Како чтити детем отцов своих духовных и повиноватися им
The Spiritual Father as Guide
This passage outlines the criteria for choosing a spiritual father and the duties of obedience, confession, and honor that the household owes to him.
You need to know how children should honor their spiritual fathers: seek out a good spiritual father—one who has love for God, is prudent and discerning—not an indulgent man, not a drunkard, not a lover of money, and not a man given to anger. You should honor and obey such a man in everything; repent before him with tears, confess your sins without shame or embarrassment, and keep his commandments. Invite him into your home often, and always open your whole conscience to him. Receive his instruction with love, listen to him in everything, and honor him. Bow low before him—he is our teacher and guide. Hold him in reverence, come to him with love, and give him offerings from your own labor as you are able. Consult him often about a way of life that does you good, examine yourself about your sins, and about how a husband should teach and love his wife and children, and how a wife should listen to her husband and seek counsel every day. Always make known your sins before your spiritual father, lay bare every one of them, and submit to him in all things—for they keep watch over our souls, and they will answer for us on the Day of the Last Judgment. Do not revile them, or condemn them, or reproach them. And when they take up someone's cause, listen to them, and show mercy to the guilty according to the offense, judging the matter together with them.123
Read the original Latin
Подобает ведати се како чтити детем отцев своих духовных изыскати отца духовнаго добра боголюбива и благоразумна и разсудителна а не потаковъника пьяницу, ни сребролюбива, ни гневлива такова подобает чтити и повиноватися ему во всем и каятися пред ним со слезами исповедати грехи своя не стыдно и безсрамно и заповеди его хранити а призывати его к себе в дом часто и извещатися всегда во всякои совести, и наказание его с любовию приимати, и послушати его во всем и чтити его, и беите челом пред ним ниско он учитель нашь и наставник, и имеите его со страхом, и любовию к нему приходити и приношение ему даваите, от своих трудов по силе, и советовати с ним часто, о житии полезном и востязатися от грехов своих, и како учити и любити мужу жена своя и чада, а жене мужа своего слушати, и спрашиватися по вся дни а извещатися о гресех своих всегда пред отцем духовным, и обнажати грехи своя вся, и покарятися пред ним во всем тии бо бдят, о душах наших, и ответ дадут о нас в день Страшнаго Суда, а не поносити их ни осужати ни укоряти а о ком учнут печаловатися, ино его слушати и виноватаго пожаловати по вине смотря с ним же разсудя.
Notes
- 1 ↩отец духовный here is the confessor-priest who receives confession and gives spiritual direction, not the biological father.
- 2 ↩потаковъник is one who indulges others in sin—an enabler or people-pleaser who winks at wrongdoing rather than correcting it.
- 3 ↩печаловатися can mean intercede, petition, or take pastoral concern for someone; the following clause implies heeding the spiritual father when he intervenes for a person under discipline.
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