In our monastery there is an icon of the Holy Righteous Philaret the Merciful - the cell icon of the Holy Righteous Alexy of Moscow (Mechev). The icon was presented to the monastery by a benefactor.
Alexei Alekseevich Mechev - Holy Righteous Alexy of Moscow. Born on March 17/30, 1859 in Moscow, died in the Lord on June 22, 1923 in Vereya M.O. - clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, famous Moscow archpriest of the early 20th century. His whole life was connected with serving in Moscow churches. Canonized as a saint by the Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000.
Righteous Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, raised in piety and fear of God, lived in the 8th century. in the village of Amnii, Paphlagon region (Asia Minor). Filaret was a rich and noble nobleman, but wealth did not please him. He became famous for his love of poverty. And the Lord rewarded Philaret for his mercy. Not accepting honors, the blessed old man reached the age of 90 in humility. Anticipating his death, he went to the Rodolphe Monastery of Constantinople, where he distributed everything he had with him to the monastery’s needs and to the poor. Having called his relatives, he instructed them in love of poverty and non-covetousness and peacefully surrendered to God. He died in 792 and was buried in the monastery of the Court of Rodolphus in Constantinople.
He lived happily with his wife, with whom he had a son and two daughters. For all his wealth and prosperity, he did not become hardened, like many people in his position. On the contrary, he pitied the suffering and cared for them, remembering that faith without good works is dead. Many local beggars, widows and orphans knew him as an affectionate person and a generous benefactor.
Many years passed like this. But God was pleased to allow Saint Philaret to suffer a trial, like the once righteous Job the Long-Suffering. Suddenly, the Arabs (Ishmaelites) attacked the area where Saint Philaret lived and devastated it. His slaves were taken captive, his flocks were captured, and his fields were taken over. All he had left was his house with a small field and a pair of oxen. Filaret accepted his misfortune without complaint, saying, as Job once did: “God gave, God has taken away. Blessed be his name.”
From then on, Saint Philaret had to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow; he became acquainted with both need and grief. But despite all the trials, Saint Philaret did not harden his heart, but continued to take pity on the sufferers and help those in need as much as he could. When his poor neighbor’s only ox died, and the neighbor asked Philaret for help, the saint gave him his ox. Soon, under similar circumstances, Filaret had to part with the second ox. Filaret's wife reproached him for feeling sorry for others more than for his own family. It was painful for the saint to hear these reproaches, but he could not refuse those asking, hoping that the Lord would not leave him without His help. More than once he took off his clothes and gave them to the poor. After almost every good deed, he had troubles at home, had to hear the reproaches of his wife and see the tears of his children.
So Filaret’s family became completely impoverished. Sometimes Filaret's neighbors, out of pity for his family, sent them bread or flour. But the merciful God, who does not allow the righteous man to be tested beyond his strength, decided to put an end to the saint’s trials and reward Philaret for his patience and kind heart. It happened like this.
Empress Irina, who ruled in Constantinople with her son Constantine VI (780-797), decided to marry him. For this purpose, she sent nobles to the cities and villages of her empire so that they could find the most beautiful and intelligent girls from whom the king could choose a bride.
Those sent also came to the village where St. lived. Filaret. According to his custom, Filaret hastened to meet the travelers and offered them shelter in his large, once rich, and now empty house. Good neighbors took care of the food for the noble guests. Explaining the reason for their arrival, the royal envoys inquired about Filaret’s family. It turned out that, in addition to his son and daughters, he had three more young beautiful granddaughters. Seeing them, the guests were so amazed by the beauty and modesty of one of them - Mary, that they forced Saint Philaret to agree to go with his family to Constantinople for the royal bride.
The beautiful Maria, brought up in humility and a naturally meek and silent spirit, made a charming impression on Tsar Constantine and soon became his wife, and the Gracious Philaret became the queen’s grandfather. As a close relative of the emperor, he was given houses and rich estates, favors and honor. Soon the other two granddaughters of Saint Philaret also married royal nobles. Saint Philaret accepted all these happy changes in his life with gratitude, as a gift from God. Filaret's wife and entire family, ashamed of their previous reproaches, now surrounded him with affection and honor. But in the new conditions of wealth and metropolitan life, Saint Philaret did not forget the poor and disadvantaged and helped them from his rich property.
Having lived to a ripe old age, he received a revelation about his imminent death. Calling his wife, children and granddaughters to him, he announced this to them. Saying goodbye, Saint Philaret blessed them, saying: “You know and have seen, my children, my life. The Lord first gave me great wealth; then he tested me with poverty; and seeing that I patiently and resignedly endured what was sent, he again exalted me with earthly glory and put me in prison. with the kings and mighty of this world. But I did not store my wealth in chests, but through the poor and suffering I sent it to God. I ask you, do not forget mercy, intercede for widows and orphans, visit the sick and prisoners in prison, do not abandon church meetings “, don’t take someone else’s, don’t offend anyone, don’t slander, don’t rejoice in the misfortune of either friends or enemies, commemorate the dead and don’t forget me, a sinner, in your prayers.”
Then, with the words: “Thy will be done,” Saint Philaret betrayed his righteous soul to God (in 792). The king and queen, nobles, many nobles and beggars, weeping, accompanied his body to the place of burial in the Constantinople monastery of the Court of the Lord. For many generations, the inhabitants of Constantinople remembered the mercy of St. Philaret.
Prayer to Saint Philaret the Merciful
They appeal to get their daughters married, for help at sea from storms and drowning, for the intercession of widows and orphans, for help in poverty and need, in captivity from enemies, for release from captivity and imprisonment
Prayer
Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by angels in heaven with a thrice-holy voice, praised on earth by man in His saints, giving grace to each by Your Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that giving to the Church of Your Holy Ones apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are the shepherds and teachers, whose word of preaching, to You who acts all in all, has accomplished many saints in every generation and generation, with various benefactors pleasing You, and to You, having left us the image of your good deeds, having passed away in joy, prepare, in it the temptations themselves came, and help us those who are attacked. Remembering all these saints and Philaret and praising their godly lives, I praise You Samago, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, the gift of being, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant me a sinner to follow their teaching, life, love, faith, patience , and with their prayerful help, and moreover with Your all-effective grace, the heavenly ones with them will be honored with glory, praising Your Most Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Audio
The life path of this saint of God is in many ways similar to the life of the Old Testament righteous man Job; for us this is the clearest example of how for wealth - this gift of God - a person can acquire the Kingdom of Heaven. About the saint, in whose name there was a consecrated chapel in the Intercession Church of the Svyatogorsk monastery before the revolution, - in the sermon of the Svyatogorsk archpastor.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Coming to the churches of God on Sunday, brothers and sisters, listening to the Gospel readings, we will learn lessons for ourselves on how we can live as Christians in this world. The gospel is our textbook of godliness. It creates a person in us, it educates a person in us who is capable of inhabiting the eternal, never-ending Kingdom of Heaven, an eternal, never-ending existence - to be with God Himself in Eternity.
And today we hear the story of the Holy Gospel. A young man comes to Christ and asks: “Good teacher! What good thing can I do to have eternal life?” The Lord, calling the Law and Commandments of God, answers him: "Dont kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; don't steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and: love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man answers him: “I have kept all this from my youth; what else am I missing? And then the Lord says to him: "If you want to be perfect, 
go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:16-21).
And the Scripture says that the young man was grieved. He mourned because he was very rich. He departed from Christ, and then the Lord, so that everyone could hear, said after him: “It is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:22-24).
And today we think, brothers and sisters: is material wealth, wealth in itself an obstacle to achieving the Kingdom of Heaven? No, it is not wealth itself that is an obstacle, not material wealth itself that is an obstacle, but an addiction to this wealth, an addiction to this material wealth, when for a person it becomes the goal of life. This is what is an obstacle to a person’s entry into Eternity and the Heavenly Kingdom.
