29. Разные наставления

“If you can give useful advice, give it” (4:244) The themes of the instructive words of the great Hierarch Saint Philaret, as one could see, are very diverse. But in life there are many specific questions that are difficult to generalize. The saint comes to the rescue here too. “I don’t share your opinion about Saint Barsanuphius,” he writes to A.N. Muravyov. – That the answers relate to special cases does not diminish their dignity. Each of us, a private person, has private questions - it’s good if he finds resolution from the Holy Father” (4:396). – The saint himself, as the Holy Father, allows many private things. From this we can note his opinions on the following topics: a) Prophecies and fortune telling. e) Attitude to the spiritual concert. a) The completeness of the prophecies revealing the meaning of existence was announced by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But they asked the question: “Is there now a need for prophecies, even private ones?” - And the holy Hierarch, making a reservation: “It is not a matter of my measure to answer... And will people of great measure be indignant to answer this?” nevertheless, he answered: “The Lord, who rules the world, knows whether He still needs this instrument, which He often used before... That the Lord would stop this custom is not visible in the word of God, as far as I know. Prophecies were especially appointed to indicate the coming of Christ. They were fulfilled during Christ’s earthly life, but did not stop. We could ask: is there any need to predict to the Apostle Paul that he will be bound in Jerusalem when he goes to this extent, even if he is restrained? However, Agabus predicted this. Would you say that this was necessary in order to demonstrate apostolic firmness and readiness to suffer for the truth for edification? – So you admitted that there is a need for a private prophecy. Didn't Anthony the Great predict to Athanasius the Great the end of Julian the apostate? Did not Theodore the Sanctified predict to his disciples the darkness of Arianism in the Church, and then the abundant light of Orthodoxy? Where is the limit to this? Didn't Father Seraphim predict many things to many? If the Lord arranges this, then we must think that this is needed for something” (9:198-199). And he tells a very interesting story: “One Russian, who came from Paris, told me about an elderly Greek living there, who had previously been the Russian consul in the Turkish possessions, but during times of disagreement, having a strong influence on the Christian population in favor of the Russians, he was forced to leave service and lives on a pension assigned by Emperor Alexander. This man, in the first months of this year, told our priest in Paris that the time of destiny was coming for Constantinople; that a Russian nobleman will be sent there and will leave from there with the Russian embassy. When Prince Menshikov left Constantinople, this predictor again came to the priest and said: you see, what I told you has come true: now everyone will talk about peace, but there will be a cruel war. What we see and hear to this day does not contradict this prediction” (9:244). Referring to the accomplishment of centuries, Saint Philaret writes: “Apocalyptic times do not begin now. They began from the time the revelation was given to the Evangelist. Many tried to attach the Apocalypse to the events, but not much was accomplished. The prophecies become clear closer to their decisive fulfillment, so that one can recognize the hand of God and unerringly surrender to its guidance. However, do not the signs of the times show that we are closer to the end than to the beginning of apocalyptic times? To this we can answer: yes, and in this there is some instruction” (19–2:320–321). But, observing the signs of the times and extracting “some instruction” from them, one must be careful about various fortune-telling, and, most importantly, one must watch and pray. “To me,” the saint reflects, “it always seemed more likely that the fortune-telling about 1836 would not come true than that it would come true. For if the Apostles do not need to understand the times and seasons as their property, then it is surprising that this should become the property of our fortune-telling and calculations. But now that 1836 has arrived, when the years preceding it did not correspond to fortune-telling, it does not seem to me that one can slumber carelessly. It seems to me that our affairs are not leading to a golden age. Someone says: we need to pray so that the thunderstorm does not find us unprotected, having not finished and, perhaps, not started our work, scattered outside and not gathered inside. I hear this and yet it is dormant. Send me Petrov’s noose to wake me up” (7:194). The saint does not advise looking for the hidden future, not being curious about what lies ahead, but rather purifying the heart. - “To everyone who strives for his salvation, one can and should say: “You have no secret needs” (Sir. 3:22): do not seek to know the hidden or the future. To be saved, you need to believe, fulfill the commandments, purify your heart, and not be curious. It is dangerous to want to know what is hidden; and wanting to open it is even more dangerous. But all this does not prevent God’s Providence from revealing the secret and using it for His good purposes, even with the imperfection of the instrument, as can be seen from experience” (9:199). b) The saint conducts a dialogue with the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony, about the mysterious phenomena: “Your guess that what is happening in the school tower comes from some unpacified soul, in my opinion, is acceptable. It seems that this is not one soul.” And he advises: perform a “blessing of water and a funeral service” (10:13, 14). “In order not to mistake delusions for the truth, for this purpose it is not ordered to become attached to any vision that appears in a sensual image” (29:287). c) “Dreams,” says the Saint, “are different. They can come from various states of the body, especially the nerves, from the heart, thoughts, imagination, as these things are in reality, and, finally, from the influence of the spiritual world, pure, mixed and impure. In order to determine the merit of dreams, a lot of testing is required” (19–2:78). If a dream “should enlighten us with its clarity, it is sent in clarity and does not require much interpretation. If it should put us in awe with its mystery, it is sent in the vestment of mystery, and then an untimely effort to make the mysterious clear is a kind of struggle with the intentions of Providence... To be attentive, in prayer, in trusting in God and in anticipation of enlightenment from Him is a duty in this case. And in the sensory world, an optical illusion can easily be mistaken for truth: it is even easier in the spiritual world, whose light and laws are less familiar to us. And in the sensory world it is not easy to understand the visible signs of the interiority and power of things: is it easier to understand the meaning of spiritual images? It is enough that the dream does not give reasons to be afraid and embarrassed, but partly consoles, partly encourages some action in accordance with legal duties. Pray diligently for your parents, not thinking about what they need, but simply asking them for grace, peace and salvation” (29:308–309)... You heard an Angelic voice in a dream - “thank God that in a dream that could have disturbed you, the Guardian Angel, albeit secretly, reminded you of the cross and prayer. Do not put aside this protective weapon” (21:20)... If a dream is a dream, then “there is no need to ask about its meaning, like asking a parrot about the meaning of its words. If a dream is a vision, it is sent as needed for us” (29:308). But there is no need “to desire dreams, nor to seek an explanation for them... The desire for dreams is curiosity; curiosity is not a pure state of mind, a not quite pure state of mind does not promise pure dreams; Consequently, the one who desires dreams leads himself to the danger of becoming entangled in dreams” (29:308). You should also not focus too much on sleep. “To pass by a picture, even if it was a good one, is not much good, significant, if it does not represent something, especially edifying, and to stop and look at it means to waste time and, perhaps, to deviate from the true direction of the path... In a long absence of sleep after midnight, you could sometimes, without getting up, speak quietly, or completely mentally, the psalm “Alive in the help of the Most High” all in order and others” (29:313). “We were told to remember the last one. It is necessary to try to be prepared for death at every hour, if possible. But in order to establish ourselves in dreams, this rule is not given to us” (21:36). d) It is better not to pay attention to anonymous letters. “You,” the saint writes to his vicar, Bishop Leonid of Dmitrov, “would like to pursue the author of the nameless letter. But look what happens. The person declared to be a scribe serves in a secular court. You will need to send a letter there to be asked. The case will begin with all the employees in the court retelling the nameless letter and laughing at the monks. Then the scribe can say that he did not copy, and others that they did not hear anything and the handwriting is doubtful. So the matter will end with laughter at the monks, or the copyist will say: yes, the monks asked me to rewrite the letter and said that the citizens really intended to sign it. In this way he will be freed from persecution, and the monks will not confess, because, of course, there were no witnesses when the letter was copied. And in this case, the matter would have ended with laughter at the monks, as it began. So you see that the end does not advise making a beginning” (13:45). e) Attitudes towards the spiritual concert in the time of St. Philaret were different: “Some strict lovers of the