Путешествие о. Иоанна на родину и обратно

Every year at the end of May or beginning of June. John travels to his homeland in his Sura. This is not a walk for relaxation, here in Sura he lives for a day, two, no, this is a pilgrimage, a prayer procession to his father’s tomb, to the place of the first revelations of God. There, where God first spoke, from where He called the entire Russian people to serve. This is a holy place. We will convey the journey to Sura with additions and abbreviations in the words of Mr. Zhivotovsky. May 25, Trinity Day. There is revival in Kronstadt. Fr. is leaving. John "father". The entire road to the Ust-Canal dam is filled with people. The priest served the liturgy and at half past one he went onto the deck of the steamship “Lubezny”. The ship was full of people, but somehow they accommodated themselves. It was only difficult to cast off from the shore; The mourners did not want to let the priest go, they grabbed the side of the ship and cried. But finally, the ship sailed from the shore, but did not sail for long. Father stopped him. The fact is that a petitioner appeared. “Dear Father,” someone shouted from the shore. “I’m a poor official, I tried to see you four times and all in vain!” Help, for God's sake! There is grief in my family. The priest asked the ship to approach the pier and handed over a bag of money to the person who asked. Finally, the "Dear" pulled away and headed towards the exit of the harbor. At this time, Petrovskaya Embankment appeared from behind the ships and there was a sea of ​​human heads on it. Screams and crying were heard, scarves flashed in the air, and several skiffs separated from the shore and headed across our steamer. But here is the exit from the port; we passed by several handsome, formidable cruisers and battleships, on which at that time, on the occasion of the king's day, flags of all countries were flying and music was thundering, and we went out into the bay. Far ahead, among the hazy horizon, the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral shone, and behind, like the wings of white gulls, the scarves of Fr.'s spiritual children flashed in the air. John. O. John leaves Kronstadt for his homeland On May 26, in Sviritsa we boarded the large steamer “Bayan” and entered the beautiful Svir. We are already within the Olonets province. The higher we rise along the river, the more mountainous its banks become. Among the forests, elevated meadows and fields sown with grain, every now and then you come across villages, the inhabitants of which, having learned who is traveling on our ship, pour out onto the shore in a motley crowd, bow to the ground, throw their hats up and try in every possible way to express about. John with my sympathies. As soon as we stopped at one pier to get firewood, a group of young girls immediately brought several bouquets of lilies of the valley to the priest. How much joy, how much happiness was written on the face of every old woman who managed to receive the blessing of Father John! Father John strokes the head, pats the shoulders, strokes the eyes of the sick, and the latter, happy, return home with great moral uplift. On the evening of the 27th we came to Ascension, stopped here for firewood and soon went out into Lake Onega, leaving a disappointed public in Ascension: everyone was hoping to see the priest, so a large crowd gathered at the pier where we loaded firewood, but Fr. John was resting in the cabin at that time and came out on deck only when the ship was already sailing on a lake smooth as a mirror. It was dead calm. We walked in a straight line east, to the mouth of the Vytegra River. To the right you can see the Olonets Mountains, and on the left side the expanse of water merges with the sky and seems to be one gray mass, over which the white wings of seagulls flicker every now and then, flocks of wild ducks fly screaming, and below, at a distance of several fathoms from the steamer, seals frolic in the open space. To the north-west of us there is a strip of distant rocks known for their quarries. “That’s when I completely rest,” says Fr. John, - only on a ship is there an opportunity to spend time in complete peace. “My popularity is sometimes hard for me: you can’t show yourself anywhere, you can’t go anywhere unnoticed. And indeed, it’s only worth it. John steps onto the shore, as a crowd surrounds him from all sides and it takes great effort to free himself from its embrace. It belongs to itself only when it is surrounded on all sides by water. On a small deck of a few square arshins, he has freedom for a short time as a reward for a whole year of living exclusively for others. However, even in this short time of leisure, I rarely see the priest idle. Either he reads the Holy Gospel, then he writes down his impressions in his diary, then he thinks about the sermon for the next day, since it is rare that we do not stop somewhere to serve mass. And only occasionally he walks along the deck, contemplating nature and admiring it. Thanks to good weather, we pretty soon passed Lake Onega and entered the mouth of the river. Vytegra. On the morning of May 28th. John served mass in the city of Vytegra and spoke a word against the schismatics, of whom there are many here. After the mass, a hospitable dinner was offered at the Loparevs’ house, which was attended by about 35 invited people. Much was said in honor of Fr. John's speeches, the most cordial and sympathetic was the short speech given impromptu by the missionary of the Vytegorsk district, priest N. Georgievsky. Here is its approximate content: “Deeply revered Fr. archpriest! Last year in the Vytegorsk Cathedral in your speech you said: “It gives me great joy to travel through the towns and cities of my dear Russia.” And for us you always bring true pleasure. In fact, as soon as you enter, father, into any town or city, despite the weekday, you hear the joyful, solemn ringing of a large bell, a council of employees gathers with you, merchants close their shops, peasants throw harrows and plows into the field, mothers in great numbers bring their children for communion! A religious uplift of spirit is noticed, and the warmth of prayer intensifies. And no wonder: you, father, are the flame of prayer. Just as surrounding objects heat up from an ordinary fire, often catch fire and burn with a huge common fire, so your prayerful flame embraces everyone, both those serving and those praying, and the whole church prays with you more earnestly and warmer!” Steamship Shestovets from the island. John. In the evening Fr. John walked for a long time in the small garden, and in the garden he read the evening rule. In Vytegra we said goodbye to the Bayan, which has a deep draft. Having reloaded the luggage onto the Shestovets, which had arrived by this time, and the new steamship Kamu, presented to the priest by the merchant Nevorotin, we sent both ships forward several hours before our departure. They themselves decided to make a 26-verst journey on horseback in order to avoid boring stops at the 19 locks located here. At about five o'clock in the evening on May 29, having said goodbye to the hospitable hostess, we set off in a long cortege in several troikas. The road here is very diverse. Either we are rushing along a smooth and narrow beach, constantly forcing the barge haulers, who are sadly pulling their tow, to turn towards the oncoming horses, then we are jumping over the dam, rushing with a roar along the bridge and, having taken off up the hill, we are passing along the village street. The banks of the Vytegra here are hilly and picturesque, although the river itself in its shape is no different from an ordinary canal: it is always equally narrow and has no bays. At about eleven o'clock in the evening we entered the wide, beautiful Sheksna. After the cramped confines of the canal, the river, spreading widely and flooding the meadows, made a joyful impression. Despite the night, we kept seeing large steamships with green and red lantern eyes. Caravans of exchanges are stretching. Whistles and people shouting can be heard. At about one o'clock in the morning, in the distance, on the high bank of the Sheksna River, the buildings of the grove of the Goritsky convent where they were waiting for the priest and where he was going to serve mass in the morning began to appear white. Not wanting, however, to disturb the monastery at night, the priest decided to stop five miles from the monastery and spend the night in the Shestovets cabin in order to approach the monastery in the morning. At 8 o'clock. In the morning he arrived on the Shestovets, and straight from the pier went to the monastery church, where he celebrated mass and communed the nuns with St. Tain. After mass, a chair was placed in the first room of the abbot’s apartment for Father John. Here, taking turns ascending the stairs in an endless line, the sisters of the monastery approached the priest for a blessing. More than 600 sisters passed by the priest. After the sisters, the pilgrims followed in the same order, crowding the entire area in front of the abbess’s house. Having dined while the monastery choir sang with the abbess, we all went to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, five miles away from the Goritsky Monastery. Here the priest served a short prayer service at the shrine of St. Kirill and, after drinking a glass of tea with the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Theodosius, he went to the city of Kirillov to make some visits. Our entire journey from the city of Kirillov to Lake Kubenskoye was some kind of triumphal procession of Father John; what happened here defies description. Entire villages, young and old, poured out to meet us and ran for several miles, falling to their knees, stretching out their hands to Father John and crossing themselves. There was a fence along the way - and a motley crowd, without thinking, climbed onto it, jumped down and again ran after the steamer until the canal ended and a lake began, along which it was no longer possible to run. At one lock, I noticed a very pretty girl of about twelve who had run about eight miles and was now earnestly asking for a cross. But here she never managed to give anything, since the thrown crosses and icons were instantly picked up by others. When the steamer, leaving the lock, went along the canal, I again saw a tireless girl among the running crowd. First she took off the scarf from her head, then she also took off her blouse, since it was very hot. At the end I saw her already running with her long hair flying in only a shirt. She carried her entire wardrobe in her hand. I asked the helmsman to come closer to the shore and, seizing an opportune moment, very successfully threw Father John’s card to the tireless girl. She picked her up and, pressing her to her chest, still continued to run until the canal ended and a small lake began. Finally, at 7 pm, at the 12th lock we met Father John’s own large steamship “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,” who came for the priest from Sura. Three young nuns, the ship's servants, greeted us with tears. It turned out that they had been waiting for us for eleven days, since the priest intended to leave Kronstadt before May 15th, but then postponed his departure. Night found us in the middle of Lake Kubenskoye, where, due to thick fog, we had to anchor. In the morning we approached the Kamensky Monastery. Here I witnessed one touching fact. Some ancient old woman passionately argued to the hieromonk of the Kamensky Monastery that she was now the happiest person in the whole world. “Well, no, father,” she said, as you wish, but I’m happier than you. You are a local resident, and he, the red sun, drives past you every year, well, it’s not a wonder that he stopped by. Me is another matter. Now I’m making my way from Poltava to Solovki on a pilgrimage, but I accidentally ended up in Kamensky with you, and suddenly such happiness! I received communion at Father John of Kronstadt’s place! Yes, I never dreamed of such happiness! The hieromonk of the Kamensky Monastery, to whom these words were addressed, in turn tried to prove to the praying mantis that he and his brethren were happier than her. How now I see the face of this old woman. How much sincere happiness, how much faith in her extinct eyes, wet with tears! A whole event happened in her life. From her conversation with the monk, I learned that she had long dreamed of seeing the priest, but did not dare to go to Kronstadt: she was afraid that they would not be allowed to see him. And suddenly such a happy meeting. For a long time afterwards she stood kneeling on the pier of the monastery and looked after our ship. On the way to Lake Kubenskoye Since the day before Father John did not serve mass, which is always a great deprivation for him, it was decided to stop in Ustyug, and the time was right - 8 o’clock in the morning. Again, the same picture as in Kronstadt, and in St. Petersburg, and in many other cities: Father John bows from the deck and blesses those seeing them off, and from the shore thousands of hands wave scarves and hats, and well-wishes and greetings can be heard to us. Soon we saw the mouth of the Yuga River, 4 versts from the city. The so-called Malaya Dvina already begins here. Two sisters, Vychegda and Sukhona, the first from the east, the second from the west, carry their waters towards each other and, having merged into one, turn sharply to the north and, under the name of the Northern Dvina, continue their journey to the White Sea. But the eastern and western beauties definitely do not get along with each other and no, no, they will go in different directions, forming separate branches and channels. The islands, low due to alluvial sand, overgrown with skinny willows, now and then pile up among the immense expanse of the waters of the northern nurse of the Dvina. Here it is, my dear, dear Northern Dvina, Father John quietly whispers, peering with delight and reverence at the place where the river. Vychegda, having met with r. The Sukhona, or otherwise the Malaya Dvina, turned left and spilled over into the wide, mighty Northern Dvina. Many times in his life, Father John had to sail along the Northern Dvina. As a young man, an unknown student at the Theological Academy, he traveled this way from St. Petersburg to his homeland. Now he has been passing here for many years in a row, surrounded by glory and universal love and respect, helping those in need with a generous hand. Whether the peasant’s cattle die, whether the hut burns down, or the church needs repairs, but one’s own funds are not enough, all hope is with the priest. Father will come and help. True, people often abuse the trust of Father John, and the money given to satisfy a serious need does not reach its destination. But this is a common phenomenon in any charity and it is impossible to eradicate this evil. However, even here the charm of the name of Father John does its job. Everyone knows that the priest, when helping people in need with money, not only does not make inquiries about the person who asks for help, but often gives money without counting it, just as luck would have it, as much as he gets his hands on. Only he will look into the eyes of the one who addresses him with his pure good look. Therefore, one must already be too spoiled a person to decide to deceive the priest. And this is the strength of Father John. The next day, June 4th, we passed by the provincial town of Solvychegodsk district of Krasnoborsk. On this day, the priest did not serve mass, as we were in a hurry, fearing that due to the drought the Pinega River would become shallow and it would be difficult for us to get to Sura by boat. They stopped only to collect firewood, but a crowd immediately gathered. It was impossible to let everyone in, because this would slow down the stacking of firewood, as a result of which the commander of the steamship ordered that only firewood porters be allowed in. In view of this, many resorted to a trick: they would take two or three logs and take them to the ship, and then straight to the priest for his blessing... Many books and samples had to be distributed here. The kids also received a gift. Having loaded the firewood, we set off on our further journey and soon passed the monastery of the Kholmogory convent. Finally, at about 9 o’clock in the evening, the village of Ust-Pinega appeared in the distance, approaching it, we turned sharply and entered the Pinega River. In St. Petersburg, before my trip to the north, I heard from many: “And you want to go there: after all, our poor, boring north is nothing interesting.” And here, on Pinega, I became convinced that many people do not have definite and correct information about our north. I had to travel only 300 versts from Ust-Pinega to Sura, and this path seemed like some kind of magical panorama. Pinega amazes with the diversity of its shores: in some places you see a copy of the shores of the Valaam Islands; steep cliffs descending into the water, from the crevices of which centuries-old pines rise; in some places the banks resemble the spurs of the Carpathians on the Teterev River in Zhitomir; There are also characteristic Caucasian corners with abysses and cliffs, such as I have seen in the wilds of Dagestan. In one place near the Krasnogorsky monastery I saw an exact copy of Kyiv in the same form as you see it when you approach from the south along the Dnieper. A series of steep chalk mountains, dotted with deep caves, and covered with dense forest on top, stretches for many miles. At night, when everyone was already asleep, I was awakened by noise on the deck. It turned out that we landed on the shore to take firewood. I go out on deck and see that, besides the crew carrying firewood, the only one awake is Fr. John. He stands at his cabin, looking up at the sky, and is obviously praying. The wonderful forest aroma is intoxicating. Wanting to take a closer look at the forest, I went ashore and climbed the mountain. A wonderful picture opened before me - a boundless sea of ​​forest. The entire horizon is covered with dense untouched forest. I wanted to admire the wonderful landscape endlessly. At about 12 o'clock in the afternoon we passed by the beautiful Krasnogorsky monastery, located on the right high bank of the Pinega. Below, under the mountain, among the dense forest, you can see the white skete church. Of course, we don’t even think about stopping, since there is less and less water in Pinega; Every now and then shallows appear, more and more often the shouts of one of the crew on the bow are heard, measuring the depth of the water. At about two o'clock in the afternoon we were already approaching the city of Pinega. Beyond Pinega, the banks of the river became positively charming, every turn there was a new panorama, and I simply didn’t know what to do; meanwhile, it was necessary to sit in the cabin to work and work, develop photographs and finish some drawings already begun, and at the same time I did not want to miss anything interesting that was visible from the deck of the ship. However, in this regard, I was often helped out by myself. John. If you come across some particularly beautiful view, and I’m not on deck, Father sends someone to the cabin to fetch me. Sometimes, looking up from work, you look out the small window of your cabin and don’t believe your eyes. In front of the window, a huge, almost vertical wall descends into the water; its upper part is not visible. But just now there was a low bank and the forest was blue in the distance. In Pinega, both banks are of the same character and equally diverse; This is not what usually happens in rivers flowing from north to south, or from south to north, where usually one bank is elevated and the other low. On the night of June 6th we hardly slept at all, it was so difficult to part with the charming nature. I didn’t know what to give preference to: what I saw above the water, or what was reflected in the water, smooth as a mirror. I wanted to throw myself into this alluring water and choke on the enchanting beauty of the northern night. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, on the opposite bank of Pinega from us, we finally saw our homeland. John the village of Suru, a very small village, but from a distance it seems to you that you are seeing a small county town. Next to the old wooden church in the name of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker majestically looks out over the surrounding area, a large new stone church in the name of the same saint, surrounded by a beautiful stone fence with an iron lattice. Right next door there are two large stone houses; in one there is a school, in the other a monastery shop. A little further from behind the church one can see a beautifully-architected chapel built over the grave of Fr. John, the priest's house and a number of large, spacious huts. All this is the creation of Fr. John. There was a bare place here, the driver explained to us, except for the old church there was nothing on the bare line. And now you can’t even recognize the old church, Father Ivan renovated it, and he built a new one, which is to everyone’s surprise. Having entered the vast monastery courtyard, we turned sharply to the left and stopped at the porch of the main building, connected to the monastery wooden church. The entire population of Sura was here. Around a large table, in a spacious, bright room, sat about fifteen people of the most diverse audience. There were nuns, clergy, excise and forest officials with their wives and children, and several peasants. Most drank tea. Father John, in a cassock as white as snow, walked around the rooms, taking turns talking to one or the other. Seeing us with Father George, he turned to us with the usual friendliness and helpfulness: “Here are my dear companions, please, please, refresh yourself from the road!” Since we had already eaten, Father George sat down on the sofa next to a tall man with a thick light brown beard, a tanned face and calloused hands, obviously a farmer, and I took revenge between Father George and a pretty, good-natured old woman, dressed the way all peasant women dress here. This is my sister, and this is my nephew, Father John told me, pointing to my neighbor and Father George’s neighbor. Neighbor o. Georgiy turned out to be my neighbor’s own son. In a distant corner of the room sat two more nephews of Father John, the younger children of his sister, also dressed like peasants and behaving extremely modestly. The two older nephews are married and engage in arable farming with their families. Here the selflessness of Father John was clearly evident. If someone else in his place would have made all his relatives rich, giving them the opportunity to live easily and richly. But for Father John, all people are equally close, and he does not give advantage to his relatives, whom he helps, but no more than to everyone else. And his relatives do not complain, because for a long time they have been accustomed to looking at him as a special person, not of this world. Here I learned that even in childhood, the son of psalm-reader Ilya Sergiev, little, thoughtful Ivanushka, enjoyed special respect among his fellow villagers. If the man's horse goes missing, they go to ask Ivanushka to pray, if some kind of grief happens, or if someone gets sick, they go to Ivanushka again. But the wonderful boy grew up and his glory, like the sun, shone over Orthodox Russia. And in the wild, harsh desert, among dense forests and shifting sands, where there was nothing except a dozen huts and a dilapidated wooden church, the walls of a majestic stone church turned white, golden crosses shone over a young monastery that was growing by leaps and bounds. All literate Russia still knew in the north the homeland of the great Russian scientist Lomonosov. Now all Orthodox Russia will know Sura, the homeland of its venerable shepherd. Just four years ago, Father John laid the foundation for the Sura monastery. And now there are already 120 nuns in Sura, most of whom came here to the harsh wilderness from the farthest reaches of Russia. The young nuns did not gather here for an easy life and not for a comfortable monastery. It is difficult to create a good economy in a short time on loose sand. There is no garden, no vegetable gardens, no cultivated fields here yet. Everything will have to be created with hard work, under the most difficult conditions, since the northern summer is short. The next day, in the morning, Father John solemnly served mass in front of a crowded church, during which, turning to the young nuns, he delivered a deeply felt sermon on how nuns who dedicated themselves to God should live. Knowing the human soul well, the priest in his sermon touched on those issues that represent the most sore spots in the lives of nuns. Towards the end of the sermon, suppressed sobs began to be heard in the church, which then turned into continuous loud sobs. When, having finished the sermon, Father John said: “Repent”! in the church everything merged into one common roar. Ceremoniously, with reverence, the nuns began to approach one after another to receive communion; Father John himself gave communion to everyone who was in the church. After having lunch with the abbess of the monastery, Father John went with her to the monastery, recently built in a centuries-old ship forest. Having traveled 36 miles to the grove and back on horseback, Father John returned remarkably cheerful and joyful. Father was very pleased with the condition of the recently rebuilt and decorated skete church in the name of the Holy Trinity. Throughout our journey, we more than once had to meet Father John’s peers, his classmates at the seminary. But what kind of decrepit old people are all these compared to him: he seems to them to be a vigorous young man, full of strength and energy. The next morning, June 9, Father John celebrated mass in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After mass, everyone went to the chapel over the grave of the father’s father, where the latter served a requiem mass. After this, until almost three o'clock in the afternoon, the tireless Father John made visits to Sura; visited all the priests in their apartments, visited his sister, went to the monastery shop, where he blessed the sister-clerks, stopped at the school, where one of the students read him a poem. When the priest left school, the children poured out into the street to see him off. There are about forty students in total; Everyone is dressed like an institution: in dark brown dresses and white capes. In general, throughout his entire stay in Sura, from morning until night, he was in trouble. He entered into everything himself directly; nothing escaped his attention. The whole of Sura for him was like one continuous house, in which everything and everyone was close and dear to him. How nice it is to see him riding here or there on a simple horse in his native and dear lands... Only in the evening he entered the house prepared for him, where he invited his companions. Many very interesting scenes could be seen at this time. On every visit, many of the Suryans turn to Fr. John with his various requests. “Here, Ivan Ilyich, I want to build a house,” a rather prominent peasant addresses him. - Why do you need a new house, Grigory? After all, your old one is good too. “I’m going to separate my eldest son by spring, Ivan Ilyich.” - Yes, that’s the case, let him live on his own farm. Again, women are not always on good terms. – As if the matter was inappropriate, Grigory; Wouldn't it be better to live together? You should talk to your son, but you can deal with women. But judge for yourself, these sections are not a good thing. - That's right, Ivan Ilyich. From one farm now we have to make two. It is a well-known fact that there is not enough of everything here and there. - You see. It’s better to arrange yourself according to God – in peace and harmony. The peasant thinks, hesitates in place, shifts from foot to foot. – It is known... it would be better if all together. - Well, do it, you are the head of the house. Having blessed the peasant, Fr. walks further through the village. John. There they ask him for advice, here for help, here they invite him to look at some new purchase that is important in peasant life. Father John usually refuses nothing to anyone or anything. At 4 o'clock in the morning, June 10th, Father John was on his feet. When I left my room, the priest was already driving out of the gate onto the road. The well-fed monastery horses picked up the light carriage of Fr. John and almost galloped along the forest road. In Sura, everyone tried to persuade Father John to stay a few more days. “Look at the clouds on the horizon,” the Suryans said, just a moment the water will rise and your steamer will come right here. But Father John was not created for an idle life. Sitting around doing nothing is the most tiring thing for him. And in Sura everything had already been done, and besides, his arrival was eagerly awaited on the Volga. Before the Volga, we still had to visit Arkhangelsk, Kholmogory and Vologda. Therefore, the priest was in a hurry, and our departure was finally decided. We do not consider it necessary to describe in detail the return journey of Fr. John. In the records of Mr. Zhivotovsky and Abbess Taisia, one can note only a few characteristic pages and bright purely biblical pictures. I will continue in chronological order, but I will go through everything uncharacteristic. “On the morning of June 19,” writes Zhivotovsky, we stopped at the first village we came across to celebrate mass as usual. In Yagryshi (that was the name of the village) we found almost no one, since all the people were busy putting out the fire that was approaching from the tundra. However, the news of the sudden arrival of Father John quickly spread around the surrounding villages and people began to come running from all sides. When Fr. John finished reading the canon; the church was already crowded with people praying. The church elder told the priest that Yagryshi and neighboring villages were suffering greatly this year from a three-month drought. To top off all the troubles, a forest fire began, which, as it approached, threatened the homes of the peasants, so on behalf of all the peasants he asked the priest to pray for rain.” I left the church before the end of the mass, wanting to get comfortable on the deck of the ship to take a photo with Fr. John's crowd. While I was fiddling with photographic cameras, a cloud crossed the sun and a shadow fell on the hot ground. I turned back and, to my great surprise, saw that the entire horizon was covered with thunderclouds. “Is it really going to rain?” I thought. After all, if this happens, then the residents of Yagryshi will pass on from generation to generation to their children and grandchildren what happened as a miracle that happened through the prayer of Father John... But now the mass is over. People poured out of the church in a thick mass. I will never forget these amazed and joyful faces, these enthusiastic eyes, in which so much pure, simple faith shone! Everyone joyfully looked at the sky, already half covered with clouds, and shared with each other the impression produced by the prayer of Father John. When the priest entered the ship and his crew began to prepare for departure, it began to rain. By 8 o'clock on June 20th we arrived at Veliky Ustyug. This time the priest served mass in the Cathedral of St. Procopy of the Righteous. When Fr. John was about to return to the ship; he was asked to visit a sick young man who had been hurt by a horse and was now lying at home, unable to move. According to those who asked to visit him, the doctors refused to treat him, since the patient had developed something like gangrene. When Father John came to the sick man, he told him: – If you can pray with faith, then pray and hope. The Lord will hear you and help you. “I believe, father, I believe with all my heart, pray for me,” the young man answered him. Father John began to pray. When, after finishing the prayer, Father John, having said goodbye to his family, headed towards the exit, the sick man himself rose from his seat, threw his crutches aside and, staggering, went to accompany Father John to the exit. “Look, mom,” he said, “I can already hold myself without crutches.” Every year and, it seems, always on the way back from Sura. John visits the Leushinsky monastery. These journeys are described annually by Abbess Taisiya. Since this respected woman knows “father” very well, some of her observations are interesting and edifying. While sailing, the priest loves to walk along the ladder and indulge in solitary thoughts of God and contemplative prayer. It was so now. Some of his companions sat on the ramp without disturbing him. Among them was Abbess Taisiya, who also sat alone. There was a strong wind, the priest approached the abbess and, sitting down next to her, said: “Look, mother, you see a fly fighting the wind; she wants to fly, she strains her strength, you see, she pulls her wings like sails, and the wind pushes her back, you see, she struggles, but still she fights, does not yield to the wind, flies little by little. So the enemy fights the soul walking the path of salvation, trying to overthrow it with the wind of present unbelief and vices, but by the grace of God the soul does not weaken and defeats him.” At sunset, the priest again walked along the ladder and prayed. Mother Taisiya was sitting at a distance. He approached her and, pointing to the horizon, said: “Look, mother, what a wonderful sky, what a wonderful dawn. How wonderful God is in his creation. One thing shone, only one sun, how much good it poured out for everyone, how much beauty, light, warmth, all good. The Lord created everything for man; and how majestic He Himself is, our mental sun, our most luminous Light. O faith, faith, how you enliven, elevate, touch, enlighten, delight the soul, and how pitiful are the unfortunate unbelievers. Sometimes to Fr. John is approached by someone close to him for a private conversation. Father always goes towards a good wish and talks lovingly and kindly. What are these conversations about? How are they conducted? We are sure that the reader will not complain if we convey one warm conversation about. John with a random interlocutor. - Father, teach me to pray! I can't. I'm bad at it. O. John. – Yes, the simplest thing is to pray, but at the same time the most difficult thing. A small child knows how to pray in his own way, to ask his father or mother. We are children of the Heavenly Father, can children really manage to ask the Father? As you feel, tell Him your needs, and open your heart. “The Lord is near to all who call on Him” in truth... and he hears their prayers, but at the same time, be wise and careful, take care of your mind. “I don’t pray enough, father, things are pressing me, in the evening you don’t know how to get to the pillow, so you get tired of the day’s affairs and worries, and in the morning before I get up, things stop and as soon as you open the door, you’ll hardly come back to pray.” Ο. I. Prayer and salvation do not lie in many words. Read a few prayers, but with consciousness and warmth in your heart. And most importantly, throughout the whole day, have the memory of God, that is, secret, inner prayer. I myself do not have time to stand for long monastic services, but always and everywhere: whether I am walking, sitting, or lying down, the thought of God does not leave me. I pray to Him in spirit, mentally I stand before Him and contemplate Him before me; the thought of His closeness to me never leaves me. Try to do the same. – Do you feel Him close to you, father? O. I. Yes, dear, to loved ones, very close ones: He is always with me according to His word “and I will dwell in them and walk like them.” Otherwise, how could I act like this all day long, if not for the grace of God. - Yes, father, you work amazingly. You completely sacrifice yourself to serve people, forgetting about yourself. O.I. Perhaps you have already said too much, but really, I am trying to the best of my ability, with God’s help, to serve the salvation of human souls. I prepared myself for this from the very beginning of my priesthood. Shepherds, successors of the apostles, must live for their flock, and not for themselves. – I think it was not easy for you, father, at first. But now you stand above all temptations and passions, and whatever would strike you will be crushed against the stone of faith and grace inherent in you. Father John crossed himself and said, sighing: “There is much to say above temptations and passions, I am not dispassionate, only God’s grace and power have always supported and encouraged me. After all, we have only weaknesses and sins, but our abilities to serve come from God.” - Father, as long as a person is in the flesh, he cannot be free from passions and temptations that surround him from everywhere in the world? Ο. I. Of course, I’m not free: that’s why you need to listen deeply and relentlessly to yourself. A person in moments of temptation is like someone lying on a scale, where he will be pulled: the enemy pulls him into destruction, and the angel and the person’s conscience hold him back. At this time, it is best to imagine the power of the fire of Gehenna, burning sinners. This thought is powerful to extinguish the fire of any temptation, especially if you add to it the secret prayer of the heart. A bell brought on a barge for the Sursky Church. Every sin, committed willingly or unwillingly, weighs on the soul and disrupts its peaceful state. I speak from my own experience: with the loss of peace, anxiety, embarrassment, and tightness are born. ABOUT! How hard it can be for the soul and how difficult it is for it to recover again. Immediate, secret repentance is required, “he will call to me and I will hear him.” The Lord knows our weaknesses. He is ready to forgive us everything if we repent and ask for forgiveness. There is no need to become numb, that is, to dwell on the thought of the sin committed, but to immediately repent, remembering God’s mercy; then anxiety and absent-mindedness will not arise, but contrition and humility of the heart, which God does not destroy, that is, will not despise. – How to preserve peace with God in the soul, restored in it through the sacrament, or through the sacrament of repentance by the mercy of God? O.I. Nothing can preserve peace, which consists of communion with God, better than by paying attention to yourself. In general, a person going through spiritual life and zealous for salvation must relentlessly pay attention to himself, that is, notice all the movements of his heart and mind. The enemy is watching us closely and is trying to catch them and when he finds a hole, i.e. a minute not occupied by the attention of the householder himself, immediately invades, begins to rule in his soul and can do a lot of harm to it. And how hard the soul feels when, having cleansed itself and restored its communion with God, it sins again! On something clean and pure, even the smallest speck is more visible, so on a pure soul, but in black and dirty they are not noticeable behind the general blackness. Again, it turns out that you need to pay attention to yourself and have constant remembrance of God and inner prayer. – Your faith is great, father, but mine is not enough, share with me. “Take as much as you want, as much as you can carry,” said Fr. John half-jokingly, then added soulfully and quite seriously: “The Lord is rich in mercy.” Even more often, of course, the “father” talks with everyone around him, edifying everyone. July 1 around 2 p.m. Fr. John, we read in Abbess Taisia’s entry, went out onto the gangway (since he usually prefers to be in the fresh air than in stuffy cabins); he was surrounded by his companions, who had been waiting for him on the ship for a long time. Father John, always seeking the benefit and edification of his neighbors in everything, took the Bible and began to read aloud the Prophets and Apostles and explain what he was reading; he was surrounded by everyone, not excluding the servants, only two pilots, like guards, stood at the wheel, but they, it seems, listened to the words of the good shepherd and teacher that reached them. So, in such an edifying and pleasant activity, time passed unnoticed until late evening, when everyone went to their cabins for the night's rest, and the tireless worker, having blessed and dismissed everyone, remained to perform his prayer rule, since the next day he was preparing to serve the liturgy in the Leushinsky monastery. Leushinsky monastery for Fr. Ioanna is a place of rest. Since he very rarely has to rest, let's see how he rests here among his beloved nature, among solitude. We will use the records of Mother Superior Taisia for 1896, although we also have at our disposal a record from 1903. By 8 o'clock in the morning Fr. John arrived at the monastery, where he was greeted by the ringing of bells, announcing the time of the service, and proceeded straight to the cathedral, at the doors of which he was met by the local monastery clergy while the choir sisters sang. Then the service began. Despite the haymaking season and on a non-holiday day, the entire vast spacious church of the monastery was crowded with worshipers; In addition to those close to us, there were also distant arrivals from neighboring cities: Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Ustyuzhna, Vesyegonsk and even from St. Petersburg. After the liturgy, the priest proceeded to the cell of the abbess, who, with sincere zeal and joy, provided the highly esteemed guest with all her premises, with all possible amenities. Taking advantage of the favorable weather, the priest went out into the garden; here some of the arriving guests approached him and told him about a case of healing from the water of a well dug last year with the blessing of Fr. John. Among those telling the story was the healed one, who confirmed the truth, a peasant from the Cherepovets district, Pavel Denisov: “The master and I came here,” he began, “to pray and, already approaching the monastery, I somehow made a mistake, did not notice a deep ditch and fell into it with my front right wheel. The tarantass overturned, and I fell under the feet of the horse, which began to kick me and, tugging at the tarantass, touched and crushed my right side of the chest, shoulder and arm. Almost unconscious, I rose to my feet; I couldn’t control my right hand and it ached terribly, I could hardly support it with my left hand.” “Then I remembered your well, father, I wandered to it and they washed my sore hand with water from it. Before I could reach the cathedral from the well, the hand gained control, and I began to be baptized with it, as if nothing had happened, and now, thank God, I am healthy. There was an all-night vigil in the cathedral, after which the priest served me a prayer service in front of all the people, everyone saw how they led me, armless, and how I received my hand again.” The history of the well is interesting. It was dug in 1895 under the following circumstances. The Leushinsky monastery is far from the river and uses water only from wells, of which there are several, but they all dried up in the spring. The water accumulated slowly, with a large sediment of sand, and the five thousand population of the monastery (350 sisters, 60 pupils, clergy families, workers and regular pilgrims) was forced to thaw the snow in the spring to obtain water, or endure deprivation of it, waiting for it to accumulate in one or another well. In 1895, the abbess, Abbess Taisiya, reported this significant shortcoming to Father John, who visited the monastery, and asked him to indicate a place to dig a well and, through prayer and blessing, to make it an inexhaustible source of water for the needs of the living. Procession of the cross in Sura during the consecration of the church The priest answered: “We need to pray about this, so that the Lord Himself will indicate.” The next day, July 16, at noon, the priest, being in the garden, invited the abbess and approached the altar wall of the house church (opposite the high place) at a distance of 5 arshins from the wall, indicating the place to dig a well. Then he put on the stole, asked for the Gospel and read the 4th chapter of John about the Savior’s conversation with the Samaritan woman, blessed the indicated place, sprinkling it with St. water Immediately they began to dig a well; the water in it turned out to be plentiful, tasty and, as examples prove, of beneficial and healing properties. Glory to the Lord, who does wonderful and glorious things through people close to Him and pleasing to Him! A dish brought by residents of the village. Sura o. John In the evening, the priest invited the abbess and his more closely acquainted guests to listen to his reading and explanation of the Holy Scriptures, and this time he chose the book Apocalypse of St. John the Theologian. In one of the alleys of the garden, near the pond, everyone sat around a table, at which dear priest began his reading, interrupting it with explanations and interpretations. This obviously gave great comfort to all who heard it, and time flew by until late in the evening. Everyone, having accepted the blessing, went to rest, one vigilant prayer book, Fr. John remained in the garden for a long time for solitary contemplation and contemplative prayer. The next day, the priest served Matins and Liturgy, during which all the sisters of the monastery were honored to receive Holy Communion, as well as many of the visitors who had time to prepare for this. Then the day passed just like the previous one; Only in the evening did the priest serve a prayer service with the blessing of water at his well and immediately blessed a large cross with a crucifix, newly painted for one church, and many small icons, with which he blessed each of the sisters of the monastery upon departure. In the evening, the priest read again in the garden and explained what he was reading. The third and last day of the priceless guest’s stay at the Leushinsky monastery has arrived. Father, as usual, celebrated the liturgy and the sisters who remained without communion were honored with Holy Communion, as well as many of the visitors. Days of stay at the Leushinsky monastery of Fr. John were truly days of common holiday and celebration, days of common joy, common happiness and contentment. The loving priest himself seemed to be looking to console everyone, to encourage them in the exploits of the difficult monastic life, he caressed everyone, and the feeling of his gracious, boundless love seemed to overflow into the hearts of those present and united them with that sincere childish love that imparts happiness and peace to the souls, giving the opportunity, at least for a while, to forget all the worldly, vain worries. On the day of his departure, Fr. John ate at a common meal with his sisters; he was sitting in the place of the abbess, who, meanwhile, was teaching the sisters about monastic life. Then, having visited all the members of the monastery clergy, the priest arrived at the house church, where all the sisters had gathered in anticipation of the last farewell blessing; on all faces there was an imprint of grief at separation from the infinitely beloved father-shepherd. When the priest entered the soleya, he, turning his face to the sisters, told them the following speech: Father John blesses the Sura monastery “The sheep hear my voice and follow me. And I will give them eternal life” (John 10:27,28), said the Lord. These words apply to you, beloved sisters; These are you, the sheep of Christ, who listened to the voice of the good shepherd Christ, who called you to his ministry, exclusive from the common service of all Christians living in the world among snares and temptations. You heard His sweetest voice in your hearts and followed Him, as St. Apostle Peter: “We have all left us all and are dead after You” (Matthew 19:27). Further, the priest found out under what conditions this alienation from the world can be pleasing to the Lord, he recalled the basic rules of monastic life, the implementation of which requires a lot of long-term struggle with thoughts and temptations from the flesh and the world and the devil, especially from the devil, this primordial enemy of our salvation, who constantly “walks like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1. Pet. 5:8), i.e. that is, to turn anyone away from the path of salvation. He encouraged the sisters in their spiritual work, encouraged them with hope in God’s help, consoled them with the promise of reward from the Lord in the kingdom of heaven and endless bliss, “but man’s eye has not seen, man’s ear has not heard, and man’s heart has not entered” (1 Cor. 2:9). “So, save yourself, sisters, beloved children of Christ,” the priest concluded. General tears and sobs drowned out his last words; all 300 sisters, as one, exclaimed in response to him: “Pray for us, dear father, do not leave us!” “I will not leave you, I will not stop remembering you, sisters,” answered the priest, “I am always your prayer book”! Then he began to bless each of the sisters, handing her an icon of either the Holy Trinity or Unexpected Joy. A high, holy feeling filled the souls of those present in the church. Everyone cried, parting with their priceless, gracious father; Everyone, it seemed, asked for one word from their lips: someday we will see you again, father, and again we will be comforted by your sweet conversation! Finally, while singing “many years,” the priest began to get into the carriage; Abbess Taisiya, who was accompanying him, sat down with him; other crews accommodated Fr.'s satellites. John and the guests of the monastery who saw him off, and everyone headed to the Borki pier, where the steamer was waiting for them. The singing nuns who remained on the pier sang “many years” to the dear visitor who was sailing away from them, and this singing accompanied the departing steamer for a long time. The good priest stood on the gangway all the time, blessing those remaining on the shore, until the steamer was completely out of sight. And there ahead are St. Petersburg, Kronstadt and working days.