The Life of Righteous Philaret the Merciful
The Lord gave his saint a long earthly life filled with trials. For many years, a pious Christian lived in accordance with the statement that life in wealth and Faith, but without good deeds, has no meaning.
Saint Philaret the Merciful
He happily helped widows, orphans and the poor, giving them clothes, receiving them under his roof and treating them at his table as the most welcome and respected guests. Many people came to him with their requests and sorrows, knowing that they would not hear a refusal.
Origin
Filaret’s parents, George and Anna, came from the territory of Eastern Armenia. At the beginning of the 8th century. they moved to the north of Asia Minor to the Paphlagonia region. Having inherited from his parents not only wealth and land, but also piety, Filaret from an early age helped the poor and people in need of help.
His wealth increased after his marriage to Theozva, who came from a wealthy aristocratic family. They had three children: Joat, Hypatia and Evanthia.
Test of Poverty
Wanting to test the righteous man, the Lord sent him a test. During the attack of the Arabs, all his numerous possessions were destroyed and plundered. All that was left on his farm were two oxen, a cow and calf, a horse, several beehives and a house with a small field.
Filaret rejoiced at this event, saying that he had gotten rid of a heavy burden. As an ordinary peasant, he plowed the land with his oxen to feed his family. But even after losing his wealth, the philanthropist continued to help people who asked him for help.
One day, a righteous man working in the field was approached by a man whose oxen had fallen in his harness. The former rich man gave one of his animals to the peasant. After some time, he gave the warrior his horse, since he had to report for service with his horse. He gave the calf to a poor man. And when he saw how the cow was experiencing separation from her baby, he gave her to the poor man too.
Icon of the Righteous Philaret the Merciful
When all the animals were distributed, the old man distributed all the supplies of bread and honey to the starving neighbors. Only the house and clothes remained with him, but he also took off his outer dress, giving it to a beggar man standing at the gate of the once rich house.
His wife and children told the old man that he cared more about the welfare of poor beggars than about the members of his family. In response to the accusations, the righteous man pointed out that he had countless riches in his hiding places, which would be enough for his children and grandchildren. Of course, he spoke about the spiritual wealth and treasures awaiting righteous Christians in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Lord did not abandon his faithful son. By his will, Filaret's friend sent him 40 measures of grain. At the insistence of his wife, he gave 35 measures to feed the household and pay debts, and kept 5 parts for himself. He distributed them to needy people in two days. Relatives, incited by the enemy of the clan, began to eat separately from their father, withholding food from him. But one day the righteous man caught them while eating and asked them to accept him not as the head of the family, but as a stranger in need of help.
Elevation
The Lord tested his saint for a long time. Having gone through all the hardships and sorrows with true Christian humility and love, Filaret received a reward from the Lord.
The mother and co-ruler of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Empress Irina, began searching for a bride for her son. She sent ambassadors to all ends of the empire looking for a worthy contender. The courtiers arrived in the village where the righteous man lived.
Seeing a beautiful house, they decided to stay in it, because they decided that a rich nobleman lived in a beautiful building. But local residents told the ambassadors’ servants that the poorest resident of the settlement lived here. The servants did not believe the words of the peasants and approached the house. A joyful owner met them on the threshold, he hugged them and invited them into his home.
He asked his wife to prepare the best dishes for the honorable guests. Feozva angrily replied that because of his poverty, they could not adequately receive noble travelers. Filaret advised her to light the fire and rely on God for the rest. At this time, the back door opened, and the neighbors brought the righteous man a lot of food, wine and fruit. The woman, who believed in her husband’s words, prepared a rich feast.
Saint Philaret the Merciful
During the feast, the ruler's envoys told about the purpose of their journey and asked about the family of God's servant. The old man replied that three granddaughters lived in his house. Having met the girls, the court aristocrats were amazed by the beauty and modest behavior of Mary. She, accompanied by her entire family, went to the ancient Byzantine capital.
Together with them, 10 more girls arrived in the Byzantine capital. Among them, the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, Gerontius, stood out. A beautiful and intelligent, but very arrogant maiden believed that only she could lay claim to a high title. After talking with her, the emperor’s confidant Stavriky pointed out to the beauty that despite all her obvious advantages, she could not become the ruler’s wife.
Seeing Mary, the emperor and his servant were amazed at her virtues. Konstantin made her his wife. The happy ruler elevated his wife's relatives, generously gifting each of them with money, jewelry and rich clothes. Filaret's family settled near the imperial palace.
Interesting: in gratitude, the elder ordered to prepare for a feast for 200 people, saying that the Tsar himself would be present at the meal. When all preparations were completed, he invited 200 poor people to the table. After this, Theozma realized that her husband was waiting for the King of Heaven, who had taken the form of a beggar.
Life in Constantinople
Righteous Philaret settled in a palace located next to the emperor's residence. The elder, as in his youth, was generous and friendly with all people in need. He often invited the city's poor to meals, which he personally served for them.
By order of Filaret, the servants made three identical boxes, which were filled with gold, silver and copper coins. The righteous man walked with them around the city and gave alms. He did not look at which box he was getting the money from, since he relied on the will of the Lord. Only the Creator knew about the true needs and thoughts of the person asking and directed the benefactor’s hand into the right box.
The elevation of status did not affect the character of the elderly Christian. Even when visiting his granddaughter in the imperial palace, he did not wear expensive clothes. The blessed elder believed that God rewarded him by making Mary the wife of the emperor.
The end of the earthly journey
At the end of his life, a humble and meek man was awarded the gift of providence. He knew the date of his death in advance and prepared for this moment. Shortly before his death, Filaret went to the Rodolfiya monastery, located on the outskirts of the Byzantine capital. He donated everything he had with him to the needs of the monastic community and asked the abbess to prepare a coffin for him. Only the elder’s faithful servant, Calissius, knew about these preparations.
Saint Philaret the Merciful Paphlagonian
A few days later the 90th elder fell ill. The servant invited all his children and grandchildren to his bedside. The blessed righteous man bequeathed to his descendants to live according to the Word of Christ, to love the poor and take care of people in need. After a short prayer, he calmly went to the Lord.
It’s interesting: all his children and grandchildren gathered at Filaret’s deathbed, and he told each of them about the future. Subsequently, most of them became monks. And grandson Nikita at the end of the 9th century. wrote the life of the holy saint, from which most of the information about his life is drawn.
Burial
Having learned about the death of the blessed righteous man, the emperor and his wife and numerous nobles hurried to his body. During the funeral procession, the nobility, ordinary townspeople, and the poor, whom the elder cared for during his lifetime, took to the streets of the city.
They were all surprised that the 90-year old man remained pure and brighter in face even after death. He was buried in the monastery of Suda Rodolfi in 792. On the day of the funeral, the first posthumous miracle occurred through a prayer to Blessed Philaret.
One man, possessed by a demon, touched the tomb of the holy saint and was healed. The demon threw him to the ground and left his exhausted body. Many people began to come to the elder’s grave, asking for help and healing. Monastic chronicles recorded many miracles that occurred through sincere prayer.
Text and rules for reading daily prayer
The prayer message expresses gratitude to the Almighty for all the blessings given. It does not contain pleading words, since the Lord himself knows what every person needs. Therefore, you need to read it every day in the morning or evening before going to bed, thanking God for all his mercies.
It is advisable to memorize the prayer text. It is small, it has only 19 sentences, which will not be difficult to learn. You can pray both in church and at home. If there is an icon of a saint or the Holy Trinity at home, then they place a lamp or lighted church candles in front of the image and pray, kneeling. When reading the text, it is better to retire, saying the words of the prayer out loud and carrying them through your heart and soul. You can complete your prayer with your usual morning or evening prayers.
The daily prayer of thanksgiving to St. Philaret is as follows:
"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".
Reverence
The veneration of Philaret the Merciful began soon after the end of his earthly journey. The first life was written in the 9th century. Currently, churches in many Orthodox countries are dedicated to him. The largest of them is located in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives.
Filaret the Merciful enjoys the greatest respect in the Russian Orthodox Church. In honor of the gracious Byzantine, churches were consecrated in the following localities:
- in the village of Semenovskoye (church in the refectory building of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery);
- in Sergiev Posad (church in the bishop’s chambers in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra);
- in Ulyanovsk.
In the Russian capital there are 2 churches in honor of St. Philaret the Merciful. They are located at the Ermakovsky almshouse and the Filaretovsky Diocesan Women's School.
Church of St. Philaret the Merciful in Moscow
Also in Russia there are churches in which there are small boundaries in honor of the holy man. These include the following religious buildings:
- Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra;
- the temple of Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh in the Gethsemane monastery;
- Church of the Resurrection of the Word in the village of Vasilkovskoye, Stupinsky district.
The day of remembrance of Blessed Philaret is the 1st day of December.
