God's providence – predestination or co-creation?
“Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.”
(1 Pet. 5, 7)
Since ancient times, by the Providence of God (Greek πρόνοια, Latin providentia) Christians have understood the care that God has for all creatures living in our world. At all times, Christians have trusted in the Providence of God: “ Providence is God’s care for existing things.”
"(Venerable John of Damascus).
The “Long Catechism” gives the following definition: “ The providence of God is the constant action of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God, by which God preserves the existence and strength of creatures, directs them to good goals, helps every good, and the evil that arises through removal from good stops or corrects and turns to good consequences
».
They say that Anthony the Great, once perplexed by the depth of God’s Economy (government of the world) and God’s judgments, prayed and said: “Lord! Why do some people reach old age and a state of infirmity, while others die in childhood and live little? Why are some poor and others rich? Why do tyrants and villains prosper and have an abundance of earthly blessings, while the righteous are oppressed by adversity and poverty? He thought for a long time, and a voice came to him: “Antony! Pay attention to yourself and do not subject yourself to the study of God’s destiny, because it is harmful to your soul!” (Alphabetical Patericon).
Let us consider the issue of God's Providence within the framework of modern Orthodox doctrine.
In the context of the Christian understanding of the purpose of human life, the salvation of the soul, God’s Providence should be divided into General and Particular. The general one applies to all people and is that God gives everyone the opportunity to make their own choice - to go to God or from God, while following his essence - love, God never punishes anyone for anything, i.e. provides a person with complete freedom of choice. Private Providence is that for those who have made their choice and take steps towards God, God takes adequate steps in response and helps them live their earthly life in such a way as to be cleansed of passions, prepare for eternal life and be saved. God loves us and longs for our salvation. In most cases, it is Private Providence that is understood by believers as the Providence of God in general or “Providence.”
It should be recognized that the question of God’s Providence is difficult to understand on its own, but Orthodoxy differs from other confessions in that it proceeds from the patristic understanding of the answers to the questions that life offers us. So what do the Holy Fathers say about God’s Providence?
The greatest Christian ascetic, the 7th century thinker Isaac the Syrian wrote: “ If you have once entrusted yourself to the Lord, who is all-sufficient to protect you and look after you, then do not worry about anything like that again, but tell your soul: “Every matter is sufficient for me.” The one to whom I once betrayed my soul"
.
Adding: “ As soon as a person rejects all visible help and human hope and follows God with faith and a pure heart, grace will immediately follow him and reveal its power to him in various help
.” The monk taught that any decision should be supported by the words: “Lord, Thy will be done, not mine.” Thus placing sincere trust in God, and not in himself, a person takes a step towards meeting God, whose response step is the accomplishment of Providence. Obviously, we are talking about private fishery.
Our contemporary, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) said this: “ God has no predestination for man, but man is certainly a co-creator with the Lord of his life
" Here, the emphasis is on general Providence.
Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride, who lived in the nineteenth century, wrote in his work “On the Ways of God’s Providence in Human Life”: “ Since man was created free, destined to act on his own, the Wise Creator, so as not to violate this advantage, controls fate ours is invisible and inconspicuous. In this regard, the same thing happens to us as to small children, from whom educators sometimes hide their presence in order to give them complete freedom to act according to their own will.
" Apparently, the saint had in mind the general Providence.
So how can we, Orthodox Christians, make sense of this kaleidoscope of definitions, interpretations and opinions?
The Apostle Paul spoke about the incomprehensibility of God’s Providence:
«Oh, the depth of wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies and unsearchable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who was His adviser? Or who gave Him in advance that He should repay? For all things are from Him, by Him and to Him
"(Rom. 11, 33-36).
There is no unambiguous interpretation of God's Providence. But such an important concept cannot be left without definition.
One day, three ascetics came to Anthony the Great and began to discuss which virtue was the highest. One said fasting, the second said prayer, the third said obedience. Anthony answered: “ And by foolish fasting you can kill yourself, and by foolish obedience you can become a slave of men, and not a servant of God, and by prayer you can both ascend to heaven and fall into the abyss of pride and delusion. Where there is no reasoning, there is no virtue
».
