Глава XXII. Перенесение тела почившего о Господе старца о. Макария из скита в монастырь и погребение. Поминальная трапеза. Сочувственные письма 135 почитателей старца о потере его

The body of the elder Fr. On September 9, at two o'clock in the afternoon, Macarius was transferred from the monastery church to the monastery. The space between the monastery and the monastery is a little more than one quarter of a mile. Before the deceased was taken out of the church, a requiem service was performed over his coffin by one of his students, the rector of the Kaluga Tikhon Hermitage, Fr. the builder Moses, the council, with all the skete hieromonks. The entire church and the space from it to the holy gates of the monastery were occupied by people who arrived in the desert for the most part from afar, out of a feeling of love and zeal for the memory of their spiritual father, mentor and benefactor. Silently and sadly, with their heads bared, the visitors, positioned on both sides of the path, waited for the body to be removed. Many of them cried quietly, but all of them felt in their souls that the natural feeling of sadness and regret for the deceased was involuntarily dissolved by a feeling of hope in God’s mercy towards him. For all those present knew that in this lifeless body dwelt a pure, loving, holy soul, that the deceased was not poor in the spiritual gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit indicated by the Apostle: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness and self-control (Gal. 5:22,23), that truly he was “an earthly angel and a heavenly man” and, as a faithful servant of his Master Lord, he did not hide the talents entrusted to him, with zeal, until the end of his days, serving the spiritual benefit of all who desired and sought it. After the body of the deceased was removed from the church for the last time, the usual, so to speak, farewell litany was served here, and the procession headed to the designated place. On the way from the monastery to the monastery, they stopped six times to sing litiyas. At the eastern monastery gates the funeral bed was met by the abbot of the monastery, a venerable elder, Archimandrite Moses, in vestments, with all the hieromonks and brethren. Looking with a feeling of tenderness at the funeral procession approaching from the direction of the monastery, accompanied by more than 1,500 people, Fr. The archimandrite said to those around him: “This is something extraordinary! I have been living in the world for eighty years, and I have never seen such a bright funeral. This is more like a transfer of relics than a burial.” Here, too, Fr. the rector with the entire numerous cathedral of hieromonks present here held the last litany, and the coffin was carried to the church in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Not long before this, let’s say by the way, this church was decorated with wall paintings and renewed gilding with the special zeal of people devoted to Elder Macarius and under his direct supervision. The coffin, according to custom, was placed opposite the royal doors of the main altar, and immediately continuous funeral services began again, which continued even at the time when an all-night vigil in honor of the Konevskaya Icon of the Mother of God was celebrated in the main Vvedensky Cathedral. Around the deceased reclining in the coffin, incense was smoking and many candles were burning brightly. But, in the words of our famous church orbit, the hearts of those who prayed burned brighter than candles: their flame reached to the sky, and the air around the coffin trembled with the voice of incessant prayers and sighs, and was watered with a rain of tears shed from pure love and zeal for the deceased. Thus came September 10th, the day of the burial of the deceased. In the morning at 4 o'clock the early Liturgy of Fr. Abbot Anthony of the Council; and at half past 9 he transferred the coffin with the remains of the elder to the Vvedensky Cathedral. Despite the fact that during the three previous days the weather was warm, completely summer-like, and the coffin was surrounded by people, among whom there was increased warmth, until it was lowered into the grave, it did not at all emit a deathly smell, which was noticed by all those present. At 9 o'clock the late Liturgy began in the cathedral, which was performed by Fr. Archimandrite Moses with 6 hieromonks. The mass was immediately followed by the funeral service for the deceased, also performed by Fr. Archimandrite Moses. Concelebrating with him were: 14 hieromonks, monastic and skete, including the rector of the Kaluga Tikhon Hermitage, Fr. the builder Moses, 2 archpriests, Kozelsky and Belevsky, and 4 village priests. The farewell to the dear deceased then lasted for a long time. Everyone wanted to give the last kiss to the one who during his life, according to the apostle, was all and everything, so that he could save everyone (1 Cor. 9:22). After the body was removed from the cathedral, immediately in front of its doors, according to custom, a lithium was performed; then the coffin was brought to the western doors of the Kazan Church, where a litiya was also celebrated; Then the marchers headed along the southern side of this church and stopped opposite its main altar, still honoring the deceased with a lithium; finally, the coffin was brought to the grave prepared for him, which is located opposite the southern side altar of the Vvedensky Cathedral, on the right side of the crypt, in which the body of Hieromonk Leonid (in the schema of Leo), the spiritual friend and fasting companion of Elder Macarius, was laid. They lived and labored together, and are buried together. In addition to the similarities between them, in the spirit of the teachings of both of them, it is remarkable that both of them ended their careers in life at the 72nd year of birth, 137 having bore the good yoke of Christ in monasticism for almost an equal number of years (46 and 45). Having served the last, just before the body was committed to the earth, litia, the coffin was lowered into the grave. When the singers sang: “Behold my coffin, remember my love,” all those present shed tears, and many sobbed, remembering the love of the elder, abundantly poured out on everyone who had ever looked to him for advice, solutions to perplexities, and consolation in sorrows. Many of those standing here, like children who had lost a loving father, lost the spiritual support in their lives in the elder; for the apostle said: although many are proponents of Christ, but not many are the fathers (1 Cor. 4:15). And are all fathers as loving as this unforgettable father and mentor was? Meanwhile, during the burial of the elder, one unpleasant circumstance happened, which, however, served as a lesson to the culprit and was the reason for the glorification of the elder himself. Kozelsky tradesman Dmitry Nikitich Churilin, who had been living for many years as a hired worker in Optina Pustyn as a stone and raft worker, worked in the grave on the very day of the funeral, laying the vault of the crypt over the coffin of the deceased. The brethren, having celebrated the burial, according to custom, went to a meal, and lay visitors, and especially the spiritual children of the deceased, mainly nuns, still did not leave the grave of their dearly beloved father, and some of them, as usually happens during burial, threw handfuls of earth into the grave. One of the nuns, in tears, not paying attention, grabbed a pebble along with the earth and, throwing it into the grave, hit Churilin in the head. He, without distinguishing between right and wrong, singled out those standing near the grave with obscene words. The nuns poured out from the grave like rain; and Churilin at that very moment felt pain in his hand, as if it had been burned. This pain began to intensify with each passing hour, so that he was soon forced to leave his work. Churilin simply called the illness that occurred in this way “hairy.” She did not give him peace for a minute, day or night. The finger on the hand was rotting, and the bone in the finger, languishing, was corroded. Over time, it became as if it had been crushed by a hammer, and fragments began to fall out of the wound. Medical remedies did not help. Some of the brothers, such as Hieromonk Melchizedek (who died in 1870), even at the beginning of his illness, advised him to seek forgiveness for his offense to the late elder Fr. Macarius and anoint the sore spot with oil from the lamp that burned on his grave, in the hope of his prayerful help. But Churilin, out of his foolishness, once answered like this: “I’d rather anoint with oil from the lamp from the miraculous Kazan icon; and what will help me about. Macarius? Perhaps he fulfilled his words, but for such a proud answer and contemptuous attitude towards the old man revered by everyone, his illness not only did not subside, but intensified even more. He began to walk with his arm tied; and the illness had already lasted eight or ten weeks. The brothers again began to advise him to turn to the deceased elder for help. And, believing it or not, but having already been taught a cruel lesson of unbelief, he went to the elder’s grave, bowed before it several times, asking the elder for forgiveness of his sin; and as soon as he rubbed his sore finger with earth from the grave of the deceased, he immediately felt great relief from his unbearably acute pain, which then gradually and completely subsided; and soon after Churilin completely recovered and was again still working for hire in Optina Pustyn, although with a crooked finger. But let's turn to the main story. In memory of the beloved elder Father Fr. Macarius, from his admirers, who wished to remain anonymous, donated a sufficient amount of money to establish a meal both for the monastery brethren and for all the visitors present at his burial, for more than 1000 people. Moreover, the poor brethren were not forgotten, of whom there were up to 700 people in addition to the number of visitors shown. And they gathered to pray for the repose of the soul of their great benefactor, who during his lifetime never forgot to point out to them those who wished through deeds of mercy to earn the bliss of the merciful or to atone for many of their sins in the handwriting. The meal in memory of the deceased elder was truly a supper of love, for at it people of all classes united - monastics and laymen, noble and simple, rich and poor, converging in a deserted monastery without a call or invitation from cities and towns, connected among themselves only by the unity of love and zeal for the ascetic of Christ who had departed from this world. Isn’t it true that during the life of the elder, for more than 20 years, they saw him either at the hotel or at the skete gates, surrounded by people of both sexes, of all classes and ages, eager to hear the word of salvation from his gracious lips? The care of treating all visitors was entrusted to the senior rector's cell attendant, the cassock monk Fr. Paul, who later said the following: “I had the responsibility to look after the entire abbot’s cell and many general monastic orders, as well as at all the hotels. There were many people of every rank, gender, age and beggars. The monastery was packed with visitors; but it was required that everyone be treated and reassured. My head just went spinning. At this point, neither sleep nor food came to mind. A lot of assistants were required, and all of them should be trustworthy and knowledgeable people; and I couldn’t see where to get them from. However, being tired, I still fell asleep for about two hours. Suddenly the late priest appeared to me in a dream in a cassock and kamilavka, began to bless me, holding my hand somewhat in his, and said: “What are you grieving about? Don't you have any assistants? God will send people to do it; just humble yourself.” When I woke up, I was already calmer in spirit. And amazing! The whole time of this turmoil, never before seen here, went so well, so calmingly for the guests and for the employees, that it would have been difficult to expect it even with the best waiters. Looking at all this, it was impossible not to see that the priest himself was invisibly everywhere here and gave orders.” Two other monks had similar tranquil dreams: the baker and the hotel keeper. On the day of the elder’s burial, Fr. Macarius, when lunch was being prepared for the brethren and visitors, the senior baker, Fr. Cosma was ordered to prepare pies. Out of great zeal for the deceased elder, Fr. Cosmas tried with all his might to carry out the task entrusted to him as carefully as possible; and as a result of this I became so tired that, paining all over in body and spirit, I barely made it to bed and fell asleep. But then in a dream the deceased old man appears to him and blesses the weary worker. Because of this, Fr. became weary. Instead of fatigue and despondency, Cosmas was filled with great joy. The hotel monk Dometius said the following: “On the day of the elder’s burial, I had so much care, trouble and sorrow that I don’t remember if this happened to me before. The pain of the loss of a dear elder, the many visitors who required care, of which one noble family who had come from afar for lack of accommodation at the monastery hotel went to the city of Kozelsk with extreme grief for me, the continuous bustle among the people - all this greatly shocked me both mentally and physically. Having freed myself somewhat from the bustle, the next day after lunch I lay down on the bed in the dining room, dozed off and in a dream I saw that Father Fr. was coming up to me. Macarius. At first I didn’t recognize him and thought: what kind of monk is this? But then, looking into his face, he exclaimed: “Father! Forgive me for greeting you in bed so casually; I didn't expect you. Sorry!" Father seems to be saying: “Nothing, nothing, don’t worry. I came here on purpose to visit my spiritual son.” I asked for his blessing and he blessed me. When he began to leave; I caught up with him at the door and again asked for his blessing, and he blessed me again. When I woke up, I was so calm that whole day, and even the next, and felt such joy in my heart that I can’t even describe it. And I thought that, through the prayers of the elder, this was God’s special mercy towards me for the labors and sorrows I had endured.” On the very day of the burial, while visitors in memory of the God-loving elder were refreshed with material food, his fresh grave, after the completion of the vault over the coffin, was already covered with earth, and as soon as they had time to fall asleep, a funeral chant was again heard over it with its final: “Eternal memory!” Eternal memory, we repeat, in our hearts, to you, our loving father and great benefactor of our souls! There will not be enough tears to mourn this loss of ours. Soon after the death of the elder, the above-mentioned skete hieromonk Fr. Leonid (Kavelin) brochure entitled: “The last days of the life of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius.” Thanks to the diligence of one charitable person, this brochure was printed and sent to the monastery on the 40th day of the elder’s memory. With the help of this brochure and letters sent out at the time, the news of the death of the elder soon penetrated to the most remote places. As a result, many letters were received in Optina Pustyn expressing one common feeling - deep sorrow for the loss of the dear old man; of which we present here to the attention of pious readers three letters as the most remarkable both in terms of the correctness of their view of the spiritual merits of the deceased, and in terms of the sincerity and strength of feeling. Letter from Kaluga Bishop Gregory, who was in St. Petersburg on the occasion of his presence in the Holy Synod, to Fr. to the rector of Optina Pustyn: “Very Reverend Father Archimandrite Moses, beloved brother in the Lord! The Lord judged a great deprivation for your monastery and its reverent readers through the appeal of the venerable elder Macarius. But, apparently, the order of service on earth that was predetermined for him from above was accomplished. It is regrettable to take away such a good member and such a good collaborator of yours; but blessed is the order of the Lord, which deigned to call him to rest. The life and death of the deceased give us the joyful hope that because of his name and his new lot, his new lot is blessed. For blessed are the dead who die in the Lord [Apoc.14:13]. And for this we must hope that his care for the monastery has not completely ceased; If only its inhabitants did not deviate from the path along which he walked and tried to lead those obedient to him. Invoking the blessing of the Lord on you and on your co-workers, the inhabitants of the monastery and desert, I sincerely wish that the power of God will preserve you in perfect well-being and may your labors be prospered for salvation; and with sincere respect, with fraternal devotion, I remain Your Reverence’s zealous servant, Gregory, Bishop of Kaluga. September 22, 1860 St. Petersburg." Letter and A. 138 to the skete hieromonk about Leonid (Kavelin): “Yesterday, on the day of the death of our blessed elder Leo (October 11), I received from you a notification about the death of Father Fr. Macaria. Thank you for your notice, Your Reverend. You have something to be sad about... Fr. Macarius could speak from the abundance of his warm heart, relying on his experience and conscientiousness. This was a man truly born for good. He was an unhypocritical and constant novice both to the abbot, and to all the brethren, and to everyone who asked him for help, participation and assistance. And his illness, of course, was a consequence of his tireless labors for his neighbors; and his ardent soul seemed to strive out of his body at every call of his children - to everyone who grieved. His spiritual ear guarded every word concerning the Holy Church and the Fatherland, which he dearly loved. He was delighted with everything that glorified the Lord, and with childish joy he hurried to proclaim to everyone about the wonders of God’s mercy. He was ready to convey to everyone his warm faith that the Lord lives and has not stopped working for our salvation. Any doubt in the Providence of God and in the words of the Holy Scripture called him to battle, to the defense of Orthodoxy. His tireless labors and concerns in publishing the works of the holy fathers amazed me and even put me in some kind of bewilderment. Father draws up a map of the sky and teaches us to sail comfortably on the sea of ​​life. But the elder forgot, it seems that our ships are fragile and burdened with a sinful cargo. Maybe it was my laziness telling me this; and he trusted in his own vitality and in the future generation, for he believed that the Lord was able to move a mountain into the sea, and to create children for Abraham from a stone. He believed this all the more because he was light as a bird, having thinned his body with constant fasting and vigil. And his life did not seem to need animal food, justifying the words during temptation (of the Lord) that man will not live on bread alone [Luke 4:4]. But why tell you this? You yourself witnessed his wonderful deeds, many of which have already been forgotten by me. But now I see how he used to not walk, but fly wherever he was called, and bring to his guests the heavenly gifts of consolation and instruction. Due to his kindness and non-judgment (of his neighbors), he did not want to know that he could have envious and hypocritical friends. Enough! I don’t want to upset with drops of bile the cup of blessings that is now rising for him... Thank you again, most honest Fr. Leonid, for your answer. Without you, I would still be in the dark about the death of Father Fr. Macaria. Although I subsequently received two notifications, it was all rumors and... A. - T-b. October 12, 1860." A letter from Hieromonk Juvenaly, who was in the Jerusalem mission (who was later Archbishop of Vilna), probably also to Hieromonk Fr. Leonid (Kavelin): “Your letter of October 10–12 struck me deeply. Thank you for immediately notifying me of my insignificance; but even now I cannot recover from grief over the death of such an unexpected, sudden death of St. our father. His last letter to me was dated August 23, and on September 7 he himself was gone!.. I can’t imagine a monastery without a priest! What a common, deep, joyless sorrow you have now! Who can replace the irreplaceable, full of such all-covering love, such “burning of the heart” for every creature! May his soul rest in the Kingdom of Your glory, O Lord! Truly, he earned heavenly glory with earthly contempt. I.Yu. Jerusalem. October 30, 1860." Note. In the previous edition of the elder’s biography, Fr. From Macarius's letters of sympathy about his death, four letters were printed from his admirers; but in the current edition one letter is omitted. This is because it contains prayer words addressed to the saint of God, glorified by the Holy Church, Rev. Sergius of Radonezh: “Even though you were so holy, more holy than God, on earth, so much is now in heaven,” also applied to the elder Fr. Macarius, although an ascetic, was not yet glorified. This application is incorrect. This is how the great saint of Moscow, Metropolitan Philaret, looked at it in his time, that it is not appropriate for this to be so. The charter of the Konevsky monastery has long been introduced in Optina Pustyn. The elder and abbot of the Moldavian Nyametsky monastery Paisiy (Velichkovsky) also died in the 72nd year of his difficult life. One might think: Hieromonk Anthony Bochkov, later abbot of the Cheremenets Monastery of the St. Petersburg diocese, who laid the foundation for monastic life in the Optina monastery and was very close to the Optina elders and the monastery.