In Consolation of a Certain Brother Made the Victim of Slander by St Tikhon of Zadonsk

"You are enduring terrible slander, as I hear. Accept what consolation I can offer. 1. Nothing happens to us without God; therefore, the wicked tongue also attacks us by the permission of God. For this reason be patient in the face of what God has sent. God hears the slander and also knows your conscience.Source 2. Be consoled by this -- that you are enduring false accusation. A clear conscience is consolation. It is better to be consoled by your conscience alone, even if the whole world slanders you, than to be accused by your conscience, when the whole world heaps praises upon you. This is my choice: let everyone slander me, if only my conscience with praise me. The conscience is a reliable witness that does not lie: it says what it sees and is silent about what it does not see. It stands alone against thousands of slanderers and offers a defence and consolation and, in time, shuts the mouths of the slanderers and covers them with shame. 3. You have many comrades in this misfortune. The saints of God endured much slander, and there are many who live now and who likewise suffer the same way. You are not the only one who suffers from this; many have travelled by this path and have made it smooth for us and summon us to come by the same path. Let us follow in their footsteps, that together with them we may glorify Jesus Christ Who redeemed us. O Jesus, attract us, weak and despondent to follow Thee and Thy saints. 4. Think on this and examine your conscience; have you not ever wounded anyone with your tongue? When this happens, then slander is punished by slander, and therefore endure with thanksgiving, that the sin be chastened here, so that he who committed the sin might be shown mercy later. "When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world," says the Apostle (1 Cor. 11:32). O Lord, chasten us here, and have mercy on us there! 5. You see how God, with His mercy, turns to good that which Satan and the evil contrive for evil. Therefore, be calm now and console yourself, and forget all vanity. 6. Learn from this not to believe the gossip of others who spread slander. Just as you hear slander against youself unexpectedly, so those concerning whom evil rumors are circulated often hear them unexpectedly, not even knowing what they are being accused of. Give thanks for this together with the prophet: "It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me" (Ps. 118:71). Read these points which I am sending, and you will discover what I mean. Work for your salvation and remember me, a sinner. Your well-wisher,Bishop Tikhon Source: Orthodox Life, Volume 26, Number 6 (Nov.-Dec. 1976), pages 8-9.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona: On Slander & Condemnation

Source Pemptousia

 

"Slander is a great evil. Just as the little rudder steers the whole ship wherever it wants, likewise the tongue leads a person either to good or to evil. The holy fathers greatly censure judging other people’s sins, faults, or evil habits.

When we judge our brother, we condemn ourselves to a great sin. But when we cover our brother, God will also protect us from great sins. When we expose our brother, we drive the grace of God away from us and He permits us to fall into the same sins so that we learn that we are all weak and that the grace of God supports us.

Whoever guards his tongue guards his soul from great sins and grievous falls. The chief cause of criticism and slander is pride and egotism, because one considers oneself better than the others. For this reason it is very beneficial for a person to think of himself as below everyone, so that he considers his brother than him in order that, with the help of God, he may be delivered from this evil.

If something pushes you to criticism in any matter regarding a brother or the monastery, try to pray about the matter instead, without passing it under the judgment of your reason. If you turn within yourself through prayer, humility, and mourning, you will find a spiritual treasure—just keep pride and criticism far from you.

Be attentive, my child, that you not judge any soul. For God permits the one who judges his neighbor to fall, so that he learns to have sympathy for his weak brother. The mercy of God supports all of us, but if we become proud, God will remove His grace and we shall become worse than the others. It is one thing to condemn someone and another to be fought by thoughts of condemnation. To condemn is a terrible passion, but to be fought by such thoughts and to fight back—this is an occasion for crowns.

Each person must bear the weaknesses of others. Who is perfect? Who can boast that he has kept his heart undefiled? Hence, we are all sick, and whoever condemns his brother does not perceive that he himself is sick, because a sick person does not condemn another sick person. 

Love, endure, overlook, do not get angry, do not flare up, forgive one another, so that you resemble our Christ and are counted worthy to be near Him in His kingdom. My children, avoid condemnation—it is a very great sin. God is greatly saddened when we condemn and loathe people. Let us concern ourselves only with our own faults—for these we should feel pain. Let us condemn ourselves and then we shall find mercy and grace from God.

