Fiftieth anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Father John of Kronstadt. Anniversary collection (1908-1958)

Contents Preface The life, exploits and miracles of the ever-memorable Father John of Kronstadt O. John Sergiev (Kronstadt) Prayer compiled by Fr. John of Kronstadt Funeral Oration for Fr. Archpriest Philosopher Ornatsky at the burial of Fr. John of Kronstadt, pronounced in the Cathedral of the St. John's Monastery in St. Petersburg, December 23, 1908 The Highest Rescript on the death of Fr. John of Kronstadt Childhood of Archpriest Fr. John of Kronstadt Memoir of the former singer of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral Unforgettable image On the death of the great shepherd Fr. John Ilyich Sergiev of Kronstadt In loving memory of his late wife Fr. John of Kronstadt Elizaveta Konstantinovna Sergieva The word spoken by the rector of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral, Archpriest Fr. Alexander Petrovich Popov before the funeral of Elizaveta Konstantinovna Sergieva Fr. John of Kronstadt - the greatest righteous man of our era Essay on the Orthodox worldview of Fr. John of Kronstadt O. John of Kronstadt, as the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy O. John of Kronstadt and the spiritual crisis of Russia In memory of Father John of Kronstadt Creations by Fr. John of Kronstadt Selected sayings from the diary of Fr. John of Kronstadt “My Life in Christ” The uniqueness of the book “My Life in Christ” Fr. John of Kronstadt Word on the day of the forty-fifth anniversary of the priestly service of Archpriest of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral John Sergiev, December 12, 1900. Teaching by Fr. John on the power of the words of the Gospel. Our salvation, Russia and the whole world is “Life in Christ.” Prophecies of Father John of Kronstadt. Prophecies about Russia by the ever-memorable shepherd Fr. John of Kronstadt About the prophecy of Fr. John of Kronstadt Father John of Kronstadt and Leo Tolstoy M. and Ev. Tarakuz. Excerpt from a letter to the Foundation Charitable Foundation named after Fr. John of Kronstadt in the mountains. Utica NY The USA, considering it its duty and fulfilling the goal and purpose of its activities, is publishing this Anniversary Collection on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the blessed death of the ever-memorable priest Father John (1908–1958). Many books, articles and individual brochures have been published about this Great Prayer Book of the Russian Land, but this shepherd of the Orthodox Church, this prophet and miracle worker of our time is SO GREAT that everything written about him is a small fraction of what can and should be written about him for the Christian world. Our Collection, with valuable articles contained in it about life, about the significance for the Orthodox world, about the deeds and creations for the glory of Christ the Savior of Father John, provided to us by the Archpastors, Pastors of our Orthodox Church, admirers and contemporaries of Fr. John, cannot fill in what has not yet been written about Father John of Kronstadt. But we hope that our work will partially fill this gap and with our Anniversary Collection we will give many people the opportunity to become more familiar with the life, activities, miracles and prophecies of the Kronstadt priest, and thereby better understand and fall in love with Fr. John, as the Prayer Book and Intercessor before the Throne of the Most High for our long-suffering Motherland and the Russian people. The Board of the Foundation expresses deep gratitude to everyone who sent their articles and memoirs, as well as to all donors who sent their sacrifice for the publication of the Collection, and thereby provided us with invaluable assistance in perpetuating the memory of the ever-memorable Father John of Kronstadt. Board of the Foundation named after. O. John of Kronstadt. 1958 Utica, N.Y. The life, exploits and miracles of the ever-memorable Father John of Kronstadt The great all-Russian righteous man, prayer book and miracle worker, the ever-memorable Father John of Kronstadt, was born on October 19, 1829 in the village of Sura, Pinezhsky district, Arkhangelsk province, in the far north of Russia, in the family of a poor sexton Elijah Sergiev and his wife Theodora. He was named John in memory of the Venerable. John of Rila, St. The Church celebrates this day. As a child, reading and writing was difficult for the boy, who was in poor health. This saddened him, but it also prompted him to especially fervently pray to God for help. And the miraculous help was immediate. After one of these fervent prayers at night, the boy suddenly seemed to be shaken all over, as if a curtain had fallen from his eyes, “as if the mind had opened up in his head,” and his soul felt light and joyful. From then on, he began to study well, was one of the first to graduate from theological school, was the first to graduate from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and was admitted at the public expense to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. At this time, his father died, and his mother was left in extreme poverty. This greatly upset the loving son, and he, having found an income through correspondence, sent the money he earned in the amount of 10 rubles a month to his beloved mother in full, being happy with this opportunity to help her. While studying at the academy, Fr. John thought about accepting monasticism and dedicating himself to missionary activity among the savages of Siberia and America (Alaska), but observation of the life around him soon showed him that the “savages” of cultural Petersburg needed to be enlightened by the light of the true faith of Christ no less than the savages of Siberia and America. In connection with these thoughts, he repeated one of his childhood visions; he saw himself in a dream as a priest of St. Andrew's Kronstadt Cathedral and accepted this as an order from above. After graduating from the academy, he, as was required by church custom from lay pastors, married the daughter of Archpriest Konstantin Nesvitsky, Elisabeth. But this was only a fictitious marriage, which he needed to cover up his selfless pastoral exploits. In reality, he lived with his wife like brother and sister. “There are many happy families, Lisa, even without us. And you and I, let’s devote ourselves to serving God,” he said to his wife, remaining a virgin until the end of his days. On December 12, 1855, he was ordained a priest and assigned to the Kronstadt Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called. Entering this cathedral for the first time, he was deeply shocked by the fact that it was exactly the same cathedral that had appeared to him in his childhood visions. Since then, the entire life and pastoral activity of Fr. St. John's Day took place in Kronstadt, which is why many, forgetting his surname "Sergiev", began to call him "Kronstadt". Kronstadt was the place of administrative expulsion from the capital of various vicious people. In addition, there were many laborers working in the port. All these people huddled on the outskirts of the city in miserable shacks and dugouts, begging and drinking. It was among them that Fr. began his pastoral work. John. Every day he began to visit their squalid homes, talking, comforting, caring for the sick and helping financially, giving away everything he had, often returning home undressed and even without boots. These Kronstadt poor people, the “scum of society,” whom Fr. John, by the power of compassionate pastoral love, made people again, returning to them the human image they had lost; they were the first to “discover” the holiness of Fr. John. This discovery was very quickly accepted by the entire believing people of Russia. But more than one financial assistance was provided by Fr. John raised suffering people and not only morally from the depths of their fall by the power of his pastoral word. Soon the wondrous gift of miracles was revealed in him, which glorified him throughout Russia and even beyond its borders. An exact recording of the story of Fr. himself has been preserved. John about his first miracle to his fellow priests. This story breathes with deep humility: Fr. John saw in this miracle “a new obedience from God to pray for those who ask for it.” And through his prayer many wondrous miracles began to happen. They were healed by prayer and the laying on of hands by Fr. John the most serious illnesses, when medicine was lost in its helplessness. Healings were carried out both in private and in front of a large crowd of people, and very often in absentia. Sometimes it was enough to write a letter to Fr. John or send a telegram for the miracle of healing to happen. Healed Fr. John and Muslims, and Jews, and foreigners who turned to him from abroad. Soon all believing Russia flocked to the miracle worker. The second period of his life and his exploits had begun. At first he himself went to the people within the confines of one of his cities, and now the people rushed to him and, moreover, from all over Russia. Thousands of people came to Kronstadt every day, wanting to see Fr. John and receive some kind of help from him. He received an even greater number of letters and telegrams; the Kronstadt post office was supposed to open a special branch for his correspondence. Along with letters and telegrams flowed to Fr. John and huge sums of money for charity. Their size can only be judged approximately, because, receiving money, Fr. John immediately gave everything away. According to the most minimal estimate, at least one million rubles passed through his hands a year. With this money Fr. John fed a thousand beggars every day, set up a “House of Diligence” in Kronstadt with a school, a church, workshops and a shelter, founded a convent in his native village and erected a large stone church, and in St. Petersburg a convent on Karpovka, in which he was buried. You have to imagine how Fr.’s day went. John in order to understand the severity and greatness of his exploits and labors. Fr. got up. John every day at 3 a.m. and prepared to serve the liturgy. At about 4 o'clock he went to the cathedral for Matins. Here he was already met by crowds of pilgrims, eager to receive at least a blessing from him. There were also many beggars there, to whom Fr. John gave alms. During Matins Fr. John certainly always read the canon himself, attaching great importance to this reading. Before the start of the liturgy there was confession. Due to the enormous number of people who wanted to confess, general confession was introduced. It made a stunning impression on the participants and eyewitnesses: many repented out loud, shouting out their sins without shame. St. Andrew's Cathedral, which could accommodate up to 5,000 people, was always full, and therefore communion took a very long time, and the liturgy did not end before 12 o'clock. During the service, letters and telegrams were brought to Fr. John directly to the altar, and he immediately read them and prayed for those whom he was asked to remember. After the service, accompanied by thousands of believers, Fr. John left the cathedral and went to St. Petersburg on countless calls to the sick. And he rarely returned home before midnight. It must be assumed that many nights he had no time to sleep at all. It was possible to live and work like this, of course, only with the presence of God’s supernatural help. The very glory of Fr. Joanna was his greatest feat, his hardest work. Everywhere he appeared, a crowd of people eager to at least touch the miracle worker instantly grew around him. His admirers even rushed after a fast-moving carriage, grabbing it by the wheels with the danger of being mutilated. At the request of the believers, Fr. John had to travel to different cities of Russia. These trips were a real triumph for Christ's humble servant. The crowd of people was in the tens of thousands, and everyone was overwhelmed with feelings of heartfelt faith and reverence, the fear of God and the thirst to receive a healing blessing. While passing about. John on the steamer, crowds of people ran along the shore, many knelt down as the steamer approached. Being a wonderful teacher of the law, Fr. During the 25 years of his priestly ministry, John taught the Law of God in the gymnasium and city school, making an irresistible, unforgettable impression on the students with his lessons, but then he had to leave it, because there was no way to combine teaching the law with that all-Russian feat of pastoral service, which, as obedience, the great righteous man humbly took upon himself. Was. John and a wonderful preacher, and he spoke very simply and most often without special preparation - impromptu. He did not look for beautiful words and original expressions, but his sermons were distinguished by their extraordinary power and depth of thought, and at the same time by their exceptional theological scholarship, with all their accessibility to understanding even by ordinary people. Despite his busy schedule, Fr. John, however, found time to keep a kind of spiritual diary, to write down daily his thoughts that came to him during prayer and contemplation, as a result of “the gracious illumination of his soul, which he received from the all-enlightening Spirit of God.” These thoughts formed a whole wonderful book, published under the title: “My life in Christ.” This book represents a genuine spiritual treasure and can be placed on a par with the inspired works of the ancient great fathers of the Church and ascetics of Christian piety. In the complete works of Fr. John's 1893 edition “My Life in Christ” occupies 3 volumes of more than 1,000 pages. This is a completely original diary in which we find a complete reflection of the author’s spiritual life. This book will forever remain a testimony to how our great righteous man lived and how all those who want to not only be called, but actually be Christians should live. A wonderful monument to the holy person Fr. John and inexhaustible material for edification are also the three volumes of his sermons, containing a total of up to 1,800 pages. Subsequently, many more new works by Fr. John, published as separate books in huge quantities. All these words and teachings by Fr. John is a genuine breath of the Holy Spirit, revealing to us the unsearchable depths of the Wisdom of God. They are striking in their marvelous originality in everything: in presentation, in thought, in feeling. Every word is from the heart, full of faith and fire; in thoughts there is amazing depth and wisdom, in everything there is amazing simplicity and clarity. There is not a single extra word, there are no “beautiful phrases”. You can’t just “read” them - you must always re-read them, and you will always find in them something new, living, sacred. “My Life in Christ,” soon after its publication, attracted everyone’s attention so much that it was translated into several foreign languages, and even became a favorite reference book among Anglican priests. The main idea of ​​all the creations of Fr. John - the need for sincere, ardent faith in God and life by faith, in a constant struggle with passions and lusts, devotion to faith and the Orthodox Church, as the only one who saves. In relation to his homeland - Russia, Fr. John showed himself to be the image of a formidable prophet of God, preaching the truth, denouncing lies, calling for repentance and predicting the imminent punishment of God for sins and for apostasy. Being himself a model of meekness and humility, love for every person, regardless of nationality and religion, Fr. John treated with great indignation those godless, materialistic and liberal movements that undermined the faith of the Russian people and undermined the thousand-year-old political system of Russia. The subsequent events of the bloody Russian revolution and the triumph of godless and misanthropic Bolshevism showed how right the great righteous man of the Russian land was in his dire warnings and prophetic foresights. Fr. passed away. John on December 20, 1908, having predicted the day of his death in advance. Tens of thousands of people were present at the burial, and many miracles took place at the tomb then and subsequently. It was an extraordinary funeral! Throughout the entire space from Kronstadt to Oranienbaum and from the Baltic Station in St. Petersburg to the Ioannovsky Monastery there were huge crowds of crying people. Until that time, such a number of people had never been at any funeral - it was a completely unprecedented case. The funeral procession was accompanied by troops with banners, military bands performed “Kol Slaven”, and troops lined trellises across the entire city. Those who kissed the hand of the deceased testify that the hand remained not cold, not numb. Funeral services were accompanied by general sobs of people who felt orphaned. But there was nothing mournful in the funeral service: it resembled a bright Easter matins, and the further the service went, the more festive the mood among the worshipers grew and increased. It was felt that some kind of gracious power was emanating from the coffin and filling the hearts of those present with some kind of unearthly joy. It was clear to everyone that a saint, a righteous man, lay in the tomb, and his spirit hovered invisibly in the church and embraced with his love and affection all those gathered to pay his last debt to him. They buried Fr. John in the church-tomb, specially built for him in the basement of the monastery he created on Karpovka. The entire church is remarkably beautifully tiled with white marble; The iconostasis and tomb are also made of white marble. And to this day, through the prayer of Fr. John, numerous miracles have occurred and continue to occur. None of the believers have the slightest doubt about his holiness, and the common desire is his speedy glorification - the official recognition of him by the Church as a saint and permission to serve him prayers as a saint. This upcoming celebration of the glorification of our great All-Russian righteous man will be truly a great triumph of Holy Orthodoxy. O. Ioann Sergiev (Kronstadt) On October 19, 1829, in the far north of Russia, a frail and weak child was born to the psalmist of the church in the village of Sura, Pinezhsky district, Arkhangelsk province, Ilya Sergiev, named John, in honor of St. John of Rylsky, is the future Lamp of the Church of Christ. From an early age, Vanya went with his father to his poor, wretched church, served at the altar, read liturgical books, and became devout and pious. His most favorite book was the Holy Gospel. All this provided the boy with a solid religious foundation for his long and glorious life in Christ. When, having collected the last crumbs, Vanya’s parents sent him to a parish school - science was not given to him for a long time - there was no memory: he understood poorly, and remembered worse what the teacher explained and was the last student. Then the boy began to fervently, as best he could, ask the Lord to open his mind and help him in his studies. The prayer was answered - he was one of the first to graduate from college; was transferred to the seminary, which he graduated first, as well as the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. On December 12, 1855, Candidate of Theological Sciences Ioann Ilyich Sergiev was ordained a priest and appointed to the Cathedral of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Mt. Kronstadt. From then on, among those who knew him, he began to be called Fr. John of Kronstadt. From the very first days of serving the Church of God, the young priest began to serve people: he visited the apartments and shacks of the poor, delved into their bleak lives, consoled the unfortunate, admonished the lost, distributed his salary to the poor, and sometimes his duckweed and boots; more than once he came home barefoot... Soon with his kindness, simplicity and meekness - Fr. John won the hearts of all the poor working people of Kronstadt. On October 12, 1882, using the money collected by pennies, Fr. John opens for the poor and out-of-touch people the first “House of Industriousness” in Russia, which soon grew into a huge charitable and educational institution. In 1888, he opened the Night Shelter for the homeless and in 1891, the Hospice House, a huge stone four-story courtyard building for poor people who came to Kronstadt from all over Russia for prayer to Fr. John. Every day at 6 o'clock. In the morning, Father served early mass in the cathedral with many other priests and hieromonks, who considered it a blessing to serve him together. He prayed with inspiration - with tenderness, joy, deep reverence and firm hope in the boundless mercy of God. Prosphoras for commemoration at the proskomedia were brought to the altar in whole baskets. Every day addressed to Fr. John received up to 1,000 letters and telegrams - from Russia and other countries - asking him to pray for the healing of the hopelessly sick. And the next day, during the liturgy, he prayed for them with the words: “Remember, Lord, all those who commanded me to pray for them.” Father always prayed with such excitement and spiritual tension that he was drenched in sweat. There were sometimes so many people receiving communion after general confession that sometimes there were several large Chalices on the Holy Throne, from which the priests immediately administered communion to the believers. At the end of the liturgy, Fr. John invariably preached a short but powerful and inspired sermon; spoke clearly, simply and with authority. These sermons shocked listeners and sank deeply into their hearts. Throughout his long and bright Pastoral life, Fr. John, always remembering that “faith without good works is dead,” filled him with deeds of widespread charity. First of all, every day he exchanged 10–15 rubles for copper in the shop and personally distributed it to the poor who gathered before mass at the cathedral. The money that rich people gave to Father for “his poor” in envelopes, often for significant amounts, several thousand rubles - Fr. John never counted, but now distributed these envelopes to the needy and poor. Truly, “his right hand did not know what his left hand was doing,” but the inspiration of God guided him. And many, many unfortunate people, whom the great Shepherd saw with his foresight and who were on the verge of complete destruction, were saved in good time by the financial assistance given. During his lifetime, the Good Shepherd of the Russian Land was honored with the wondrous heavenly gift of miracles. How many suffering people, not only within our great and vast Motherland, but from many other states and countries, received grace-filled healings only through fervent faith and prayer of Fr. John. He was constantly called, day and night, personally, by telegrams and letters, to the seriously, hopelessly ill - and the kind, loving Father did not refuse anyone, he went on the first call and prayed with the sick person at his bedside, sending down the grace of God and healing. At the end of his life, this type of service to humanity became for Fr. John suffered a difficult and exhausting feat: he, literally, neither day nor night, had peace, sufficient rest and sleep: they demanded of him unceasing, vigilant prayer, terrible physical and spiritual stress. And the good Shepherd of Christ meekly and until the end of his days bore this earthly cross of his, burning from the endless heat and flame of such prayer. To this difficult feat of serving humanity in the last years of his life, Fr. John was also joined by a painful personal pain. Father meekly and patiently endured the sufferings sent down to him and never complained about them. The year 1908 was very difficult in this regard; By all indications, the lamp of Christ existing on earth was slowly fading. He rejected the orders of famous doctors to maintain his strength with fast food. Here are his words: “I thank my Lord for the suffering sent down to me to purify my sinful soul. Revives – Holy Communion” – and received communion every day. On December 10, having gathered the rest of his strength, Fr. John celebrated the last liturgy. Then he fell ill and did not get out of bed. On the night of December 20, the patient felt especially bad - in a semi-conscious state, he tossed about, complaining that he felt heavy and stuffy. In St. Andrew's Cathedral, a liturgy was served immediately, at night, in order to have time to give communion to the dying man. All the serving clergy and numerous people wept bitterly at this mass. The grief was universal and overwhelming... With great effort we managed to connect the sick person. Unconsciousness and irregular, intermittent breathing heralded the imminent inevitable end... At 7 o'clock 40 minutes in the morning of December 20, 1908 - in the 80th year of his life - Fr. John rested peacefully in God. The soul of the Righteous One quietly flew away to the heavenly monastery to the Throne of the King of Kings... The sad ringing of bells announced to Kronstadt, Russia, the entire Orthodox and non-Orthodox world about the death of the Great Lamp of the Church of Christ. Burial of Fr. John was extremely solemn. After the body was in the Kronstadt Cathedral, it was transported for funeral service and burial in St. Petersburg. But before that, many people poured into Kronstadt. From Oranienbaum, wagons, logs, and sleighs stretched across the ice in a black line all day long, and in Kronstadt even the roofs of houses were dotted with people. On the night of December 21st to 22nd, after a long Funeral Matins, people continually went to say goodbye to their beloved shepherd. In the morning the Liturgy was celebrated. After this, the transportation of the body to St. Petersburg began. When the coffin was placed on the chariot, the military band played “Kol Slaven”. At least twenty thousand people followed the coffin to Kronstadt. Lithium was served at all the associated churches. The troops stood in trellises along the procession. They walked for three whole hours to Oranienbaum and from there, along the Baltic Railway, the coffin was delivered to St. Petersburg and from the station, through the entire city, the procession moved to Karlovka. By personal order of the Emperor, they walked along the embankments past all the palaces. According to nun Anastasia, the Royal Family was on the balcony of the Winter Palace at that time. There were crying crowds of people everywhere. The funeral service for the deceased was conducted by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, First Hierarch of the Russian Church, with several bishops and a countless number of clergy. After the Liturgy, before the funeral service, Archpriest Ornatsky spoke the funeral eulogy. By a special rescript given to Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, the Emperor commanded annually, on the day of the death of Fr. John, to commemorate him in all churches of the Empire. Based on this rescript, the Holy Synod, among its other orders relating to the glorification of the memory of Fr. John, ordered that the programs of theological seminaries include familiarization with his life and work. Tomb of Fr. John is located in the lower miniature church-tomb of the Ioannovsky Convent on the Karpovka River in St. Petersburg. This entire Monument Church and the Tomb of the Righteous One were made of wonderful white marble. On the tomb (on the right side of the Church) lies St. The Gospel and a carved miter, under which an unquenchable pink lamp burns. A sea of ​​light from thousands of candles of pilgrims flooded this marvelous white church. The service of liturgy and memorial services here always resembled Easter Matins, and spoke not of gloomy death, but of the Eternal Bright Resurrection. Some kind of endless joy and enlightenment enveloped the soul after sweet prayer at the tomb of dear Father. Holy Rus' flowed like a mighty, abundant river to the dear grave of its Righteous One. Many brought sealed letters (which were then burned) with prayers addressed to Fr. John for help in this or that matter. A lot of testimony has been preserved that at the grave of Fr. John, healings from various diseases occurred. The Bolshevik atheistic government, in order to block the road and create a dam for the endless flow of pilgrimage of believers, closed access to the tomb. Then the believers began to pray outside the monastery and bow to the ground at the place in the lower church where the white tomb was dear to everyone’s heart. Whether the remains of the Righteous One are there today, no one can say with certainty. May the Will of God be fulfilled in everything and always!... Prayer composed by Fr. John of Kronstadt Good Lover of Mankind! Who created creation with one word and created man from it, visit Your fallen servant with Your ineffable love for mankind, so that the work of Your hand will not perish completely... Lord! Your name is LOVE: do not reject me, a mistaken person. Your name is POWER: strengthen me, who is exhausted and falling. Your name is LIGHT: enlighten my soul, darkened by worldly passions. Your name is PEACE: pacify my restless soul. Your name is MERCY: do not cease to be merciful to me. Funeral speech about. Archpriest Philosopher Ornatsky at the burial of Fr. John of Kronstadt, delivered in the Cathedral of the St. John's Monastery in St. Petersburg, December 23, 1908 Our dear father Father John has died. And we thought that he would live for a long, long time. After all, whomever we love, we wish him a long life. Moreover, we are not used to seeing him old and sick. Even at 75 years old, he is always cheerful and young in spirit. So he used to quickly go up the stairs and, still at the door of the house, loudly greet everyone in his fresh, sharp voice: “Hello, my friends; hello mommy; hello kids; Nanny, hello." And entering the inner rooms, he will stroke one, pat another, kiss another and bless everyone. And then he comes to a table prepared in advance for prayer and the blessing of water, and when he prays, he not only asks the Lord, but sometimes demands that the request be fulfilled, for the sake of the great Calvary sacrifice of the Son of God, and often prays in his own words. When he finishes the prayer, those present begin to approach him to tell him, and certainly in his ear, about something important that cannot be said out loud. And he will look at someone sternly, he will smile at another, he will hit another where it hurts, and to whom he will give money, without counting it. And everyone leaves him encouraged, calmed, caressed. And for days, months, the happy family then remembers the visit of Father John - about what he said and to whom, how he looked, what he did. And then Fr. died. John. And wherever these three words are said, “Father John has died,” everyone will understand who died. Here he died, the shepherd Fr. lying lifeless before us. John of Kronstadt. For they knew him everywhere and his name was revered everywhere, in cities, in villages, in capitals, and in the most remote corners of our homeland. Even abroad, our great shepherd was known and revered. When the Sovereign Emperor Alexander III and Fr. John was summoned to him, then all the newspapers in the world wrote about our famous prayer book and miracle worker. Then Fr. John received many letters in all languages ​​from different countries of Europe and even America. A boy from Sweden wrote to him. “I heard that you heal people through prayer; my mother has gone crazy and is in the hospital; I'm bored without my mom. Pray for mom to get well." Young people from America wrote that they were very happy and asked Fr. John to pray that they will continue to live happily as well. From Germany they asked to send consecrated Fr. John asked for water or oil, and money. They sent their hair, asking him to bless it, and expressed faith that his blessing would spread to their entire being... What kind of phenomenon is this - oh. John at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, in times of godlessness and unbelief? How to explain his origin and the marvelous feat of his entire life? For believers, the answer to these questions is as simple as the Blessed Virgin Mary’s explanation of Her greatness: “The Lord looked upon the lowliness of His servant” and “the Mighty One did greatness for Me” (Luke 1:48–49). Likewise, the greatness of Fr. John is the work of God's grace, which was upon him from the day of his birth. Remember some incidents from his life. So he was born sickly and frail. They quickly baptized him, fearing that he would die, but he lived to be 80 years old. So he fell mortally ill in theological school. The doctor advised him to eat fasting foods. But his mother did not agree and he did not violate the church law on fasting. Nowadays no importance will be attached to this incident; but remember, didn’t the prophet Daniel, saved by God from the jaws of lions, and his three friends, saved in the fiery furnace of Babylon, strictly observe the law of fasting? Here he is at the Academy, a God-fearing young man, modest, pure, self-absorbed. The first book that he purchased with the first money he earned was Conversations of St. Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew. And he, secluded in the audience, reads them with delight, as if alive, he imagines himself as a great Christian preacher and applauds him. So he completed the course and decided to take holy orders. And to him, who had never seen the Kronstadt St. Andrew’s Cathedral before, it appears in a vision, in clear outlines. He is sent to this cathedral as a shepherd, he is not separated from him for 53 years, here he performs his difficult pastoral feat. What principles guide Fr. in his pastoral ministry? John. First of all, a living, fiery faith in God. His faith is not just a matter of the mind, no, it overwhelms his heart, embraces his entire being, he lives by it, every moment, in every situation. He sees before him, in himself and in people, the Good, Merciful, Savior God. Here He gives you the saving right hand, punishes you and has mercy, nourishes you, clothes you, gives life. “He can’t,” Fr. thought and believed fervently. John, - do not respond to the prayer of His dearly beloved children. Fr. lived and breathed by this faith. John, especially when he performed the “world-saving” liturgy, as he put it. Here he was transformed, became bright and joyful. He realized and felt that he was making a Sacrifice that would save the whole world. When they sang, “Crucified, O Christ our God, having trampled down death by death,” he quickly took the saint from the throne. Cross and kissed him repeatedly. Before uttering the words “take, eat” and “drink all of it,” as if hearing them from the lips of the Lord Himself, he preceded them with the words: “Oh, dear, oh, your sweetest voice.” When the moment of transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts took place, he solemnly said aloud, falling to his knees: “the great mystery of piety - God appeared in the flesh” and another: “The Word became flesh and dwelt in us”... With this animated exclamation of the pastor-prayer, everyone felt that, yes, indeed, the true Body of Christ reclines here on the throne. And when then Fr. With both hands, with eyes full of tears, John with the greatest tenderness took either the holy paten or the chalice and seemed to enthusiastically admire the contents in them, then he thought: yes, he truly receives communion as if from the hands of the Lord Himself, drinks the life-giving Blood as if from His most pure veins. This fiery faith in the life-giving power of the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of the Lord explains the fact that Fr. John loved to give communion to people so much and, being a 75-year-old man, he would stand for 3-4 hours to give communion to thousands of pilgrims. He called this - grafting barren branches onto the fruitful olive tree - Christ. A living faith in God pushed Fr. John into the world, among those unfortunate people whom the Lord was pleased to call His little brothers. Upon acceptance of holy orders, Fr. John enters the circle of the so-called “posadsky”, tramps, former people who, through drunkenness and vices, have deprived themselves of the image of God. Out of pastoral compassion for them, he teaches them and does good to them: to whom he will give boots, to whom a coat, to whom money, to each according to his need. He is not guided by the calculations of cold philanthropy and does not analyze what led a person to the abyss, he helps everyone in need of a piece of bread, but he also lays the foundation for the most reasonable method of Christian charity: he establishes a House of Diligence in Kronstadt, which served as a prototype for houses of industriousness and workhouses that are now common throughout Russia. His feat was not limited to prayer and the ministry of the word. Returning to his home, often after a whole day's work among many people, when it seemed natural to give himself rest, he sat down to write and poured out his most sincere thoughts and feelings about God and truth, about the Holy Church and the sacraments, about sin and grace, about the redemption of the human race. These are the diaries of Fr. John - diaries not in the sense of daily records of the external events of his life, but indicators of his internal growth; his struggles with the external man, his aspirations towards God. This is “God-knowledge and self-awareness of Fr. John, acquired from experience,” as he himself put it about his diaries. From them the famous work of Fr. John: "My life in Christ." It should be a reference book for every Christian, not only the admirer of the blessed father. From the draft daily notes of Fr. John can see another feature of his feat: this constant vigil over himself, keeping himself in sight - Enoch’s “walking before God.” Noticing the slightest fall behind him, he immediately flagellates himself, mourns his sin and repents before the eyes of the All-Seeing Lord. Continuous burning o. John's faith, like burning a candle in front of an icon, constant self-judgment, life in Christ, sacrificing all of oneself to the lesser brethren, all this was created by Fr. John. His works are the fruits of the spirit. Imagine them not as words, not even as qualities, but in living embodiment, and you will understand the Kronstadt shepherd. These are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, faith, meekness, self-control. Was Fr. John the Wonderworker? “Who is the great God, like our God, You are God, You alone work miracles.” Only God can create a miracle. But oh. John, was the same as the miraculous icon: the Lord glorified it, before it believers fervently pray and receive healing from it. So is Fr. John: he himself is ardent with faith, he receives prayers from all sides for intercession before God. God's favor and human grief, sighing for God's help, met there, and God's mercy poured out abundantly through him on people. Fr. himself John was a miracle, as someone said well about him. In fact, isn’t it a miracle to gather thousands of people from all over Russia in our time of little faith, make them repent, cry about their sins, and pray to God for mercy?! Isn’t it a miracle that with one appearance he can evoke the joy, admiration and hopes of thousands of people, wherever he appears! Isn’t it a miracle to found four monasteries, not to mention the many others who received help from Fr. John, prayerful and material, while the foundation of one monastery is considered the best stone in the crown of the reverend fathers, the founders of monasteries! Isn’t it a miracle to receive 500-600 thousand a year from people who considered it happiness to sacrifice the hands of Fr. John, for the construction of churches, for the expansion of religious, educational and charitable activities, for the benefit of the poor! This is the kind of shepherd, dear brothers and sisters, we have lost in the person of Fr. John, we have lost and we bitterly mourn our loss. But let's not cry. He didn't die, but he's alive. God lives, the soul of the deceased lives. He has reached out to the Source of grace and, standing at the Throne of the Lord, will more effectively intercede for us before God. Today is a day of sorrow only for the outward person, but in the spirit it is a great holiday, a holiday of faith and the holy Orthodox Church. And I will say, I would like to say through your heads to all of Russia: You, detractors of the Holy Church, who say that the Church has outlived its time and must be replaced by other guiding principles of life. You who have eyes not to see and ears not to hear, you who are blind in heart. You were in Kronstadt yesterday to see the farewell of the one who, in Russia’s naval fortress, was its spiritual fortress. Did you see yesterday the meeting of the lifeless shepherd that the capital prepared for him? No, you closed your eyes! So come to this tomb and by our eyes moistened with tears, by our breaking hearts, find out what Mother Church gave us, what kind of child she gave birth to and raised. My fellow shepherd brothers. This is our holiday, the holiday of shepherding. Father John was the most complete and perfect embodiment of the ideal of the good shepherd, laying down his life for the sheep, by which the Lord Jesus meant Himself. And if we want to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, if we want to lead people to perfection, to be the spiritual leaders of the people, we must follow the path of Fr. John, study his works, imitate him in faith, and in piety, and in work, and in patience, and in everything. Dear sisters of this monastery. You cry because you have lost your father and benefactor - you consider yourself orphaned. Don't cry. Now he is closer to you and will never leave you again. In it you acquired your abbot. His honorable remains will be with you; along with his remains, his immortal spirit will hover here. Go to his grave to pray, cry, repent of your sins, ask for his advice and guidance. Bring pilgrims to him, who will go to him in an unbroken line. The folk trail will not be overgrown here. Dear brothers. We should consider ourselves happy to be present at his burial. Let us remember his instructions, imitate his deep faith and holy life! And now let us all unite in one prayer, so that the Lord God will cleanse Father John from every speck of sin, make him whiter than snow and accept him into the host of celestial beings closest to His Throne, may Father John intercede at the Throne of the Heavenly King for Holy Rus', for the Orthodox Church, for the Anointed Tsar of God, whom he so dearly loved, for all of us, may he be glorified through his father John and through us the most honorable and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Highest Rescript on the death of Fr. John of Kronstadt On January 12, 1909, the Highest Rescript for the annual prayerful commemoration of Fr. John of Kronstadt addressed to Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg with the following content: His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg. The inscrutable Providence of God wished that the great lamp of the Russian land, the popularly revered shepherd and righteous man Father John of Kronstadt, should go out. Sharing with all our hearts the great sorrow of the people over the death of the loving shepherd and benefactor, We renew in Our memory with special feeling the sorrowful days of the dying illness in God of our deceased Parent, Emperor Alexander III, when the fading Tsar, beloved by the people, wished for the prayers and closeness of the people’s beloved prayer book for the Tsar and the Fatherland. Now, together with Our beloved people, having lost Our beloved prayer book, We are imbued with an indispensable desire to give a worthy expression to this joint grief of Ours with the people through prayerful commemoration of the deceased, annually commemorating with it the day of the death of Father John, and this year timed to coincide with the fortieth day of the mourned event. Being, both by Our own spiritual attraction and by the power of the fundamental Laws, the First guardian in Our Fatherland of the interests and needs of the Church of Christ, We, together with all its faithful and loving sons, expect that the Holy Synod, having become the head of this undertaking, will bring light of consolation to the people’s grief and will generate for eternal times a living source of inspiration for future [ministers] and primates of the altar of Christ for the holy deeds of the arduous pastoral work. Committing ourselves to your prayers, we remain favorable to you. On the original His Imperial Majesty's Own is inscribed by hand: Tsarskoe Selo, January 12, 1909. In pursuance of this Rescript, the Holy Governing Synod decided: On the fortieth day of the death of Father John of Kronstadt, perform the Divine Funeral Liturgy for the Holy Synod in its entirety and a requiem mass. Which was done in due time. The childhood of Archpriest Fr. John of Kronstadt The great righteous man of our time, Father John of Kronstadt, came from the old priestly family of the Sergievs, which gave Russia more than 12 generations of clergy. In his speech at the consecration of the Sura church, Fr. John personally testified that his family has been priest on Russian soil for over 350 years. Grandfather o. John, named Michael, was also a priest. His father, Ilya Mikhailovich, for reasons that remained unknown to us, could not become a clergyman and held the modest position of psalm-reader at the Church of St. Nicholas in the small village of Sura, Arkhangelsk province. The village of Sura is located at the confluence of the Sura and Pinega rivers, which in turn flows into the Northern Dvina. The nature of the Russian north is harsh, but majestic and beautiful. The high bank of Pinega is picturesque, on which the poor, but firmly put together wooden huts of the Suryans cling. Beyond the river are wide green meadows, and behind them are mountains of red iron ore, dazzling white cliffs of alabaster and gypsum with bizarre cliffs and caves, crowned with an ever-green cap of coniferous forest. Living, however, among this harsh beauty is not easy. The bitterly cold winter lasts about eight months. There is almost no spring and autumn. Summer is also very short, but incredibly magnificent. After hibernation, nature instantly wakes up and hurries to live. The local inhabitants are also in a tense hurry to take what they can from the land during this short period of northern summer. In this cold northern village of Sura on October 19th Art. Art. In 1829, on the night from Friday to Saturday, the baby John was born - the future sun of the Russian Church. On October 19, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. John of Rila, the most revered saint of the Bulgarian Church. In Russia in those ancient times, the ancient church custom was strictly observed to give newborns names not of their own choice, but those that they brought to themselves, i.e. naming the name of the saint whose memory fell on the child’s birthday. Mother o. Joanna, whose name was Theodora, did not expect the baby to live until the morning, and therefore begged her husband to invite the local priest to perform baptism at night in their house. At baptism the child was named John in honor of St. John of Rila. However, the Lord did not destined him to die. He remained alive, to the joy of his pious parents, and, in the future, to the joy of the entire believing Russian people. Over the years, he became somewhat stronger, although in childhood he was, by his own admission, a weak and sickly boy [1]. According to the unanimous testimony of all biographers, Fr. As a child, John was a meek, quiet, deeply religious child. He was thoughtful beyond his years, loved solitude, and at the same time was extremely responsive to human suffering and sorrow. Fr. himself John in his autobiography writes the following about himself: “From early childhood, as soon as I remember myself, about four or five years old, or maybe less, my parents taught me to pray and, with their religious mood, made me a religiously-minded boy” [2]. Little Vanya visited church with his father every day, without missing a single service. He especially loved to pray to St. Nicholas, to whom their church was dedicated. The Great Pleasant and Wonderworker apparently was pleased with these pure children's prayers, and he poured out many of his grace-filled gifts on his young admirer. Not without reason, later Father John was often called the Russian Nicholas the Wonderworker. This special grace of the five-year-old boy was vividly felt by his fellow villagers. This is how one person remembers this, remembering the childhood years of Father John: “Whether someone gets sick, or one of the Suryans loses a horse, or some other misfortune happens, they used to go to the deacon’s boy so that he would pray to God, and through his prayer there would be relief from sorrows” [3]. During the summer working season, little Vanya willingly, with love and zeal helped his poor parents in field work, and when he was free, he loved to retire to the rural cemetery, where he spent time in prayer and contemplating the beauty of God's world. In his own words, from early childhood he was very fond of nature, the quiet forest, the majestic expanse of water of his native Pinega, and wild flowers. For hours he sat in the forest, watching the birds and their lives. After completing five years, Vanya began to be taught to read and write. He writes about this in his autobiography: “In the sixth year, my father bought an ABC book for me, and my mother began to teach me the alphabet; but reading and writing was difficult for me, which was the cause of much of my sorrow. I never managed to grasp the identity between our speech and writing; in my time literacy was taught differently than it is now. We were all taught: “az”, “buki”, “vedi”, etc., as if “a” was in itself, and “az” was in itself. For a long time this wisdom was not given to me, but, being accustomed to prayer by my father and mother, grieving over the failures of my teaching, I fervently prayed to God to give me reason - and I remember how suddenly a veil fell from my mind, and I began to understand the teaching well. “When Vanya thus mastered reading and writing, his pious parent, wherever he could, tried to get books for him: lives of saints, stories about Jesus Christ, etc. Vanya especially loved to read his father’s St. The Gospel, with double Church Slavonic and Russian text, which he then took to school and kept until the end of his life. Daily attendance at services and reading in the choir also spiritually nourished the boy. “The soul of worship,” as he later liked to express it to adults, became close and understandable to him, one might say, from infancy. When Vanya was sick, and this happened to him often in childhood, he saw how his pious mother prayed for him all night with tears. This disposed him to night prayer, which he later loved throughout his life. One day, during night prayer, when Vanya was only six years old, an extraordinary light shone around him and he saw an angel approaching. The boy was very frightened and embarrassed, but the angel said: “Do not be afraid, I am your guardian angel and I always protect you invisibly.” After this, the angel became invisible. So Vanya lived quietly and prayerfully in Sura until he was ten years old. Seraphim, Bishop of Chicago and Detroit. 1 Speech about. John on the occasion of his 70th birthday. “Church. Ved.", 1909 2 Autobiography of Fr. John, published for the first time in the magazine “North” in 1888. 3 “Orthodox Interlocutor”, 1909, I. 352. Memories of the former singer of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral This year 1958, December 20, and according to the new style already January 2, 1959, marks 50 years since the blessed death of the Ever-memorable Father Fr. Archpriest John Sergiev, glorified not only in Holy Russia, but also, one can safely say, almost throughout the world for his holiness, prophecy and miracles. Many considered it a great happiness to visit the Cathedral of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Kronstadt, where Father served, to see him and receive a blessing. And should I, a sinful man, and perhaps the last of the Mohicans, who spent his life until his death near him, on the solemn day of the 50th anniversary of his death, remain silent without sharing with the reader what remained so vividly in my memory! I was born in the city of Kronstadt in 1883, on March 17, on the day of St. Righteous Alexy the Man of God, which is the name I bear. On March 25, on the eighth day, on the great feast of the Annunciation, I was baptized in the same Cathedral. My parents were believers and the Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle was their consolation in sorrows and sorrows. Our family was numerous and somehow, according to parental tradition, all children born received Holy Baptism in this Cathedral, and not at home, as some considered it necessary, and moreover received the name of the saint who was commemorated on the day of their birth. My mother always took me to Mass at the beginning of the Divine Service, and, according to her stories, I stayed in the Cathedral for the entire Service, and when, as a baby, I got tired, I fell asleep there, after which she carried me to the right to the columns, laid me on the wooden floor, where I rested until the end of the Service. Being 8 years old, I had a desire to sing in the choir, and so, one fine day, after the Liturgy, I approached the choir director Ivan Nikolaevich Kusov and asked him to take me to sing with him, to which he agreed, putting me in the treble group, forcing me at first to hold notes and listen to the singing boys. At the age of 10, I had already become familiar with everyday singing, knowing almost by heart the voices, troparia, kontakia, stichera on the Lord I cried and canons. I remember a special day for me when for the first time, at the age of 11, I wore a kuntush with gold tassels and all in braids. And how proudly, although unusually, I stood in it, and with what unearthly joy my heart was filled, burning with love for everything Divine! And when dear Father Fr. John, going out to the choir, said, as one can hear now: “Oh, what handsome men!” It’s difficult to convey what was in my soul, for such praise was the best reward for us. But we must admit that handsome men in kuntushas were also great mischief-makers, which forced the Good Shepherd to scold us. The pure wax from which candles were poured in those days bent very readily in our hands, revealing an inappropriate talent for sculpting various figures like cats, birds, etc., thereby causing the boys to laugh. Here Father appeared with a stern remark: “children, delve into the Divine service, what you are doing is a great sin.” And we will suddenly become so ashamed that we somehow involuntarily say: “I’m sorry, Father,” and he, with his enchanting smile, will put his hand on one of us’s heads and our souls will become easy. Father John always served the early Liturgy, and the late one occasionally, on major holidays. At first I was accepted into a large choir of 60 people who sang the late Liturgy, and then the Lord made me sing the early Liturgy, where the regent was Adam Moiseevich Migitsky, whose choir was called the “Father’s Choir”, and I remained in it until the end. Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral had two attractions that I want to talk about in my humble story. The first is a wonderful, 600 pounds, or maybe more, bell, donated by the wanderer Anthony, using money collected from pennies. When he was brought, I had the good fortune to participate in raising him to the bell tower, for which military units and people were called. They lifted him on thick ropes stretched along the entire Andreevskaya Street right up to Father's House. Subsequently, I had to evangelize, swinging my heavy tongue. The thick sound of the bell was heard so loudly that it even shook the air not only nearby, but also 7 miles away in the city of Oranienbaum. The second attraction is the clock installed above the bell tower, which not only showed the time, but also always played at 9 o’clock. in the morning “How glorious,” at 12 noon “God save the Tsar,” and at 12 at night “Behold the bridegroom comes at midnight.” Another time you go out into the street at 12 o’clock at night and are touched by listening to these melodies. St. Andrew's Cathedral was surrounded by a garden that had several iron gates, which were closed at the end of the Service. Behind the fence, oh. A carriage drawn by a zealous black horse, driven by the coachman Motin, was always waiting for John. The people tried to find out from which direction Father would go, to which “Fedoseich,” as the garden guard was called, now deliberately pointed to the wrong direction where he was supposed to go out, and thus sent the people to wait at the other end. What forced him to do this was the complete madness of people who were ready to sacrifice their lives just to see Father. In a stroller, or in a sleigh in winter, sat Fr. John usually with his psalmist I.P. Kiselyov. If it was accidentally discovered by someone where Father would go, the women mostly completely lost their minds, throwing themselves under the horse’s hooves with the words: “Glory to You, Lord, you suffered for Christ!” In order for them to fall behind I.P. Kiselev was throwing money around. Great was the mercy of dear Father! How many times have I witnessed how he accepted an envelope with money from a donor, did not open it, but immediately handed it to the psalm-reader saying: “Ivan Pavlovich, take it,” but then someone appeared like a poor student asking for help, I saw it myself, how they were already hearing around: “Ivan Pavlovich, give me,” having no idea about the amount in the package. His generosity was so great, limitless, that every morning at the St. Petersburg Gate, money was distributed indiscriminately, equally to everyone - to drunkards, also to women with children, and in general to everyone asking for help. At the direction of Fr. John, a local resident named Kornev distributed this money. A lot of people deceived Father, but he didn’t seem to notice it, and when they pointed out to him who was doing this, he answered: “God is his judge,” and when they advised him to take another of the employees, he said: “Let one already sin, otherwise another will fall into sin.” Returning mentally to the Cathedral and to the special, exceptional service of Fr. John, I must say that it is impossible to forget the Proskomedia performed by Father. He was trembling all over and tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes. He strictly treated parishioners approaching the Holy Sacrament of Communion, not allowing disheveled or sloppily dressed people. I also remember, and as if I hear the voice of dear Father to one guy with a disheveled head: “Styopa, disheveled, move away from the Holy Chalice, comb your hair forward.” Women with uncovered heads were also not allowed to receive Holy Communion. One day, at the end of the Service, when Fr. John went out to the pulpit, and a tall man with a black beard approached him, asking for a blessing. Father John stepped back from him, stretched out his right hand with his palm towards him and shouted menacingly: “You do not have my blessing, for your life will be according to your last name.” The bewilderment of those who saw and heard this soon became clear: it turned out to be Rasputin. In the summer, Father Fr. John often traveled from Kronstadt to Oranienbaum by steamship and there was such a case: the steamer “Morning”, on the captain’s bridge of which he was, was loud with abuse and argument. In 3rd class, below, there were various people who indulged in all sorts of obscenities. However, when the captain shouted: “Stop the noise, Fr. is coming with us.” John,” immediately there was deathly silence, while many took off their hats and the following was heard: “our dear breadwinner, bless.” The priest made the sign of a wide cross over them and the swearing did not resume. This is how the people loved their Shepherd. Even in the “Tatar Rows” in Kronstadt, where the Tatars sold all sorts of rubbish, they respected and loved him, calling him nothing less than “Bata Ivan.” Their own Russians, especially women, crossed all boundaries in their love for him, shouting hysterically that he was Jesus Christ, why Fr. John couldn’t stand it at all, getting angry at them and shouting to them in turn: “Don’t you dare call me that!” It is out of the question that Father did not have the power to cast out unclean spirits. One day a Siberian merchant brought his possessed wife to the Cathedral, who, seeing Fr. Joanna immediately shouted: “What do you care about me, what do you need from me?” In response to this, Father Fr. John calmly said: “I need you to leave this servant of God.” The woman in a rough voice, incited by the demon, says: “She is my slave, I will not go out.” The cross applied to the suffering woman’s lips and the words: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, come out,” forced the woman to finally say: “Leave me alone, don’t torment me, I’ll come out.” A shudder of the whole body, foam and complete mortification laid the unfortunate woman on the floor, and Father, covering her with an epitrachelion, communed the Holy Mysteries, raising her already healthy. Fr. performed many miracles. John, you can’t remember everything. He was loved by everyone, perhaps with the exception of only a few, and mainly by the poor for his great love for the destitute and unfortunate. Before the end of my story, I want to tell one more story concerning a man whom I, living in his house, of course knew very well. This was the nobleman Vladimir Dmitrievich Nikitin, famous for his wealth. His own 5-story house was on Sobornaya Street in Kronstadt near St. Andrew's Cathedral. He lived alone with his wife and was revered by everyone in the city. His main virtue was helping the poor. Simple and sincere in dealing with everyone indiscriminately and extremely kind-hearted, this was his outstanding trait. Sometimes a janitor would come to his apartment, and there was mud outside, right into the living room or dining room, and when his wife saw him, she would get worried: “Why, Sidor, did you burst in with dirty boots,” but then Vladimir Dmitrievich would say to her: “Lipochka, why are his boots dirty, his soul might be clean.” He gave away almost all of his money, and when his wife remarked that they would become beggars, he answered her that if that were the case, then wealth awaited him in heaven. And indeed, with such generosity he reached complete poverty, when he was left alone after burying his wife. He wore poor clothes, despite the fact that he had been elected more than once to the high post of City Mayor. Ever-memorable Father Fr. John loved him very much and helped him. About two years after the death of his wife, he also died, and, in front of a large crowd of people, Fr. John with a host of clergy. When parting, Father said a heartfelt word about the deceased, exposing his virtue, and in conclusion the following words: “here is the Righteous servant of God Vladimir, moving from us to Heaven, on his head the crown of the Kingdom of Heaven shines.” He was seen off by all the nobility of the city, led by the military governor Vice Admiral Koznakov, and the coffin was carried in their arms to the Trinity Cemetery by ragged and dirty beggars. In 1904, I had to temporarily leave Kronstadt and, by God’s command, returning home in 1908, I was informed of the illness of my dear Shepherd, and on December 20, waking up in the morning, I heard screams and sobs on the street. This is the departure of our great Intercessor, Righteous and Prophet, Heavenly Patron, Ever-memorable Fr. John Ilyich Sergiev. The Lord vouchsafed me for the last time to bow to the ground to him, already dead, asking for prayerful intercession for his long-lived singer, the sinful servant of God Alexy. I am very happy that in connection with the event of the 50th anniversary of the death of dear Father, I had the opportunity to recall the bright moments of his holy life. Only once in my life did I have the opportunity to see Fr. John, but very close, at a distance of no more than two steps. And his image is imprinted in my memory to this day as clearly as on that same memorable day. This was at the dawn of my “independent” conscious life; As I remember, it was still a warm autumn in 1897; I had already been a high school student for two months, in a preparatory class. Chernigov classical gymnasium, one of the first, founded during the reign of Alexander I in a number of provincial cities. Our city of Chernigov, as ancient as Kyiv, is somewhat reminiscent of Kyiv with its location on the more elevated bank of the Desna River and attracted travelers to Russia with its historical antiquities. But our city was especially famous for its massive Byzantine construction, the stone Transfiguration Cathedral, built by the Chernigov prince Mstislav, the son of the baptist of Rus', St. book Vladimir, a church begun and completed even earlier than the Cathedral of St. Sofia in Kyiv. (Prince Mstislav of Chernigov died in 1034, 20 years earlier than his elder brother Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054) and completed his Chernigov Cathedral earlier than Yaroslav completed his St. Sophia of Kyiv, which took seven years to build - 1045-1052 - and was completed only two years before the death of its founder, Yaroslav). A few months before the arrival of Fr. John, the city of Chernigov experienced the only event in its more than thousand-year history, the glorification and discovery of the relics of its Saint St. Theodosius of Uglitsky, Archbishop of Chernigov (1896), who had been resting for two hundred years in the ancient cathedral, where he served as a hierarch in the last period of his active life. This was the first of the glorifications of the saints during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. And oh. John, visiting our gymnasium, could not help but visit the cathedral located opposite to venerate the miraculous relics of the recently glorified all-Russian saint. Father Fr. John in Chernigov was already known from his previous visits to the historical city and healings, which were talked about a lot and about which I had already heard a lot from my grandmother of many years, an oral chronicler of Chernigov life, both the past and the contemporary present. These grandmothers' stories were sometimes darkly romantic, associated with the last tragic confessions on his deathbed, which for many years weighed on the conscience of a dying man who had been ill for a long time and were revealed in the confession of Fr. John. For a long time, almost until dusk, the entire gymnasium, assembled in the assembly hall, waited for the arrival of the famous priest. Father John was supposed to arrive by steamer along the Desna, which, although shallow during the hot summer, was navigable almost everywhere, and, during spring floods, vast in the lower reaches between Chernigov and Kiev. The steamship for the priest, who traveled a lot around Russia, was special, and did not run according to schedule. They waited tensely, not knowing exactly the hour of Fr.'s arrival. John and, in order to be ready to soon meet the priest - since the steamship pier was only a few minutes away, remained after school all the time in the assembly hall, maintaining a formation in rows in the order of the classes. And although we, preparers, experienced only simple curiosity, we already knew and heard a lot about Fr. John, we knew that he was a famous and extraordinary person, but we didn’t understand what exactly made him special, and we didn’t really think about this question. At least, I didn’t imagine the priest in any particular way, who “however worked miracles.” The intense anticipation, curiosity, impatience and excitement in the end made us, the younger ones, so tired that we were allowed to sit directly on the floor in our seats, maintaining the order of two rows for each class. The number of classes over the years, however, kept decreasing and the last, eighth grade, no longer reached even one full row. The preparatory class stood in front, in front of a large full-length portrait of the Emperor. The assembly hall of our provincial gymnasium was not very large. The gap between the wall with the portrait of the Emperor and the first row of preparations, where I stood, and in which Fr. had to pass and be present all the time. John was also not great. We immediately sat down on the floor first under the condescending glances of the first class standing behind us; but no matter how strong the first-graders were, they sat down one after another, and we did not hide our triumphant satisfaction when, finally, their entire class followed our example; Then there were only exceptions, and we did not dare to observe how the elders behaved: there, at the far end of the hall, all were adult Olympians, for whom we were filled with the liveliest respect. But here, finally, is the signal: oh. John has arrived and will now enter the hall. Conversations have died down, only some people whisper; another minute, and we will see the one whom all of Russia knows, who made us think and feel the closeness of God, hearing about his miraculous healings. Suddenly everything became quiet, absolute silence; several hundred eyes rushed to one point - to the doors, where a lone figure in a cassock appeared. My eyes glared at her, all my attention, all my thought was on her. One feels in the subconscious that the moment is exceptional, perhaps never to be repeated. Father John enters slowly, even slowly, and does not look in our direction; he goes straight to the opposite window, where there is an icon on the left in the corner, and looks only there. To approach the icon, you need to take a few steps along our first row, across the hall; and in these few moments, while he was approaching the window where I was standing nearby, a number of acute impressions and excited feelings flashed through his consciousness. He approached the icon, stopped, and our church gymnasium choir began “To the Heavenly King.” But before I begin the prayer, I’ll tell you what I saw and what image is imprinted on me even now. Nothing struck me more than his complexion, which was equally uniform everywhere, a deep pink, almost red; smooth-lying, light brown hair, not very large blue, deep eyes; they look affectionately and softly, but seriously and attentively: a young, bright face, as if without a single wrinkle; his figure is graceful and harmonious, he is not tall, but slightly above average; not wide, but not narrow at the shoulders either. Walks calmly, straight and easily; He was dressed in a silk, moire blue cassock, with a beautiful cross; I didn’t have time to see the design, I kept looking at it. While they sang, I carefully followed his movements, so special, unlike others. As soon as the choir began to sing, he crossed himself in a way that I had never seen before, since we ourselves had not crossed ourselves like that, with a completely outstretched arm, in a wide movement, so that everyone could see. He is standing right next to me, I can clearly see his face in profile. He does not look anywhere, only up at the icon, often crosses himself and it seems that he has forgotten everything around him, he only looks at one point with open eyes, up at the icon. Not a single unnecessary movement during prayer; his condition is felt and transmitted to me. Important serious point! But now the singing is over, and so is the prayer. Father John turns back, looks at our rows, carefully and somewhat lingering, and walks slowly towards the exit. He didn’t say anything, looked at us softly and intently, and left the hall, and we all stood in our places, stood quietly, no one spoke. Finally, we can go out and disperse. I don’t remember at all what we talked about then, and did we even talk? Where did you go after Fr. John, I didn’t know and didn’t ask about it. And whoever would explain a lot to a little cook would still not understand much, he’d better keep quiet. Saw. Well, be satisfied with that; and that's it. Yes, I have seen a saint in my lifetime. I saw various celebrities with big names, Russian and foreign. I have seen Chekist and Nazi robbers and executioners, but only one saint in my entire life. His image is unforgettable, like the image of a mother, parents... This memory can only be the only one, and I have something that others do not have and, despite my desire, I seem to be proud of it... And yet I saw the saint, I saw him!... On the death of the great shepherd Fr. John Ilyich Sergiev of Kronstadt A sad, rare chime The hour of mourning has struck over Russia At that hour, a quiet, undisturbed sleep The great shepherd has passed away... The purest torch of faith has gone out Flew to the Throne of God... Oh, Rus'! - My native country! Did you suffer this death? Who now in the hour of grave sorrow To whom for a word of consolation? Will you go, Russia, now - where? Who cares about their suffering now? Who will you ask to pray? To whom will you fall in tears? Who has fiery, living faith Deep, pure, like crystal - Will support the flame of our faith So that it doesn't go out at all! And we believe that in the villages above The Good Shepherd will not leave us That in days of despondency and suffering And our path in life is sad Languishing here with the longing of separation Relaxed arms to you Let us prostrate in prayers. That You are our Shepherd, meek, kind You will always help us. Your image is wondrous and holy There is a sacred age in the soul of the people In loving memory of his late wife, Fr. John of Kronstadt Elizaveta Konstantinovna Sergieva May 22, 1909, at 9:30 a.m. In the morning, after much suffering, the widow of Father John of Kronstadt, Elizaveta Konstantinovna Sergieva (daughter of the archpriest of the Kronstadt Cathedral K. P. Nesvitsky), quietly went to God. The cause of death, as determined by the doctor who used it, was senile decrepitude with an increasing decline in cardiac activity. The Lord vouchsafed her to prepare long and diligently for the transition to eternal life: in recent years, Elizaveta Konstantinovna, following the precepts and instructions of her prayer husband, received communion very often, either in the cathedral, or at home, when weakness in her legs did not allow her to leave the house, and in the last year - every day; She also received communion on May 21, but this, as it turned out later, was the last time: on that day, from six o’clock in the evening, she stopped looking at the light of God, and from ten o’clock she did not speak, showing no sign of consciousness. Her last word was: “I want,” which she said in response to the offer to drink holy water, but she could no longer swallow it; Soon after this, mother fell into an unconscious state, and the next morning she died peacefully while reading the canon on the outcome of the soul. On Fomina’s week, at her personal request, she got special and after that she said several times: “I’m so glad that I got special and got ready.” The burial of the body of Elizabeth Konstantinovna took place on Sunday, May 24, in the city of Kronstadt, on the left side of the cathedral garden. The deceased was born on May 4, 1829, in the city of Gdov, where her father, Archpriest Konstantin Petrovich Nesvitsky, served in the city cathedral and was the dean of the churches of the Gdov district. Transferred to Kronstadt by the keymaster of St. Andrew's Cathedral, due to poor health, he could not occupy this place for a long time and in 1855 he handed it over to the priest John Ilyich Sergiev, who married his daughter, Elizaveta Konstantinovna. When she got married, she had in her arms: an elderly father, three adult brothers and two sisters; everyone lived together and Elizaveta Konstantinovna, who acted as housewife and mother (Archpriest Nesvitsky was widowed in August 1855), had a lot of worries and troubles. Then, a few years later, her brothers received more prosperous places, which gave them the opportunity to settle separately, and mother married her sisters to teachers of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, later priests, and Fr. John and Elizaveta Konstantinovna. Not having enough personal funds, Fr. In both cases, John himself went around to wealthy parishioners, asking them to help make a decent dowry for his sisters-in-law. Many gave willingly, but many probably greeted the young priest with that feeling of hostility that often accompanies good deeds among us. After marriage, the sisters went to visit Kronstadt, and on one of these trips, in 1870, my mother’s younger sister, in the apartment of O. John, had a daughter, it was me. After some time, I was taken home, but the Lord God wanted my true home to be in the quiet, peaceful apartment of the unforgettable Shepherd, under his blessed roof. In 1872 my father died, leaving my mother without any means. Then my uncle, seeing the helpless situation of our family, said to my aunt: “We don’t have children, we’ll take them and raise them like a daughter.” All said and done, and so I found myself, by the will of God, in the care of unforgettable, infinitely dear to me uncle and aunt, who tirelessly cared for me, cared for me, took care of me, as only tenderly loving parents can care for and cherish their beloved child. How about. John never lived a personal life, devoting himself to serving humanity, and Elizaveta Konstantinovna never lived for herself, only the circle of her activities was already developing, limited to serving her family and friends; She rejoiced with their joys, and grieved with their sorrows. I remember her when she was about forty-five. Very lively, with a kind, prudent face, an eternal busybody, she loved to caress everyone, warm them up and feed them; how now I look at her, tied up in a white apron, in the kitchen, making a sweet pie; She loved to cook herself, buy provisions herself, look after everything herself, so that everything was clean and tasty. How many times, I remember, my uncle, while tasting his favorite apple pie, said: “You are a master at making pies.” Friendly, always even-tempered, affectionate, Elizaveta Konstantinovna loved when one of her friends visited her; then she directly fed the guest or guest, and her uncle, seeing her hospitality and sincerity, more than once said, pointing to the busy hostess: “she is a real mother.” Among the household chores, my aunt did not forget me; She spent all her free time with me, slept in the same room with us, taught me to read and write in Russian and French, and when I entered the gymnasium, she prepared my breakfast herself, accompanied me to the gymnasium every day and met me, asking for lessons. I remember that before my aunt began to teach me, my uncle served a prayer service in St. Andrew’s Cathedral for Saints Cosmas and Damian and the prophet Naum; My uncle himself took me to the entrance exam to the gymnasium, paid for me all the time from his candidate’s salary, and followed my progress with unflagging interest, looking through my notebook with marks every week and signing it. Is it surprising if, under such favorable conditions, I brilliantly completed the course of study; This was a great joy for my unforgettable teachers, and my uncle hurried to tell many of his acquaintances the news that was welcome to him: “our niece and pupil, Rufa, graduated from the gymnasium with a gold medal.” As far back as I can remember, my aunt always treated her great prayer husband with reverent love and respect. When he, tired, came home from services or from the church of God, she hurried to take off his boots, help him undress, and carefully covered him, putting him to bed to rest. Then dead silence settled in the apartment; so jealously did the aunt guard the short-term rest of the toiling shepherd. Being in generally poor health, the uncle often fell ill, and then the aunt turned into a tireless nurse: she spent all nights at the patient’s bedside, and during the day she herself prepared food for him. I remember in 1879 Fr. John became dangerously ill: he had inflammation of both lungs. For hours at a time he lay with his eyes closed, in a state of oblivion, and when he came to his senses, he often said: “My head hurts unbearably, as if someone were hitting it with a hammer.” One day my aunt was sitting near her uncle’s bed and crying bitterly; opening his eyes, the priest looked at her and said: “Don’t cry, Lisa, God willing, I’ll get better, and if not, God and good people will not leave you; I didn’t leave anyone, and they won’t leave you.” Several days passed, and one morning my aunt ran into the nursery and exclaimed in a voice trembling with excitement: “Uncle is better, the crisis is over!” My aunt and I looked at each other, hugged each other tightly, and both began to cry, but with tears of joy. When the unforgettable father made his frequent and then daily trips to St. Petersburg, the aunt never went to bed without waiting for his uncle, even if it was around one in the morning, despite the fact that her health was generally not very strong; She constantly suffered from headaches and insomnia for several years in a row. Over time, mother, out of weakness, was forced to give up some of her concerns about the priest, what a severe deprivation it was for her, poor thing! I still remember the following incident. Several years ago, my uncle, having taken a bath, went out into the hallway in winter in his shoes: my aunt was terribly worried and, no longer able to move quickly due to illness in her legs, sent to tell the priest that he risked catching a cold by going out into the air lightly dressed after a bath. Returning from the entryway, my uncle walked into the living room where my aunt was sitting and said to her, affectionately clapping her on the shoulder: “Thank you, dear, for your concern for me; just don’t worry, my feet are dressed warmly.” Father John deeply appreciated such concern on her part for himself and responded to her in kind. When illness prevented the unforgettable priest from traveling to St. Petersburg, and later even around Kronstadt, he did not sit down to dinner for a single day without going into the living room or into his aunt’s room, depending on where she was, and without calling her to the dining room; he said: “When I dine alone, I have no appetite.” There wasn’t an evening when my uncle didn’t come to my aunt to say goodbye and bless her before going to bed: “I wish you a good night,” “Sleep well,” “The Lord be with you,” “God bless you,” these were the greetings that he said to her before leaving for the office to retire. Some time before the death of the priest, my mother fell ill with influenza; It was here that her uncle’s concern for her was especially evident. It was impossible without tears of tenderness to see how the dear sufferer, who could barely walk, blessed her several times during the day and every evening before going to bed, stroked her head, and said: “poor, poor,” “together you and I suffer,” “together we suffer,” “we are both sufferers.” And for a long time he would stand near her chair, shaking his head and looking at the sick woman with pity; and sometimes he will turn his mournful gaze from her face to the image and pray for a long, long time silently for her... Usually, when someone inquired from his uncle about his or his aunt’s health, he invariably answered: “we are both bad,” “we are both going to die,” “we are both preparing for death.” Once, when the uncle was told that the aunt was feeling bad, he came to her and said: “Don’t be discouraged, the Lord is merciful; He will give you the patience to endure suffering and be completely healthy.” In November, while having lunch with his aunt and two visitors, his uncle began to tell them that his health was very bad. Aunt, wanting to encourage him, said: “You always feel better in the spring; spring will come - you will get better”; to this my uncle objected: “in the spring, you say? You’ll live to see spring, but I won’t.” The priest’s prediction came true: he died in December, she in May. When the unforgettable uncle on December 6th no longer had the strength to perform the liturgy, but communed every morning at home, he came to the room of his aunt, who was sick with influenza, with the holy cup and communed with her, saying: “My Lord and my God!”, “Approach with the fear of God and faith,” “receive the body and blood of Christ,” “peace be upon you, old lady, I congratulate you.” The last time the priest came to mother’s room was on the morning of December 17th, he introduced her to her, and since the 18th he has not left the office. Especially after the death of her uncle, her aunt’s health deteriorated: general weakness began to develop rapidly, her legs and arms began to work very poorly, and her heart gradually began to give out. She greatly missed the unforgettable deceased, could not hear his name without tears; The orphaned aunt could not come to terms with the idea that her uncle was gone; She told those around her: “It still seems to me that Ivan Ilyich did not die, but left somewhere, as he used to leave for Moscow, and will come again.” Shortly before her death, my mother saw a brooch with a portrait of the priest on one of her acquaintances and cried inconsolably, exclaiming: “Ivan Ilyich, Ivan Ilyich,” and when they began to console her with the fact that he was now blissfully well, she said: “It’s good for him, but how hard it is for me without him, because we’ve been together for 53 years.” Anticipating her imminent death, mother often, sitting in a chair, fixed her gaze on the image and said: “I need to get ready, I need to ask God to forgive all my sins.” She often remembered and was consoled by the words of the unforgettable father, our common representative before the Lord God, spoken by him on December 17, when he was told that the sick mother was very grieving, unable, due to illness, to come to the office and care for him: “tell my wife that she is always with me, and I am always with her.” These words constantly encouraged the sufferer, consoled her in her long suffering with the hope that even after his death the priest would not leave her, would soon take her to himself, meet her in the heavenly monastery and, through his intercession, bring her to the throne of the Most High. Usually the aunt put on her uncle’s cassock at night or slept covered with it. Every time I went to the Ioannovsky Monastery, she always told me: “bow to your uncle for me” and cried bitterly, inconsolably. Whether her arm or leg began to hurt badly, she immediately asked to anoint the sore spot with oil from the tomb of the unforgettable Father. Deeply believing and religious, mother only hoped for God’s mercy and with all her heart strove for spiritual salvation. “Ivan Ilyich, bless me, pray for me,” the aunt asked her great shepherd husband several times a day, whom, to her grief, she had to endure. After his death, praying sincerely and with tears herself, my aunt, out of her greatest Christian humility, feared that her prayers would not soon be heard by the Lord, and always asked others to pray for her. When I went home every night at night, after evening wishes, she constantly told me: “pray for me.” Whether I was going to the all-night vigil or mass, I always heard from her lips the same request, coming from the depths of my heart: “pray for me,” and I prayed for her as best I could. One afternoon, before my arrival, my aunt felt unwell, and then she did not calm herself down with anything other than hope for God’s mercy: “today is Saturday,” she said, “Rufa will go to the all-night vigil and pray for me.” So great was her faith in the power of prayer in general that even through my sinful prayer she hoped to receive relief. Finishing this short essay dedicated to the blessed memory of the unforgettable deceased, one cannot help but stop with surprise at two of her distinctive features: extreme humility and meekness; in these two highest Christian virtues all the greatness of her soul was revealed. She was not angry with anyone, she had no malice towards anyone. If anyone upset her or did something unpleasant to her, she endured it without complaint and forgave everyone from the bottom of her heart. To the question addressed to her: “Do you have enmity against anyone?” Mother invariably always answered the same thing: “no, not to anyone.” Forgiving insults herself, she taught others to do the same; He used to say: “Don’t be angry, God Himself will indicate who is right and who is wrong, and you will forgive.” Auntie never allowed herself to get involved in the affairs of the great shepherd and man of prayer, she never tried to move forward and stand alongside him; remaining constantly in the shadows, she shone with the reflection of his glory, she shone with the reflection of his lofty Christian virtues; like a tender sister and loving mother, she tirelessly took care of the common treasure, and sick, weak, almost without legs, she warned everyone, begged everyone: “don’t make noise, father is resting,” “don’t accept anyone yet, father is unwell.” Father himself knew her soul, highly valued her purity, meekness and humility, and spoke of her this way: “My wife is an angel.” Did everyone know that behind the back of the great righteous man, Father John, stood his guardian, ready to lay down her soul for him? If they didn’t know this then, let them know now and let everyone sincerely pray for the pure old woman, the meek old woman, the servant of God Elizabeth! Infinite gratitude to you, wonderful, selfless mother-educator, and eternal memory of you, glorious virgin wife of the lamp of the Russian land - may they live in us, in our children and grandchildren! (From the memoirs of R. G. Shemyakina. Published by Kronsh. Bulletin, 1909) The word spoken by the rector of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral, Archpriest Fr. Alexander Petrovich Popov before the funeral service for Elizaveta Konstantinovna Sergieva “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Truly full of evangelical meekness, depicted in this beatitude, was the late mother Elizaveta Konstantinovna, the wife of the venerable Fr. John, the great lamp and prayer book of the Russian land, known not only within Russia, but even abroad. The deceased was the personification of not only this commandment of the Savior - but also another: “blessed are the poor in spirit, for of them is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). She always kept a low profile and showed herself to be extremely modest. If someone else in her place could have become proud and let everyone feel who she is and who her husband is. But there was never a noticeable desire for this in my mother, and she tried with all her might to avoid all honors. When they sometimes turned to the deceased with a request to get a meeting with Fr. John, she humbly rejected it. In her apartment, although she was the mistress, she was only in name: in fact, Fr. John belonged to everyone, and the deceased was not an obstacle to this, but on the contrary, she contributed to Fr. John in his holy works. May the fresh grave of the deceased serve as an eternal reminder of Mother Elizaveta Konstantinovna, modest, meek, kind, who managed to preserve these highest virtues of a woman even under the exceptional conditions in which life placed her. On her tombstone it would be most appropriate to inscribe: “here is meekness, here is humility,” and nothing else should be written: anyone who knew Elizabeth Konstantinovva, after reading these words, will immediately understand who lies under this gravestone - will understand that beneath him lies the very embodiment of the two highest Christian virtues - meekness and humility, these best ornaments of the soul. May the deceased mother, the wife of Fr. John, an eternal and good example to our wives and daughters!.. (Edition “Kronstadt Bulletin” 1909) O. John of Kronstadt - the greatest righteous man of our era "Russian Nicholas the Wonderworker." "Easter Father" "All-Russian Prayer Book". "The Sun of the Russian Church". "Holy Seer" "Great righteous man." "Guest of the Paradise Side" These are the loving names that pious Orthodox Rus' awarded its beloved shepherd, Father John of Kronstadt! Even among the famous Russian saints, few were as revered in Rus' as Father John. Is the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov also the Paschal One, also all shining with the reflected heavenly light? The world lies in evil. And it is the destiny of earthly people to endure great sorrows in this earthly vale. “Many sorrows (even) for the righteous,” says St. Psalmist (Ps. 33:20). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself testifies to the same thing. Let us remember His Beatitudes. They seem to have two plans. The first half of each commandment is man’s earthly destiny: to humble himself, to cry over sins, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be persecuted. The second half is the heavenly plane, the Kingdom of God. There is joy and consolation, there is the sight of God, there in heaven the sons of God will find a great reward. “Will they find it?” - asks with doubt, humanity plunged headlong into the darkness of sin. The All-merciful Lord answers him... Easter. Easter is a prototype of the heavenly life of the resurrected and transformed human flesh. Easter mood - heavenly mood. Easter people are celestials. There are few of them, but there were and are. The first among them is Nicholas the Wonderworker, a quick helper, victorious, joyfully and solemnly walking before God, overflowing with great compassionate love for all those who suffer. White, joyful, Easter. St. Nicholas will help, often in small things, and will comfort, and warm, and love, like his own child, even an inveterate sinner. How can one not love such a merciful person in return? Father John of Kronstadt was also filled with the Easter spirit of joyful glorification of the Lord, St. Nicholas. That’s why they called him the Russian Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Easter priest. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, with a loving, bright smile on his lips, all glowing with sacramental joy (he took communion every day for almost half a century), he truly represented an earthly angel and a heavenly man. He did not belong to himself at all, especially in the second half of his life. Only God and people. He can, of course, be called a God-bearer. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Christians His Most Pure Body and His Most Holy Blood, in order, as it were, to relate them to Himself, to deify them, to make them partakers of the Second Being. Father John, through the daily communion of the Holy Mysteries, fully absorbed God's grace-filled gifts, became a relative, close to Christ the Savior, a true God-bearer, a church of the Living God (1 Cor. 3:16). “Son, give me your heart,” says the Lord (Proverbs 23:26)... and “My Father will love you, and We will come to you and make our Abode in you” (John 14:23). Seeing such a God-bearer, hearing his inspired prayers and participating in them was a great spiritual pleasure for the Russian people. Father John passed before him in his life as a bearer of the conquering, triumphant, rejoicing faith. That is why people were so irresistibly drawn to him, they craved him so much. They said to themselves: “Even though we are weak and sinful, behold, there is a righteous man in the world; which overcomes sinful human nature. There is such a Christian soul that has overcome sin and received the grace-filled power of great prayerful boldness, which alone triumphs over the beauty of the sweetest Jesus.” This faith of the Russian people in the righteous on earth is beautifully described in “The Brothers Karamazov” by F.M. Dostoevsky. Even Smerdyakov, an atheist crippled by life, one of the prototypes of modern Bolshevism, had this faith. Who among us has not strived, at least just in thought, to see a righteous man, a holy man? And what indescribable joy were experienced by those who were lucky enough, often after a long and difficult search, to find a righteous man and satisfy their hungry soul from his feast of faith... But, let's return to Father John. What Christian truth did Father John love more than others? What was his favorite thing to preach about? – This is answered well by His Beatitude Metropolitan Anthony in a speech delivered in St. Petersburg on the fortieth day of the death of the great Kronstadt shepherd. “The favorite thought of Father John, which dominates his sermons and diaries,” says Bishop Anthony, “is that truth dear to the Orthodox consciousness that we are all one in God: angels, holy saints and Christians working out their salvation, living and dead. The closest means of this unity are: the lifting of our soul to God in prayer and the closest union with Christ God in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist...” Father John, as you know, was not distinguished by any genius abilities. He spoke simply, without any floridity. All the more striking was the influence of his words on the people, who often wept and repented loudly during his sermons. The answer to this amazingly wondrous phenomenon is given to us by the Tauride Bishop, His Grace Mikhail (Gribanovsky), who died in his young years. He put it this way about Father John: “This is a man who tells God and people only what his heart tells him: he shows as much feeling in his voice, shows as much sympathy and affection to people as he feels them in his heart; and will never add to his lips beyond what he has inside his soul. This is the highest degree of spiritual truth, which brings a person closer to God.” And indeed, Father John was in everything the very sincerity, the very truth. This affected him especially during prayer; He uttered some exclamations, following his elevated spiritual mood, loudly and enthusiastically, while others quietly and calmly. In his service to God, everything was imbued with this highest sincerity. Nothing about the pose. Not a single false tone. Through this sincerity of his, through his incessant hunger and thirst for the truth of God, Father John acquired purity of heart, which opened his spiritual gaze to the sight of the Divine itself. Another characteristic feature of Father John, like St. Nicholas, as mentioned above, was his great compassionate love for people. This is truly a superhuman feat. It is easy to love loved ones, relatives, and friends. When one of them gets sick, prayer itself asks for the soul. You can pray for a stranger when asked, which is what our clergy does. But to be able to pray for a stranger, as for your own family and friends, as for your father or mother, for a son or daughter when they are in trouble, is given to few. And to pray in this way every day and for hundreds of people is already supernatural, this is a special miraculous gift of God. And Father John fully possessed this gift, thereby becoming like the Gift-Giver Christ the Savior himself. That is why there began to be people who revered Father John as the second incarnate Jesus Christ. A whole sect of Johannites arose, decisively condemned both by the Church and by Father John himself. So, Father John was a man of great love, he was a great man of prayer and a miracle worker. But this is not enough. The Lord also endowed him with the gift of clairvoyance, the gift of insight into the future, the gift of prophecy. He was truly sent by God to the Russian people, as if by a heavenly messenger, to warn them of the terrible coming trials if they did not come to their senses, repent and return to God’s paths, along which he had walked for almost a thousand years and from which he began to stray so frivolously and criminally in the last decades before the revolution. It is not Father John’s fault that the people did not heed his prophetic voice. Father John was also awarded the crown of confession and even, as it were, martyrdom. Almost all liberal newspapers spat out all sorts of angry words at him, and, alas, they were the majority in Russia at that time. In the last years of his life, the play “Black Crows”, in which one of the characters was an evil and libelous caricature of Father John, did not leave the repertoire of the capital and provincial theaters. Finally, he was once physically beaten half to death and mutilated by fanatics from the revolution - the forerunners of Bolshevism. Until the end of his life he was unable to recover from the consequences of this terrible beating. Perhaps he did not want to get rid of this participation in the Savior’s feat of the cross. Such was the life in Christ of this great righteous man of our time. We need to delve deeper and deeper into this holy and great life, or more correctly, life. It is necessary to study with love every small touch of it. Listen with quiet tenderness to the simple, unartistic stories of those healed by Father John or their relatives. Many of these stories are similar to one another, but this is the living truth, authentic evidence. This is true. And a simple, unvarnished reality is infinitely more valuable than the most beautiful fantasy. It is very beneficial for the soul to draw pure living water from the bottomless well of his enlightened God-wisdom by the Holy Spirit. How to talk to him yourself while reading his works. Our Council of Bishops in 1953 unanimously recognized that Father John is a true saint and righteous man of God, who has acquired great grace and mercy from the Lord. The Council has not yet decided to take the initiative in organizing a nationwide celebration of glorification, leaving this matter to the special direction of the will of God. At the same time, he decided to appeal to the admirers of Father John with a proposal to intensify their prayers for the approaching hour of glorification of this great saint of God. Let us respond, brethren, to this archpastoral call and in our prayers, early in the morning or late in the quiet evening, every day let us sigh prayerfully from the bottom of our hearts for the approach of the longed-for time for the nationwide glorification of Father John. Let us tearfully beg him, as if he were alive, with a contrite heart, to intercede for us sinners, in our common need, and for the long-suffering, tormented, tormented Motherland - our mother - Russia. Bishop Seraphim of Chicago and Detroit. Essay on the Orthodox worldview of Fr. John of Kronstadt There is a special attractive force - for a pastor in particular - in the personality of the ever-memorable Fr. John of Kronstadt, even in his portrait form, there is an attraction to his writings, to his diary “My Life in Christ”. There is something especially calming in the entries in his diary, not to mention the fact that the very subjects of speech elevate, spiritually attune, and strengthen. When you open a book, your eye can hardly tear yourself away from it, and your hand seems to turn its pages one by one. Where does this attraction of hearts to Fr. come from? John? Undoubtedly, in this case it is of great importance that Fr. John is our contemporary in the broad sense of the word, and in the closest sense, a contemporary of the older generation among us. He was born among us, grew up in an environment familiar to us, in our school, which we also went through, was brought up, served as a priest in our midst, and in our memory passed into eternal life: - all ours. But there is a more important side. He made his recordings for himself, and together for us. He wrote down his own thoughts in his diaries, answered the questions of his own soul, but, to a certain extent, these were also our questions, answers to our perplexities, here often confirmation of our personal decisions. What he himself writes in his diary is justified: “We often hear from others, or often read in the writings of others, what God has placed on our minds and hearts, what we ourselves have cherished, i.e. We often find our favorite thoughts in others...” and then gives an explanation for it. “Isn’t there one Lord God of minds, isn’t there one His Spirit in all those who seek the truth? Isn’t there one and only our Enlightener, who enlightens every person coming into the world?” (My Life in Christ, vol. I, 45-46). This is the main reason for the attraction to Fr. John, indicated by himself. He answers the needs of our own spirit. And as a man of strong faith, deep Orthodox religious thought and complete unity between word and deed, he responds in the most perfect way, becoming our friend, leader, comforter, renewer, spiritual enlightener. Theology of Fr. John, his worldview is deeply Orthodox. Can it, therefore, be the subject of a special, special speech? Isn’t it already given in the Orthodox Catechism? What new things can be discovered in it? Of course, the thought of God about. John's content is the thought of God, handed down from the fathers, conciliar, patristic, apostolic, based on the Gospel. We won’t find anything new in him, religious modernism. However, this is what attracts special attention, it attracts because on this basis Fr. John expresses his general worldview, what can be called a personal Christian philosophy. Believers have different attitudes towards the truths of faith they have accepted. Some accept them without reasoning, as an undisputed authority. Others strive to connect them with their general worldview, faith with reason. But one way or another, everyone must connect their faith with their life, with their actions. If the content of our faith is not reflected in the content and quality of our actions, if it makes no difference to our behavior how we believe, then faith ceases to be alive. We need a synthesis of faith and life, or even better - faith, reason and life - faith, reason, heart and life. The more fully one lives the life of the Church, the more complete this synthesis should be. It is quite clear how much the shepherd needs him. And in the face of Fr. John we are given an example of the harmony of theological knowledge with a general understanding of life and together with personal spiritual experience. Before us is an integral, deeply harmonious Christian personality, an ideal Christian shepherd. It is useful to know how, under what influences, this harmonious personality of Fr. John. He himself tells us this. The main component here was the Holy Scripture. “From the first days of my high service to the Church... I began,” writes Fr. John, - for reading the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, extracting from it everything that is edifying for oneself, both for a person in general and for a priest in particular" (Short autobiography in the magazine "North" for 1888). In a conversation with pastors, he says: “When I am free from divine services and pastoral activities, I read the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, especially the Holy Gospel - this is the most precious gospel of our salvation for us. When reading, I try to think about every verse, every phrase, even individual words and expressions. And then, with such attentive attention to the holy book, such a wealth of thoughts, a wealth of principles for sermons, seems to arise that no preacher can exhaust this depth of God” (Conversations with the clergy in Sarapul in 1904). Reading the diary of Fr. John, we can note that all the books of Holy Scripture are presented in the diary in excerpts, but in such a way that you will not feel a deliberate selection of text anywhere, there is no load of texts, the merging of the personal element with the divine is unusually natural here. The usual reception at Fr. John - to conclude your personal thought with the utterance of the Word of God, to close your record with it, just as the word “Amen” confirms the words of prayer or the fulfilling words of the sacrament. Another component was reading the Holy Fathers. “Having read the Bible with the Gospel and many of the works of Chrysostom and other ancient Fathers, as well as the Russian Chrysostom Philaret of Moscow and other church works, I felt a special attraction to the title of priest and began to ask the Lord to grant me the grace of the priesthood and shepherding His verbal sheep”... (Speech on the day of the 25th anniversary of the priesthood). Father John rarely names St. in his diary. Fathers, and you need to be at least somewhat familiar with their writings in order to feel the power of their influence on the way of thinking of Fr. John and on the very form of their expression in the diary, in particular, the influence of St. Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and ascetic writings. In the often used interview form of notes, the spirit of Chrysostom is felt, in the discussions about the Holy Trinity - St. Gregory the Theologian, in the fullness of thought, expressed by a wealth of synonyms and epithets - St. Vasily. We finally know how highly Fr. John the entire composition of liturgical books. He himself says: “I always read the canons at Matins myself. What richness is contained here, what deep content, what wonderful examples of ardent faith in God, patience in sorrow, fidelity to duty in the most severe torment, the Church offers us here every day. Through reading the canons, the soul little by little becomes imbued with the high feelings and moods of those righteous people whom the Church glorifies, lives among church memories and through this gets used to church life. And I, one might say, was brought up in church life on this reading, which is why I advise others who sincerely wish to acquire spiritual wealth to pay serious attention to the reading of the canons according to the Octoechos, Menaion or Triodion.” All these influences had such an impact on the personality of Fr. John that God, faith, and the Church became the content of his entire life, and this content merged with his pure, healthy, harmoniously developed spiritual and physical being full of vital energy. The high content filled a worthy vessel. One of the consequences of this was that for Fr. John, the truths of faith are not presented as abstract propositions, but as living forces expressed in vital images. St. John thinks in ideas, and he teaches us this way of thinking. He writes: “They say: we soon get tired of praying. Why? Because you do not imagine the Lord alive before you, as if He is at your right hand. Look at Him unceasingly with the eyes of your heart, and then you will spend the whole night in prayer and will not get tired. What am I saying – night! Stand for three days and three nights and not get tired. Remember the stylites..." (I, 180). “When praying,” he writes another time, “one must imagine all creation as nothing before God, and the One God as All, containing everything, existing everywhere, acting, reviving everything” (I, 187). That is why his thoughts about the highest objects of faith are so rich in comparisons, likenings and symbols. Just as a burning glass lights up a tree when it, concentrating the sun’s rays in its focus, directs them to one point, so the heart is ignited by prayer when “the mental Sun God, the images of the Mother of God and the Angels are concentrated with possible fullness and strength in the center of our soul, in the heart” (I, 115). The direct embodiment of faith in the corresponding Christian activity, the moral application to life of each, one might say, point of faith is a characteristic feature in the worldview - in the life understanding of Fr. John. He has theology in his thoughts and theology in his life. How does Fr. theologize? John. God is the One, the only existing one. “For a true believer, God is everywhere and everything, but creatures seem to not exist, all earthly matter and all visible worlds seem to disappear, and for him there is not even one mental line of space without God” (I, 159). God, the spirits of Angels and men are constant: “everything else is a soap bubble. I do not humiliate creation with these words, but I speak about it in comparison with the Creator and the blessed spirits” (I, 23). Hence the direct moral conclusion: do not cling to material, temporary existence. Throughout the diary, it reminds Fr. John about God, that God is a “Simple Being”, following the ancient patristic thought (for example, in St. Gregory of Nyssa). And precisely as a Simple Being, God is omnipresent, permeates everything, fills everything. That is why God is so close to the world and people. God is Simple Love (I, 393). “The Lord, in His infinity, is such a simple Being that He is all found in one name, Trinity, or in the name Lord, in the name Jesus Christ” (II, 422). If so, then in order for a person to be in unity with God, it is necessary, by His grace, to acquire the perfect simplicity of goodness or the holiness of love (I, 366). And one must believe “simply, saying to oneself: I believe in everything I ask in the simplicity of my heart, and I ask for everything simply” (I, 349). “Love without thinking: love is simple. Also, without thinking, believe and trust: for faith and hope are also simple” (I, 393). “The truth is simple” (I, 349). Thus, from the thought of God comes the general life commandment of simplicity in everything, and in particular, in dealing with people. “Let simplicity accompany you everywhere; especially be simple in faith, hope and love, for God is a Simple Being, an ever-worshipping Unit, and our soul is simple. Our simplicity is hindered by the flesh when we please it...” (II, 164). “Try to achieve childlike simplicity in dealing with people and in prayer to God. Simplicity is the greatest good and dignity of man. God is completely simple, because he is completely spiritual, completely good. And let your soul not be divided into good and evil” (II, 301). God is Trinity Consubstantial. “God the Father is life, God the Son is life, God the Holy Spirit is life: the Holy Trinity is life” (I, 111). “What an endless fullness of life!” exclaims Fr. John, speaking about the relationship of the Hypostases in God, and then again in the same entry, speaking about their equality: “What fullness of life!” and about their unity again: “What a fullness of life!” (II, 344). The fullness of divine life is reflected in the richness and diversity of life in the created world, in the generosity of God scattered in the world. “The world, as the work of the Living, Wise God, is full of life: everywhere and in everything there is life and wisdom, in everything we see the expression of thought, both as a whole and in all parts. This is a real book from which one can, although not as clearly as their revelations, learn the knowledge of God. Before the world became, there was only the living, infinite God; when the world was called into existence from non-existence, God, of course, did not become limited; all the fullness of life and infinity remained with Him; but this fullness of life and infinity was also expressed in creatures, living and organic, of which there are immeasurably many and all endowed with life” (I, 60). The world, however, is limited, and in its limitation it serves as a fulcrum for bodily creatures so that they do not disappear into infinity (I, 60). “Just as the soul carries its body, so God carries the entire universe, all worlds, without being contained by them; the soul fills the whole body, and “the Spirit of the Lord fills the world” (Wis. 1:7); only the soul is limited to the body, although imperfectly, because it can be carried everywhere; but the Spirit of the Lord is not limited to the world and is not contained in the world as in the body” (I, 19). Observing the world, we are amazed at how generously the Creator endowed His creatures with abilities, art, gentle and beautiful forms, and gave them the creative ability themselves. “Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! at every step in every moment of life" (I, 80). “You are involuntarily excited to praise when you see the endless variety of creations on earth, in the animal kingdom, the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. What a wise arrangement in everything - great and small. You involuntarily glorify and say: Wonderful are Your works, O Lord, You have done all things with wisdom; glory to Thee, Lord, who created all things” (I, 142). “Who is it in flowers that so wisely, subtly, beautifully arranges, forms the ugly, i.e. the formless, formless substance of the earth? Who gives him such an amazing shape? Creator, let us kiss Your wisdom, Your grace, Your omnipotence in flowers” ​​(I, 53). “The Lord is the cause and constant support (power) of my organic bodily life, through the action of the lungs, stomach, heart, veins, muscles, - and spiritual-organic life - through the mind and thinking, through the illumination of the heart with His light” (II, 272). And here again, amid thoughts of the fullness of life and the generosity and wisdom of God, Fr. John gives appropriate moral instruction. “The Lord has complete respect for the nature He created and its laws, as the product of His infinite, most perfect wisdom; Therefore, He usually accomplishes His will through the medium of nature and its laws, for example, when it punishes people or blesses them. Therefore, do not demand miracles from Him unless absolutely necessary” (II, 282). This is one conclusion. And another: If the Creator is so generous, if His bounties are endless, if the earth, by His command, supplies food and clothing to man in abundance, then “every Christian, especially a priest, imitate the bounties of the Lord, so that your table will be open to everyone, as the Lord’s table. The stingy is the enemy of the Lord" (I, 68). From here Fr. John's call to the fullness of pastoral work. Hence the completeness of his personal shepherding. As a shepherd, he warns himself and his fellow shepherds against one-sidedness in Christian deeds. “We should not ask anyone,” he writes, “whether it is necessary to spread the Glory of God with the writing hand or with good deeds. We must do this to the best of our ability and ability. Talents must be put to use. When you think about this simple matter, the devil will perhaps inspire you with the absurdity that you only need to do internal work” (I, 348). “The priest must be the same in the spiritual world, in the circle of his flock, as the sun is in nature: he must be light for everyone, life-giving warmth, the soul of everyone” (II, 202). - “My sweetest Savior! You, having gone out to serve the human race, did not only preach the word of heavenly truth in the church, but, flowing around cities and villages, you did not shy away from anyone, you went to everyone’s houses, especially to those whose complete repentance You foresaw with Your divine gaze. You did not sit at home, but had loving fellowship with everyone. Grant us also to have this communion of love with Your people, so that we, shepherds, are not confined to Your sheep in our houses, as in castles or dungeons, leaving only for services in the church or for services in houses, according to one duty, with mere prayers. May our lips open to speak freely in the spirit of faith and love with our parishioners. May our Christian love for our spiritual children be revealed and strengthened through a lively, free, fatherly conversation with them...” (II, 146). Let's continue the theology of Fr. John. “God is Spirit... And how does the spirit manifest itself? In thought, word and deed. Therefore, God, as a simple Being, does not consist of a series or of many thoughts, or of many words or (of many) creations, but He is all in one simple thought - God the Trinity, or in one simple word - the Trinity..., but He is all and in all that exists, passes through everything, fills everything with Himself...” (I, 131). In the unity of the Holy Trinity, the image is given to us. Just as our Trinity God is One Being, “so we must also be one. As our God is simple, so we must be simple, as simple as if we were all one person, one mind, one will, one heart, one kindness without the slightest admixture of malice - in a word, one pure love, just as God is Love” (I, 130). Let's move on to how it is expressed by Fr. John's teaching about each Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity and, above all, the Christian teaching about God the Father. How often they imagine God the Father as a Hypostasis far from the world! In philosophical religious constructions, the doctrine of God the Word, or Logos, is often explained in the sense that God the Father, as the Absolute, is incommensurate with the relative, changeable world, and therefore cannot have direct contact with it, and therefore needs a mediator between Himself and the world - and that such a mediator is God the Word, the Son of God. This view was reflected, by the way, in the philosophical system of Vl. Solovyova. This view often penetrates into our everyday religious concepts: God the Father, who lives in the “unapproachable light,” seems for this very reason to be distant from the earthly world and from us people. Likewise, the idea of ​​the distance of God the Father from man is felt in the Roman Catholic teaching on atonement, when the redemption of the human race through the blood of the Son of God is explained by the need to satisfy God the Father for the insult inflicted on Him by man’s sin. This is not at all the idea that Fr. teaches us. John. God, the Father of the Word, is also our good and loving Father. “When we say “Our Father,” we must believe and remember that the Heavenly Father never forgets and will not forget us, for what kind of earthly good father forgets and does not care about his children?.. Remember that the Heavenly Father constantly surrounds us with love and care and is not called your Father in vain. Father is not a name without meaning and power, but a name with full meaning and power” (I, 198). “Shouldn’t He be recognized all the more good because He gave... the greatest gift of His goodness, wisdom and omnipotence - I mean freedom..., without being shaken by the ingratitude of those who received the gift, so that His goodness would shine brighter than the sun for everyone? And didn’t He prove by His very deed His immeasurable love and His infinite wisdom in giving us freedom, when, after our fall into sin and separation from Him and spiritual destruction, He sent His only begotten Son into the world, in the likeness of the image of corruptible man, and gave Him to suffer and die for us?” (I, 99–100). "Christian! remember and always carry in your thoughts and heart the great words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven.” Remember who our Father is - God is our Father, our Love; who are we? - His children, and among themselves brothers; In what kind of love should the children of such a Father live among themselves? “As soon as the children of Abraham were, they did the works of Abraham quickly” (John 8:39); What kind of things should we do? (II, 39–40). “Our life is love, yes, love. And where there is love, there is God, and where God is, there is all goodness... So, feed and delight everyone with joy, please everyone with joy, and rely in everything on the Heavenly Father, the Father of generosity and the God of All consolation. Sacrifice to your neighbor what is dear to you...” (II, 39). So, we see, oh. John turns the basic dogmas into direct moral instruction and shows that every truth of faith contains a moral meaning. In the spirit of the ancient Fathers, Fr. John resorts to similes to distinguish the Persons of the Holy Trinity, namely: presenting God the Father as Mind or Thought, God the Son as the Word of the Father, and God the Holy Spirit as the Divine Work, - Fr. John theologizes about the Father, first of all, as the Divine Thought. From the Divine Mind, from the Divine Thought - every thought in the world. “In general, in the world we see the kingdom of thought, both in the entire composition of the visible world, and, in particular, on earth, in the circulation and life of the globe, in the distribution of the elements of light, air, water, earth, fire (in secrecy), while other elements are diffused in all animals - in birds, fish, reptiles, beasts and humans - in their wise and purposeful structure, in their abilities, morals, or habits - in plants, in their structure, nutrition, etc., in a word, we see the kingdom of thought everywhere, even in a soulless stone and grain of sand” (I, 8). Divine thought has its reflection in human thought. “We can think because there is an infinite thought, just as we breathe because there is an infinity of air space. This is why bright thoughts about any subject are called inspiration. Our thought constantly flows precisely under the condition of the existence of the infinitely thinking Spirit. That is why the Apostle says: “We are not content to think anything of our own, but our contentment comes from God” (2 Cor. 3:5). That is why the Savior says: “Do not worry about what you say or what you say, for fear that whatever you say will be given to you” (Matthew 10:19). You see, thought and even the word itself (inspiration) comes to us from without, however, this is in a state of grace and in case of need” (I, 7). What kind of edification does Fr. John from reflections on the Divine Thought? That is a reminder that we must avoid all mental untruth, be afraid of lies, and not sin in thought, since false thoughts themselves alienate us from God and incline us to submit to the power of the devil. “Sins of thought in a Christian are an important matter, because all our pleasing to God lies, according to the testimony of St. Macarius of Egypt, in thoughts: for thoughts are the beginning, from them come words and activity - words, because they either give grace to those who hear or are rotten words and serve as a temptation for others, corrupting the thoughts and hearts of others...” (I, 106). The Second Person of the Holy Trinity is the Son of God, the Hypostatic Word of the Father. This dogma gives Fr. John often has occasion to philosophize in his writings about the power and effectiveness of every word, not only Divine, but also human. “The Word is the Creator and our God; every word of Him is truth and deed. This should be our word (for we were created in the image of God).” – “The word is the expression of truth, truth itself, being, deed. The word precedes every being, every thing, as the wine of their existence - past, present or future" (I, 260). “How we must especially treasure everything that comes from the Hypostatic Word Himself - the Word of the Gospel, the writings of St. Fathers, with prayers" (I, 16). "Christian! treasure every word, be attentive to every word; be firm in your word; be trusting in the word of God and in the word of holy men, as in the word of life. Remember that the word is the beginning of life” (I, 196). “The word must also be strongly respected because in one word there is the omnipresent and all-fulfilling, one and indivisible Lord... in one name is the Lord Himself...” (I, 197). “Remember that in the word itself lies the possibility of action; You just need to have firm faith in the power of the word, in its creative ability. The Lord’s work is inseparable from the word... So it should be with us, for we are images of the Word...” (II, 134). "The word is power... And they say about people: he has extraordinary power of words. You see, the word is power, spirit, life” (I, 135). “Every word, like a grain, will bring you spiritual fruit - a ripe ear. Who among those who pray has not experienced this? It was not in vain that the Savior compared the seed with the word, and the human heart with the earth” (II, 138). “We must believe that the word, like a shadow following the body, is followed by the deed, since with the Lord the word and the deed are inseparable: “for He spoke and it happened; He commanded it, and it was created” (Ps. 149:5)... The trouble is that we are of little faith and separate words from deeds, like body from soul, like form from content, like shadow from body” (I, 186). It is clear that in most of the above thoughts about. John speaks about prayer, about the power of a prayer word spoken with faith. But in reality, not every word retains its power. Father John notes: “The word in the mouths of some is spirit and life, but in the mouths of others it is a dead letter (for example, during prayer and preaching)” (II, 256). Finally, a word can be a negative force. “The devil, who fell away from God, was left with only a shadow of thought and word without truth, without the essence of the matter, a lie, a ghost; and just as the true word, being the image of God the Word and coming from Him, is life, so the false word of the devil, being his image, is death; a lie is certainly death, for, naturally, it causes death to the soul that which itself has fallen from life into death” (I, 207). The Second Person of the Holy Trinity is also called Hypostatic, i.e. Personal, the Wisdom of God. Why do we believe that the Wisdom of God has a personal property? St. John answers: “How can there not be personal Wisdom in God, how can there not be a Creator in God, how can He not have His own living, self-existent Wisdom? Look at everything in the world, how wise everything is!... Think about it: how could God, having created many intelligent, personal, wise living beings, not give birth to personal Wisdom from Himself? Is this cool? Is this possible? Is this consistent with the perfections of the Creator? “So in God there must be Hypostatic Wisdom, or the Hypostatic Word of the Father, as well as the Life-Giving Spirit, proceeding from the Father and resting in the Son...” (I, 57). The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. “You have breath, material, impersonal, but with God, like the Life Itself, it is a Personal Spirit, not spilled, but simple, reviving everything” (I, 57). “You will also ask: why is the third Person in God called Spirit and why is He a special Person, when God is already a Spirit? - I answer: The Spirit of God is called Spirit in relation to creation: the Lord breathed His Hypostatic Spirit - and, at the beckoning of His Life-giving Spirit, countless spirits appeared: “By the Spirit of His mouth is all their power” (Ps. 33:6); breathed His Spirit into the human body: “and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7), and from this breath people are still being born and will be born until the end of the age, according to the commandment: “grow and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). If the Lord created so many personal individual beings by His Spirit, then how can the Spirit of God Himself not be a Person, or a personal creative Being?... If there are countless created personal spirits, then should God Himself remain without a Spirit, as without His Person - Independent, Hypostasis? (I, 56). “The Holy Spirit, like air, fills everything and penetrates everything: He is everywhere and fills everything” (II, 60). “The Lord Jesus Christ Himself likens the Holy Spirit in His actions to the water element (John 7:38–39), air or wind (John 3:8)” (I, 261). “Just as indoor air has identity with the external air and comes from it, just as it necessarily presupposes external air diffused everywhere, so our soul - the breath of the Spirit of God - presupposes the existence of the omnipresent and all-filling Spirit of God” (II, 243). “There is a Spirit who gives life (John 6:63). To the Spirit of the Lord in creatures belongs the revival of them from the time of their creation, and to the Son of God - creation, bringing them from non-existence into being... The Holy Spirit creates us in the womb of our mother; Our spiritual blessings belong to the Spirit of God” (I, 312). Our soul lives by the Holy Spirit, by Him we pray, by Him we are spiritually cleansed, by Him we are saved. “Just as breathing is necessary for the body, and without breathing a person cannot live; so without the breath of the Spirit of God the soul cannot live true life. What air is to the body, the Spirit of God is to the soul. Air is a kind of similarity to the Spirit of God. The spirit breathes wherever it wants (John 3:8)” (I, 6). “Whoever prays earnestly attracts the Holy Spirit into himself and prays with the Holy Spirit” (II, 196). “Prayer is the breath of the soul, like air is the breath of the natural body. We breathe the Holy Spirit. You cannot say a single word of prayer from your whole heart without the Holy Spirit” (II, 196). “Just as it is natural, sweet and easy to breathe air, so it should be natural, easy and sweet to breathe the Holy Spirit” (II, 221). “Just as in a conversation with people the mediator between our words and the words of another is the air, which is everywhere and fills everything, and through the air the words reach the ears of another, but without air it would be impossible to speak and hear: so in the spiritual sense, in communication with incorporeal beings, the mediator is the Holy Spirit, who is everywhere and fills everything” (II, 332). “Let us drink of the One Spirit: You see, the Spirit of God, like water or air, surrounds us on all sides” (II, 339). “For a long time I did not know in all clarity how necessary it is for our souls to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. And now the Most Merciful has let me know how necessary it is. Yes, it is necessary every minute, like breathing, it is necessary in prayer and throughout life... It is necessary for our heart to stand on stone. And this stone is the Holy Spirit” (I, 90–91). “All pious people are watered by the one Divine Spirit, like a watered sponge.” – “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, filling the entire universe, passes through all believing, meek, humble, kind and simple human souls, living in them, reviving and strengthening them; He is everything for them: light, strength, peace, joy, success in business, especially in a pious life - everything good...” (I, 162-163). So we see that the dogma about the Holy Spirit in the thoughts of Fr. John is closely connected with life. The teaching about the Holy Spirit is at the same time a teaching about the life of the world and about the source and nourishment of all piety and holiness. This is the teaching of Fr. John on the Holy Trinity. In God, the Trinitarian Unit, there is all the fullness of intra-divine life and the existence of the world. The reflection of the Divine properties is the universe, the material world, and especially man. From here we will draw a general conclusion in the words of Fr. John: “In order to become pure images of the Most Holy Trinity, we must strive for the holiness of our thoughts, words and deeds. Thought corresponds in God to the Father, words to the Son, deeds to the Holy Spirit who accomplishes everything” (I, 106). “Your Lord is Love: love Him and all people in Him, as His children in Christ, your Lord is Fire: do not be cold in heart, but burn with faith and love. Your Lord is Light: do not walk in darkness and do nothing in the darkness of the mind, without reasoning and understanding or without faith. Your Lord is the God of mercy and bounty; be a source of mercy and generosity for your neighbors. If you are like this, you will receive salvation with eternal glory” (I, 107). This is how our life should be, for we carry within us the image of God. But in fact, “we mostly live in doubt, lack of faith, unbelief, “having eyes and not seeing, having ears and not hearing, having a heart of stone” (Mark 8:17-18)” (II, 361). “We notice in ourselves the struggle of faith with unbelief, good power with evil, the spirit of churchliness with the spirit of the world... Do you know why this is? - asks Fr. John, and answers: from the struggle of two opposing forces: the power of God and the power of the devil. And I feel the struggle of two opposing forces within me. When I begin to pray, sometimes an evil force presses painfully and sinks my heart so that it cannot ascend to God,” writes Fr. John in one of his relatively early entries. The breath of the evil power of the devil is like poison entering the body. The kingdom of life and the kingdom of death go side by side. And the question involuntarily arises: why does the Lord allow the devil to exist and act even in good souls? And in this Fr. John sees God's providential plans. “You will not experience the actions of the evil machinations of the evil spirit, you will not recognize and honor as you should the benefits given to you by the good Spirit; Without recognizing the killing spirit, you will not recognize the Life-giving Spirit. Only because of the direct opposites of good and evil, life and death, do we recognize both... Glory to God, the All-Wise and All-Good, that He allows the spirit of evil and death to tempt and torment us! Otherwise, how would we begin to value the consolation of grace, the consolation of the Comforting, Life-giving Spirit!” (I, 55). For this reason, the Holy Church, its holy sacraments and all its grace-filled institutions were given to us, so that we have the opportunity to be under the constant influence of the all-conquering grace of God. The effects of God's grace are openly visible in life. Whether someone was proud, proud, or angry, he became meek and humble, and became so through the power of grace. The unbeliever - to the believer - by the power of grace. He who loves money is not acquisitive; he who is truthful and generous is by the power of grace. He was a glutton and became an abstinent out of consciousness of a high moral goal - by grace. He was a hater and vindictive, but he became a lover of humanity through the power of grace. He was cold towards God, towards the church - he changed, he became hot towards God - through the action of grace. “From here it is clear that many live outside of grace, not realizing its importance and necessity for themselves and not seeking it... Many live in all abundance and contentment..., but do not have grace in their hearts, this priceless Christian treasure, without which a Christian cannot be a true Christian and heir to the Kingdom of Heaven” (II, 209-211). “A sign of the mercy of the Lord or His Most Pure Mother towards us, after or during prayer, is peace of heart, especially after the action of any passion, which is characterized by the absence of spiritual peace. By spiritual peace and some kind of holy bliss of heart, we can easily recognize that our prayer has been heard and the grace we asked for has been granted” (II, 292). Take advantage, Christian, of God's treasury of grace! “When you pray to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the one God in the Trinity - do not look for Him outside yourself, but contemplate Him in yourself, as living in you, completely penetrating you and knowing you. Don’t you know that you are the church of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you (1 Cor. 3:16)” (II, 252). Remember, “that your soul is, as it were, some imprint of the Divine, and all the wealth of the soul lies in God, as in a treasury (Treasure of the good), from where we can draw every spiritual good through the prayer of faith and patience and cleansing ourselves from all filth” (II, 319). “Just as there is an abundance of water on earth, and everyone drinks it, comes and scoops it up for free, so the Lord is like an ocean of spiritual waters, come and draw up all kinds of spiritual benefits with the help of true, firm and shameless faith. Just stretch out this heartfelt and you will certainly draw up abundantly the water of life, forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience. But be afraid of doubt: it deprives you of the means to receive all the mercy of God” (II, 257). You will also find water from this source in communion with saints in prayer; they are in the grace-filled life of the Church. “The priesthood, or in general all the saints, are sacred reservoirs from which blessed water is communicated to other believers. “Rivers from his belly will flow living waters” (John 7:38)” (II, 296). This is how Fr. teaches us. John the basic truths of the Christian faith and life built on these truths. The value for us of his theology lies in the close connection between his theological thought, his word and his life, all his pastoral activities blessed with grace. The value is that his personal life justified, proved, fulfilled his faith. "Experience!" - “Based on experience!” Fr. often ends with this exclamation. John his individual notes. “No matter how many times I prayed in faith, God always listened to me and fulfilled my prayers” (II, 321). What could be said stronger than these words? Archpriest Mikhail Pomazansky. O. John of Kronstadt, as the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy This year, 1958 - December 20 marks the 50th anniversary of the blessed death of the ever-memorable rector of the Kronstadt Cathedral, Archpriest John Sergiev, known throughout Russia as Archpriest John of Kronstadt. Father John of Kronstadt in his “Thoughts on the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church” wrote: “there are people for whom the Liturgy is everything in the world.” Father John of Kronstadt was a great prayer book of the Russian Land. He was distinguished by his pious, holy life, performed many miracles, and provided extensive assistance to the poor. Devoting himself to prayer, he especially highly valued the Divine Liturgy, which he considered an eternal great miracle and devoted himself entirely to it. And of course, when he wrote in thoughts about the Liturgy, then of course he meant himself first of all, as the well-known Archpriest Fr. Pavel Lakhotsky, who knew Fr. John and very often served him. It is on the eve of the 2nd anniversary of December 19th Art. Art. In 1910, he gave a speech at a meeting of the Society for Religious and Moral Education about Fr. John of Kronstadt, as the performer of the Divine Liturgy. We offer this speech to our readers, dedicating it to the 50th anniversary of the blessed death of Fr. John of Kronstadt. “There are people for whom the Liturgy is everything in the world.” (Thoughts of Father John on the worship of the Orthodox Church, p. 63). When Fr. When John wrote these words, he meant himself first of all. It is known that from the first days of his priesthood he strove to celebrate the Divine Liturgy as often as possible, and in the last 35 years of his life he performed it every day, except for those days the morning of which he spent on the road, or on which he was seriously ill. But even then, if he was traveling by rail, he hurried to make a crossroads in the morning so that he could celebrate the Eucharist and receive communion in a nearby monastery or village, if there were none on the road itself, and if he traveled by boat to his native Sura, or traveled along the Volga or Kama, then he arranged his time in advance so as not to remain for several days in a row without sacred rites and communion. Obviously, he not only vividly felt and clearly understood, but also through the experience of his personal life, all the greatest significance for his life and work of this great sacrament. And indeed, he said and wrote that he explains his vigor, his tireless energy, his positively beyond the strength of an ordinary mortal, his activity, which left him no more than 4 hours a day for sleep and rest, by the fact that every day, by the grace of God, he performs the great sacrament and receives Holy Communion. Tain. In his diaries, he very often turns his thought and reverent feeling to the Divine Liturgy and does not even find in his own language, rich in expressing spiritual concepts, enough words to depict its greatness and fruits for believers. “What is more majestic, more touching, more life-giving on earth than the service of the liturgy? Here the greatest mystery of God’s love for the human race is depicted and performed - the union of God with people” (Thoughts on Divine Services, p. 61). “Without the sacrament of the Body and Blood, without the liturgy, the greatest work of love, wisdom, and omnipotence of our Savior could be forgotten, the fruits of His suffering could be lost; Therefore, He commanded to create a sacrament, the sacrament of His Body and Blood, and not only in remembrance, but also in the closest communion with Him. This sacrament is being performed loudly, publicly, all over the world.” (Ibid., pp. 87–88). “We all love life, but there is no true life in us without the source of life - Jesus Christ. The Liturgy is a treasury, the source of true life: because in it the Lord Himself, the Lord of life, gives Himself as food and drink to those who believe in Him and gives life in abundance to His partakers, as He Himself says: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood will have eternal life,” “I came, and they have life and have more” (John 6:54, 10:10). If the world did not have the Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord, it would not have the main good, the good of true life - (“do not have life in yourself” - John 6:53), it would only have the ghost of life” (Ibid., p. 69). “The Divine Liturgy is a constant and greatest miracle in the grace-filled kingdom of God; there is, so to speak, the constant slaughter of the Lamb of God and the outpouring of His most pure blood; the remembrance of His redemptive suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and His second coming, for He “offered Himself alone to the Father” (Heb. 7:27) for the whole world, is ever slain and sanctifies those who partake, is the unceasingly ongoing sacrifice of the God-man to God the Father for us sinners until the end of the world. “Your offering to You for everyone and for everything: for the Lord suffered for everyone, and died, and rose again, and therefore He reminds and will remind all human races all the days of His sacrifice and teach it to all sincere believers and those who desire salvation as food and drink for cleansing and renewal until the end of the age, so that all the faithful can be saved and all unrepentant sinners will be unrequited” (Ibid., p. 69). “The thought of the liturgy is that everyone will be one in Christ. All saints, starting with the Mother of God, are called to participate in the Divine Liturgy at proskomedia and liturgy. All the saints and all the angels participate in the service with the priest” (p. 74). “In addition, through the liturgy I daily renew my communion in Christ with the entire earthly Church. Oh, liturgy, universal, universal! Oh, liturgy, truly divine and adoring man, heavenly and creating people from earthly ones into heavenly ones” (p. 75). “How close to each other are the inhabitants of heaven, and the inhabitants of earth, and the Mother of God and all the saints, and all of us, Orthodox Christians, when the Divine, universal, transcendental, universal liturgy is celebrated! My God! What a joyful, life-giving communication” (p. 80). Father John had a bold view of the liturgy. “By performing the Liturgy reverently and with a pure heart, we can and should strongly hope that through it we will ask God for everything that is necessary for our souls and bodies: forgiveness of sins, health, salvation and the well-being of the living in everything and the mercy of God, forgiveness of sins and repose with the saints for all those who have passed away in faith, repentance and the hope of eternal life. The Liturgy is omnipotent, omnipotent, for imagine what kind of sacrifice is made in it? The Only Begotten Son of God Himself. If God did not spare His only begotten Son for us, then how will He not give us everything with Him (cf. Rom. 8:32)? The apostle wonders how it could be otherwise” (p. 70). U o. John's words and mood never diverged from deeds and life. How he understood the liturgy, how he taught about it, and performed it, performed it extraordinarily, living into every word of exclamations and prayers, giving himself completely to the memory of the Lord Jesus Christ, who at the liturgy is “both the offerer and the offered, and the sacrifice and the bishop” (Prayer at the Liturgy). Looking closely at him at the liturgy both in Kronstadt and in various churches in St. Petersburg, it was impossible not to see that he performed each liturgy as if it were the first liturgy he performed in his life, each time with new, fresh, so to speak, grace. Perhaps, and even probably, for this constant renewal of his mood, he willingly agreed to serve in different churches, where outwardly new surroundings, new co-workers seemed to renew his impressions. He loved, even while staying in one city, in one monastery for several days, to serve in different churches, sometimes he expressed a desire to serve there. He lived spiritually from liturgy to liturgy. Everything else was secondary for him, did not capture and fill his soul as much as the liturgy. Many times I had to observe him after the sacrament and before it, early in the morning, and his mood, speech, and entire behavior confirmed that for him the liturgy is everything in the world. Inexpressibly kind and sociable, he never refused to share a meal after the liturgy with his colleagues and his admirers, and in Kronstadt, on special days, he would certainly arrange a treat for them himself. Here he is, having talked with some, especially those in need of his consolation and spiritual and physical help, after the liturgy in the altar, somewhere on the stairs, on the way from the church to the house, or, in a secluded corner of the apartment, he quickly enters the room where the meal is prepared, affably, with general animation, greets everyone, sits down on the place prepared for him and is silent for some time, concentrated in himself, apparently still living with memories of the perfect liturgy, for individual remarks and prayerful, grateful addresses breathe these memories, then he certainly starts a conversation on the topic of the Church, about the church, about worship. The thought of the unity of all believers in Christ in the Divine Liturgy continues to control his actions and he, even if the hospitable hosts of the meal are sitting close here, begins to pour wine to everyone sitting close and tenderly treats them, pours them from his vessel into others, takes a thick branch of grapes, divides it into parts, treats everyone around him, and calls some to him from afar and gives them into their hands, breaks them into pieces the orange does the same with it, puts sugar in other people’s glasses and cups, even though a lot of it had been put there before, and all this is accompanied by various edifying instructions that could constitute, if put together, a kind of “spiritual treasure.” But until the end of the meal, Fr. John never stays long, perhaps because the usual atmosphere and topics of conversation at this time will not correspond, in their vanity, to his mood, and even more likely - he is not allowed. He has already consoled, warmed and illuminated with his light; now we must hurry to others, especially to the sick, old and infirm, who themselves cannot come to him, but are eager to see him and are waiting impatiently. And here it was necessary to notice that he still lived in memories of the Divine Liturgy. Here he comes to the sick man (which God has vouchsafed me to witness several times), he is greeted with reverent joy, and the sick man (or sick woman) thanks him for his prayers, informs him that after his last visit Fr. John felt better - that he hopes that now it will be easier for him, but Fr. John boldly answers: “Be sure to hope, because I recently celebrated the Divine Liturgy, in me is Christ the Savior, Almighty God.” Your faith is needed, but He can do everything,” or expresses the same thought in other words. Hunger and thirst for the celebration of the Eucharist and the communion of St. The mysteries were expressed by Fr. John and the fact that he almost never stayed until the time at which the liturgy was appointed: he always arrived and began the service a little, and sometimes significantly, earlier than he appointed. How exactly did Fr. John's Divine Liturgy - it is extremely difficult to describe, although I had to serve with him many times, and all existing descriptions do not, and cannot, convey what could only be reverently contemplated, without the strength to penetrate into the recesses of the spirit of Fr. John and correctly understand what is happening there. And there, without a doubt, a kind of sacred act was also performed - the complete union of this pure image of God, restored by holy life and lifelong burning before God, with His Prototype. The entire heavenly Church - prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints and all the inhabitants of heaven were for Fr. John during the liturgy with close, living interlocutors. All his exclamations were amazing. He pronounced them abruptly, sharply, loudly, emphasizing and stretching out some words, sometimes, even in the middle of an exclamation, turning to the people, as if especially approaching them at that time with his prayer for the people. He also prayed unusually. Either he completely abandoned the sign of the cross for a while, and only bowed low or directed his gaze towards it, then he stood kneeling for a long time without any movement. He read the prayers as if he saw the Savior, or the Mother of God, or the saints in front of him, sometimes in deep humility, throwing himself into the dust before them, sometimes boldly, as if demanding the fulfillment of what he asked. Sometimes Fr. John used gestures, or special kinds of movements, consistent with his internal experiences at that time, and therefore completely natural and hardly anyone suspected of their sincerity. So, during the song about the incarnation of the Son of God, “The Only Begotten Son and Word of God...”, he took the holy cross from the throne and kissed it several times with tenderness, and sometimes with tears. After the transubstantiation of St. Gifts, he sometimes brought the paten with the Holy Body or St. closer to him several times. The chalice with the Blood of the Savior, placing them on the edge of the throne and bending low over them, kissed the edges of the saints. vessels, and tears of tenderness flowed abundantly down his cheeks, so that he had to wipe them with handkerchiefs, which Fr. took out. John from one, then from another pocket of his cassock. To some liturgical prayers, according to order, Fr. John added his prayers, mostly the same ones, which he himself published in the book “Thoughts on the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church,” but sometimes special ones, judging by the time, place and circumstances of the service. All these prayers are an expression of the gift of deep insight into the meaning of the Calvary Sacrifice and the Divine Liturgy, as a repetition of this sacrifice. Those who served him were especially touched by the short additions to the words of the Savior: “Take, eat, This is My Body...” and “Drink from Her, all of you...” of the Easter song: “O Divine One, O dear One, O Thy sweetest voice, for Thou hast faithfully promised to be with us until the end of the age, O Christ...”, and after the blessing of St. The gifts of the words of the apostle: “The great mystery of piety: God appeared in the flesh,” and “The Word became flesh and dwelt in us.” It was impossible not to notice that immediately after communion with St. Tain, the face of Fr. John became enlightened, illuminated with joy, the usual fatigue and weariness immediately disappeared, and he became “young” and cheerful, as we were all accustomed to seeing him until his very last illness. It must be said that archpastors, pastors and lay believers extremely valued prayerful communication with Fr. John during the liturgy, performed by him or his participation. They vied with him to serve on holidays and church celebrations. If the center of the holiday is the Divine Liturgy, if Fr. John, the perfecter of it, who made its power and significance clear, is it possible not to wish that he was there? Without him, during his life, the holiday seemed incomplete, and therefore he served not only in all the churches of Kronstadt, almost all of St. Petersburg, but also in many churches in Moscow and in almost all the big cities of Russia. He agreed to serve on holidays very willingly: the liturgy is his life; he is glad that others want to penetrate into that Divine gift to people, which he himself understood so clearly and so fully experienced in the liturgy. Where he served, there was always a cathedral, many priests and deacons; where he is, there is an abyss of people, a believing people, a truly Orthodox people, that people by whom faith in a sinful, spiritually decaying world is maintained, and the world itself stands by these people. Where he is, there is a triumph of love and brotherhood, there is a feast of faith. Meaning o. John in this regard is enormous and still little appreciated. Constantly surrounded, during the service of the liturgy, by a host of clergy, he was a teacher for them in the most important matter of their ministry. Truly he was a shepherd of shepherds here! Time pushes away from us the gracious and spiritualizing stay with us. John. Two years have already passed since his death. But many years will pass, and we will not forget, we cannot forget this bright lamp of the Orthodox Church. We not only cannot forget him ourselves, but we have a sacred duty to pass on the memory of him and reverence for him to our descendants...” I cited the speech of Archpriest Lakhotsky. To this, for my part, I would like to add the following: I saw Fr. John of Kronstadt serving in our Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt and in several of our military churches in St. Petersburg and drew attention to his manner, when he blessed the people with the exclamation “Peace to all,” he remained standing facing the people, bowing his head, until the singers sang “and to your spirit.” I really liked this, and, having thought about it soulfully, I realized that the meaning of his action: to his blessing they answer him “and to your spirit,” he, listening to this, bows his head and gives thanks. We also have a priest in our diocese who does this. I asked those around him if he had ever seen Fr. John of Kronstadt employees? I received a negative answer. This means that he himself intelligently reached this point. E. Makharoblidze. (Secretary of the Diocese. Administration of the German Diocese). “Church Gazette” 3–4. Munich 1958 April m. O. John of Kronstadt and the spiritual crisis of Russia “Every kingdom divided against itself is desolate; and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Luke 11:17). Never before has so much been said or written about any of the saints or righteous men as about Father John of Kronstadt. Therefore, we set ourselves the task not so much of giving a complete image of him, which is well known to all of us, but of characterizing his era and understanding the historical significance of the personality of Father John. We will only touch on him and his work in part. Father John lived at a time when the spiritual crisis experienced by Russia was reaching its highest limit: fatal duality reigned in all areas of the life of our state. On the one hand, the spiritual revival in asceticism, which began in the 19th century and embraced Russian believers, bore rich fruit; on the other hand, the overwhelming majority of society was captured by the opposite current; alien to us, coming from the West, atheistic and revolutionary influences. Father John has completely emerged from the element of spiritual rebirth, he is completely in its spirit and light; and the wave of this revival lifted Fr. John to the top of its ridge. The Lord placed this burning lamp high on the candlestick. Another wave of godlessness and destruction, the wave of the Antichrist spirit, raised Leo Tolstoy to the top, who became his generally recognized prophet. Fr. rose up imperiously and menacingly. John is against the enemies of the church and state, constantly denouncing them, calling them to repentance, threatening God's punishment. This was his prophetic calling and ministry. Let us now move on to a more detailed consideration of our topic. I. FATHER JOHN IN THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF THE ANCIENT HOLY FATHERS. “I have come to bring down fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). After Peter's reforms and those that followed them, directed against monasticism, a decadent era began in Russian monasticism; but already from the 19th century a spiritual revival was outlined. The foundation for this was laid by Archimandrite Paisiy Velichkovsky: since the second half of the 18th century, he has been translating the ascetic works of Sts. from Greek into Slavic. Fathers (Dobrolyubie) and revives ancient Eastern asceticism in his monastery in Moldova. In it, in this asceticism, the center of gravity lies not on the external, but on the internal feat, namely, in overcoming the “old man”, achieving dispassion. The ultimate goal of all exploits is a direct meeting with God - “acquiring the Holy Spirit.” In this regard, senile leadership in spiritual work is being restored. The revival of monasticism in Russia is also associated with the name of Metropolitan Gabriel of St. Petersburg. In 1793 he published the Philokalia; in addition, he appoints Paisius’ disciples as abbots of many Russian monasteries, who restore the ancient tradition in monastic feat, which had previously been almost forgotten in our country. During the Renaissance, hosts of St. ascetics. The greatest Saint, Venerable, dates back to the early period. Seraphim of Sarov (1759–1833). He was sent to Sarov by Elder Dosifei, who maintained a spiritual connection with Paisiy Velichkovsky. Dositheus commanded the Venerable. Seraphim to continually say the Jesus Prayer. In the Sarov Forest, Rev. Seraphim labored with Fr. Mark and Abbot Nazarius, who at one time was called Metropolitan. Gabriel to St. Petersburg to participate with advice in correcting the dark passages of the translation into the Slavic language of the Philokalia, as someone who knows spiritual life from personal experience. We must assume that Fr. Nazariy brought the Philokalia to Sarov. “The gift of holiness from Rev. Seraphim,” says the famous church historian, “like every gift from Above, descending from the Father of Lights,” and the personal achievements of the Rev. from his heroic deed. His science is spiritual and his teaching aid comes from that life-giving river of Russian ascetic revival, along which the Reverend desired to lead the boat of his life.” Father John Sergiev was born in 1829, shortly before the death of St. Seraphim and, like him, desired to lead the boat of his life along the same bright water streams of spiritual rebirth. We do not know which of the clergy was especially close to Fr. John during his studies at the Academy, who was his confessor. Or were books alone teachers? It can be said affirmatively that in that era there was no shortage of experienced ascetic leaders; they could be met at every step. And also ascetic creations began to appear in print one after another. It was the time of the blossoming of spiritual revival. By this time, the disciples of the disciples of Elder Paisius were concentrated mainly in Optina Pustyn, which became a spiritual center and became famous for its perspicacious elders and their educational activities. Beginning in 1847, led by Elder Macarius, a group of professors and writers translated from Greek and published patristic works. Their activity - the dissemination of patristic literature - coincides with the academic years of Fr. John (1851–1855) and the first years of his priesthood. At the same time, near St. Petersburg, Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807–1867) reigned in the Sergius Hermitage he founded. It was an attractive and charming image of a true ascetic. At the beginning of the reign of Nicholas 1, he was the first to graduate from the Military Engineering School, being a scholarship recipient of the Empress and a favorite of the Sovereign, but he preferred the monastic feat to the brilliant worldly career that opened before him. Archim. Ignatius was a student of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Leo and the author of “Ascetic Experiences,” in which he set forth, on the basis of the teachings of Sts. The fathers are on the path of “inner work,” warning against seduction. As a writer, archim. Ignatius had a rare literary talent and poetic gift. Already during the years of priesthood, Fr. John in Kronstadt, namely in 1858, Archimandrite. Ignatius was consecrated bishop and left for Stavropol. After him, Archimandrite Abbot [1] reigned in Sergius Hermitage. Ignatius Malyshev, his favorite student, who adopted the spirit of his teacher. There is a known connection between Fr. John with the Sergius Hermitage in his youth; it did not stop subsequently: at the death of Fr. Ignatius Malyshev in 1898 Fr. John read him a prayer for the outcome of his soul. Another outstanding contemporary, Fr. John was Bishop Theophan the Vyshensky Recluse (1811–1894), who for about twenty years (from 1873–1890) worked on the Russian translation of the Philokalia and, with his writings and letters, led the believing part of his contemporary generation. While still a hieromonk, he was an inspector of S.P.B. Academy. This was between 1856 and 58, i.e. before [2] his stay at the Academy of Fr. Joanna (1851–1855). When Fr. Feofan, returning from the East, became the rector of the Academy, he Fr. I didn’t find John there anymore. So it's possible that they never met face to face. Nevertheless, it is known that Bishop. Feofan from his retreat subsequently warned Fr. John about the danger of his chosen path: a healer of the infirmities of human diseases outside the walls of the monastery, without monastic skill and obedience. But this exceptional path was chosen by Fr. John did not do it arbitrarily. Hilarion, associate of St. Seraphim, who labored in the Reshma hermitage, prompted him to take this path through the old woman Paraskeva Ivanovna Kovrigina. Father Hilarion told her: “The time has come for you to follow the path of goodness, leaving your home. Go to Kronstadt, a new luminary of the Church of Christ has shone there - Fr. John! Go and serve him! “My blessing will be with you.” According to Fr. John, this old woman convinced him to pray for the healing of the sick. Although Fr. John was a priest in the world and did not have monastic tonsure, but his inner life was entirely in monastic feat, according to the patristic tradition. He constantly talks about inner spiritual activity, about “invisible warfare” - not only against passions, but also against “spirits of wickedness in high places”, talks about “mental-heart prayer” and the power and effectiveness of the “Name of Jesus”. He speaks in detail about his spiritual work on December 12, 1900, in his “Word” on the occasion of the forty-fifth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood [3]. Here he touches on his first steps on the path of spiritual warfare. But self-examination, self-knowledge, unceasing prayer were the work of his whole life until the very end. The deepest humility was his shield and visor: “My body is earth and ashes, but my soul lives and rests only in God. He is the lightness of my thoughts and the strength of my heart; in fact, I am nothing.” This is what Fr. says. John about himself in the mentioned “Word”. “...Ordained as a priest and shepherd, I soon learned from experience with whom I was entering into a struggle in my spiritual field, namely with the strong, cunning, unsleeping and breathing evil and destruction and the hellish fire of Gehenna, the prince of this world and with the spirits of evil in high places... This struggle with a strong and cunning invisible enemy showed me with my own eyes how many infirmities, weaknesses and sinful passions - how much the prince of this world has in me, and how much I must struggle with myself, with my sinful inclinations and habits and defeat them in order to be, if possible, invulnerable from the arrows of the enemy. Spiritual warfare began, self-observation, sophistication of spiritual vision, teaching oneself unceasing secret prayer and invoking the All-Saving Name of Christ; like the psalmist King-Prophet David, I constantly began to “raise the eyes of my heart to the mountains” - to heaven, from where clear, immediate sovereign “help” came to me (Ps. 121:1-3) and my strong enemies took flight, and I received freedom and peace of mind... This battle continues in me to this day; and a long time of spiritual warfare taught me a lot, and especially - experienced knowledge of all the subtleties of spiritual warfare, all the countless machinations of invisible enemies and a firm, always confident invocation of the name of the Lord Jesus, before which they cannot stand; in this invisible battle, I came to know the Lord’s constant closeness to me, His immeasurable goodness, His quick obedience, the infinite holiness of His being, for which one “unrighteous thought” is disgusting and vile (Prov. 15:26) and one instant will to sin, or pleasure in sin, which (the Holiness of God) irrevocably and immutably seeks and demands holiness from all of us in thoughts, holy fervor in feelings, holiness in all movements of our will, in words, in deeds. In this battle, I learned the abyss of God’s long-suffering towards us; for He alone knows all the weakness of our fallen nature, which He mercifully took upon Himself, except sin (1 Pet. 2:22; Is. 53:9; 1 John 3:5, 4:10), and therefore commanded “seventy times” to forgive sins (Matthew 18:22) to those who fall into them; and He surrounded and surrounds me every day with the joys of getting rid of them with peace and space of the heart. The mercy of God that I have experienced and the Lord’s ever-present closeness to me assures me of the hope of my eternal salvation and the salvation of all who are guided and listen to me, according to the word of Scripture, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given me” (Heb. 2:13 (and) Isa. 8:18).” Then Fr. John talks about how “serving fully armed the divine wondrous services and partaking daily of the most holy and life-giving sacrament,” he felt in himself “its life-giving power for soul and body, its victory over sin and death, justification, peace, freedom, boldness of the spirit.” Thus, through internal work “and daily concentrated and reverent service of the Liturgy,” Fr. John ascended from strength to strength, achieving and receiving greater and greater gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to the words of the Apostle: “...for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up of the Body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12) “...God has appointed others in the Church, firstly, apostles, secondly, prophets, thirdly, teachers; further he gave to others miraculous powers, also gifts of healing and help...” (1 Cor. 12:28). And all these gifts, as we know, were poured out in abundance on Fr. John and these charisms widely proclaim his holiness. In a short essay we will not touch on his insight, miracles, and the countless healings he performed, but let’s move on to his work, about which we will say a few words. In his creations Fr. John is inspired by the original patristic Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy is not an abstract philosophy or doctrine of the human intellect, even if based on the Gospel, not only the originality of worship, or ritual, dogma, everyday life, but a living connection with God, genuine life in the “Holy Spirit”, in the Church, which is nothing more than the Gospel truth, revealed to us in the divinely inspired works of the Holy Fathers and the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the Church, headed by Christ Himself and governed here on earth by a hierarchy successive from the apostles, there is the mystical body of Christ, in which the Holy Spirit creates, gives life, collects, unites everything. Everything in it is harmonious and organically connected, as in a living organism: thus theology and asceticism, mysticism and heroism are inseparable. Dogma determines asceticism, and, conversely, dogma is revealed in ascetic feat. So the theology of Fr. John, contained in his works, directly follows from his asceticism. It is theocentric and is a revival of the spirit of the ancient Holy Fathers. This kind of theology, associated with personal holiness, is born by inspiration from above and in its nature differs from the theological constructions of the scientific mind. Father John taught only what he knew from personal experience, and his education and knowledge only expanded his mental horizon and made it possible to find forms of presentation. Creations of Fr. John are free from Western influences of humanism, or moralism. Being himself a living vessel of the Holy Spirit, he drinks from the source from which the saints drank. Fathers and thus builds a bridge from the ancient spirit-bearing era to our time. Close to him are not his contemporaries, but such fathers and teachers as John Chrysostom (IV century) or Simeon the New Theologian (X century) [4], as well as the author of “On Life in Christ” - Nicholas Kavasila (XIV century). If the diary of personal mystical experience of Fr. John - “My life in Christ” can be compared to a pile of semi-precious stones, then the book of Cabasilas “On Life in Christ” is an unbroken golden chain of equal, interconnected links of logical reasoning, flowing from one another. This is a coherent philosophical system. Metropolitan [5] Nicholas Kavasila (d. 1371) in his youth took an active part in the court and political life of the turbulent era under the Palaiologos and Cantacuzenes. He participated in the famous hesychast disputes and was on the side of Gregory Palamas, whom he worshiped. His negative attitude towards opponents of hesychasm is evidenced by his treatise on “The Chatter of Nikephoros Gregoras” (Kept in manuscript). Nicholas Kavasila was an outstanding church writer. His main works: “On Life in Christ” and “Interpretation of the Divine Liturgy.” The first of them was translated from German into Russian. priest M. Bogolyubsky and published in 1874 in St. Petersburg, and the second was included in the collection “Writings of St. fathers and teachers of the Church relating to the interpretation of the divine service." T. III SPB. 1857. It is kept in manuscript at the Paris National. library, copied by the hand of the monk of Athonite Joseph, the former emperor John Kantakouzenos, who in the title calls his friend “The wisest, most learned and holy among the saints.” Learned Catholics speak of this work as follows: “It is replete with Scriptural and patriotic material, and is all bound together into a clear doctrine by a strong speculative mind, subordinated to a bright piety. Simeon of Thessalonica, the best of subsequent liturgists, used it and imitated it, but with less talent and giftedness.” We must assume that Fr. John was familiar with these works of Metropolitan. Nicholas Kavasila. Both of them are in tune with him. Nikolai Kavasila develops the idea that a Christian must already in this corruptible world begin a life that reaches perfection only after death. Life consists in unity with Christ and is realized through the sacraments: “only under the influence of the sacraments can the organs of perception of spiritual life be born, which will make it possible on that day to enter into communion with Christ.” In the first word of Kabasila's creation, the Sacraments are discussed in a condensed form: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist. Cabasilus distinguishes the Eucharist from other sacraments. U o. John can always find parallel passages. It is known that Fr. John, like Cabasilas, speaks most of all about the Eucharist. “My Life in Christ” is completely imbued with and inspired by the liturgical mood. “As far as we know from the history of the Church,” says one writer, “there has never been such an enthusiastic performer, lover, admirer and praiser of the Divine Liturgy as Father Fr. John of Kronstadt. Even John Chrysostom, this great teacher of the Church, hardly admired the Liturgy, spoke about it, attracted to it with his own admiration and words more than the blessed Fr. John". So he says: “That the Lord is always with us, the obvious proof of this is His divine life-giving Mysteries: here He allows us to touch Himself, to put the hands of our hearts into His nail wounds and to put our fingers into His side.” Having given a general idea of ​​the meaning of the sacraments in the first word, Cabasilas in subsequent words examines each of them separately and devotes the last two words: - 6th: about the means of preserving life in Christ, gleaned from the sacraments, and 7th: about the transformation of the soul that takes place under the influence of the sacraments. Let us cite several illustrative passages that testify to the kinship of souls of two Orthodox theologians, separated by 6 centuries from each other. Saying that “here on earth spiritual life consists in the closest unity with Christ,” Cabasilas clarifies the intimacy of this unity, he says: “The Scriptures indicate allegories and parables of this unity: it points now to the inhabitant and the house, now to the vine and branches, now to the members and head, now to the marriage, but none of them is equal to this unity, for it cannot be expressed in words, because it is much stronger than the connection that is given in the allegory.” Father John repeatedly repeats in poetic images: “God is my being, my breath, my light, my strength”... “Consider how great man is,” he says, “God abides in him and in God” (1 John 4:15), so that in a pious Christian it is as if it were not man who lives, but Christ himself: “I live not for this purpose, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20), because the whole soul is made By Christ, like iron in burning coals, everything becomes fiery, as if it were a burning coal: everything is fire, everything is light, everything is warmth!” Cabasilas further explains that Christ in spiritual life is “All in all”: “Being a Nourisher, He is at the same time Food and He Himself provides the bread of life, He Himself is what He delivers. He is life to those who live, peace to those who breathe, clothing to those who wish to be clothed. Only by Him can we walk, and He is also the Path, and, moreover, the Repose on the path and its Limit.” “How the Lord approached us through the incarnation,” says Fr. John, we eat Him, we drink Him, we breathe Him, we clothe ourselves in Him! “Oh, what a wonderful vestment, beautiful, incorruptible, worldly, sweet, bright, warm, strengthening the soul... The Divine Liturgy is a truly heavenly service on earth, during which God Himself is in a special, closest, closest way present and abides with people, being Himself an invisible Priest, offering and being offered.” The creation of Fr. John’s “My Life in Christ” is a diary of a contemplator, a record of insights and revelations, a prayerful aspiration of the soul towards God and a real meeting with Him: “The eyes of the Master in the church of God are turned to each of us,” says Fr. John, – The Master’s Heart is addressed to each of us! Is it possible to demand greater intimacy? When you stand up for prayer, burdened with many sins and overcome by despair, begin your prayer with a burning spirit of hope, remember that the Spirit of God Himself helps us in our weaknesses, interceding for us with unutterable groans. When you remember with faith about this action of the Spirit of God in us, then tears of tenderness will flow from your eyes and in your heart you will feel peace, sweetness, justification and joy in the Holy Spirit, you will cry out with the verb of your heart: Abba Father.” Fr speaks with inspiration. John about the Church as the eternal Truth, as the Body of Christ and therefore its uniqueness and the unity of all members in it through Christ: “The Church is eternal truth, because it is united with the Truth - Christ and is animated by the Spirit of Truth: “I am with you all the days” (Matt. 28:20), “The Church is His Body” (Eph. 1:23), says the Apostle.” “I am the Vine,” says the Lord, “but you are the generation” (John 15:5), i.e. The Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. That is why, as the Lord is holy, so is the Church holy; just as the Lord is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), so is the Church, because the Church is one and the same with the Lord, it is “His body of flesh and of His bones” (Eph. 5:30), or His “birth”, implanted in Him - the living Vine, and feeding from Him and growing in Him. “Never imagine the Church separately from the Lord Jesus Christ, from the Father and the Holy Spirit.” Father John returns to the patristic perception of the Church as life in the sacraments; The mystery of the Church is revealed in the Most Holy Eucharist, in it is the focus of Christian existence: “Liturgy is spirit and belly; her thought: “That they may all be one” (John 17:21) in Christ; We must carry everyone in our hearts and sincerely pray for everyone. Man is immeasurably loved by God, as the image of God; man is the fallen image of God, restored by the extreme depletion of the Son of God for him. Thanks to the Holy Trinity, who saved us! Man is continually restored, renewed, saved by the most pure Body and Blood of Christ, and adored. The Liturgy is the greatest miracle of the goodness and wisdom of the omnipotence of the Lord God, an incessant miracle: with joy and fear, with love for God and with mutual love for each other, one must always be present when it is performed. During the Liturgy, the heavenly powers always serve invisibly.” Father John calls everyone to “simplicity” - to restore the “integrity of the individual.” “Before his fall, Adam was all internally collected by the divine grace inherent in him and creatively directed towards God in perfect love for Him, in the fulfillment of His divine will. He was all about communion with God and contemplation of God. In it, all manifestations of the tripartite composition of the human being (i.e., spirit, soul and body) were harmoniously combined and hierarchically subordinated to the highest principle in man - his spirit. The spirit ruled over everything, directing everything towards a single highest goal. Primordial man was completely permeated with the grace of the Holy Spirit and enlightened. The elements of the world could not harm man, and he was immortal.” Sin is the sting of death, introducing into human nature the poison of decay and decay. The divine grace that protected and gathered him together departed from him. Then all the powers of the soul became disordered and contradictory. The body rebelled against the spirit - the slave against his master. Thus, the structure of the soul was distorted and a disturbed man arose - a man of sin. Passion is something new, introduced from the outside, the aspiration of previous properties and abilities from what should be to what should not be. Thus, the highest manifestation of the spirit, its ability to strive for the heavenly, for God, having lost communication with the Divine, turned downward and was exchanged for love for itself and for everything lower, created. The goal of the feat is the restoration of the lost integrity of the individual. “The main character of believing thinking,” says I.V. Kireevsky, based on St. Fathers, - lies in the desire to gather all the forces of the soul into one force, it is necessary to find that inner concentration of being, where reason and will, and feeling and conscience, the beautiful and true, amazing and desirable, just and merciful, and the whole image of the mind merges into one living unity, and thus, the essential personality of a person is restored in its pristine indivisibility, which is revealed in simplicity, for simplicity is a consequence of the unity of all the forces of the human soul, this integral personality and aspiration for good and complete aversion from evil.” About simplicity o. John speaks constantly. Its beginning is in God: “One simple Spirit in three Hypostases, one Wisdom in three Persons brought everything from non-existence into existence. The one trinitarian Wisdom is God” (Vol. II, p. 416). “Love without thinking: love is simple. Love is never wrong. Also, without thinking, believe and trust: for faith and trust are so simple; or better: God, in Whom we believe and in Whom we trust, is a simple Being, just as He is simple love. Amen". “The Lord is so holy, so simple in His holiness, that one evil or unclean thought deprives us of God, the sweet and most sweet, the pure and pure peace and light of our souls. From here all the saints are light, all one fragrance, like the light of the sun, like the purest air. Lord, give me this simple shrine.” (Vol. I, p. 393). “In prayer and in every activity of your life, avoid suspiciousness and doubt and devilish daydreaming. Let your spiritual eye be simple, so that the whole body of your prayer, your deeds and your life will be bright.” “Our soul is simple, like thought and fast, like thought and like lightning” (p. 9). “Call undoubtedly, in the simplicity of your heart, the Lord God, also the Angels and saints, who, by the grace of God and by communion, or unity with God and the simplicity of their being, extremely quickly, like lightning, hear and fulfill our prayers according to the will of God.” ..."Let us be simple, let us walk in simplicity of heart with everyone! Let us remember our high calling and election and let us strive steadily for the honor of the heavenly calling of God in Christ! We are children of God and heirs of Christ" (Rom. 8:16-17) (p. 108). “Our soul is a simple being, therefore it cannot love God and, for example, money at the same time” (Matthew 6:14, 24). “Our soul is a simple being, like the image and likeness of God... So, continually do the will of God and you will be simple and peaceful.” “Try to achieve childlike simplicity in dealing with people and in prayer to God. Simplicity is the greatest dignity of man. God is completely simple, because he is completely spiritual, completely good. And let your soul not be divided into good and evil.” From simplicity comes unity in love. This unity of all sentient beings is rooted in God. God is essentially one, and everything in God is one with him, oh. John says: “As the Trinity - our God is One Being, although Three Persons, so we must be - one. As our God is simple, so we must be simple, as simple as if we were all one person, one mind, one will, one heart, one kindness without the slightest admixture of malice - in a word, one pure love, as God is Love. “That they may be one, even as We are one” (John 17:22).” "God is Sy (Existing). In Him all holy, rational and free beings are one.” “As You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us.” I am nothing: everything is God in me and God in everyone, and everything is God for everyone. Our Father, Who art in heaven. Do not pay attention to demonic confusion, division and enmity. Firmly everything is one. We, say, are one." We are members of the one Body of Christ - the Church, hence our unity, which is effectively realized in the Eucharist: “How long,” asks Fr. John - St. The mysteries we receive will remind us that “we are many in one body” (1 Cor. 10:17) and how long will we not have mutual heartfelt unity among ourselves as members of the one body of Christ?”... Calling everyone to unity, Fr. John points out that the cause of division is sin and passion: “Achieve, O man, unity,” he says, “avoid in every possible way spiritual division through self-love, pride, envy, love of money, doubt, lack of faith”... Unity is God. Divisions are the devil. The division of churches is the work of the devil; heresies and schism are the work of the devil. These are deep thoughts about. John about unity are of particular importance in our decadent time of impoverishment of faith and love, and the resulting church strife and schisms. They are only possible because we have completely lost the perception of the Church as the one mystical Body of Christ, and we have forgotten that falling away from Him entails death, just as a branch cut off from a tree dies, for the flow of grace ceases. According to the words of John Chrysostom, full responsibility for the schism lies not only with the perpetrators of the schism, or the hierarchs and clergy, but also with all the laity who followed them, as supporting the schism. A lot of reflections scattered throughout the pages of the diary are devoted to the mystery of holiness: “...For the Saints, everything is God, so the saints are true gods.” Az, God Himself, whose word is truth, says: “You are naturally a god” (Ps. 82:6). Fr. repeatedly theologizes. John about God the Word and the effectiveness of the word: “Remember that in the word itself lies the possibility of action; You just need to have firm faith in the power of the word, in its creative ability. With God, action is inseparable from the word; not a single word will return to Him faint: “Every word of God will not fail” (Luke 1:37); so it should be with us, for we are images of the Word, and the Word sincerely united with us, through incarnation, deifying us, accepting us as partakers of the Divine nature.” “Verbal creature! remember that you have your beginning from the Word of the All-Creator and in union (through faith) with the creative Word, through faith you yourself can be a material and spiritual creator." “Remember that in the word itself lies the possibility of action; You just need to have firm faith in the power of the word, in its creative ability.” “...If you... say the words of prayer with feeling, then your words will not return to you thin, without strength (like a husk without grain), but will certainly bring you the very fruits that are contained in the word, like a fruit in a shell! But if you throw away words in vain, without faith, without feeling their power, like a husk without a kernel, then they will return to you empty. You throw away the husk, the husk will come back.” Many other topics concern Fr. John, but let’s finish with this and move on to his prophetic ministry and the significance of this ministry as God’s last warning and call to repentance of the Russian people before God’s terrible punishment. II. PROPHETIC MINISTRY. “How often have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to!” (Matthew 23:37). The 19th century and the beginning of the 20th were not only a heyday in monastic asceticism, it was an era of revival in all areas of state life. In church art, after a period of degeneration, there was a turn towards beautiful ancient examples. The higher theological school was freed from alien heterodox influences and set out on an original path. An independent theological science was created. Thanks to a number of Orthodox Emperors, the canonical ministry of the Monarch was restored as a faithful son of the Church and guardian of Orthodoxy. The anti-canonical synodal system was doomed, and things were moving toward the restoration of the patriarchate. There was an upsurge in everything. Russia took rapid steps towards the flowering of its culture, towards the pinnacle of its prosperity, power and glory. But simultaneously with creative, constructive forces, centrifugal and destructive forces developed even faster. The overwhelming majority of Russian society was infected with the pernicious, godless, revolutionary spirit coming to us from the West, so brilliantly depicted in Dostoevsky’s “Demons.” Along with godlessness, moral decay quickly spread. Even some from the camp of destroyers at times felt what a dead end the left intelligentsia had reached and brought the whole of Russia with them. A. Blok speaks about this with the greatest force and imagery in an essay he read in December 1908. He feels the doom of the intelligentsia: “she is condemned to wander, move and degenerate in a vicious circle. Without a higher principle, any rebellion and rioting is inevitable,” starting from the vulgar “theomachism of the decadents, ending with outright self-destruction - debauchery, drunkenness, suicide of all kinds.” “The intelligentsia, increasingly overwhelmed by the “will to die,” out of a sense of self-preservation, rushes towards the people, who from time immemorial have carried within themselves the “will to live,” and is met with grinning and silence.” “We,” he said, “did everything we could for the people. They put their will, mind, and heart into studying the people. And the people? He looks at us, is silent and grins... Still the same light grin, the same silence, on his mind, and gratitude “for the teaching” and an apology for his darkness, in which one feels - “for the time being”... “Before this smile,” says Blok, “all our laughter will instantly die and we will become scared and uneasy.” “What,” he asks, “if that hum, which increases so quickly that every year we hear it clearer and clearer, is the “wonderful ringing” of the bell of the (Gogol) troika? What if the troika is flying straight at us? And, rushing towards the people, we throw ourselves right under the feet of the mad troika, to certain death: I’m even afraid, is that even a question? Isn't some terrible and silent thing already happening somewhere, while we are talking here? Are any of us irrevocably doomed to death? Blok sees where they have gone, what they have led Russia to, but there was no repentance in him: he immediately joined the Bolsheviks. A striking description of what was happening in Rus' at the end of the last [19th] century was made in 1901 in the magazine “Helmsman” by the remarkable contemporary Fr. John - Archbishop of Kharkov Ambrose (1820–1901) in a whole series of articles written in anticipation of imminent death, which was soon to follow. “What can we say about our so-called light literature,” says the Elder Archpastor, “which is diligently distributed among the people? It is a conductor of frivolous and mediocre creations that distort the people's taste and wean them away from serious spiritual reading. And what is our educated society like, so fond of freely and self-confidently judging all issues and modern events and phenomena? This is a market where all sorts of cheap liberal ideas and judgments are exchanged and offered. Of course, for these lines the harshest censures and accusations will fall on me for the insults I have caused to all the upper classes and educated classes of our society. But someone must open the eyes of the careless and blinded people who are going to destruction and dragging a great people with them!! I am an old man, over eighty years old, I continue to live in the fifth reign and consider it a sin to die without expressing the bitter truth to my Fatherland. I saw with my own eyes all the reforms of the last [19th] century, favorable and unsuccessful, in the field of education, state and public institutions, I saw a rapid change in people's morals and was surprised how our thinking people do not notice the decline of our people from the solid mental and moral heights on which our ancestors stood, do not see how our spiritual strength is being plundered, the purity and well-being of our family life, simplicity and modesty are being lost customs Let me be blamed for my bold and tough speeches. My words find justification in modern events and indisputable facts: our upper classes and advanced estates are imbued with the spirit of unbelief and denial of the teachings of Christ. They are lost to the Church and are cut off from millions of Orthodox people, for whom we must be leaders. Half-educated officials, merchants, clerks up to and including volost clerks are infected with their unbelief and liberalism.” Then the Bishop in vivid colors describes the moral decay that, with catastrophic speed, is increasingly engulfing the common people and the helplessness of the naive measures taken by the “people-lovers” against this evil. “The picture is sad,” he says, “and then continues: Have you ever seen what remains of luxurious fields of ripe wheat after a hail cloud passes over it? - you see only bare straws and ears of corn driven into the ground... Have you ever read what remains on the rich fields when an enemy army sweeps through them, or a battle takes place in their place? Only the bitter cry of the landowners can testify to the power of the disaster that befell them... This is the danger that threatens our Church and our great people! " Likewise, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow foresaw the terrible future of Russia long ago. Bishop Leonid (Kavelin) talks about this in his memoirs. The following passage was written in 1871, four years after the death of the Metropolitan, and published in the Russian Archive in 1901. “Once,” he writes, “I noted to Vladyka (around 1865) that it would be desirable to record in writing his thoughts regarding the disagreement with the schismatics. Metropolitan Filaret replied: What's the point? “For the future,” I objected. Then, with excitement and enthusiasm, the Metropolitan began to say that he felt that the future was covered with a dark cloud and when the thunderstorm broke out, people, deeply shocked by the blows of this thunderstorm, would lose the memory of everything that happened before this storm. About two months before his death (1867), he told the Rector of the Sergius Lavra that he was beginning to see his past more clearly than before. The abbot asks him: What about the future? “The future too,” answered the Metropolitan: “What do you see in the future?” “A terrible thunderstorm that is coming to us from the West.” The coming devastation and its causes were also seen by the senior contemporary Fr. Joanna - Theophan the Recluse (1815–1894) back in 60–70. last [XIX] century and said: “They are stuck in the Western mud up to their ears and think: everything is fine!.. In a generation, much like two, our Orthodoxy will dry up... Why did the French come to us? (1812). God sent them to destroy the evil that we adopted from them... This is the law of God’s righteousness: to heal from sin is the one who is drawn to it.” “Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality - that’s what needs to be preserved!!! When these principles change, the Russian people will cease to be Russian. They will then lose their sacred tricolor banner.” Bishop Theophan constantly fought against the pernicious spirit of godlessness and revolution with his sermons and letters. Even earlier, our great ascetics and saints, like St. Seraphim of Sarov, Fr. Illiodor, an ascetic of the Glinsk hermitage, who had a well-known vision of the future destinies of Russia, as well as the Optina elders and others. Our great writers and thinkers, like Dostoevsky, then K.N. Leontiev, who clearly pointed out the reasons for the collapse, and even earlier warned Ivan, foresaw and spoke about this. Kireyevsky. From his contemporaries, Fr. Many saw John and spoke about the devastation and fought against it, but the accusatory and prophetic voice of Fr. John. He bore the brunt of prophetic ministry. They poured out on Fr. with exceptional force. John's anger and hatred during the days of the first revolution, when he sharply and openly rebelled against it and broke up with the “advanced” public. It got to the point of insults and physical violence, so that Fr. John was in constant danger. The Society for the Protection of Fr. John under the chairmanship of Moscow Metropolitan Macarius. In his time, a whole galaxy of “advanced” writers mocked the Church and the state system, trying to outdo one another in blasphemy and mockery. But Leo Tolstoy surpassed them all. Here are the words of Fr. John addressed to them: “Here are the modern insolent scolders: Tolstoy and all his adherents and followers, true antichrists, liars, according to the Apostle John: “Who is a liar if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, denying the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22)... Does Leo Tolstoy believe in the Son? He doesn't believe! What follows from this? “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hand of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). May we all believe until the end of our lives and may we “hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4:14).” In “The Helmsman” for 1901 we find the following lines: “If we, leaving all of Tolstoy’s works, take two chapters in the novel “Resurrection” where mass in the prison church is described, then this will be enough to be horrified by the count’s malicious mockery of the greatest Orthodox sacrament - the Holy Eucharist. And his blasphemy against our miraculous icons! Truly pale in comparison to these blasphemies against Christ and His Church are those accusations against the Lord Jesus and those ridicule of Him that were expressed by the Jews who crucified the Lord at His trial and especially during the crucifixion. They, at least, only conditionally denied the deity of Christ.” Not long ago Prof. Speransky in the newspaper “Russian Thought” said that Tolstoy was an unparalleled phenomenon of a state within a state, that a line of unconditional inviolability was outlined around him. The old cunning Suvorin rightly noted in his diary: “There are two kings in Russia: Nicholas II and Leo Tolstoy. Which one is stronger? Nicholas II cannot do anything to Tolstoy, and Tolstoy continuously undermines the throne of Nicholas II.” And Tolstoy himself confirms this: “And I did everything I could to achieve this goal (to go to prison). Maybe if I had participated in the murder, I would have achieved this: I called their king the most disgusting creature, an unscrupulous murderer, all their laws of God and state - vile deceptions, all their ministers and generals - pathetic slaves and hired killers: all this is wasted on me! Father John answers him on behalf of the Lord: “...The Blood of the New Testament, poured out by Me for the whole world in the agony of the cross, you trample and think it defilement (Tolstoy) and like pigs you trample My gifts. But God cannot be mocked. In His righteous anger He will insult your stupidity, your stupidity, your deceit, malice and pride and will scatter you like dust in the wind... “You will die in your sins if you do not believe in Me” (John 8:24), says the Lord to the Pharisees. Woe to Leo Tolstoy, who does not believe in the Lord and is dying in the sin of unbelief and blasphemy. “The death of a sinner is cruel” (Ps. 33:22). And his death - Tolstoy - will be fear for the whole world. Of course, my relatives will hide this.” Addressing scientists Fr. John prophetically threatens: “From the heights of your pulpits you despise the Lord God, His Word, not noticing that your destruction is not sleeping. The Lord will crush you, and crush you so much that it is not known where your bones will lie.” Fr makes a plea. John to the Russian people. “Learn, Russia, to believe in God Almighty, who rules the destinies of the world, and learn from your holy ancestors faith, wisdom and courage. The Lord has entrusted to us, Russians, the great, saving talent of the Orthodox faith... Rise up, Russian people!.. Who taught you disobedience and senseless rebellions, which never existed before in Rus'?.. Stop being crazy! Enough! It’s enough for you and Russia to drink the bitter cup full of poison.” “Good God! Both shepherds and flock are irresponsible before You. “All of us have turned away from all the indecency that was created: do not do goodness among us, not even one” (Rom. 3:12). “What will finally happen given the existing chaos in our lives? Lawlessness spreads across the earth; The enemy's kingdom is expanding, Your kingdom is shrinking; Thy chosen ones are few; in whose hearts You rest, there are many slaves of the devil, in whose hearts, like a thief, sits the original murderer. What will you do to us, Lord? The Blood of Your Covenant cries out from the earth, but Your gospel voice does not penetrate the hearts of Christians. Your commandments are neglected, church statutes are trampled upon - what will you do to us, Lord? In 1907, during a complete calm in Rus', seeing the general insensibility and unrepentance, and penetrating with his prophetic gaze the impending suffering of the Russian people, the holy elder - Fr. John, burdened with serious illnesses, being himself on the brink of the grave, repeatedly prophesied menacingly in the church of the Leushinsky metochion and, in a fit of fiery pity, no longer spoke, but shouted, raising his hands to grief: “Repent: a terrible time is approaching, which you cannot even imagine!” “The impression was amazing, horror seized those present, and crying and sobs were heard in the church. “My wife and I,” says Sursky, were perplexed: what will it be? War? Earthquake? Flood? However, based on the power of the Prophet’s words, we understood that something much worse would happen and suggested that the earth’s axis would turn over.” “To the people of the first antediluvian world,” says Fr. John, - they were given 120 years of time for repentance and they were warned that for their sins there would be punishment from God - a flood. Time passed, and people were corrupted and did not think about repentance and did not believe the preacher of repentance, the righteous Noah - and the word of God was fulfilled exactly. The Jews did not believe the prophets that they would be captured by the Babylonian king, and continued to worship idols - and went into captivity, and Jerusalem was destroyed, and all the wealth went to Babylon. The Jews contemporary to Jesus Christ did not believe in Christ as the Messiah, and killed Him by death on the cross, and Christ’s prophecy about Jerusalem was soon fulfilled; the Jews were exterminated by the Romans without mercy. So in the present time the people have gone mad, they do not heed the cry of the St. Churches, he says, are fairy tales; priests deceive us for their income. Oh, blind, oh, stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, are not all the events predicted by the Gospel and now coming true before your eyes? Here is a war of extermination, a famine, pestilence. Do you really still not believe in God’s Justice? But know that judgment is at the door and the Lord is coming soon with glory “to judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim. 4:1)!” Just as in ancient times, the Lord sent prophets to call for repentance, so now, during the apostasy of the Russian people, a great prophet was sent to them, confirming his foresight of the coming punishment of God with countless signs of insight and miracles. But the Russian people did not heed the call of the Prophet, and thus doom became inevitable. The path to the revival of Russia, as well as to the personal salvation of each of us, is indicated by Fr. John, this is the only way, there is no other way. “And they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, that I may heal them” (Matthew 13:15; Isaiah 6:9–10). As already mentioned, Fr. John openly opposed the revolution in defense of the faith and the throne. As you know, he solemnly blessed the banners of the Union of the Russian People and became its honorary member. In a book about Fr. John - Chekhov Publishing House quotes the words of Archpriest Sergius Chetverikov, where he, speaking about these “wines” about. John, continues: “however, all these “guilts” of Fr. John, even if they were, do not in the least darken his pure and attractive spiritual appearance”... then Fr. Chetverikov condescendingly forgives these “guilts”: “in Fr. John must rise above all these external and random aspects of his life.” Thus, in the eyes of Fr. Chetverikov's entire prophetic ministry of Fr. John is just “the external and random side of his life.” O. Chetverikov in this case is a representative of the left-wing public and reveals its sympathetic attitude towards the revolution. A person of left-wing convictions, due to his mental structure, cannot penetrate into the essence of holiness; his understanding is closed to the grace-filled state of a divinely inspired prophet, when the latter sees everything in the true light and says not his own, but what God inspires him. Prophecy Fr. John literally came true, but “they” closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, so that I might heal them.” The revival of Russia is possible only through repentance, but persistence in the sin of revolution delays our return to our homeland. 1 Sergius Pustyn, located near the city of Oranienbaum, located on the way from Kronstadt to St. Petersburg. 2 Typo. D. b. “after...” (note - A.K.). 3 O. John was ordained to the priesthood on December 12, 1855 in St. Petersburg. fortresses in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. 4 Prot. Pomazansky. On the 50th anniversary of the death of Fr. John of Kronstadt. Life in the church is life in grace. Rev. Simeon the New Theologian and Fr. John of Kronstadt about the Church and grace. “Right. The Way", 1957 5 Catholic scholars have established that Nicholas Kavasila was not the Archbishop of Thessalonica, as was previously considered to be the case in historical scholarship: Dr. prof. Arch. Cyprian calls Cabasilus Metropolitan of Dyrrachium. In memory of Father John of Kronstadt Half a century has sunk into infamy, How the divine Prophet faded away, Truly loved man And with prayer he drove away vice. From the villages of the Northern Territory, In the goodness of stern simplicity, Came out, shining like a bright light Shepherd of incomparable purity. With a rare, heartfelt word He shook hardened hearts, Gathering under your cover The sacrifices for the poor are endless. He became the patron saint of the homeless, Elders, beggars, widows and orphans, Maintaining monastic modesty, In joyful, prayerful service, Calling on the heavens for help, With the true power of inspiration, He performed miracles during his lifetime. He burned like an inspired monk, With courage and holiness in the face, And his only photograph in the world I was in a simple hut and in a palace. In sacrificial burning for the Faith, Without sparing your last strength, With his moving example, he The souls of the Orthodox people, Strengthened by the power of unity, And adopted by nature, Illuminated by the Light of the Divine. Enlightenment reigned briefly, The divine altar faded away... Next, signifying the upheavals, The Terrible Hour sounded dull. Great godlessness has begun, Strife, executions, wars, famine, pestilence... Truth has been trampled underfoot by vile Lies, The devilish Terror has reigned... With the terrible murder of the Monarch, All His Family and faithful servants, The beasts finished off the Patriarch, By enclosing Russia in the Circle of Hell... For forty years Crime reigned - Gloomy trampling of the Divine, Crushing the power of opposition Spirit and Consciousness of the majority. But when the people returned to God, And glorify the new saint, God will forgive him all the guilt. With a joyful, jubilant “Hosanna!” Eternal Peace will reign in hearts, Will illuminate the universe for centuries. May, 1958, Buenos Aires. Creations of Fr. John of Kronstadt Father John was a deep thinker, a great spiritual writer and teacher of the Church. His works amount to about 4,500 printed pages, including several sermons for every Sunday and holiday of the whole year and for different occasions. In 1859, “Catechetical Discourses” by Fr. John, in which he sets out in a publicly accessible form the basic tenets of Christianity. “Complete works of the rector of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral, Fr. John Ilyich Sergiev" contains six volumes: Volume 1 (520 pp.) - conversations about God - the Most Holy Trinity, conversations about the beatitudes of the Gospel, words and teachings on the feasts of the Lord and words and teachings on the feasts of the Mother of God. 2nd volume (725 pp.) a complete annual circle of words, teachings and conversations on weekly (Sunday) days and St. Pentecost. 3rd volume (591 pages) teachings, words and speeches on the church holidays of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral and various occasions, words on highly solemn days and the life, suffering and miracles of the all-praised Great Martyr Euphemia. Volumes 4, 5, 6 contain the 1st, 2nd and 3rd parts of the book “My Life in Christ, or minutes of spiritual sobriety and contemplation, reverent feelings, mental correction and peace in God.” The book “My Life in Christ” contains 840 pages, was translated into English and has become a reference book for many Christian believers. Then they were published in separate books: “On the Cross of the Lord” and “Teaching before Confession”, words and teachings for 1896 - 1907/8. and many brochures and other publications. In 1909, a posthumous publication was published entitled “The Living Spike from the Spiritual Field of Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev-Kronstadt.” – Extracts from the diary for 1907–1908. The question arises: when will Fr. Did John manage to write all these many books? He wrote wherever possible: on the road, in railway carriages, and on ships, when he was traveling to the sick or traveling to his homeland and throughout Russia, and his admirers kept the proofs of his works in the printing house. (From the book by I.K. Sursky). Selected sayings from the diary of Fr. John of Kronstadt “My life in Christ” “Just as breathing is necessary for the body, without breath a person cannot live, so without the breath of the Spirit of God the soul cannot live true life. What air is to the body, the Spirit of God is to the soul. The air is somewhat like the Spirit of God. “Where the spirit wills, it breathes” ... (John 3:8)." “With what attention, with what reverence, with what love, peace and gratitude we must always say the name of God and the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father”... and all other prayers. The name of God is great, holy, terrible, and the mere naming of Him is blessed for the believer.”... “Give, praying people, your heart to God - that loving, sincere heart with which you love your children, parents, benefactors, friends, in which you feel the sweetness of unfeigned pure love.”... “The evil one tries to scatter prayer like a mound of sand; wants to make words like dry sand without connection, without moisture, i.e. without warmth of heart. Prayer, sometimes the church is “on the sand”, sometimes the church is “on the rock” (Matthew 7:24–26). Those who build on the sand are those who pray without faith, absent-mindedly, with coldness - such prayer crumbles by itself and does not bring any benefit to the one praying. Those who build on stone are those who, throughout the duration of prayer, have their eyes fixed on the Lord and pray to Him as if he were alive, talking with them face to face.”... “Sometimes in a long prayer only a few minutes are pleasing to God and constitute true prayer and true service to God. The main thing in prayer is the closeness of the heart to God, evidenced by the sweetness of God’s presence in the soul.” “Be affectionate to the Savior and the Mother of God - like a sincere son or daughter: be affectionate - I say - by heartily reading the canons, akathists to the Sweetest Jesus and the Mother of God; caress yourself to the saints with fervent prayers and the prescribed canons and akathists, and you will not be put to shame. Soon you yourself will feel in your heart the heavenly affection from the Holy Spirit, but do not be discouraged if your heart is cold due to the dark trends of the ethereal enemy. The Lord sees everything and no one leaves Him empty-handed, and quickly gives everyone what they deserve. Be patient - for it is said: “With your patience save your souls” ... (Luke 21:19).” “Having Christ in your heart, be afraid lest you lose Him, and with Him, peace of heart. It's bitter to start again; efforts to cleave to Him again after falling away will be difficult and will cost many bitter tears. Cling with all your might to Christ. Acquire Him and do not lose holy boldness before Him."... “Judge not, lest ye be judged; For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged” (Matthew 7:1-2). Lord, grant us not to judge the living, much less the dead. You are the only righteous Judge, as the Creator and Lawgiver of the living and the dead. And grant us to judge ourselves strictly; and ask for forgiveness and remission of sins, voluntary and involuntary, to the departed.”... “Those who lead a spiritual life see with the eyes of their hearts how the devil works, how the Angels guide, how the Lord solemnly allows temptation and how he comforts”... “In the end, we will have to leave this short life here, go into eternity, appear to the holy and righteous Judge and Creator of all, God, and give an account of our life. How and with what will we show up? What judgment and sentence will we hear from Him for all eternity? – This is what we should think about more often, what we should take care of. Oh, think always about this future destiny and prepare your good deeds, your spiritual fruits, so that no one will appear as a fruitless tree. “Hurry up to do your good deeds.” “It is desirable for each of us that, after our departure from this life, our neighbors do not forget us and pray for us. For this to happen, we also need to love our departed neighbors. “By this measure, by the same measure you measure, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38), says the Word of God. Therefore, the one who remembers the departed will be remembered by both God and people after his departure from this world." “Brothers! what is the purpose of our life on earth? So that after we have been tested by earthly sorrows and disasters and after gradual improvement in virtue with the help of grace-filled gifts taught in the Sacraments, we can rest after death in God, the peace of our spirit. That is why we sing about the dead: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of Your servant.” We wish the deceased peace, as the end of all desires, and we pray to God for this. Isn’t it therefore foolish to grieve a lot over the dead? “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), says the Lord. Here are our dead, who have fallen asleep through Christian death, come to this voice of the Lord and rest in peace. Why mourn?..” The uniqueness of the book “My Life in Christ” by Fr. John of Kronstadt We are used to calling a book by Fr. a diary. John of Kronstadt “My life in Christ.” Only formally we are right in doing so. This is by no means a diary, if you give this concept its usual meaning. This is evidenced by the short introduction that Fr. John prefaced this edition of his. “Everything contained in it,” writes Fr. John, “is nothing other than the grace-filled illumination of the soul, which I received from the all-enlightening Spirit of God in moments of deep attention and self-examination, especially during prayer.” From these words it is clear that the “diary” of Fr. John, (which remains formally such, since records are made daily), its content is limited to what? Only the blessed outcome of the day is recorded in it. In this “diary,” therefore, by its very purpose, there is nothing that usually constitutes the indispensable content of a diary; there is nothing in it that the author would say about himself, there is nothing “personal” in it. For that spiritual “experience” for which Fr. John sometimes deliberately points out that something is not “personal.” Yes, all this was personally experienced - in this sense, everything written in the diary of Fr. John deeply and heartfeltly “personally”, and this is the special persuasiveness of everything he put on paper. But it has not only been experienced, but also outlived. That's what's important! When, at what moment does Fr.'s hand reach out? John to pen and paper? Only at that moment when everything currently experienced is overcome in its worldliness, in its fleshiness, in its soulfulness. This blessed result, it alone, turns out to be the content of the “diary”. The good shepherd shares the “experience” of spiritual enlightenment with his flock, which potentially includes the entire Russian people and even all of humanity. If it were otherwise, how could Fr. John call his diary “My Life in Christ”? After all, if this were an ordinary diary, albeit a deeply Christian writer, then it would be a description of his personal “path to Christ.” And at the moment at which the writing of Fr. John, the writer’s lips should have been closed. For, if it were an ordinary diary, that is, a literary confession, a story about oneself, about one’s personal experiences, then what else can be said if the author was deemed worthy to “put on Christ.” It was necessary to be about. John, in order to write such a “diary” in which, in the form of daily entries made under the fresh impression of what was experienced, felt, changed one’s mind, it would not be given, so to speak, a spiritual semi-finished product of one’s inner world, which has value and significance only as evidence of a strengthening good orientation towards Christ, but a certain “coverage in Christ” carried out throughout one’s entire life of all kinds of specific life contents born of a given day, a given minute. The uniqueness of this book of grace lies precisely in the fact that at that moment when usually people’s lips would have to be closed in order to give the soul the opportunity to “live in Christ” in silence and, if it opens from now on, then only in personal dealings with people whom the Lord would bring to such a fellow-person, chosen by Him for teaching and counseling, it is at this moment that Fr. John's irresistible need for universal communication with people. Let it be expressed in cell notes - these notes represent a conversation with all of humanity - a lesson to them, resulting from what they have just “personally” experienced. There is no other book like this, because there is no other person like Fr. John. The public manifestation of holiness - in this publicity acquiring its deliberate meaning, its special calling, its true purpose, obedience, as if providentially appointed from God - this has not happened since the beginning. Public life in Christ, public imitation of Christ - not artificial and far-fetched, but a real reproduction in oneself of the “experienced” Christ - this has not yet happened in the world. And this was revealed to Fr. John not only with a stream of miracles, but also with this grace-filled diary, the task of which is to make the living “experience” of the acquired “being in Christ” accessible to everyone. Countless miracles have been revealed and are being revealed to Fr. John. But shouldn’t we recognize the greatest of his miracles as his “Life in Christ”, miraculously embodied in his grace-filled diary? Blessed is the one who touches this miracle, opening his soul to its beneficial influence. Once in the hands of a Christian, this book becomes a lifelong companion on the path to Christ—indispensable. This is the way of salvation. It becomes so for individuals. It cannot but become a national path if Russia turns to Christ. He is open to all humanity, since it will rush to Christ, to the true Christ, turning away from false Christs and false prophets. Word on the day of the forty-fifth anniversary of the priestly service of Archpriest of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral Ioann Sergiev, December 12, 1900 “To Jesus Christ, who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood and made us kings and priests to His God and Father, be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen.” ( Rev. 1:5–6 ). The highest titles of all the titles on earth, with which the goodness of God has endowed people, are the titles of royal and priestly: he was given complete, highest power on earth, and this was given heavenly power - to open and close heaven, to decide and bind the sins of men (Matthew 18:18); to revive into new life - from corruptible to incorruptible, from unclean to pure, to transfer from temporary to eternal, to sanctify and deify. Speaking before you, fathers, brothers and sisters, with my humble and simple word on the significant day for me of the forty-fifth anniversary of my priestly service to God and people, the Creator and His creation, I, first of all, consider it my holy duty to give glory and thanksgiving, honor and worship to the Almighty Trinity, which chose me, unworthy, for this great pastoral intercessory and sacred service: for for everything that was good and edifying in me during this time, I owe to Him, my Trinitarian God, His grace, which was accomplished in my weaknesses, while mine were only weaknesses and stumblings, which He mercifully covered with His grace for my repentance; secondly, I must give an account of what I did during the continuation of my priesthood in the life of the church and public. I do not want to praise myself from this holy place, as it is customary in the world to praise and only praise leaders in various fields of public service, not to flatter myself or anyone, but to speak the pure truth - to talk about my weaknesses and struggles - for the Apostle Paul, the mysterious celestial man, “caught up to the third heaven,” boasted not of his virtues, “but of his weaknesses, so that strength may dwell in him Christ" (2 Cor. 12:2, 9). So, I give myself and you an account: what did I do when I became a priest, and what did I do in this rank? Ordained as a priest and shepherd (this was December 12, 1855), I soon learned from experience with whom I was entering into a struggle in my spiritual field, namely, with the strong, never-slumbering and breathing evil and destruction and the hellish fire of Gehenna, the prince of this world and with the spirits of evil in high places, as the Apostle says: “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12): temptations began, the dirty tricks of the enemy were revealed, weaknesses, wounds, stumblings; Enemies, like robbers, began to pursue me in my spiritual journey and in the service of my God. This meant that the Lord, the Good Shepherd, introduced me to the test and into an experienced spiritual betrothal, so that I would know what enemies I am dealing with, having taken upon myself the yoke of Christ’s priesthood, with whom I must fight, from whom to keep the verbal sheep, how to protect them from the serpent of the whole deep, from the lion who roars and seeks every day for whom to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), and to be thrown into hell - how to arm yourself against it and defeat it with the help of the one Christ God, Who Himself defeated it for us and for our sake with His Cross and His death, breaking its power and giving us the saving sign of the Cross as a weapon. This struggle with a strong and cunning invisible enemy showed me with my own eyes how many infirmities, weaknesses and sinful passions there are in me, how much the prince of this age has in me, and how much I must struggle with myself, with my sinful inclinations and habits and defeat them in order to be, if possible, invulnerable from the arrows of the enemy. Spiritual warfare began, self-observation, sophistication of spiritual vision, teaching oneself unceasing, secret prayer and invoking the all-saving name of Christ; like the psalmist King-Prophet David, I constantly began to raise my heart’s eyes to heaven, from where clear, speedy, sovereign help came to me (Ps. 121:1-2), and my strong enemies took flight, and I received freedom and peace of mind... This battle continues in me to this day; and a long time of spiritual warfare taught me a lot, and especially - experienced knowledge of all the intricacies of spiritual warfare, all the countless machinations of invisible enemies and a firm, always confident invocation of the name of the Lord Jesus, before Whom they cannot stand; in this invisible, constant warfare, I recognized the ever-present closeness of the Lord to me, His immeasurable goodness, quick obedience, His infinite truth and mercy, the infinite holiness of His being, for which “one unrighteous thought is disgusting and vile” ( Proverbs 15:26 ) and one instant will to sin or the pleasure of sin - which inevitably, immutably seeks and demands from all of us holiness in thoughts, holy fervor in feelings, holiness in all movements of our will, in words and deeds. In this spiritual battle, I learned the abyss of God’s long-suffering towards us; for He alone knows all the weakness of our fallen nature, which He mercifully took upon Himself, except for sin (1 Pet. 2:22; Is. 53:9; 1 John 3:5, 4:10), and therefore commanded “to forgive sins seventy times” (Matthew 18:22) to those who fall into them; and He surrounded and surrounds me every day with the joys of deliverance from them and with peace and space of heart. The immeasurable mercy of God that I have experienced and the Lord’s ever-present closeness to me assures me of the hope of my eternal salvation and the salvation of all who are guided and listen to me, according to the word of Scripture: “Behold, I and the children whom God has given me” (Heb. 2:13; Is. 8:18). What else was my work after I received the priesthood? In the performance of Divine services, saving sacraments and in preaching the word of God... While performing the Sacraments, I often thought about the dignity in which man was created by God in the beginning, and how frivolously and ungratefully [he] lost it, and to what terrible disasters he exposed himself and all posterity; how kindly, wisely, and thoughtfully man was protected by the Creator from falling and how easy it was to save himself and the whole race from destruction; how lovingly the Lord seeks out the fallen human race by free will; what a wondrous humane means he invented for salvation, having himself become an Intercessor before God the Father and creating on earth for common salvation His one Church under His personal Headship and leadership, with the wonderful saving sacraments of rebirth, purification, sanctification, renewal, adoption and the very communion with the Divine nature in the Mystery of communion of the Most Pure Body and Blood of the Son of God - with the constant preaching of the word God and the leadership of shepherds sanctified by the Holy Spirit and empowered by grace. Serving in full armor of grace the Divine wondrous services, I was often amazed at the ineffable mercy of God, which clothed a weak, mortal man with the grace of the priesthood and gave him the power and authority to offer prayers to the Creator for the whole world, for all people, for all ranks and classes, for the Tsar and for all those in power, for the Holy Synod and for the consecrated Council, for all people, and to intercede before Nim is about the bestowal of all the blessings of heaven and earth. Celebrating the Divine Liturgy almost every day, I was moved every time and often shed tears, remembering the immeasurably great condescension of God towards us, His incarnation, God’s life on earth with people, His meekness, humility, teaching, countless miracles in people, travels through cities and villages, the envy and hatred of the people whom He came to save and reconcile with Him. Heavenly Father, about His suffering and death at the slander of His enemies, - about the glorious resurrection and victory over death and the granting of resurrection to everyone, about His ascension into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father, - and, finally, about His second, glorious and terrible coming to earth. Performing daily the terrible and life-giving Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, for us and for the whole world, painfully sacrificed for us to God and His Father, I was amazed at the greatness of God’s grace towards us, the condescension, the exhaustion of Christ, the mercy, long-suffering, truth and wisdom of God, manifested in this universal and supreme Sacrifice. Communicating daily this most holy and life-giving Sacrament and always feeling within myself its life-giving power for soul and body, its victory in me over sin and death, justification, peace, freedom and boldness of my spirit - I was filled with joy and gratitude to God for communion of such a great, saving Mystery. Seeing before me with the eyes of my heart God in the flesh, I was filled with boldness to pray to God for the whole world, for the Holy Church in all corners of the earth and in all peoples and tribes, for its pacification, spread and protection, for the King and the reigning House, for all authorities - spiritual and civil, for all classes of the state. Seeing before me in the holy Mysteries the hidden Lord Himself, the Creator and Almighty, I thought: this is the holy seed by which the whole world is held together. “His seed is holy” (Isaiah 6:13). Here is the One who is before all and in Whom everything, the whole universe, stands: “He is before all, and in Him all things are constituted” (Col. 1:17). But enough words. I thank the Lord, who has deigned me to see this day of my forty-five years of service as a priest - the day on which the holy church celebrates the memory of [St. Spyridon of Trimythous, contemporary] St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, who also attended the first ecumenical council and was also glorified by miracles. From this day on, the sun turns to the east - the light begins to increase and the day increases, and darkness and nights decrease. I wish with all my heart and pray to the Lord that in me and in all my spiritual children and in all people the darkness of sins diminishes and completely disappears, and that the light of faith and good deeds shines in all hearts, so that I can say with the Apostle: “Darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). Amen. Archpriest John Sergiev. Teaching about John on the power of the words of the Gospel. “Brotherhood, catch with the ears of your heart every word of the Savior in the Gospel and apply it to your heart; This is not the word of man, which was often false, empty, powerless, blissful, but the word of God, the word of truth, the omnipotent word. Every word of the Lord is life for us, and everything spoken through the mouth of the Savior will come true to the last—nothing will pass away.” Testimony from Fr. John about the grace-filled illumination of the soul, which he received from the all-enlightening Spirit of God. Instead of a preface in the book “My Life in Christ” ed. 1894, republished for the first time abroad by the Charitable Foundation named after Fr. John of Kronstadt in the mountains. Utica USA, o. John writes: “Everything contained in my publication is nothing other than the grace-filled illumination of the soul, which I received from the all-enlightening Spirit of God.” Teaching about. John on prayer. “I am fading away, dying spiritually,” said Fr. John, - when I don’t serve in church for several days, I become kindled, I come alive in soul and heart, when I serve, forcing myself to pray not formally, but really, spiritually, sincerely, passionately. I love to pray in the Church of God, in St. Altar, at the Throne and Altar, for I am wonderfully changed in the Church by the grace of God; in the prayer of repentance and tenderness, the bonds of passions fall from my soul and it becomes so easy for me: as if I were dying for the world and the world for me, with all its blessings; I come to life in God and for God, for the one God, and I am completely imbued with Him and become one spirit with Him; I become like a child comforted on its mother’s lap; My heart is then full of heavenly, sweet peace; the soul is enlightened by heavenly light! you see everything brightly, you look at everything correctly, you feel community and love for everyone, even for your enemies, and you willingly forgive and forgive them! Oh, how blessed is the soul with God! The Church is truly an earthly paradise! What boldness you have towards the Lord and the Mother of God! What meekness, humility, and gentleness I feel! What dispassion for earthly things! What an ardent desire for heavenly pleasures! The tongue cannot express the bliss that you taste when you have God in your heart! With Him everything earthly is dust and decay.” “We must force ourselves and, against our will, make zealous prayers, with feeling and thoughtfulness, bows—certainly bows! - this is necessary against our pride, which nests in the depths of our hearts. Pride doesn’t like to bow.” “It is required in prayer,” says Fr. John, - firstly, so that the subject of prayer is expressed definitely, or at least, there is a clear consciousness and desire for it in the heart, - secondly, so that this desire is expressed with feeling and living hope in the mercy of the Lord or the Mother of God, thirdly, you need to confirm the intention not to sin in the future and to do the will of God in everything: “Behold, you are healthy, let him not sin, let him not sin more.” will be" (John 5:14)" (see "My Life in Christ", p. 249). “When you pray for something to the Lord, or the Most Holy Theotokos, or the Angels and saints, asking for their intercession for yourself or for other people before God, then have the words expressing your petitions, your needs for the very things, for the very thing that you ask from the Lord and believe that you already have a sure guarantee in receiving the subject of your petitions in the very words by which this subject is signified. For example: you ask for health for yourself or someone else: the word: have health for the thing itself, for the deed itself; believe that you already have it by the mercy and omnipotence of the Lord, for the very word, the name, in an instant can be deeded by the Lord, and you will certainly receive what you ask for for your unshakable faith. “Ask and it will be given to you. “As much as you ask, believe, as you receive, and it will be done for you” (Matthew 7:7; Mark 11:24).” “If you are united with the Trinitarian God by living faith and virtue, especially meekness, humility and mercy, ask Him what you want, what the Holy Spirit teaches you to ask: and it will be done for you; - either quickly, in an instant, in one hour, or after some time, according to the discretion of the wisdom of God (Mark 11:24). When during prayer you doubt the possibility of fulfilling any of your requests, then remember that on the part of God everything is possible to bestow upon you, except for direct evil, which is characteristic only of the devil - that your very word or your very request for something is already a sure guarantee on your part that its fulfillment is possible: for if I can only think about something, whether it is possible for me or impossible, then this “something” is certainly possible for the Lord, for Of which one thought is already a deed, if He deigns to carry it out, and for you this good already exists in the word, and only this good does not exist, and only does not exist in deed - but to bring the request to fulfillment, He has the Son, the Creator and the Perfecter, the Holy Spirit. To the ability to accomplish everything add His infinite goodness, according to which He is the ever-flowing Source of both being and all the gifts of being. He is the God of gifts, the God of mercy and generosity. “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, press and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Add to this the wisdom of God, which in its gift knows how to choose for us the best good, the most appropriate to our spiritual and physical state. On your part, what is required is firm, undoubted confidence in the possibility of fulfilling your request for the Lord, and also that your request is certainly good, about something good, and not about something bad. “He will give,” it is said, “good to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:12) (“My Life in Christ,” p. 253).” “People who pray little have a weak heart; when they want to pray, their heart relaxes and weakens their hands, body and thoughts, and it is difficult for them to pray. We must overcome ourselves: try to pray with all our hearts, because it is good and easy to pray with all our hearts.” “In prayer, the main thing that you need to take care of first of all is a living, clairvoyant faith in the Lord: imagine Him vividly before you and in yourself - and then, if you want, ask for Christ Jesus in the Holy Spirit, and it will be done for you. Ask simply, without hesitation, and then your God will be everything for you, performing great and wonderful deeds in an instant, just as the sign of the cross accomplishes great powers.” “My life is in Christ, to Him I sing forever” (Canon of Fr. John). Our salvation, Russia and the whole world is “Life in Christ.” In the life of the Russian people, that branch of it that is called the Great Russians, the leading branch of the Russian people, attention is drawn to the external “poverty of the villages,” as it were, the indifference and indifference of the Russian people to their home, to their hut, to the external forms of their life. And this is despite the fact that the Russian people are gifted with a completely exceptional ability to understand beauty and strive for it. Russian fairy tales are a masterpiece of brilliance and radiance. The firebird is the main element of the dreams of the heroes of Russian fairy tales - it is truly a “firebird”, burning with all the colors and shining with the brilliance of which only the imagination of a dreamy Russian person is capable. The fabulous Ivan Tsarevich, a gentle handsome man, is dressed in amazing colorful clothes, even more colorful, lighter and more radiant than the clothes of the beautiful princess, such a beauty that it cannot be more beautiful. And everything that surrounds this wonderfully beautiful fairy-tale couple is all bright and beautiful. The Russian people have dreamed of this beauty from the very beginning of their lives, they dream to this day, they dream in the midst of all their poverty. The ancient clothes of a Russian woman are beautiful and clean - white, and in them she is a “winch”, a purer and whiter bird, like a swan, the Russian imagination does not know. Look how handsome the Russian heroes are, what horses they sit on, how rich and how decorated their weapons are. A sense of beauty is embedded in the Russian multifaceted character. And here is the dwelling, the “black hut” - inhospitable and often gloomy, however, there is a red corner in it, where there are icons, under the icons there is a clean table, on it a loaf of bread, like a blessing from God, covered with a towel, behind which they eat, silently, sedately, as a Russian person does. Russian people, in central Russia, are surrounded by unsightly nature, copses, meadows, shallow rivers. True, there are the Bryansk forests, there is the Queen Volga, there are powerful and majestic rivers of the North, there is the taiga, and the Urals, and everything is there, but the everyday surrounding nature is somehow quiet, the ever-restless aspen leaves rustle, and an eerie legend is associated with it about the death of the traitor Judas, the hazel tree and our spiritual birch tree. In this situation, from the first hour of Holy Baptism in the waters of Borysthenes, whose fate Herodotus did not foresee, the lamp of Christ began to glow in the Slavic Russian soul, it glows to this day and will continue to glow until the end of this century. The warmest human feeling, which gives the greatest joy and satisfaction, is humility before God, before people, before oneself. How can one not be humble in the face of an incomprehensible nature? All the economic hopes of the Russian plowman are in the hands of God. A growing and pleasing field in one short moment can be reduced to nothing by a hailstorm; drought often destroys all the work of a plowman. And at the same time, mysteriously, according to the word of the Savior, a grain falls into the ground and seems to die, and only because it dies is born to life and gives life to a person. The support of the Russian person is the Lord, his Russian Savior, the Mother of God, who takes people’s and especially women’s grief and sorrow so close to Her heart. The Queen of Heaven is always with sinful people, always on earth, She is a consolation in sorrows, like a Mother, She understands everything, experiences everything, and this is so wonderfully sung in the Akathists “Rejoice” and with the joy of the Theotokos, we all rejoice, for the boundless wealth of what the whole world rejoices in the Mother of God. Outside are the lives of the Russian people, churches of God, monasteries behind white walls. The whole earth has been and will again be covered with churches of God's Glory. The church is an image of the greatness of God - here is gold, porphyry, here are precious stones shimmering with a joyful shine. The clothes of the Holy See and the clothes of the servants at the Throne are brocade, purple linen. And when the suffering is over, when the harvest is harvested and a blissful rest has begun, then all baptized Russia begins to move, goes to worship shrines, from church to church, from monastery to monastery, walking lightly, freed from worries and things. Over the shoulder is a knapsack with a change of linen, on the shoulders is an old coat, in the hands is a staff. A light sleep under a broom, rinsed in a warm river where minnows run around like playful children, prayed to the East, soaked a loaf of bread in water, and even if you add green onions - here is God’s food for you, your daily bread, which you need to ask the Lord only for this day. Wonderful dietary food - what teeth, what beards, what complexion, the Russian man is flexible and slender, with a gentle smile in his blue eyes, with the carriage of his head - great powers. Praise be to God, glory to God, to Him is the dwelling place of glory and praise, and on the poor Russian land, among the dark log cabins, there rise churches, sparkling from afar with their golden domes. “Not to us, not to us, but to Your Name,” in Your Name both the Power and the Kingdom from century to century. “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other. He cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). So the Russian people, without often realizing it, directly perceived these words of the Savior and throughout all the centuries of their lives they did not serve mammon and now do not serve, but fight against the devil’s mammon. The Russian people served God and sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness, especially His righteousness, to this day, and no one can deny this. According to the word of the Gospel, everything was added to him. Without God's help, could Russia, surrounded on all sides by enemies and envious people, have become what it was and will be - the House of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Assumption, in the Moscow Kremlin, the All Russia Cathedral, in the completion of the Church of the Holy Wisdom of God, which was built by Tsar Justinian in Constantinople. The feeling of King Justinian is perfectly conveyed by the poet N. Gumilyov: Proud of his pagan glory, He doesn’t want to understand that from now on the sun For the whole earth there is one Constantinople. And what about Hagia Sophia... Another column erected And the chief master heard the seraphim, Rejoicing and singing sweetly. The modern free world, proud of its pagan glory, does not want to understand that the salvation of the world is not in a new formation in Holy Rus', bearing the nickname USSR, not in the madness of the temporary Soviet government, tormenting and killing both the body and spirit of the Russian people, but in the eternal truth of Holy Rus', which will return to the place taken from it. Look at the home of the ever-memorable father John of Kronstadt, in which he was born. What could be poorer and more modest? And look at the Kronstadt Cathedral and many other things created by him. He served only God, and God gave him the gift of prayer, the gift of miracles, the gift of prophecy and everything else and to what extent was added. His life in Christ must be our life and then everything will be added, including the uprising of Holy Russia from the darkness of wickedness. Prophecies of Father John of Kronstadt. Father John of Kronstadt was a prophet of God. All his predictions to individuals or entire nations were fulfilled or are being fulfilled. How many times o. John, to requests to pray for healings, answered: “he will be healthy” or “well,” and all of them were fulfilled. All his life he preached both orally and in his writings and, having gone to the Lord, left predictions of the horrors that befell the Russian people. We place in our book, fulfilling the requests of many people, admirers of Father Fr. John and those interested in his predictions, excerpts from the book of I.K. Sursky concerning prophecies about the fate of Russia and the Russian people, about his warnings, and other messages about his foresight. About the fate of Russia and Russian people. In 1890, one pious merchant family of the city of Kungur, Perm province, came to Kronstadt for the blessing of Fr. John. During a personal interview with them, the priest, having learned that they had come to him from the Perm province, told them: “A black cross hangs over Perm” - while avoiding any explanation of these mysterious words he said. The Kungur pilgrims understood the words of Fr. John in the sense that the city of Perm is threatened by some serious disaster, but after those terrible events that occurred in the Urals in 1918, when the Cross of the most severe, truly Golgotha ​​suffering and martyrdom was accepted by the righteous Tsar Nicholas 2, with his Wife and Children, as well as other members of the Imperial family, it becomes clear that Father Fr. In 28 years, John foresaw this atrocity, unprecedented in the history of the world, committed within the Perm lips. and spoke confidentially about him. Shortly before the blessed death of Fr. John, he often loved to serve mass in the courtyard of the Leushinsky Monastery, on Basseynaya Street in St. Petersburg. My wife and I constantly attended these services and many times Fr. In his sermons, John menacingly prophesied and loudly cried out: “Repent, repent, a terrible time is approaching, so terrible that you cannot even imagine!” He did not speak, but shouted, raising his hands up. The impression was amazing, horror seized those present and crying and sobs were heard in the church. My wife and I wondered what would happen: war, earthquake, flood? However, based on the power of the prophet’s words, we understood that something much worse would happen and suggested that the earth’s axis would turn over. Abbess Taisiya, an 80-year-old old woman, asked Fr. John: “When, father, will this time be?” Father John replied: “You and I, mother, will not live, but they,” he pointed his hand at the nuns, “will live.” Now, of course, everyone understands well what time Fr. was talking about. John. In the book about. John “New words spoken in 1902”, printed on page 47 “Word for the birthday of the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich on May 6th”. In this word he says: “...Yes, through the mediation of sovereign persons, the Lord guards the good of the kingdoms of the earth and especially the good of the world of His Church, not allowing godless teachings, heresies and schisms to overwhelm it - and the greatest villain of the world who will appear in the last time, the Antichrist, cannot appear among us, due to the autocratic power that restrains the disorderly vacillation and absurd teaching of the atheists. The Apostle says that the Antichrist will not appear on earth as long as autocratic power continues to exist. “For the mystery of iniquity is already being done,” he says, “but until then it will not be completed until the sovereign is removed from us: Dondezh hold now from among us, and then the lawless one will appear, whom the Lord will kill with the spirit of His mouth” (2 Thess. 2:7-8 ch.).” In another sermon, Fr. John says that “when he who restrains (the Autocrat) is lifted up from the earth, then the Antichrist will come.” Many prophecies about. John is published in his works, published long before the war and revolution. Father John died in 1908, i.e. 6 years before the war. Here are some of them: “Lord, You are the true Lord of creatures! What are the Germans, Poles and Finns plotting against Russia and against Your holy Church, who have distorted Your Gospel, who have fallen away from Your Church! Lord, what are they up to! They want to completely devour us and destroy Your Church, Your Churches, Your worship, Your statutes, the decree of St. Apostles and St. Fathers of the Ecumenical and Local Councils. What have we come to! Lord, You see the cunning of the enemies of the Orthodox faith and Your Church and their zeal to overcome it! Put an end to them, let all their evil work die with these people! (Printed in the book “Living Spike” 1909). In 1907, during a period of calm, Fr. John ominously prophesies: “The Russian kingdom is wavering, tottering, close to collapse. If things go like this in Russia, and the atheists and anarchist madmen will not be subjected to the righteous punishment of the law, and if Russia is not cleansed of many tares, then it will be desolate, like the ancient kingdoms and cities, erased by the justice of God from the earth for their atheism and their iniquities. The highest government is also guilty, condoning the unrest... There is treason everywhere, threats to state property are everywhere. This will continue to be the case with weak management. Poor fatherland, will you ever prosper? Only when you hold on to God, the Church, love for the Tsar and the Fatherland and purity of morals with all your heart... And what would we become, Russians, without the Tsar. Our enemies would soon try to destroy the very name of Russia, because... The Bearer and Guardian of Russia, after God there is the Sovereign of Russia, the Autocratic Tsar, without him Russia is not Russia.” “Russia is troubled, suffering and tormented by a bloody internal struggle, by crop failure and hunger, by terrible high prices in everything, by godlessness, anarchy and the extreme decline of morals. A sad fate, leading to gloomy thoughts... But All-Good Providence will not leave Russia in this sad and disastrous state. It righteously punishes and leads to rebirth. God’s righteous destinies are being carried out over Russia...” “Russia is beset by troubles and misfortunes. It is not in vain that He who rules all nations skillfully and accurately places on His anvil all those subject to His mighty hammer. Be strong, Russia! But also repent, pray, cry bitter tears before your heavenly Father, Whom you have angered immensely!..” “The Lord, like a skilled physician, subjects us to various temptations, sorrows, illnesses and troubles in order to purify us like gold in the crucible. A soul, entrenched in sins of all kinds, does not easily lend itself to cleansing and healing, but with great compulsion and patience, and only through a long experience of patience and suffering does it become accustomed to virtue and begins to passionately love God, Whom it was alien, having learned all kinds of carnal sins. This is the purpose of the troubles and sorrows sent to us by God in this life. They are needed both by individuals and by entire people mired in wickedness and vices. The Russian people and other tribes inhabiting Russia are deeply corrupted, the crucible of temptation and disaster is necessary for everyone, and the Lord, who does not want anyone to perish, burns everyone in this crucible” (Ed. 1908, “New Words”). So, the great prophet of God John of Kronstadt says quite clearly and definitely that everything that Russia and the Russian people have experienced is God’s righteous punishment for great sins and that God does not want the final destruction of Russia and the Russian repentants, but burns us out like gold in a crucible, that Russia is forged by troubles and that the Lord Almighty will not leave Russia in this sad and disastrous state, but leads to revival. In addition to the above prophecies of Fr. John's special prophecies about emigration have also been preserved. Here is a letter containing this prophecy in its entirety, published in the magazine “Caucasian Cossack”: Letter from France: I receive letters from children from the Soviet “paradise”. My wife and children lived in my father-in-law’s house, and now live in an apartment. The place where the property acquired by the parents was overgrown with weeds. In 1900–1903 I studied in the mountains. Oranienbaum at the Officer Rifle School, where the late Archpriest John of Kronstadt often came, who said that the time was near, that the people would be divided into parties, brother would rise up against brother, son against father and father against son, and a lot of blood would be shed on Russian soil. Part of the Russian people will be expelled from Russia, the exiles will return to their native lands, but not so soon, they will not recognize their places and will not know where their relatives are buried. I didn’t believe the dead archpriest. But now I remember his words. Yes! When someone has to return to their native land, many will indeed not recognize their places and will not know where their relatives are buried. We all know very well that John’s prophecies have been fulfilled that the people will be divided “into parties, that children will rise up against parents and brother against brother, that a lot of blood will be shed and that part of the people will be expelled from the borders of Russia. We also already know that when the exiles return to Russia, they will not recognize their places and will not know where their relatives are buried.” The prophet says that the exiles will return to their lands, but not so soon. About whom does the prophet say: “they will return”? Of course, about those who left Russia, and not about those who were born in exile. And who can recognize or not recognize their places? Of course, those who saw and remember them, i.e. people who left as adults and who will return in adulthood, and not as decrepit old men. From here there is a direct conclusion that the time of return is very close (Volume 1, pp. 190–194). About the world war, about the revolution and about the salvation of Russia from the East. On one of the Sundays in the autumn of 1916, in the St. Petersburg St. John's Monastery, where admirers of Father John gathered, the liturgy was celebrated by Moscow Metropolitan Macarius. After mass, several clergy, as well as military personnel, gathered in the chambers of the abbess of the monastery, Abbess Angelina. Metropolitan Macarius read to the audience one passage from the diary of Fr. John of Kronstadt, which described his visions and predictions regarding Russia... It turns out that Fr. Many years before the World War, John accurately recorded in his diary both the participants in the war and its outcome. The military failures of Tsarist Russia and the revolution associated with them. John also predicted. He pointed out the duration of the dominance of revolutionary ideas, the countless victims of the revolution, the streams of blood, the grief and misfortunes of the entire population. Liberation of Russia from the yoke of Fr. John predicted from the “east.” This diary, then kept in the Ioannovsky Monastery, was an original copy, written by the hand of Fr. John. This diary was not shown to outsiders, therefore the predictions noted in the diary, in the literature about Fr. John of Kronstadt is not mentioned. The further fate of this diary is unknown (Volume 2, p. 323). During the construction of the Ioannovsky Monastery, an extension was made to the residential building. Arriving, somehow Fr. John visited the building and said: “Add it, add it for the Lesna nuns.” Nobody understood anything, but the will of Fr. John was completed and the extension was enlarged. So what? A few years after the death of Fr. John, during the German War, after the evacuation of the western region, where the Lesna Monastery was located, some of his sisters, among 40 people, found shelter in the annex of the John Monastery. From this it is quite obvious that the Holy Spirit revealed Fr. John what should happen many years later (Volume 1, p. 178). Prophecy Fr. John of Kronstadt to Emperor Alexander III. In 1893, a widespread collection of donations was opened for the construction of the Warsaw Orthodox Cathedral. When rumors about the proposed construction reached Fr. John of Kronstadt, known for his perspicacity, he told his interlocutors: “I see with bitterness the construction of this church. But these are the commands of God. Not long after its construction, Russia will be filled with blood and disintegrate into many short-term independent states. And Poland will become free and independent. But when the Warsaw Cathedral is destroyed, then a share of trials will befall Poland. And then its last historical page will close. Her star will fade and go out. But I foresee the restoration of a powerful Russia, even stronger and more powerful. But this will happen much later. His words made a great impression. This was reported to the King and it made an equally strong impression on him. At first, the Tsar wanted to abandon the construction of the cathedral. Fr. John of Kronstadt convinced them not to contradict the will of God, and the collection of donations was set in motion. Time passed and after the construction of the cathedral, the words of Fr. John were forgotten. They only remembered them at a time when the dismantling of the cathedral was in full swing. It had to happen that one of the workers, an old Pole who was still taking part in the construction of the cathedral, heard about the words of Fr. John and told others and it was noticed that after this the work was done very reluctantly because... his story caused great confusion among them... In addition to the destruction of the Warsaw Cathedral, many other Orthodox churches were destroyed and the Orthodox Cathedral in Częstochowa was targeted for destruction. Prophecy Fr. John, spoken 46 years ago, came true - the star of Poland went out and the last page of its history closed (Volume 2, p. 326). I. K. Sursky - O. I. Kronstadt. Prophecies about Russia by the ever-memorable shepherd Fr. John of Kronstadt In the days of the fiftieth anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable shepherd Father John of Kronstadt, his glory shines like a radiant sun. More and more new rays from this sun, in the form of constantly revealing news about countless miracles of healing that took place according to one of his words or even a telegram, illuminate us. When remembering his name, one feels like a bottomless sea of ​​divine grace, the bearer of which he was. What could be more glorious and richer than the gift of miracles? When people have tried all their natural powers, when there is no longer any hope for human help, then, almost in despair, the soul calls out to the saint of God and, at his word, receives healing. If we compare the gift of miracles with anything earthly, then it seems to combine wealth, power and wisdom, and at the same time the gift of miracles surpasses them all. Who is richer than the one who has the gift of working miracles, and what do earthly riches mean in comparison to this gracious wealth? Whose power is greater than the one who has this divine gift? What ruler or dictator or king can compare with the one who commands the laws of nature? Whose earthly wisdom can be compared with the one who carries within himself the wisdom of God? And such a superman existed in our Motherland, among the Russian people, and was our senior contemporary. For this great and bright gift of miracles, Russian people mainly revere Fr. John of Kronstadt. However, the glory of Fr. John of Kronstadt is far from being limited to the gift of miracles alone. There is another, unfortunately less known side of his activity - his gift of prophecy. We will try to depict this side of his activity with our pale lines. It sounds paradoxical, alas! the current state of our defeated and captive Motherland is the glory of Fr. John of Kronstadt. If only, after Fr. John and his prophecies, Russia would have turned into some kind of drab godless European republic and vegetated in philistine prosperity, then this would have been a disgrace to Fr. John. But the fact that Russia has been suffering for forty years is the glory of the great shepherd, because he fervently prophesied about the onset of these sufferings, but was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” He was a faithful son of his sacred Motherland, he passionately, like few others, loved dear Russia with all the boundless beauty of Russian life, but even more he loved the Church of God and the Most Holy Trinity, in the blessed rays of which he lived. Because Russia, represented by its leading, mostly educated and intelligent circles, retreated from the Holy Church, he not only prophesied about God’s punishments, but also called for them. “God cannot be scolded,” said Fr. John. “What a regret,” he continued, “that Your servants and fellow diners of Your Divine Table are now neglected and reviled by the people of this age.” How they revile Your priests and Your Church and Your holy word, which the Holy Spirit spoke. And as long as You endure them, until You destroy them who humiliate You, our God, and blot out their name from among the living. May their memory perish noisily.” And indeed, according to the word, this happened to Russia. But it was not an evil voice bringing trouble to their homeland. No, it was the voice of an ardently loving heart, a voice of warning and reproof, it was truly “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” “I look at Russia,” says Fr. John, “and I am horrified and grieved, seeing how she suffers and will suffer again if she does not turn with all her heart to the Patriotic Faith, to the Orthodox Church.” “Russia,” he says on another occasion, “is restless, suffering, tormented by a bloody internal struggle, by crop failure and hunger, by the terrible high cost of everything, by godlessness, and the extreme decline of morals. It’s a sad fate, leading to gloomy thoughts.” “Evil times - people turned into animals, even into evil spirits. Power has weakened. She herself misunderstood the freedom she gave to the people. She herself became darkened in mind and did not give the people a clear understanding of freedom.” “Evil has intensified in Russia to monstrous proportions and it is impossible or extremely difficult to correct it.” That's what Fr. John in the period 1904–1908 and at the same time explained why all this happened. “The morals of all classes of the Russian people,” he said, “are now extremely weakened, whoever does not know and does not notice this. Everyday life stinks of all sorts of sins - apostasy, ignorance of God, blasphemy, especially in the learned class, have become, as it were, endemic, common, debauchery has become a daily custom, the press and literature are saturated with temptation. Everyone has changed and is changing God in one way or another, they have abandoned the Lord and His righteous anger has flared up.” “Social disasters befall us because of the nation’s grave sins and iniquities.” In this spirit, the great shepherd denounced the nationwide vices of Russia, but his voice was drowned out by the so-called progressive and false-liberal press, which unanimously denounced him as an extreme reactionary, a Black Hundred and a retrograde person behind the enlightened 20th century. But Father John clearly understood where all this came from on Russian soil. “Today’s re-educated intellectuals, alienated from their mother Church, neglect God’s wondrous economy for our salvation and the most sacred images of the works of God and His saints, but they are madly interested in decadent, seductive painting and sculpture, mocking the woman, this church not made by hands, in which we receive our human image with a human soul. Others throw large sums at these images of voluptuousness, but they treat the poor of both sexes with disgust and disgust, sparing even a penny for them.” “How people became crushed, degraded, became corrupted, completely lost the Christian spirit and became pagans, and sometimes much worse than them in their animal way of life.” “Our intelligentsia and partly the common people were led to this state of morals by the unbridled press, especially the underground. For a long time she sought complete freedom and finally got through. One way or another, this sickle will reap us too. And then where will this stubble go?... The Last Judgment awaits humanity.” Warmly loving Russia, Fr. John pointed out that the foundation on which Russia rests is the Orthodox Autocracy. “What would you become Russians without the Tsar? Our enemies tried to destroy the very name of Russia, since the bearer and guardian of Russia after God is the Sovereign of Russia, the Autocratic Tsar, and without him Russia is not Russia.” What an amazing prophecy. It was as if the great shepherd saw these four ominous letters - USSR. The power of the Orthodox Autocrat Fr. John inextricably connected with Divine Providence. “Only God can authorize a chosen person to rule and entrust him with autocratic power, investing him with glory, majesty and power.” He denounced Fr. John of those political figures who destroyed Russia. “Current restless and unrecognized politicians,” he said, “nurture desires for constitutional or republican rule in Russia, but they do not understand the history and character of the Russian people, who cannot exist without the Autocratic Tsar, who lives for them and in them, both in prosperity and in misfortune, and on him alone, after God and the Queen of Heaven, places their hopes. So, let us revere the Tsar, as an autocrat given by God for the good of Russia.” Denouncing Russia, Fr. John also pointed out a practical way for salvation from future troubles. “May worthy helpers approach the throne, those who have God’s right conscience, those who have the fear of God, those who love God and His Church, which He founded on earth, and may all who have a seared conscience, who do not have the advice of the right and wise, well-intentioned, flee from the Throne, as was recently the case with the first traitorous minister. Especially you,” he continued, “who are gathering in the 3rd State Duma and preparing to be advisers to the Tsar, whose power occupies the 6th part of the world, study comprehensively its needs and needs, the illnesses and wounds of the Motherland, its countless treasures of land and water, which foreigners use so much due to the lack of enterprise of the Russians. Be his right hand, his sincere and faithful eyes, his active well-wishers and advisers, at the same time fearing God, unchanging faith and fatherland.” Denouncing Russia and loving it passionately, Fr. John believed in a bright future for Russia. “Russia is beset by troubles and misfortunes. Be strong Russia! - he exclaimed. - Repent and pray. Cry bitter tears before your Heavenly Father, Whom you have angered immensely. The Lord, like a skilled physician, subjects us to various temptations, sorrows, illnesses and troubles in order to purify us, like gold in a crucible. This is the purpose of the troubles and sorrows sent to us by God in this life.” All the prophecies of Fr. John of Kronstadt in full force. Truly, he was not only a great miracle worker, but also a great prophet. Where should we go now? All the idols of the revolution are broken. Everything that seemed outwardly saving and attractive was thrown down. Instead of rosy hopes for the rapid revival of our Motherland, a formidable atomic bomb of complete destruction hangs over us. We have no choice but to embrace the radiant glory of the great wonderworker and prophet, kindle in our hearts the memory of him and ask and beg him for something that we have not asked him for before, so that he would perform a great miracle over his beloved Motherland - the miracle of healing Russia. ABOUT! great shepherd, perform this miracle, if not for the sake of us sinners, then for the sake of the fulfillment of Your prophecy about the purification of the gold of the Russian soul in the crucible of fiery trials, for the sake of the glory of your name, for the sake of the glory of God in Holy Russia. About the prophecy of Fr. John of Kronstadt Half a century has passed since the death of Fr. John of Kronstadt. During this period of time, great upheavals occurred in Russia, which were reflected throughout the world and now all of humanity trembles before the disastrous events that are coming. Did Fr. foresee this? John? We will find the answer to this question in literary sources that comprehensively cover the pastoral activities of Fr. John. On March 1, 1881, the Tsar-Liberator Emperor Alexander II, who wanted to expand and deepen his great reforms, was killed. He thought about ways to fight godlessness and nihilism in Russia, which prevented the expansion of these reforms. American diplomat Andrew White, who visited Russia, wrote: “Of all the atrocities in the world, the assassination of Alexander II is the most vile. I cannot imagine a cruel and stupid nihilist who would raise his hand against the one who was sent by fate itself to his homeland as the best of all its rulers.” On the day of the death of Emperor Alexander II, Fr. John said: “Let us not forget that the death of Emperor Alexander II is a thunderous accusatory voice of the Heavenly Father. According to our morals, we have become unworthy of such a Sovereign. We must correct ourselves, we need moral cleansing, a change in morals.” Priest A. Semenov-Tianshansky in his book “O. John of Kronstadt” writes: “As a worthy priest, as a real shepherd and simply as a true Christian, Fr. John of Kronstadt wanted to give people the best that one could wish for - an introduction to the perfect Divine life. But the task of John’s life was not easy; the general religious state of that time cannot be called prosperous. The noble and bureaucratic layer of Russian society, since the time of Peter the Great's reforms, entering deeper and deeper into the mainstream of Western European cultural interests and entertainment, increasingly fell away from the Orthodox church. The predominant passion was rationalism, and later vulgar materialism and dogmatic socialism, which by the end of the 19th century, for many, became an object of fanatical and blind faith” (pp. 57–59). The founders of the revolutionary movement in Russia are the Decembrists, who rose up on December 14, 1825, and the first proclamation entitled “To the Young Generation” was written in 1861 by the writer P. Mikhailov during the reign of Emperor Alexander II. The proclamation said: “The sovereign deceived the expectations of the people - he gave them a will that was not real, not the one that the people dreamed of. Young generation, we appeal to you primarily because only in you we see people capable of sacrificing personal interests for the good of the entire country and we consider you people capable of saving Russia. We are boldly moving towards revolution, we even want it. If we had to slaughter a hundred thousand landowners, we would not be afraid of it. Look for leaders who are capable and ready for anything, and may they lead you to a great cause, and if necessary, to a glorious death for the salvation of the fatherland, the shadows of the martyrs of December 11.” For revolutionary activities, Mikhailov was sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, but Emperor Alexander II reduced the sentence to 6 years. This verdict caused indignation among Russian writers, and almost all the writers gathered at the publisher of “Russian Word”, Count Kushelev-Bezborodko, and signed a petition of protest: among the signatures were the following names: A. Kraevsky, P. Lavrov, N. Dobrolyubov, M. Dostoevsky, A. Maikov, A. Pisemsky, I. Panaev and N. Nekrasov. Mikhailov's path to exile turned into a triumphal procession. In Tobolsk, the Vice-Governor and the whole society met him and bombarded him with books and magazines, invited him to houses and delivered his letters to St. Petersburg illegally. In Irkutsk, ladies showered Mikhailov with flowers. His photographic cards were bought for huge sums of money. This was in 1861, that is, at the beginning of Fr. John. Upon ascending the throne, Emperor Alexander III wrote in his manifesto of April 29, 1881: “We call on all loyal subjects to serve Us and the State faithfully, to eradicate sedition that disgraces the Russian land, to strengthen the Orthodox faith and raise children well.” During the reign of Emperor Alexander III, thanks to the firm will of the latter, revolutionary calm came before Emperor Nicholas II ascended the throne. The Liberation Movement arose, led by: Nabokov - the son of the Minister of Justice, P. B. Struve - the son of the Vice-Governor, Professor M. I. Tugan-Baranovsky - one of the main founders of Russian Marxism: Princes Dolgorukov, Prince Shakhovskoy, Kolontai - the daughter of a prominent St. Petersburg police official, who later became a communist diplomat, and the now living E. Kuskova and Tyrkova-Williams – daughters of landowners. The last two anti-religious contemporaries of Fr. John, whose memories we will use in order to paint a picture of the social life in which the pastoral ministry of Fr. John during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. A. Tyrkova-Williams in her book “On the Path to Freedom” writes: “From the nests of the nobility, continuing the tradition of the Decembrists, many liberals and revolutionaries emerged. The peasants were brought closer to the Tsar by Orthodoxy and an intuitive sense of statehood. The man understood what a great power Russia was, but we, intellectuals, understood poorly. We approached the state lifelessly, bookishly. Not only Marxists considered religion a relic of harmful superstitions, but also the opium of the people. The first currents of Russian thought were closer to the people's worldview, and they showed an understanding of it. They were united with the people by everyday traditions, Orthodoxy and autocracy, precisely what the intelligentsia vehemently disowned. She recoiled from the church, secretly ridiculed it, and defamed it. The intelligentsia, due to their religious ignorance, did not understand the difference between the solemn truth of the eternal church and the shortcomings and errors of the earthly church. Not only did young people consider religion to be nonsense and the Gospel a collection of myths and superstitions, but most intellectuals rejected religion. People of faith were reluctantly awarded the high title of intellectual. Russians, and not only Russians, educated people began the assault on heaven long before the organized godlessness of the communists” (pp. 52, 53, 57, 59). Knowing this mood of most of the intelligentsia, Fr. John said in his sermon: “The majority treat the Holy Church and its ministers with disdain, and some with hatred and blasphemy. Such a modern Russian intelligent society has renounced Christ. Isn’t this a new, modern Calvary reproach, and is it possible to refrain from publicly denouncing modern blasphemers and renegades from Christ and the Church, who are attempting to overthrow the thrones of the kings and the Churches of God and to kill the faithful servants of the king and the sons of the Church and the Fatherland? When the Russo-Japanese War began in 1904, Fr. John, foreseeing the coming revolution, called on everyone to repentance and correction: “The war is just beginning,” he said in his sermon, “and only God knows what will happen ahead. What is needed for Russia is repentance of all classes, correction of morals, renunciation of insane atheism, humility and reverence for the commandments of God and careful fulfillment of them. Mercy and compassion for the downtrodden and the poor. Our real bloody war with the pagans is God’s righteous Judgment for our sins. Listen and read today's faithless intellectuals: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and with Me will I reward everyone according to his deeds” (Rev. 22:12).” This sermon did not make any impression on the left-wing intelligentsia and not only on them, but also on the St. Petersburg aristocratic society, about the mood of which Metropolitan Evlogy, who was then Archbishop of Kholm, writes in his book “The Path of My Life”: “In St. Petersburg I was surprised: we are experiencing the war as a national disaster, we grieve over every failure, but in the capital it was as if nothing had happened. Carriages are rushing, dressed up ladies with officers in them. Inappropriate, careless fun in the midst of the Japanese War. This gap between the people and the higher spheres seemed terrible to me” (p. 157). The Russian revolutionaries who were in exile celebrated the start of the Russo-Japanese War and enthusiastically greeted any news of the defeat of the Russian army. Tyrkova-Williams writes: “The worse, the better, the left said. Down with autocracy. The fall of Port Arthur caused rejoicing. In Germany, in the Struve family there was only talk about how to overthrow the autocracy, everything else is not important. Struve did not deny anything to himself or his loved ones. Money was delivered easily and safely by like-minded people from Russia by mail and through banks. I can’t remember anyone who would firmly, soberly, and thoroughly think through what was coming to Russia. We blamed all the troubles on the autocracy, but forgot about its historical merits. Tugan-Baranovsky said: The proletariat will sweep away everything. The police state will disappear. Everyone will be free. With the development of aviation, a police state cannot exist. The air knows neither borders nor passports” (pp. 172, 206, no. 2). The revolution of 1905 came, about which E. Kuskova writes: “I remember in our apartment in St. Petersburg, on the eve of the revolution of 1905, Gorky, Savva Morozov, and the artist Andreeva (Gorky’s wife) were sitting at the table. And what did these three want? Riot! They didn't accept anything average. We didn’t look for forms - it would just pour out. In the rebellion, the road will also be marked. The people will find it themselves.” Father John in the revolution of 1905 saw a harbinger of the fall of Russia and the suffering of not only the Russian people, but also of all humanity, and he said: “The Lord sees everything that is happening in our fatherland and will soon pronounce His righteous judgment on the impudent and treacherous, breathing malice and murder against all servants of the Church, the Tsar and the fatherland. What will finally happen given the current chaos in our lives? What will you do to us, Lord? Your gospel voice does not penetrate the hearts of Christians. Your commandments are neglected, your statutes are trampled upon. Russia, hold fast to the faith of your Church and the Orthodox Tsar, if you want to be unshaken by people of unbelief and lack of leadership. And if you fall away from your faith, as many intellectuals have already fallen away from it, then you will no longer be Russia or Holy Russia. And if there is no repentance among the Russian people, the end of the world is near. God will take away the godly King and send a scourge in the person of wicked, cruel, self-appointed rulers who will flood the whole earth with blood and tears.” What impression did this sermon make on the intelligentsia and, first of all, on members of the government? Let us turn to the “Memoirs” of the former. Prime Minister Count Witte. This is what he writes there: “Served Fr. John abruptly. Apparently he was an uneducated man. He influenced the common Russian people with his preaching and his unique way of life, but he never made an impression on me. My feelings regarding Fr. John of Kronstadt was bribed by the fact that Emperor Alexander III highly revered him. When the Japanese War came, he fell under the influence of Dubrovin and began to make Black Hundred attacks and showed many actions unworthy of the Father of the Church. All this happened because Fr. John was a man of intelligence, but somewhat crazy by approaching the higher and especially the royal spheres.” What were the Black Hundred attacks on Fr. John and how his approach to the higher and royal spheres was expressed, Witte does not write; there is nothing about this in other sources written by the revolutionary. It is only known that Fr. John never visited Emperor Nicholas II and, being appointed a member of the Holy Synod in 1907, never attended its meeting. As for “unworthy actions and a limited mind” Fr. John, compared to gr. Witte, then we leave it to the reader to judge this after he reads the following excerpt from Count Witte’s “Memoirs”: “One evening Morozov asked me to receive him. I accepted. Morozov began to talk about the need to end autocracy. Having known him for a long time, I told him: Don't get involved in this political drama, mind your trading business and pass it on to your colleagues. Morozov was embarrassed, thanked him and left. He was caught in Moscow and the police, in order to avoid causing a scandal, suggested that he go abroad.” In order to more fully illuminate this “patriotic” non-Black Hundred activity of Prime Minister Witte, let us supplement it with the following excerpt from the book by Tyrkova-Williams: “The government could easily cope with sparsely populated revolutionary organizations if they were not surrounded by a kind of breeding ground. The conspirators were hidden, supported, and sympathized with. The revolution was supported and operated with the money of the bourgeoisie. The terrorists were given money by rich textile workers like A. Konovalov and Savva Morozov, tea millionaires like the Vysotskys, titled nobles, officials, doctors and engineers with large earnings, big businessmen, bankers” (p. 57). Kuskova, in her article “Mimosa” dedicated to the death of Gorky’s wife M.F. Andreeva (NRS January 10, 1954), wrote that Morozov, in France, gave the Russian democratic party 400 thousand gold rubles. She wrote in the NRS on July 18, 1952, in the article “Zigzags of Life” about how Prince Dolgorukov gave money for the revolution. Liberalism and revolution Fr. John denied for their anti-Christian basis: “Do you all know who should know,” he wrote, “that our entire current revolution is, first of all, a consequence of apostasy from faith, from our God-loving, holy, vital Orthodoxy, which has in itself all the power for those who believe in it to order everything, both our internal and external world, and all family, civil and economic life?” After the 1905 revolution against Fr. John, a whole campaign was raised in the leftist press, including theatrical anti-religious productions, such as “Black Crows”. But that didn't stop Fr. John, he began to denounce the revolutionaries and the government, headed by Count Witte, even more harshly. In one of his sermons in 1907, he said: “If things go like this in Russia, both atheists and anarchist madmen will not be subject to the righteous punishment of the law, and if Russia is not cleansed of many tares, then it will become desolate, like the ancient kingdoms and cities wiped off the face of the earth by God’s Justice for godlessness and their own iniquities. The top government is also to blame for condoning the unrest. Impunity is in fashion in Russia, they flaunt it. And that is why we have constant accidents with sea and even imperial ships. Treason is everywhere, threats to life and state property are everywhere. This will continue to be the case with weak management. Poor fatherland, will you ever prosper? Only when you hold on to God, the Church, love for both the Tsar and the Fatherland and purity of morals with all your heart. From the heights of your pulpits you treat the Lord God and His word with contempt, not noticing that your destruction is not sleeping. The Lord will crush you, and crush you so much that it is not known where your bones will lie.” We know that these prophetic words have already come true. Savva Morozov, seeing the fruits of his revolutionary activities, shot himself in France, M. Gorky was poisoned by his like-minded atheists. Struve, having become a religious man, died in exile. The Dolgorukov princes were shot by the Bolsheviks. Kolontai became a communist and thereby participated in the executions of the former founders of the Russian revolution. After Plekhanov’s death, his book “A Year in the Motherland” was published. The preface to this book tells of his final sufferings in Russia. He died in terrible conditions created by the very revolution for which he so passionately called all his life. The writer Merezhkovsky wrote: “I died alive and I see what the living do not see. I’m standing over the abyss where Russia has fallen, a thousand years of Russian history - and there’s nothing for me. At my very feet there is emptiness, a failure, and behind it a terrible distance to the edge of heaven, to the beginning and end of time, to “Atlantis” and “Apocalypse”. Oh, you who have your own land, your own body, do not envy this terrible Russian universality! And here is what the writer Ivan Nazhivin wrote in his dying confession in 1939: “The red stupor grew by leaps and bounds; Russian people certainly demanded “The sky in diamonds.” I also fell ill with this public smallpox. I also wanted a sky covered in republican and socialist diamonds. Only we “advanced leaders” can arrange its (Russia’s) affairs, and everything that is not with us is subject to anathema and must be thrown into the historical dustbin. The first revolution of 1905 greatly cooled my revolutionary aspirations, and the second of 1917 completely nipped them in the bud forever. But the run-up still possessed me and I looked at the leaders of the old regime with hostility. To my great regret, Tsar Nicholas II also fell into their number... And death does not wait... Therefore, without delaying the matter, I consider it a duty of my conscience to now repent of my gross and cruel social mistake: it is not the Tsar who is to blame before us, but we before him, who suffered for us. We suffered very severely for our mistakes, but still there is no suffering with which we could fully atone for our criminal frivolity and wash away the blood of our victims, the poor Emperor and his loved ones, from our hands and souls. I kindly ask my readers, if they come across harsh reviews in my volumes about the deceased Tsar, Empress and their loved ones, to interpret these sins of mine in the light of this letter to “everyone”: I am guilty of this terrible mistake and am ready to atone for it again and again, as harsh fate will show me.” After the launch of the first satellite by the atheists, many emigrants admire this “scientific achievement” of Russian scientists, completely forgetting that all the achievements of the atheist communists are aimed at conquering the whole world, regardless of the innumerable human sacrifices. The LDC on October 8, 1957 reported that in order to send a rocket to the Moon, it would be necessary to build a platform 100,000 feet above the ground. The question is, is this not a modern Tower of Babel and for what purpose is it necessary to fly to the Moon? Is everything on earth already arranged for the peaceful and Christian life of peoples, so that scientists have nothing left to do? No, this is the last time that Fr. John warned more than half a century ago: “If we do not arm ourselves against the passions living in us,” he said, “then general lawlessness will bring out the righteous wrath of God and God will command the use of deadly weapons of war: from a thousand vents death will fly at people. Let all Kingdoms and peoples, all Kings and subjects know that there is not a single unshakable Kingdom on earth, there never was and never will be. As soon as people are overcome by unbelief and immorality, then kingdoms and nations inevitably fall. How long will it exist, this sinful world, this earth - the dwelling place of sin, stained with the blood of innocent victims, this accumulation of all sorts of abominations? Isn't the time for global cleansing already coming? Yes, it is, of course, already close. If the apostles spoke of its nearness, then we can speak all the more decisively about the nearness of the end of the age.” Orthodox believers should look with deep sorrow at various scientific achievements aimed at exterminating humanity. The old Russian generation – contemporaries of Fr. John, who survived all the horrors of the civil war and the 2nd World War, are obliged to explain to the Western world, in particular the Americans, about the impending punishment of God, especially our younger generation, who knows English, but has not seen Russia, needs to know this. Our generation must always remember the prophecies of Fr. John of Kronstadt, honor him and ask for His holy prayers at the Throne of the Most High for the forgiveness of sins and the deliverance of humanity from the impending punishment of God. Father John of Kronstadt and Leo Tolstoy At the end of the last [XIX] century, Yuryev University elected L. N. Tolstoy as an honorary member. At the same time, Fr. John of Kronstadt (Archpriest Father John Sergiev). The proposal to elect Tolstoy as an honorary member of the university was made by prof. Shmurlo, to which Prof. objected. Tsarevsky, who indicated that gr. Tolstoy himself fell away from the Church and, as a result, deprived himself of communication with the Orthodox, and therefore cannot be an honorary member of the university. Statement by Prof. Tsarevsky was not taken into account and the election took place. Having received notification of his election as an honorary member of the university, Fr. John of Kronstadt responded to the rector with the following letter: “I am surprised at the cowardice and slavish worship of the gentlemen professors in the face of Count Tolstoy and Judas’s betrayal of Christ, since those who communicate with him and even those who greet him are reported, according to the apostle, to be an evil deed. I thank Yuryev University for the honor of being named an honorary member, but I don’t want to be in the same category as an atheist.” The rector of Yuryev University tried to gloss over this unpleasant story, which received publicity, but Fr. John of Kronstadt remained irreconcilable and responded even more sharply: “Having read your venerable and respectful letter to me, full of subtle delicacy, and having weighed its meaning, I answer you and the Yuryev University Council, which elected me by a majority vote as its honorary member, with a decisive refusal of this honor. I do not wish under any circumstances to be a member of that corporation, albeit a respectable and highly learned one, which, through a regrettable misunderstanding, placed me along with the atheist Count Leo Tolstoy, the worst heretic of our ill-fated time, surpassing in his arrogance and pride all the heretics who have ever been. I don't want to be close to the Antichrist. At the same time, I am surprised at how indifferently the university council treated the rabid writer and slavishly smokes incense for him. Here is my answer to your letter” (P. Sergeenko “Tolstoy and his contemporaries”). In one of his sermons about Leo Tolstoy, the ever-memorable Fr. John of Kronstadt said this: “The half-educated and over-educated do not believe in a personal righteous God, but believe in an impersonal principle and in some kind of evolution of the world and all creatures, they believe the nonsense of the heretic Tolstoy and similar unbelievers, and not the true God, and therefore they live and act as if they will not give an answer in their words and deeds, idolizing themselves, their mind and their passions...” Father John especially warned young people against the danger of becoming infected with false Tolstoy leaflets. You know what Leo Tolstoy is,” he said, “this is a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Father John of Kronstadt predicted Leo Tolstoy's brutal death, and it came true. (“Vladimirsky Bulletin”, January 1958) M. and Ev. Tarakuz. Excerpt from a letter to the Foundation With the blessing of Father Fr. John of Kronstadt founded the Pukhtitsa convent. This was in the second half of the 19th century. The monastery was located in Estonia, 20 versts south of the town of Ievve, not very far from the city of Narva. In her young years, our mother entered this monastery as a novice. When this monastery was founded, there were seven novices and mother was one of them. Before entering the monastery, her father (our grandfather) took her to Kronstadt to Father John of Kronstadt to receive a blessing for this. Mom told us that grandfather bought a gold cross for this, and Father put it aside and blessed her with his large cypress cross, saying: “The cross is large, but not heavy, you can bear it and live a long time.” Father's words came true. Our mother lived to a ripe old age; she died here at the age of 82 and was buried in the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. Father John of Kronstadt often visited the Pukhtitsa Monastery and, as my mother said, it was a great joy for everyone. He loved his monastery very much. He came from Kronstadt and always had to drive through the mountains. Narva. And so, according to our mother, one day driving to the mountains. Narva railway bridge, o. John burst into tears and said in tears: “Narvushka, you poor Narva, but there will be a time when not one stone will remain from you,” and immediately added: “and my monastery will always stand.” By the words “my monastery” he meant Pyukhtitsky... Years have passed. The terrible years of the Second World War were ending. In December 1944, in Germany, in Berlin, we learn through one German soldier that the city of Narva really remains in ruins - there is no city. At the same time, we learned that German soldiers, during their retreat in Estonia, took refuge in the Cathedral of the Pukhtitsa Monastery. They miraculously escaped, as the shells did not hit the Cathedral, although the Bolsheviks fired heavily at it. It should be noted that the monastery is located on a mountain and is visible from all sides very far and of course was a good target for them. The Pukhtitsky Monastery still stands unharmed under the Bolsheviks - the words of Father John of Kronstadt came true. While staying at the monastery, our mother received a photograph from Father John as a souvenir, with a blessing and with his personal signature. We decided to retake this photo and send it to you... (From a letter from M. and Ev. Tarakuz, members of the Foundation named after Father John of Kronstadt in the city of Utica).