The purpose of a Christian’s life and the path of his feat according to the letters of St. Theophan the Recluse to the laity

The purpose of a Christian’s life and the ways of his feat according to the letters of st. Theophan the Recluse to the laity Abstract. The article is devoted to the question of the purpose of a Christian’s life and the paths of his achievement. This question is successfully addressed by one of the most significant representatives of the Christian heritage - St. Theophan the Recluse of Vyshensky. He does this in his letters to various worldly persons, among whom the majority are his spiritual children. This problem, without a doubt, can be considered one of the most important in the life of any Orthodox Christian. Among the addressees of the saint there are both lay and clergy. Bishop Feofan fully reveals the identified problematic issues of spiritual life. The path of disclosure is a clear and clear delineation of the goals, methods and means of achieving the stated issues. The saint makes an analysis of the cause-and-effect relationships of the actions of an Orthodox Christian in earthly life. At the end of each of his proofs, Bishop Theophan tries to draw a small conclusion. Of course, the saint, as a zealous shepherd and faithful son of the Orthodox Church, turns to the text of Holy Scripture, as well as to his personal spiritual experience. The article presents the conclusions of researchers who turned to the legacy of St. Theophan regarding practical issues in the life of an Orthodox Christian. Abstract. The article is devoted to the question of the purpose of a Christian’s life and the ways of his feat. This question is successfully solved by one of the most significant representatives of the Christian heritage – St. Theophan the Recluse of Vyshensky. He does this in his letters to various lay people, among whom the majority are his spiritual children. This problem, without a doubt, can be attributed to one of the most important in the life of any Orthodox Christian. Among the addressees of the saint there are both lay and spiritual persons. Bishop Theophan fully reveals the identified problematic issues of spiritual life. The way of disclosure is a clear and clear delineation of the goals, methods and means of achieving the stated issues. The saint makes an analysis of the causeand-effect relationships of the actions of an Orthodox Christian in earthly life. At the end of each of his proofs, Bishop Theophan tries to draw a small conclusion. Of course, the saint, as a zealous pastor and faithful son of the Orthodox Church, refers to the text of the Holy Scripture, and also, to his personal spiritual experience. The article presents the conclusions of researchers who turned to the legacy of St. Theophan with regard to practical issues of the life of an Orthodox Christian. The purpose of this publication is to show how Saint Theophan in his letters illuminates two important issues of Christian life. It is obvious that all who wish to live a Christian life must have a clear understanding of its ultimate goal. So, the analysis of the goal-setting of Christian life by Bishop Theophan in correspondence with various persons will be the first question we consider. The second question raised in this article is: what are the paths of achievement of an Orthodox Christian, revealed by Saint Theophan in his letters. It should be noted that the bishop, touching on the above issues, repeatedly turns to the texts of Holy Scripture and to his personal experience to confirm his words. Considering the question of the purpose of Christian life, the saint asks himself: is it difficult to understand? Or maybe this goal has already been determined? Here Theophan the Recluse highlights the so-called “general situation.” Its essence is that if there is an afterlife, then, consequently, the goal of all present temporary life, according to the saint, should be in the Kingdom of Heaven, and not on earth. The above conclusion is well known, and there is nothing to say about it, says Bishop Feofan. The saint in his letters strongly recommends that you set for yourself the main rule of life to strictly pursue this goal. In the end, you will have the opportunity to see for yourself “what light will spill over your temporary life and onto your affairs” [2, p. 136]. Bishop Theophan also draws attention to the fact that the main conclusion here will be the conviction that temporary life is just a means for the life of the future century. Accordingly, there is only one law - to use all means to achieve the final result, without deviating from the main goal. This is the whole solution to the question of what to do with your life. Direct your gaze to heavenly blessings and do every action so that it represents a movement towards your highest goal. This is simple and at the same time global, says Saint Theophan. It should be noted that Bishop Theophan was a supporter of active action, rather than passively waiting for something. He recommends using whatever comes to hand in a particular circle and in a particular setting. This will be the real deal, progress towards a given goal, more of which will