Byzantine Saints: Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor (1 December)

About this sermon

Righteous Philaret (Feret) the Merciful of Amnia—commemorated on December 1—stands as one of the greatest examples of Christian charity, humility, and love for the poor. Born in the 8th century in Amnia, Paphlagonia (Asia Minor), he lived during a time of invasions, famine, and hardship. Yet his heart remained fixed on the Gospel command to give selflessly. Despite coming from a wealthy and noble family, Philaret never clung to earthly possessions. Throughout his life he gave generously—even recklessly in the eyes of his family—sharing his last oxen, wheat, animals, and money with those in need. His extraordinary generosity was often met with miraculous replenishment from God. His charity became so well-known that even after his estate was plundered by invaders, the grace of God continued to provide. Eventually, his granddaughter Maria was chosen to marry the future Emperor Constantine VI, making Philaret the grandfather of the Empress. Yet even then he refused rank, wealth, and luxury, continuing instead to serve the poor with humility. Saint Philaret foresaw his own repose, died in peace at age 90, and was buried in the Rhodia Monastery in Constantinople, where miracles occurred at his grave. 00:00 – Introduction 00:20 – Birth and Family Background 00:44 – Philaret’s Early Piety and Generosity 01:11 – Arab Invasion and Loss of Property 01:24 – His Wife’s Concerns and Philaret’s Replies 02:00 – The Cow and Calf Story 02:23 – The Borrowed Wheat and Philaret’s Generosity 02:41 – The Sarcastic Challenge of His Wife 03:02 – Giving Away the Donkey 03:17 – God Rewards Philaret’s Giving 03:35 – Philaret Continues to Share His Blessings 03:39 – “Where is Your Hidden Treasure?” 03:44 – Search for a Bride for Constantine VI 04:10 – Preparing to Receive the Imperial Envoys 04:26 – Philaret’s Daughters and Granddaughters 04:34 – Maria Chosen as Future Empress 04:46 – Wealth Restored by God 05:00 – Philaret’s Humility Astonishes All 05:10 – The Three Bags of Coins 05:26 – Refusing Imperial Rank 05:35 – Approaching the End of His Life 05:49 – His Prophecy and Final Days 05:52 – Final Exhortation to His Family 05:59 – Repose in the Lord (Year 792) 06:07 – Miracles at His Funeral 06:30 – The Legacy of His Wife Theoa https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintPhilaret #PhilaretTheMerciful #OrthodoxSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #ChristianCharity #OrthodoxChurch #Amnia #ByzantineHistory #MiracleWorkingSaints #OrthodoxFaith #December1Saint #ChristianVirtue #ChristianG

Topics

• Love & Compassion