From the words of Anthony the Great, we conclude that only by reasoning, that is, by using your mind, is it possible to “separate the wheat from the chaff” and understand the essence. Only by reasoning can a person come to a conscious choice and realize the general Providence, and by reasoning even more, will he be able to take steps towards God, and not away from Him, and thus realize the Particular Providence of God in relation to himself. Only in this way is it possible to realize the essence of God's Providence and understand its true meaning, for there is no virtue higher than reasoning!
Sources:
1. Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride. About the ways of God's Providence in human life.
2. Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov).
Long Orthodox Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church. 3. Archpriest Oleg Davydenkov. Catechism
About the ways of God's Providence in human life
Saint Innocent (Borisov), Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride
“O Lord, is my hope from my youth. I was established in You from the womb, from my mother’s womb. You are my patron: I will sing about You” (Ps. 70: 5-6).
Saint David was once in one of his ill-fated states. Fierce enemies surrounded him like bees on a honeycomb; the arrows of disaster penetrated his soul; he became a subject of reproach for everyone he knew; his strength was exhausted; The Lord Himself, who had done good to David, withdrew from him, a terrible state!
But the righteous does not faint! Finding no consolation in the present, he turns to the past; recalls various events that happened to him; goes through all the ages of his life in thought; goes back to its beginning; seeks the Lord” who has withdrawn from him, according to all traces of his existence.
And now the darkness dissipates! Providence, not visible in the present, is revealed in the past; The believing sufferer sees that the Lord more than once subjected him to great and fierce troubles, but always saved him from them, that the more bitter the cup of temptation was, the more it was always rewarded with sweetness.
Natural faith teaches us that Providence governs the life of every person; and the Gospel assures us that without the will of the Heavenly Father not a single hair can fall from our head (Luke 12:7). But how many people who, having been forced, like David, to turn to their past life, like him, could find in it comforting traces of Providence that benefited them? On the contrary, among Christians there are even a considerable number of those for whom their own lives serve as a source of doubt about Providence. Why don’t many people find the Providence of God in their lives, when He, according to the correct teaching of faith and reason, controls the life of everyone?
This subject lives , through this we deprive ourselves of the greatest consolation in the midst of suffering, and are arbitrarily subjected to despondency, and sometimes despair. So, let’s devote these moments to thinking about the ways of God’s Providence in human life.
The ways of Providence for the human race are especially incomprehensible
The ways of God are generally mysterious: for they are as distant from our ways as heaven from earth (Isa. 55:9): but the ways of Providence for the human race are especially incomprehensible. Since man was created free, destined to act on his own, the Wise Creator, in order not to violate this advantage, controls our destiny invisibly and inconspicuously. In this regard, the same thing happens to us as to small children, from whom educators sometimes hide their presence in order to give them complete freedom to act according to their own will.
The nature of our life greatly favors such secrecy of Providence. For what is our life? It is a constantly evolving scroll, filled with many writings, of which one part is always hidden. We are often unable to understand well the meaning of the letters we have written; the less able to notice those, so to speak, amendments that are made in it by the invisible hand of Providence. What is our life? This is an ever-increasing fabric, the composition of which includes countless different threads, the surface of which is visible to everyone, and the base - to no one. It is difficult for us to determine how these threads, with all their heterogeneity, are combined into one composition; the more difficult it is to indicate how the invisible finger of the world Artist produces new images and types in this fabric. What is our life? This is a collection of countless and heterogeneous phenomena, which, like animated shadows, move around our consciousness, amaze the senses, occupy the imagination, nourish the mind, delight or sadden the heart and soon disappear, leaving a faint trace in the memory. We are all spectators and participants in this spectacle; but not a single sage has yet discovered how it happens.
Given such the mystery of our own lives, what is necessary from those who want to see traces of Providence in their lives? What is required, firstly, is constant and strict attention to one’s life and the Providence of God, and secondly, a true and pure view of life and Providence. These are the main and necessary conditions: for both those who look little and those who look badly either see nothing, or see very little, or wrongly. These necessary conditions most often remain unfulfilled.
In fact, there are so many people who are completely inattentive to their lives! Like careless sailors, they are happy that the ship of their life is sailing along the stormy stream of times, without taking the trouble to know how it changes its direction, what winds it uses, what piers it should enter - whether it is in danger, whether there is damage anywhere. One would think that these people relied on Providence for everything, just as swimmers rely on an experienced helmsman, and that is why they are so careless. No, they don’t think at all about God, they don’t even think about themselves: the mechanical execution of certain tasks, entertainment, communication, games - that’s their occupation! Example, habit, addiction, willfulness - these are their rules! Knowledge from hearsay of certain truths of faith, presence, on occasion or necessity, at the performance of a small number of sacred rites - this is their religion! Judge for yourself: can one expect such people to find traces of Providence in their lives? <…>
St. Innocent (Borisov), Archbishop. Kherson and Tauride. 1857 Lithograph (RSL)
Some people show great attentiveness to their lives, but lack attention to Providence. For such people, thinking about their own lives is their favorite subject; they do not leave a single case unattended; delve into the beginnings and consequences of all the changes that happen to them; from everything they extract rules for their behavior; they know the art of living in all its secrets; they can tell and explain their story from infancy: this is their perfection! But here are the shortcomings: they never considered this story in relation to the Providence of God and would be surprised to hear that without Him it is just as little possible to explain the life of each person as the existence of the world. According to these people, everything that happens to them is either the fruit of their prudence, or a play of passions, or a matter of surprise and chance; admitting the impossibility of explaining anything for these reasons seems to them a shameful weakness of mind. Judge for yourself, can we expect that these people, distrustful and afraid of Providence, will find it in their lives? <…>
“But there are,” someone will say, “very attentive people who, with all the zeal of children, would like to see and kiss the fatherly right hand of Providence; however, they are deprived of this happiness.” Indeed, there are such people; but there are other reasons in relation to them: it can be said affirmatively that in such people there is a lack of a timely, faithful and pure view of Providence.
And, firstly, when do most people turn to the ways of Providence and seek consolation in them? When you are struck by some kind of disaster, when you find no consolation in anyone or anything on earth, when your mind is confused, your feelings are darkened, your heart is suppressed by grief. That is, those moments in which they often forget themselves, which are considered incapable of thinking about ordinary things, choose those very moments to think about the ways of Providence! It is true that in times of sorrow we need more than ever the comforting confidence in Providence; but it is equally certain that we are then least able to follow in the footsteps of Providence. Are there many Davids who, being in the midst of the fire of temptation, would have retained all faith, could have remained calm contemplatives of the fatherly love of God even when it is hidden under the guise of anger and truth? This holy art is the fruit of long-term experience; we do not have it and yet we dare to do what is possible and useful for only the experienced.
In advance one must accustom oneself to find consolation in Providence
No! In advance, you must accustom yourself to find consolation in Providence. When the mind is bright, the feelings are light, the heart is peaceful, then one must reflect on one’s life and learn from it the destinies of God’s truth. Such moments, for the most part, follow fervent prayer: therefore, prayer should serve, so to speak, as an approach to these reflections. Whoever acquires skill in this holy work, like David, will not fall even among temptations. Without this, in times of disaster, it is better to seek consolation from others than to rely on one’s own reflection on God and His Providence.
How else do you want to see the action of Providence in your life? Usually more or less miraculous: everything natural, simple, universal is first excluded from the circle of these actions. As if the realm of heavenly Providence consisted of nothing but miracles and extraordinary things! ... What is the need, how was help provided to us: was an Angel or a charitable person sent from heaven? It is enough if we are saved. The Israelites, dying of thirst, would not have had to thank God if He, without bringing water out of the stone, had shown it to them among the stones? In the birds of the air, in the lilies of the field, everything is natural, but the Savior presents them as a striking example of God’s fatherly care for creatures and man (Matthew 6:26,28).