church find it strange to sing spiritual chants in a hall where there are dances, and, moreover, not in the morning, but in the evening.” Others “reported that they listened with good feeling” (19–2:166). And so the Saint turns with a report and at the same time with a request for advice to his confessor, Archimandrite Anthony: “Under the patronage of the Empress, at the end of his last stay in Moscow, a concert was given by court singers, due to the small number of whom, they asked in addition to mine. I agreed. Having seen this example, the Society for the Publication of Useful Books asked me for singers for such a concert. What prompted me to agree was that the flow of bad books needs to be countered by at least a small dam with good books. I did not allow only the singing of what is sung in the Liturgy, but I allowed what is sung in services and in homes. The unnamed letters complained about this and presented to me the incongruity that in the first concert they sat during the singing of the Lord’s Prayer, but stood up for the song: “God Save the Tsar.” Then I learned about the second concert that there was applause. After this, I already refused four or five requests for a concert. But some, even spiritual ones, say that spiritual concerts are better than secular or live paintings. Sort out my thoughts, am I right now and was I very guilty before?” (10:384). f) “About the theater, which I have never been to,” the Saint writes, “and about which I therefore have only a guesswork, it is difficult for me to judge to what extent participation in this fun can be innocent. Being in the theater out of necessity for another person is, of course, better than for one’s own inclination towards music. Music, even if it was without words, is, if not tasteless, then not dumb; and theatrical music, without a doubt, for the most part speaks in the language of some kind of passion and therefore, you never know, breaks the inner silence and dissipates. I know a person who is sometimes forced to go to the theater - then he tries not to listen to the performance, but to think about the bustle of entertainment, and sometimes, in order to overcome distraction, he closes his eyes and gets ready to pray” (29:220). g) The Saint also speaks with restraint about anniversaries: “The thought of an anniversary is unattractive to me. For the Jews, the jubilee was an important law both in relation to the Church and in relation to the civil order. He freed those who fell into slavery and returned the mortgaged lands. Popes in the Middle Ages introduced it into the Roman Church in order to receive income from those visiting Rome and from indulgences. Why and why did the anniversary come to the Theological Academy? And the example of one Academy will probably lead another along the same path” (10:167). And he gives an example that is not at all in favor of anniversaries: “The rector of the St. Petersburg Academy writes to me so that on the occasion of the anniversary I give money to create some kind of capital, and collect money from others. For the Jews, debts were forgiven on the anniversary, but with us, taxes were imposed on the anniversary” (10:171-172). h) What does the Saint think about gifts? - “Do me a favor and listen patiently... I’m not talking about the virtue of the unmercenary: I’ll limit myself to ordinary people. Gifts are another matter by custom, another by zeal, and another by generosity. Custom can be obeyed calmly, zeal must be responded to with zeal, and sometimes one can yield to generosity. You can take an offering of generosity with the desire to bless the giver and use its excess for the best, so that by refusal you do not upset unnecessarily and do not alienate you from free communication, which can be turned to benefit. But to make gifts more frequent and multiply to a person with whom you trust in spirit, and even after he admits that he is embarrassed, to force him by the fact that the thing is already being prepared - judge for yourself, what is this? I will not analyze this, but will only say that it is not for the benefit of the giver, nor of the one to whom they want to give, nor of those who look at this... This, however, will not prevent me in the future, as before, if you send me woolen stockings of your work, to accept and use them as a blessing from your labors” (29:288-289)... About one abbess, Saint Philaret writes: “She wishes that the sisters could not bring her even a small gift, which usually happened. This is good. Explain to the sisters that this is good, and that the boss cannot be given anything better than obedience and love” (9:358). i) The following considerations are given about the use of lots: “The Lord God did not promise that everyone who casts lots would express His will. If we recognized that every lot shows the will of God, then there would be no need for deeds: neither reasoning, nor collecting information, but only casting lots. But God wants us to seek what is just by reasoning, labor and