His Eminence Philaret, the retired Metropolitan of Minsk and Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, reposed in the Lord on January 12, at the age of 85. Having served the Church in various capacities, His Eminence’s ministry culminated in thirty-five years as the Metropolitan of Minsk. In 1989, he was named the Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus. He served in this capacity until his retirement on December 25, 2013, after which he bore the title of Honorary Patriarchal Exarch.
Below we present a short collection of spiritual instructions from Metropolitan Philaret, originally collected by St. Elisabeth Convent in Minsk.
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The main goal of man’s striving to find the meaning of his existence is to search for the truth of God, which gives meaning to life for individuals and for mankind as a whole and the entire universe. Our concern is not to prove the modernity of Orthodoxy, but that our life would always be correct, that is, Orthodox in the eyes of God.
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The Church of Christ’s responsibility for creation is above all the inculcation of the responsibility of every man for the contents of his own heart, for thoughts that work both for his destruction and his salvation proceed from it into the world.
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The Lord raises you, and Holy Communion nurses you; that is, it accompanies the Divine Mystery, facilitates its acceptance by man, fills up earthly values with the Heavenly gift, and teaches it in perfect completeness.
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When we, Christians, are able to say “yes” and “no” with evangelical firmness, we will triumph; but if we tend to say “yes, but…” or “no, but…” more often, then we will inevitably suffer defeat.
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How should we live?
We should live with a sense of responsibility before God for every one of our own actions—above all our own! For every one of our own words—above all our own!
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God’s love for man is not limited by human divisions, of whatever nature they may be. And therefore, man’s love for God is measured by his ability to show mercy, in the broadest sense of the word.
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A man’s trust in God is a conscious necessity, within the framework of which he limits his personal freedom and trusts all the circumstances of his life to Divine governance. For none save the Lord can save man from non-existence unto eternal life.
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Friendship is more than one form of affection, more than one type of love. Friendship is a state that was natural for first-created man in his relation to everyone and everything before the Fall.
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Man is a rational, free, personal being, capable of infinite perfection. The goal of this perfection is not to acquire superpowers, but to achieve the inner integrity of the spirit, soul, and body, or chastity.
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The conscience is immortal, like the soul. It can flare up within the heart of even the most impenitent sinner in the blink of an eye, and in a matter of seconds can lead it to a degree of repentance that is given to another righteous man for a lifetime of labor.
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Man is greater than the world—if by “world” we understand everything that is external to man.
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The human never dies within a man, for the image of God within him is indestructible.
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History is made by man, not impersonal laws.
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It is vital for us to be able to pray to God and to be silent before God, to hear His word, which He may speak softly so we would take pains to hear it.
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The purpose of our life and our faith is that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit.
