15. Забота о ближних

“He who does not have love cannot be called a Christian. He pretends to be a Christian." Elder Amphilochius Makris. P. 93 Often, being in relative well-being, we pass near the trouble or grief of our neighbor, paying little or no attention to him. - Let him find his way out - we, they say, found it! The saint takes to his heart our indifference, bordering on indifference: “What a pity that coldness is visible among the people at the sight of the misfortune of their neighbors, and even a disposition to take advantage of the misfortune of others. For so long the Lord has been admonishing us that we are little worthy of His mercy, but we are not admonished. It’s pitiful and scary” (10:294). “If the actor... sees the dissatisfaction of his work, he can calm his conscience by the fact that he acted out of duty, as best he could. But if the consequence of the action... turns out to be harm, then he will be reproached in his conscience” (10:312). We met an honest person on our life’s path - “honest life” - help with his difficulties - “deign not to refuse” (19–2:29). However, it is better to see every person as honest. “Try,” the Saint teaches, “to understand the intention and heart of your neighbor for the good, and not for the bad: then you will be safer from harmful errors, and he will more easily become better” (21:16). “Try to think better about each other - and things will go better between you” (21:44). But what if we still see evil in a person? – And in this case, “The Word of God teaches us to overcome evil with good, coldness with love, and impatience with patience. You should only run when you are being driven” (21:48). Special care must be shown for the disadvantaged - the orphan (17:100). “Comfort the orphan as much as possible; advise her to be quieter and more patient; teach to expect God to improve your condition if this apparently does not happen from people; pray for those who are tempted to be angry; try to form your abilities with the means that you have, when there are no better ones” (21:48). It is valuable to wish your neighbor peace and try to confirm him in this. - “I wish... peace of mind. Why should a person outrage himself with unfavorable guesses for some insignificant reason? And is it necessary to make your peace of mind dependent on human opinion? If we do what is right, glory to God, and human opinion cannot deprive us of this. But I say this in general, as a person should lay a solid and safe foundation for his peace of mind. As for me, with the help of God, I do not allow the good opinion that I have perceived about people whom I had the opportunity to thoroughly know to be easily shaken, as I said this before, and, I think, I did not give any reason to doubt it” (19-2:309). Complaints, which usually bring confusion and anxiety, should be treated very carefully. “And before,” testifies the Holy Father, “I had experiences that showed that the most probable complaint should not be believed without inquiry. I have a new conviction in this, which I must not forget” (10:258). Selfless service to a brother - brotherly love or sisterly love - is valued very highly - it approaches the heights of prayerful feat. “I advise you,” writes the Saint, “not to leave the sick woman and hope that in this case God will forgive you for leaving some church services and replace them with the service of spiritual sisterly love” (29:338). The saint himself takes care of the health of his loved ones. He writes to Archimandrite Anthony: “Perhaps before you could have used it, and you did, your health is courageous - now, I think, you need to use it carefully” (9: 281–282). He advises him to call a doctor from Moscow, and not to go to Moscow himself (9:12). “You need to be in warm, calm air until the illness completely passes, and this is necessary for a completely reliable recovery and safe from the return of the disease. I think that... you need to go to my cells, order the house church to be heated and organize daily services in it, as with me. Then, without changing the air, you can listen to church services from your cell, comfortably partake of the Holy Mysteries whenever you wish, and perform the Liturgy if it is quite warm in the church. Only it is necessary, I think, to block the window in the altar, on the side of the sore ear. I urgently ask you to inform your local doctors of this and, if they approve, to carry it out” (9:7). The saint also takes care of the sacristan: “We must take care of the work and take care of the health of the sacristan’s father, so that the work can be carried out in moderation” (17:93). The Moscow Hierarch shows the same care to the sisters of the Borodino Monastery, who turned to him with a request to send a doctor from Moscow for the seriously ill abbess. The saint immediately writes to Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Golitsyn: “Can anything be done, and what can be arranged, so that, if God grants, the life of Abbess Mary can be prolonged” (16:82). And to Golitsyn himself: “I pray to St. Sergius to intercede before the Lord, that your years may continue in peace and good deeds” (16:86). The saint exhorts those who are sick to rely on the will of God, and those who have accompanied their relatives on the journey of the whole Earth to moderate their sadness and again see God’s Providence in everything: “Say to the sick: the Lord gives life and gives life, and because of the multitude of our illnesses in our hearts, His consolations make our souls glad, as the Psalmist says. And therefore, let him strengthen himself with obedience to surrender himself to the will of God, in the hope that He will not allow suffering to endure” (19-2:308). “I pray to you, with the help of God and the power of devotion to the will of God... to moderate sadness and preserve peace of soul. We need to move from the visible to the invisible - and the Lord is faithful and good to determine who is better off when, who is better off, who is better off, who is better off later. You can easily judge that it would be more difficult for your two sisters to admonish and guide you than for you to guide them: and therefore justify God’s dispensation, and accept it as a blessing that your love has been entrusted to admonish and guide them... I and those with me will take part in prayer for the repose of the soul of the newly departed servant of God,... and with this together for your peace and health” (16:100). The saint is thinking about how to arrange the lives of the families of deceased clergy. - “What to do with the family of the late Nativity priest? he asks his vicar. “There is hardly anyone among the professors who could support him.” In this case, the parishioners want their deacon so that in his place they can help orphans. Tell me first your thoughts, whether this deacon deserves this place” (18:27). “I can’t apply my mind to the Kalashen case... The widow asks to be given a deacon’s place for her son, who is studying in the secondary department of the Seminary. What’s better, to do this or to wait until the vacation?” (18:35). The Saint has his own concern for the monastic brethren: “Although the price of bread is high, however, I think it is necessary to buy quite a lot. In some grain-producing places, due to the lack of snow, they are afraid of a future crop failure” (9:375). Saint Philaret also acts as an intercessor-petitioner in the face of those in power and means for those in need: “The official Bogolepov, having many children, is poor and truly requires the philanthropic help of his superiors for raising children... Deign to provide possible assistance and do not be angry at the boldness of hope with which I resort to you” (16:37-38). “Please accept these troubles condescendingly and calmly, and if anything can be arranged for the relief of those in need, then arrange it and not become angry if what is asked turns out to be impossible to fulfill” (16:41). Do good “to your neighbor, trusting in God and not in yourself” (21:33). “The fathers say: if you cannot do a good deed to the poor, at least do not upset him, but tell him a good word, from which you will not have a loss... If you cannot help the poor, at least you must not upset him” (29:348, 337). “May the Lord add His mercy to you... May you prolong your life in peace and strength” (9:414). You might be interested in: