit!
What to do in the evening
Now the day has
ended—you are going off to sleep. Ponder the thought that God gives you rest
from labors, and take the first fruits of the time of your rest and dedicate it
to God with pure and humble prayer. Its fragrance will draw an angel close to
preserve your rest. While preparing for sleep, remember death, of which sleep
is an image and threshold, and with a prayer of faith surrender yourself to Him
that is the Resurrection and the Life (John
11:25). But when you can conquer sleep, or when it does not conquer you, remember [the Lord’s] name in the night (Ps. 118:55).
Such should be the
constant disposition and activity of the believer that he may gradually draw
near to that state of soul in which the holy Apostle Paul says of himself: I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me and gave Himself for me… Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Gal:
2:20)!
Translated by Seraphim F. Englehardt
From “Orthodox Life”, No. 10, 1952
Source: https://www.holycross-hermitage.com/blogs/articles-sermons/113633350-how-to-live-according-to-the-faith
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