Gratitude, Mercy, St. Philothea – Father Pimen Vlad

How did a 12-year-old girl become a holy martyr with unspoiled relics? Listen to a word from Father Pimen Vlad who shows us how this can be attained. It is simple, however we do not want it.

Enjoy!

Here we are my beloved ones seeing each other again and as you see, at the foot of the Athon mountain. You can see that you can spot in the distance the Athon, from the orchard near our cottage. You know I’ve been a little bit out in the country through different places, I’ve met beautiful people, good ones, loved ones, I’ve all enjoyed it. What can I tell you, we have a beautiful country, even if sometimes it is somehow said that “a beautiful country, a rich country with poor people”. They’re not poor. Those who have Christ cannot be poor. So this is our treasure, our country’s treasure, primarily Orthodoxy. We were born Orthodox in an Orthodox country, so that’s the most valuable, and the others God cares for.

God knows what we need

He gives us exactly what we need, as much as we need, that He also allows troubles, He allows diseases, He allows suffering, He knows better what is useful to us. Sometimes we may grumble, we are dissatisfied that maybe we wanted something else, but we always want something else, we are always dissatisfied that if God gave us something different, we would always want something else. That’s why let’s be satisfied with what we have. Because the man who is satisfied with what he has, is happy all the time. Acknowledge this, do not to forget. Give glory every day to God for everything and all the things, for all you have, for your loved ones, and for all that you have around you. Because one day we may not have them anymore.

A 12-year-old child

And as I said, wonderful things I’ve seen. This year I did not arrive, that’s how it was ordained, but I want to tell you this, a few things, last year I arrived at Saint Filofteea from Arges. A 12-year-old child, a martyr, think about it. Who was Saint Filofteea from Arges? A child at 12 years old. Let’s see a current 12-year-old. What’s he thinking like? What does he think? Think of this 12-year-old giving almost everything she had. She was sharing, she had pity for the poor. Where had she learned all this from? From her mother.

She had a good, merciful mother, she barely got to teach her this path to God a little bit, and she left this world. Out of God’s indulgence. She left a young child but had already caught the 7 years at home, as they say, she had learned how to live her life. What she needs to do in her life. And in this way she kept in her heart all the teaching and love for God from her mother. Of course, after her mother died, her father remarried to another woman. The stepmother was not so merciful, and of course, being a stepmother, she behaved a little harsher with the little girl, but she kept her way. And as her dad was working, he had fields and he worked them. At lunch she would be sent with food to her father, but what was she doing?

Her father’s problem

Because it was enough food there for him, she felt pity for the poor that she met on the way. And she’d give them food, a little bit of here and there and she’d share it. And he didn’t get enough food, to get full, as he was working. So somehow he’s justified too, and what did he do? He complained to his wife, why didn’t his wife send him enough food. And then she said, “I always send you enough food. What does this girl of yours do that I don’t trust her. She couldn’t wait, as they say, to complain about her. She said, “follow her” and that’s when his father started following her, he would come out before her when he knew she was bringing food, to see what she was doing.

And he watched her share the food with the poor. And then he kind of like that, that he was a little bit ruthless so to say, when he saw that from his food that he had to eat, she gave to the poor, he got very angry. And where he worked there, he had an axe at his waist like this, and he quickly pulled out the axe, and by the oddity he did not questioned anymore, he threw it directly at his daughter, and he hit her in one leg, and so God ordained that out of that cut, she should fall down and her soul should come out instantly.

Death of the Martyr

And then he got frightened when he saw her, he approached her, and when he saw her that she was no longer alive, he got scared, but he could not even touch her, because at that moment a light came out of her that was rising up to heaven around her, and he got scared and quickly ran into the village and announced the bishop, “look what happened” and the bishop came with such honor, took her body as the body of a martyr. So you see? A 12-year-old child, who was doing good out of love for Christ, for those around her, so a beautifully child raised. And she got now to have the whole holy body relics to which we go and worship. See what it means to live a beautiful life, a clean life, a life of mercy to others. That’s what she had learned from her mother. And I remember last year, I don’t know anymore, maybe I said it before, I repeat myself, when I got there at Saint Filofteea, I went I worshiped her relics, after that I went through the monastery, I walked, I enjoyed everything as they say of all the surroundings, of that unique church that is there made. Then I went out to the gate to leave.

An old woman knitting stockings

And there was an old woman there who was knitting stockings with knitting needles. And I was going out like this slowly, I was walking. And when I got next to her, I asked her , “what are you doing grandma here?” She says, “well I’m knitting”. And then an old man next door says to me, “Do you see her, father? She is 82 years old, she is knitting all day woolen stockings, with knitting needles, without glasses, without anything, so he sits knitting.” So she was working to make a living. And then I bought a few pairs of stockings, I asked her how much it costs, I left her something on top of it there, I say, her work, she did not charge much, and then I left something to the other old man a little help, next to her was an old woman, I gave her a little help, from what the Mother of God had given me, with love.

When the three elders had begun to bless me all and wish me what they knew best, they blessed me out loud all three of them, a grace came from God so, I felt like I was floating.

So it wasn’t like praise from them, it was a blessing, it was something they were saying wholeheartedly. And what I had given them I had given them with all my heart with love. I felt when I left there, that I was no longer walking on the ground, it was like I was floating, I was treading through the air, and they were yelling for me, I had the car about 50 meters away, a little bit further away, they were always yelling after me the same blessings. And it was like I was going through the replay, I got to the car, so much joy, so much peace and quiet, I got in the car, and I was driving slowly, I started the car I opened the windows, as if I wanted not to lose that state of joy, of peace. And I left there from Curtea de Arges, to Brasov in that state, as if the car was no longer on the ground.

Grace

I felt like the car was floating, so I drove for a few hours in the state of joy I had received because of the blessings of those elders. In fact I could say, a gift, a grace from the Holy Martyr Filofteia. That I had been to her at the time. I have told you this so that you may see that from small things, from small mercies made with love, God fills us with grace. Maybe this is what Saint Filofteea did, that she also loved mercy very much. And then she wanted to give me a little bit like that, as a sign, of the grace she had received from God. That she was somehow glad that I passed by, that I helped those elders, so this small gesture before God has value.

That is why let us not be indifferent when we pass by someone who we see that he needs it. A little bit there, or a good word, or whatever, a smile, something, all of this has value before God.

Yes, this is all I wanted to tell you, and may Saint Filofteea help us all and especially the children that are like that, younger, up to her age and older, to pray to her that she helps you a lot. And follow her example in good deeds. And you’ll see how much use you’re going to get. Yes, my beloved ones. May the Mother of God and Saint Filofteea help us and always guard us. God help!

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