12. Духовник Саровской братии Иеромонах Иларион

Hieromonk Hilarion, a disciple of the above-mentioned Abbot Nazarius, from St. Petersburg citizens, was tonsured a monk at the Valaam Monastery in 1797. He died in the Sarov Desert on November 12, 1841 at the age of 71. He stayed in the monastery for only 50 years and subsequently was the general confessor of the brethren in the Sarov Hermitage. This was a man known for his purity of life to many people, whom he edified and consoled with his wonderful, sweet-tongued words and exemplary love for everyone. His gift of speech in conversation was so comforting that everyone who heard him found spiritual benefit for himself. His entire life was devoted to deeds of goodness, prayers for the salvation of his neighbors, merciful healing of sinful diseases, soul-saving instructions, and generally the strictest piety. But the Lord did not predestinate perfect peace for His laboring servants in this life, but allows them to sometimes be met with various temptations, so that they would appear before Him like gold tempted by fire, which is why this virtuous man could not remain without sorrow, as can be seen from his letters, which are also attached. I thank you with all my heart, beloved brother, Father Andrey! for your great and detailed writing. Brother, God’s work for you and the prayers of St. Serius had an effect on you staying in the Lavra. But for those who pay attention to their salvation, and for those who are sober, every place is saving. “It is not place that saves a person, but disposition and pleasing to God.” So live, brother, and be saved, and pray for me, a simpleton. I live in the saving Sarov, but it’s bad; after all, the place will not save”: Judas was not saved even under Christ Himself. Everywhere, brother, you need attention and sobriety. Sorry, brother! Sinful and last Hilarion, ever-weak, I zealously perform the most humble worship. Most honorable and prudent monk My dear brother in Christ Jesus, I most earnestly offer you, my sufferer, my gratitude for your spiritually joyful writing to me, which I received regularly, and with the most pleasant opportunity that has arisen for me, I will write to you the following. – With your Scriptures, you very helpfully advise me not to be discouraged, but even more so to rejoice generously, remembering the many words of the Apostle about this. This, brother, is my path. For now, I am neither a faster, nor a prayer book, nor an ascetic, but on the contrary, I eat and drink, and I address and speak to everyone; but I do everything for the glory of God; In all my sorrows, I often remember and with heartfelt sighing I exclaim Chrysostom’s favorite words: “Glory to God for everything!” Now I quite see and reason that the sweetest Jesus himself, along the path of my life, prepared me for the magnanimous bearing of the cross laid on me and little by little prepared me so that, with His divine help, it is not very burdensome to me, but rather it will be a great benefit to me for my life. – After all, for many years I asked the Lord to change the many-prayed path. The Lord stopped. And thank God for everything. Father Archimandrite N.... was here for about a week on Trinity Sunday and showed me kindness, helpful words and condescension that pleased me, and deigned me to serve with him. He took my decree and promised to ease my fate. I used to say the following words to many, but now in deed, with the help of Divine grace, it is necessary, and indeed very necessary, to fulfill them yourself: “It is the characteristic of a generous, valiant soul not to despair in adversity; - There is a grateful thing, not only in happiness, thank the Lord: but also in unhappiness, show gratitude” - No one can embitter a virtuous soul, but everything that suffers, imputes the profit to itself. And what could be better than this than to bear your lot generously and without grumbling. There is nothing more generous than to forget the insults inflicted on us. Reflecting on this and similar things, and reinforcing myself, I say to myself: “Endure, O sinner, sorrows; in your sorrows praise God. Below, there is peace without difficulty, below, without fighting, victory is achieved. – And to the one who overcomes, says Christ, I will give food from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. And he who overcomes will inherit all things: and I will be his God, and she will be My son (Rev. ch. 21, v. 7).” So, dear brother, may God grant you victory, but I ask you to remember me, a defeated simpleton, in your prayers. I remain in the hope of your love and zeal, the unworthy Sarov Hieromonk Hilarion, created from dust, I diligently offer you my most humble worship. The sad will always be followed by the joyful. And service entails punishment. The yoke will teach me according to the Prophet. Kozlovskaya Trinity Monastery, where, according to a false denunciation, O. Hilarion was under penance. Most Honorable and Most Reverend Hieromonk Father A..., well-loved in Christ Jesus I've been meaning to write to you for a long time, but there were obstacles slowing me down. Now having received your scripture, I will write the following on it. For great sins, councils of the Great Church and Penance are prescribed, which in the present punishment are performed on obvious sinners. And confession is a secret sacrament. We repent before the spiritual Lord Himself of our secret sins, our father, to whom was given the power to loosen and bind: but his confessor should be prudent and skillful, and not like the one mentioned in the Regulations, that there are confessors who hold on to the breviary like blind crutches. So, beloved brother, do not be discouraged by the fall, and fight and do not grieve much, so that the enemy, having wounded you a lot, does not cut off your head: that is, he does not lead you to despair, which is, as Climacus writes, the most vile of all sins. Do not be discouraged, brother, serve and, with blessing, correct a certain position diligently, strictly, and even more mercifully and meekly. Early, brother, you found yourself in a position of leadership, where an adamantite heart must be in order to withstand. But you did not search for yourself, but you were sought and determined by God and your superiors. And again I will say: do not be discouraged, but try in every possible way to reduce sins, and not to add. And, according to your confession to your confessor, serve with humility. And to your salvation, ask, if possible, for inability from your superiors; It is easier and better to be controlled than to be controlled. And as small sins lead to big ones, for this reason - be afraid, take courage and be sober, lest the enemy from time immemorial throw you into the underground hole that he is already digging. Here is what you need to observe: do not drink strong drinks for any reason. Also be afraid of women and do not make close acquaintances. The great Arseny was already getting older, but he was afraid of his wives and treated them strictly. With the help of the Lord, keep this, brother, and you will not be in a hole and an obvious sinner. Therefore, having wished you health, prosperity, all the best from the Lord and great mercy, I remain in the hope of your love and zeal, with the request of your holy prayers, the last Jerome of the Sarov desert. Hilarion, ever-weak, I diligently perform the most humble worship to you. Most Honorable and Reverend M. Father D. Save yourself and be strong in the Lord. We earnestly thank you, kind brother, for the information about myself, which I told Elder Alexander: we rejoiced that you were well, but we were surprised and earnestly grieved, considering with what displeasure we received the paper about your innocence; But I think this happened as the Prophet said and wrote: “This is the work of those who slander me before the Lord.” But it is also written: “The wise man does not care, even if he suffers, even if he hurts: but he thanks God for everything that is good.” For this, I wish you, dear brother, all the best from the Lord, blessings and great mercy, and that you may pass through the great fast that has begun in soul-saving health, end it safely and worship with the saving passion and the Holy Resurrection of Christ. I remain your spiritual father Jerome. Hilarion, the last in Sarov: we earnestly worship you and Elder Alexander, and we ask you, brother, to have us unforgettably before the Lord in your prayers. Let us people begin an immaculate fast, which is the salvation of souls, let us serve the Lord with fear, let us anoint our heads with the oil of goodness and wash our faces with clean water. Amen. Sorry brother, won't see you for a long time. Dear brother and father D., Be saved and strengthened in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I congratulate you on your resettlement from Sarov and on your appointment to a new place of residence in the Holy Tolshevsky monastery. And God grant you, dear brother, in a new place to always be renewed with new grace, and to grow and prosper in the grace and mind of our Lord Jesus Christ; and may He strengthen you and strengthen you so that you can work for Him as the Lord in honor and righteousness. It is written: ascend to yourself, O man, and be new instead of old, and so on. The tree being transplanted hurts and requires water and support with ties. – Water – tears; and if anyone does not have them, he is commanded to groan often; supports are skillful elders; attachment is the word of God, the word Holy. “Blessed is the man who learns the law of the Lord day and night. The law of your mouth is better to me than a thousand gold and silver. Try the scriptures, for in them is eternal life.” What I diligently desire for you, I remain in the hope of your love and zeal, my brother, your brother, the last in Sarov, Hieromonk Hilarion, a simpleton, I diligently perform the most humble worship to you, I send a blessing, and thanks for attributing your respect. Any virtue that exists without humility is not virtue, writes Abba Dorotheos. Just as it is impossible for a ship to be built without nails, so it is not possible to be saved without humble wisdom, - the word of Synclitia. The peace and tranquility of the Holy Spirit is humility, love, and meekness, writes St. Macarius. These are the other commandments of the Lord. Sorry, brother, sorry. Dear brother Father D..., I received your two friendly writings with pleasure, and I thank you, beloved brother, for remembering me, a sinner. Father Alexander is still alive and fighting illnesses, praying to God for us and for himself, and sends his deepest bow to you. And Father Paisius and Father Jesse have passed away from us forever; remember, brother, them in your prayers. - At your request, brother, I am sending a confession book, I hope it will be pleasant to you; and so I remain in the hope of your love and zeal, all-zealous well-wisher. I wish you health and prosperity, especially eternal salvation, poor Sarovich, Hieromonk Hilarion, ever weak and living poorly, as you have seen and know. Dear brother Father D..., Save yourself and be strong in the Lord. I hope you received my letter, in which I informed you about Elder Alexander, and now I also inform you that, after his long-term suffering from illness, on August 5th, in the night, he died and passed into another age, into the church triumphant from the war, where our life is hidden with Christ in God. Father Ilarius followed him there too, ending his suffering from water sickness, on August 16th. Both were specially blessed with oil, and they often received communion and sang the funeral service for them. May they have eternal memory and rest with the saints, and for us, brother, may God grant us to live even longer and serve the Lord in honor. For sending the Holy images and again, I thank you, dear brother; and henceforth I remain in the hope of your love and zeal, the poor and last monk Hilarion in Sarov, in the most diligent and humble way I worship you. Instructions to beginners by Hieromonk Hilarion The head and beginning of all virtues is prayer, about which the Apostle said: pray unceasingly, that is, always call on the name of God, whether we talk, whether we sit, whether we walk, whether we do, whether we eat, or whether we do anything else; at every time and in every place it is appropriate to call on the name of God; This means that the temptation of the enemy is consumed, writes Chrysostom. Beat the warriors, says the Climacus, in the name of Jesus, and this strongest weapon will not be found either in heaven or on earth. Prayer is the driving away of sorrow and despondency, the growth of meekness and absence of anger, the manifestation of joy and thanksgiving, and the acquisition and increase of countless benefits. It is proper to learn self-reproach, that is, always blame yourself in your mind, and not people; reproach yourself, and not others, and call yourself a fool and stupid, sleepy and careless, lazy and careless. Have self-reproach to have peace, writes Abba Dorotheus, and never be embarrassed: if illness, insult, oppression, or any other misfortune happens to such a person, he attributes everything to his sins, and thanks God; Even if the abbot punishes or scolds such a person, he accepts everything as good and considers it a divine deed. Pride instills in a person when he still does not know himself at all, and so know yourself and beware of pride and vanity in every possible way, as great harm to the soul, but you cannot drive them away from yourself except by constant self-reproach and humiliation of yourself. It is a hedgehog to consider oneself incapable and unworthy of all higher positions. Know yourself if you consider yourself stupid, sleepy, careless and lazy, etc.; do not listen to the sins of others, but look at your own, and always repent about them; reason about yourself, and condemn yourself, and not interfere in anything external except your position: tempt yourself, if you are in the faith, writes the Apostle. The Lord Himself teaches us about these heavenly virtues: about meekness and humility, saying: learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; neither from Angels, nor from men, but from Me, he says, learn, that is, from the highest Wisdom. Let outward meekness appear in this: let your walk be meek, your sitting gentle, your eyes gentle, your speech gentle; Let all this be yours, for from these a true Christian has appeared; the man's robe, the laughter of his teeth and the tread of his feet, announce him. Mental meekness is, that is, according to the inner man: restraining anger, taming rage, and when someone is saddened by someone, but is able to take revenge, he does not take revenge, and accepting vexation, on the contrary, does not annoy. Meekness is such as not to annoy anyone, either in word, or in deed, or in command, but to sweeten the heart of every person with his morals, but to the word of the Lord: I will look at whom only the meek and silent. And according to the Prophetic words: the Lord will guide the meek in judgment (prudence), and teach the meek in His way. For the Lord delights in His people, and will lift up the meek to salvation. The meek ones will inherit the earth and enjoy the abundance of the world (Ps. 36:11). And what kind of person receives peace and quiet from meekness, Chrysostom writes about this, saying: there is nothing stronger than meekness, there is nothing stronger; She keeps our soul in constant silence, and strives to bring us into a haven, and every pleasure is our fault; and nothing brings the soul into peace and great silence like meekness and humbleness of mind. These are the most honorable crowns of all for those who have acquired these virtues; This is more useful than any dignity and glory. The right soul is, says Climacus, a cohabitant with humility; and the evil one is the slave of malice; the souls of the meek are filled with knowledge; but the mind of an angry soul is covered with the darkness of ignorance. A meek soul accepts the words of wisdom. Many are high and glorious, but to the meek are revealed secrets, writes Sirach. - He who hates those who grieve, hates meekness; He who runs away from those who grieve him runs away from the peace of Christ, - the words of Abba Dorotheus. God rests in meek hearts, but a restless soul is the dwelling place of the devil; a meek soul is the throne of simplicity, but an angry mind is the slave of malice. The best way to acquire humility is by trying. Humility is the true knowledge of one’s insignificance and self-contempt. And when someone knows his weakness, sinfulness and inviolability, he does not in the least exalt himself in his mind, but considers himself worse than everyone, the most sinful and last of all, and under everyone’s feet: he is humble. If and what virtue a humble person corrects, he attributes it not to his own strength, but to God’s help, in the similarity of the words of Jesus Christ, who says: “If you do all that is commanded you, say, for we are unworthy servants.” Without Me, says the Lord, you cannot do anything. Humility exists, you understand, and it is nothing about yourself. To avoid temptations, meekness with humility of spirit and constant vigilance of mind can serve best. Great is the height of humility, according to the words of St. Macarius, noble dignity and humble honesty. There is no one who is humbler, nor one who is worse in Christ than is more glorious; and there is no more prosperous path leading to heaven, to eternal life, than humility, according to the testimony of the Truth. Where there is no light, everything is covered in darkness; And where there is no humility, there all our deeds are vile before God, says the Climacus. God dwells in the humble, but He is driven away from the proud; where there is humility; there the glory of God shines. Pride is hostile to Christ, but humility is pleasing to Him, - the words of Demetrius of Rostov. Even if someone has done countless good deeds, and accomplished every virtue, and thinks highly of himself, he is the poorest and most wretched of all, - Chrysostom’s words. The true well-being of a person in this life, according to St. Ambrose, lies in humility, and not in exaltation. Nothing like this creates a contrite heart and a humble soul, like solitude in the mind and silence from everyone. Humility is the foundation of Christianity. Pay close attention to this: If you begin to preserve yourself diligently according to this instruction, then the envious demon will not tolerate this and will raise temptations against you either from the Chief, in order to tempt your humility and strength, or will arm the deceitful and carelessly living against you; and they will reproach you, scold you, and maybe even kill you, despise you, hate you, and thereby inflict a lot of sorrow on you, but in this case, you will cleave even more to silence and humility. Keep constantly the prayer to the Lord Jesus in your mouth and in the depths of your heart, so that you do not grumble at them for it and do not be offended at all, accept everything with gratitude, thinking to yourself: how can I, the accursed one, be angry with my brother in vain? and at the same time, constantly remember your sins: for if you did not reproach, then you reproached, slandered, mocked and offended your neighbor with reproaches, and by insulting your neighbor you rebelled against Christ the Savior and offended Him. That’s why you should wholeheartedly recognize yourself as more worthy to endure than how much you endure; remember the words that Christ the Savior said about doing good to your neighbor; and which should equally relate to every offensive word or deed against your neighbor, whatever you do to your neighbor, then, he says, you do to Me; At the same time, remember His suffering even to death, His great goodness and His love for us, enduring our iniquities, and consider how difficult it is for you to bear small sorrows for His sake, and, moreover, with His faithful help, if you truly desire it. If you think this way about goodness and endure temptations with love, you will soon find Christ the Savior help and consolation. Try to carry out holy obedience with diligence, without grumbling and with the rejection of your will; to bear a certain position with attention and reasoning, as if imposed from the Lord Himself, as it is written: having an Abbot as God Himself, and the brethren as the Angels of God. Whoever obeys the elder, the rector of the Abbot, this one imitates the Angel; Resist him, he will install the devil in his heart. Lord have mercy! This word is terrible, as St. Ephraim the Syrian writes. Christ the Savior showed us the image of Himself: He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death; those whom we reproach, do not reproach against; suffering, no less. And counter the word, the sword is two-edged: with one end you strike yourself, and with the other you strike your neighbor. Have a good disposition and ardent love for all the brethren: have a cheerful heart, an eye and a face, filled with spiritual reverence, be firmly attached to the whole brotherhood with your soul, and serve it sincerely, without any hypocrisy. Do not allow yourself to think in order to receive praise from anyone for this: but imagine that you are serving God and His Angel, which service you are not at all worthy of; but thank God that the Lord has vouchsafed you this service. Look diligently to see if you are armed with a proud and vain thought, as if you are doing everything wonderfully in serving the brethren; try as much as possible not to allow the unhelpful, crafty and soul-destructive thought of vanity to act in you, for it subtly enters a person’s soul, so that he sometimes does not even notice how his thoughts are ascending and prepares for his fall. Always do what he commands you, or what he first blesses you for always, or what you are asked to do; do not dare to take on anything common with yourself, no matter what the matter may be. During handicrafts or obediences, keep as much strength as you have, in your mouth, in your mind and thoughts, prayer and the most precious soul-saving silence, try as much as possible to listen to yourself, to stay alert with your soul and feelings, in the midst of handicrafts or obediences that you are doing. If someone is with you in the same obedience: then bow low to him with humility, and say a prayer in a quiet voice: having received the blessing, do according to the above order with prayer, with love, with zeal and with full attention; do not do it as before a man, but exactly as before God and His Angels, for you do not work as a man, but you work for God Himself. Think that everyone who does the work of God with negligence is cursed, and is a man-pleaser: and protect yourself as much as possible from negligence and man-pleasing. It is appropriate to have a clear and frank conscience, as the Apostle says: and I strive to always have an immaculate conscience before God and people: we trust that the imams have a good conscience in everything, desiring to live well. (Heb. ch. 13.). Just as it is impossible to eat without a cloud and pour out rain: so it is impossible to please the Lord without a good conscience. For this reason, inaccurately, what we say, but also what we think, we reveal to our fathers; what is revealed is light, but what is not revealed is darkness. We will one day be judged not by the book of knowledge and understanding, but by the book of a clear conscience. Test, beloved, diligently yourself and your conscience; whether there is not one sin, then another, if not a big one, then a small one; if not by deed, then by word and thought, you are guilty. You don’t see the thoughts of a brother who has sinned, nor the heartfelt contrition, then how can you judge. I believe that sometimes it is better to fall oneself and rise up than to condemn one’s neighbor, because the one who has sinned is encouraged to humiliate himself and repent, and the one who condemns the sinner becomes rigid in dreams of oneself and in pride. If you sin during the daytime, confess it immediately if possible. After the evening meal, you must go to your spiritual Father, bow to him, like Christ Himself, fall on your knees, reveal to him the state of your soul throughout the past day, testing yourself in everything that you have done in practice or thought badly, or said, or allowed yourself to go against your conscience, or in which you were vain, or in which you were proud, or whom you offended, or you yourself were offended by. neighbor, or murmured, or condemned his neighbor. Try to notice and expose the most subtle thoughts that violate the purity of your conscience; If you cannot remember everything, then write down on paper what you must confess. After such a subtle, true confession, having accepted permission and forgiveness, as if from God Himself, and having kissed the Image and the Cross, bow to the ground to your spiritual Father and go silently to your cell, heartily thanking God that He has made you worthy of confession and peace of conscience. In the absence of a spiritual Father, out of need, to the brother of the Abode, or to another person close to you, who lives a godly life and has a spiritual mind, you can confess what troubles your conscience, and ask for his prayers and blessings, but if you don’t have one near you: then out loud the Angel and Archangel with tears, with reproof and reproach and great pity of heart, confessing to God, beat Persian your own, and if your conscience glares at you and denounces you, then inflict some kind of spiritual punishment on yourself, and do it until you have the opportunity to confess all of it to your spiritual Father. For your spiritual Father, or Mentor, to whom you must confess your deeds and thoughts, have love, unshakable faith, and such reverence that you do not condemn him in anything, and do not be embarrassed if they talk about and condemn him. Even if it seemed to you that he was sinning, do not be embarrassed and do not diminish your faith in him; reproach yourself as much as possible, and not him, say these words to yourself: I, a sinner, looked at my father with an unclean eye and, based on my uncleanness, I judge him, and because of this I do not see his integrity, so expose yourself, pray diligently for him to the Lord God, for his correction; if he really stumbled, think about it this way: the Lord God allowed temptation to befall him, but how can I, a sinner, judge him without seeing his deeds or repentance? Can I see into his soul? If he sinned, then perhaps he has already completely repented and received complete cleansing from God, do not lose these words from your heart and thoughts: your Lord stands and falls; and what kind of judge am I? Silence, according to the Monk Arseny, is the root of sinlessness, and therefore beginners really need to have it. Let there be silence until the question is asked; speak little, and only quietly, and do not speak unnecessarily. He who guards his mouth, guards his soul; If he speaks boldly, he will discredit himself. Silence collects, but verbosity scatters. The wise one teaches with the verb: be quick to hear, but slander the verb, and be slanted into anger; the silent one has many in the mind. Do not fulfill your will, do not make anything out of your mind, and thus you will get rid of grumbling, putting on your will, like a shameful garment: since your own will is more harmful than all bad deeds. The novices were all saved, but the self-willed were injured, and others died; falling silent, abandoning prayer; and for the novice, compiling his own mind. And I do not know the fall of the monk, says Abba Dorotheus, from the hedgehog of his mind and Peter of Damascus: again, our work is monastic and we know that we can be saved everywhere, if we abandon our desires. Whenever you sin as a human being, repent of it before God; If you are reproached by someone, then without any excuses, rather with worship, ask for forgiveness, saying: I ask for forgiveness, I have sinned, I am guilty. For good is against every word, teaches Abba Dorotheus, to say: forgive. If someone reproaches you, annoys you, or otherwise offends you, do not be angry with that brother; but having gone away, make a prayer for him to God like this: Lord, forgive him, and attribute that offense to the demon, since the demon teaches us to offend each other; and never lie to anyone about anything, and don’t hold any evil in your heart; hate those who grieve, hate meekness, but flee those who grieve, and run for peace in Christ; those who brush aside punishment hate themselves; He who observes reproof loves his own soul, - the words of Sirach. Try, as much as possible, with God’s help, to acquire patience in enduring hardships and sorrows; ask, fools, seek day and night; and you will find help and strength of patience from Christ the Savior, if you desire it from your soul and heart. It is appropriate to learn generous patience, to endure everything that happens to us without complaint. Then we will have patience, always accepting everything that befalls us, both joyful and sorrowful, indiscriminately, as if from the hand of God. Through your patience gain your souls, Christ teaches us. Be patient, servant of the Lord, and having gained your soul, you have destroyed it with sins. In patience there is a council of all, by which our souls are saved, the virtues, who says to St. Ephraim: he who has acquired patience touches every virtue, rejoices in sorrows and is skillful in troubles, rejoices in adversity, is ready for obedience, is filled with love, glorifies in annoyance, humbles himself in reproaches, is unshakable in troubles. He who has acquired patience has acquired hope, and is adorned with all kinds of good deeds. About many other virtues, such as faith, hope and love, read the holy books yourself, and listen to the teachings, through which you will become wise and inherit eternal good things about Christ Jesus our Lord, and may we all receive His help and Divine grace. Amen. Speech given at the tomb of the confessor of the Sarov Hermitage, Hieromonk Hilarion So, wanderer of the earth, you have finished your journey; swam through the sea of ​​temptations and troubles, found peace! But what kind of hosts surround you? See, our father and mentor! now your children have come in you not to see your end, but from your honeyed lips to hear the words of the eternal life; and you sleep, having closed both your eyes and your lips. Arise! and bless!! Alas, he is lifeless!... Father, your friendly words with which you greeted everyone and dismissed everyone have fallen silent. The third day you were still saying: forgive me, brother, goodbye, but you left the light. Alas, what a sad loss! where is our father? Where is our mentor? What have we lost? Father! father! wake up and wake up! miserable poverty begs for alms; outside the gates the wanderer longs for your consolation; the patient, barely breathing, awaits your visit, prayers and permission; those who have fallen into temptation are waiting for consolation in their misfortune, the ringing of the bell calls you to the Cathedral - for singing and prayer, the sons of the Church are waiting for you there with offerings for a bloodless sacrifice. But no, it’s true, neither the sound of a bell, nor my voice, nor the voice of all of us is strong enough to awaken you from such a sound sleep! rest until the sound of the Arkhangelsk trumpet! God! You see our sorrow, hear the groaning of our hearts, see the streams of tears watering our eyes; We dare to say to you: where are the imams, mentors and advisers to our salvation? where will we find consolation in sorrows and misfortunes? And if Your word is that you want everyone to be saved and to come into the mind of truth, and if salvation is acquired through much advice: then have You taken this wise mentor, guide and mentor of ours?... We dare not say any more. Your truth is truth forever, and your word is truth: you are the earth, brother, and you go to the earth, and maybe we all do. For this reason, we pray to Thee, most gracious Lord! Show Thy mercy to Thy servant who has departed from us, do not enter into judgment with him; Even if the Lord sees iniquity, who will stand even if there is only one day of our life on earth. But accept us, orphaned in the teaching of your word and truth, in the hand of Your Master’s protection and become our guide and leader on the path of our salvation, and bring us to You - the source of our salvation, life and light! We will give our last kiss to our unforgettable father and wise mentor, water his ashes with tears and offer warm prayers for his repose in the depths of Abrahamlich. You, our father! We pray to you with our last petition, if the Lord gives you boldness to the throne of His majesty, do not forget us, as you promised, visiting our souls and hearts asking for grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. Let this everlasting verse never cease in our mouths and hearts: eternal memory! Forgive us, peace be with you, go in peace to the heavenly abode prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Amen. The special properties of Father Hilarion’s conversation were love and meekness. No matter who came to him, and no matter how burdened he was with sin, he never reproachfully reproached him, did not give severe reprimands, and did not place a heavy burden on anyone, himself bearing the cross of Christ with its sorrows. If he denounced someone, it was always quietly and meekly, dissolving admonitions with humility and love, and trying to arouse actions of conscience by showing the ways of salvation. Neither the rich, nor the poor, nor the simple, nor the nobles left him without instruction. For everyone there was enough living water from the lips of the humble old man, everyone felt the gentle power of his love; He especially cared for those in whom he saw a disposition for good; why, affirming them with advice and instructions, always pointing out to them the dangers on the path of salvation and arousing them to the love of God with his love. He taught those who came to him from the brethren: “The cell is spiritual; – humility – affirmation, foundation; – patience – fence, wall; – love is a cover, a roof. Temporary temptation, but eternal reward. Whatever you see your neighbor in, you yourself will suffer: if you see a person sinning, do not judge him, but pray for him to the only God who loves mankind, so that the Lord God will correct him and save you from the fall. Consider everyone as your father and benefactor, and yourself as the footstool of all. Don’t tell me the slightest stumbling block, brother; this irritates God greatly. Christian deeds: I) prayer; 2) reading and listening to Divine Scripture; 3) engage in handicrafts of obedience. A warrior’s abuse is small and short-lived; the monk before departing to God. If you want to be a monk, then it’s okay to endure it. Our heavenly rest! Where will we go and where will we find you? Go wherever you want, live where you want, and wherever you live, you will not lose patience with the cross. Keep it in yourself that every person is better than me; without the thought of sowing, even if someone works miracles, he will be far from God. Consider yourself unworthy to be among the brethren, this one will finish all the books.” Elder Hilarion often cited these remarkable words of St. John Chrysostom, especially to those living in the world in need of his edification: “Great is the wing of alms: they cut off the air, they fly past the moon, the sun’s rays pass, they ascend to the very top of heaven, and they do not stop there; but they also reach heaven, the Councils of Angels pass by, and the faces of the Archangels and all the heavenly Powers and stand before the Royal Throne.”