We know many examples from history, brothers and sisters, when rich people - kings, great princes - powerful people had a lot of seemingly wealth, power, glory, and honor, but they had all this as if they did not have it. And some of them, although captivated by an addiction to this wealth and external material wealth, subsequently, coming to their senses, began to live like Christians and used wealth itself as a gift of God, with the help of which, on the contrary, one can acquire the Kingdom of Heaven.
And an example of this is the now celebrated memory of the holy righteous Philaret the Merciful - this layman, this elder from the Paphlogonian country, who lived in the 8th century, died at the age of 90 in secular rank. He was not a priest, not a bishop, not a patriarch, not a king - a simple layman. The Church glorifies him as a holy man, and added the word “Merciful” to his name “Filaret”. What is the reason?
The life of this saint of God says that he lived in the country of Paphlogon and was from a virtuous family. His parents, George and Anna, raised him in piety. His wife Feozva also lived a virtuous life. He had three children - a son, John, and two daughters, Hypatia and Evanthia. And the children were his joy, and he lived prosperously, and was one of the most noble people of the Paphlogonian country. But the Lord tested him like the righteous Job. During his lifetime, Filaret performed many acts of mercy. Entering the temple, listening to the Holy Gospel, he thought: “Why do I, alone, need all this wealth? After all, it will not go with me to the Kingdom of God, because I will not take anything with me.” And he gave abundant alms, and whoever came to him with a request was always comforted by this pious man Philaret.
During the invasion of the Saracens, the Paphlogonian country was plundered, cities and villages were devastated and plundered. The saint suffered the same fate righteous Filaret. He became impoverished to such an extent that from numerous herds of sheep, cows, oxen, horses, from numerous slaves, he only had a pair of oxen and one horse, a cow with a calf and two loyal slaves who did not leave their master in poverty, of whom only one field remained from the ground, which he himself began to cultivate in order to obtain his daily bread from the labor of his hands.
But here, too, the Lord tested his mercy in order to show everyone that, like a lamp placed on a candlestick, the life of this righteous man - his mercy towards the poor is not hypocritical. Out of old memory, the inhabitants of the Paflogonian country, devastated by the Saracen raid, continued to come to him. And then one of them lost an ox - Filaret gave him the ox, one of the pair. And when the second one fell, he gave him the second ox. One of the poor people came to him to ask for a calf from a cow - he gave him the calf. And although his wife scolded him, as it is written in the life of the holy righteous Philaret, calling him an insensitive husband who wants the death of his family, he, armed with faith in God, in the hope of God’s providence, continued to work mercy. 
And when the cow began to bray without a calf, his wife said to him: “If you don’t have pity on us, at least take pity on the animal. Look, you gave away the calf, it won’t live long without its mother. And you did not give alms to that poor man with a calf, and the cow from whom you took the calf will also be of no use...”
And then he said to his wife: “You are right,” and he led the cow and gave it to that man, along with a calf in addition. To which the wife and children, as the writer of the life notes, began to sit down to eat separately from him. And when he came and asked: “Why do you eat without me?”, she answered him: “You are an angel, you don’t need bodily food. If you are an angel, then eat like an angel, and we will eat like a human.” Even his wife and children did not give him a piece of bread during this difficult time of hunger. And then he says: “Well, you don’t want to give me a piece of bread as a father, but even though you feed me as a stranger, separate part of your meal.” And they fed him like a stranger.
Many other examples of his personal piety are given by the descriptor of this great righteous man, Philaret the Merciful. But the Lord did not disgrace his faith. At that time, Empress Irene reigned in Constantinople. After the death of Constantine, her husband, her son, the future Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, was preparing to ascend the throne. To do this, it was necessary to marry the future young emperor. Servants were sent everywhere to look for a pious and beautiful wife for the future emperor. And when they came to the Paphlogonian country, they saw the house of Philaret the Merciful, although large, but completely in poverty. But they also saw what wealth he had - pious children and grandchildren, who were raised by the example and instructions of a pious father and grandfather. They saw that their granddaughters shine with such beauty, which is combined with humility, with hard work, with respect for elders. They said: “Verily, we have traversed many lands, all Byzantine Empire, but we will not find a more beautiful empress for our emperor and a more pious one.” And one of the granddaughters of Philaret the Merciful, Maria, became the wife of the Byzantine Emperor. Two daughters were also married to noble men, and his son, John, was accepted by the closest royal bodyguard. 
And Philaret’s poverty, the cause of which was both the ruin of the Saracens and his, in the worldly opinion, wasteful charity, was replenished with the greatest riches. But how did the person become proud? The Life says that he came regularly to visit his granddaughter, the empress, and the emperor received him with honor. He always came in poor clothes. And when they told him: “After all, you are a relative of the emperor, the grandfather of the empress, put on purple clothes, a golden belt and in this form appear to the emperor.”
To which Filaret always justified himself with the humility and love of Christ, and for this he was no less loved by the emperor, as if he were wearing precious clothes. And after living in Constantinople, he once invited the young emperor and his granddaughter-empress to his place, and said to his closest ones: “I will invite the emperor and the high-ranking servants of his noble family, and you will serve a rich meal not only in the house, but also by placing tables in the courtyard.” . 
Everyone did just that and waited for the emperor and his retinue. But then the emperor came, followed by the empress, and after them the gates opened and many wretched, crippled, beggars entered the courtyard - old, infirm people who did not have a piece of their daily bread. He called the beggars “the royal retinue.” And then everyone understood that he was expecting not only the earthly emperor to visit him, but was waiting for the Heavenly King, Christ the Savior, who, for his mercy, together with his dignitaries, together with his noble people - the beggars, came and visited His righteous man.
Filaret the Merciful lived 90 years. At the end of his life, he asked his relatives: “I ask you, separate part of my estate, which is due to me by right.” They separated, not understanding why the 90-year-old man needed part of the estate. Then he said: “And now I ask my relatives to buy this part of the estate from me.” They bought it. And he took the funds from the redeemed part of the estate and distributed everything to the poor. He himself went to the convent of the city of Constantinople and asked the abbess to dig a grave for him and make a coffin in which he would be buried.
And after nine days, calling the emperor and empress to him, 
and all his relatives, having said goodbye to them, prophetically, having the gift of insight, predicting the future life of each of them, Filaret the Merciful died peacefully in the eyes of the emperor, in the eyes of all those who had gathered and bitterly mourned his death.
On the day of the burial, the monastery was filled with beggars, wretched, and weak people. And there was such a miracle that it was impossible to take out the coffin and carry it to the grave, because the beggars surrounded him like ants. Screams and sobs followed the coffin of this righteous man so much so that the emperor sobbed uncontrollably, looking at such people's crying for his benefactor.
And the wife of Philaret the Merciful, having subsequently lived piously, imitating her husband in charity, also died in piety and was buried next to him.
Here we, brothers and sisters, see that the man was rich, but this wealth was not the goal of life for him. And we can give and give an endless number of such examples. Saint Daniel of Galicia built more than 20 churches, decorating them with gold and silver, and in the palace he slept on an armful of straw. We remember Evdokia Streshneva - the first empress of the Romanov family, the first Tsarina of Russia, how she was elected to the Kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich. Truly, the life of this empress, brothers and sisters, is worthy of attention.
After the time of troubles, after the Polish invasion, when our Fatherland was devastated, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected to the royal throne. The young sixteen-year-old tsar needed to be married, and messengers were sent to all ends to collect girls from the boyar family from whom the tsar could choose a bride.
And then one day the messengers arrived in one area. The estates of the two Streshnev brothers stood nearby. One of them retained his wealth during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion and lived prosperously. The other, Lukian Streshnev, became so poor that he lived like a peasant. In addition, he was a widower - his wife died. He cultivated his own field. His daughter lived in poverty, an orphan, without maternal education. But since they were of a boyar family, his daughter, Evdokia Streshneva, was also called to the bride’s viewing with the Tsar. Before that, she often lived with her noble uncle in order to learn some kind of needlework from her cousins, and they often used her as a servant, pushing her around and mocking her in every possible way.
And when they were going to the bride, Evdokia, being humble and prudent, said: “Sisters, what if the king chooses one of us as his wife. Let’s give our word that we will not leave each other’s help later.” They, as always, laughed at her, saying: “Aren’t you, beggar, thinking of becoming a queen?” And so they made fun of her all the way. And when they arrived in the reigning city, and the king, together with his mother, nun Martha, began to choose a wife for himself, he took a liking to the meek, humble, on whom the imprint of piety was, Evdokia Streshneva. And he told his mother, nun Martha, that no one came to his heart as much as Evdokia Streshneva. Then his mother called him back and said: “Son, she comes from an impoverished family. They live poorly, like beggars. The boyars won’t understand us.” And then he said to his mother: “Remember, when we were hiding during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion, running from the Poles, the peasants hid and took care of us. And the fact that she experienced poverty means that she will be a merciful queen for her subjects and will be a quick hearer of their requests.” Then the mother queen, listening to the words of her son's reasoning, agreed. So Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva was declared queen, the chosen wife of the Tsar of Moscow. 
Servants were sent for the king's father-in-law. They arrived in the village while he was plowing his field. I plowed on a poor horse, a plow. And when they bowed to the ground and approached him on the field, as if they were a royal father-in-law, giving honor, and said that his daughter had been chosen as queen, he, waving his hand, said: “You were the one who made a mistake. You have been sent to my brother, his estate is nearby. Go there." And then they asked: “Are you Lukian Streshnev?” - “I am Lucian.” - “Your daughter Evdokia Stresheneva?” - “My daughter.” - “So she was chosen as queen.” Then Lukian Streshnev fell to his knees while plowing, raised his hands to the sky and sobbed bitterly, thanking God that the Lord had arranged the fate of his daughter this way.
And then the royal wedding. Feast. Many famous guests bring their gifts one after another. Among the number of noble and eminent guests, Lukian Streshnev, the royal father-in-law, the queen’s father, approaches the royal table and says: “My daughter, they gave you many gifts today. I also want to give you a wedding gift.” The queen stood up and, embarrassed, said, as if afraid for his shame: “Father, we lived poorly, what can you give me?” But he then said in front of everyone: “No, my daughter, no one will give you more valuable gifts than me.” And after him they brought in a simple rural concealment. They opened it. He took out a simple rustic canvas from this chest and said: “Here, my daughter, this canvas was worn out by the hands of your late mother,” he took out a scroll. - But this scroll is soaked with my sweat. I was plowing the arable land in it, when I was informed that I was the king’s father-in-law, and I took out a scarf. “But with this handkerchief I wiped away my grateful tears to God when I heard that you had been chosen as queen.”
The king and queen came out from the table to him, kissed him, their father and father-in-law.
And this chest was placed in a prominent place in the royal palace as a great treasure - to remind them of what they experienced: so that they would not become proud and to tame their own conceit. Having judged correctly, they placed this small rural chest in their palace as a great treasure.
We can go on and on with examples, brothers and sisters, examples of when rich people were seen as having no wealth. And we, looking into our national history, not to mention the lives of saints, will find many such examples. And always remember that today the Lord speaks through the Holy Gospel, instructing and edifying us: wealth is not an obstacle to the Kingdom of Heaven - not wealth, but the attitude towards this wealth. And in this regard, I would like to recall another incident that occurred in the city of Yelets. The city of Yelets was a pious city, the merchants were distinguished by their piety and erected magnificent temples. And so one of the Yelets merchants erected a magnificent temple of the Archangel Michael. The temple was distinguished by such splendor that at one time the writer Ivan Bunin said: “Whoever saw the Church of the Archangel Michael in Yelets will never be surprised by the beauty of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.” That is, the cathedral was so great in splendor.
And when the merchant built this temple, he decided to invite a local righteous man there - Archpriest John Borisovich Zhdanov, who was the spiritual child of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. He was revered as a seer, a righteous and holy man. And, wanting to hear praise from the lips of the righteous man, the merchant invited Archpriest John to the newly built church before the consecration. The archpriest entered the temple, worshiped before the temple icons, stood in the middle of the temple, raised his hands and said: “Lord, I thank You, Merciful One, that You helped this servant of God to erect such a great temple in praise of Your name. But it seems to me that if we gather all the offended, disadvantaged and sent around the world by this merchant, then, perhaps, this church will not accommodate them.” 
The merchant stood as if struck by thunder, hearing instead of praise reproach from the lips of the righteous. But still, this word of the righteous had an effect on the soul of the merchant, who was addicted to wealth and had forgotten about the Christian commandments. And then he said, falling to his knees: “Father John, what should I do so as not to lose the Kingdom of Heaven?” And he said to him: “Whom do you remember, whom you offended with what, distribute from half of your property and return it to those offended by you. And sell the rest of the estate and distribute it to the poor - that’s the only way you’ll save your damned soul.” And the merchant acted according to the word of Archpriest John, doing everything as he said: he distributed all his property to the offended and the poor. And the Church of the Archangel Michael stands to this day in the city of Yelets as a monument of piety, a monument to the repentant soul of a merchant who almost elevated wealth to the rank of God.
And today, brothers and sisters, hearing these good examples from our national history and the lives of the holy saints of God, and we will try so that wealth is not the reason for our life here on earth, because we will not take anything with us.
I often remember the words of my wise grandmother when she said that before people did not live poorly - they knew how to be content with little. And for us now, everyone think about yourself, something is not enough for us now. We keep trying to buy something that then sits in our closets for years and we simply don’t use it. And what we could have used for some good deeds to save our soul turns out to be just a waste going nowhere. How many in our 
houses of empty trinkets, how many dishes that stand in sideboards and which we use only for the holiday, and wipe them from dust two or three times a year. There are so many things that we don’t use, there are so many things in our lives that we absolutely don’t need.
And we, brothers and sisters, taking an example from the lives of God’s saints, will try to give alms with what the Lord gives us from material goods. "Alms,- says the Holy Scripture, - delivers from death" (Tob. 4:10), and in another place - "Blessed are you in mercy,- says the Lord, - for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
And if we wish, brothers and sisters, to be pardoned by God for our sins, for our iniquity, then we will give alms according to the word of Christ and according to the example of the holy saints of God. Amen.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7)
Righteous Philaret the Merciful was born in the city of Paphlagonia in Asia Minor (now part of Turkey) and lived in the 8th century. His father, George the Armenian, was a noble man, originally from Eastern Armenia, but who subsequently left his native place and settled in Paphlagonia.
Paphlagonia on the map of historical regions of Turkey
Filaret's mother's name was Anna. WITH early years his pious parents instilled in him love for God and compassion for people, and he retained these good qualities into old age. Filaret inherited great wealth from his father. He had a lot of cattle, estates, slaves and lands, in each of which there was a mountain spring that irrigated everything around. His wife Feozva was also noble and God-fearing and brought him considerable wealth. They had children: a son, Joat, and daughters, Hypatia and Evanthia. They were very good-looking and eclipsed everyone in those days with their beauty.
For all his wealth and prosperity, he did not become hardened, like many people in his position. On the contrary, he pitied the suffering and cared for them, remembering that faith without good works is dead. Many local beggars, widows and orphans knew him as an affectionate person and a generous benefactor. Like the stranger Abraham and the glorious Jacob, he clothed the naked, and when a person asked him for something, he gladly gave it and, first feeding him at his table, sent him on his way.
