Against the Fear of Ghosts (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko)

Against the Fear of Ghosts 

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

"And when the disciples saw [Jesus] walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear" (Matt. 14:26).

We have many bad habits, customs, and rituals that have remained from ancient times, when our ancestors were still pagans. However, what is characteristic of pagans is improper for us Christians. For example, many of us suffer from a fear of ghosts. They are afraid to be alone in a room at night, and they even fear stepping outside into the darkness; every dark corner appears to them as a dread specter. In places where a corpse lay just a few days ago, or when passing through a cemetery at night, such fear knows no bounds. Likewise, how much timidity and fear are felt upon entering a forest or any secluded place! "Fear has big eyes," as the Russian proverb goes; thus, the slightest noise or rustle in a deserted area, especially at night, the echo in the forest, the shadow of a tree swaying in the wind — all of this sends the soul into indescribable shudders. Consequently, it often happens that extraordinary phenomena are perceived in places where, in reality, they do not exist at all.

This fear of ghosts, common among many adults, is often transmitted to children as well. There are instances where some individuals may not possess a superstitious fear and do not believe in ghosts or apparitions, yet they frequently frighten children with such tales. In an attempt to comfort a crying child, they may point to a dark corner, threatening that a monster will emerge from there, or they often occupy children in the evenings with stories about various apparitions that supposedly appeared to people. All of this greatly fuels the already vivid imagination of the child and instills in their soul a superstitious fear from which they may struggle to free themselves throughout their lives. Such individuals tend to be timid and indecisive; they are incapable of undertaking any difficult feats or courageously facing the dangers and adversities of life. This is the harmful consequence of superstitious fear. Moreover, the fear of certain apparitions is unbecoming of a Christian. After all, it is a remnant of the religious beliefs of our ancestors, the pagans. They believed that the souls of the deceased wandered like shadows, both in graveyards and in the places where these individuals once lived; they believed in countless spirits residing in houses and barns, in forests and swamps, as well as in rivers and lakes; they believed that all these entities could cause harm to a person upon encountering them, and thus, they lived in enslaved fear of them. These misconceptions of our ancestors have been passed down to us, Christians. Hence, we find ourselves fearful of various household spirits, forest dwellers, and we dread ghosts. Yet how unforgivable this superstitious fear is for a Christian!

Consider carefully what a Christian might fear when under the protection and providence of the All-Knowing, All-Benevolent, and All-Powerful God! Each of us can say with the Prophet David: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident" (Psalm 26:1–3). If there is anyone a Christian might fear, it is evil spirits; yet even they cannot cause him the slightest harm without God's permission. Moreover, it is within our power to drive away evil spirits. God has granted us reliable means against the devil: prayer, fasting, and a virtuous life. On the other hand, demons have power over unbelieving and wicked people.

The Holy Martyr Tryphon, at a young age, healed illnesses and cast out demons. The Roman Emperor Gordian, whose daughter had been freed from a demon by the Holy Martyr Tryphon, wished to see the expelled demon with his own eyes. Saint Tryphon commanded the demon to appear, and everyone saw it in the form of a black dog with fiery eyes. The Holy Martyr asked the demon: "Who sent you to the maiden?" The demon replied: "The father, the chief of all wickedness, sitting in hades." "Who has given you such power?" asked Saint Tryphon. The demon replied: "We have no power over those who know God and believe in the Only Begotten Son of God; we only, by God's permission, inflict upon them light temptations; but we have complete power over those who do not believe in God, who walk in their lusts and carry out what pleases us; and the deeds pleasing to us are: idolatry, blasphemy, adultery, envy, murder, and so forth. These people are ensnared by sins, like in nets; they are our friends, and one with us await their fate." Therefore, if you wish, Christian, to not fear evil spirits, lead a God-pleasing and pious life.

As for the fear of the dead, this fear is also unfounded. Our faith teaches that the souls of our departed fathers and brethren find rest in the places appointed for them by God, and do not wander through graveyards or their former homes. Indeed, deceased individuals live a special life in the afterworld and, by God's will, may appear to us sinners on earth. But what is so frightening about our loved ones appearing to us in dreams? Such occurrences bring us nothing but joy and comfort. There are many examples of not only saints but also sinful people appearing to those alive on earth for their admonishment and assurance in the afterlife, and these appearances did not invoke the superstitious fear that many of us feel from some imagined specters in graveyards. Let us recount one story from our national history.

Venerable Savvas appears to Prince Eugene

In 1812, our Fatherland was struck by a terrible disaster: hordes of enemies led by Napoleon advanced into Russia, causing horrific devastation along their path. And so, when Napoleon had taken Moscow, Prince Eugene, the Italian Viceroy, set out with a troop of soldiers from Moscow towards Zvenigorod. He occupied quarters in the Monastery of the Venerable of Savvas of Storozhev, a disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. Around ten o'clock, without undressing, the prince lay down and fell asleep; but whether in reality or in a dream, he did not know, he saw a man in a long black garment entering the room, approaching him so closely that in the moonlight he could discern the features of his face; he appeared old, with a gray beard. This man said: "Do not command your troops to plunder the monastery, especially to take anything from the church; if you fulfill my request, God will have mercy on you and you will return home safe and sound." The prince issued an order in the morning for the detachment to return to Moscow, and he himself went to the church, where at the relics of the Venerable Savvas, he saw the likeness of the one who had appeared to him during the night, and recognizing whose likeness it was, he reverently bowed before the relics and recorded this in his book. All other commanders of Napoleon met with misfortune, but Eugene remained unharmed and was not wounded in any battles thereafter. He bequeathed to his son Maximilian that if he were in Russia, he should venerate the relics of the Venerable Savvas

The son arrived in Russia in 1839 during the reign of Emperor Nicholas Pavlovich, and after the maneuvers at the Borodino field, he inquired about the Monastery of Saint Savvas, traveled there, and paid veneration to the Saint.

The appearance of deceased individuals, especially the righteous, is so beneficial for us, the living on earth! Judge for yourselves whether there is any basis to fear the dead after this?! If the deceased do appear in dreams, they can cause us no harm; rather, they bring only good, that is, they convince us of the truth of our souls' immortality, expose our sins, and guide us on the path of truth. Therefore, such apparitions should be cherished and not feared.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.