St. Philaret of Moscow (1782-1867) left behind an extensive literary legacy. He wrote scientific treatises, and manuals, intended for the common reader. The author of the Lengthy Orthodox Catechism, commentaries on the Book of Genesis, the Rudiments of the Christian doctrine, or a short Sacred History, Selected passages from the sacred history of the old and New Testament with edifying reflections, and many others. The Saint was in correspondence with Alexander Pushkin, Nikolay Gogol, Vasily Zhukovsky, Fedor Tiutchev. Widely known for his response to Pushkin’s poem “the Gift vain, gift casual, life, why are you given me?”. The range of issues considered by the Metropolitan in his works, is quite broad. Some of his reflections were collected in the book “Thoughts and utterances”.
Artist Nicolas Mas. An old woman at prayer (fragment)
- “The Patriarch wrote that the Liturgy need to pray to the Lord to defeat the Russian at the feet of the Turks”
- Metropolitan Anthony (bloom): The shortest prayer
- How to seek God and His face
- You will perform the impossible and reach the unattainable
About the divine properties of the Holy Trinity
God is a circle, the center of which is everywhere and nowhere OKRUGA. God is Love in essence, even the Very essence of love. All properties essence vestments of love, all actions are expressions of love. It is inhabited by Its omnipotence in its entirety. Love is His truth, when it beloved by it; it is His wisdom, establishes when an existing or to exist with the law of truth; it is His goodness, when wisdom gives true gifts; she finally got His justice when the extent and kind sent or withholding of the gifts of the measures of their wisdom and goodness, for the highest good of all his creatures.
St. Philaret Of Moscow
The love of the Father – those who crucified. The love of the Son crucified. The love of the spirit triumphing by the power of the cross. God the Father is the Father of Glory, Son of God is the radiance of His Glory. The source of good and the forces of the one God.
If the person is good it stays in fellowship with God, he is continually drawn from God the power of doing good and because he is free to want what is good and strong doing it. But if he allowed himself to sin, and through this separated from God, the farther from God reduced him the opportunity to draw from God and strength. And when the will of man, natural freedom of his makes again the movement to goodness and to God, power to do good does not meet the desire of his, and man cannot come to God by itself, without special extraordinary being relegated to it the power of God: in need of help, by means of which the distance between God and man would be filled, the division destroyed, the fellowship, no one to stop, has been restored. And this means is the God-man. The Holy spirit is the immaterial fire, which operates two forces: light and warmth – the light of faith and warmth of love. He scatters the darkness of navedeni and doubt; opens the deceptions of ghosts, which the mind, steeped in sensuality, often takes for truth; it gives a man to see himself in the nakedness of corrupt nature, to perceive the world in relation to the soul and to feel the presence of God as light source. As always there is a God, so there are always miracles, because God is always there, always the same and is valid: if It works, then it’s obvious that there are things of God. Cases actually of God – the essence of miracles.
Loyalty and devotion to the Lord manifests itself in obedience to His law and commandments
Faith is the opposite of destructive skill, variability, retreat back, inconstancy, betrayal, there is loyalty, loyalty to God and to Christ in the constant confession of the Orthodox faith, faithfulness in relation to the commandments of God, consisting in Selenastrum their performance, loyalty in relation to the Sacraments, talents, ministries, a careful use of force according to the intention of God for the glory of God. Faith teaches us not only to investigate how much feel and the humility to cry out to the Heavenly Father. The zeal of faith is a spiritual fire.
As wisdom shines within the mind, as love that warms the heart of a jealousy complex action of these two forces, ignites the whole being of the one in whom it is.
It is in this strenuous activity, which is all that can to submit to it, the powerful direct to their goal: able to purify to purify and elevate, mixed parts, unclean and corruptible destroys protivobolevoe reflects and scatters. Devotion to God is the best sacrifice to Him, and the surest guarantee of His blessings. Devotion to God there is a mood in which man himself, all that belongs to him, everything can happen, provides the will and Providence of God, so that he remains the only guardian of your soul and body. If the purpose of all laws is true, right, good, and if the universal basis of all that is good, right and truth lies in the good, wise and Holy will of God, the universal base and the root of the law – not to do and not to suffer anything contrary to the will of God, and it means to fear the Lord.
Prayer is the Supreme need of the soul and source of all good
Prayer is one of the highest needs of the human soul, one of the most significant utensils of the Worship. The soul, immersed in sensuality, broken, marred by sin, does not feel that in its beginning it is the breath of the mouth of God. But the strength of this feeling without her knowledge arises from its depth and moves the heart to God albeit to unknown or only parasiterna know. Nowadays we have a lot of praise and not rather repent. And advises less time to praise you and to pray more.
Of your heart the Lord requires. The prayer of the Church puts in the mouth that it penetrated the heart.
To the beggar seeking alms, he ought to lend a hand; for a baby to eat, he ought to open the mouth. In like manner, ought the man to extend to God to attain his grace, ought to have opened my soul to receive gifts from Him. Prayer is the spread hand to accept the grace of God, to open the mouth for eating the food of Heaven. The Holy spirit given prayer from God to help sinners, moscowembassy and hate their sinfulness, strongly desired cleansing and perfect correction to those who lack the strength to do good, and not good intentions.
Obedience love and obedience of fear
There is the obedience of love, obedience, fear, obedience, faith. In the beginning man lived like sweet food, obedience, love for God all-good and all-Perfect. But after this blessed life he had been poisoned by eating from the forbidden tree, it requires, as a bitter medicine, obedience, fear of God, the righteous judge, and the obedience of faith in God and Christ, Pomilovaniya. The healer and Savior to finally, as the healing again to eat sweet immortal food – the obedience of love. So from obedience depends the spiritual life of a Christian and why the word Apostolic and maricet Christians are sons of obedience: As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance (1 pet. 1, 14). Fear of slave in the service of God is the inner disposition of the soul that fears God punishes sin, and therefore turns away from sin and running away from all evil God.
FILIAL fear is the inner disposition of the soul, reverently loving God as all-good Father, and love who fears to offend Him. The highest degree of FILIAL fear is the fear of pure, completely permeated by love and freed from slavish fear.
On the contrary, a lower degree of servile fear is the fear of the evil slave and lazy – it’s the human condition, which he is afraid not so much of God as persecution for sin and therefore, at least partially and serve God outwardly, but inwardly hates sin, not intervene against him for goodness and ready to surrender to him, and how to present it not so grave to him was threatened with everlasting punishment.
On spiritual joy
A holiday without spiritual joy, without heart participation in it, without inner feelings is a body without a soul. When the joy of the Lord, consolation of the internal or spiritual visits and fills the heart, then the person finds themselves spiritually plaidinum and rich so that alkane external ukladeni subsides and ceases. How insignificant they taste how low the dip in them how disgusting their excess, then shows him the best experience and highest. Then if joy is a spiritual excites and moves it, then moves on to his property, to the Affairs spiritual and godly. Effect of joy, ordinary on earth, like the effect of wine: joy is a state of ecstasy.
About the inner freedom
A natural birth is achieved and accomplished the necessary course of nature, and the spiritual birth is a free commitment to God and faith in Christ. True freedom is the freedom of the Christian, freedom is internal, not external freedom of the moral and spiritual, and not carnal, which always maketh all things together for good and never rebellious, she can live in a cabin as comfortable as in the house of lords or the king; it is subject, without ceasing to be subject to this freedom and in chains and in prison inviolable, as you can see in the Christian martyrs.
About love for God and neighbor
Love for God is jealous for God; love for man is merciful to man. Love for God requires that complied with the Law the righteousness of God; the love of man leaves the perpetrator to die in the wrong its. Love for God strives to strike the enemy of God; the love of man volovicheva the Deity, through love for God to idolize humanity. Love of God turns everything into a means to our salvation and Beatitude; without it nothing succeeds. Don’t Shine a lamp without oil, and the prayer does not illumine the spirit without love. Not usidet without fire Smoking censer, and prayer without love is not usidet to God. Divine love casts out from the heart of pride, up in the thorns of carnal desires, clears it and draws in the soul of the new world. The law of universal love that seeks to embrace all people, should have to give the man so much the case that there will be places for leisure activities. The doctrine is not tolerated loving heart, is a seed, sow in the snow.
How high was not able to ascend the ladder of your virtues, it does not bring you to the Sky and suddenly the disastrous collapse along with you if she’s not at the top of the last stage, which is only one hard and steadfast touches the Sky.
Ask your heart: if it loves the Fact That faith and accept the Law That brings repentance and prayer? What to say about the motives to virtue, the fear of the court and the hope of retribution, which replace the love of those who knew not its power? It is helpers needed to build the house of the soul. But don’t they have the height and beauty of the spiritual building. Operating from fear is a servant who works for reward is mercenary. Human life in its activities, moving between the three limits paragas which is wrong, it leads to confusion of its own motion and damage itself. These spiritual essence within the person, neighbor and God. To give life in all respects in the right direction to the true purpose, that is, to eternal salvation and bliss, the saving grace bestows and teaches to use three powers: chastity, so that people photopodium did not hurt himself; the truth that he did not greed prerealse to your fellow man; piety, to the pride and wickedness did not offend God.
Humility is the salt of all the virtues
Humility is the salt of every virtue. As salt gives food flavor, so humility gives perfection to virtue. Without salt, food goes bad easily; without humility, virtue is conveniently spoiled by pride, vainglory, impatience and dies. Glory to Christ God, who appeared in the humility of our nature, but show us the images of humility. He came to the den, so we were satisfied and miserable cell, in a manger, so we did not require a soft bed, wrapped in swaddling clothes, to love clothes, in the babble of the infant, Yes we like the kids with its simplicity and gentleness and Yes don’t use their language in idle talk. This is to be wise in you, and be wise in me about this and I ask your prayers. Humility can be taught and the other to humility; pride is not humble the proud.
Being at the bottom of a deep well, and you can see the stars, this is true; only the depth should be narrow and steep, and little available sunlight. The deeper one in humility, the better to see the Sky.
As hail, on top of the mountain alone, no matter how modest its building, visible from afar, and the soul, close to Heavenly forces, ascended to the mount of the law of God, purity, faith and love in God and living sodelovanja the abode of the grace of God, no matter how modest her words, no matter how humble her actions, and his humility reveals his loftiness and modesty can’t hide his internal glory from the eyes of any cleared. One humility can settle in the soul world. Soul resmiranda, constantly overwhelmed and agitated by passions, dark and dim, as the chaos; put in the basis of her humility, then, only begins to appear in her true light, and to form a slender the world of right-wing thoughts and feelings. Proud sophistry with the thoughts of the learned from our earth nature, rises in the soul like the mist with the ghosts of weak light; let the fog of this to fall into the valley of humility, then only you can see over them-clear high sky. Movement and noise from all haughty and restless thoughts and passionate desires of the soul stuns itself; allow it to subside in humility, only then will she be able to listen to the harmony of nature, still unsettled by the current person, and hear her harmonies worthy of the wisdom of God. So in the deep silence of the night are sensitive and subtle distant sounds. In exposing fallacies and misguided tolerance, peace, meekness, mercy, care as needed, as well as jealousy.
Sin destroys the individual and leads him to perdition
Sin as separation from God is at the same time the alienation from the life of God and, therefore, sooner or later – death. For a creature of flesh, indestructible – temporal, and spiritual, indestructible and eternal, because other than God and there never will be another source of life. Thus, sin and death warrant in the world for each other, that they are here. Sin made man, have already made their way to his heart. If the force of free will, with the help of grace man banishes him – he tries to get back on the beaten road. Traces of previous sinful experiences are a new passionate and sinful motion, excited by the memory or presence of tempting items and habit. Sin deprives the soul of the world, the mind – light body, incorruptibility, land – blessing, every creature – any kindness. He begins that gives us hell in person and graduated from the fact that people dwell in hell.
To see the invisible, but real sins sometimes inhibit the man visible, but imaginary virtues.
Hurry to weed barely emerging from the ground of the heart the tares, so they increased suppressed wheat. Make haste to crush the eggs of the snake born is not poisonous and deadly snakes. Make haste to return from the inner sanctuary of the idol of the passion of thought, and infantry desires, until he demanded the killer’s victims. It is good to ask for forgiveness from God and from the people in sin, but it is better not to do what ought to apologize. Until a person walks in the world, hanging his to the ground, collecting and absorbing the pasture of earthly goods and sensual pleasures, until he and his body is not a sacrifice to God: or he is a victim of critters, working is God’s wealth, bogotvor the womb, or, on the contrary, puts himself an idol and requires the sacrifice of all that the earth produces. Through the senses, which man communicates with the visible world, if they are too open carelessly, and even more – addicted to seem, is sinful death into the soul. What are we to do? Without a doubt, carefully shut the window, which includes death. That is to keep the sense through which the beauty and temptation enter the soul. Despair is hell in the shower, before going to rain in hell soul. People lost the original experience of pure being and its universe, lost and the concept. Like a fish moving in water doesn’t know the better and more perfect life, what animals live in the air, poor human soul, immersed in the gross and corruptible world of the elements and living in it, does not know the subtle and imperishable life of heaven.