not be required. As the saint notes, many people mistakenly think that in order to achieve a high goal they need to do great things. This is not true at all. Keeping the commandments of Christ is all that matters. After all, the Savior himself said that “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Everything that is given from each particular case and circumstances of life must be turned into movement towards the heavenly ineffable good. After all, the Lord, who provides for everything, wisely arranges the entire life path of each of us. This can be applied to every moment, to every meeting in our earthly life. For example, if you meet someone in need, what should you do? Help. After all, it was God Himself who brought him to you. And the Lord, writes Saint Theophan, looks at a person, how he acts - is it pleasing to God or not? If we help, we will take a step towards the main goal - “the legacy of heaven” [3, p. 420]. Based on this, the saint concludes that it is always and everywhere appropriate to do what God wants from us. What exactly we know from God’s commandments. “Who is looking for help? Help. Who offended? I’m sorry,” explains Bishop Feofan. If we think about all this and decide to act in a similar way in all cases so that our actions and thoughts strictly comply with the commandments, then all the tasks of Christian life will be solved to the fullest. The goal is posthumous bliss, the means are deeds hand in hand with the commandments. After all, all life situations are a reason to fulfill God’s commandments, Saint Theophan concludes. Everything here is clear and accessible, and “there is no need for you to torment yourself with complicated tasks” [4, p. 250] – Theophan the Recluse advises one of his spiritual children. Thus, based on this, life will inconspicuously lead a Christian to its main goal, which has already been mentioned above. St. Theophan tries to answer the supposed objections that the way of life is still worth defining. In his opinion, this will lead to confusion in a person’s head. Therefore, continues Bishop Theophan, it is best to humbly and lovingly accept the definition that the Lord God sets in the course of life’s circumstances. Gives a specific example. One of his spiritual children lives in her parents' house. Security – what better thing to wish for? The wisest thing in this situation, the saint writes, is not to indulge in thoughts about the future, but only to diligently do all current affairs and responsibilities in relation to parents and other people. Along with this, it is necessary, according to the bishop, to surrender oneself into the hands of God and pray that He will direct a person’s life in the way he considers useful. And so that the entire course of earthly life does not hinder, but helps to achieve a blissful life beyond the grave, without dreaming of a brilliant fate. By acquiring a similar attitude, writes Saint Theophan, we patiently wait for God’s determination regarding us. This determination will be expressed in a combination of circumstances and in the parental will. But one should not think, Bishop Feofan develops his thought, that this life is empty. For if you do every little thing with the thought that this is what is prescribed according to the commandments and that this is the will of God, then everything will find its meaning. And this plan is simple - a godly life. In this case, it is necessary to monitor the movements of your heart [6, p. 64]. The whole point is that the heart, according to the saint, without proper control is capable of committing many reckless acts. But still, the participation of the heart is necessary, because if it is not present in something, then there is no full life. In his letters, the saint raises the question: why did God give us this life [6, p. 64]? And he answers in this way - so that people have time to tune in to the life of the next century. After all, earthly life is insignificant compared to that future life, which has no end. But, despite the short-term nature of perishable life, it is precisely this that serves as the source of spiritual reserves that are so necessary for human souls in heaven. Any godly act, continues Bishop Theophan, goes to heaven as a small investment; from all such investments the total amount will be added up, and the interest on it will show the state of the “investor” - the human soul - for all eternal life. The Lord will reward everyone according to our deeds. Therefore, the saint concludes, all our concern now is to send as many godly deeds as possible to the treasury of the Kingdom of Heaven. Theophan the Recluse confirms the simplicity of these accomplishments with the words of Holy Scripture: “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Thus, the shepherd, with his answers, dispels the thoughts of his spiritual daughter that she allegedly lives her life without any benefit [6, p. 65]. At the same time, the saint draws the reader’s attention to the combination of spiritual work and faith. For, according to the Apostle James, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). It is also important that the Lord measures the value of human