"Oh, if only this merciful beggar himself had not become impoverished! Now I would go to him and probably get from him not only one, but even two oxen. But he himself is now in great need, and he has nothing with which to help others, no matter how much his heart desires it. Nevertheless, I will go to him, and he will at least have pity on me, and at least with his words he will console me and ease my heavy sorrow and sorrow.

Taking his staff, the villager went to Blessed Philaret and, meeting him at work in the field, bowed down to him and with tears told him about his grief – the unexpected death of the ox. Blessed Philaret, seeing how distressed this man was, immediately unharnessed one of his oxen from under the yoke, gave it to the peasant and said:

"Take this ox of mine, brother, and go to cultivate your land, thanking the Lord."

With gratitude the villager bowed down to Blessed Philaret, accepting his generous alms, and said:

"My lord!" your decision is great and admirable, and your mercy is pleasing to God, but it is not good to separate two oxen that have labored together, and it will be difficult for you to do with one yourself.

"Take, brother, the ox which I give you," answered the righteous man, "and go in peace; I also have an ox at home.

The farmer bowed down to the ground and, taking the ox, departed, glorifying God and thanking the merciful benefactor.

Philaret, taking the remaining ox and putting the yoke on his shoulders, went home. As he approached the gate of his house, his wife, seeing that the ox was going ahead, and her husband was following him with a yoke on his shoulders, said to him:

"My lord!" Where is your other ox?

Philaret answered her:

"While I was resting after work, and the oxen were grazing free, one of them went away and got lost, or perhaps someone took him and took him away.

Hearing this, Philaret's wife was greatly grieved and hastened to send her son to find the lost ox. After going through many fields, the young man finally found his ox in the yoke of the farmer. Recognizing the ox, he angrily said to the farmer:

"Wicked, dishonest man! How dare you harness another man's ox and work on it? Where and how did you get this ox and harness it to yours? Is this not the same ox that disappeared from my father? And when you found him, you stole him away like a wolf, and took him to yourself. Give me the ox, and if you do not give it back, you will answer for it in judgment like a thief!

The farmer meekly answered him: