Глава IV. Прибытие в Площанскую пустынь духовного старца о. Леонида. Сближение с ним о. Макария. Деятельность сего последнего в Площанской пустыни и его переход в Оптинский скит

We saw that Fr. Macarius, due to his zeal for monastic life, even at the beginning of this saving path, became sufficiently familiar with the writings of St. ascetic fathers and took full advantage of the edifying example of the pious life of his late elder, schemamonk Athanasius. But justice demands that we note that Elder Athanasius, the “simple one,” could not satisfy his completely wise student by resolving the questions that involuntarily arose in his insightful mind, enriched by the knowledge of his father’s writings. The important responsibility of a confessor gave rise to even more questions that required the advice of an experienced elder. Grieving over his spiritual orphanhood, Fr. Macarius, after the death of Schemamonk Athanasius, intensified his prayers to the “God of Reasons”, so that He would deign to send him a mentor with the gift of spiritual reasoning, who would steer the ship of his soul for further comfortable sailing. And so on October 6, 1828, the long-known elder of high spiritual life, hieromonk of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery Leonid (in the schema Leo), arrived in the Ploshchansk Hermitage. Upon leaving his monastery with the intention of settling in the Optina Hermitage of the Kaluga diocese, he first went on pilgrimage to the Kyiv Lavra; but on the way back, first, perhaps even in passing, he arrived at the Ploshchanskaya monastery. The arrival of this great elder, without a doubt, was an answer to the fervent prayer of Hieromonk Macarius. That’s exactly how Fr. himself looked at it. Macarius. Considering the arrival of this man at such an important time for him as a consolation sent to him by the Providence of God in his sorrow, he hastened to take advantage of this consolation as much as was possible for him, and immediately entered into close rapprochement with this experienced mentor in spiritual life and the leader of the monks, who had become stronger in the fight against various temptations, who, therefore, could also help those who were tempted. This rapprochement had an important influence on the rest of Fr.’s life. Macaria. In about. He found Leonida exactly what his soul had been yearning for so long - a man of that spiritual intelligence who, according to the word of St. Isaac the Syrian, is the product of temptations 12, a man with the gift of spiritual reasoning, by the power of which he conveniently and easily resolved perplexities and taught useful advice to everyone who turned to him with faith and humility. No less than that and Fr. Leonid was glad to meet such a gifted monk in the person of Fr. Macarius, who from then on devoted himself to him for the rest of his life in complete obedience, despite the fact that he himself was already halfway through his monastic journey. Probably at this very time Fr. Macarius, as already prepared by active virtues for a highly spiritual life, was taught to Fr. Leonid the sacrament of high Divine mental-heart prayer. Meanwhile, the disciples of Elder Leonid, who remained in the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, presumably, having learned about his installation in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, also hastened to move to their spiritual father and mentor. However, Elder Leonid did not live long in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage - only six months. Partly, a certain discord in spiritual life in this monastery, and the main reason, it seems, was the elder’s long-standing intention to settle permanently in the Optina Hermitage - forced him in April 1829 with all his students to move to the newly built Optina secluded monastery. You can also think that Fr. Macarius, having spent six months in spiritual science under the personal supervision of Elder Leonid, now no longer had an extreme need for his personal presence, and after the elder left for the Optina monastery, he continued to be content with spiritual communication with him through correspondence. After Fr. Leonidas, the above-mentioned elder Fr. arrived from the Glinsk Hermitage to Ploshchanskaya. Vasily Kishkin, upon the conviction of his students, settled in this monastery for permanent residence with the intention of ending his wandering days here. He got what he wanted, dying peacefully in November 1831. The arrival of the spiritual husband, Elder Vasily, in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage was well-timed, since it could not help but shed spiritual consolation into the soul of Fr. Macarius, who was deprived of his personal presence with Elder Leonid, towards whom he was drawn with all his loving soul. Activities of Fr. Macaria was now expanding more and more. In his monastery, according to the stories of the above-mentioned hierodeacon Palladius, he enjoyed universal love, helped many with spiritual advice, and outside his monastery, in addition to spiritual advice, he took part, albeit unwillingly, in economic affairs. How insightful was Fr. Macarius and his advice are thorough; let us give the following example. A young man from the nobility, Nikolai Petrovich Demoutier 13, who served for some time in military service, arriving in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, immediately met Fr. Macarius was so disposed to this old man, experienced in spiritual life, that he gave himself to him in complete obedience, Fr. Macarius placed the new novice near his cell. His obedience consisted of cell service to the elder and canonry. But soon the enemy of our salvation confused the new newcomer. At his suggestion, Nikolai Petrovich decided to leave the monastery and the elder leader; under the pretext of pilgrimage, he began to ask to go to Voronezh to venerate the then newly-minted wonderworker Saint Mitrofan. Experienced elder Fr. Macarius and other monks, who saw the enemy’s temptation here, spent a long time trying to persuade him to stay in the monastery. But when their convictions remained unsuccessful, they blessed him to go to Voronezh and even gave him a horse and coachman to take him to the city of Orel. Having collected all his small belongings in a travel bag, not excluding the certificate of retirement from military service, Nikolai Petrovich set off. But before he had time to drive eight miles from the monastery, grief befell him. The horse, for no apparent reason, rushed to the side in fright and, throwing out the rider and coachman, rushed forward alone. The coachman rushed to catch up with the horse, and Nikolai Petrovich was forced to return back to the monastery along the same road. Evening has come. And the traveler had to walk on foot at night with tearful repentance that he had not listened to the advice of his good old man, Fr. Macarius and other monks remain in the monastery. By midnight he reached the monastery and spent the night at the monastery hotel. To complete Nikolai Petrovich’s grief, the next morning it turned out that the coachman and horse were in the monastery, and his knapsack was missing. Seeing in this event a clear punishment from God for disobedience and disobedience to the elders and for the untimely absence from the monastery, Nikolai Petrovich diligently asked the elders for forgiveness. By the way, he was worried a lot about the loss of his bag, which contained the certificate of resignation issued to him. Kind and truly child-loving elders, together with Fr. Macarius tried in every possible way to calm and console him. That same day, in the evening, a peasant came to the monastery from a village located near the monastery and announced that he had picked up a leather knapsack in the forest, which he brought to the monastery, asking if its owner would be found there. Thus, Nikolai Petrovich, by the grace of God and through the prayers of Elder Macarius with the other Ploshchan elders, unexpectedly and, moreover, quickly received everything that was lost and diligently thanked the Most Merciful Lord for this, as well as the kind, disinterested finder 14 . Due to extraneous business affairs in which Fr. Macarius, out of necessity, took part; he sometimes had to leave his monastery for a short time and live on the side. Thus, he spent most of the summer of 1831 in Sevsk, having been appointed, by order of the Right Reverend Nicodemus of Oryol, a member of the committee for the construction of the Sevsky school building, and with the rank of confessor of the Sevsky convent, a member of another committee for the construction of a stone fence around the said monastery. But he was very bored by this activity, which was not congenial to his spirit, expressing himself in letters to the elder Fr. Leonid that he “got involved in committees.” Boredom or spiritual sorrow soon increased even more. Macarius, when a new appointment followed for him. In October of the same 1831, His Eminence Nikodim, going to the Holy Synod, unexpectedly summoned Fr. Macarius to Oryol and took him with him to St. Petersburg as treasurer and housekeeper 15. On the way from Orel to St. Petersburg, Fr. Macarius stopped at Optina Pustyn, which was then located half a mile from the big Kyiv highway, to say goodbye and for advice with his spiritual mentor and friend, Elder Leonid. He was greatly consoled by this personal meeting with the elder, which can be seen from the following written to him by Fr. Macarius letters dated October 23, 1831, two days after his arrival in the capital: “Your Reverence! Most venerable and kind Father Fr. Leo (schema name) with the brothers beloved in Christ! I wish you joy and good health! Although for a short time the Lord vouchsafed me to be with you and to see you; but I also accept this as the ineffable mercy of God towards me and thank His goodness. I pray that you will continue to grant me, not only temporarily, but always to be with you and to arrange my life with your prayers and instructions. I bring you my sensitive gratitude for your fatherly mercies and love towards me, shown and now shown. After leaving you, our journey continued very slowly and with great boredom due to the harsh weather. Finally, on October 21, we reached the reigning city of St. Petersburg, where we found our archpastor waiting for us, who traveled around us to Tver, which we did not know then, but later learned on the road. We stayed in Moscow for a day; We were in the cathedrals of St. relics. Upon arrival here, the next day we were in the Nevsky Lavra, and St. relics of St. Alexander Nevsky was honored to kiss. Visited Fr. I...iya; I am much pleased with his brotherly disposition and love; The distance does not allow me to meet often, and at the same time it is my duty and not my will. I have nothing more to say, as soon as I again turn to my weaknesses: I see myself as very incapable of making economic arrangements, and even more so when everything is still not arranged; and I don’t know what will happen to me next; but be the will of God! I came here not of my own free will and not for the sake of honor or other forms, but solely for obedience. Although I find myself incapable of something, and if I am relieved of this position, then in this too God’s Providence will lead to the better.” In subsequent letters from St. Petersburg to the elder Fr. Leonid O. Macarius constantly expressed the sorrow of his soul about the deprivation of desert habitation and the burden of constantly being in the rumors and cares of the city, so dissimilar from his spiritual structure. “Most venerable father! - he wrote in a letter to the elder dated June 2, 1832. “Although I wrote to you that, by the mercy of Almighty God, nothing special happened because of your prayers, but, however, almost every day cases cause confusion and sorrow, which are impossible to describe all of them. And on top of that, deprivation of desert places, way of life and monastic rank brings languor and despondency. Also, my bad disposition, laziness in prayer and zeal for permission - all this brings sorrow and burden to the soul 16. I believe that the Lord arranged and allowed all this to happen for my sins. For everything that God’s Providence does to me, I must endlessly thank God; but I find weakness in myself, and have no humility.” In another letter dated June 30 of the same year, Fr. Macarius expresses even more strongly the feelings of involuntary sorrow, on the one hand, and deep humility, on the other hand. “You, father, from the abundance of fatherly love that overflows in you, console me, not seeing my completely bad dispensation, which I cannot describe in detail, but perhaps just a small part. You deign to write that I am not here at my own suggestion. This is true, but for obedience. But I see myself not fulfilling this last point, but arguing and denying a lot, considering it inappropriate for myself, and I do not humbly tolerate reproach. I have already explained to you that I am far from Akaki’s dispensation 17. I can’t explain everything on paper; but I must always find guilt in myself, but this is not the case. But in this, perhaps, God’s Providence acts with wisdom incomprehensible to us for good. That is: if it had been otherwise, it would have been even worse... Pray, father, that the Lord will correct my path before Him and grant the rest of the days of my life time to pass serenely in true repentance - in a place where His holy will will be pleasing...” The Lord, who looks down upon the humble in heart, heeded the sorrow and fervent prayer of His faithful servant. Such a place had already been prepared for him, according to the fate of God's Providence, as a reward for the resigned endurance of sorrowful temptations, which he hinted at with such humility only in his letters to Elder Leonid. October 21, 1832 Fr. Macarius was dismissed from the treasury post, having been in it for a year. On his way back from St. Petersburg, he had the consolation of passing through Moscow to be at the Novospassky Monastery with the elder hieromonk Fr. Philareta. His spiritual conversation and deep intelligence, imbued with the power and light of grace, and his love were forever imprinted in the grateful memory of Fr. Macaria. And driving past Optina Pustyn, he again tried to see Fr. Leonid, from whom he now asked for the blessing, as well as the consent of Fr. builder Moses to accept him into the monastery located at Optina Pustyn, Fr. Macarius filed a petition about this. the builder, asking him to give him a move when he finds it convenient; and he himself departed for the Ploshchansk hermitage and, surrendering to the will of God, calmly waited for what the Lord would speak about him. Meanwhile, the humble, running from human glory, Fr. Macarius was presented as one of three candidates for the position of builder of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. For Fr. Markellin, having fallen ill in December 1831, remained ill for almost three years, until his death in 1834. But oh. Macarius, having experienced the full brunt of official sorrows, did not want this appointment; for in my thoughts I had already decided to live and strive together with my elder, Fr. Leonid in one monastery and obey his will and leadership in everything. “You deign to write, father,” he expressed himself in one of his letters to Elder Leonid upon his return to the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, “that your feelings are not informed that I should be released from here. I don’t dare say anything about this; But only I have a true desire to be at your feet, leaving the rest to the will of the Omniscient God. If this happens, it will probably be for my unworthiness, as a punishment for me. But not knowing the destinies of God and the future Providence for us, we must obey His holy will, although not without sorrow due to our weakness. As for the authorities, I am in every possible way calm about this, knowing what opinion they have in Orel about my bad dispensation. And this representation of the candidates... is silent. At the same time, our Fr. the builder does not lose hope of still being a ruler. “I heard this and for my part I sincerely wish him to be healthy and rule the monastery.” In March 1833 he received Fr. Macarius received a notification from Elder Leonid that his business about moving from the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage to Optina was underway. In response to this news, Fr. Macarius, in a letter to the elder dated April 11, 1833, expressed his joy in the following words: “Your gracious fatherly writing, issued on the 23rd of March, comforted me a lot, both because of your fatherly love for me, and because of the news about the progress of my business... But as the Lord arranges, let His holy will be done. Although I am a great sinner, I entrust myself to the protection of the Most Pure Mother of God - intercession and salvation for all sinners. I expect that the Lord will arrange Her with holy prayers for the benefit of my soul. I wrote to you on March 22 that I was planning to ask to go to Voronezh for a pilgrimage, but having received your letter, it was no longer possible to go to the bishop with a petition - I left it. I will wait to see how the Lord arranges it. You can visit then.” Case about. Makariy's journey lasted almost a whole year, and only on January 14, 1834, he received the decree he so desired about his move from Ploshchanskaya to Optina Pustyn. He tearfully said goodbye to the monastery, under whose canopy he had lived for 23 years and three and a half months, and, having given thanks to the Queen of Heaven, to whose protection he had entrusted himself in this matter, he hastened to unite with the loving elder Leonid. But even after parting with his native abode, Fr. Until his death, Macarius retained a reverent memory of her and love, which he often expressed verbally and in writing. So, for example, he wrote to one of his spiritual daughters on June 18, 1843: “I am glad that you visited the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. I love her very much myself. How can you not love after spending 23 years? And the icon of the Queen of Heaven is of wonderful and indescribable kindness! One cannot help but be moved just by looking at her. I moved from there, although of my own free will, but without strongly demanding it, and having surrendered to the Providence of God, and wanting to use my soul through Father Fr. Leonidas, and, thanking God, he is happy with his life here; and what will happen next, only God knows.” Words of St. Isaac the Syrian. Word 74. Subsequently, Archimandrite Nikodim, rector of the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. He died on February 7, 1864 at the age of 65. Biographies of Russian ascetics of piety in the 18th and 19th centuries. Publication of the Athonite Russian Panteleimon Monastery, February 1907, under the title: “Archimandrite Nikodim, abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Chernoostrovsky Nikolaevsky Monastery.” Together with Fr. Macarius went with his disciple, who lived with him in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage for more than 13 years, monk Ioannikiy, originally from the Moscow bourgeoisie. In 1844, already a hieromonk, he moved from the Ploshchanskaya hermitage to Sergievskaya, near St. Petersburg; but from here he again returned to the Ploshchansk Hermitage, where he died, tonsured into the schema with the name Ignatius. It is obvious that the elder expresses himself this way out of his deep humility, being entertained by the external cares of his position. St. Akaki is an example of unquestioning obedience. See about him in Ladder, word 4, chapter 110.