deeds by the internal disposition of a Christian when performing them. At the same time, we are surrounded by many circumstances that encourage us to do according to the will of God. Based on the above, Bishop Theophan concludes that if you are careful, it is quite possible to perform godly deeds every minute. At the same time, the saint notes, with such an attitude, a person’s heart will begin to find peace from the realization that every moment he serves the Lord. Even an insignificant household chore done for the sake of God’s commandment to help one’s neighbor will be attributed to deeds pleasing to God. And we can turn even movement and gaze into one of the means of following the will of God in order to gradually move towards the final goal. As an example of the fact that life according to God is progress towards Him in everyday little things, Bishop Feofan cites an incident in St. Petersburg. A meeting of the so-called “progressives” was held [5, p. 403]. One of the meeting participants gave a passionate speech about universal love for humanity. Those present were fascinated. But this man returned to his home, and his servant turned out to be too slow. In the end, our “progressive” could not stand it and cursed at the servants. It is easier to love abstract “humanity” from a distance than to love your neighbor. Meanwhile, the Word of God says: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:38). This is where misunderstandings begin for many readers. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify what Jesus Christ meant by the word “love.” First of all, it is a caring attitude towards another person. What do the words “as yourself” mean? This is the key meaning of this phrase. Before you can love your neighbor, you must love yourself. Many people ignore this point. Loving yourself means moving towards the common goal of all Orthodox Christians - achieving eternal life. You need to understand that you are dear to God, who desires your salvation. After all, according to His words, “The Son of Man came not to destroy the souls of men, but to save” (Luke 9:56). Concluding the conversation about the purpose of the earthly life of a Christian, in his letters Saint Theophan answers the question of his spiritual daughter, why the Lord God creates man - for bliss. Moreover, this state is possible only by staying in Him, through living communication with Him. To do this, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). By the breath of life, Bishop Theophan understands the spirit. In it, according to the saint, man is given consciousness and freedom. The question arises - for what? Theophan the Recluse gives the answer - for the need for a person to realize that he has everything from God and, therefore, to live with Him, that is, to direct all his actions and thoughts towards this goal [6, p. 75]. With this attitude, man abides in God, and God, in turn, abides in him. Before starting the next part of this article - about the paths of feat of an Orthodox Christian, based on its title, it is necessary to find out the following - what reasons this feat may be due to. The whole point is that before the fall of the first people, their spirit prevailed over soul and body, since it was in living communion with God. But as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, their communion with God was interrupted. The spirit was no longer able to rule over the body and soul, but it itself was already subordinate to them, notes Saint Theophan in his letters [6, p. 78]. Based on all of the above, the mental component began to dominate over people, and through it the physical component. Thus, man became spiritual and carnal. With all this, the spirit reminds itself of itself through the anxiety of conscience, dissatisfaction with earthly, created things. But his requests are now generally ignored. After expulsion from paradise, all thoughts and actions began to be directed towards the arrangement of earthly existence, since everything carnal is material and seems much more necessary. It seems necessary to note that after the fall of Adam and Eve, people could no longer curb their desires, needs and feelings. Disorder and confusion began to be their characteristic features. But that's not so bad, as they say. The main misfortune that came along with human self-will is passion, notes Saint Theophan in his letters [4, p. 38]. Moreover, each of the passions gave rise to its own numerous varieties, thereby introducing even greater chaos into a person’s state of mind. It is characteristic that the loss of the power of the spirit over the soul and body was a consequence of the spirit’s self-will. Undoubtedly, the fact that the indomitability of the needs of the soul and body comes from the spirit bound by them is also interesting for us, since it contains the energy of great strength. Therefore, it seems quite logical that Saint Theophan poses the question to his readers: how can we return the original state of communion with God in a person? And he answers - if you have fallen away from God, then you need to be with Him again. To do this you need to overcome your passions. This is what will be discussed in the next part of our scientific article. Proposing a way to solve the problem of falling away from God, the bishop especially draws the attention of his spiritual children to the fact that, desiring union with God, in no case should one completely rely only on themselves. This is in no way in our control. We may only have a desire to seek this union, but only the Lord God is capable of realizing it. Based on the above, St. Theophan instructs, we should all not puzzle ourselves too much about how to unite with God. After all, if the Lord pleases this, then we must accept it with deep faith and quickly begin to thank Him. Developing the theme of the fight against passions, Bishop Theophan draws the attention of his flock to the fact that if something interferes with the internal order, then this should be avoided at all costs. Such an obstacle, of course, is human passions in all their forms, crushing spiritual life and preventing salvation. The danger of passions is that they kill the effect of grace and lead a person’s thoughts and attention into chaos [1, p. 50]. To successfully defeat passions, the saint continues, it is necessary to know their nature, manifestations and destructive consequences for human life in order to try to prevent their development in the human personality. The bishop also indicates measures to combat passions. The main ones are the awareness of the enemy in the passionate manifestations of human nature, anger at him and removing him from oneself, calling on the Savior Jesus Christ for help. We also need to repeat these actions until we eliminate all bad manifestations and the soul calms down. This requires determination, perseverance and, of course, patience. Purification occurs, according to the saint, with strict opposition to everything passionate in a person, with “faith, hope and love for the Lord” [4, p. 41]. Bishop Theophan focuses on the fact that the main condition for successful victory over passions is repentance to the Lord in one’s sinful and passionate manifestations. Despite all the number and severity of passions that burden a person, the Lord God forgives everything to the sincerely repentant, not giving in to all his decay. But in order for no trace of sins and passions to remain in the soul, it is necessary to atone for them with opposite virtues or abstinence. Undoubtedly, of interest to us is the statement of St. Theophan in his letters that passions are a transitory phenomenon in a person. He compares passions with reason, saying that reason is a necessary part of the soul. If it is taken away, the soul will be destroyed. As for passions, the bishop continues, they can be driven out without preventing a person from remaining human. The saint also draws attention to the fact that passions, being in a person, spoil him and make him worse than unreasonable animals [5, p. 217]. It is characteristic that any passion has its own demon, and through its sacrifice it seems to feed and strengthen the passion. Along with this, Bishop Theophan continues to develop his thoughts, demons control people through suggestion, but if someone thinks of repentance and correction, then they will become active and begin to interfere with this. It is also important that the Bishop, in his edifications to his flock, uses texts from the Holy Scriptures: “be sober, watch” (1 Peter 5:8), “watch, watch and pray” (Mark 13:33). At the same time, the saint gives explanations about what needs to be watched over and what needs to be observed? First of all, it seems necessary to look carefully to see if any passion appears and raises its head. And care must be taken so that she does not mislead a person and does not persuade him to please her, in a large or small way [6, p. 203]. Even if you inadvertently engage in passionate actions and do them by chance, it will still be to please the enemy of the human race, and not God, the bishop concludes. To be sober means not to give your heart to all worldly concerns to the detriment of godly deeds. To summarize this article, it is necessary to note the main conclusion made by the saint. It consists in the fact that if we pay close attention to all our heart and soul inclinations, we will fulfill these apostolic and Lord's instructions, and everything in our spiritual life will be under control. 1. Hieromonk Georgy (Tertyshnikov). Letters from Bishop Theophan to various persons, not included in 8 editions. Zagorsk, Printing house of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1973. 150 p. 2. Saint Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky. Letters to different persons about different subjects of faith and life - M.: Lepta Kn., 2007. 791 p. 3. Smirnov P.A. The life and teaching of St. Theophan the Recluse. M., 2002. 602 p. 4. Collection of letters of St. Theophan. In 8 issues. Vol. 2. M., Printing house of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1902. 350 p. 5. Theophan the Recluse, St. Letters on prayer and spiritual life. M., Rule of Faith, 2008. 502 p. 6. Theophan the Recluse, St. What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it. Letters. – M., Father's House, 2012. 304 p.