March: Day 12: Teaching 2: Venerable Theophanes the Confessor

March: Day 12: Teaching 2:
Venerable Theophanes the Confessor
 
(On Love for Monasticism)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Theophanes, whose memory is celebrated today, was born at Constantinople in the eighth century, of noble and rich parents, who were related to the emperor. Having lost his father early, he was entrusted to the protection of the emperor Constantine Copronymos, who, in accordance with the wishes of his mother, betrothed him while still a young man to the daughter of one of the most noble dignitaries of the empire. Thus, from his earliest years, earthly greatness was the lot of Theophanes. From his father he inherited the wealth and nobility of his family, his merits soon acquired for him general respect.

The path to honors and glory was open to him, but young Theophanes remained indifferent to all these advantages. His heart burned only with love for God, and he desired one thing: to devote himself to the service of the Lord, renouncing the greatness, wealth and joys of the world, for he considered all this dangerous for the soul. He carefully studied the law of the Lord; helped the poor; but he could not carry out his intention and renounce the world, for he was afraid to upset his mother, who wanted him to marry. Theophanes fulfilled her wish. Amid the splendor of the court, surrounded by luxury and vain pleasures, the pious spouses led a life devoted to God, studied His law, fulfilled His commandments and kept themselves in purity of soul.

But this way of life did not please Theophanes' father-in-law at all. He hoped that his son-in-law would seek honors and wealth, and was dissatisfied, seeing that he was indifferent to these benefits and that his son-in-law and daughter, amid the splendor of the court, lived like hermits and distributed most of their property to the poor. He complained to the emperor and persuaded him to give Theophanes some service that, taking up his time, would distract him from monastic exploits, especially since Theophanes expressed a desire to completely leave the world, part with his wife and retire to the desert.

The Emperor sent Theophanes on an errand to the city of Cyzicus in Asia Minor; his wife went with him. On the way to Cyzicus, Theophanes saw the Sigrian Mountains (in Mysia), where many hermits lived; it was a secluded and very picturesque area. Theophanes decided to settle there. Walking around the desert, he prayed: "Lord! show me the path I should take." The next night, an angel appeared to him in a dream and said that he should settle there, but not now, but after some time, when those who were preventing him from accepting monastic rank would die. The pious hermit Gregory, who met him in the desert, also told him: "Your desire is salutary, but wait a little, the emperor and your father-in-law will soon die, and then you will fulfill your intention without hindrance." Theophanes carried out the Emperor's errand in Cyzicus and returned to Constantinople with his wife.

In 780 Emperor Leo IV died, and then Theophanes' father-in-law, so that there were no longer any obstacles for the latter to leave the world and retire to the desert. Having distributed his property to the poor, Theophanes and his wife, who also did not wish to remain in the world, took monastic vows.

Saint Theophanes was a staunch defender of icon veneration and fearlessly fought for Orthodoxy at the Seventh Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea in 785. Emperor Leo the Armenian, having ascended the throne of the Greek Empire in 813, began to cruelly oppress the veneration of holy icons. Wanting to win over Theophanes to his side, he summoned him to Constantinople and tried to persuade him for a long time, but Theophanes remained firm in his convictions. Then he was thrown into prison, then subjected to cruel torture and imprisoned on the island of Samothrace. The sSint could not endure the torture and died twenty-three days after arriving on the island (in 818).

II. Having learned the brief biography of our Venerable Father Theophanes, let us turn our attention to his irresistible love for monastic life, which forced him to despise all the blessings and pleasures of the world and to seek solitude, which is so burdensome for many.

a) What secret power drew such people from the world, and forced them, leaving everything pleasant in it, to wander through the deserts in deprivation, in sorrows, in bitterness? We learn this secret from the Apostle, who depicted these people incomprehensible to the world. This secret is faith. "By faith," he says, "they conquered kingdoms, they did righteousness," - and further: they walked in mercy, - "wandering in the deserts;" and he concludes: "all these were the obedience of faith" (Heb. 11:33-39). Faith represented to them that they were strangers and aliens on earth (13), an idea which even unbelievers know, but which they hear and pass by their ears, or rather, by their hearts, and therefore, although they daily see others like themselves dying, they nevertheless live in such carelessness about the future, with such an attachment to the earthly, as if they could live here forever! Faith inspired in its faithful followers a deep sense of the transience of the world and the brevity of life, and as a consequence of this, an ardent desire for a heavenly fatherland. It taught them to stand before the invisible God, as if seeing Him (27), to look to the Author of the faith and the finisher Jesus, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, not caring about the shame, but sat at the right hand of the throne of God (12:2). It pointed out to them the reward (11:26), and prepared it for them. With these feelings unnatural to the world, with these lofty views, the beauties of the world faded for them, sensual sweets became embittered, earthly treasures turned into dust, the world appeared to them as a desert, and the desert as paradise, and they fled from the world, where community with worldly people, and the creature, distorted by vanity and abuse, incessantly scattered their thoughts, enslaved by desires, disturbed their soul and conscience. They fled into the desert, where the more they withdrew from creatures, the closer they could feel God. They renounced earthly marriage, so that instead, the more freely, they could prepare themselves for the one heavenly marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7); they clothed themselves with dark clothing, so that the desire for adornment had no other object than the fine linen of justification of the saints;(8) condemned themselves to hunger and thirst, so that sensual saturation would not dull the hunger and taste for the spiritual supper of the kingdom of God.(9)

b) But, brethren, when we, following the Apostle, speak of the desert-dwellers, that faith drew them away from the world: do not think that we no longer abandon faith and hope of salvation to you who remain in the world. No! Faith is the victory that has conquered, and conquers the world (1 John 5:4, 5). One can live in the world, but not be of the world (John 15:19). Jesus Christ did not command everyone what He advised a certain young man: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me" (Matt. 19:21), that is, to follow Christ, not only leave the iniquities and passions of the world, but also break off all alliances with those living in the world. On the contrary, He preached to everyone repentance, faith in the Gospel and the hope of the kingdom of heaven. He Himself lived both in the world and in the desert: He taught in the world, but withdrew into the desert to pray.

III. Just as no one is saved by external residence in the desert alone, so no one is destroyed by external residence in the world. "Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world" (1 John 2:15). Make your heart a desert, in which there are neither riches, nor the beauties of the world, nor impure carnal desires, nor passionate thoughts. Here, both for desert-dwellers and for those living in the world, is a common sacred desert, into which our beloved Lord Jesus Christ comes and in which He makes His abode (John 14:23), with His Consubstantial Father and the Holy Spirit, for our true blessedness, to the glory of His Thrice-Holy Name. Amen.

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.