Many years passed like this. But God was pleased to allow Saint Philaret to suffer a trial, like the once righteous Job the Long-Suffering. Suddenly, the Arabs (Ishmaelites) attacked the area where Saint Philaret lived and devastated it. His slaves were taken captive, his flocks were captured, and his fields were taken over. All he had left was his house with a small field and a pair of oxen. He was not sad, did not blaspheme, was not annoyed, but on the contrary, he was glad that he had thrown off the heavy burden of wealth. Filaret resignedly accepted his misfortune, saying, as Job once did: “God gave, God took. Blessed be his name."
One day he was plowing his field, a man came to him and complained that one ox had fallen in his yoke, and that with one ox he could not plow. Filaret unharnessed one of his ox and gave it to him. He also gave his last horse to someone, since he was called up with a horse to go to war. He also gave away the calf from the last cow, and when he heard how pitifully the cow mooed about her calf, he called out to that man and gave him a cow in addition to the calf. When the bread ran out, he distributed honey to those in need. The honey also ran out, there was nothing to give - righteous Filaret took off his outerwear and gave it to the beggar who knocked on his door. And the elderly Filaret was left without food in an empty house.
Filaret's wife reproached him for feeling sorry for others more than for his own family. He steadfastly and meekly endured the reproaches of his wife and the ridicule of his children. “I have in secrets unknown to you such wealth and such treasures,- he answered his family, - which will be enough for you, even if you live a hundred years without labor and without worrying about anything.”
Soon, a friend of the righteous Philaret sent forty measures of wheat to the starving family. At the request of his wife, Filaret allocated 35 measures to feed the family and repay the debt. He distributed his share of five measures of grain to the poor within two days. The wife became angry and began to eat separately with the children, secretly from him. One day, Blessed Philaret accidentally caught the family having dinner and said: “Children, accept me to dine with you, not as your father, but as a guest and stranger.”
But the merciful God, who does not allow the righteous man to be tested beyond his strength, decided to put an end to the saint’s trials and reward Philaret for his patience and kind heart. It happened like this.
While Byzantine Empress Irene was looking for a bride for her son - co-ruler Constantine Porphyrogenitus (780-797) . She sent ambassadors throughout the empire to find a beautiful, virtuous and noble maiden. Having been everywhere, but not finding a worthy girl, the royal ambassadors came to the village where Philaret the Merciful lived. From afar, seeing the beautiful and tall house of Filaret, which surpassed all others in beauty, they thought that some noble and rich owner of that area lived there. The ambassadors sent their servants there to prepare a room and a meal there. However, the villagers told the ambassadors: “Don’t go, a poor old man lives there.” But the royal messengers did not believe it and went.
In great joy, Filaret came out to them, taking his staff, hugged them and invited them to enter. He said to his wife: “ Prepare a good dinner, lady, so that we don’t have to blush in front of these nobles.” She responded: “You were such a boss that we didn’t even have a single chicken left in the house. Cook wild vegetables and treat your friends.” He told her to light the fire and prepare the dining room, and God would arrange the rest. And indeed, unexpectedly, the first people of the village came to the servant of God from the back doors and brought him rams, and lambs, and chickens, and pigeons, and bread, and old wine, and other food. And his wife prepared food.
Explaining the reason for their arrival, the royal envoys inquired about Filaret’s family. It turned out that, in addition to his son and daughters, he had three more young beautiful granddaughters. Seeing them, the guests were so struck by the beauty and modesty of one of them, Mary, that they forced Saint Philaret to agree to go with his family to Constantinople for the royal viewing. Ten more girls chosen from other places went with them, among whom was the beautiful but arrogant daughter of a certain noble dignitary Gerontius. She considered herself superior to everyone in terms of noble origin, and in wealth, and in beauty, and in intelligence, and, therefore, the only one worthy of being the king’s wife.
Upon arrival in Constantinople, first of all, the daughter of Gerontia was presented to the favorite of the emperors, Stavricius. Her pride did not hide from the watchful gaze of the experienced courtier, and he told her: “You are good and beautiful, maiden, but you cannot be the king’s wife.” Having generously given her gifts, he sent her home.
After everyone, the granddaughter of Righteous Philaret, Maria, was presented. Everyone was amazed by her beauty, kindness and decency. The king liked her very much, and he betrothed her to be his bride.
After the wedding, the emperor, rejoicing at the concluded alliance and admiring the beauty of his wife’s relatives, when parting with the family of the marvelous Philaret, granted money, clothes, gold, jewelry, strewn with expensive stones and pearls, and large houses next to the palace to everyone from the eldest to the infant, and released their. The elder asked for a special dinner and told his family that the Tsar himself and the nobles would come to the feast. When everything was ready, Blessed Philaret invited about 200 beggars, blind, lame, old and helpless to his house. The relatives understood who righteous Philaret was expecting, believing that in the form of beggars the Lord Himself would visit his house.
Righteous Philaret settled in the palace and lived his life virtuously and holyly. But, as before, the holy beggar-lover generously distributed alms and arranged meals for the poor and himself served them during these meals. He ordered the servant to make three identical boxes and fill them separately with gold, silver and copper coins: from the first, those who were completely poor received alms, from the second, those who had lost their means, and from the third, those who hypocritically lured money. He entrusted the supervision of them to his faithful servant Callistus. When the servant asked from which box he should help the one asking, the saint answered him: “From whatever God commands you, for God knows the need of everyone, poor and rich.”
Every four years, Blessed Philaret came to the royal palace to visit his granddaughter, the queen, but here he never dressed in purple clothes with a gold belt: “Is it not enough honor for me to be called the queen’s grandfather? And this is already quite enough for me.” And the blessed one was in such humility that he did not even want to use any rank or title, calling himself simply Philaret of Amniat.
Thus, in humility and love of poverty, the blessed old man reached the age of 90. Anticipating his death, he went to the Rodolphe Monastery of Constantinople, distributed everything he had with him there for monastic needs and to the poor, asking the abbess for a coffin where his remains were to be placed after death. He told his servant not to tell anyone about this.
Soon Filaret fell ill in that monastery and took ill. On the ninth day, calling his relatives, he blessed them and left them with the order to adhere to God and the Law of God. And with a perspicacious spirit, like once the forefather Jacob, he predicted to everyone what would happen to them in life. Then with the words: "Thy will be done"- Saint Philaret gave up his righteous soul to God ( in 792) Although Filaret was already a very old man, neither his teeth, nor his face, nor his gums had been touched by time: he was fresh, blooming and bright in complexion, like an apple or a rose.
The king and queen, nobles, many nobles and beggars, weeping, accompanied his body to the burial place in the Constantinople monastery of the Court of Rodolphus. The holiness of Righteous Philaret was confirmed by a miracle that occurred after his death. When the body of the saint was carried to the burial place, one man, possessed by a demon, grabbed the coffin and followed with the funeral procession. A man possessed by a demon was healed in a cemetery: the demon knocked the man to the ground and came out of him. Many other miracles and healings were performed at the saint's tomb.
Later, one of Philaret’s close friends, a God-fearing and pious husband, told how one night he was raptured. Someone in sparkling clothes showed him the torment of sinners and a fiery river flowing in that place, and beyond this river a wonderful flowering garden, overgrown with grass and saturating the earth with fragrance. Blessed Philaret also appeared before his eyes in a sparkling robe, sitting in the canopy of trees on a golden throne, decorated precious stones, holding a golden staff in his hands (he was surrounded by newly baptized babies and a crowd of beggars in white robes, who crowded each other to get closer to the elder’s throne). And it was said: “This is Philaret the Merciful - the second Abraham.”
After the death of Saint Philaret the Merciful, his wife Theozva returned to Paphlagonia. She used her fortune to restore and build new churches, monasteries, hospice houses and hospitals for the poor. Then she returned to Constantinople, trying to please God for the remaining time of her life on earth, and died peacefully. She was buried near her righteous husband.
Veneration of Philaret the Merciful in Rus'
IN Ancient Rus' The life of Philaret the Merciful was highly respected and was repeatedly translated into Russian from various Greek editions. The Russian Orthodox person especially liked this ancient story; Even illiterate village simpletons knew it well and told each other about it.
In our everyday life, the name Filaret is purely ecclesiastical. Fyodor Nikitich, the father of the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty, became Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Filaret. The most famous of the Russian Filarets was Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, who headed the Moscow department longer than anyone else - 41 years. A magnificent preacher, who was nicknamed “Moscow Chrysostom.” Advisor to the tsars - Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander P. Author of the 1861 manifesto on the liberation of peasants from serfdom. The saint always turned with great prayerful zeal to his heavenly patron - the holy righteous Philaret the Merciful.
This veneration of Saint Philaret the Merciful was also accepted by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, who greatly honored him and established in the Moscow Theological schools the day of remembrance of Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, and with him his patron saint.
Few people know that in Rus' we had our own Philaret the Merciful -Lukyan Stepanovich Streshnev (d. 1650) - an impoverished boyar, the father of Tsarina Evdokia Lukyanovna, who, with the help of several serfs, cultivated his land with his own hands. For his virtues, the Lord blessed him with exactly the same happiness as Philaret the Merciful, and he, a poor nobleman and farmer, was honored to be the father-in-law of the great sovereign Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov.
After the death of the first wifeTsar Mikhail Feodorovich (1596-1645), according to the custom of that time, wished to choose a bride from the ancient princely and boyar families. Up to 60 noble hawthorns were collected; With each of them there was also a friend who was the same age. Among them, he liked a poor girl who served a noble hawthorn. She turned out to beEvdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva (1608 - August 18, 1645) — daughter of a poor nobleman Lukyan Stepanovich Streshnev. After the death of her mother, her father, going on military duty, gave her to be raised by a distant relative. The modest and virtuous girl suffered a lot of grief from this proud lady, with whose daughter she came to Moscow. The heart of Sovereign Mikhail Feodorovich was touched, and the next day Evdokia Lukyanovna was publicly declared the Tsar’s bride.
Ambassadors were sent to the bride's father, Lukyan Stepanovich Streshnev, in the remote Meshchovsky district (Kaluga province) with rich gifts and a notification from the tsar. The arriving ambassadors were shown Streshnev's house - a poor hut covered with straw. The owner himself was in the field. Arriving there, the ambassadors saw a venerable old man plowing a field; he was dressed in a caftan of homemade harsh linen; Down-white hair and a thick gray beard inspired involuntary respect for him. The ambassadors approached him with respect and announced that his daughter had been named the royal bride. Streshnev did not believe them. And only after reading the letter, he became thoughtful, and, ordering the servant to finish his work, he led the ambassadors to his hut. Here he placed the letter under the icon, made three prostrations, and, kneeling with tears, said:“God Almighty! You raise me from poverty to abundance! Strengthen me with Your right hand, so that I may not be corrupted by the honors and riches that You may send me into temptation!”The next day, after serving a prayer service in the church, taking the blessing of his spiritual father, he went to Moscow.
In Moscow, Lukyan Stepanovich, as the father of the young queen, was greeted with great honors. The king himself came out to meet him, not allowing him to bow to the ground. As a wedding gift, the father gave his daughter a casket in which were placed: his harsh canvas caftan, in which he plowed his field, and the towel with which he wiped himself when he worked in the sweat of his brow... "Do not forget,- the happy old man told her - don’t forget whose daughter you are; The more often you see these gifts of mine, the sooner you will be the mother of the people.”
On February 5, 1626, the marriage of his daughter Evdokia to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich took place, after which Lukyan Stepanovich was granted boyarhood, an estate and a house in Moscow.
Over time, Streshnev became one of the richest people in the Moscow state: he had estates in seven districts, and he took ninth place among landowners in terms of the number of lands. In addition to his estates, he owned an extensive courtyard in the Moscow Kremlin. It is curious that the famous Tsaritsyno estate near Moscow is also associated with the name of Lukyan Stepanovich Streshnev (in 1775, Empress Catherine II bought the territory of the Black Dirt estate, which once belonged to the Streshnevs).
Despite his wealth, Lukyan Stepanovich had “the nobility of his soul to keep in his closet, throughout his life, his modest attire of a farmer, so that, as he said, he would not fall into pride.” In an old leather prayer book, where morning and evening prayers were written in his hand, he wrote at the end: “Lukyan! Remember that you were!
Lukyan Stepanovich was always the tsar's protector of all the poor and helpless, a faithful servant to the tsar and the fatherland, and the famous daughter Evdokia Lukyanovna, being the mother of the children of the first tsar from the Romanov family, became the founder of the dynasty (mother of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich).
Troparion, tone 4:
Imitating Abraham in faith and following Job in patience, Father Philaret, you shared the good things of the land with the poor, and you endured their deprivation courageously. For this reason, the hero Christ our God crowned the Lord with a crown of light, pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion, tone 3:
Truly, your all-inclusive purchase is visible, and by being wise, it is judged by all those who are wise: for you have given what is here to stay and what is short-lived, seeking what is above and eternal. Thus and worthily have you gained eternal glory, merciful Philaret.
Complete collection and description: prayer to Saint Philaret for the spiritual life of a believer.
Oh, most wonderfully chosen one of God, the Merciful Filarete! Amnia, generous bread-giver, lamp of Orthodoxy, good and faithful servant of the Lord God! You followed Christ in the Gospel with all your heart and multiplied the talent given to you in wisdom: clothing and feeding the orphans and the needy; He brought strangers and beggars into his home, comforted those in their sorrows and sorrows, consigned the dead to their graves on their heaps; Having served everyone in every possible way, you showed your faith in your deeds. Hey, holy servant of God, do not despise us, languishing with the sorrows of life and overcome by sinful passions. All the days, despondency and cowardice shake our faith, hard-heartedness and bitterness devour our hearts and cool our love; ambition and impatience corrupt our souls, and so, like beggars, we engage in good deeds in common. But You, Righteous Father, having mercy on us, beg Christ God to enrich our hearts with His Holy Spirit, heal our mental and physical ailments, and, like a thirsty field, water us with the bounties of His love for mankind; May we imitate your faith, patience and mercy, in piety and purity, all the days of our lives. We also pray to you, most blessed one, when the departure of our life is ripe, move us to unfeigned repentance, so that we may partake of Christ our Savior through His holy Sacraments and become heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, where in the joy of the saints and angels we will be honored and we will worship and chant the Trisagion Name: the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen!
Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by the angels with a thrice-holy voice in heaven, praised on earth by man in His saints, giving grace to each by Your Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that ordaining to the Church of Your Holy Ones apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are shepherds and teachers, whose word of sermon, to You who acts all in all, has accomplished many saints in every generation and generation, with various benefactors pleasing You, and to You, having left us the image of your good deeds, having passed away in joy, prepare, in it You yourself were tempted to help us who are being attacked. Remembering all these saints and the holy righteous Philaret and praising their godly lives, I praise You Samago, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant me a sinner to follow their teaching, life, love, faith , longsuffering, and their prayerful help, and moreover Your all-effective grace, the heavenly ones with them will be honored with glory, praising Your Most Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Oh, blessed saints of God, all the saints who stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity and enjoy indescribable bliss! Behold, now, on the day of your common triumph, mercifully look upon us, the least of your brethren, who bring you this song of praise, and through your intercession asking for mercy and remission of sins from the Most Blessed Lord; We know, we truly know, that whatever you desire, you can ask Him for. Therefore, we humbly pray to you, and to the holy righteous Philaret, pray to the Merciful Master, that he may give us the spirit of your zeal for keeping His holy commandments, so that, following in your footsteps, we will be able to pass through the earthly field in a virtuous life without vice, and in repentance to achieve the glorious villages of paradise, and there together with you glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen!
To you, about all holiness and holy righteous Philaret, as guiding lamps, with your deeds illuminating the path of the heavenly sunrise, I, a great sinner, humbly bow the knee of my heart and from the depths of my soul I cry: beg for me, the Lover of Mankind, God, that he will not allow me to wander further along the paths of sin. , but may my mind and heart be enlightened by the light of His grace, as if we illuminate and strengthen it, I will be able to continue the rest of my earthly life on the right path without stumbling and through your intercession to the Most Good Lord I will be honored, for a little while partaker of your spiritual meal in the heavenly throne of the King of glory. To Him, with His Beginningless Father and the Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, be glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.
Oh, holy saint of God, righteous Philarete, you fought a good deed on earth, you received the crown of righteousness in heaven, which the Lord prepared for all who love Him; In the same way, looking at your holy icon, we rejoice at the glorious end of your life and honor your holy memory. You, standing before the Throne of God, accept our prayers and bring them to the All-Merciful God, to forgive us every sin and help us against the wiles of the devil, so that, having been delivered from sorrows, illnesses, troubles and misfortunes and all evil, we will live piously and righteously in the present We will be worthy through your intercession, even though we are unworthy, to see good on the land of the living, glorifying the One in His saints, the glorified God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Troparion to the holy righteous Philaret the Merciful
In your patience you gained your reward, righteous, and you lived perfectly in the commandments of the Lord, you loved the poor and pleased them, but prayed to Christ God, blessed one, to save our souls.
Troparion, tone 4:
Imitating Abraham in faith and following Job in patience, Father Philaret, you shared the good things of the land with the poor, and you endured their deprivation courageously. For this reason, the Hero of God, Christ our God, has crowned you with a crown of light, and pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.
Truly, your all-inclusive purchase is visible, and by being wise, it is judged by all the wise: for you have given what is long and short-lived, seeking the High and Eternal. Thus and worthily have you gained eternal glory, merciful Philaret.
You are from God, says the Theologian, and you are from God, merciful to Philaret. Just as there is God, so is your work, the hedgehog of good deeds, His by nature, and yours by communion.
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Prayer of Philaret of Moscow for every day
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Saint Philaret is considered a famous Orthodox educator and theologian. He was not only the Moscow, but also the Kolomna Metropolitan. The daily prayer of Philaret of Moscow is especially revered in Christian Orthodox circles, which is used as a speech of gratitude to the Lord.
Prayer of St. Philaret of Moscow
Filaret studied at the seminary and was distinguished by his diligence and academic success. But he also spent a lot of time caring for the sick in the medical seminary institution. After graduation educational process he does a lot of useful things for the development of spirituality:
- preaches the Christian faith;
- leads the Moscow diocese;
- writes a complete and extensive course of theological sciences for classes at the Theological Academy.
During a cholera epidemic, using your miraculous prayer, he asks the Lord God to stop the tragedy. Filaret did not doubt the achievements and power of medical science, but he trusted the Lord God more, and therefore asked him for mercy for all residents of Moscow.
The saint began each day with a prayer of gratitude to the Almighty, and received God’s mercy. Afterwards, he independently performed services in the temple, or was present at them and actively participated. He devoted a lot of time to the diocese. He often met with visitors, worked with documentation and delved into the reports and reports of the secretary.
In everyday life, the metropolitan was very modest and simple; the poet, when he heard gratitude and praise addressed to him, claimed that he was not worthy of them. He cared about the development of spirituality in society and was increasingly worried about the spread of drunkenness in Rus'. In 1994, Philaret was canonized.
The prayer of Philaret of Moscow is said every day by believers in order to thank God for everything that we have. There is no need to ask for any additional benefits, since the Lord himself knows what we need and will certainly send this benefit if necessary.
The miraculous prayer text has the following content:
God! I don’t know what to ask from You. You alone know what I need. You love me more than I can love myself. Father! Grant to Your servant what I myself do not dare ask for. I do not dare to ask for either a cross or consolation: I only stand before You. My heart is open to You; You see needs that I don't know. See and create according to Your mercy. Smite and heal, overthrow and raise me. I am in awe and silent before Your Holy Will and Your destinies, incomprehensible to me. I sacrifice myself to You. I surrender to You. I have no other desire than the desire to fulfill Your Will. Teach me to pray! Pray within me yourself. Amen.
The healing power of the prayer of Philaret of Moscow
Many people turned to the Metropolitan who had lost all hope and faith in traditional medicine and healing. They came to the saint for a blessing and prayer to the Lord for salvation. And the prayer of Philaret of Moscow worked miracles. There are several well-known cases that confirm the healing power of prayer.
- One day, a deacon whose only daughter was seriously ill turned to the Metropolitan for help. He asked the saint to pray for her. Filaret suggested doing this together. When the deacon returned home from church, he saw that the child’s condition had improved significantly and the threat of death had passed.
- One Moscow merchant seriously wounded his arm, and the doctors insisted on amputation. His wife turned to the Metropolitan about saving her husband. Filaret advised holding the sacrament of Communion over the sick man and ordered a magpie for his health. On the day of the request, the merchant saw Saint Philaret in a dream, and the next day there were already noticeable improvements in the condition of his hand. Therefore, surgery was postponed indefinitely.
The prayer of St. Philaret is considered very deeply religious and significant. It should be read every morning, having pure thoughts and a fresh head. This ritual should be carried out throughout life. The most important thing is to pronounce the prayer text with faith and awareness of your words. It is then that God's mercy and grace will come.
Whatever prayer a believer reads and whatever he asks for, it is important to remember that what you want does not always come right away. You may need to wait a little longer.
May the Lord protect you!
Watch another video of the daily prayer of Philaret of Moscow:
Prayers
Daily prayer to St. Philareta
Lord: I don’t know what to ask of You? You alone know what I need. You love me more than I know how to love myself.
Father! Give to Your servant - what I myself cannot ask for. I don’t dare ask - no cross, no consolation! Only I stand before You; my heart is open.
You see needs that I don’t know. Look! - and do to me according to Your mercy: strike and heal, overthrow and raise me. I am in awe and silent before Your holy will and Your destinies, incomprehensible to me.
I sacrifice myself to You. I surrender to You. I have no desire except the desire to fulfill Your will. Teach me to pray. Pray within me yourself.
Prayer on the day of remembrance of the millennium of Russia
Lord God, King of the ages, speak of the tongue and the kingdom and create and plant them! (Jer. 18:9). Falling before Your Majesty with fear and reverence, we gratefully confess Your mercies, which have been manifested in many parts and in many ways over ten centuries to the people and the kingdom of Russia.
For You, Lord, have spoken Your creative word on this people, and You have created a kingdom in them, and You have planted, and rooted, and increased, and You have expanded it into the lands of its habitation, and You have placed real power over it from You, and You strengthened him against those who opposed him, and you protected him with laws, but most of all, you enlightened and inspired him with saving faith, and even if sometimes you visited his unrighteousness with a rod, but you did not remove your mercy and do not move away from us.
We glorify You, Lord, Lord and Benefactor, we praise, thank, sing and magnify, and, from Your very bounty in faith and hope, confirmation and boldness before You is acceptable, we humbly pray: preserve the throne and kingdom of the Most Pious Autocratic Great Sovereign Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich of all Russia in true greatness, strength and glory.
Forgive, O all-merciful Lord, all our sins and our Father, and direct our steps to the doing of Thy commandments.
Keep the Orthodox faith in us in its purity and strength, and may it remain, as it were, the focus of social unity, the source of enlightenment, the foundation and stronghold of national good morals, the truth of laws, the beneficence of government, the inviolability of well-being.
May the ancient planting of goodness not wither and wither, but may a new stem of the best be grafted onto it, and may a new flower of splendor and the fruit of perfection come forth.
So look upon us and be generous to us, so that we may be blessed by You, from day to day and from century to century we bless You, Lord.
Glory to Thee God, our Benefactor, forever and ever. Amen.
At the end of the prayer service and after the proclamation of many years to the Most Pious Sovereign Emperor and the Highest Family, the protodeacon made the following proclamations:
To the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Olga who enlightened Russia with the Christian Orthodox faith, who successively over the centuries created and strengthened the autocracy of Russia by the Blessed Tsar and Grand Duke, who newly created the Russian kingdom and expanded and glorified it in God, to the deceased Most Pious Emperors and Empresses, eternal memory.
To all the chosen sons of Russia, who for centuries faithfully fought for its unity, good and glory, in the fields of piety, enlightenment, governance and victorious defense of the Fatherland, eternal memory.
Having placed times and seasons in Your hand, Lord, by Your wise all-good Providence, preserved and restored to the All-Russian kingdom for a thousand years, add to Your great mercy and preserve it in faith and truth, in God’s law and well-being for many years and centuries.
Prayer of a Prisoner in a Dungeon
Lord God, my Creator and Savior, Blessed be Your holy name!
Thanks and glory to You, Lord, for all the good things that I have received from You in this life.
Now I have found sorrow and illness, and I call on Your name.
The reproaches attacked me. Placing me in the pit of hell, in the dark and shadow of death. I grieve over this, and through this sorrow I understand that I have sinned before You, and because of my sins troubles have come upon me. For Your righteous did not lose heart, and in prison they worshiped You, and in their suffering they rejoiced.
And if you see iniquity, Lord, Lord, who will stand? For there is no man who does not sin.
But You, Lord, bear the sins of the whole world and cleanse them with repentance. I believe, just as you did not reject me, a sinner, from Your presence. For the whole world, Your Only Begotten Son poured out His Divine blood. I believe that he can and wants to wash me from my sins.
For this reason I say with David: let me confess my iniquity, but you, who are good, forsake the wickedness of my heart.
I fear human judgment and condemnation, but most of all let Thy unwashed judgment and eternal condemnation be in my fear.
If unrighteousness arises against me: I dare to pray to You in the word of David: hear, O Lord, my righteousness, and attend to my judgment, and deliver me by Your righteousness.
If I have committed injustice, heal my iniquity with Your mercy.
Do not allow my heart to deviate into words of deceit, to concealing the truth and to false justification.
Help me to understand and hate my unrighteousness, but to love the truth and baptize the relief of my soul in the truth.
Ease my time of distress. And I am also destined to bear, but I will bear with patience for the sake of cleansing my sins and for the sake of propitiating Your justice.
Even if shame covers me in front of some people, may I endure with humility, may I appease You, O Lord, may I not be ashamed in the face of the whole world at Your Last Judgment.
I come to You mournful and sad, do not deprive me of spiritual consolation.
I come to You darkened, show me the light of hope of salvation. I fall to You, exhausted, raise me up and strengthen me with Your grace.
Most of all, grant me the desire and help me, Lord, to do Your will in everything, so that in the peace of conscience I will glorify Your holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer for the 700th anniversary of Moscow
Lord God Almighty, having established the heavens with Your Word and the Spirit of Your mouth with all their power, placing the lights in the firmament of heaven for signs, and in times, and in days, and in years, and in the existence of Your visible creatures in the circles of times, concluding, blessing the beginnings of times , and the numbers of their fulfillment sanctified! Thou, O Lord, the mouth of Thy prophet Moses, the first in the months of summer, Thou hast called the month, in which Thou hast prefigured the saving sacrament of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, Our Lord Jesus Christ, as the lamb of deliverance of the Passover, to Thy people Israel. Thou, in Thy ancient law, set forth Thy feasts within the bounds of weeks of days and weeks of weeks, in memory of Thy good deeds; and the fulfillment of weeks of weeks, in renewing the memory of Your destinies, You crowned with the summer of abandonment; with the blessing of effortless abundance. Behold, now Thy new Israel has passed from the ancient image to the newly revealed truth, the first in months, and the new summer begins with the appearance in the manger of Bethlehem of the Lamb, taking away the sins of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, and from the beginning of His all-saving sacrifices on the cross, in the passive shedding of blood circumcision The reigning city of this city not only sees the beginning of the month and summer before itself, and does not count weeks of days and years, but remembering the seven centuries that have passed over it, it seems to Your destinies, and in thoughts about the destinies of the eighth of its century, before Your face, King centuries, reverent. We confess Your ancient mercies, we give thanks for the present, and we pray for the future. We glorify Your gracious election, and your rich Providence for us, as if you once grew the entire small city into a great city; and, before the coming to pass, that this city would be glorious in all Russian cities, and that its enemy would lay hands on its shoulders, and that You would be glorified in it, You foretold it as Your saint Saint Peter; You also established the brought throne of Orthodoxy here; and you planted the root of the All-Russian Monarchy here, and you elevated the throne of the Kingdom, and you granted the extinguished lamp of the royal family to shine from here with greater lordship, and you favored your saints to live here and honor them in the fragrance of the shrine, whose prayers were always like an adamantine wall, from You protected this city from misfortunes, but then you soon delivered the distressed city, and in our days, which was about to perish, you raised it from ashes and destruction, and adorned it with new splendor, and filled it with abundance.
Father of generosity and Lord of mercy! Look with mercy on this grateful confession of ours and do not leave Your mercy from us. Bless the crown of the new summer with Your goodness: and the crown of seven centuries, which is on the verge of this reigning city, may not fade away. Renew and multiply Your blessings on Your exalted servant, Our Most Pious Most Autocratic Great Sovereign, Nicholas Pavlovich, and on His sovereign family. Grant them longevity and prosperity, and success in the affairs of the kingdom and in all virtues. Keep Your Holy Church unshakable on the basis of Your Divine word, on the rock of the Apostolic faith, and let no daring human wisdom touch the ark of God. Rivers, Lord, peace upon Thy people, and upon those who turn their hearts to Thee. Let Your salvation be near those who fear You, bring glory to our land. Let mercy and truth meet in her, and let truth and peace kiss each other. Do not let us look upon false vanity and confusion, but let us look upon all Thy commandments and not be ashamed. Grant us grace and good zeal, so that Your eternal kingdom and its truth we seek first and most of all, for all the good things needed for temporary life will be added to us, through the intercessory and patronizing prayers of the Most Blessed Ever-Virgin Mother of God and Saints Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip, with them in turning our faith to You, the One Trihypostatic God, the Beginningless Father and the Coeternal Son and the Coeternal Holy Spirit, we offer due thanksgiving, and worship, and glory, forever and ever.
Memorial written by the hand of His Eminence dated October 9, 1844
Memorial, “written by the hand” of St. Philaret, in 1855 was transferred to the sacristy of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, where the archive of the Saint was collected. Now the original is in the Russian State Library; in 1999 it was shown at the exhibition “Spiritual Lights of Russia” at the Andrei Rublev Museum in Moscow.
Even if the priceless autograph and the flying handwriting of St. had not been preserved. Philaret's text would be known only in a copy; its very content is such that it leaves no doubt about the authorship of the Saint. Who else could place almost at the very beginning of the commemoration of those who suddenly died, those who died a “disastrous death” (from natural disasters) and all the lonely and forgotten, for whom there is no one to pray, and only after them - the Most Pious Emperor and Empresses. Who else besides St. Philaret, could “most especially” remember among the kings and queens those who contributed to “the peace of the Holy Church and the good life of man.”
Among the deceased archpastors commemorated separately, the first is the name of Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) (†1812) - the mentor of St. Philaret; then the metropolitans who were members of the Holy Synod during his service are commemorated, including the famous Church historian Metropolitan. Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov) (†1837); Archbishop Augustine (†1819), who ruled the Moscow diocese during the war with Napoleon, Archbishop Kirill (Theological-Platonov) (†1841), who was at one time vicar of St. Philareta, Archbishop Simeon (Krylov) (†1834) - the successor of the Saint, first at Tver, and then at the Yaroslavl See; finally, Bishop Innokenty (Smirnov) (†1819) – an opponent of the subordination of the Church to the “Double Ministry”, who was removed from St. Petersburg for this and died in Penza at the age of 35.
The memorial, judging by its content, was compiled by St. Philaret not for himself personally, not for cell prayers, but for prayerful commemoration in the “monastery of this one,” apparently, in the Gethsemane monastery of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, consecrated on September 28, 1844, two weeks before the commemoration was compiled. In the first lines, Metropolitan Philaret commemorates “our Fathers and brothers who served in the monasteries of St. Sergius and in this monastery.” In this monastery, one might think, the memorial was read, starting from Demetrius Saturday in October 1844 (the frequent reading of it, not in a cell setting, but in the church, is evidenced by numerous folds of sheets and drops of wax from church candle, frozen on the last page).
When publishing, we preserve the spelling features of the original, written in Slavic; all spellings of words with capital letters also belong to St. Philaret.
Remember, Lord, Your departed servants, who bore fruit and did good in Your Holy Churches and in the monasteries of St. Sergius, and the creators of this monastery, and our fathers and brothers who served in the monasteries of St. Sergius, and in this monastery, who had mercy on the poor, who visited the sick, who stood up for the weak, who fought for righteousness, and all who commanded us unworthy to pray for them; and rest their souls wherever the light of Your face greets them. Amen.
Lord rest the souls of Your departed servants, those who died suddenly or by necessary death, and those who were not worthy of parting words of repentance and communion of the Holy Mysteries, as if by illness, the mind and memory were taken away, struck down, or killed in battle, from robbers and slanderers, deprived of various ways of life, from thunder , from fire, from heat, from filth, from the rage of animals who died, drowned, were deprived of burial due to a disastrous death, from poverty, loneliness and the unknown of not having a neighbor praying for them. Remember them Yourself, Lord, Knower of each name and spiritual need, and grant them purification and forgiveness, and grant them peace and weakening, with the invincible power of the Life-giving Cross, with the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints. Amen.
Lord, remember the Most Pious Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, Empresses Elisaveta Alekseevna, Maria Feodorovna, Blessed Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna 2.
Lord, remember the departed servants of Your Eminence Metropolitans: Plato, Ambrose, Michael, Theophylact, Eugene, Seraphim, Archbishops Augustine, Simeon, Sergius, Cyril, Stephen, Athanasius; Bishops: Samuel, Innocent, Augustine 3.
Remember, Lord, all Your servants, from the beginning to this day, in true faith and those who have given up their hope in Thy mercy, and have sinned as much as they have in this life, in word, deed, thought, and with every feeling of soul and body, willingly or unwillingly, in knowledge or in ignorance, forgive them, and absolve them from all guilt and burdens, and rest their souls, where the light of Thy face shines. Amen.
Lord, remember Your departed servants, the Pious Emperors and Empresses, Kings and Queens, the blessed Grand Dukes, Grand Duchesses, Tsareviches and Princesses, especially the peace of the Holy Church and the good life of mankind, and rest their souls, where the light of Your face is present. Amen.
Lord, remember Your departed servants, the Orthodox, the Most Holy Patriarchs, the Most Reverend Metropolitans, Archbishops and Bishops, the Holy Archimandrites, Abbots, Hieromonks, Archpriests, Priests and all the priestly, monastic and clergy ranks, and especially those who served the Orthodox faith and the souls of their neighbors, word m, both in deed and in prayer, and give them rest, where the light of Thy face shines. Amen.
Lord, remember Your departed servants from the ruling Synclite, military leaders, city governors, and in all leadership, power, and service for the good of the common, those who labored, Orthodox soldiers, citizens, villagers, and all Christians, in Orthodox faith and those who have died in repentance, and rest their souls, where the Light of Your face is present. Amen.
(OR RSL, f. 316, item 63, storage unit 13, sheets 3–4 vol.)
Funeral memorial compiled by Saint Philaret
Funeral memorial compiled by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, read in the Gethsemane monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra during the continuous reading of the Psalter
Remember, Lord, all of Your servants from the beginning to the present, who have passed away in true faith and trust in Your mercy, and have sinned in this life in word, deed, thought and every feeling of soul and body, willy-nilly, in knowledge or in ignorance, forgive them and release them from all guilt and burdens and give them rest, where the light of Your face shines. Amen.
Remember, Lord, Your departed servants: the pious emperors and empresses, kings and queens, the faithful great princes, great duchesses and duchesses, princes and princesses, especially those who contributed to the peace of the Holy Church and the good life of mankind, and rest their souls, where the light of the face is present Yours. Amen.
Remember, Lord, your departed servants: the Orthodox most holy patriarchs, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, holy archimandrites, abbots, hieromonks, archpriests, priests and all the priestly, monastic and clergy ranks, and especially those who served the Orthodox faith and the souls of their neighbors with their words, and by deed, and by prayer, and give them rest, where the light of Thy face shines. Amen.
Remember, Lord, Your departed servants, those from the government, military leaders, city governors and in all leadership, power, and service for the good of the common good, Orthodox soldiers, citizens, villagers and all Christians who died in the Orthodox faith and in repentance, and rest in peace their souls, where the light of Your face is present. Amen.
Remember, Lord, Your departed servants, who bore fruit and did good in Your holy churches, and in the monasteries of St. Sergius, and the creators of this monastery, and our fathers and brethren, who served in the monasteries of St. Sergius and this monastery, who had mercy on the poor, who visited the sick, who interceded for the weak who fought for the truth, and all who commanded us, the unworthy, to pray for them, and rest their souls, where the light of Thy face shines. Amen.
Rest in peace, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, those who died by sudden or necessary 4 death and of dying repentance and communion of the Holy Mysteries, those who were not worthy of the parting words, as if by illness, the mind and memory were taken away, struck down, or killed in battle, from robbers and slanderers, deprived of various ways of life, from thunder, from fire, from heat, from filth, from the rage of animals and livestock who died, drowned, were deprived of burial due to the misfortune of death, from poverty, loneliness and uncertainty, not having a neighbor praying for them. Remember them Yourself, Lord, knowing each name and spiritual need, and grant them purification and forgiveness, and grant them peace and weakening with the invincible power of the Life-giving Cross, the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints. Amen.
Necessary, i.e. violent death (glory)
Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna - wife of Alexander I; Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna - mother of Alexander I and Nicholas I; Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna was the youngest daughter of Nicholas I, who died of consumption on July 29, 1844 at the age of 19.
Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) of Moscow, Metropolitans of Novgorod and St. Petersburg Ambrose (Podobedov), Mikhail (Desnitsky), Seraphim (Glagolevsky), Exarch of Georgia Metr. Theophylact (Rusanov), Metropolitan. Eugene of Kiev (Bolkhovitinov), Archbishop of Moscow Augustine (Vinogradsky), Bishop of Orenburg Augustine (Sakharov) and other archbishops and bishops.
With coercion, violence; in need.
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