Righteous Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, was raised
in piety and the fear of God. He lived during the eighth century in the
village of Amnia in the Paphlagonian district of Asia Minor. His wife,
Theoseba, was from a rich and illustrious family, and they had three
children: a son John, and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia.
Philaret
was a rich and illustrious dignitary, but he did not hoard his wealth.
Knowing that many people suffered from poverty, he remembered the words
of the Savior about the dread Last Judgment and about “these least ones”
(Mt. 25:40); the Apostle Paul’s reminder that we will take nothing with
us from this world (1 Tim 6:7); and the assertion of King David that
the righteous would not be forsaken (Ps 36/37:25). Philaret, whose name
means “lover of virtue,” was famed for his love for the poor.
One
day Ishmaelites [Arabs] attacked Paphlagonia, devastating the land and
plundering the estate of Philaret. There remained only two oxen, a
donkey, a cow with her calf, some beehives, and the house. But he also
shared them with the poor. His wife reproached him for being heartless
and unconcerned for his own family. Mildly, yet firmly he endured the
reproaches of his wife and the jeers of his children. “I have hidden
away riches and treasure,” he told his family, “so much that it would be
enough for you to feed and clothe yourselves, even if you lived a
hundred years without working.”
The saint’s gifts always brought
good to the recipient. Whoever received anything from him found that the
gift would multiply, and that person would become rich. Knowing this, a
certain man came to St Philaret asking for a calf so that he could
start a herd. The cow missed its calf and began to bellow. Theoseba said
to her husband, “You have no pity on us, you merciless man, but don’t
you feel sorry for the cow? You have separated her from her calf.” The
saint praised his wife, and agreed that it was not right to separate the
cow and the calf. Therefore, he called the poor man to whom he had
given the calf and told him to take the cow as well.
That year
there was a famine, so St Philaret took the donkey and went to borrow
six bushels of wheat from a friend of his. When he returned home, a poor
man asked him for a little wheat, so he told his wife to give the man a
bushel. Theoseba said, “First you must give a bushel to each of us in
the family, then you can give away the rest as you choose.” Philaretos
then gave the man two bushels of wheat. Theoseba said sarcastically,
“Give him half the load so you can share it.” The saint measured out a
third bushel and gave it to the man. Then Theoseba said, “Why don’t you
give him the bag, too, so he can carry it?” He gave him the bag. The
exasperated wife said, “Just to spite me, why not give him all the
wheat.” St Philaret did so.
Now the man was unable to lift the
six bushels of wheat, so Theoseba told her husband to give him the
donkey so he could carry the wheat home. Blessing his wife, Philaret
gave the donkey to the man, who went home rejoicing. Theoseba and the
children wept because they were hungry.
The Lord rewarded
Philaret for his generosity: when the last measure of wheat was given
away, a old friend sent him forty bushels. Theoseba kept most of the
wheat for herself and the children, and the saint gave away his share to
the poor and had nothing left. When his wife and children were eating,
he would go to them and they gave him some food. Theoseba grumbled
saying, “How long are you going to keep that treasure of yours hidden?
Take it out so we can buy food with it.”
During this time the
Byzantine empress Irene (797-802) was seeking a bride for her son, the
future emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797). Therefore,
emissaries were sent throughout all the Empire to find a suitable girl,
and the envoys came to Amneia.
When Philaret and Theoseba learned
that these most illustrious guests were to visit their house, Philaret
was very happy, but Theoseba was sad, for they did not have enough food.
But Philaret told his wife to light the fire and to decorate their
home. Their neighbors, knowing that imperial envoys were expected,
brought everything required for a rich feast.
The envoys were
impressed by the saint’s daughters and granddaughters. Seeing their
beauty, their deportment, their clothing, and their admirable qualities,
the envoys agreed that Philaret’ granddaughter, Maria was exactly what
they were looking for. This Maria exceeded all her rivals in quality and
modesty and indeed became Constantine’s wife, and the emperor rewarded
Philaret.
Thus fame and riches returned to Philaret. But just as
before, this holy lover of the poor generously distributed alms and
provided a feast for the poor. He and his family served them at the
meal. Everyone was astonished at his humility and said: “This is a man
of God, a true disciple of Christ.”
He ordered a servant to take
three bags and fill one with gold, one with silver, and one with copper
coins. When a beggar approached, Philaret ordered his servant to bring
forth one of the bags, whichever God’s providence would ordain. Then he
would reach into the bag and give to each person, as much as God willed.
St Philaret refused to wear fine clothes, nor would he accept
any imperial rank. He said it was enough for him to be called the
grandfather of the Empress. The saint reached ninety years of age and
knew his end was approaching. He went to the Rodolpheia (“The Judgment”)
monastery in Constantinople. He gave some gold to the Abbess and asked
her to allow him to be buried there, saying that he would depart this
life in ten days.
He returned home and became ill. On the tenth
day he summoned his family, he exhorted them to imitate his love for the
poor if they desired salvation. Then he fell asleep in the Lord. He
died in the year 792 and was buried in the Rodolpheia Judgment monastery
in Constantinople.
The appearance of a miracle after his death
confirmed the sainthood of Righteous Philaret. As they bore the body of
the saint to the cemetery, a certain man, possessed by the devil,
followed the funeral procession and tried to overturn the coffin. When
they reached the grave, the devil threw the man down on the ground and
went out of him. Many other miracles and healings also took place at the
grave of the saint.
After the death of the righteous Philaret,
his wife Theoseba worked at restoring monasteries and churches
devastated during a barbarian invasion.
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