Love one another, and do not be embittered out of egotism. Humility is a sure guide; it does not let the one who possesses it hit the reefs of carelessness and be shipwrecked, but as a luminous guide it leads him faultlessly on sure ground. Egotism is the most evil of evils; it causes all our lapses through un-submissive thoughts. Fear this and strive to get rid of it, for the more it remains within us, the more it will wound us with the proportionate pain. I beg that you not criticize one another, for this is downright egotism.

Excuse your brother’s fault; this is evidence of humility and love. The brother who acts thus will find much grace from God, but he who judges and scandalizes his neighbor should know that not only will he not find grace, but even if he has something he will lose it, so that he may learn the lesson of humility through suffering. Be particularly afraid of inner criticism, that is, thoughts of criticism, because it does not come to light through the spoken word, in which case it is likely to be corrected by someone who hears it. 

Be careful, I say, about criticism from within, which imperceptibly makes us fatally guilty and deprives us of the life of divine grace and offers as a most bitter drink the death of the soul. I pray that love and freedom from criticism will reign in every expression among you, so that the Holy Spirit may rest in your souls.

To read the post in full, please go here

On Slander by St Maximos the Confessor, St John Chrysostom and St Tikhon of Zadonsk

Source

“Inasmuch as you pray with all your soul for the one who has slandered you, so much will God reveal the truth to them who have believed the slander. “
– St. Maximus the Confessor, Chapters on Love, 4.89  Source

"Wherefore, not those that are slandered, but the slanderers, have need to be anxious, and to tremble, for the former are not constrained to answer for themselves, touching the evil things which are said of them, but the latter will have to answer for the evil they have spoken, and over these impends the whole danger."

St. John Chrysostom in Homily 42 on the Gospel of Matthew 12:33

"In Consolation of a Certain Brother Made the Victim of Slander
by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

You are enduring terrible slander, as I hear. Accept what consolation I can offer.

1. Nothing happens to us without God; therefore, the wicked tongue also attacks us by the permission of God. For this reason be patient in the face of what God has sent. God hears the slander and also knows your conscience.

2. Be consoled by this -- that you are enduring false accusation. A clear conscience is consolation. It is better to be consoled by your conscience alone, even if the whole world slanders you, than to be accused by your conscience, when the whole world heaps praises upon you. This is my choice: let everyone slander me, if only my conscience with praise me. The conscience is a reliable witness that does not lie: it says what it sees and is silent about what it does not see. It stands alone against thousands of slanderers and offers a defence and consolation and, in time, shuts the mouths of the slanderers and covers them with shame.

3. You have many comrades in this misfortune. The saints of God endured much slander, and there are many who live now and who likewise suffer the same way. You are not the only one who suffers from this; many have travelled by this path and have made it smooth for us and summon us to come by the same path. Let us follow in their footsteps, that together with them we may glorify Jesus Christ Who redeemed us. O Jesus, attract us, weak and despondent to follow Thee and Thy saints.

4. Think on this and examine your conscience; have you not ever wounded anyone with your tongue? When this happens, then slander is punished by slander, and therefore endure with thanksgiving, that the sin be chastened here, so that he who committed the sin might be shown mercy later. "When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world," says the Apostle (1 Cor. 11:32). O Lord, chasten us here, and have mercy on us there!

5. You see how God, with His mercy, turns to good that which Satan and the evil contrive for evil. Therefore, be calm now and console yourself, and forget all vanity.

6. Learn from this not to believe the gossip of others who spread slander. Just as you hear slander against youself unexpectedly, so those concerning whom evil rumors are circulated often hear them unexpectedly, not even knowing what they are being accused of. Give thanks for this together with the prophet: "It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me" (Ps. 118:71). Read these points which I am sending, and you will discover what I mean. Work for your salvation and remember me, a sinner."

Your well-wisher,
Bishop TikhonSource
Source: Orthodox Life, Volume 26, Number 6 (Nov.-Dec. 1976), pages 8-9

For more reading on slander, according to the Church Fathers, go here.

Injustice and False Accusation by St Theophan the Recluse

Available from ArchangelsBooks.com

Have you ever wondered what is the most effective way to respond
to slander, false accusations and injustice? When the ego goes into 
self-preservation drive, it can be pretty hard to hold back and 'do
nothing'. From what I read from the Church Fathers and holy 
monastics, I learn the unanimous counsel from them all, "Forgive
your enemies, pray for those who hurt you, etc" I have to confess
that at times I have been quite annoyed by these 'unrealistic
expectations'. Life can be very 'unfair' and something in my 
personality demands that all wrongs be made right, all evil 
confronted.

So I kept reading; and coming up with the same counsel decided to
take a look at what modern cognitive behavioral therapy has to say
about the subject; and in the process, received a great lesson which
finally settles this question for me.

In their book, "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" p.329, by Rhena
Branch and Rob Wilson, published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
West Sussex, England, the authors write "Sometimes, life's just
plain unfair. Sometimes, people treat you unjustly and nothing
gets done to put the balance right. On top of being unfair, life's
unpredictable and uncertain a great deal of the time. And really,
that's just the way life is.You can still strive to be fair yourself,
but if you accept that unfairness exists you may be less outraged
and less horrified if and when justice simply doesn't prevail."

Notwithstanding my personal feelings during a moment in which
I have to face the 'injustices' of this life, I know that the well
trodden path of our monastics and holy ones is the path to the
healing of my soul. As such, I do not need secular science to
validate this truth. Much of secular psychology stands in
opposition to the patristic method for the healing of man but in
this case, cognitive therapy concurs with the ancient wisdom
of the Orthodox Church.

For example, St Theophan the Recluse, in his letters to a young
Russian lady which are compiled in the book, "The Spiritual Life
and How to be Attuned to It", published by St Herman Press,
Platina, CA 1996, writes in Letter no. 78 p.307,

"May the Grace of God be with you!
Again?! Injustices, wrongful accusations! It is probably from
somewhere outside. No matter where it is from, I would say to you,
do not just be courageous and stand fast , but rejoice. It means that
things with your soul are going well. The Lord is leading you to
cleansing, and the enemy is encountering strong opposition within
you. Stand your ground firmly. There is no need to be troubled by
injustices and wrongful accusations.

He who causes them will be judged by God, and he who 
suffers them must bear them with good cheer and give
thanks to God. Do not forget that there is another life in
which everything here will be answered for, in praise or
in remorse. What if you endure injustice? There will be
praise. If you do not? Remorse. Do not say, "That is not right."
Whether something is right or not is not your business to judge,
it will be said,"Why did you not bear it?"

Injustices do not come from God, but are permitted by God for
the good of the person to whom they are permitted. Truly for the
good! These are not just words, but a real thing. I cite for
you the example of the martyrs, who were tormented in every way
possible. And where was the Lord? He was there indeed, and
appeared to them comforted them, lessened their suffering, but
all the same left them to bear their torments to the end, so as to
receive the full crown. Similarly, each falsehood and
wrongful accusation prepares a crown. But the person to 
whom they befall must endure them. Now you have encountered
this necessity. Endure them with good cheer, if you will, as if they
did not exist. God wants this from you for your own benefit.

You say it is terrible to give yourself over to falsehoods for an
entire lifetime. Of course it is terrible. That is why it is said of
those who follow the Lord, "Be thou strong and of good courage!"
Deut. 31:6. Ahead of you is a cross. It appears that nothing more
remains other than to give yourself over to sorrows, privations
and wrongful accusations. This self denial, I would say to you,
is the beginning of the true path. Give yourself over to that! The
very moment you deny yourself, you begin following the Lord.
Think over all this and decide, if you will, in a Godly manner.
All success is from the necessary resolution of this point."

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."
Mr. Beaver in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'
p.74-75, C.S. Lewis, Collier Books Macmillan Publishing Company,
New York, 1970

On Slander

Source

Our Orthodox Faith has everything we need to grow and be healed.
We all, at one time or another, have been victims of unfair criticism
and judgment. Unfortunately, most of us have at some time said or
thought something negative about someone else. Our Church has
a spiritual cure for this problem.

As a general rule, we should never accept it when anyone comes to us
with negative ‘information’ about our brother. A fragment from a Church
Father from the 2nd century (Antonius, Book 2 Sermon 69) states,
“Never be afraid of the slanderer who addresses you. But rather say;
“STOP, brother; I daily commit more grievous errors, and how can I
judge him?”

For you will gain two things, healing with one plaster both yourself and
your neighbor. He shows what is really evil. Whence by these arguments,
God has contrived to make each one’s disposition manifest”.

It is not virtue what moves that person to speak against his or her brother but the evil one, the passions. St John Chrysostom says that even when the gossip is true, it is still slander because the intention is to destroy our brother. If there is something that needs our assessment we should go to our spiritual father and ask him. We should also trust our priest, the man that will answer to God for our soul, with the government of the house of God and whatever evaluation and course of action that any particular situation requires.

But more often than not, what is spread around is a lie. St John
Chrysostom in his explanation of the Gospel of St Matthew
says; “Wherefore not those that are slandered but the
slanderers have need to be anxious and to tremble. For
the former are not constrained to answer for themselves
touching the evil things that are said of them, but the latter
will, for the evil they have spoken. So that the persons
censured should be without anxiety, not having to give
account of the evil that others have said; but the censurers
have cause to be in anxiety, and to tremble, as being
themselves to be dragged before the judgment seat in that
behalf. For this is indeed a diabolical snare, and a sin having
in it no pleasure, but harm only. Yeah such a one is laying up
an evil treasure in his soul. Do not now, I warn thee, seize
upon the privilege of the Only Begotten (Jesus Christ). For
Him is the throne of judgment reserved”.

In the Homilies on First Corinthians, St John states; “Bearing in mind these things therefore let us have a care of our own members, and not sharpen the tongue against one another, nor speak words which may do hurt, undermining the fame of our neighbor, and as in war and battle, giving and receiving blows. For what after all is the good of fasting or watching, when the tongue is drunken, and feasts itself at a table more unclean than of dog’s flesh, when it is grown ravening after blood and pours out filth, and makes the mouth a channel of a sewer, nay rather something more abominable than that?

For “Judge not” said He “that ye be not judged” Matthew 7:1 since he too who spoke evil of the publican was condemned, although it was true which he laid to his neighbor’s charge.

But hast thou a fancy to avenge thyself on the other person? Why then punish thyself instead of him? Nay do thou, who art so earnestly seeking redress from those who have annoyed thee, avenge thyself as Paul recommended to take vengeance; “If thy enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink (Rom.12:20) But if thou do not so, but only plot against him, thou pointest the sword against thyself. Wherefore if that other speak evil, answer him with praises and commendations.

St John Climacus in the Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 89-92 has some very important things to say, "Slander is born of hatred and remembrance of wrongs. I have heard people slandering and I have rebuked them. And these doers of evil replied in self defence that they were doing so out of love and care for the person whom they were slandering. I said to them; ‘Stop that kind of love, otherwise you will be condemning as a liar him who said; “Him that privaly talked against his neighbor, did I drive away” Psalm 3:5. If you say you love, then pray secretly, and do not mock the man. For this is the kind of love that is acceptable to the Lord.

But I will not hide this from you: Judas was in the company of Christ’s disciples and the thief was in the company of murderers. Yet it is a wondrous thing, how in a single instant, they exchanged places.

I have known a man who sinned openly and repented secretly. I condemned him as a profligate, but he was chaste before God, having propitiated Him by a
genuine conversion. 

A charitable and sensible mind takes careful note of whatever virtues
it sees in anyone. But a fool looks for faults and defects. Do not
condemn, even if you see with your eyes, for they are often
deceived”.

Elder Ephraim writes in 'Counsels from the Holy Mountain' p.208
“Each person must bear the weaknesses of others. Who is perfect?
Who can boast that he has kept his heart undefiled? Hence, we are
all sick, and whoever condemns his brother does not perceive that
he himself is sick, because a sick person does not condemn another
sick person”.

"Spread your cloak over the man who is falling and cover him. And
if you cannot take upon yourself his sins and receive his chastisement
in his stead, then at least patiently suffer his shame and do not
disgrace him". St Isaac the Syrian, in Homily 51 of the 1st part as
quoted by Matthew the Poor in 'Orthodox Prayer Life' p.143 no.165,
St Vladimir Seminary Press, N.Y. 2003