Braceletsa sin, penance and fasting
The care, which is the Church of the purity of the garments of your soul, can be likened to your care about the cleanliness of the clothing of his body. If you happen to fall in the mud, not rushed would you wash your clothes? So, if you fall into grievous sin, then the sooner will cleanse his conscience by repentance, the better; the Church is ready to receive you at any time. For help she calls for repentance, fasting, and when the divine service itself helps the initiation of penitential feelings. Relief post for feeble permissible according to the rule of the Church and quite rightly, because of the infirmity of the body itself is that is achieved through fasting, that is, the taming of sensuality and inactivity of carnal passions. And therefore for the weak no need to subdue the flesh by fasting, but instead to maintain a feeble body, nutrition and healing, it became not able to serve the soul.
Do not pay evil for evil
The reward for offense for offense not only does not destroy the deeds of evil, but does not stop the spread of evil, even, sometimes, enhances it. Anger anger is not braceletsa. What a pitiful condition to pay a hatred for the hatred and resentment for the offense? What if the enemy is stronger than you? What then will serve your desire for revenge? Is to accelerate your destruction? And with equal strength what to expect, if not mutual decline and distress? Finally, though, he was not able to resist you, is less dangerous covert guile, rather than an open attack? And the tormenting cares, tricks, ideas, and companies that rely on self harm and painful thoughts even alleged his luck and excruciating about luck of the enemy, and finally, the fortune, accompanied by great remorse, and sometimes a General contempt? Oh, how many torments undergoing hating heart, it is hell on earth, flames geenskomu.
Don’t be embarrassed and do not fret on your neighbor if you hear him reproach himself. Razmisli, fair? If unjust, then the arrow missed you; from what you be sick when you’re not injured?
If fair, then don’t complain about corites as an enemy, which inflicts the wound, but thank him as the doctor who opens it and makes you to heal it. Do not fret, if received from him and the offense, the case caused. Razmisli which is better, the abuser whether to be offended or? Without a doubt, it is better to be innocent than guilty. Razmisli and about how better to be annoyed or to endure? Irritation can make suddenly, and guilty, and still more miserable; on the contrary, patience and chastity is preserved, and the misery can be reduced.
Good victory consists in the fact that you did the evil enemy, but that enemy could not do true evil you. To censure it is better to respond with gentleness than censure. Clean water ought to wash off the dirt. Dirt dirt will not wash away. A bad word is better to refute good things. Hearing the word, condemning and decrying the middle, beware that through the hearing and did not participate in the sin of another language. Don’t put your heart to words that are harmful to condemn than to condemn.
Uklonite from evil and do good (PS. Of 33.15)
On every matter undertaken by thee, ask not whether it is pleasant, it is profitable for you, and praiseworthy before men, but above all test it, if it pleases God, not whether it is contrary to His commandments. How sincere are you, merciful and God-loving heart, the less difficulties you will find in the Affairs of worship, the more success, the more – bliss. Who is not trying to catch up in the knowledge of the Son of God and His saving doctrine, and thinks to please God what will happen – he brings the blind the victim.
Who thinks to serve God, but secretly looking for in their benefit or praise from men – the sacrilegious serves myself and others and not to God sacrifices.
Who does good deeds to gain temporary or for the glory of man, he is still not out of the sphere of heathenism; he makes for himself idols of virtue on sale or on sight, he he took on him the wages of his people, and because Heaven and God no longer needs him. Desire is the seed or germ of all free acts, when he must begin, and his soul when it continues. Both the soul depends the life, strength, dignity, body, life, force, dignity of all things depend on the willingness of those who commit it. If the desire is unclean – it is unworthy. If the desire is weak – it cannot reach its perfection. If the spiritual desire is not – it is dead. Thing apparent gold can be either made of pure gold, or unclean, or in fact not made of gold. In fire gold is cleaner, since the impurity is separated and the fake becomes apparent. So the virtue of man may be clean and solid, when the deeds of God and in the power of God, unchanged or unclean by reason of impurity of thoughts of vanity, self-interest and samogotia, or, finally, it is hypocritical. In the fire of temptation, the purity of her rises, every impurity is separated, denounces hypocrisy. The light of the word without the force of cases has sparkle without life, soon passing. The light of good deeds often continues to Shine when the floor has subsided, and the death of a worker stretches long and wide Zari.
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