Approved for publication by the Publications Board of the Russian Orthodox Church PB Р15-505-0293 Priest Daniel Sysoev. What Is a Spiritual Father? Talks on the First and Second Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. In 12 books. Book 2. — New Jersey, Daniel Sysoev Inc, 2016. — 144 pp. ISBN 978-5-4279-0062-3
This edition is dedicated to the five-year anniversary of the author's martyric death. What is true spiritual fatherhood? Spiritual care and concern for a person, working to ensure that Christ is born in his heart. How to tell a pastor from a hireling. Advice to those seeking a spiritual father. Protected by copyright law. Reproduction of this book in whole or in part is prohibited. Any violations of this law will be prosecuted.
© Daniel Sysoev Inc, 2016 © Yulia Sysoeva, 2016
CONTENTS Faithful Witnesses of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Self-satisfaction and Humility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Traits of a Spiritual Father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Christian Freedom and Sexual Liberation . . . . . . . . . 37 What Sins Does God Not Forgive?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Forbidden Lawsuits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Man as the Judge of Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Pleasure as a Side Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 What are Sins Against the Body?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
A good pilot saves the ship, and a good shepherd quickens and cures his ailing sheep.
Saint John Climacus
FAITHFUL WITNESSES OF CHRIST
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God (1 Cor. 4:1—5). In this chapter the apostle concludes his rebuke of the Corinthians for dividing into parties. He describes how the apostles ought to be regarded, for the parties were banding under the apostles’ names. There was a party of Peter, a party of Paul, a party of Apollos. How then should the apostles be regarded, according to the apostle Paul? Let men consider us, the apostles, to be ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries, or sacraments, of God. In Greek the word for “mystery” and “sacrament” is one and the same. Here the apostle is saying, “Who are we? We are servants and stewards of Christ.” 5
What is a Spiritual Father?
Imagine a person with a large house, a huge estate—in modern terms, a large business. Naturally, the owner must not be a micromanager. He appoints servants—administrators, executive directors, managers at various levels. He appoints them to run his affairs, acting in his interests. But the director, the servant, and the steward own nothing. The owner appoints them to run the business in his interests. In the same way the apostles and the bishops, their successors, are servants and stewards of the sacraments of God. Why “sacraments”? God’s primary goal is to remake the whole man. And it is this very remaking that mystically takes place by certain mysterious means that we call sacraments. A person becomes filled with the mysterious power of God Himself, called grace. And this grace begins remaking a person under the guidance of priests and bishops. But the priest and the bishop are no more than a servant and a steward. Here an important point arises. Let us digress for a moment from the words of the apostle. Here he is describing the proper occupation of bishops and apostles. Frequently arguments flare up: in what language should 6
Priest Daniel Sysoev
What Is a Spiritual Father? Talks on the First and Second Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians In 12 books Book 2 Translator and Editor-in-chief Deacon Nathan Williams Cover Igor Yermolaev Proofreader Deacon Anthony Williams Danielsysoev.com mission-shop.com mission379@gmail.com