30. Юмор

“Take... self-accusation, put it in... the mortar of humility and... pound it with the pestle of patience; Take this powder..." (7:25) They say that humor - of course, healthy, wise - makes our life easier - helps to shake off the husks of everyday life, change an unpleasant topic, change the mood for the better, reconcile those arguing, and most importantly - in a friendly, not boring form, give good, useful advice, which can become more effective than a voluminous abstract treatise. Saint Philaret of Moscow, the wisest holy Hierarch, repeatedly uses humor in his many useful instructions. Here are only some of his statements found in his letters - in the form of testimonies and advice. “I don’t want to take advantage of Mr. Blagonravov’s eloquence, but I return it to you. And I happened to encounter unnecessary demands from him, clothed in the appearance of good intentions” (14:186). “Your priest seems to consider himself ecumenical and thinks that if he said his name, then everyone already knows who he is, and there is no need to mention his place of service. My priests think less of themselves” (14:267). “I hear that on holidays someone walks around Moscow and in Chudov barefoot. Apparently, on weekdays there is no need for a feat, because there are few who are surprised. Pay attention to this” (18:64). “The presenter of your letter visited me these days, not as brief as your letter. But I give thanks for that too, knowing that I didn’t deserve that even by my silence” (19-1:43). One day the abbess of the Spasoborodino Monastery came to the holy Metropolitan. The saint asked if she was pleased with the sisters of the monastery. The abbess replied that they were all glorious, “but the trouble is that I am a sinner.” The saint smiled, crossed himself and said: “I thank the Lord, finally a sinful abbess has been found in my diocese. Otherwise, no matter who you talk to, they are all saints” (27:6). “Before they said what they thought, and not everyone printed what they wrote. But today they print whatever comes to mind” (27:7). “You say: the cathedral is two miles from the bishop’s house. And I'm over four. Would you order Moscow to be rebuilt?” (36:4; 29:114). “Yesterday evening I saw someone else’s glasses on my table and could not explain this to myself except by suspicion of theft from you. I hasten to send them to Your Excellency and ask for forgiveness if their absence has caused you difficulty” (16:72). “You ended the letter in November with walking in the meadow - I will end in April with daffodils blooming in my garden” (19-1:72). The recipe is as follows: “Take... self-reproach, put it in a fairly deep mortar of humility and pound it with the pestle of patience; Take this powder every time lofty thoughts begin to enter your head” (7:25). “It is best to transfer a hairless priest to a warm church. And if this is inconvenient, you can bless him to use black skufia in Divine services performed during the cold, except for the Liturgy, at which it is either not used at all, or as needed until the small entrance” (14:179). “Tell from me your legs and your entire body that I ask them now not to bother you with infirmity or threats of infirmity. Do the work of obedience" (33:441). “Tell the charterer that... if he does not leave his voluntary illness,” he will be presented for change (17:93). “It’s a pity for the great hierodeacon. Is it possible to give him an easy obedience, in which there would be no need to use denunciation” (17:75). “Why do you think it is not decent for a beekeeper to be in the Lavra? In the hive the brotherhood is good and does not like drunkenness” (17:36). “What kind of melancholy has come to Your Eminence to talk about the West? Grow in the east and rest at noon” (19–1:75). “To be concerned with every kind of concern” is a mystery. Church rules require only concern, so that the one presented for ordination is thoroughly tested in Orthodoxy and, if possible, proven in purity of life. Father Archpriest testifies about the latter - the first one, of course, will not be omitted by the ordainer. Is it possible to turn one of the concerns to Father Archpriest, so that he can try to say more clearly what kind of fear lies ahead” (19–2:110). You might be interested in: