They say that the number of elders in Russia is gradually decreasing, but this is contradicted by more and more evidence of miracles and incredible insightful insights that come from many past and present monks. The priests themselves are extremely wary of the elder. The elders themselves will never call themselves elders, they will not talk about their gift, but will cautiously say after Seraphim of Sarov: “When I speak from myself, there are always mistakes.” And no less famous archimandrite John (Krestyankin) wondered: “What elders ?! We are experienced old people at best. "
You can't go under the knife!
Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) this is how he told about his confessor John (Krestyankin): “Once Father John categorically forbade one of our acquaintances to do a seemingly trifling cataract operation. He demanded from me that I, in order to distract her, took her to rest in the Crimea. But the lady did not obey and went under the knife. During the operation, she suddenly suffered a stroke and complete paralysis, and the next day she died. How the father was tormented that they did not listen to him, how he lectured that he did not save her from the wrong step. But what he remembers father Dimitri Smirnov: “Once a certain rank from the Lubyanka met with me and began to seduce:“ You work for us, you won't have to substitute anyone, but you will get a good church in the center of Moscow ”. They did not have time to part, but from me father Pavel (Troitsky), the confessor of many young Moscow priests, a letter where he writes: "Do not give in to promises, the devil tempts you!" About him, his other spiritual son, bishop Panteleimon (Shatov) he told me this: “In the letter I received from him, suddenly a postscript for my daughter: they say, you can't study so badly and grab so many twos. I was surprised, asked to show the diary, and there really is a lot of bad marks. After that, my daughter immediately quit being lazy, so she was surprised.
The spiritual father of the present Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill is also a recognized owner of the visionary gift, his classmate at the Theological Academy, the Optina elder schema-Archimandrite Eli (Nozdrin)... About him nun Filareta says this: "Father sometimes could literally repeat the words spoken in the cell of the Novodevichy Convent, although he was 400 km from Moscow - in Optina Pustyn."
Bogatyr with a cat mustache
Of course, some of the readers will smile skeptically. And of course, one should not believe everyone and everything, but the fact remains that the number of elders in Russia does not decrease from century to century. And they relate to their prediction of both everyday things and the fate of the country. For instance, Basil the Blessed, in honor of which the most famous Orthodox cathedral in Russia was built, several centuries before Peter I predicted: “For Ivashka the Terrible there will be many tsars, but one of them, a hero with a cat's mustache, a villain and a blasphemer, will strengthen the Russian state anew, although a third of the Russian people will fall on the way to the cherished blue seas, like logs under carts. "
Prophecies of the elders about Russia
Saint
Theophan the Recluse
“The West both punished and will punish us the Lord, but we do not understand everything. We got stuck in western mud up to our ears, and all is well. There are eyes, but we do not see, there are ears, but we don’t hear and we don’t understand with our hearts ... Having breathed this hellish frenzy into ourselves, we are spinning like madmen, not remembering ourselves. "
Saint
Feofan Poltava, 1930
“The Lord has chosen the future king. He will be a man of fiery faith, brilliant mind and iron will. Something that no one expects will happen. Russia will rise from the dead, and the whole world will be surprised. Orthodoxy will triumph in her. God Himself will put a strong King on the throne. "
Scheieromonk
Aristokles of Athos, 1917
“The judgment of God has begun over the living, and there will not be a single country on earth, not a single person who will not be touched by this. It began with Russia, and then further ... And Russia will be saved. And when the slightest good outweighs the cup, then God will show his mercy over Russia. "
Reverend
Seraphim of Sarov, 1825-1832
“Before the end of time, Russia will merge into one great sea with other lands and Slavic tribes, it will make up that huge universal ocean of the people, about which the Lord God spoke through the lips of the saints:“ The Kingdom of All Russia, before which all peoples will be in awe. ”
Venerable Seraphim Vyritsky, early XX century
“The time will come when, not persecution, but money and the delights of this world, will turn people away from God and much more souls will perish than during the times of open fighting against God. On the one hand, crosses will be erected and domes gilded, and on the other, the kingdom of lies and evil will come. But the salvation of the world is from Russia. "
Shhiarchimandrite Eli (Nozdrin)
He is the only person to whom Patriarch Kirill bows his head as a sign of deepest respect. 5 years ago, the newly elected Patriarch of All Russia asked Father Elijah to move to his residence in Peredelkino. Since that time, the monk spends most of his time in the residence of the patriarch near Moscow, in a small separate house, along with several other monks, where he receives those who wish. But sometimes he leaves for his native Optina Monastery, where he also receives.
Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov)
The founder of the convent is a rare example of a truly modern elder - possessing, as eyewitnesses say, a primordially ancient prophetic gift, he leads a completely modern life - he participates in television and radio broadcasts, writes books, maintains a website, and works in funds.
Archpriest Valerian (Krechetov)
A rare example of an elder from the "white clergy" (for a long time it was believed that only monks possess the gift of clairvoyance). Confessor of many Moscow clergy. He himself says: "Many priests can perform the sacraments, and only those who have been given advice can give advice."
The institution of eldership has developed in the Orthodox Church. Elders are old, experienced monks who have the gift of prayer, insight and miracles received from God. Some of them are still alive.
Here is a list of the most famous elders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus:
Father Kirill Pavlov - Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Sergiev Posad. A very old and very famous priest, confessor of the patriarchs Pimen and Alexy II, many priests and celebrities. According to the tabloids - "the same" Sergeant Pavlov, who captured the Pavlov House in Stalingrad. Almost does not accept.
Father Naum - Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Sergiev Posad. Receives daily, except Sunday. Up to 700 people make an appointment with him.
Father German - Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Sergiev Posad. Is engaged in lecturing demons. Has the gift of perspicacity.
Father Vlasiy, the sagacious - Kaluga region, Borovsk, Pafnutyev-Borovsky monastery. From time to time he confesses. Better to come for a few days.
Father Peter, visionary, confessor - Lukino, Nizhny Novgorod region. Better to come for a few days.
Vladyka Alipy - Ukraine, Donetsk region, Krasny Liman. As we see, bishops can also be elders.
Father Seraphim - Ukraine, Donetsk region, Svyatogorsk, Svyatogorsk Lavra
Archimandrite Dionysius - Moscow, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Pokrovskoe (Bakuninskaya, 100). A relatively young priest, but he possesses a rare power of prayer and the gift of shepherding.
Father Schema-Archimandrite Ily - Optina Pustyn, Kozelsk. He is the confessor of Patriarch Kirill, almost does not accept.
Father Jerome - Alatyr, Chuvashia, Assumption Monastery.
Father Illarion - Klyuchevskaya Hermitage, Mordovia, pos. Turgenevo. Difficult to get to, but relatively easy to get to confession.
Archimandrite Ambrose Yurasov - Ivanovo, Svyato-Vvedensky Convent.
Shhiarchimandrite John - Ioannovsky monastery near Saransk. Leads demons.
Father Nikolai is the rector of the Intercession-Ennatsky Monastery in Bashkiria.
Father Adrian - Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, Pskov Region. Almost does not accept ...
Archpriest Valerian Krechetov - Church of the Intercession, p. Akulovo, Odintsovo district. A rare example of an elder from the "white clergy", the confessor of many Moscow clergy.
There are several shrewd monks in the Pochaev Lavra in Western Ukraine (Pochaev, Ternopil region). It is quite difficult to get there, but it is relatively easy to talk with the elders.
Archimandrite Mitrofan, Zhirovitskaya Lavra, Belarus (town of Slonim, Grodno region). Almost does not accept. We must come for a few days.
There are also "Young Elders" - relatively inexperienced in the spiritual plane priests who actually behave like wolves in sheep's clothing. There are also false elders - crooks and heretics, posing as elders. There are a lot of young people in general. You don't need to name their names, but you need to pray for them, so that the Lord will bring them to understanding.
In conclusion, I want to tell you that if the Lord wills, you will go to the elder. We must pray for this. If you find it difficult to get to the monastery, then you can send a registered letter to the monastery or to the temple addressed to the elder. It is possible with a blank reply envelope. God bless you!
Nonrandom accidents
The story of how the memories of Schema-nun Maria (Stetskaya) came to me could itself become a plot for the story. There were so many unexpected encounters in this story, and what I call "non-accidental accidents", but, in fact, are manifestations of God's providence in our lives.
This story began with one leisurely evening conversation in the cell of the monastery hotel. They started talking about modern life, about how few elders and especially old women remained in Russia. In the godless years, the continuity of the elders was interrupted, almost all monasteries were closed. Of the women's monasteries, only Pukhtitsky remained. And how difficult it is now to find a spiritual leader! In general, the elders were transferred.
Suddenly, one of the sisters gently objected:
“You're not looking there. There are both elders and old women now, but they hide their spiritual height. You need to look for an old man or an eldress not in a geographical space, but in a spiritual one.
- What does it mean?
For many years no one knew how a nun from central Russia ended up in the Far East. And only at the end of her life, sparingly, with restraint, did she mention this wonderful phenomenon, when she was asked by numerous children.
They also accidentally learned about the life of mother before the tonsure. She was so modest that even her front-line fate was learned in fits and starts. For example, Natalya will see warm boots on her mother's feet in the summer heat and asks why she is so warmly dressed. And my mother reluctantly explains that she got cold feet on the crossing during the war years, and now an old cold is making itself felt.
Acquaintance with mother
From Komsomolsk-on-Amur I received many letters, in which they sincerely, with love, told about my mother. The children described how the very appearance of their mother influenced them: simplicity, silence, no exaltation, a calm quiet voice ... The look of the gray-blue eyes seemed to look straight into the soul.
Servant of God Tatiana writes: “The first thing I saw in her appearance was her eyes. They looked at me with such love! Love poured out of them in a light stream. And I found myself in this endless stream, a shower of love, and felt myself as in, safe, under the warm motherly protection. I stood in a kind of blissful stupor and forgot all the questions I had prepared. And I thought: why am I going to ask about something, because everything is clear and so. There is God, and everything is from Him, and everything is in His will. "
One of the close children of mother, Natalya Ivanovna, at the time of her acquaintance with the old woman, worked at a technical school in Komsomolsk-on-Amur as the head of the department and taught mechanical engineering technology. At work, at that moment, the situation was tense.
Natalya Ivanovna began to church, after the service in the church to help, and this church quickly became dear to her. And then in May 1998, as usual, on Sunday, she came to the service. And after the service they asked her candlesticks to clean. Suddenly - he sees: a crowd of people gathered around some nun, and everyone happily repeats: "Mother has arrived, mother has arrived!" And Natalya Ivanovna was unfamiliar with her. So she wanted to approach this mother, to make her acquaintance, but she must obey. She will move away from the candlesticks, but she cannot make her way through the crowd to Mother. He comes back and cleans the candlesticks again. And so several times.
Only once again Natalya Ivanovna raises her head - and right in front of her mother Maria stands. He looks intently, carefully, eye to eye. Natalya Ivanovna was shocked, it was such a concentrated, clear, precise look. It seemed that mother saw everything that in her, Natalya Ivanovna, was and was.
Smiling, mother Maria asked where and with whom Natalya worked. And then she suddenly said:
- Pray when you go to work.
Then the priest took mother away, and at parting she repeated these words again:
- Don't forget, pray when you go to work.
So Natalya Ivanovna did it. And everything at work miraculously worked out. The environment has completely changed and it has become very pleasant to work. So my mother, in her spirit, saw all her troubles at work and helped to cope with them.
Natalya Ivanovna became the spiritual child of Schema-nun Mary and was cared for by the eldress for 8 years, until her death in 2006.
Prayer
Mother was a prayer book. Once Natalya was a witness to her prayer. There was a conversation about some incident, and Mother Mary, turning away, prayed for a person in trouble. Natalya recalls that she was amazed by this short prayer: Mother turned to the Mother of God as if she were standing nearby. Schema-nun Maria prayed for all her children and felt in spirit when they felt bad. The children felt the prayer of the eldress. Through her prayer, everything in life was getting better, falling into place. Mother's prayer helped me in difficult life circumstances.
- I want to confess my sin, father! Remember, you came to my garden, brought that wonderful mother with you? But then I was going through hard times, I was deeply depressed. And he decided to commit suicide. Hang yourself. I already climbed into the attic and made a loop, I was going to put this loop on my neck - I hear some noise on the site. Someone else is walking. Okay, I think I'll have time to hang myself. Now I'll see who walks there, and then I'll hang myself.
He went out, and there - mother. I talked to her. And after the conversation I felt so good in my soul! All sorrows have gone somewhere! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, my favorite gladioli are blooming! Okay! What is it, I think, is it up to me to hang myself, what kind of confusion has found ?! I went and took off the rope. And now - I live on. Gradually, life circumstances changed for the better. I've come to repent of my attempted suicide. Let go of the sin, father! Maybe some kind of penance ...
The story of the abbot of the church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, hegumen P.
“I want to say that I am a skeptical person by nature, so you can not fear any exaggerations on my part in assessing the personality of Mother Mary. It will focus exclusively on “what we heard, what we saw with our eyes, what we looked at and what our hands touched” (1 John 1-1).
I’ll start with my hands, that is, with the history of our acquaintance with her. I received my first parish in the year of the millennium of the Baptism of Rus (1988). Arriving on it in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, I found there a small residential building converted into a church in a rather deplorable state.
At one of the nearest services, he urged parishioners to make donations for the renovation of the building. My appeal had no special effect, either because of the poverty of the small flock, or because people wanted to first look at the new priest. I must say, my predecessor left them plenty of grounds for mistrust. And I myself, as you will see below, was far from apostolic non-acquisitiveness.
Once at Vespers I notice an unfamiliar old woman in a church in a dark gray cloak and a large black scarf, wrapped in several layers around her head. A rope of some ridiculous convex glasses, similar to flying or welding glasses, is stretched over it. Shifted to the forehead, they make a rather comic impression.
But I’m not laughing, because my parishioners, obviously forgetting about prayer, surrounded this “pilot” and endlessly shove some pieces of paper into her hands and pockets. During the incense, I am convinced that these are memorial notes and money. There is no limit to my inner indignation: “How so! The mugs are empty, the old plaster is crumbling on the head, and here, without the abbot's blessing, some stray dares to take away the last! And even during the service! "
I barely waited until the end of the all-night vigil, but did not even have time to open her mouth, when the old woman herself came up to me with a bundle in her hands.
- Here, - he says, - Father, you serve in the church ... Accept from us, Muscovites, for the glory of the Most Pure. (Mother lived in the capital for many years).
I turned the edge of the newspaper, I saw - blue brocade robes, of which I could not even dream of dreaming.
- No, - I answer, - I will not accept. What are you doing here in my service? Or is it not customary in Moscow to bless a priest to collect donations in a church ?!
She bowed and left, leaving the bundle on the memorial table.
The next day, on the occasion of the patronal feast, after the Liturgy a meal was served in the courtyard, to which I ordered our guest to be invited. I sit with the clerk at one end of the table, and she is at the other. I glance at her involuntarily: the characteristic ascetic pallor of the face with an olive tint and some extraordinary eyes. Much later I realized that this is how dispassion looks ...
Matushka, on the other hand, did not pay any attention to me and, as it seemed to me at first, she told neighbors in an undertone about visiting some parishes, along the way giving characteristics to the pastors who served for them in something like this: “Father is very good there, but that's why he is - he does this and that, because this is not supposed to be, sin ... ”Well, I think, hour by hour it’s not easier, now the clergy will also publicly discuss ...
But suddenly, like an electric shock, I was struck - she exposes mine, my secret sins! Well, yes - I did this myself yesterday, and this is about me, and this - too!
After the meal, I went up to Matushka with the words: “Excuse me, I see you are not an easy person ...” I invited her to my cell, and then a direct and impartial conversation began.
It turned out that Mother knows everything about me, knows more than myself. By the way, she asked:
- Father, why are your hands so red?
- How red? - I'm surprised - ordinary hands have always been like that.
- No, red. True, they are not like those of one headman, who secretly opens the mugs, and drags things from the church home ... His elbows are burning with fire, but yours - only so far, and such, reddish. Maybe, after all, somewhere there is a disorder with documents, or have you spent something superfluous on yourself?
Well, of course there was a sin. After all, not only did I decorate the church, some of the church funds and personal needs were used, for home furnishings, for the consolation of the flesh ...
In general, it was not only the hands that had to blush.
And Matushka also told how this parish in the 60s, during the Khrushchev persecutions, at the behest of the Mother of God herself opened it. She appeared to her
in a dream vision and said: “There is such a city - Komsomolsk-on-Amur. You must open a temple there in honor of My Assumption ”.
When mother woke up and looked at the map, she gasped: almost ten thousand kilometers from Moscow! Doubted - isn't it charming? After that, soon her paralysis broke, and the Mother of God came twice more, repeating: "Go!" And when I decided to go, I got to my feet. "
The story of the parishioners of the church in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“The modern parish of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in Komsomolsk-on-Amur at the end of the 60s by the will of the Most Holy Theotokos. Mother Mary came to our city to carry out the order of the Mother of God together with her sister. Arriving, they met the believing women and prayed at the house of one of them.
The Lord admonished to buy a house for a temple. And here are four women: Yulia Ivanovna Begovatkina, Valentina Mitrofanovna Makarova, Evgenia Ivanovna Zhuravleva, Maria Konstantinovna Shish - they bought a house on Lermontov Street, 83a at their own expense. The authorities did not like this, and they called a comradely court. But at the trial the people stood up for the believers, saying: "Let the grandmothers pray."
The whole world was rebuilding the house into a church. Liturgical texts, akathists, and memorial services were copied by hand. Church utensils were made from scrap materials. Priests from Khabarovsk came to nourish the believers, serve, confess: Hieromonk Anatoly, Abbot Seraphim, Archpriest Dimitri.
Mother Mary helped in the construction of the temple both with prayer and with funds donated by believers. She regularly came to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, for 18 years she took care of the Church of the Assumption and all the believers in this city. We went from Komsomolsk-on-Amur and to her in Orel. Once, with the blessing of the church rector, one of the four women who had raised money to buy a house for the church, the future schema-nun Eulogia, went to see her mother in Oryol for the shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos.
We ordered the shroud in the church workshop. When it was ready, they brought it to the temple to consecrate it. The priest who consecrated the shroud said that it was as if the Mother of God herself consecrated it, such a strong fragrance from her. The shroud was carefully packed, and Mother Maria and her companion went to the station to get to Moscow by train, and from there fly to the Far East by plane.
The train was about to leave. Someone opened the back door of the carriage for them, and they entered and stood at the conductor's compartment. The guide was surprised to see the mothers, but allowed them to go. A strong fragrance emanated from the shroud. Some passengers found this fragrance intolerable, they began to be indignant and closed the doors to the compartment, unable to withstand the grace from the presence of the shrine.
In the morning we arrived in Moscow, got on a bus to get to the airport. The same story was repeated there. When we arrived at the airport, it turned out that the landing had already ended, and the plane was already taxiing to the runway. The mothers began to pray, and the plane was detained. They were asked to board a bus and taken to the plane.
When we went to the gangway, we saw the surprised faces of passengers in all the windows. People expected to see some important people, because of whom the flight was delayed. Instead, they saw two elderly women of a rural appearance. And when the mothers entered the plane, the fragrance spread around again. "
The shroud was brought to the church just on the eve of the patronal feast - the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The last time Schema-nun Maria came to Komsomolsk-on-Amur was in 2000, when she was already 78 years old. In such venerable years, she traveled across the country to the Far East to her beloved temple, to her children. Mother died in 2006, at the age of 84, and was buried in the city of Oryol at the Afanasyevsky cemetery, next to the convent.
An old man without a novice is not an old man
- Father Panteleimon, who are the elders? How are they different from spiritual teachers, or just from wise people?
- The determining factor here, first of all, is the relationship between the elder and the novice, because just as there cannot be a son without a father, a father without a child, so there can not be an old man without a novice. This is a very close and absolutely trusting relationship, when the novice is ready for Christ's sake to surrender all his will into the hands of the elder, ready to learn from him the monastic life. The elder, unlike the father, is chosen, but when he has chosen, there is no turning back. It doesn't matter what your old man is, hot-tempered, not hot-tempered, gentle or strict - you don't care anymore, you love him like your own father. And there can be no other for you. The Monk John Climacus says: before you choose your spiritual father, you have the right to consider the traits of his character. If you have already become his child, then, looking at him with a critical eye, you terribly destroy your relationship.
- Probably, as in marriage: you chose each other, got married or got married - you won’t get married.
- Yes indeed. I got married, and suddenly discovered that the soulmate's character is a little bit different than it seemed at first, but you already have a very close relationship and it would be a disaster to leave them.
Sometimes the novices, knowing the peculiarities of their character, deliberately chose for themselves very harsh elders. For example, in our book there is a story about Elder Ephraim of Katunak, who had a very strict mentor: he almost did not give any monastic instructions, but on everyday issues he was always very tough. And for Father Ephraim it turned out to be incredibly useful! He loved his old man with all his heart, he cared about him. And when his mentor, father Nicephorus, was dying, he repeatedly asked for forgiveness from his disciple and said to those around him: "This is not a man, this is an angel!"
In such a relationship between a novice and an elder, the concept of eldership is revealed in the greatest way. It is difficult to describe the love of a father for his son. And the love with which the elder loves the novice - although it may never manifest itself in these relationships, the elder can be strict and severe towards the novice - the love that the Lord gives is very strong. On Mount Athos, eldership and obedience to the elder is perceived as a sacrament, and, accordingly, both participants in this sacrament are guided by the Lord. In his relationship with the elder, the novice learns to hear and obey God.
- That is, he perceives the will of the elder as the will of God?
- Exactly. The ancient patericon preserved the following words of Abba Pimen: "The will of man is a copper wall that stands between him and God." And the novice quietly, piece by piece, dismantles this copper wall, obeying his elder, although his instructions may often be incomprehensible or even changing every minute. But if with love for God, with love for the elder, the novice tries to fulfill these instructions, then a special work takes place in his soul, he feels the breath of the Holy Spirit. Often, the Lord also expects from us those things that we would not want - out of laziness, out of distrust of God: we want to first be explained why this should be done, and only then we will do it. And the elder is not obliged to explain anything to the novice.
There are different relationships. If there is a novice who sincerely obeys the elder, then the elder receives from God admonition as to how to lead him correctly into the Kingdom of Heaven. If the novice turns out to be very obstinate and willful, then the elder is left to show the condescension and mercy that God shows to us, enduring our disobedience and self-will. For example, about one of the elders - Father Cyril of Kareysky - it is said that he loved to pray at night, performed, in the full sense, all-night vigils, and the novice scolded him for this. And so the elder tried to hide his exploits from him, endured reproach.
Junior Elderly
- Can we say that monasticism is such a vanguard of Christianity, and eldership is the vanguard of monasticism? Are people on the front lines who pass on their experience?
- In general, yes. There is even a depicting example of this. Elder Joseph the Hesychast, famous in Russia, in his youth had a very hot character and kept his fervor until old age; once he had a vision that he was on the front lines in a battle with demons. And he was not scared, did not hide behind other people's backs, but, on the contrary, was eager to fight! Indeed, there are such fiery fighters, and in some exceptional cases they grow up almost without spiritual guidance.
Actually, Father Joseph was one of those who searched all over Athos and could not find a spiritual leader. His companion, Father Arseny, although he was ten years older than Father Joseph in age and in monastic deed, did not take on the burden of spiritual guidance, but said to his younger brother: “Please, be an old man, but I promise that I will stay with you. in obedience to death. " It is not so important who is older in age! Spiritual experience plays a huge role: a person should teach based on his own experience, and not be a "trader in someone else's wisdom." Only by speaking from their experience did the fathers understand that their word was effective.
This relationship between the elder and his novice, who are close by every day from morning to evening, can only to some extent be transferred to the relationship between a spiritually experienced person and the laity, but here, too, trust and obedience play a huge role.
- Should it be absolute obedience? Is it possible for a layman?
- No, no one demands absolute obedience in this case. But if a person comes with a specific question and the elder answers him, enlightened by God, then, no matter how strange this answer, the questioner should do what he said. Otherwise, it turns out that he came to ask God and turns his nose up: "Lord, you are saying something so strange, I will do it my own way."
Having faith, genuine trust, and a willingness to take advice that may seem strange are very important. Often, if there is no such faith, the Lord does not reveal anything about a particular person to the elder - the absence of an answer will be more useful than an answer that will not be accepted. “God took away the grace of words from the elders,” says the Memorable Legends, “and they cannot find what to say, because there is no fulfilling word for them.”
- And how many are generally ready for such obedience? Or do most of us still listen to the will of God according to the principle “If I don’t like it, it’s as if I didn’t hear anything”?
- There are always people who are ready to perceive with a pure heart what they hear. And it also happens that someone with great pride takes on an unbearable feat of absolute obedience and at the same time places an unbearable burden on another, because for an elder to bear the burden of his novices is also a difficult feat, the elder must be a really strong prayer book. Obedience cannot be learned in five minutes. It is a long road with many falls. The experience of the elders is important here, as well as a sober look at oneself - "the son of difficult mistakes." Awareness of one's own weakness is one of the key moments of Orthodox asceticism. But after all, a person who is just getting up on alpine skiing is first of all taught to fall correctly - so that he does not injure himself, but can get up and move on. So it is in the spiritual life: under the supervision of our elders, we learn not to fall to death, and to get up with youthful jealousy.
- Who are the Young Elders and how to protect themselves from falling into false obedience to them?
- Only our Lord God is truly holy, yet people, even saints, have certain human weaknesses and shortcomings. Those priests who have been appointed by the Church to carry spiritual obedience, to direct the spiritual life of people, also have some imperfections. Their task is to shepherd the flock of the church, preventing the sheep from falling into the destructive abysses of heresies, witchcraft, apostasy and other evil, but also not depriving them of their inner freedom. In many matters, even the Apostle Paul gave only advice, and did not impose his decision - just as a good shepherd does not pass off his human reasoning as divine revelation. Obedience is a matter of love and trust, not an army discipline. But it happens that the priest, because of mixed pride, considers his opinion to be the only correct one and tries to push the child into the Kingdom of Heaven by force: he makes a vital choice for him or points out in small things, without receiving any divine enlightenment.
One should seek a spiritual father “not with eyes, but with tears,” ask the Lord to give us to a good shepherd himself. First, let us learn to be simple lambs of Christ's flock, love the church, watch our language and deeds, show respect for our parish priest - and if the Lord deems it useful for us, then he will certainly arrange a meeting with the elder.
A miracle is not useful for everyone
- They say that the world rests on the elders, on their prayer. Is it true or rather a cliché?
- A Russian proverb says that a city does not stand without a saint, but a village without a righteous man. Even in everyday life, it can be seen: there is a person on whom the school is based - and not necessarily the director; there is a person on whom the parish is - and not necessarily the abbot. And here and there it can be Aunt Masha, a cleaning lady who just kindly greets everyone and quietly prays for everyone.
At the same time, it is very clearly felt how precarious and fragile everything in our life is, at one moment everything can collapse. And the Lord keeps the world by His mercy through the prayer of His saints: some of them are already in Heaven, and someone else lives on earth and completes his path of ascent.
- Partly because a person wants to see in the old man some, roughly speaking, a magician who, with a wave of a magic wand, will solve all his problems. And, not finding such a thing, people say: “No, I will not obey the one who tells me to do something, to work, I need a seer, a miracle worker! There are no such people today ... "
We must understand that not everyone benefits from a miracle - more often than not we need to roll up our sleeves and solve problems ourselves. If you have an overgrown garden, and there are no tractors in this village that would clear it, you will have to take a shovel and a hoe and work yourself. And if the miracle tractor does all the work for you, then you yourself will be lazy, your life will become simple, but not good.
In some cases, it is really necessary that a miracle be manifested. So that a hopelessly sick child would suddenly jump up and run joyfully, and thanks to this, everyone's faith would be strengthened. But this does not mean that with every sneeze of a child, you need to run to the elder and ask for healing. The search for elders who would solve our problems for us is psychologically quite understandable.
- Often the elders were people without education, simple, and this confuses those who come ...
- The Lord can make an old man even a not very educated person - he announced His will through the donkey. You just have to open your ears, open your heart to hear.
- Paisiy Svyatogorets, it seems, had only a few classes of school behind his back, and people were queuing up to him for advice!
- The Monk Paisios is a man with amazing sharpness of mind, attentiveness to himself, to those around him, and to nature. The tremendous wealth of his soul was poured out on everyone, and thanks to the talent to clothe instructions in such a witty, visual form, his words were easily remembered. He gave a lot of examples from ordinary life, very vivid comparisons with nature, he spoke very easily. The oral tradition, which underlies the patericon, also belongs to this style. Let's say that such and such an old man lived, his life was hidden from human eyes, but sometimes he said or did something bright to teach people. For example, he took a basket, poured sand into it, came to the monastery, where the brethren reproached each other, and walked around the courtyard. He was asked, "What are you doing, Abba?" He replied: “I hung my sins behind my back, I don’t care about them, so I go and look at strangers.” Such short instructive stories, also with a grain of humor, are well remembered and often come to mind at the right moment. For example, it is difficult to retell the life of the Monk Ambrose of Optina, but those short sayings that he often used are easy to remember and can cheer a person up in time and tell him how to act.
Obedience of the Archondar Monk
- Elders are very different, they do not fit into one type. Elder Paisius was a very simple man with humor, Elder Joseph was a very ardent, extraordinary ascetic. Can you give any other examples?
- For example, in our patericon we have a story about an elder who was archondarine, that is, responsible for receiving pilgrims. But at the same time he was a terrible silent man! That is, according to his position, this elder is obliged to talk with everyone ... being a very quiet person himself, very modest. The people who came to the monastery of St. Paul were greatly surprised at this. And then ... they sent greeting cards to the monks: "Congratulations on your archondarine!" Because, although he was silent, and, it would seem, was unsociable, but from him came the love that everyone felt.
There are also foolish elders whom people took for madmen, but whom they sometimes could find, for example, standing in the middle of the street, in rags, barefoot, performing the divine service from beginning to end from memory!
There were abbots who fulfilled all obediences with motherly solicitude and did not make a single remark to anyone for all their abbess! They themselves performed the work that needed to be done by other monks, and prayed that the Lord would enlighten them. By their example, they had an even greater effect on the novices than if they shouted and stamped their feet.
There are stories about amazingly hardworking monks who had golden hands: they grew such tomatoes in their garden that one had to climb a ladder to pick them!
There are also such stories. Before coming to Athos, one person was engaged in spiritualism. And when he decided to go to the Holy Mountain and went to the last session of spiritualism, the spirits did not appear for a long time and finally said to one of those present: "We will not appear until this person changes his decision to go to Athos." And he, having come to Athos, began to write about the terrible harm that spiritualism brings.
Such different people lived on Athos - a real flower garden of characters and talents!
- Ancient lives often paint an ideal image of ascetics. Do you write about modern elders without idealization?
- Of course, there are examples of falls and uprisings, the patericon also speaks of the dangers that may lie in wait on the path of excessive heroism. For example, in our book there is a story about a monk who lived as a hermit and was a very strict fasting man: he ate food once every two days or even less often. From such harshness towards himself, he, in the end, was somewhat damaged. When he was taken to the monastery to take care of him, this ascetic was very irritable, he did not want to say a kind word to anyone, he could not pray, everything in him was boiling - and for himself such a state, practically God-forsaken, was very painful. He stayed there for several months, realized his condition, made peace with everyone, prayer returned to him, and he rested in peace.
There is a story about a monk who lived on Mount Athos and commanded the workers. Over time, he plunged into the hustle and bustle of everyday life, grew fat and abandoned his monastic rule. He returned to his former youthful fervor in the faith after one terrible vision, and lived a very dignified monastic life.
These are stories about living, not idealized people, and for this they are valuable! These are not superman coloring books. It happened that the robbers became saints, and the monks, after severe falls, returned to monastic life and even received the gift of miracles.
Therefore, the stories from the lives of the elders provide rich enough material for making decisions in our everyday troubles.
"I realized that I am at home"
- Father Panteleimon, where does such attention to Athos come from in Russia today?
- The fact is that the monastic tradition was not interrupted on Athos. In Russia, it was restored mainly from books, but there the tradition has lived for many centuries. And, in fact, the Russian Church has always been oriented towards Athos. If we take such a fundamental book as the Typicon, which defines the charter of our liturgical life, then we can see that according to its rules, people live more on Athos than in our parish churches: for example, there Matins are celebrated at sunrise, while in ours it is closer to sunset, and in many other moments the monastic life there is much closer to the centuries-old tradition.
- Have you ever met people who could be called elders?
- I had a little contact with Archimandrite Parthenius (Murelatos), the abbot of the monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos. This is a mountain man, in every sense. From him comes a feeling of very deep solidity - this is a person about whom worldly waves break. At the same time, he is very simple and wise, loving, next to him you feel like a little boy next to a big grandfather who loves you, you feel great respect and awe. You are a little scared - you understand that he already knows everything about you - but at the same time, the feeling of safety next to him does not leave you.
A completely different character is Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Bunge) from Switzerland, with whom I happened to live for a week. He is a man of the broadest erudition, fluent in many languages, reading the Holy Fathers in the original, a man of German accuracy. It is both joyful and very interesting to be near him, and at the same time you are afraid that your insensitivity might cause inconvenience or cause dissonance. It is precisely the desire to be “on the same wavelength” with the elder that should be characteristic of the novice - he learns to understand from the half-word of the elder and is in a hurry to fulfill his will.
- How did you come to monasticism yourself?
- Everything was somehow surprisingly smooth and painless. If someone can tell about coming to faith through sorrow and difficulties, then I rather did not understand how to thank God for the abundance of everything that He gives me! Probably, the countdown can begin with my baptism, at the age of 11. True, churching did not begin with him. However, from the Sacrament itself, a surprisingly light, clear feeling of the beginning of a new life remained - it remained forever.
- Did you decide to be baptized yourself?
- No, my mother brought me. Then there was a good school, going to university, wonderful friends - I don't remember any difficulties. One day my acquaintances took me to the Easter service in the church, and standing there, in this cramped situation, I suddenly realized that I was at home here. That I am where I should be, and this place is absolutely dear and joyful for me. And then little by little, a meaningful churching began: I read patristic literature avidly, began to help in church - just then my studies at the university ended. It was somehow very natural, in such a "soft way" I entered the seminary, then the academy *. And life under the protection of St. Sergius, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, had a great influence on me. There I found my confessor, who once asked: "If a small monastery appears, will you go?" I say, "I'll go." Then a small monastery really appeared, and I went after graduating from the Academy. This path was, it seems to me, just covered with carpets!
- Without a doubt?
- There were some worries. But they somehow disappear from memory, and the gentle, loving hand with which the Lord led you - its feeling remains. Most of the worries are connected with some stupid attempts to turn aside, when it was clear that they were leading the wrong way. There were abrupt and incorrect movements ...
- There is such a saying: if you are 99 percent confident in choosing monasticism, and 1 percent doubtful, then when you put on the mantle, 99 percent of confidence will turn into 99 percent doubts. Is it really so?
- It depends on what you have imagined about the monastery. If you have any expectations, then not meeting those expectations, which can naturally arise, will lead to disappointment. Naturally - because you can imagine a certain picture of the monastery, peeping through the keyhole, and then you go in - and everything is different there! And if you don't expect anything especially - again, as in the relationship of spouses, you don't expect that the bride will always cook deliciously for you, keep the house in perfect condition and always be in a good mood - then your illusions will not break on reality, you will not be disappointed. When you get married, a person is important to you as he is, regardless of any external circumstances. The same applies to the monastery: you do not come to the walls, not to the way of life, you come first of all to your confessor. That is, you entrust yourself to him. And you become such a soft clay: here I come, mold what you want out of me, I completely trust you. And if you are hard, like a stone, and they are trying to sculpt something out of you, painful sensations arise.
- Trust in God and trust in man are close concepts. You trust God in the first place, which means that the Lord will save you, will not give you offense and will grant you the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not easy to live with trust, but it is even more painful to live, constantly expecting a catch, fearing everything. Yes, you can exist like a wise minnow, having hollowed out a small hole for yourself and not sticking out anywhere from there, but this can hardly be called life! And a life with trust is a life that is in full swing! You are ready for something new every day. And with such trust, you value less what is squeezed in your hands, and less upset because of your mistakes and falls.
I have such an association. Your task is to bring water in a glass from one end of the field to the other. And you, joyful and self-confident, take this full glass and go! But a little water spilled - you start to get nervous. A little more spilled - you start to get even more nervous, your hand begins to shake, you completely lose your temper and are already ready to throw this glass to the ground and sit down, cry. This attitude happens when you are looking at the wrong thing. You are told: bring at least some water to the other end of the field. This is your final goal and the rest is little things. And it doesn't matter which one you come - you can get all covered in mud, no matter how much water you spill - maybe only a drop will remain in the glass on the bottom, but you must complete the task. There is the One who entrusted it to you. And the less attention you pay to yourself, and more - to what is expected of you, the better. And vanity sticks out, you want to bring a glass full. Forget about falling, remember about the final goal. It is not you and not your failures or successes that are important, it is your relationship with God, your trust in Him that is important. This approach, it seems to me, is correct. Your distrust stops you, closes in on yourself and the glass, but the goal is not visible, and you can sit down and live your whole life at this end of the field, the glass will stand in front of you, and you will be afraid to take and carry it.
- Everything that you talked about today - both about eldership and about obedience - all this is united by some kind of joy. Finally, please tell us what place in the life of monks, elders, and even in ordinary Christian life, does joy occupy?
- There is a well-known phrase: if people knew what joy monasticism is full of, everyone would run to become a monk; but if people knew what sorrows awaited them there, no one would go into monasticism. And if one makes a reference to familiar secular texts, then the following song comes to mind: “She goes through life laughing, meeting and saying goodbye, not upset ... but they do not notice how the one who goes through life laughing cries at night”. Therefore, when there is an intense inner life, work, overcoming one's laziness and unwillingness, the Lord rewards all this with joy. And he sends amazing people to meet. The Lord does not deceive the trust that you place in Him. This does not mean that there are some settlements with God or with an elder. The experience simply appears, which affirms you in your chosen intention. Why should we be "beeches" and indulge in self-digging, if Christ is risen and the doors of paradise are open for us? We sit, lose heart, pout, but the doors are open and the sun is shining through them ...