Like these elders of Israel (Ex. 24:10), we will be pleased if we are given the opportunity to see in the adventures of our lives at least small traces of God, who benefits us, and let us converse with Him face to face - to Moses and David. The Lord has already performed many miracles for all of us: He brought us out of insignificance, redeemed us with the blood of His Son, sanctified us with the Holy Spirit - and we have not yet paid anything for these miracles. There is only one miracle that we should expect in life from the Lord and that He expects, perhaps, from us - this is the correction of our heart, the renewal of our life, the spiritual resurrection. If anyone does not find this miracle in his life, then woe to him, woe to him!
Having sowed the path to bliss with thorns, we should not grumble
In what other adventures are they most likely to look for traces of Providence? Happy or unhappy? But why ask? Misfortunes are generally seen as something gloomy and terrible, about which it is best not to talk or think. Many - if they are honored by the actions of God's justice, punishing our iniquities; but that they could constitute a gift of God’s love does not even come to mind. It is true that it would be most fitting for the Heavenly Father, Who is Goodness itself, to reveal His Providence through good deeds alone. But what to do when we are all struck by a severe illness? The Merciful Physician, out of His very love, uses bitter substances. What to do when we are self-willed and often strive for our own destruction? The wise Pestun, out of his very zeal for our good, stumbles the feet of reckless children so that they do not fall into the abyss. Let's look at the universe: in it not only the sun, moon and stars tell the glory of God; but also hunger and cold, and fire and the spirit of the storm (Ps. 148:8), as St. David, glorify the name of God. It’s the same in our life: what seems difficult and regrettable to us, that same thing can be a direct action of God’s Providence for us, an instrument of His glory in us and our prosperity. ... The time has passed when we were all created for joy alone, introduced to dwell in the paradise of sweetness: having ourselves sowed the path to bliss with thorns, we should not grumble if Providence leads us this way; glory to Him and good to us, if at least we do not go astray from him. Let our feet bleed: this is the path of our Savior, it leads to the heavenly fatherland. Our heart has become so coarse that the law of truth and righteousness can only be inscribed on it again in the midst of storms and thunder (Ex. 19:16-18). Let us be attentive to these menacing voices, and we, like the ancient Israelites, will understand in them the voice of the Lord our God, the God of our fathers, punishing us in small ways, in order to have mercy on us with great mercy; we will see that the accidents from which our hearts once groaned, later turned to the greatest good for us and for our neighbors - that the fulfillment of many desires, which we tried with all our might, but without success, to put into action, would be evil for us , and would entail disastrous consequences - that the very thing we prayed for, what we asked for, what we worked on in vain, contained destruction for us, and what we turned away from, what we looked at as harm and punishment was a true blessing, which turned out to be a change in our way of thinking, in the correction of our behavior, we will see and revere the Providence that has been good to us!
Providence is eternal and holy; and in all his destinies about us he has in mind not so much temporary bliss as eternal
What other shortcomings are those who seek traces of Providence in their lives exposed to? For the most part, his actions are limited to himself, and in himself - to temporary benefits, bodily life. What need is it that our well-known disaster was very instructive for others, and some, taking advantage of your experience, turned to the right path? If we ourselves have not felt significant benefit from it, then this is enough for us not to see Providence in it. What does it matter that some sad cases were true healing for our souls, they tore before our eyes the veil behind which our spiritual destruction was hidden, and returned to us a virtue that had long been lost? If they upset our external state; if the lesson they taught is associated with damage to our health or honor, then these cases are not from God, they befell us without Providence. These are the rules of judgment of our pride, of our inattention to the good of our neighbors and to our own good of our soul! Is it possible that God’s Providence should conform to them? ... No, it is enough that we limit everything to ourselves, do not look at the needs and benefits of others, we would like to place ourselves as the focus and end of the entire human race and all events in the world: the love of God is above all of us, and therefore embraces all our brothers, through the misfortunes of one he teaches others, with the happiness of some he edifies all, in order to thus unite us all again, who are constantly breaking the union of unity. It is enough that we ourselves care more about the body than about the soul, that we cling madly to the temporal and do not think about the eternal. Providence is eternal and holy; and therefore, in all his destinies for us, he means not so much temporary bliss as eternal, not so much well-being in the body, but well-being in the spirit. Let your outer man be amazed, let the flesh suffer at least as much as it suffered in Job: if the spirit is able, if the inner, “hidden man of the heart” (1 Pet. 3:4) and grows; then we are prosperous. This is the image of Providence’s judgment of us! How much, if not everything, would appear completely different to us in our life if we constantly applied this holy way of judgment to it! No matter how many times, considering our life, we are forced to say to ourselves: “This is how it had to be, for we were created not for earth, but for heaven!”
With so many reasons preventing us from seeing traces of God's Providence in our lives, is it surprising that many do not see it? They don’t see because they don’t know their life well, they’re not attentive to themselves; they do not see, because they stop at the surface of events, do not penetrate to their foundation, where the hand of Providence is hidden; they do not see, because they want to see when the gaze is darkened, not where it should be, not in the form in which Providence reveals itself; Finally, they do not see, because judgment about the ways of Providence is controlled by pride and passions. Let us free ourselves from these shortcomings, and in judging the ways of God we will unswervingly follow the opposite rules; and we will soon learn by experience that the Lord “is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:27).
Do we know the Father so much that we doubt His care for the children?
And how can He be distant? Isn't He omnipresent? Can His wisdom and omnipotence remain without action anywhere? Only the pagan gods were idle spectators of human fate: our Heavenly Father continually does so (John 5:17). Only the Baals and the Beelphegors could sleep: our Provider “will not sleep, but will sleep”! (Ps. 120:4). How can He be far from us? Isn't He our Creator? Isn't He our Father? Do we remember the Creator so much that we forget the One by whom we “live, move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)? Do we know the Father so much that we doubt His care for the children? Earthly fathers, like men, are evil, but do not give stones to their children instead of bread (Luke 11:11): Will the Heavenly Father do this, He who can raise up children from stone (Matthew 3:9)? How can He be far from us, so many blessings! What did He not give us as a pledge of His care for us? Earth? - the man was first appointed king of it. Heaven? - it has long been promised as an inheritance to the faithful children. Angels? - they serve our salvation. ... Is it necessary for Him to come down from heaven, live with us, and even die for us, to assure us? And it's done! The Son of God came down from heaven, dwelt among men, and out of love for us laid down His life for us all. After this, who can doubt the care of Providence?
The Lord Himself will not be slow to reveal the traces of His fatherly Providence to those of you who, without closing your eyes with doubts, will always be ready to kiss His wise right hand with reverence, no matter how it reveals its presence, openly or secretly, in accordance with or against expectation, with gifts love and mercy or deprivation and admonishing blows. Amen.
About the Providence of God, about spiritual laws, their violation and other important spiritual issues
Source: Pravoslavie.ru
Metropolitan of Vladivostok and Primorsky Vladimir (Samokhin)
– God’s Providence operates in the life of every person, but sometimes it is hidden, and sometimes it clearly reveals itself in some signs, significant meetings, words heard at the right time. Dear Bishop Vladimir, could you share whether you had such signs, clear manifestations of God’s Providence for you in your life?
– Knowing the will of God is, perhaps, the main aspiration in the life of a Christian. From experience I can say that most often the meaning of the events that the Lord has given you to go through is revealed from the height of the years you have lived, and there is a great danger of falsely interpreting what is happening, succumbing to momentary movements of the soul, imagining something completely wrong both about yourself and about the affairs of God . Suspiciousness in anything, and especially in spiritual life, is not useful, so I try to be very careful in interpreting the Providence of the Creator.
In order to penetrate into “the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom. 11:33), it is necessary to have a special gift of reasoning. But, undoubtedly, there are such fateful, turning points in everyone’s life when the Lord reveals Himself with special power, including in response to a person’s fervent and sincere prayer.
