The word "righteous" is a cognate word for words such as "correct", "truth", "right." A righteous person is one who lives by the truth, does the right thing, who is right in the eyes of people, and most importantly, in the eyes of God.
The Orthodox Church calls one of the categories of saints righteous or righteous. It includes, for example, Joachim and Anna, and of the Russian saints - John of Kronstadt. These people did not suffer and did not die for their faith, did not preach the Christian doctrine among pagan peoples, did not withdraw from the world for the sake of monastic service. They lived in the world, as millions of people live, many of them even had families. Nevertheless, they are considered saints, because in the world, among ordinary people and everyday affairs, they led such a life that God requires of a person. The example of such saints clearly shows that this is possible.
Of course, holiness is an ideal that few people can achieve. But it is possible and necessary to strive for such an ideal.
Man through the eyes of God
In psychology, there is such a concept - a reference person. This is the name of a person who is significant for a given person. The person is guided by him in his actions. It so happens that all the achievements that a person is so proud of suddenly fade in his eyes if, for example, the father does not approve of them. And not necessarily such disapproval should be expressed aloud, it is enough to think: "Father would not approve of this." We can say that a person "checks himself" by reference persons.
For a Christian, God must become the main reference person. It was with this that the path to a righteous life began, even for those who today are revered as saints. For example, St. Ephraim the Sirin was a hot-tempered man who often started quarrels, committed frivolous acts, and eventually he went to jail on false charges of theft. And then in a dream he heard the call: "Return to your place and repent of the unrighteousness, making sure that there is an Eye overseeing everything." Seeing his old life through the eyes of God, this man could no longer live in the old way.
Spiritual Foundations of a Righteous Life
Considering his life from the point of view of God, a person must remember the main commandments given by Him. There are only two such commandments, and all the others only clarify and concretize their content. Both commandments are given in the Gospel of Matthew: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself."
For all their outward simplicity, both requirements are very ambiguous. Loving God means both loving and protecting the world that He created, and seeing His creation and image in every person, even in the most vicious. Loving your neighbor is not only taking care of someone, doing good deeds, it also means condescending to other people's shortcomings and mistakes, as people usually treat their own.
Another quality that distinguishes a true righteous person is self-criticism. It is worth noting how the saints spoke about themselves in prayers: "I am a sinner," "I am cursed," etc. These people saw their vices, which means they made efforts to get rid of them.
We can say that living righteously means living in such a way that those around you feel like they are in paradise. It is not easy, but, as the example of the saints shows, it is possible.
