February: Day 11: Teaching 2: Venerable Demetrius of Priluki

February: Day 11: Teaching 2:
Venerable Demetrius of Priluki
 
(What Does Christian Humility Consist Of?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Demetrius of Priluki, whose memory is celebrated today, was born at the beginning of the 14th century in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky to rich and pious parents from the merchant class. He was taught to read and write early and, even as a youth, he loved reading the Holy Scriptures and soul-saving books. This pious occupation inclined him towards the monastic life. He left his parents' home and wealth and joined the brethren of the Pereyaslavl Bogorodsky Goritsky Monastery. Here he zealously devoted himself to monastic exploits - he fasted strictly, prayed fervently and was distinguished by such humility and purity that he hid from others not only his exploits, but even the external beauty of his face, for which he was distinguished. For the strictness of his life, he was elevated to the rank of priest. Soon after, he left the Goritsky Monastery, and, with the blessing of the bishop, founded a new monastery near Pereyaslavl, with a church dedicated to the name of Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra. The new monastery was soon filled with monks, who were attracted here by the glory of the virtues of its founder, Saint Demetrius. Sixty miles from the new monastery of Saint Demetrius, the great Sergius was struggling in the forests of Radonezh. The holy ascetics knew and deeply respected each other. Saint Demetrius often came to Saint Sergius to see him and enjoy his conversation. Both experienced in asceticism, they humbly asked each other for advice on monastic life. They prayed together and shared a meager meal together.

The fame of Venerable Demetrius traveled far. He became known to the Grand Prince of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, the famous conqueror of the Tatars. The Grand Prince loved and revered the Saint very much, summoned him to Moscow and asked him to be the godfather from the holy font of one of his sons. But human glory troubled the humble soul of the ascetic, and he, fleeing from it, went further north, together with his beloved disciple Pachomius.

Three miles from Vologda he founded a new monastery, called Prilutsky, for it stood at the bow formed by the bend of the Vologda River. The monastery was soon filled with monks seeking the guidance of the great ascetic. And Venerable Demetrius was a living example of ascetic life. His fast was so strict that he often went for weeks without eating, and on great feasts he would only take a little bread and warm water at the brotherly meal. He had a place in the church fenced off with boards, and here, invisible to anyone, he spent the entire service in tears and on his knees. And yet his humility was extraordinary.

The Saint did not think, however, that it was enough to only work for oneself and take care of one’s salvation. One must, he taught, take care of one’s neighbors as well. And he was merciful and charitable to his neighbors. He received strangers, helped the poor, healed the sick, consoled the sad, interceded in court for the innocent, and eased the lot of the oppressed as much as he could.

For the holiness of his life, God gave him the gift of foresight. One day, while he and the brethren were busy with monastic work, he suddenly said with a sigh: "We are busy with earthly affairs, but Grand Prince Dmitry no longer cares about worldly vanity," and from that day on he began to commemorate the Grand Prince as deceased. Everyone was amazed; but soon news came that Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy had died on the very day and hour when the Saint had spoken of him.

Venerable Demetrius reposed in extreme old age. When the brethren asked where to bury him, he answered with humble self-abasement: "Throw my sinful body into the swamp." His holy relics soon became famous for miracles.

I. Venerable Demetrius, who avoided human glory all his life, gives us a wonderful lesson in humility. Some people look at humility not even as a virtue, but as a sign of spiritual weakness, and they contemptuously think that it has significance only in monastic cloisters. On the contrary, a sense of self-worth in a person, in the opinion of some, is the engine of enlightenment in the human race, the condition of its well-being. In order to love one's neighbors, to be honest, selfless, one must, they say, first respect human dignity in oneself.

The Christian teaching does not essentially rebel against this feeling. It allows everyone to respect themselves when it itself reminds us that man is a little less than the angels (Psalm 8:6). But since, out of self-love, man himself, without due grounds, strives to respect himself, we often hear warnings against excessive self-respect. "He who thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall," says the Apostle (1 Cor. 10:12). And the Savior Himself, calling everyone to Himself, inspires humility in everyone (Matt. 11:29). Thus, according to the Christian concept, the feeling of self-worth must be moderated in a person by the awareness of his unworthiness, by humility.

a) An early, rapidly developed sense of one's own worth is, for the most part, a sign of self-delusion or a false view of oneself. Success in something encourages a person to hope that he can still achieve much; a difficulty overcome puffs him up with the thought that all difficulties are surmountable for him. What a person acquires through his talents and labor has great value and merit in his eyes, and obscures many circumstances and difficulties before which his strength may fall. Two disciples sought primacy in the kingdom of glory, but forgot the weakness of their own strength. The Savior, wishing to enlighten them, asked them a question: "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" (Mark 10:38) In a feeling of self-confidence they answered that they could. But when this cup was offered, when the time of Christ's sufferings had come, not only these, but also all the disciples fled (Matt. 26:56). If the best of men, the Apostles, were thus deceived in themselves, before the Holy Spirit had strengthened them, what should we think of ourselves? How can we rely on our gifts?

b) No, humility is not a sign of weakness, for it is always compatible with a sense of one's own dignity, so that it depends on the person himself to distinguish cases and circumstances when he should remain only within the bounds of patient humility, and when, in the armor of his innocence, he should go out to defend his dignity. Jesus Christ Himself, who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross and endured beatings and blows, did not remain silent before His judges when an impudent servant struck Him on the cheek for supposed disrespect for the rank of high priest, and in defense of His human dignity He said that He could not be subjected to humiliation otherwise than by legal and judicial exposure (John 18:23). Out of a sense of his dignity, the Apostle Paul also repeatedly made use of the rights of a Roman citizen: once, in order to maintain the honor of a preacher of Christ, and another time, in order to free himself from danger to his life, the end of which he had not yet been forewarned from above and the continuation of which he dedicated to his apostolic work (Acts ch. 16 and ch. 22 and 23). We see the same in the lives of Christian ascetics, who, guided by the spirit of humility, nevertheless knew what true human dignity consists in. Abba Agathon's acquaintances came to him, and wishing to test his patience, began to call him proud, an empty talker, lazy. The elder humbly agreed to everything. But when they called him a heretic, he in no way accepted this reproach upon himself. To the question: "Why did you agree to the first slanders, but did not accept the last?" - he answered: "I acknowledge those first vices in myself, for this recognition is useful to my soul; but to be a heretic means to be excommunicated from God, and to be excommunicated from God, I do not want.”

c) What is the use of confessing what the conscience definitely does not reproach? There is always use in confessing sinfulness. Let us not forget that there is no sinless man on earth; and only a sinless man can be completely free from reproaches of conscience. Is there a man who in life has not had a proud thought, has not felt laziness, has not said an empty word? Therefore, every reminder of our shortcomings gives us a reason to grieve over the former and a strong incentive to avoid new ones. A talented artist is not deceived by his art, is not carried away by his dignity; but as soon as he himself, or at the direction of others, notices the shortcomings of his work, he destroys or corrects the picture, destroys or remakes the statue. So is he who paints in his life an image of Christian virtues, always distrustful of his own powers and exploits, and at the slightest danger of self-indulgence seeks in his picture the dark spots of his former life, destroys the sculpture of a dream, ready to become an idol of the heart. No one has yet suffered harm from judging himself harshly, but those who think too highly of themselves and perhaps know no other faith in the world than the adoration of their own dignity, do much harm to themselves and to others.

III. Let us follow the spirit of true faith, which inspires us that humility is the best adornment of every true dignity. Amen. 

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