There are such fateful moments in everyone’s life when the Lord reveals Himself with special power
For me, taking monastic vows was a very powerful personal moment. When Bishop Pavel (now Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavsky) pronounced my new name, it seemed to pierce me from the inside. I immediately remembered the words from the apostolic letter that “the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword: it penetrates to the division of soul and spirit” (Heb. 4:12). Truly so. When I heard that I was being named Vladimir in honor of the holy baptist of Rus', for me it was definitely a manifestation of God’s Providence. I took this as the will of the Creator about myself and about what the Lord expects from me.
Some time later, when I was called to the bishopric, the meaning of the new name was revealed more fully: to do everything possible for the spiritual and moral enlightenment of people, so that the saving light of the Gospel would shine in their hearts.
But such insights, as a rule, are not so abundant in life. Most often, important things happen behind the scenes, sometimes even in the form of a curious incident.
I remember when I was still studying at Kaluga Seminary, we, students, went on a pilgrimage trip to Optina Pustyn. Our group was led by Bishop Georgiy (Gryaznov) of Lyudinovsky. Suddenly, out of the blue, he called me to him and blessed me to carry his staff. Just imagine: a crowd of students, including his subdeacons, and he called me. Well, I, still very young, walked reverently with the bishop’s staff around the territory of the monastery for several hours while our trip continued. Now I remember that incident with a smile, but then it seemed that I was entrusted with very serious obedience.
Over time, all the “strange coincidences” in life fit into a single puzzle, and gradually the overall picture of the Divine plan begins to emerge
You know, big things can only be seen well from a distance. Over time, all the “strange coincidences” in life fit into a single puzzle, and then the overall picture of the Divine plan gradually begins to emerge. Living something here and now, we cannot always correctly understand and evaluate what certain situations lead to.
For example, when I was serving in Ryazan and was vice-rector at the seminary, for some reason I was completely unexpectedly appointed dean of the Skopinsky district and rector of the St. Nicholas Church, where I once began my church path. I just couldn’t understand why it was necessary to simultaneously combine the work of the vice-rector of the Ryazan seminary with the work of the dean.
Only later, when the Lord called me to archpastoral service on the Skopino land, did I understand how important the experience I had gained was. It was at that time that I managed to establish constructive interaction with the authorities and philanthropists - I knew the situation in the region quite well. There was no need to start everything from scratch. All the established connections remain. I am convinced that it was not without the Providence of God that this happened.
– Could you share which of the people you met along your life’s path had the greatest spiritual influence on you? Please tell us about these people.
– A person’s strongest impressions are usually associated with his childhood years. When I was just beginning to take my first steps in the Church, I began to visit the small cemetery church in Skopin in honor of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the only one still functioning in the city at that time, and help at the altar. I met amazing people: real shepherds, reverent, sensitive, amazing in their simplicity and Christian meekness. They became my first teachers and mentors in faith. I learned from them not so much from words as from deeds. Their wonderful example inspired me to connect my life with serving God.
As for my more mature years, then, of course, the late Metropolitan Simon (Novikov), who blessed me at the age of 15 to study at the Ryazan Theological School and then at the seminary, as well as the current Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan, played a huge role in my life and development Pavel (Ponomarev), from whom I received the grace of the priesthood, and subsequently monastic tonsure.
Vladyka Pavel always treated me in a very fatherly manner. I remember with gratitude and warmth our conversations, during which he shared his life, pastoral and spiritual experiences. I learned a lot of useful things from those conversations. For example, I was always amazed by the Bishop’s unique ability to give administrative work a spiritual dimension. He tried to look at any business or undertaking through the eyes of faith, he strove to see, first of all, the spiritual meaning in what was being done, and he called me to this too. Today, remembering this instruction, I try to follow his wise advice.
– Vladyka, may I ask you who your favorite saint (or saints) are? How has your spiritual connection with them manifested itself in your life?
– The spiritual connection with the saints is manifested primarily in prayer and their response to it. One vivid incident that happened to me back in Khabarovsk is etched in my memory. We built one temple, but the funds came to an end. Work has stopped, but there is nowhere to get money. I'm already scratching my head about how to find funds. I asked everyone to help!
And so, on the eve of the December day of remembrance of St. Nicholas, I perform an all-night vigil, fervently praying to the saint that he will help manage this matter, because only one hope remains - for a miracle. And, imagine, the answer did not take long to arrive! As soon as the service ends, a phone call comes from a benefactor who is ready to donate the entire required amount.
As soon as the service ends, a phone call is received from a benefactor who is ready to donate the required amount.
I think that every person has similar stories of help from this amazing saint of God. It so happened that my whole life passes under the sign of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I began my path of church service in the St. Nicholas Church in Skopin. For me, this saint is, one might say, dear. A lot of things are connected with him in life.
I also have a special relationship with Saint Alexander Nevsky, Reverend Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov, and, of course, with my heavenly patron, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. And since my episcopal consecration took place on the day of remembrance of St. Philaret of Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where his venerable relics rest, I honor this outstanding archpastor as my patron and spiritual mentor, and I often turn to him in prayer for help.
– Dear Bishop, what do you think about spiritual mentoring? Which mentor can be called a spiritual father? What qualities should he have? What temptations to avoid? Could you share examples from your personal experience?
– Spiritual mentor and spiritual father are very close concepts. I don't think they need to be artificially separated. Today, as a rule, they coincide in one person - a priest, whose pastoral duty is to instruct a person in the faith and bring him to Christ.
At the same time, the question you asked is extremely important and painful. Important primarily because the image of a spiritual father and the understanding of fatherhood have been experiencing a deep crisis in recent years. This is due not only to the spiritual tradition in our country that has been interrupted for many decades, but also to the general crisis of family values. An incorrect understanding of the essence of fatherhood and motherhood, as well as an erroneous approach in the relationship between parents and children, are unfortunately projected onto the spiritual sphere, where these distortions lead to even more serious consequences, since they affect issues of soul salvation.
What is the meaning of spiritual fatherhood? In short, this meaning is to help a person be born for eternity. You know, the idea expressed by Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Bunge) is very close to me:
“A spiritual father can be compared to an artist-restorer who shapes the “image of God” entrusted to him not in his own likeness, copying himself, but, on the contrary, tries to liken it to the Prototype, that is, Christ.”
A spiritual father should never obscure the figure of Christ and should not limit the spiritual life of his child to himself. He is just a guide to the Heavenly Kingdom.
If a priest keeps exactly this ultimate goal in mind, then he will never allow himself to display authoritarianism and cruelty, and will not break his children “over the knee,” demanding absolute reverence and blind obedience. A true spiritual father is distinguished by tender love, long-suffering, delicacy and careful attitude towards man, because our Lord Jesus Christ died for everyone.
The spiritual father should not overshadow Christ, should not limit the spiritual life of the child to himself
A father helps his child find his own free existence. We wouldn’t call a father normal who would lead his over-aged child by the hand into old age, would we? The father is primarily called upon to teach the child to walk on his own. The same is true in spiritual life.
The goal of spiritual fatherhood is for the spiritual son or daughter to “reach perfection to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), that is, to achieve true personal knowledge of God.” And therefore, if you hear someone talking about a certain priest; “What are we going to do without Father? without him we will all perish, he is our everything,” know that these people are deeply mistaken, they are in delusion, to use patristic language. But a priest who indulges such sentiments and conversations has never understood the essence of pastoral ministry and has unlawfully appropriated the dignity of Christ to himself.
For many years now, the problem of “young age” has been discussed in our Church. But, alas, there are no fewer of these self-proclaimed confessors. And I must say that this is not least the fault of the priest’s entourage, which is in a hurry to enroll the priest among the “spirit-bearing elders.” This is a very difficult temptation for a shepherd. We must do our best to prevent such unhealthy attitudes towards ourselves.
Of course, it’s impossible to list all the temptations that priests have to face. But it seems to me that it is important to be especially careful in the following. Firstly, do not imagine yourself as a spiritually experienced person and do not give advice beyond your understanding, do not teach what you yourself have not experienced. You need to be able to honestly admit that you don’t know or don’t understand something. In all things it is necessary to act with spiritual reasoning. Secondly, in no case should there be intoxication with one’s own spiritual power and the influence exerted on others. If a priest notices this in himself, he must repent and urgently stop it in himself.
Another common temptation is to go too deep into the discussion of certain sins. Sometimes it may seem to a priest that he is pursuing a good goal: to understand the reasons for the fall of man. But the task of a spiritual father is different. It is necessary to help a stumbled child get up, and not to smear him with even more mud by poking his nose into a puddle. It is important to remember that our ultimate goal is the Kingdom of Heaven, and this main goal, as a guide, must be pointed out to a person.
– Spiritual laws operate in our lives. There are times in the life of every believer when these laws are revealed to him through his own spiritual experience. Dear Bishop Vladimir, could you share such stories?
- “If you begin to serve the Lord God, then prepare your soul for temptation” (Sir. 3:1). One has to deal with the effect of this law, perhaps, most often. As soon as you start something important, various trials come.
But every time in times of difficulty, I remember the comforting words of Elder Ephraim of Katunak, a disciple of St. Joseph the Hesychast, who said that a person “has the right to such a measure of grace as he can withstand the greatest temptation with thanksgiving.” Therefore, I try not to lose heart, endure and thank the Lord for everything, hoping that He will not leave me in difficulties without His help.
In fact, you know, there is such a principle: the more you give of yourself, the more strength you will have. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill once said that it is important to give all of yourself, without reserve, to the Church and the cause of God, to give your all, 100 percent. Then the Lord will not only replenish the diminishing strength, but will also give even more new ones. And if you start to feel sorry for yourself and take care of yourself, then it will be very demoralizing and dampening. One can easily become like the man from the Gospel parable, “who laid his hand on the plow and looked back” (Luke 9:62).
Another important law, the effect of which I have repeatedly seen in my life, is the law of obedience. I think many bishops who have more impressive experience in archpastoral service will agree with me: everyone has had to deal with disobedience. Over the years of work in various dioceses, unfortunately, more than once there were people - both among the clergy and among the laity - who openly opposed themselves to the clergy and behaved daringly and provocatively. Of course, I will not name names, because most of these people are alive, and my story may harm their spiritual life.
But you don’t have to look far for examples. Let us at least remember the events of recent months, when sanitary restrictions were introduced in our country and in other countries due to the pandemic. The Patriarch himself gives his blessing to follow certain sanitary rules during services, asks people to be patient and temporarily refrain from visiting churches. The ruling bishops of the dioceses where the epidemic situation was difficult also addressed the flock with the same calls. We have seen what a barrage of criticism against the clergy, harsh and even offensive statements among the clergy and laity this caused. Some of these scandalous performances were discussed throughout the country.
People are happy to indulge in discussions on the topic “if I were the director”, they are happy to try on “boss’ clothes”, but they never think about the heavy burden of responsibility that power bears. From this conceit comes condemnation, slander, and even hatred. And how can one not recall the words of the famous philosopher and publicist Grigory Pomerantz: “The devil begins with foam on the lips of an angel who entered the battle for a holy, just cause.”
The fruits of disobedience are not only bitter, but also poisonous
I would like to emphasize one important point: the fruits of disobedience are not only bitter, but also poisonous. They are bitter not only because of the deplorable consequences in life that resistance leads to, but also because a person does not feel in his soul the sweetness of true humility, which is given by God for enduring sorrows. They are poisonous because a person devastates himself spiritually. No matter how many spiritual fruits he collects through his fasting and prayerful deeds, they all depreciate, turn into dust, into nothing, when a person succumbs to pride and begins to think that he understands everything better than others.
I am convinced that the pandemic situation should serve us all as a good lesson: we must learn to trust God more, to trust His all-good Providence more.
– Vladyka, at the end of our conversation: what would you wish for the readers of the Pravoslavie.ru portal?
– My wish will not be original. I wish for all of you what every Christian fervently desires: eternal salvation. The merciful God gives us many opportunities for this. May He send you spiritual strength for their implementation, to strengthen in faith, be inspired by hope and grow in love. May the blessing of the Lord be with you all!
Olga Rozhneva spoke with Metropolitan of Vladivostok and Primorsky Vladimir (Samokhin)