good will. If every subordinate, upon receiving an order from his superiors, cast lots to do it or not, and refused to do it by lot, order could not exist. So, it is permissible to use lots only: 1) in an important matter, 2) in extreme necessity, 3) with a complete lack of means to resolve the issue by work, reasoning and law, 4) with the fear of God and faith” (19-1: 23-24). If the lot is illegal, “an illegal action does not attract the will of God. There is only God’s permission over him” (19-1:24). (Wed:1:2). j) The saint, of course, condemns quackery as a dangerous phenomenon for spiritual life. “It’s a pity for that curiosity that wants to play Hume (spiritualist, charlatan - K.S.), amuse itself with the extraordinary and covet the hidden. Why do we know if an unknown force, on the contrary, will want to play with those playing with it? Without noticing, you can end up with a significant loss. If Hume's art is nothing more than subtle cunning, why surrender oneself to the arbitrariness of subtle cunning? If Hume says that he uses assistance; and if this is believed, then one must take into account that there is a spiritual world of light in which truth lives, but there is also a spiritual world of darkness and darkness, in which dreams and lies also take place, as in the visible, sensory world, although they know something else there that they do not know here. Therefore, truly spiritual people warn against curiosity to enter into communication with the spiritual world, as dangerous” (19-2:77-78). k) And other instructions, advice from the wise Hierarch - useful, interesting, and varied: “I never allowed the Chrysostom Liturgy to be celebrated for commemoration or a holiday in Lent... I allowed the Chrysostom Liturgy during Lent only in house churches, for two extreme needs: for the ordination of priests, so that the parish church would not remain empty for a long time at such a time, and for the initiation of numerous cadets, whom they would suddenly confess on Saturday and initiate on Saturday incompatible... The celebration of the Chrysostom Liturgy on fast days is not, in essence, an important change in order. In ancient times this was not viewed in the same way in some places as it is now generally viewed in the Orthodox Church. But we must spare the true zealots, who, without delving deeply into the spiritual, are easily tempted by the visible” (10:383:384, 384-385). “Do you know the sister of the Diveyevo community, Elizaveta Tatarinova? Gabriel Pavlovich wants to have her as the head of the hostel being established. She hesitates and finally agrees to submit to the election if I allow her to break the oath that her confessor and mistress took from her not to leave the Diveyevo hostel. It seems to me that I should not do this, both because she is not in my department, and because in this oath, although perhaps not entirely reasonable, there is nothing harmful or criminal. If Herod had asked me to absolve him from an oath, the consequences of which led to the murder of John the Baptist: I would have absolved him so that no evil would occur. When this is not in mind, what right does it have to destroy an oath, which, perhaps, God’s Providence arranged for some good purpose? Is it true what I think?” (9:210–211)... “There is a certain Mr. R., who lives not far from the Lavra, and is known, as they say, to Hieromonk Anastasius the doctor. He treated his wife in such a way that she was forced to leave him for her aunt... walking on crutches. But at the same time he kept his young daughter. The aunt and niece are sad about what will happen to their daughter with the father, who sees neither the means nor the inclination to raise her as she should. Why shouldn’t he give his daughter to her mother and her aunt... Won’t Anastasy talk to him about this?” (9:227–228). “If you need treatment, do not reject it” (3:27). “Get used to the dry work of office, doing it for the sake of obedience with love” (4:38). And here is an advice, and even a request, to those sending letters: “Do me the favor that you show postmen: for them, write the addresses on the letters in such a way that they can be read. But I can’t make out other words in your letters, after a long time of torment over them” (4:431). And two more very important judgments: “Where is the crack - it was done on the very feast of St. Sergius. “I marvel at what has been allowed: it is necessary to take instruction from this” (17:43). “If you can give useful advice, give it, not relying on your knowledge, but calling on God to help. He will fill the hand of the giver and will not leave in lack of advice the one who strives to offer his neighbor something useful” (4:244). And, finally, it is necessary to note what is no less important (I think I have already noted): when giving certain instructions and advice, the Saint does not make them absolutely obligatory for execution - he rather forces the reader to think and gradually come to a decision. You might be interested in: