Prayer of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow

My Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee. Thou and Thou alone knowest my needs. Thou lovest me more than I am able to love Thee. O Father, grant unto me, Thy servant, all which I cannot ask. For a cross I dare not ask, nor for consolation; I dare only to stand in Thy presence. My heart is open to Thee. Thou seest my needs of which I myself am unaware. Behold and lift me up! In Thy presence I stand, awed and silenced by Thy will and Thy judgments, into which my mind cannot penetrate. To Thee I offer myself as a sacrifice. No other desire is mine but to fulfill Thy will. Teach me how to pray. Do Thyself pray within me. Amen.

-- Jane Ulrich (carlos.eire@yale.edu), August 16, 2000

Answers

Jane, the prayer you posted is very beautiful and full of meaning. I was reciting it as I read it and I felt an inner calm and joy.

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 17, 2000.

It IS beautiful, isn't it, Enrique? Those Orthodox have the nicest prayers and liturgies. If you would like to see some more prayers, there is a nice little web-site at www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/prayers/index.html

There are some great ones there.

Love, Jane

-- Jane Ulrich (carlos.eire@yale.edu), August 17, 2000.

{{"No other desire is mine but to fulfill Thy Will." >>> Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Philaret}}

Here is My Will, Philaret, my son:
Invite the Successor of St. Peter, your brother Patriarch of the West, to visit your nation. While he is there, announce the re-unification of your local church with my Catholic Church. You will cease to condemn the 'filioque.' You will cease to permit remarriage after divorce. You will cease to disbelieve in Purgatory. You will cease to disbelieve in the Immaculate Conception of my daughter.

I know that your prayer is not simply lip service, my son, but that you shall fullfill My Will, shall you not?

I am

-- Gabriel (messenger) (gabriel@paradise.org), August 18, 2000.

I am so disappointed to read this post. It is so filled with venom and ill-feeling. I am saddened and distraught that such a beautiful prayer written by one of our brothers in Christ should elicit such lack of charity from someone in my own Church. No wonder the world is such a mess. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Good thing that the hierarchical Church has a more charitable view towards all of this. But, of course, why wouldn't it? It's inspired by the Holy Spirit --- I would ask the writer of this intolerant message to remember what Jesus said to his apostles when they asked him to call down fire from heaven to obliterate those "others" who were casting out demons in His name, but didn't exactly have His seal of approval. Remember what He said (to paraphrase): "Leave them be. Whoever is not against you is for you." In this Godless world of ours where thousands can be murdered in a single day and cruelty abounds, look for friends in Christ, rather than for enemies. God is Infinite, and so is His mercy. May He grace us all with kindness, and gentler hearts. Experience has taught me that venom does not listen to reason, but, sometimes, it is forced to desist by the Spirit, and a kind word.

Jane

-- Jane Ulrich (carlos.eire@yale.edu), August 18, 2000.

My dear daughter, I am so sorry that you misunderstood the meaning and intent of My Lord's message. He has no venom or ill-feeling toward you or His bishop Philaret.

He heard the words of His bishop's prayer, which included the expression of bending to His will. And He has seen that His bishop has thus far been unwilling to show hospitality (an invitation to Russia) toward His servant, Pope John Paul II. He thus made His Will known on this point (and on others that had to follow in turn).

My Lord's words to His son Philaret were not intolerant, but realistic and charitable, because, if His Will were followed, it would be of benefit to Philaret and all Christians. Silently leaving a person in error or in separation from unity ["Let them be ..."] is not a "tolerance" that pleases my Lord, but a hurtful act -- akin to the common "misplaced compassion" in which parents fail to tell their children that they are hurting God when the children are involved in "unions" without marriage. My Lord's Son was able to say, "Let them be," about other followers of His because they were not teaching errors, but (sadly, as My Lord pointed out) His bishop Philaret does teach error in a few serious areas.

Yes, His bishop and his flock are truly friends whom Catholics should prize, love, and work with against the evils of our day. But my Lord wished all of us not only to join His bishop Philaret in that beautiful prayer you quoted, but also to remind us that we must pray FOR His bishop Philaret to be His better servant.

-- Gabriel (messenger) (gabriel@paradise.org), August 18, 2000.

Spare me this santimonious message. Loosen up and have a little heart. Honestly. There are better things to invest energy in.

Jane

-- Jane Ulrich (carlos.eire@yale.edu), August 18, 2000.

"Get Together" -- Jesse Colin Young

Love is but a song we sing, fear's the way we die.
You can make the mountains ring, or make the angels cry.
Though the bird is on the wind, you may not know why.
Come on people now, smile on your brother.
Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.

Some may come and some may go, you will surely pass.
When the one who left us here, returns for us at last.
We are but a moment's sunlight, fading in the grass.
Come on people now, smile on your brother.
Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.

If you hear the song we sing, you will understand.
You hold the key to love and fear, all in your trembling hand.
Just one key unlocks them both, it's there at your command.
Come on people now, smile on your brother.
Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.

Only ten minutes ago, I turned on a videotape that I recorded last night. To my surprise, there was a one-minute news item about the head of the Orthodox in Russia and how he had just published the first-ever comprehensive Church document on social issues. It sounded as though the contents were truly admirable. Let us hope that it will be an instrument of holiness for many.

Gabriel, if you are a member of an Eastern Catholic church (sometimes called "uniate") -- which, by coincidence, I just mentioned on another thread -- I understand your pain. Some may have unjustly accused you of trying to convert the Orthodox. But please put it aside past hurts, "smile on your brother, and try to love one another right now."

God bless you.
John
PS: Jane, Father Francis (on the EWTN Mass being telecast right now) just finished quoting Catherine Doherty on the importance of "forgiveness." [I have to admit that it was in the context of marriage!]

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), August 18, 2000.

Please value every believing Christian. There are too few, no matter how many. Please value everyone that has a strong belief in a good God. There are too few, no matter how many. Strong belief, I believe, is valued by God. It keeps hearts and heads turned to the truth, and keeps people seaking and refining what is truth. Even if the truth is colored by local views, filtered by cultures both acient and current, that part of the truth that escapes the man-God interface problems is valued. And all thoses who follow God in their hearts should be valued and blessed. The Christians say "Glory to God." The Muslems say "God is Great". The Jews say "Blessed be God Forever". All these core sayings are true, and blessed, great, and glorified. Every long tradition must have its mystics. Without them that body is like a man who has too much radiation: he looks alive, but should start digging his grave. All the mystics, I belive, see the same thing. And relate it to the people in ways colored by their culture. But the Mystical One is One. All else is arguing over attributes and history. This is a core belief of mine. It does not invalidate any claim that I know of by the RCC. Have mercy on your fellow believers. Gentely persaude them, do not flog recitals of dogma. Love all that God loves. Sean

-- Sean Cleary (sean_cleary@bigfoot.com), August 23, 2000.